Across the Worlds
by Star Dragon Fire
Summary: She was always the Gentle Queen, in every battle the one on the sidelines. But now with Aslan, Caspian and her family all in great danger, it is Susan who must become a warrior and use Diggory's rings to travel across the worlds to save all that she loves
1. Four worlds

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A plot bunny that popped into my head when I watched Prince Caspian (awesome movie!!). Please, I know this is a bit different to the other fics out there but give it chance!! Please R+R

**Across the Worlds **

**Chapter 1: Four worlds **

_London, 1942 A.D._

"Why did you stop believing?" Lucy begged.

A cool sneer was thrust callously into Lucy's grief-stricken face.

"What is there to believe in?" came the blunt reply.

--

"Don't you remember? How can you possibly forget all those years!?" Peter demanded, blue eyes flashing.

A haughty laugh followed by a quick flick of long flowing dark hair.

"My word brother dear," each word dripping with venomous sarcasm, "Aren't you a little old for these games?"

--

"I know why you are doing this," Edmund's face was solemn, his words gentle, "But trying to pretend it never happened isn't going to help."

A short stunned horrified silence, shocked at the fact that he could so easily see through her façade and see the ugly truth beneath. She did the only thing she could: feign ignorance.

"Don't have some silly games to play with Peter and Lucy?" the faintest hint of shakiness underlined her voice, "Really, all of you should just grow up."

Lipstick was applied expertly to her lips, the sheer tawdry redness of the make-up hiding the delicate natural crimson of her lips.

"Now if you'll excuse me I have a party to attend."

She stormed out of the room as she and Edmund both pretended not to see her trembling body.

--

"I can't believe Su's going to America!" Lucy grimaced, "Us… stuck with Eustace… yerk!"

Peter sighed.

"At least you two are having some sort of holiday," he muttered rubbing his temples, "I'm going to be studying all the time. Trust me by the end of the first month I'm going to be balmier than a drunken Tumnus."

"At least you get to see Professor Kirke again," Lucy reminded him cheerfully, eyes twinkling, "And Ms. Polly!"

Peter smiled at her, shaking his head at her ability to see the bright side to everything.

"I'm hoping it's Time," Edmund said conspiratorially.

Peter's smile instantly fell.

"You think…" he trailed off.

Lucy nodded vigorously.

"I… Ed and I think it's time… we just feel it."

Susan could stand it no more. Taking in a deep breath like she was preparing herself for battle, she pushed the door open and swanned into the room. A furious glare pierced all her siblings.

"Oh not that rubbish again!" she announced in a high clear voice, "Really Ed, Peter. You should be ashamed of yourselves!"

Peter's eyes instantly flared at he leapt to his feet, his mouth open ready to sling the first verbal arrow in their endless screaming matches. But before he could get even one syllable out, a voice floated up to them.

"Susan! The cab's here!" their mother called, "Get down or we'll leave without you."

Susan smirked at Peter's flushed and furious face. A part of her, a small-suppressed side screamed at her to stop, to allow herself to feel and not just to act and pretend and hide but she couldn't do it. To do so, to allow herself to grief… it would crush her.

So she lashed out with cruel words and cold glares.

"Looks like it's time for the adults of the house to leave," she sneered, "Leaving the little children behind."

Peter glared at her but Susan ignored him as she whirled around elegantly and made to leave the room. A small hand grabbed onto her arm stopping her.

Susan looked at her sister. Lucy swallowed thickly but forced herself to speak.

"If we see him…" Lucy began timidly, "Is there anything you'd like us to say?"

Susan stared at her, eyes wide and frightened, her face bleaching as all blood drained out of it. Peter and Edmund looked on, holding their breaths, waiting.  
"I'm sorry," she choked out finally, "But I have no idea what you mean."

Before anyone could say another word, she wrenched herself free and sprinted out of the door. Her three siblings stared sadly after her.

"Next time I see him," Peter growled out finally in a low dangerous voice, "I'm going to kill him."

Edmund scowled darkly.

"Get in line Peter. Get in line."

Peter's blue eyes flickered to his brother's face.

"If you see him…" he began.

Edmund flashed him a mischievous grin.

"Will do," he promised, "Punch to the face right?"

Peter smirked and nodded. Lucy sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Boys!" she announced, annoyed, "Always with the violence!"

Throwing her hands up in despair, she stormed out of the room as Peter and Edmund burst into laughter.

--

The sun was bright on her face, the wind gentle. The world around her was green and lush and somehow more alive than it ever was in the real world. Susan could feel the soft fabric against her skin and almost unbidden a cry of joy escaped her lips.

She looked up and he was there again, reaching out for her, a soft smile on his swarthy face, his tousled hair gleaming in the sunlight.

Susan beamed.

"My love," soft accented words that seemed to plunge deep into her soul and make her quiver with joy.

"Casp…"

She woke up with a start and stared up in the darkness. Soft snores instantly reminded her where she was. Not home in her kingdom and with him but here, in this harsh cruel world, on a boat en route to America.

Tears filled her eyes but she refused to let them fall.

"Why do you torment me?" she begged of the dark ceiling above her, "Why do you let me see what I can never have?"

She crawled out of her bed and shuffled to the door, pulling her blanket tight around her. She stepped out onto the deck and stared up at the starlit sky. She let her head fall.

"I'm sorry," Susan whispered, her voice low and husky, "I'm so sorry. I tried to forget. I tried so hard but I can't. But it hurts to remember. What should I do? What can I do?"

She slammed her hands against the metal of the guardrails.  
"Have you left me?!" she screamed out into the night, "Is that it?! Are you punishing me for trying to forget?! ASLAN! DAMN YOU! SPEAK TO ME! HAVE YOU LEFT ME!?"

"I haven't."

That voice!

Susan closed her eyes, praying she wasn't dreaming. That she wasn't going mad driving to madness by longing like so many literary heroines.

"Pleasepleasepleaseplease…"

She twisted and stared into deep, dark, burning amber eyes.

"… Aslan!"

Gold and sunlight seemed to spill over her body, tearing away at the dark night until everything was light and warmth and love.

And she knew no more.

* * *

_Melbourne, 2008 A.D._

The front door swung open and Inara looked up, her brown eyes narrowing.

"Hello honey!" Dorothy Nixon beamed drunkenly at her door as she stumbled into the room, a bottle of vodka held tightly in her hands.

"Out drinking again?" Inara demanded disgustedly.

Her mother pulled herself up to her full height and glared at her daughter blearily.

"Don't take that tone with me young lady!" she slurred angrily.

Inara glared at her in stonily silence as Dorothy lurched to the couch and crashed down onto the seat, spilling half her alcohol on the way down.

She took a deep swig and looked up at her daughter.

"Going to work today?" she asked.

Inara rolled her eyes.

"Yeah," she replied tersely.

She glanced up at the clock on the wall.

"Damn it," she muttered, "Look mum, I've got to go… there's some bread in the cupboard. Make yourself a sandwich or something. And please don't try to cook, we don't want to start a fire again or the landlord's going to kick us out."

Dorothy nodded vigorously as she took another swig of her vodka, half of it spilling down her the side of her lips. Inara shook her head in disgust and moved to the door.

"Honey?"

Inara turned back to her mother. Dorothy was looking at her with a small apologetic smile.

"Ummm… I'm just wondering… me and my boyfriend…"

"Which one?" Inara muttered.

Dorothy ignored her.

"We want to go to this club but I'm a bit broke at the moment…"

"Let me guess. You want money? Again?" Inara growled.

Dorothy nodded slowly.

"Only a little," she wheedled.

"Why don't you ask your own daughter?" Inara demanded, "You know Little Ms. Precious Princess?"

Dorothy seemed to swell with rage.

"Don't talk about your sweet sister that wa…" she began indignantly.

"Sweet?" Inara laughed bitterly, "Mum, the alcohol couldn't have killed that many brain cells!"

"SHUT UP!" Dorothy hissed at her, her face flushed, "Don't you dare talk to me or your sister that way! How dare you, you little worthless…"

Inara's eyes flashed and Dorothy instantly stopped. She seemed to remember she had been begging her for money and instantly put a simpering smile on her podgy face.

Inara pulled out her wallet and yanked out some notes.

"Take it," Inara growled disgustedly throwing it at her mother, they fluttered to the ground before her, "It's not like you won't steal it anyway."

Whirling around, the young teenager marched out of the door into the cold night as her mother fell to the ground scrounging at the notes.

Inara slammed the door shut behind her and stalked down the small dingy hallway, tugging her battered jacket closer around her.

"Bloody cow," she spat furiously, "I can't…"

With a cry of frustration, she aimed a kick at a nearby rubbish bin. It easily tipped over with thundering crash, spilling garbage everywhere, something dark and slimy splattered across her shoes.

Inara grimaced.

"Great!" she sighed, rolling her light brown eyes, "Just bloody great."

She marched straight through the stinking garbage, glass crunching underfoot.

'Inara…'

The young teenager froze.

'_Inara…' _a voice called out from the darkness, soft and silky, haunting and alluring.

"Who's there?!" Inara demanded, "If you don't come out, I'll find you and kick your a…"

The words died on her lips as a tall towering figure stepped out from around the corner. Inara instantly froze, her eyes wide and horrified.

"No… no…" she begged scrambling backwards, "No."

The man smiled at her, a predatory grin that showed too much teeth and glee.

"Hello little Inara."

Inara whimpered.

"Daddy."

And suddenly there was a lion's deafening roar and everything went black.

* * *

_Lawless, 1742 E.D._

A shrieking wind whipped through the scorching desert, super-heated sand battering against stony cliffs as overhead three bright burning suns baked the desolate earth beneath.

It was a harsh world. A world of heat and fire and sand, of endless undulating sand dunes and sheer rock faces. There was no water, no shelter from the sun, nothing at all to suggest that anything could exist at all.

But miraculously amongst all this desolation there was life.

A single heavily hooded figure scrambled frantically up one of the sand dunes, the triptych of suns beating mercilessly upon his back, their combined heat threatening to overwhelm him and bring him down into the sinking embrace of the golden sand beneath. But still he struggled on, his feet sinking deep into the sand.

Gasping desperately for breath, he reached the peak of the dune and without hesitation threw himself over the side. He fell and hit the sand, rolling rapidly down the dune, picking up speed as momentum spurred him on.

The hooded figure reached the end of the dune and rolled on, finally coming to a stop at the base of an immense cliff that threw the immediate area into dark cooling shadows.

The man leapt to his feet and instantly moved to dart off.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you," a soft voice called out.

The hooded figure froze and slowly turned around.

"Why do you follow me?!" the man demanded, "Who are you?"

"I am a Seeker," a tall man, dressed in a long battered brown coat emerged from behind the rocks, a crossbow clutched in his hands.

The hooded figure, Cyrus froze at the sight and the words.

"A Seeker?" Cyrus seemed to fold in on himself, "But I am a mere poor mage? What have I done to bring a Seeker on my helpless head?"

The Seeker, a tall man with a lined, weathered face and calm dark blue eyes, his features half-hidden beneath a fedora hat was completely unmoved.

"Now you know and I know that you are lying," he said almost conversationally, "Both of us also know that it's very hot out here. What you may not know is that I have very little patience for lies and that I'm really thirsty. So why don't you just lie down and surrender so I can head back to Lowtown?"

Cyrus narrowed his eyes.

"Seeker, I am not afraid of you," he hissed.

The Seeker raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"PWHIP!"

Before Cyrus could even react, the Seeker had fired his crossbow. The bolt slammed into the mage's shoulder eliciting a violent roar of pain.

What happened next was a blur of motion.

Cyrus punched the air with his fist as the Seeker dived to the side. The ground he had just been standing in seemed to explode as sand, rock and dirt went flying everywhere but before Cyrus could unleash a second attack, the Seeker had loaded his crossbow and fired again.

"ARGH!"

The mage fell to his knees as the arrow slammed deep into his thigh.

"Just give it up already!" the Seeker snarled, "I really don't want to waste any more arrows on you!"

"Go to Tash!" Cyrus roared back at him.

The mage flung his arm forwards. There was a piercing shriek and something seemed to fly from the mage to his attacker, the air shimmering along its pathway. The Seeker merely raised his hand and the shimmering mass seemed to hit an invisible wall and disappear.

Cyrus blinked in surprise.

"You have powers!"

"Also a crossbow!" the Seeker roared again.

The Seeker fired again but Cyrus rolled away, the arrow shooting harmlessly past overhead.

"NOW!!" Cyrus screamed.

The Seeker's head snapped up as along the rim of the cliff above them, crimson hooded figures appeared.

Cyrus laughed scornfully.

"You think a man like me don't have friends in low places?" he demanded.

"You work with them?" the Seeker spat back, "What are you crazy?!"

Cyrus's smirk only widened.

"Only a little," he grinned, "KILL HIM!"

The Seeker fired first, his arrow hitting one of the hooded men above. His victim crumpled but the counter-attack came fast and furious.

The Seeker, known only to a trusted few by his true name, Jason, stood defiant, dark eyes blazing, not giving an inch as a rain of arrows whistled through the air, death lancing towards him in a flight of feathered shafts.

But suddenly thunder roared in the air, a sound that had not been heard in the desert for centuries and whole world seemed to freeze.

Jason blinked and there was a flash of gold, a brush of wild thick hair against his face and everything was gone.

* * *

_Metech, 3010 G.R._

"Professor, I should warn you," the slim wraith of a girl informed him, "The chances of this succeeding is…"

There was a slight pause as she swiftly calculated the odds.

"A one in ten million chance this will succeed," she finished.

Professor Elias Denton smiled indulgently.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Five?" he informed his young assistant, "Man does not care for what impossible odds he faces! He fights when there is little hope because to not do so is not in the nature of man."

"It is also in the nature of man to be unaware of the limits he should not touch," Five swiftly responded, blinking rapidly, "To touch the unknown when it is better not to do so… that is the folly of man."

Elias chuckled.

"Now where on earth did you download that data file?" the white-haired man asked her.

Five looked at him earnestly.

"It was within my programming professor," she told him truthfully, "When I was made to your specifications the creator thought it would be wise for me to be able to comprehend and add to your conversations. You are well known for being philosophical."

Elias roared with laughter as he continued to type rapidly away on his keyboard, a veritable wall of computer screens arrayed around his workstation, each showing the latest string of calculations and statistics he had teased out of his experiments.

"You mean for being long-winded," he smirked.

"That is for you to decide," his assistant told him.

Elias shook his head still smiling as he finished typing in a new string of equations.

"Ah. Now let's see what this will do," he glanced up at a screen towards his left.

Complex diagrams shown in stunningly crystal clear definition unfolded across the screen. Instantly a string of lightning fast data streamed across the wide screen but the professor's eyes darted here and there easily comprehending its meaning as the diagram flashed and seemed to fold in on itself until it disappeared.

Five stood patiently, blue eyes staring blankly ahead as the professor laughed and leapt to his foot.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" he punched the air delightedly, "It works! It works!"

He swung towards his young assistant.

"Five! Prepare the experiment area."

"But professor, it is my duty to warn you tha…"

"Enough," Elias ordered, "Please, just do as I say."

Five nodded and instantly hurried off. Elias strolled over to his apartment window. The huge ceiling to floor pane of clear glass showed an immense metal wonderland. Huge glass and steel skyscrapers dominated the landscape, the whole super-city glittering with gem-like lights as small sleek silvery hover-cars shot past his window, their sounds stopped dead by the special properties of the glass before him. Elias studied the scene before him, always awe-struck by the technological Mecca that was his home.

Huge strips of conveyer belts looped around the buildings, allowing pedestrians to move with ease even as more hover-cars thundered past overhead and below, their paths guided by the onboard computers within. Flashing plasma screens covered the façade of each building, advertisements grabbing the eyes with their neon brightness.

Elias smiled and placed his dark hand over the glass.

Instantly the clear glass went opaque shutting the world outside as Elias turned back to his apartment.

Five stood, waiting for him patiently, the centre of the room cleared of everything. Elias strolled over to this clear patch of space and took a deep breath.

"Okay," he nodded at Five, "Set the safety perimeters."

Five clapped her hands and instantly beams of blue laser light shot out from the walls and floors enclosing the professor in a prism of light.

"Activate the Transporter!" Elias yelled, slipping goggles over his eyes.

A section of the floor slid away as a something akin to an immense silver satellite dish unfolded out from the hole.

"Unlock the final safety mechanisms!" Elias commanded, "Turn the Transporter on to 0.95 of full power! Set Spectrum Accelerator to 0.23! FIVE! NOW!"

The young blonde girl nodded.

"Transporter. Activate!" she barked.

The Transporter hummed lowly as light built up at the centre of its satellite-like body. Elias watched intently as small nucleus of bright light began to gather at its core. The sound grew louder as the ball continued to grow.

"I think it's working!" Elias yelled triumphantly, "FIVE! RECORD THIS! I THINK IT'S ABOUT TO WOR…"  
"PROFESSOR!" Five suddenly screeched.

Before Elias could even react the Transporter seemed to warp, crumpling violently in on itself, metal twisting and breaking as the ball of light at its centre trembled.

"What on…" Elias began spinning away from the transporter.

"Professor!" Five screamed, a split second before it happened.

"BOOM!"

His glass window shattered in a cascade of glass, the laser light shield around him blinking out of existence as the ball of light exploded and blinding whiteness devoured his senses.

* * *

"Who the hell are you?"

Susan blinked and stared into a pair of incredulous brown eyes.

"Okay, where am I and who the hell are you?" the young teenager demanded in a strange accent, "I didn't eat some funky mushrooms did I? Or was there a gas leaky in my dingy apartment and I'm just high on the fumes?! What's going on here!?"

Susan slowly rose to her feet and stared around her confused.

"Aslan!" she stared around, a bright smile on her face, "He was here! Aslan!"

Inara raised an eyebrow as she studied the pretty girl standing in front of her. The black-haired beauty had a look of utter amazement and delight on her flawless face and looked like she was ready to burst into tears even as she called out, her voice getting louder and louder, more desperate with each repetition as silence greeted her worlds.

Not particularly wanting to deal with a person on the verge hysterics, Inara edged away slightly.

"What is this place?"

A new voice made both girls whirl around. A tall man with dirty blonde hair stared at them quizzically, his dark eyes puzzled.

"What is this place?" he repeated.

"Check out the cowboy," Inara whistled lowly, "Nice threads."

Cowboy looked confused but ignored her as he continued to stare all around him in awe. They were in some sort of woods, tall trees towering over head, their branches and leaves coiling together to form a thick canopy overhead as soft sunlight diffused through in soothing shades of dappled green.

"Is this a… for… for… forest?" Jason stumbled over the unfamiliar word, "But how? These haven't been in existence for centuries!"

"I was about to say the same thing."

The three of them turned and stared as a stocky African-American man thrashed his way noisily through the undergrowth towards them.

"Hello," he said pleasantly, "I'm Professor Elias Denton. And am I guessing correctly when I say I'm in another world?"

Susan's eyes widened.

"Narnia!" she instantly whirled around as if hoping to spot a dryad or a nymph or anything to tell her she was back in the world of her dreams but all around her was silent, unfamiliar trees.

She deflated slightly.

"Okay…" Inara placed her hands on her lips, "So Doc. You seemed to be slightly more ahead of the schedule. What the hell is going on?!"

"I brought you here.'

Susan's face split in a dazzling smile as a huge lion emerged from behind a tree.

"Aslan! Aslan!" she instantly darted towards the immense lion as the others gaped at the giant talking King of beasts.

Susan made to throw her hands around him but a soft growl stopped her in her tracks.

"I'm sorry but I do not have much time," Aslan looked at all four of them solemnly, "I have pulled each of your out of your own world and times for a grave and dangerous task."

"Dangerous?" Jason was instantly interested.

Aslan's eyes seemed to swallow each of them as he spoke again.

"And so… it has begun. You are the Chosen."

And four jaws dropped in unison as Aslan looked at them gravely. It was Elias who spoke first, breaking the stunned silence.

"Not meaning any disrespect… uhhh… sir Lion but you are not making much sense. Chosen for what?" he asked cautiously.

"You are all needed…"

His next words sent a bolt of fear through Susan's heart.

"To save Narnia."


	2. The other companion

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* * *

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Across the Worlds

**Chapter 2: The other companion**

"And so… it has begun. You are the Chosen."

And four jaws dropped in unison as Aslan looked at them gravely. It was Elias who spoke first, breaking the stunned silence.

"Not meaning any disrespect… uhhh… sir Lion but you are not making much sense. Chosen for what?" he asked cautiously.

"You are all needed…"

His next words sent a bolt of fear through Susan's heart.

"To save Narnia."

"Narnia! What happened?" Susan asked frantically, "Is something wrong?"

Her eyes widened and fear gripped her heart.

"Caspian!"

Aslan opened his mouth to speak but Inara cut in before the great Lion could speak even a single word.

"Okay, what the hell is going on here?" the young teenager demanded, "One second I'm at home ready to leave for work then…"

Her hazel-green eyes widened as she remembered what had happened to her. She had been walking down the dingy hallway of her apartment building then… her father…

A low whimper left her lips as the others looked on, uncomprehending as the blood drained from her face leaving her deathly pale.

"Sit down girl," Jason growled, "You look like you're about to keel over."

Inara swayed on the spot but she steadied herself. Her eyes instantly darted to Aslan who looked at her, his eyes both grave yet gentle and understanding.

"You were in great danger," he growled out lowly, "I saved you."

"Oh," Inara fell silent.

"Aslan," Susan drew the lion's attention back to her, "What is happening?"

The others blinked at her for in that second she did not speak with the voice of a young girl on the cusp of womanhood but as a Queen, her voice commanding and implacably hard.

"A great darkness has fell over Narnia…" Aslan suddenly shuddered violently as the quartet recoiled, "It… it's spreading… across the worlds."

"Across the worlds!" Elias's eyes lit up, "So the multi-verse theory is true! This is exceptional! I can't believe…"

"Shut up and let the man… lion… thing… talk!" Jason growled at him.

Elias flushed and turned back to Aslan.

"Even now it has infected many worlds bringing much suffering in its wake," Aslan looked at the four of them, "And you are the ones that will stop it."

"Wha… what?!" Inara squawked, "WHAT?!"

"What do I have to do?" Susan demanded, eyes blazing.

"There will come one who will tell you everything Queen Susan but…"

Susan gasped in horror as Aslan's great golden form seemed to waver, disappearing for a split second before flickering back to reality.

"Aslan…" she reached out with a single hand.

"DO NOT TOUCH ME!" Aslan bellow at her the trees around him shaking at the force of the pained roar.

The four clapped their hands to their ears as Aslan let out an anguish scream that stabbed them straight in the heart, bringing glistening tears to their eyes. They wept without knowing really why.

"What's happening?" Jason yelled at him.

Aslan looked at him with tortured eyes.

"They… they have me," his voice was a low rumbling growl.

"What…" Susan's voice was a child's frightened whimper, "Aslan…"

The guardian of Narnia looked at her, his amber eyes filled with the deepest sorrow imaginable. They connected with one of his Queens and seemed to see through her flesh and bone into her very soul.

Susan wept at the pain and guilt burning in his pupils.

"I am so sorry for what I am putting you through but…" Aslan winced and before their eyes a huge gaping cut was slashed into his side by an invisible sword.

Jason cursed and moved forwards but Aslan growled at him forcing him back. Susan was on her knees by now, her blue eyes staring into Aslan's all-consuming ones.

"Please… save them…"

"Asl…"

"And Queen Susan? I forgive you."

And then he was gone. One second he was there and the next nothing, only a patch of empty emerald grass.

"Did he just…" Inara stared blankly at the ground Aslan had been standing on, "Did he just pull a Houdini on us?"

Susan leapt to her feet, eyes wild.

"ASLAN!" she yelled looking around frantically, "ASLAN!!"  
"He's not here," a low gruff voice told her.

Susan whipped around and a furred figure leapt down lightly from one of the trees, landing with fluid grace.

A tiger with penetrating icy blue eyes walked slowly towards Susan. Stopping just in front of her, it slowly lowered its head, clearly bowing to the young woman. The others gasped in surprise.

"Your majesty," the tiger said reverently.

"Where is he?" Susan demanded in an iron voice, "Where is he?"

The tiger looked at her gravely.

"Taken. Like the others."

Susan felt sick as the world spun wildly around her. She took a huge step backwards and looked like she was about to faint but Jason grabbed her arm roughly, steadying her.

"Others?"

* * *

_London, 1942 A.D._

"PETER!!" Polly Plummer screamed.

There was resounding crash as Peter slammed into a nearby glass cabinet, glass and wood shattering under his weight. But like the warrior he was, Peter shook off the pain and rolled to his feet, his face a grim mask of determination.

"Polly, get down!" Professor Diggory Kirke yelled from across the ruined room.

Shattered wood, the remains of a table and chairs littered the floor of the cramp little room, glass glistened amongst the splintered debris, a broken window marking the entrance the strange beings before them had made into the house.

Peter darted fearlessly over to the fireplace and snatched up the iron poker, swinging it around like a sword. It connected to the head of his attacker, throwing it away.

But another leapt to the attack.

To Polly they liked little more than mere shadowy hooded figures with gleaming red eyes burning from the darkness beneath their cowls. They moved like wraiths but inflicted damage like giants.

"FOR NARNIA!" Peter bellowed, stabbing forwards.

The poker struck true, smashing the shadowy figure in the face but it did nothing to stop it as it batted the iron away with a dark hand.

It punched the High King in the face sending him reeling backwards. A second blow knocked him down.

"PETER!" Kirke darted forwards trying to help but a simple swat sent the old man flying.

The two shadowy monsters towered over the fallen Pevensie, their red eyes burning. Polly was voiceless with horror as one of them extended a dark clawed hand forwards. But even in the face of defeat, Peter was defiant.

"Do your worse!" he bellowed in a fierce furious voice, "I will never admit…"

He was cut off mid-sentence as the tip of one claw touched his forehead. There was resounding boom and a cloud of black smoke.

When it cleared, Polly was staring at Diggory's crumpled form and an empty room scattered with broken debris.

She looked around and let out a low horrified cry.

The monsters were gone but so was Peter Pevensie.

* * *

"The question is," said Edmund unaware of what happened to his brother on the end side of the country, "whether it doesn't make thing worse. Looking at a Narnian ship when you can't get there."

Lucy swatted his arm, her eyes focused on the painting of a ship hanging on the wall before them.

"Even looking is better than nothing. And she is such a very Narnian ship."

"Still playing your old game?" an arrogant voice asked silkily cutting into their conversation.

Edmund bristled, his dark eyes narrowing as Eustace Clarence Scubb strolled into the room, casting a disdainful look at the painting.

"You're not wanted here," Edmund snapped.

Lucy opened her mouth trying to keep the peace but Eustace beat her to it, his eyes glittering with malice.

"I've been trying to think of a limerick," he said smoothly, "I…"

Before he could speak another word, something seemed to explode out of the painting of the ship on the wall.

"LUCY!!" Edmund screamed shoving his little sister away.

Both of them hit the ground and dove out of the way, their battle instincts honed and trialed in Narnia serving them well. Eustace wasn't as lucky as tendrils of what appeared to be black smoke whipped around his body.

"HELP ME!!" the young boy roared, arms flailing.

His eyes were impossibly wide as speckle flew from his mouth.

"HELP!!"

There was a deafening roar and the black smoke seemed to be sucked back in through the painting. Lucy and Edmund watched with twin expressions of horror as Eustace disappeared in a burst of black smoke, plunged through the painting.

"What was that?" Lucy clutched at her brother's arm, her grip iron-hard.

"You need to let go there otherwise I might lose that arm," Edmund said gruffly.

Lucy loosened her grip slightly but still held on. Cautiously the two of them approached the painting.

"Was that… Aslan? Calling us back?" Lucy offered timidly.

"I don't think so," Edmund said grimly, "That seemed a little too violent for him."

They peered at the painting.

"Is… is it gone?"

"I don't know," Edmund admitted, "I don't…"

Black smoke burst out of the painting and hit them before they could react. Lucy tried to scream but darkness quickly devoured her senses.

There was an endless dream of falling then nothing.

The painting on the wall shuddered as the smoke seeped back into it, taking Lucy the Valiant and Edmund the Just with it.

Hours later, when Eustace's mother Alberta poked her head into the room looking for her progeny the only thing that seemed out of the place in the little room was the painting was slightly askew on the wall.

Shrugging her shoulders, Alberta walked back out and continued to search the house for the three children.

It would be hours before she would frantically call the police screaming about kidnappings and missing children.

* * *

_Narnia, in the second year of the reign of his Majesty, King Caspian the Tenth_

"Where is he?" Trumpkin demanded.

Doctor Cornelius raised an eyebrow at the dwarf's dishevelled appearance: his hair wild and what appeared to be an ink stain on his cheek.

"Who?"

Trumpkin scowled at him.

"Aslan!" he growled sarcastically, "Who do you think I am talking about?"

"His majesty is on a ride to meet with the fauns and dryads for one final meeting before he sets off tomorrow," Cornelius said calmly, "He should be returning soon."

"Argh!" Trumpkin stomped his foot in frustration and look for all the world like a two-year-old having a power tantrum, "I need to ask him about the reformations on the treaty with the Minotaurs! I can not believe he left me in charge whilst he goes on his little jaunt on the ocean."

"Searching for the lost lords aboard the Dawn Treader is hardly a jaunt," Cornelius merely hid his smirk at seeing Trumpkin's anger, "And besides…"

Before he could say another world there was the tramping of tiny feet and than a small figure appeared at the door.

"Lords!" Reepicheep, the mouse knight was gasping furiously for breath, "Trouble… his majesty! Courtyard!"

Without another world, both dwarf and half-dwarf stampeded past the mouse knight and down to the main courtyard of Cair Paravel. As they neared it they had to fight through a veritable crowd of human and non-human Narnians alike.

"What happened?" Cornelius instantly demanded as he made it to the centre of the courtyard.

His eyes swept the court and instantly saw that Caspian was nowhere in sight. His personal guards numbering Old Telmarines and centaurs alike were all looking pale and shaken.

"What happened?" Cornelius's voice grew sharper.

"My lord," one centaur began but he stopped.

Cornelius felt a sick feeling unravel inside of him.

"What happened?" he repeated for the third time.

"There was some kind of devilry aboard," one of the humans told him, "Shadowed creatures with burning red eyes. We tried to fight them off but there was so many and so strong. They… they…"

"They what?" Trumpkin cut in brusquely, "Where is his majesty?"

"They grabbed his majesty and…" the human swallowed thickly, "He's gone. Disappeared into thin air."

"WHAT?!"

Gasps and cries of horror punctuated the air as Cornelius and Trumpkin looked at the guards in abject fear.

"Are you saying?" Cornelius demanded, "The king of Narnia is missing?!"  
The guards nodded slowly as Cornelius stumbled backwards, his shock overwhelming his mind.

Trumpkin opened his mouth but suddenly a strange feeling permeated the air.

"What…"

As one everyone looked up. Dark clouds swept through the sky hiding the sun and plunging them into brooding darkness.

"By the Mane!" one of the centaurs cried, "The omens!"

There was a thunderous roar and shrieking lightning and the whole of Narnia quavered at the ferocity of the storm.

* * *

"They're gone?" Susan whispered, numbed.

She was still on her knees. The tiger nodded gravely at her, his clear blue eyes solemn.

"Okay, kitty cat for the people who don't speak your brand of secret code you care to break it all down for us?" Inara demanded, "Narnia? Caspian? Does the decoder ring come free?"

"My name is Imar," the tiger growled at her.

"Kitty cat," Inara shot back, dead-panned.

Imar's hackles raised but Susan stopped him with a wave of her hand.

"Tell them," she said quietly, "Please."

The tiger shook his head.

"I'm sorry your majesty but we must move quickly. We are not alone in these forests," the tiger's eyes darted amongst the trees, "Come!"

He instantly bounded off as the quartet stared after him.

"Should we follow him?" Elias asked.

"Do we have a choice?" Susan demanded instead, "Let's go!"

She took off, running after the tiger who was moving smoothly through the trees. Jason turned to the others.

"What are you waiting for?" he shot them a rare smile, "You heard what the girl said!"

The trio sprinted after Susan as Imar led them deeper and deeper into the forest.

* * *

Imar ran with fluid grace, twisting and turning around trees and bushes with expert ease as the humans following after him blundered their way noisily through the foliage.

Susan who had spent some time in the forests of Narnia was faring slightly better than the others, managing to run through the woods with only minor problems but the others who had never seen a forest in their lives was a different matter altogether.

A loud curse punctuated the air as Jason's foot hit a root and he fell awkwardly sideways, steadying himself on a nearby tree.

Inara was whacked in the face with a tree branch as Elias pushed through it letting it swing back without a thought. She stumbled backwards but managed to stop herself from falling over. Elias shot her an apologetic smile that was returned by a dirty look.

"Silence!" Imar's growling voice rolled back towards them.

Moving awkwardly and with many delays and small arguments, the four humans finally managed to catch up to the tiger. The great feline had led them into a small clearing in the woods.

Susan glanced around, a strange look on her face. Her blue eyes were drawn in particular to large pools of clear water that dotted the nearby forest floor.

"This place… I've heard of it before…" she murmured to herself, "Professor…"

Her eyes widened.

"This is the Wood between the Worlds!" she gasped.

She turned to Imar.

"Is this it? Is this the Woods?"

But Imar was not listening or even looking at her. The tiger was crouched down on all fours, his blue eyes focused on some unseen spot amongst the trees. A slow queer growl rumbled in his throat.

"Imar?" Susan asked quietly, "Imar?"

The tiger suddenly surged forwards, a powerful roar exploding from his throat.

"LET THEM GO!!" he screamed out into the trees, "I'VE DONE WHAT YOU WANTED ME TO DO!! NOW LET MY FAMILY GO!"

"Imar!" Susan screamed, "What are you doi…"

"DOWN!"

Jason suddenly tackled her from the side. An arrow whistled past barely missing her as both of them hit the ground in a tangle of limbs.

"LET THEM GO!!" Imar screamed.

Dark forms began to emerge from the trees. Susan felt her breath choke inside her throat as she recognised some of them. Goblins and minotaurs and trolls and all manner of dark and fearsome creatures she had seen in the farthest corner of Narnia. And none of them meant good news.

"IMAR!" Susan's voice rang with authority, "What have you done?"

Imar whipped towards her, his blue eyes blazing.

"I'm sorry your majesty," his rough voice broke, "I had to."

"Wha…"  
"PWHIP!"

Inara screamed as a second arrow flew through the air and buried itself deep into the tiger's neck. Imar fell without a sound, life leaving his eyes before he had even hit the ground.

"What's going on?!" Inara shouted frantically, "What the hell happened?!"

"It looks like our tiger friend betrayed us," Elias said grimly pulling her roughly away from Imar's bleeding body.

The ring of monsters around them thrashed their way through the woods, there was the sound of metal on metal as swords and others weapons were pulled from sheaths. The quartet of humans scrambled together, back to back as the ambush party pounded towards them.

"What do we do? What do we do? What do we do?!" Inara screamed.

"We fight," Susan said harshly.

Inara's head snapped incredulously towards her.

"How?! I'm sorry but I left my arsenal of bazookas at home!" she yelled.

"I can," Jason said calmly.

He reached inside his battered jacket and pulled out a long dagger, its keen edge gleaming in the soft sunlight. The Seeker held it tightly in his hands, his eyes darting across the clearing sizing up each of his opponents.

"Wow, one knife versus a bunch of monsters. This does not spell hopeless," Inara took refuge in sarcasm as the ring of monsters tightened around them.

"Can you fight?" Jason directed his question at Elias and Susan.

Elias shook his head as Susan nodded.

"Get me a bow and some arrows," the Queen of Narnia said quietly.

Jason nodded and without warning darted forwards. A massive minotaur flanked by two globins instantly surged forwards to meet him, breaking the ring.

Inara and Elias gasped in horror as Jason fearlessly ran headfirst into the battle. One of the goblins flew at him, its leathery ugly face contorted into a fearsome howl, a board-sword held over its head in a downward swing. Jason swung to the side as the sword came slashing down. The globin stumbled forwards off-balance. A swift kick from Jason knocked the sword from its hands before he blasted a punch into the monster's face knocking it down.

The Seeker whipped around to face his other two attackers. The second goblin and minotaur charged at him recklessly bellowing as they swung their weapons around violently. Jason narrowed his eyes and with a cry flung his hands forwards.

There was a cry of shock as an invisible force slammed into the two attackers knocking them off balance.

"What was that?!" Elias demanded, stunned, watching in horror as Jason fell upon his prey.

A quick dagger thrust to the throat finished off the goblin before Jason turned to the minotaur. The half-bovine creature rose unsteadily to its feet, two swords clutched in its cloven hands as Jason casually flicked the blood from his knife.

"ROOOOOWWWWRRRRR!!" the minotaur charged forwards, both swords flying at neck-height.

Moving with lightning speed, Jason ducked under the swish of the blades and shot back up. The monster died violently as Jason shoved the dagger through the bottom of its jaw, stabbing deep into its skull.

Inara whimpered at the sight of the minotaur's death throes but there was only a look of intense concentration on Jason's face as he yanked his knife back out. The half bull-man monster collapsed to the ground as Jason claimed his prize: the bow and quiver of arrows strung across the creatures' board back.

"Here," he tossed the bundle to Susan who caught it deftly.

She slung the quiver over her shoulders as she raised the bow.

"DUCK!" she screamed.

Jason hit the ground as Susan moving with expert ease put an arrow to the string and let it flew. An ogre fell gurgling, arrow in its throat as Susan swung around, firing without pause.

Creatures fell under Susan's attack but there were too many of them, they seemed to just appear from the forest in an endless stream, howling and baying for their blood.

"Can we retreat?" Jason asked running back to them again.

Susan surveyed the clearing and instantly shook her head.

"They're everywhere. We'll be cut down before we even get clear of this place," she hissed.

"PWHIP!"

She fired again, a wraith falling under her arrow.

"BEHIND!" Inara suddenly screamed.

Jason and Susan whipped around as a massive writhing monster exploded out from behind a bush. It was a monstrous melding of man and beast, a man's head with huge fang-lined maws mounted on a lion's lithe body, a huge tail scorpion-liked arced over its head.

Susan recognised it instantly.

"A MANTICORE!" she yelled, "MOVE!"

They all dove to the side as the tail whipped forwards, the massive stinger on its end slamming into the ground.

"ROOWWWRRR!!"

There was a deafening roar as suddenly crashed down from the trees above. Inara let out a horrified scream as the giant orc lashed out, grabbing onto her arm.

"SAVE HER!" Susan shouted desperately to Jason.

She fired an arrow at the manticore but the creature lashed out with its huge clawed paws and shattered the arrow in mid-air with a powerful swipe.

Jason charged at the orc but it swung with its other arm knocking him away. It whipped back to Inara as the girl trembled in fright, her eyes wide with horror.

"No… no… no… please…" she begged, "Please…"

It slowly wrapped one hand across her neck as the others watched on helpless.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!!"  
A lithe figure leapt out of nowhere and wrapped itself around the orc's head, hissing violently. The lumbering monster let out a bellow of surprise stumbling backwards, dropping Inara in its panic.

The girl hit the ground, dazed and confused, trembling violently. Her rescuer leapt away from the orc's face as Susan fired two arrows at once,

The orc fell, feathered shafts buried in his throat as Inara looked up, dazed and confused into a pair of smoky grey-gold eyes.

A young leopard smiled at her proudly.

"Did you see that?" he asked excitedly, "That bumbling orc never saw me coming!"

Inara blinked.

"Huh," she managed to get out.

The deafening roar of the manticore drew both their attentions back to the battle raging around them.

"Here!" the leopard thrust his neck at her, "Take it!"

"Take wha…" Inara trailed off as she noticed the small leather pouch tied around the rough fur of his neck.

She instantly pulled the pouch over his head.

"OPEN IT!" the leopard yelled at her, "And put it on your finger!"

"Finger?"

But the leopard wasn't listening as he darted to the side, swiping at a troll and forcing it away from Elias.

With a cry, Jason threw his knife and it struck the manticore in the shoulder distracting. Susan instantly took advantage, firing an arrow that slammed straight into its eye.

The manticore went berserk, howling and screech as it rampaged around the clearing. A goblin was trampled beneath its clawed feet as manticore lashed out, stinger and claws flying. Jason's dagger flew out of its shoulder as the rampant monster slammed into a tree amongst, wood splintering under the force.

Inara pulled the pouch open and tipped two small cool objects into the palm of her hands. She frowned staring at the small rings, a green and a yellow, resting on the skin of her palm.

"PUT IT ON!! THE GREEN ONE!!" the leopard bellowed at her as he ducked under a sword slash.

Inara took a deep breath and jammed the green ring onto her finger.

Instantly a nearby pool of water blazed with light, blinding everyone in the clearing.

"What the…" Inara leapt to her feet.

"INTO THE POOL!" the leopard yelled, "GRAB ONTO THE GIRL! INTO THE POOL!!"

Elias barrelled into her, practically dragging her towards the gleaming pool of water as their ambushers stumbled around, still dazed by the light. Jason darted forwards, scooping up his dagger before running towards them.

Susan and the leopard brought up the rear as they neared the pool.

"GRAB ONTO HER!!" the leopard yelled.

Jason shot out his hand grabbing onto Inara's shoulder as Susan lunge forwards managing to wrap her hand around the back of Inara's shirt. The leopard clung to Susan as the five of them, in a mess of tangled limbs stumbled over the edge and fell into the pool.

Susan closed her eyes preparing herself for the cold splash announcing their fall but it never came.

There was a blaze of searing light and then a sense of eternal falling. The world seemed to shift around them, a booming roar resounding in their ears.

"Oof!"

The five of them slammed into hard earth and instantly fell away from each other. Susan moaned softly and opened her eyes expecting to see green sunlit forest but what greeted her was completely different.

The sky above was an ominous red, tinged with blood-like hues as lightning rippled across the underbelly of dark clouds. Giant stone monoliths, red from the strange sky above towered over them.

Susan slowly crawled to her feet, staring all around her in bewilderment, her mind a chaotic whirl of half-formed thoughts. Finally she opted for the obvious question.

"How… where are we?" she demanded turning back to her companions.

It was the leopard who spoke, his voice wry.

"To answer your question your majesty," he paused for obvious dramatic effect, "We're in another world."

Susan's eyes widened.

"Oh."

* * *

I know this isn't probably the best start but trust me it gets much better later on! Please R+R


	3. A world gone mad

One review + so many hits? Ahhh!! If you are reading this fic at all please, please, please review. This story is something I've been working on for awhile and it's something that's definitely out of my comfort zone in terms of what I normally write. So at this moment, I'm really, really unsure about it. So please any thoughts you have would really help me out! REVIEW (or I might not continue)!

Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah don't own a thing...

**Across the World**

**Chapter 3: A world gone mad**

"A DIFFERENT WORLD?!"

A piercing voice drifted over the desolate red plains echoing far and wide. A swift low growl instantly told the first voice to be quiet but it was too late.

"Do you hear that?" a rough voice asked, its owner looked up towards the west.

"Yes," his commander replied tersely, looking at the same point.

"What do we do?" a third man asked.

A leer answered his question.

"What else?"

Five soldiers instantly darted off, heading towards the source of the voice.

* * *

"A DIFFERENT WORLD?!" Inara yelped.

"Be quiet!" Jason hissed, "Keep it down you idiot!"

But Inara was staring at the leopard, her eyes bulging. She opened her mouth but no words came out. Susan however was distracted the sight of something glinting on Inara's hand.

"That ring," Susan pointed at the emerald ring on Inara's finger, the yellow one was back in its leather pouch, "That's the ring that Professor Kirke used right? To travel between the worlds?"

The leopard nodded.

"At great risk to Himself Aslan retrieved the ring from your worlds and changed them to suit our needs," the feline told her, "I, Zaru, was sent to help serve you as best as I can, your majesty."

"Majesty?" Elias's dark eyes flickered towards Susan who flushed under his scrutiny, "She's a little young to be queen isn't she?"

"I'm 1300 years old," Susan retorted with a small smile.

"And remarkably well-preserved," Elias grinned.

Jason rolled his eyes and climbed to his feet.

"How do we get out of this place?" he directed his question towards Zaru who gave him a feline shrug in return.

"We can't, not yet," Zaru said cryptically.

"WHAT?!" Inara's voice was deafening loud in the wasteland around them, "HOW THE BLOODY HELL DO I GET HOME?!"  
Zaru smirked at her.

"Not my problem."

Inara flushed then paled then flushed again as her hands twitched as though she longing to wrap them around his neck. Susan hurriedly stepped in.

"Stop!" she scolded, "Leave her alone!"

"Actually," Jason spoke up, "I think it's better if the…"

"Leopard," Zaru supplied helpfully, "The most noble and majestic of all…"

"Leopard," the Seeker stopped him, "Tells us what is going on."

"The leopard can't tell us what is happening because leopard' shouldn't talk!" Inara looked around as if everyone around her had gone mad, "They growl or purr or hiss or do whatever but they don't talk! This can't be happening!"

"I. Am. Talking. See. Me. Talk," Zaru prodded her mercilessly.

Inara looked like she was about to keel over but Susan wasn't listening at all.

Her eyes had widened as she realised the shock of having found herself in a strange new world had blown all of the previous revelations out her head. She instantly paled as she remembered Aslan than Imar's words to her.

"My family! Caspian! Are they alright?" she demanded frantically.

Zaru looked at her gravely.

"They're alive but…" the leopard sighed, "All I know is what Aslan told me and bade me do in His steed."

"What did Aslan say?" Susan demanded, in the moment Elias could see the glimpse of a regal queen in her youthful face.

Zaru gulped but steadied himself.

"All he told is that a Darkness has been growing. One so powerful than it has spread to many others kingdom and worlds seizing control in each. Even now many has fallen under its sway," Zaru explained grimly, "Many have fallen. It now seeks to destroy Aslan and take Narnia for itself but the Great Lion foresaw this and prepared before He Himself was captured."

In that one moment, Susan felt her heart stop. The world around seemed to freeze for a split second as a sheer wall of denial was thrown up by those words. But it was quickly shattered under Zaru's piercing gaze. A maelstrom of questions and fears and an almost insane urge to break down flooded into her mind, clouding all thought. She swayed on the spot but Elias and Jason steadied her on either side.

Inara was still on the ground, her face a blank mask as she absorbed Zaru's words without comment.  
"Captured?!" Susan choked out finally, "But Aslan… how is that possible?!"

"I do not know, this Darkness has taken Aslan and your family and his Majesty King Caspian and trapped them across the worlds it controls," Zaru replied quietly sorrow roughening his voice.

In that one horrible second Susan realised why.

"This… Darkness," she said slowly, "It has taken all of them… to strip Narnia bare of its champions and protectors… there's no one left to bind all of Narnia to fight against it. It's preparing for an invasion"

Zaru laughed bitterly.

"That's what Aslan believed as well. But even He could not prevent it from happening even though he foresaw it," Zaru shuddered "Aslan came to me before all this and bid me be your guide for the first step of this perilous journey. He told me that you are to visit all the worlds and defeat the hold of the Darkness in each one."

Through the sheer flood of horror sweeping through her thoughts, one thought pierced through and slammed into the forefront of her thoughts.

"But Narnia! Can't we just go to Narnia now?" Susan demanded frantically giving voice to her inner mind, "And what about me?! How come I wasn't taken?"

The faces of her family and Caspian flittered through her mind as bile choked her throat. Susan's whole body seemed to seize violently but she viciously pushed the feelings down, summoning every ounce of control in her body not to collapse.

Zaru was shaking his head sadly

"I do not know why you were not taken as well," Zaru told her, "As for Narnia… the power of the Darkness is concentrated there. It is impossible to break through to enter that world. We must travel to the others and break its hold there. Once the Darkness is weakened and then and only then may we return to Narnia."

"How about us?" Jason growled cutting, "What if we want no part of this quest. What if we just want to go home?"

"Yes!" Inara cut in, "Why the hell were we chosen for this suicidal mission?"

Zaru shrugged.

"That is not my concern. I am here to guide you and protect Queen Susan," Zaru growled, "All else is secondary."

"So are you saying that there is some sort of… darkness here and we must defeat it?" Elias demanded.

Zaru nodded.

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

"Where is this darkness?" Jason demanded.

"Oh, come on!" Inara protested, "You can't be serious? You're actually believing the talking kitten about this Darkness stuff?"

Zaru opened his mouth to snap at her but that's when they struck.

There was a thunderous roar than utter mayhem. The leopard was instantly bowled over as three strong bodies slammed into him.

"The women!" a harsh voice barked, "Our God demands more women! Grab them!"

Elias was struck in the temple and he dropped like a stone as Inara let out a cry of horror.

Susan caught a glimpse of metal weapons gleaming crimson in the blood-red sunlight, and steel visors wrought into horrific demonic faces as she dove to the left avoiding grasping hands.

She hit the ground and rolled, bringing her bow up. She paused for a split second as she caught sight of the design on their attackers' tunics and shields: an image of a bizarre squat-human like figure with blazing eyes and fanged mouth emblazoned on a black background.

"PWHIP!"

Gritting her teeth, she fired an arrow and one of the armoured men fell. Jason was fighting against another, grabbing the man's wrist as he swung at him but two more fell on him, crunching him into the ground.

"DROP HIM!" Susan roared as she swung around, ready to fire another.

"BEHIND YOU!!" Inara screamed at her.

A rock-hard fist slammed into the back of Susan's head, smashing her into oblivion as the bow fell out of her hands. Her attacker roared in triumph as the Queen of Narnia hit the ground and knew no more.

* * *

Elias opened his eyes with a low groan and sat up. Gingerly he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the edge of his sleeve, grimacing at the tangy iron taste.

Slowly he looked around.

"They're gone," Jason said flatly.

The cowboy was crouched on his haunches, Zaru by his side. Both of them were staring across the desolate red plains before them.

"What happened?" Elias demanded.

"An ambush," Jason said simply.

Elias grimaced.

"Another one? It seems we've been victim of a few of those already," he slowly climbed to his feet, shuffling unsteadily forwards, "Where are the girls?"

The leopard let out a mournful cry that echoed all around them. He whipped around to face them, eyes blazing with fanatical light.

"Queen Susan and the other girl have been taken!" Zaru said frantically, "We have to rescue them!"

"Why?" Jason asked bluntly, "I have no interest in your Aslan or whatever scheme he's dreamed up."

Elias gaped at him. The scientist was stunned by the callousness of the Seeker's words. But Jason was unrepentant, his gaze steady, betraying no remorse or regret whatsoever.

"What kind of man are you?" Elias spat, "Are you just going to leave two innocent young girls in mortal danger?"

"Seems like the Queen can take care of herself," Jason replied laconically, "She's handy with a bow that one."

He calmly readjusted his fedora.

"I just want to go home," he said firmly.

Zaru let out a low gruff chuckle.

"What are you laughing at?" Jason demanded suspiciously.

"You can't. There was two rings in the leather pouch the loud girl took from me," Zaru smirked at him, "The green one takes us here… the other one, the yellow one, gets us out."

Jason glared at the leopard who continued to smirk at him, eyes dancing with mirth.

"Looks like we have to rescue them then," Elias said with a small chuckle.

Jason rose to his feet, his face contorted in a fierce scowl.

"Fine," the Seeker pointed at the dirt in front of them, "They left a huge trail. Let's go."

Zaru and Elias exchanged amused looks as Jason stalked off, cursing darkly under his breath. The two of them jogged to keep up as Jason expertly picked up their enemy's tracks.

The Seeker was on the hunt… all enemies beware.

* * *

A sharp jolt knocked Susan's head into the side of something hard and the Queen of Narnia instantly shot up, a cry of alarm flying from her lips.

Instantly a small hand clapped across her mouth, silencing her. Susan stared into Inara's pale and tear-streaked face.

"Shut it," Inara hissed into her ear, "I've seen what these men do to the criers. You really don't want to get their attention."

"Criers?" Susan looked at their surroundings and instantly blanched.

They were in some kind of huge metal cage covered by some coarse heavy fabric, small slits in the cloth allowed slants of red light to pierce into the gloom of the prison. The grunting of horses and the jolting movement of the cage told Susan they were being dragged to some unknown destination.

Other women were in the cage with them, some weeping bitterly whilst others just sat on the floor of the cage, staring blankly into the space, bleak despair written across their pretty faces. And in one corner there were a bundle of filthy rags. Susan stared at it, confused, until a low pain-filled moan rolled out of the broken huddle and swept across darkness of the cage. The other women shuddered but refused to even look at the source of the sound.

The rags moved and a pale limb streaked with blood and bruises fell out of the mass. Susan sucked in a sharp breath as she saw the women's shattered and twisted fingers.

"She tried to fight back," Inara whispered quickly, "They… they…"

A note of hysteria entered the teenager's voice but she seemed to gather herself and a glint of steel shone through.

"They taught her a lesson," she finished in an emotionless voice.

"What happened?" Susan whispered back frantically.

"We were ambushed… again," a familiar hint of dry humour entered Inara's voice, "Obviously, this time they succeeded. They were after us."

"Us? In particular?" Susan looked at her incredulously.

Inara shook her head.

"No, just us… women," Inara replied softly, "They knocked out the others and grabbed us. They then stuffed us in this cage with the others. They said they were taking us… to the Capital."

The girl shook her head.

"I can't believe this is happening," she said in a small trembling voice, "None of this makes sense. None of it… how is this possible? Different worlds?"

Susan opened her mouth to reassure her but suddenly a burst of blaring trumpets rattled the sides of the cage. The sound went on and on in a long repeating pattern, Susan frowned.

"It's a herald," she murmured.

"What?"

Susan looked at her bleakly.

"Whatever this Capital thing is… we're there."

Inara's eyes widened just as the fabric on the cage was ripped off. Bright crimson light spilt into the once-dark prison as all the women cowered away, whimpering in the fright.

A guard with his emblem of a strange human-like beast stamped on his armour, guffawed at their fear.

"Ladies… ladies," he cooed, "You should be glad. You are being led away to live in luxury under the watch of the High Priest. Most girls would kill to be in your position."  
"Please Sirrah!" one of the women shrieked at him, "I have children! Please don't let them be motherless!"

She flung herself at the cage, grasping at the bars in a white-knuckled grip. She cried openly into the guard's bored face. Without even blinking, the guard reached inside and slapped her viciously in the face with casual cruelty.

Susan hissed in fury and rose to her feet ready to defend the woman but Inara yanked back her down, shaking her head frantically. Susan glared at her but Inara refused to let go.

The two teenagers stared at each other a battle of wills sparking between them.

"The High Priest will not be swayed by the mutterings of you wretched women," the guard hissed unaware of the silent argument going on, "Do not try again!"

He banged on the cage with his sword.

"Take them to the Shrine!" he barked.

There was crack of a whip and the cage was dragged forwards once more, moving on its uneven wheels. The women in the cage began to wail in distress as the caged wagon rolled on towards its final destination.

* * *

Jason crested the final stony hill and stopped.

"Huh," he said, his eyes wide with amazement.

"What is it?" Zaru leapt up lightly next to him, far behind was Elias, huffing and puffing as he struggled up the slope.

The leopard looked across the last red plain and his jaws dropped. Spread about before them was an immense stone city, each house was built of the same dark red stone that littered this world. Long winding roads separated the houses into blocks but it was the centre of this huge sprawling city that drew their eyes.

Four massive buildings anchored the corners of a mammoth stone truncated pyramid that soared up into the blood-red skies, its immense bulk towering over the whole city. Fire torches, immense to be seen at this distance, flickered along its stone step culminating in a flat square plateau lined with iron bowls, each with eerie white hot flames that danced in their confines throwing flickering shadows all over the platform.

"What is that?" Zaru whispered, awed.

"It looks like something that existed long ago in my world," Elias wheezed having finally reached them, "Temples built by ancient civilisations that worshipped the sun."

Jason merely grunted, clearly unimpressed by the scientist's information.

"There seems to be no gates or guards around the perimeter," the Seeker said gruffly, his dark blue eyes surveying the situation, "It should be easy to sneak our way in."

"Than what?" Zaru demanded, "In a city so big it'll be impossible to find her Majesty!"

"They were taken by guards and from what they were shouting it seems to be a commonplace thing," Elias said quietly, "I believe there would be some kind of central holding area for the taken women."

"You mean like a market?" Zaru grimaced, "What kind of place is this?"

"Hell," Jason replied morosely.

He straightened his back and checked his dagger was strapped to his hip. Pulling his fedora tightly over his head, he turned back to his companions.

"Come on, light's fading," he said roughly, "We better get this over and done with."

He quickly began to scurry down the slope, angling his run towards the city limits as Zaru effortlessly took off after him, his claws digging into the compact soil giving the leopard easy purchase.

Elias grimaced.

"Not again," he moaned after his breath.

Squaring his shoulders, the hefty scientist began to gingerly pick his way down the slope as high above the fat red sun hanging in the sky began to arc down towards the far eastern mountains.

* * *

The wagon pulled to a stop and almost at once and with ominous synchronicity the heavy sound of beating drums rumbled in the air.

The women cried out in fear and curled up into themselves as Susan and Inara looked around wildly.

"Well, this doesn't seem good," Susan noted dryly as the drums got louder and louder.

The beats were like the throbbing of a heart, resonating through the air in a regular tattoo.

"Well, well, well," the same guard as before slithered up to their cage, smiling unpleasantly, "Looks like you are just in time to see the sacrifice. And with front row seats as well."

He laughed with nasty humour and moved away. Inara and Susan glanced at each other before slowly turning around.

They both let out twin gasps of shock at what towered before them, an immense blood-red pyramid, the heat of the hundreds torches all over its stone body rolling over them in an oppressive, stifling wave.

"No… no… no…" one of the captive women whimpered, "Please no… I don't… oh please!"

She broke down into the choking tears but no one moved to help her, their eyes glued fast on the pyramid.

All around the base of the pyramid people began to gather. Susan let out a low gasp as she spotted animals amidst the human throng, their intelligent eyes staring up at the top of the pyramid.

"Talking Beasts," she whispered in delight, "They're here as well!"

"Yeah but unless said beasts are willing to help us out it means jack," Inara said bluntly.

Through the rolling of the drums came a word, spoken by the crowd, which grew louder and louder swelling into a single roar.

"Shift. Shift. Shift. Shift. SHIFT! SHIFT! SHIFT!" the crowd roared over and over again.

"Shift…?" Susan glanced at Inara but the girl's eyes were fixed on the pyramid.

From the corner of her eyes, Susan caught a glimpse of black cloth and she twisted to look. A tall man, swathed in a long dark cloak had sidled up to one of the guards.

"The High Priest has deemed there isn't enough sacrifices," the man was saying, "We need one of the freshly caught ones."

"But the rituals…" the guard began.

The man cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"Will be forsaken just this once. The sacrifice is more important."

The guard nodded and instantly unlocked the doors. At the sound of the rusty gate swinging open, all the women instantly recoiled away.

The dark-hooded man stuck his head inside, his pale eyes sweeping over the crowd of captured women dispassionately.

"That one," he pointed at one of the women at random, "She'll done."

The woman instantly let out a scream of utter horror.

"Please Sirrah! Please!" she begged, "Not me! I am unworthy! Please someone else! PLEASE!!"

Susan felt her stomach roll as two guards reached inside and began pulling at the woman. She fought desperately, biting and spitting, grasping the iron bars with her fingers but it hopeless pitting her slender strength against those of two grown men.

"NOOOOOO!!"

With a final piercing scream, the woman was wrenched out of the cage. The dark-hooded man calmly slapped her, silencing her screams.

"Take her to the top," he commanded to the guards.

The guards nodded and dragged the woman away as the man turned towards the women.

"You will be cleansed and you will be killed for the betterment of all. It's is a noble fate," he lectured them, "Do not lower yourselves by ignoring your duty."

With that he slammed the gate shut and hurried away.

"What is wrong with this world?!" Susan exploded seeing they were alone, "How can they just do that?! What are they doing to do to her?!"

She turned to Inara, her pale face red with fury. But the other women shrunk away from her almost as she was venom. Inara looked shell-shocked, grappling the cage for support as she tried to stop trembling.

"They throw the word sacrifice around a lot," Inara choked out, "Which doesn't exactly spell puppies and sunshine."

"SHIFT! SHIFT! SHIFT! SHIFT!"

Outside the roar of the crowd grew louder and louder until it seemed the very stone beneath them shook with the din.

The sunset plunging the world into the darkness but almost instantly the huge white flames on the top of the platform flared throwing the upper plateau into stark, glaring brightness.

Everything happening up there could be clearly seen as though it was daylight.

"SHIFFFFFFFTTTTTTTT!!" the crowd screamed.

A small hooded figure appeared on the edge of the platform. The immense crowd went berserk, screaming and stamping the ground.

"SHIIIIIFFFFFFFFTTTTTTT!!" they raged again.

The cloaked figure raised his hand and instantly the crowd went silent. The contrast was staggering. One moment violent ranting and screaming, the next utter silence.

The figure slowly pulled back his hood and Susan suddenly realised what the emblem on the guard's shield and tunic was.

It was this creature.

A small, squat wizened ape with a lined and utterly ugly face perched on top of the temple, staring down at them like an imperious emperor.

"High Priest Shift is here and He hears your word!" the ape called out into the silence, "He knows your suffering and He despairs!!"

The crowd let out a single roar of his name but instantly fell silent again.

"He has spoke to the great Tashlan and Tashlan has promised one thing! The sky will be clear once more when and only when the traitors and non-believers and the Signless have been found and MURDERERD!!" the ape bellowed, "WE MUST NOT GROW COMPLACEMENT!! THESE TRAITORS MOST FOUL WAS THE ONES WHO POISONED OUR SKY TO BE RED AS BLOOD! THEY WERE THE ONE WHO SULLIED YOUR EARTH SO THAT NOTHING MAY GROW!! WE MUST KILL THEM ALL!!"

"KILL!!" the crowd howled for blood, "KILL!!"

"BUT TASHLAN IS MERCIFUL!!" Shift screamed, "HE IS WILLING TO SAVE HIS HAND FROM OUR UTTER DESTRUCTION!"

"TASHLAN!!" the crowd answered in a single unified voice, "TASHLAN!!"

"BUT WE MUST SHOW HIM OUR DEDICATION WITH SACRIFICES!!"

"SACRIFICE! SACRIFICE!!" came the thunderous reply.

Fear ripped through her like dark arrow, piercing her heart and draining her of all strength. Susan could only slump against the bars of her prison and watch the demonic light in the eyes of the screaming humans and beasts in numb despair. In that split second, she knew that Zaru had been speaking true.

A Darkness was spreading and this… this nightmare was firmly in its grasp.

"LET THE BLOODLETTING BEGIN!!" Shift seemed to dance on the spot in his fervour.

Inara almost threw up beside her.

"Oh god," she looked at Susan, her face sweaty and pale as the moon, "Oh sweet dear god."

Susan slowly wrapped her arms around her, drawing Inara close to her. The two girls leaned on each other, supporting each other as the nightmare continued.

* * *

"They can't be serious!" Elias gasped incredulously.

"Quiet!" Jason hissed, "Don't draw attention to yourself."

The three of them were hiding behind a building close to the pyramid base where the giant screaming crowd was gathered. The three of them had watched in horror as the ritual unfolded.

High on the pyramid plateau, there was a piercing scream and flailing limbs as a young woman was dragged into the harsh light of the white flames.

She screamed and screamed and screamed but the guards holding her heard and felt nothing.

Brutally, they threw rope around her limbs and dragged her to the centre where a giant round stone altar was built.

The woman was tied down, spread-eagled and helpless on this altar, her wrenching sobs echoing far into the quiet night.

Shift shuffled over to the central altar, he positioned himself over her chest, a hideous demon plucked out of the darkest of dreams.

He held out his left hand and a dark-hooded man placed a stone dagger into the ape's grip.

Shift held the knife aloft, his dark eyes glittering beneath his wrinkled brows.

"TASHLAN WILL FEED AND HE WILL FORGIVE!!" he screamed, "HE WILL BE SATISFIED!"

The woman writhed and screamed as the white flames flickered and flared in a sharp breeze that swept the area.

Zaru growled low in his throat, his hackles raised, all the fur on his neck sticking up as he crouched down in a predatory stance but there was nothing he could do.

Jason watched, his face carefully blank as Elias gripped the wall to steady himself.

"FOR TASHLAN!!" Shift roared.

"FOR TASHLAN!!" the crowd replied.

The dagger flew down.

There was a choked scream.

Then all was silent.

Shift let out a long, hollering laugh.

"THE NEXT SACRIFICE!!" he yelled.

"SACRIFICE!!"

* * *

Susan and Inara watched on helpless as women after women were bound to the altar, flinching as the dagger came down over and over again.

"Monsters," Susan hissed, her eyes and face and throat wet with hot dripping tears, "Monsters."

Inara was silent.

There as another final scream accompanied by Shift's maniacal laugh.

Finally she spoke.

"We're going to die."

* * *

Okay to my one review, I am seriously in love with you! You raised some good points and questions so I'll deal with them in turn.

This fic is really heavily influenced not by Kingom Hearts but Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles, a Jap anime that talks about travelling between the worlds.

I'm really glade you love Jason and Elias as new OC. I really like writing them! As for Inara (no, I didn't really realise I used a Firefly character's name. It was more of a subconscious choice), I know you were a bit worried about her a being Mary-Sue.

I will be honest and say I'm a bit unsure of what I want to do with her character (your comment has really made me ask some hard questions about her). She has a planned storyline which is very typical in a Mary-Sue kinda sense but I am trying to make the storyline less cliche. If she does pick up any new skills there is going to a be storyline behind it and a reason. I know there is some traits at the moment that makes her a bit Mary-Sue-ish. i.e. she has a bad family life but it's like she's going to turn into EMO!Sue and the fic talks about what a bad life she's got and what a tragic person she is. Yes, I am well aware she's a normal 21st century girl and I think you would've noticed that she's not a hardcore swords fighter or anything like that because well... she isn't. I'm trying to keep it as realistic as possible. I am still sitting on the fence because I might decide to re-write her whole character

Also Inara isn't based on me in any way fashion or form. As embarassing as it is, I'd say she's more of a bit of Buffy/Faith from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

So far from what I've written, I'd say that Susan is still firmly the main character and the others are just starting to come into it more. It's going to be balanced regardless even if new characters starting coming in.

Thanks for the review I loved it!


	4. House of the High Priest

Thank you for all your lovely reviews! But please if you are reading this, please review! This is my most experimental fanfic to date and I really need your advice to help me shape this story!

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 4: House of the High Priest**

A gentle breeze swept the ashes from the iron bowls on the plateau of the pyramid, white flames having long been extinguished. Silence hung in the dark cold night.

"Inara," Susan said calmly.

The girl was slumped up against the wall of the cage, staring blankly ahead, her eyes dull.

"Inara," Susan hissed, jabbing her.

"What?" the girl replied numbly.

"Do you have the ever ring? The yellow one?"

Inara shrugged still refusing to look at her. Susan growled under her breath and jammed her hand into Inara's pockets pulling out the small leather pouch. Inara ignored her as Susan pulled the pouch open and reached inside.

"If the Professor's story was right, this should get us out of here," Susan explained hurriedly, reaching for the yellow ring inside, "By just touching it."

She pulled the ring out and waited.

Nothing happened.

Susan deflated a little and she glanced at the yellow ring. The Queen paused and cocked her head to the side.

"Is it just me or this ring is a little less yellow and more… white?" she asked.

Inara was silent, horrific images of the bloody sacrifices on top of the pyramid looping inside her head obliterating all other thoughts.

Susan studied the ring, the yellow enamel on the metal wasn't the bright golden sheen the Professor and Ms. Polly had described to her, instead it was almost white with just the faintest hint of colour.

"What in the name of Aslan?" Susan murmured.

Shaking her head, she shoved the ring into the pocket of her robe. She looked around. The caged wagon was still beside the pyramid base, the guard having long abandoned them.

The other women in the cage was like Inara, withdrawn into their own mind unable to handle the sheer brutality of what they had just seen: a bleak glimpse into their own doomed fate.

Susan could felt fear and despair clawing at the fringes of her thoughts but she jutted her chin out stubbornly. She was a Queen of Narnia and queens do not yield and do not bend to bloodshed and violence.

Susan the young girl from Finchley was ruthless shoved aside for Susan the Gentle, Queen of Narnia, mistress archer and war veteran.

Footsteps reached her ears, she was the only one in the cage to turn and look as several men, darkly hooded hurried towards them.

"Open the cage and bring the women to the House," one of the men ordered.

Two rushed forwards and unlocked the rusty gate of the cage. Susan quickly adopted the looks of the women around, a blank numbed visage with hollowed eyes. Roughly, all of them were dragged out of the cage and around the pyramid. On the other side was a tunnel sloping down into the all-consuming darkness.

Like cattle to the slaughter, the women were herded into the tunnels and with an ominous resolute-sounding boom, heavy gates slammed behind them shutting them in.

* * *

Jason was the first to speak.

"Well that was…" he licked his dry lips, "Interesting."

Elias shot him a dark look, his eyes red, lines of dried salt streaking his dark skin. The scientist had wept as the women had died.

"Have you no compassion?" he asked in trembling furious voice.

"You obviously haven't seen barbarianism before a cultured man like you," Jason replied dispassionately, "There are people from my world who do similar things."

"Why? Why would anyone commit such crimes?" Elias asked, his voice bereft of all strength.

"Why else?" Jason replied savagely, "Because they like it."

Zaru cleared his throat delicately.

"I think we should move off," the leopard's smoky grey eyes swept darkness around them.

Dotted all around the city, bundles of dry wood burnt inside iron pots illuminating the way. They also made the winding streets a place of ambiguous shadows and shifting hues.

Jason nodded and led the way, treading stealthily away from the building they had hidden behind during the sacrifices. Elias turned back and looked at the pyramid one more, revulsion rolling through him, shuddering he turned away and followed the Seeker as Zaru brought up the rear, all his senses on high alert.

"Do we actually have a plan?" Elias hissed.

Jason swiftly turned and gave him a piercing glare.

"We search for people and try to get information from them," the Seeker said shortly, he paused before adding, "Obviously."

Turning back round, Jason continued to walk as Elias followed silently, still trying to comprehend what he had just seen.

It wasn't just the cold-blooded murders that had stunned him but the way the crowd had reacted. Normal sentinel human beings had bayed for blood like wild beasts, stamping their feet, crying for more and more and why?

The philosopher in him analysed the question with a cool eye whilst the human in him wept.

Elias was shook out his thoughts as Zaru suddenly hissed. So far the three of them had been walking through a ghost city, with not a soul in sight but the leopard was tense, his eyes looking through the darkness with a feline's gifted vision.

"I smell a crowd up ahead," the leopard reported in a low voice, "A huge one. With lots and lots of food!"

The last bit was said with all the enthusiastic joy of a little boy. Jason and Elias turned and stared at him incredulously. Zaru twitched.

"What? I'm hungry!" he whined.

Shaking his head, Jason walked on. Rounding the corner, they walked into a scene of utter festivity.

Strums of loud music lingered in the air, mingling with laughter and cheerful shouts as humans and animals alike were dancing around massive burning bonfires. Food-stalls lined the edges of the massive market square, their delicious smells instantly making Zaru's stomach rumble.

The three of them stared and stared and stared at the merry party spread out before them, completely gob smacked.

"They've just witness murder and death," Elias hissed in a shaking voice, "How can they…"

"Well this proves it," Jason's dark blue eyes darted towards Elias's face, "This is hell."

Zaru nodded silently as the music swelled and grew louder and louder.

* * *

"Welcome and be blessed in the House of the High Priest," the darkly hooded man, which Susan had now learnt was a minor priest under the command of Shift announced as he flung the wooden doors open.

Inara blinked.

A peacock, its body sapphire and its feathers a mural of transfixing colours, blinked back at her before strutting off, its claws clacking on the hard marble ground.

"What is this place?" one of the women cried out.

The soft trickling of water filled the air echoing softly off the pale marble walls. Thick carpet covered the floors a metre into the room, its swirling pattern echoing the rich tapestries hanging on the walls.

Intricate gossamer fabric hung from the ceilings, sweeping around giant soft beds where silken cushions and sheets lay, enticing them with their rich lavish dyes.

It was a palace of opulence, a room that spoke of overwhelming wealth and luxury. Nearby a mahogany table groaned under the weight of golden platters heaped high with food.

Susan's nose twitched at the smell of incense wafting through the air.

"This the House of the High Priest where you fortunate women will be bathed and dressed and housed and all your whims catered for," the priest smiled at them charmingly, "Fear not the rumours you have heard for no harm shall come to you here. Go forth and be blessed by Tashlan and his High Priest."

He stood aside allowing the women to shuffle forwards. Some of the more bold ones did so almost immediately, their eyes wide as they surveyed their rich surroundings.

"Please, go forth," the priest urged.

Slowly, one by one, they edged into the room. When the final one had entered, the door was closed shut behind them.

Susan sneezed as the stench of the perfumed incense invaded her nose making her want to retch. Funnily enough, none of the other women seemed to react.

Slowly the fear seemed to drain away from the women's faces as open smiles and giggles replaced the numbed horror from moments before.

"Look at the food!" one of them cried.

She hurried forwards and instantly pulled a piece of fruit from one of the bowls and began devouring it with relish. All the other women instantly followed her lead and soon were all eating with gusto.

Only Susan and Inara stood apart, Susan puzzled, Inara's face still pale with shock.

"How… how could they…" Inara trailed off as she coughed violently.

"The incense!" Susan looked around desperately trying to look for the source of the smoke but could only see a small metal grille set high up on one of the walls, a thin stream of smoke was continually being pumped into the room, "The smoke… it must be enchanted or something."

"Great, we're inside a giant bong," Inara said morosely.

Susan shook herself.

"Come on," she tugged at Inara's arm, "We've got to eat. We can't afford to stand out like this."

Inara nodded and the two of them hurried forwards. Even though it was the last thing she could possibly imagine herself doing at the moment, Susan forced herself to pick up a piece of bread and eat it down.

Beside her, Inara swallowed thickly before taking a bite of an apple. A sudden vivid memory of the one of the women's desperate screams before her death hammered into her mind almost causing to her throw up but Inara pushed it down, swallowing the apple desperately.

The two girls glanced across the table at each other, nodding slightly to one another as all around them the women laughed and ate without a care in the world.

* * *

"I'm hungry," Zaru announced.

"What makes you think I care?" Jason snarled back.

Zaru gave him a superior smile.

"Because I am very good at annoying dumb lumbering humans," he smirked, "And eating is one of the few things that shuts me up."

Jason glared at him.

"And how do you propose we acquire this food?" Elias wanted to know, "I think we are all short of funds."

Jason shrugged.

"Easy."

Without preamble, he slipped into the dancing crowd. Elias and Zaru watched, puzzled as Jason suddenly stumbled into one of the joyous dancers. The fat man laughed and waved off the Seeker's apology before he swung off again, dancing. Jason casually pushed his way back out of the crowd.

"Here," he tossed Elias his small cloth bag that jingled.

"You stole this?" Elias raised an eyebrow, "Is that illegal?"

Jason rolled his eyes, exasperated by the scientist's constant questions and niggling conscience.

"You asking me to feel bad for stealing from a man who hours before no doubt cheered when women were being killed before his eyes?" Jason shot back.

Elias shook his head and opened his mouth to reply but Zaru butted his knee.

"Come on!" the leopard urged, "Food!"

Sighing, Elias led Zaru around the edge of the crowd. Jason strolled behind them, carefully listening out for anything in the crowd that could help them in their quest to save the two girls.

They neared one of the stalls were meat skewers sizzled over an open flame. A few other customers were already lined up, their eyes eager, their mouths open in wide grins.

Elias lined up behind them, Zaru beside him as Jason stook off to the side, his dark blue eyes scanning the crowd.

The stall owner, an old crone of the women was serving everyone with sleek efficiency.  
"Order?" she asked.

The customer replied.

"Sign?" she asked again, Elias half listening as he was distracted by a nearby bear dancing with a laughing young girl.

The owner named the price and was paid and the customer was sent on his way to rejoin the revelry.

The line shrunk until Elias was before the old woman.

"Order?" she asked briskly.

"Uh… one…" Elias began.

Zaru swatted at his foot.

"Two…"

Another swat as Elias winced.

"Three of those things," Elias glared at Zaru, "Please."

The woman pulled three skewers from the fire and wrapped them in some sort of large green leaf.

"Sign," she said.

Elias stared blankly at her.

"Sign?" he asked unsurely.

The woman glared at him.

"What are you birth-dropped?" she demanded, "Show me the Sign?"

Elias and Zaru both continued to stare at her. The old crone hissed beneath her breath and reached over the counter, grabbing Elias's right hand.

"Are you from some far-off farm or something?" the woman spat, "Or has maggots eaten your brain out? Just show me the Sign of Tashlan!"

She glanced down at the palm of Elias's right hand and instantly froze, her eyes bulging.

"Wha… wha…" her mouth opened and closed, her eyes growing wider and wider with every passing second.

Elias swiftly looked down at the unblemished skin of his palm and his eyes quickly darted to the woman's wrinkled one. A sick foreboding feeling swept through him as he noticed a thick ink tattoo on the back of the woman's right hand, wrought into the shape of a singular eye surrounded by stylised flames.

The woman continued to stare at his unmarred hand.

Elias hurriedly snatched it away.

"Zaru," he hissed, "We've got to move right…"

The crone sucked in a deep breath.

"SIGNLESS!!" she screeched at the top her lungs.

There were stunned shouts and the music instantly stopped as all the dancers turned to look at her. The other sound now was the crackling of the logs inside the bonfires.

"SIGNLESS!!" the woman continued to screech, "THIS MAN IS SIGNLESS!!"  
Elias winced.

"GET THEM!!" a burly looking man yelled, "THEY ARE WHY WE'VE BEEN CURSED!! KILL THEM!! TASHLAN AND SHIFT COMMANDS IT!!"  
With a roar, the crowd turned on them in a single fierce battering wave.

"COME ON!!" Jason roared.

He grabbed onto Elias's hand and they sprinted for their lives. Zaru easily outstripped them as all three of them hurriedly dove into the nearest street.

The crowd boiled through the narrow gap, stampeding towards them. The three of them ran through the narrow alleyway, piled up columns of barrels lining the walls.

"RUN!!" Jason twisted.

He flung his hand forwards and there was the cracking of splintering wood and one of the columns collapsed, the barrels crashing down onto the stone ground, blocking the way.

It bought them precious seconds as Jason gasped for breath, stumbling after the other two.

They took a right then a left and kept running, the shrieks of the crowd echoing towards them.

"THIS WAY!!"

Zaru bounded easily over a short wall as Elias struggled over, falling down over the other side. Jason leapt onto a nearby cart, using it for height as he leapt over the brickwork.

The three of them hit the ground running.

"OI!" a small voice yelled.

The three of them turned. A small dirty urchin boy stuck his head out of the door of a small dingy building.

"You the Signless?" he asked bluntly.

The three of them stared at him.

"Come on, unless you want Shift's stupids tearing you apart," the boy turned back into the building as the three companions stared at each other.

"Should we…" Elias began.

The furious screaming of the crowds provided the answer. As one the three of them dove through the narrow door, Jason kicked it shut behind them.

The three of them crouched beside the door, gasping for breath as the tramping of heavy boots and bloodthirsty shouts passed through the wood before fading into silence.

"Lucky escape," their rescuer noted.

"Who are you?" Jason spat.

Zaru crouched down long, eyes glittering, teeth bared as he prepared the slightest sign of treachery.

"Who am I?" the boy smirked, "I'm one of them of course."

Zaru growled low in his throat. The boy shuffled nervously.

"The Underground."  
"Who?"

The boy sighed and rolled his eyes.

"You know! The Underground! We are rebels… and we're going to bring down Shift."

The three of them stared at him blankly until Jason finally spoke.

"Sorry… one more time?"

* * *

Susan looked up and smiled feeling the sun on her face. Unbeknownst to her, the light made her blue eyes sparkle and the curls of her hair glisten.

"You are here," a soft voice called out.

Susan turned and her smile widened.

"Caspian!"

She threw herself at him and instantly felt the familiar emotions explode inside her chest as strong arms wrapped themselves around her.

Joy. Laughter. Warmth. Love.

_Love…_

Susan shivered with delight.

"Susan…"

She loved the way he spoke her name, the way his accent changed and shifted it. She buried her face into the warm crook of his neck and breathing in deep.

His scent, a mix of pine and spice and soap and something uniquely him, filled her senses and she felt her heart quicken.

"Susan…"

"Yes?"

She pulled back and looked into his dark intense eyes. Caspian looked intently at her, his tanned face framed by the wild locks of his dark hair.

A warm hand cupped her cheek as his thumb stroked her face. Susan resisted the urge to rub into it and pur like a cat.

"Save me."

"What?"

She pulled and stared in Caspian's face. Blood began to drip from the corners of his eyes.

"Save me."

And then he was gone, melting into wind and light and nothing.

"SAVE ME!!"

"CASPIAN!!"  
Susan shot up in bed, gasping desperately as she looked around wildly into the darkness. There was a shift of movement beside her and Inara instantly pulled her back down, pinning her into the soft mattress.

"Shut it," Inara hissed, "Shut it!"

Susan struggled against her for several desperate seconds. Caspian's face burned into her mind but Inara was vicious, clinging onto her with nailed fingers.

Slowly Susan stilled, her chest heaving.

"He… he was here and then… he…"

Tears choked her words. Slowly Inara let her go as Susan sat up more slowly looking at their darkened surroundings.

The other women were snoring softly around them, oblivious to her sudden awakening.

"We have to get out of here," Susan said desperately, "Time is running out. My family… Narnia… Aslan…"

"And this Caspian dude?" Inara smiled impishly, the first hint of humour in a long, long time, "Sounds hot."

Susan cocked her head to the side, confused by her words.

"Hot? You know? Cute? Stunning? Deliciously handsome?"

"Good enough to eat," Susan's white teeth gleamed in the shadows.

Inara's jaw dropped.

"Wow, gotta say I'm impressed Queenie, how very lower class of you to say that!"

Susan laughed. Amidst all of the shock and battles and horrors she had just witnessed this very day (only a day! It seemed so long!), it was good to laugh. It seemed to lighten the darkness around her and making her spirits sing.

"Just saying what every girl with two working eyes would say," she teased.

"Damn," Inara whistled lowly, "Where do I sign up?"

"Sorry, prior claim," Susan shot back.

Inara rolled her eyes. She suddenly fell silent and her smiling façade faded away.

"Why is this happening?" she begged of Susan, "To us? To me? I don't understand any of this. I'm just a girl."

"So was I before I became a queen," Susan looked at Inara, "Aslan moves in mysterious ways but He is never wrong. If He chose you. Have faith. He believed you could do this."

"What if I don't?" Inara whispered.

Susan wrapped her arms around the girl, comforting her, trying to take her anguish away.

"You must," she said firmly, "Because you can't afford not to."

Night drifted into morning as the two girls sat quietly, each locked into their own dark thoughts.

* * *

"Here they are boss… the Signless from the market the other day," the small urchin boy, Fever, nodded as a tall man stepped into the dank room.

Elias sat up in the hard lumpy bed he had been given for the night. Zaru was on the floor, grey eyes cautious as Jason leaned against the wall, eyeing the man before them carefully.

The man was slender but his arms rippled with sinewy strength. From the sharpness of his eyes and the scars on his face, Jason judged him to be a warrior.

The man instantly felt the Seeker's eyes on him and his pale eyes darted across the room, locking gaze with Jason.

A long second passed between them as a silent contest of wills sparked between the two men.

Finally Jason nodded and relaxed into a more casual pose. The man nodded back.

The two of them understood each other perfectly. They were both warriors and now they were both allies, to be trusted and called upon and depended upon.

"Gentlemen and gentle beast," the man smiled, "I am Stretch."

* * *

The priest came in at breakfast as the women were gathered around the table once more, food having been brought in whilst they were still asleep.

He swept into their midst, a bright smile on his face.

"I hope you've all been enjoying the delights of the House of the High Priest," he began.

Susan and Inara ignored him like the other women around him. Cloying smoke was still being blown through the grate near the ceiling, its thick heavy scent befuddling the senses but yet again, and strangely so Susan and Inara were completely unaffected.

"The High Priest is pleased that you are all joyous," the priest continue completely uncaring of the fact they were listening to a word he has been saying, "And he believes some of you are ready."

Instantly this caused the women to freeze and looked up at him curiously. The priest continued to explain.

"The High Priest has chosen two of you to enter his private chambers and converse with him. Those who are chosen are beyond blessed to be in the personal presence of One so great," the priest gave a small bow, "He himself has given out the honours to…"

He jabbed into the crowd with his finger.

"You."

The women he had chosen instantly let out a squeal of delight as Susan let out a long breath.

For a split second there she had been terrified she would be chosen.

'_Oh please Aslan. Not me,' _she begged inside her head, _'Not me.'_

The priest pointed and chose again.

Susan instantly felt sick.

"And you."

She swallowed and tried to speak but no word came out.

"Please, come with me," the priest beckoned the first women joined him.

The second came slower and with obvious hesitancy. Susan stared after her, completely helpless.

It was Inara.

The young teenager gave Susan small nod before she squared her shoulders and joined the priest. The hooded man led them out of the door, which instantly swung close and locked (Susan had tried the night before) behind them.

"Praise Tashlan. To be in the presence of the High Priest!" one of the women, a notable gossiper, gasped.

One part of Susan sourly noted the smoke was doing its job whilst the other parts of her screamed in alarm and abject fear.

She stood there, pale, staring at the door as outside Inara was being led into the personal chamber of the High Priest, Shift.

* * *

"I lead the Underground," Stretch began, "We who believe that this Order led by the foul demon Shift should be shattered and pulled into the sea."

Elias nodded enthusiastically.

"I still can't believe so many people stood by and cheered when those poor women were killed!" he said, "It… it's just… completely incomprehensible!"

Stretch sighed.

"Isn't it always so?" the tall man said philosophically, "When men come together as a group they seek a leader and having found one, are easily swayed and led into performing the most atrocious of acts without thought… because they are afraid of leading. They wish to be one with the crowd. To be faceless and nameless and blameless."

"True," Elias said sadly, "Very true."

"What do you want us to do?" Zaru demanded, "Yo obviously won't be telling us this without letting us go!"

Stretch chuckled at the young leopard's harsh words.

"You my friends are Signless," Stretch lifted his right hand, showing them the bare skin on either side, "Like all who belong in the Underground. It is a sign of defiance against the orders of Shift that only those with the Sign of Tashlan may trade in commerce and live."

Fever, the urchin boy, showed them his filthy but tattoo-less hand.

"The time for the breaking of Shift is at hand. We have planned and schemed for years and now we have agents in his very house and chambers," Stretch's eyes glittered with fanatic light, "And so we are now drawing all the troops we have for the final fight."

Stretch glanced at them.

"My boys saw what happened in the market place yesterday and they saved you so you may join us," Stretch smiled, "If you do not…"

He let the threat linger in the air.

"Fine choice you have given us sir," Elias said coldly.

"Wait," Zaru looked around confused, "What happens if we don't join?"

Stretch ignored the leopard.

"We are at war," Stretch said coolly, "We cannot afford to be human."

Jason grunted and Stretch turned to him.

"I'm with you," the fedora-wearing Seeker said.

"What?!" Elias spat, "You can't be serious! We know nothing about this man or his…"

"His desire is to invade Shift's stronghold and I'm betting the girls are there as well," Jason said calmly, "His aim and our aims match. Therefore we should help."

"Well, you can't argue with that logic," Zaru agreed, "You've got yourself one leopard!"

Elias stared helplessly at them all. He could not see herself fighting in a war, he was scientist not a soldier! But what choice did he have?  
"I'm in," he said quietly.

Stretch broke into a wide tooth grin.

"Fantastic! Fever, get them armed up and…" the man stood, "I'd advise you prepare yourself. The battle starts tonight…"

He walked to the door.

"… when the sacrifices start."

With that Stretch slammed the door shut. Jason sighed and pushed himself off the wall.

"Alright boy," he glanced at Fever, "Let's see them weapons then!"

* * *

I know some of you might be disappointed by how short this arc is going to be but this beginning storyline is only meant to get everyone into the swing of things. The next arc I've got planned is a lot more heavy on character developments, so stick around and see what happens!


	5. Rebellion

Thank you for all the lovely reviews. I know a lot of you really wants to know where this story is going and I will reply by saying that this fic is mainly an action/adventure piece. But don't worry the characters will keep developing as times goes on!

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 5: Rebellion **

Susan paced the House of the High Priest, her slippers sinking deep into the carpet underneath. All around her the other women lounged in their beds, their conversations loud and filled with laughter, echoing off the marble walls but Susan was caught deep in her own dark thoughts.

Every few seconds, her blue eyes flickered towards the door praying that Inara would walk back through without harm.

She sighed and collapsed down onto her own bed. Sitting up, she glanced casually around before reaching into the pocket of her heavily embroidered dress, her own having been taken away the day before. She pulled out the yellow ring and looked at it pensively, puzzled over its bleached white appearance.

"Aslan… please," she begged quietly, "Help her."

* * *

Inara and the other woman, Rina was led to a set of immense doors. Rina let out a low gasp of amazement at the immense tiled mosaic inlaid into the wood, a copy of the emblem of this world: a horrific caricature of the High Priest Shift with blazing eyes and an open baring mouth.

Inara felt sick staring into the image's glittering black-tiled eyes.

"Isn't this just amazing?" Rina breathed, "It's just…"

"Yeah," Inara muttered under her breath, "Not at all creep inducing."

The door swung open as Inara tensed.

"Please, please," the priest with them urged, "Go in."

Rina practically bounced into the room as Inara cautiously stepped inside, her whole body tense.

"Welcome, welcome," a soft voice trilled.

A tall woman with long flowing red hair and sapphire eyes greeted them. She was wrapped in a delicate green silk shift that left nothing to the imagination. Inara desperately tried to look at everything else but her exposed chest.

"Welcome to the personal chambers of the Great One," the woman continued, "His Holiness will see to you soon. Please…"

The woman pointed to a low wooden table.

"Partake of some drink and food."

Rina instantly darted to the table and began stuffing her mouth. Inara gave the woman a weak smile before slowly crouching down beside the table.

It was exactly at that moment she could smell the same perfumed incense that permeated the other room but here it was many times stronger, seeming to dull and entice the senses all at the same time. Inara's eyes watered at the stench and she blinked furiously but her companions seem unbothered by the smoke.

"This place is not at all as I imagined," Rina said around a mouthful of cake, "This place is…

"Blessed."

But the woman's eyes were fixed on Inara's. For a split second there was a tidal wave of overwhelming panic but the teenager quickly flashed her an empty-headed smile and did her best impersonation of her older sister.

"This place is just so like…" Inara twirled her reddish hair around one finger.

She battered her eyelids for extra effect.

"Wonderful!! Before I came here I was so just… like you know? Scared and stuff. But now in the presence of the almighty High Priest," Inara let out a sigh, "So overwhelmed."

The woman visibly relaxed as Inara breathed an internal sigh of relief.

What did you know? Maybe her useless sister was good for something after all…

"Yeah," Inara agreed under her breath, "Making everyone think you're a blithering idiot."

The woman continued talking.

"Of course, it can be but you need not worry. No harm shall come to you here."

Rina beamed at her as she continued to stuff food in her mouth but Inara was not impressed.

"Unless you count dying a terrible bloody death," Inara muttered sarcastically, "But what's the alarm?"

The woman blinked at her but Inara flashed her a plastic million-watt smile. Jerkily, she picked up a goblet and water and took a sip.

She almost gagged as a strong acidic taste entered her mouth, burning her tongue. Without blinking, she spat out the water back into the goblet and pretended to sip from it as if nothing had happened.

"Wow, so much wonderful food!" Inara chirped putting her goblet down and carefully wiping her mouth, "But I am soooo full from last night, I swear I could almost feel my waist growing. But a girl's got to look good for the High Priest!"

"The High Priest cares not for looks good child."

Inara turned around and stared into a face of a nightmare. Shift's yellow eyes drilled into her own, his lips pulled back into a vicious grin. The old wrinkly ape gently caressed her cheek.

"He sees beauty from the inside," the ape continued.

Inara retched silently inside but she continued to smile.

"Oh my Tashlan!" she gasped, "High Priest! You do me such honour!!"

"Silence."

Inara's lips instantly clamped shut. Shift cupped her face in both of his hands.

"There is no need for pretence here, child," Shift cooed, "Look at Me and see the face of Tashlan. Tell me what is bothering you."

Inara tried to look away but Shift's eyes seemed to swell and grow until it consumed her whole world, everything else faded into nothing. She could only see into his beady eyes and she peered into utter alluring darkness.

"Tell me. What is that that you wish for?" the word hammered into her head shattering all resistance.

Inara's eyes went blank as she continued to stare. All else was forgotten: all thoughts, all worries and fears were just gone. She was in a dream, falling into a never-ending darkness with nothing to anchor her but the Voice of the High Priest. His words cocooned her, ensnaring her and binding her tightly.

"Tell me."

She opened her mouth but somewhere in the recesses of her mind came a thunderous lion's cry. Golden light blazed in her vision almost blinding her as warmth and love and courage flooded through her.

'_Aslan…' _she tasted the unfamiliar word as the roar faded away.

And she was free.

* * *

"I don't know how to use any of these," Elias said bluntly.

Jason pushed a crossbow into his hands.

"Easy. Point. Aim. Shoot. Repeat," he instructed flatly.

The scientist gaped at the weapon in his hands as though it was an exotic beast unknown to man as Jason rummaged around in the storeroom, unearthing a second dagger with a cry of success.

"Good balance," Jason balanced the dagger on the tips of his fingers, "Sharp as well."  
"You need a woman," Zaru offered helpfully.

Jason glared at the leopard before he sheathed his new dagger.

"You need to shut up before someone decides to cut out your tongue," he spat.

Zaru snorted.

"Like to see you try."

Jason took a menacing step forwards but Elias hurriedly got in between the two of them.

"I hardly think this is the time for fighting. Save it for tonight," he said firmly.

Jason backed off scowling darkly as Zaru smirked before industriously cleaning his own fur.

"You done?" Fever poked his head inside the storeroom, "Stretch's gathered most of his troops for the war plan."

"Isn't he worried about bringing in strangers to his cause?" Elias asked, "We can easily betray him."

Fever laughed.

"Good luck. You try and escape from this house and there'll be guards ready to slit your throat," Fever said with a nasty grin, "Stretch's no idiot."

Elias smiled weakly.

"Right. Good to know."

Fever led them deeper into the house, flinging a heavy wooden door open, a burst of noise and light instantly swept over them.

Cautiously Jason edged into the packed room where a ragtag crowd maybe totalling fifty or so in total were gathered on rough wooden benches, talking loudly amongst themselves.

Elias and Zaru sidled in beside him.

"FRIENDS!" Stretch appeared on a platform on the far end of the room, "Friends!"

Instantly the room fell into a dead silence.

"Tonight is the night we take back what is ours!" Stretch cried, "Tonight we will break Shift and his foul Order!"

There was resounding roar of approval from the gathered group.

"Tonight when the sacrifice begins, our agents in his very House and in this very city will strike as one with us as the arrowhead! We will kill Shift and his priests and we will raze his cursed Shrine to the ground!"

Jason watched with narrowed eyes as the crowd built themselves up into a frenzy.

"When the sacrifice beings everyone will be in place. At our signal, a single flaming arrow being shot up into the sky, we will strike swiftly and without mercy!" Stretch commanded in a thundering voice, "And tonight we will have victory!!"

"How do we shatter his pyramid?" a voice in the crowd called, "It's solid stone!"

"We will break it if we have to use on own hands and swords!" Stretch cried, his face red with excitement, "That cursed symbol of his vicious blood-letting cannot be allowed to remain standing!"

"Hand and swords!" the crowd cheered, "Hands and swords!"

The crowd chanted the words over and over again, growing louder and louder, a wild light gleaming in their eyes. Zaru's eyes narrowed, not liking the sudden fire that had seemed to have sprung up amongst the crowd.

"Uhhh… excuse me," a clear voice called out.

It took a few seconds for the whole crowed to realise someone was talking. Slowly they all turned as one and stared at the speaker. Elias shifted uncomfortably under their combined gazes but finally spoke in a quiet confident voice.

"I believe I have a better solution."

* * *

The door open and Rina and Inara stumbled into the room. They were instantly surrounded by the other women.

"How was it?"

"Did you see Him?"

"What happened?"

Rina was staring at Inara with a hint of awe in her face. She turned to her friends, her face bright with excitement.

"The High Priest talked to this girl and he was… impressed with her!"

"Impressed?" the other women turned to Inara with sudden looks of admiration, "Impressed?"

They talked loudly amongst themselves, spreading the latest gossip as if they hadn't heard it clearly the first time.

"What happened?" one woman urged.

Inara smiled, her eyes wide with amazement.

"The High Priest is more magnificent than you can ever imagine! He is the chosen of Tashlan and He deserves our undying devotion!" Inara announced, "I was blessed to be able to talk to Him and know His heart! I was an unbeliever before I saw Him and now… now…"

Rina poked her.

"Tell them! Tell them!" she urged.

'I asked him to sacrifice me tonight without delay!" Inara announced with relish, beaming with delight as though a thousand Christmases were around the corner, "To be one with Tashlan!!"

The women all cried out in utter shock and awe as in the back of the crowd, Susan's jaw dropped in shock.

She almost reeled backwards as Inara laughed and continued to boast with the other prisoners. Susan steadied herself against one of the bedposts as she continued to stare wildly around her, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

"And there's more!"

Inara pushed through the crowd and clutched Susan by the hands. Susan stared at her, trembling at the transfixed look on the teenager's face.

"You get to be there!!" she announced, flinging her arms around Susan, "You get to witness my ascension!"

As the others streamed around them, talking loudly and congratulating Susan on her luck, the Queen felt utterly sick.

"Inara…"

Tears threatened to fall as Inara pulled back, laughing ecstatically.

"Isn't it just great!"

"Yeah…" Susan forced herself to smile weakly, "Great…"

* * *

Night came upon them swiftly and silently, the great red sun descending into the mountains allowing darkness to reign once more.

And the nightmare repeated itself once more except this time Susan had front row seats.

She wanted to throw up.

The High Priest, Shift, stood at the edge of the pyramid plateau, stirring the crowd up in a frenetic mob once more.

"SHIFT! SHIFT! SHIFT! SHIFT!!" they roared for more and more.

Susan could feel the cool wind of the night sweep past her instantly replaced by the warmth of the raging white fire beside her. But she was numb it all, numb to the alternating heat and cold, numb to the iron hard grip imprisoning her arms, she was only aware of one thing: Inara.

The young girl was dressed in a simple white shift, standing beside the High Priest, a small smile on her face.

She bounced up and down with excitement as Shift continued to speak to the crowed.

"TONIGHT!!" he began, "WE ARE WITNESS TO A MIRACLE!! THIS YOUNG GIRL HAS HEARD THE VOICE OF TASHLAN AND HAS HEEDED HIS CALL! THIS SELFLESS HEROINE HAS HEARD HIS WORDS AND KNOW THAT SHE MUST GO TO HIM!!"

"TASHLAN!!" the crowd bellowed.

"SHE WILL SACRIFICE HERSELF WILLINGLY FOR YOU ALL!! AND SHE WILL BE REWARDED BY TASHLAN HIMSELF IN THE AFTERLIFE!!"

The crowd went berserk as Shift laughed, a wild exulted sound that filled Susan with horror.

But she could do nothing but watch, held captive by the guards beside her.

"Inara…" she whispered.

The crowd fell silent as Shift moved aside allowing Inara to take his place. He passed the stone dagger to her and Inara held it aloft.

"I AM INARA!" she called into the silence, "AND I AM WILLING TO DIE FOR THE ONE TRUE GOD!!"

Shift reclaimed the dagger as the crowd cheered her name over and over again. Inara moved to the central stone platform and laid down, her eyes serene and calm. Shift laughed and capered to her side.

"FOR TASHLAN!!" he called.

He raised his hand as Susan let out a terrified scream. It was at that exact moment, a blaze of fire lit up the night sky.

Everyone looked up shocked as a single flaming arrow rocketed up into the night, its burning flames seen by all.

"ATTACK!!" came a thunderous roar from the darkness.

* * *

In the House of the High Priest, the other captive women let out a terrified screams as dark figures burst into the room. Guards instantly charged towards them but they were put down with swift brutality, killed before they could even cry out. More of the invaders poured into the chamber, shattering the high windows with well-aimed slingshots.

Instantly the cloying incense smoke poured out of the room. Some of the women instantly slumped down, their eyes growing blank.

One of them blinked.

"What?" she looked around in a daze, "Where am I?"

"Grab them," a rough voice cried, "GO!"

The dark figures surged forwards snatching the women and leading them to the safety as the bulk of the dark army charged deeper into the palace.

But high up on the Shrine, no one knew of these events only that a sudden roaring pack had slammed into the crowd far bellow, scattering them.

"GUARDS!!" Shift roared, "KILL THEM!! KILL THEM!!"

The guards and priests on the pyramid plateau charged down the steps, roaring, swords unsheathed as in the confusion, Susan was set free. She instantly charged towards Shift and Inara determined to save the girl.

But Shift saw her coming.

With a vicious roar, he punched her in the face, his ancient body belaying his violent strength. Susan fell to the ground, her head cracking on the head stone as the darkness seeped into her vision.

She struggled for breath and consciousness as Shift contemptuously spat on her.

"KILL THEM!"

More guards and priests spilled out of tunnels at the base of the pyramid and joined the fight. The civilians were running for their lives now as the two armies clashed.

It was utter and complete chaos. A whirring maelstrom of blade and screams. And in that madness, Elias, Jason and Zaru fought.

* * *

The leopard was a sight to behold, darting between the fighters and leaping onto priests and soldiers, claws and fangs bitting deep. The Underground fighters were a violent lot, striking out with little regard for the civilians.

"This is crazy!!" Elias shrieked.

He was shoved roughly aside by a panicking dog that ran for his life, screaming on top of his voice. Elias hit the ground and was quickly swallowed up by the screeching crowd.

"GET UP!" Jason was beside him offering him a hand, "IF YOU FALL YOU'LL BE TRAMPLED!!"  
Elias rose unsteadily to his feet as Jason slashed out his daggers. The guard blocked the blows but wasn't quick enough as Jason kicked him in the gut knocking him down.

A priest charged at him, shrieking, axe in hand but Jason twisted around the blow, pushing Elias out of the way before stabbing forwards, hitting with deadly accuracy.

"USE YOUR BOW YOU IDIOT!!" Jason screamed.

Zaru leapt up, roaring as he slammed into a talking bull that fought for Shift. The two beasts tangled, Zaru carefully avoiding hoofs and horns as his claws dug deep into the bull's thick hide. Elias hurriedly pointed his crossbow and clumsily aimed it.

He closed his eyes and fired.

A choked scream punched the air as the arrow hit the bull in the neck. It fell, more from shock than pain but Zaru was there, swiping and biting.

The bull was quickly still as the leopard turned around, hissing and spitting, his ears pinned to his skull.

"PROFESSOR! HELP US!!" Stretch roared.

A group of his men instantly snatched Elias up and cut through the fighting. In a rare patch of stillness amongst the insanity, Stretch stood with six dark barrels. Elias nodded at him as Stretch nodded back.

At a signal from the Underground leader, the men began heaving the barrels towards the pyramid base.

"I hope this works," Stretch said quietly.

Elias was trembling violently but offered a small smile.

"I hope so too."

They kicked and punched and slashed their way through the warring crowd. They reached one corner of the pyramidal Shrine and instantly placed a barrel there.

"What do we do?" Stretch demanded.

"Light the fuse… and run," Elias said grimly, "Far away."

Stretch nodded and one of his men hurried forwards with flint and tinder. A short length of oiled twine, poked out from the lid of barrel and it this that the man set alit.

"MOVE!!" Stretch roared, "MOVE!!"

They instantly sprinted from the barrel, Stretch screaming on top his voice. The Underground fighters knew what was happening and instantly withdrew away from the corner as the priests and soldiers looked around them confused.

"RUN!" Elias yelled at them, "OR YOU'LL DIE!!"

The small point of blue flame reached the end of the fuse and inside the barrel. There was a second of complete stillness and then it detonated spewing white-hot flames everywhere.

* * *

Shift gasped as the whole pyramid shook violently. There was a deafening roar and a might earth-shaking explosion.

The whole stone structure seemed to sway before steadying itself as burning stone shot up high into the sky before crashing down to earth amidst a spectacular blast of fire and sparks.

"What… what was that?!" the ape screeched at his remaining guards.

Susan managed to raise herself onto her elbows and watched as the ape screamed at his guards demanding to know what had happened.

"Shouldn't Tashlan tell you?" Susan spat.

The insane ape whirled on her, eyes glittering.

"SHUT UP!!" he waved the dagger at her, "SHUT UP!!"

"Make me!" Susan said defiantly.

"GET HER!! GUARDS!!" Shift screamed.

The guards moved forwards but a second explosion rocked the whole pyramid as more stones went flying.

"I think you're better off running away," Susan mocked, smirking at the guards, "Before this whole thing collapses on you."

The guards wavered, swords held aloft.

"Or do you think Tashlan will save you?" Susan hissed, "Are you willing to bet your lives to find out?"

"KILL HER!" Shift screamed, "I, the High Priest commands it!"

Inara was watching the scene with wild eyes.

"High Priest? What is happening? Why is this pyramid shaking?" she asked in a childish voice, looking around in confusion.

"Nothing to worry about," Shift cooed softly, "Just some dissenters. Tashlan will strike them down with lightning bolts."

"Is Tashlan angry with us?" Inara whimpered.

Shift moved to comfort her and with no further orders, the guards continued to doubt.

"Do you really want to die… serving him?" Susan demanded, pointing at Shift.

A third mighty explosion cemented their answer. As one, they all tossed down their swords and began sprinting down the side of the pyramid.

"YOU!" Shift whirled on her, "YOU!!"

He picked up his dagger and raised it above his head.

"HOW DARE YOU QUESTION ME!?" the priest howled, "I WILL KILL YOU!!"  
He leapt at Susan. The young girl instantly rolled away, the sharp edge of the knife glancing off the stone floor.

Susan leapt to her feet as Shift howled in fury and charged at her. Susan swiftly dove to the side, dodging the swing. She hit the ground clumsily and managed to look up just in time as Shift charged at her again.

Thankfully the ape's reach wasn't as long as her legs and she managed to kick out knocking him away but the ape swiped at her and a bleeding line was scored across her calf.

Susan cried out in pain and fell to the ground as Shift towered over, dagger raised.

"YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME!!" Shift roared, "I AM GOD!!"

Susan glared defiantly at him as Shift narrowed his eyes ready to deal the killing blow.  
"Funny, I don't believe gods were this stupid," a high clear voice announced.

Shift's eyes bulged as slender hands wrapped around his neck wrenching him away from Susan. The ape kicked out knocking Inara to the ground as he screeched at her. Inara stared up at him, dazed and confused.

"YOU FOUL TREACHEROUS BIT…" he screamed, climbing to his feet.

"Hey!"

Shift blinked.

"Careful how you finish that," Susan growled from behind her.  
She lunged forwards, a fallen sword clutched in her hands. There was a choked cry.

Inara and Shift both stared in stunned silence at the sword blade protruding out of the ape's chest.

"Wha… how…"

Shift slowly turned around and stared up into Susan's pale but determined face. Grimly, she twisted the sword eliciting a yelp of pain.

"That was for cutting me," she snarled.

The light left Shift's eyes and he fell limp. Gasping for breath, chest heaving and almost on the verge of tears, Susan dropped the sword and Shift's body with it.

The ancient ape fell to the ground in a clumsy tangle of limbs.

Inara stared up at her, amazed.

Susan held out her hand, helping her up.

"How?" Susan demanded.

For a split second Inara looked like she was about to cry but she managed to roll her eyes.

"What?" she smiled shakily, "You thought I fell for his stupid lies?"

Susan laughed and threw her arms around Inara, hugging her tightly.

"Alright," she spared Shift one final look, "Let's get out of here!"

As if to emphasis her words, a fourth explosion shook the pyramid.

"GO!"

Susan and Inara sprinted down the pyramid's edge, running down the long stairs to the base as cracks began to rip the stonework apart.

"WAH!" Inara stumbled as a crack opened right beneath her foot but Susan was there, grabbing her and dragging her away.

"Move! Move! Move!" Susan yelled.

Stone blocks began tumbling down from the height of the pyramid as the whole structure crumbled, unable to take any more battering.

The two girls ran and ran as more fissures opened up, the pyramid swaying unsteadily. Susan hissed in pain as she forced herself to run on her injured leg but she pressed on through the agony as they hit the base of the pyramid and plunged straight into the mayhem of the battle.

"YOUR MAJESTY!!" Zaru was instantly by her side, his grey eyes taking in her dishevelled appearance, "You're injured!"

A shrieking guard charged at them but the leopard easily pounced him, taking him down.

"COWBOY!!" Inara screamed spotting Jason in the fighting throng.

The Seeker half-turned and he gave them a curt nod as he spotted them but a priest slammed into him, knocking him aside.

Susan knelt down and plucked a wooden staff from a fallen priest. With a cry, she cracked it across a guard's head knocking him down. Keeping Inara carefully behind her, Susan hefted her staff up, eyes blazing.

"Just try me!" Susan yelled defiantly, "Bring it on!"

Enemies fell under her blows as Susan, ironically named the Gentle, made her stand.

* * *

The agents of the Underground were lethal in their approach. They swept through the palace that was Shift's headquarters, killing all who resisted. Those who didn't were quickly bound and led away.

They finally came to Shift's personal chambers, the mosaic of his face glaring down at them.

Contemptuously, they smashed the door apart, broken tiles raining down to the marble ground.

"What are you doing here?" the red-head woman hissed as she saw them, "How dare you enter the chamber of the High Priest!"

"The time of the High Priest is over milady," one of the agents snarled, "I suggest you get out of our way."

The woman darted forwards a slim dagger in hand but she stopped, her eyes widening as she saw the pack of agents that stood before her ready to attack.

"Wouldn't you…" the woman composed her, "Like some refreshments dear lords?"

The leader of the agents, a tall woman with a broad handsome face laughed mockingly.

"Your perfumed smokes and drug-laced foods have no affect on us madam," she snarled, "We are wise to your master's schemes and have already found ways around them."

The woman blanched and before anybody could react, she darted further into the chamber. The agents surged forwards but the lady was quicker, pulling a tapestry aside revealing a hidden door.

She quickly slipped inside and slammed it shut behind her. The agents slammed into it trying to pull it open or break it apart but it was solid and locked.

"Leave her," the agent leader commanded, "Set up the explosives and let's quit of this cursed place."

Black barrels like the ones used on the pyramid were quickly set up. Swiftly the fuses were lit and the agents fled.

A split second later, all the barrels exploded with deadly synchronicity blowing the whole palace apart.

* * *

"BOOM!"

Everybody turned and stared as a far off explosion rocked the night.

"The House of the High Priest!" a voice screamed, "It has fallen!"

There were cries of surprise from the guards and priests but the Underground fighters bellowed in triumph. The shockwaves of the explosion also proved to be the final straw for the pyramid.

As the concussive waves slammed into its side the whole thing fell apart, tumbling down in an avalanche of shattered rock. A thick plume of dust instantly swept through the crowd halting the fighting as everyone stumbled away, desperately trying to dodge the hail of stones from above.

In the silence that followed, the dust was swept away by the cool night air.

"The altar…" one of the guards gasped, eyes bulging at the sight before him.

Only a charred and broken foundation remained of the pyramid, all else was ruined debris.

"It has fallen," Stretch walked calmly through the crowd and placed himself at the front of the ruins, "And…"

He turned and dug through the rubble until he found what he had wanted.

"LOOK!" he tugged and pulled a single broken body out from the debris.

It was Shift, his yellow eyes closed forever.

"YOUR PRIEST IS DEAD!" Stretch yelled into at the stunned crowd, "IF HE WAS CHOSEN OF TASHLAN WOULDN'T THE FALSE GOD HAVE SAVED HIM?!"

He tossed the ape's body aside like trash.

"He's dead because there is no Tashlan. It was all a lie," Stretch said in a calm voice that pierced deep into the crowd like a sword, "It's over."

There was a complete dead silence.

"Clang!"

The sound of metal hitting stone resounded through the air as one of the guards tossed his sword aside and raised his hands, his whole body trembling. One of the priests hissed and moved to attack him but another soldier knocked the man down.

Slowly, one by one like a spreading wave the priests and guards surrendered, some willingly, others with dark looks and muttered curses.

The Underground fighters moved swiftly, binding them.

Susan dropped her staff and gasped in surprise as the pocket of her dress suddenly exploded with heat, almost searing her skin.

She pulled it open and peered inside. The once white ring was now a warm golden hue and brimming with light.

"The Darkness," Zaru hissed, "It has been defeated."

"We can move on now?" she asked.

Zaru nodded gravely.

"The Professor!" Susan looked up.

Jason was close by but Elias was nowhere in sight.

"Get him," Susan commanded, "We'll meet in the back streets over there."

In the confusion of the surrendering guards and the collecting of their fallen weapons, Inara and Susan slipped away.

Jason felt a small tug on his arm and turned seeing the two girls. The three of them slipped out of the crowd and into a small dimly lit street.

A few minutes later, Zaru appeared, Elias puffing behind him.

"Hiya Doc," a fine tremor ran through Inara's voice, "That was a barrel of fun eh?"  
"Please don't talk to me about barrels," Elias groaned.  
Susan stared at him incredulously.

"Those were your work?" she gasped.

Elias smiled at her mischievously.

"Let's just say I know my chemistry."

"Damn," Inara observed, "Remind me not to annoy you!"

Jason growled cutting their conversation short.

"Are we going to gossip like old ladies or get out of here?" Jason demanded, glowering at them, "This place is getting on my nerves!"

Zaru yawned at him.

"See if you had a woman…"

"Shut. It," Jason snapped.

The others laughed and it felt good to after so much trauma and so much hurt.

"All right," Susan began to reach into her pocket, "Grab onto me. If the Professor was right as soon as I hold onto…"

Inara and Elias instantly grabbed onto her other arm as Jason placed one calloused hand on her shoulders. Zaru leaned his head against her knee as Susan's fingers dipped into her pocket and she reached for the ring, her hand closing around the blazing hot little ring.

At the first touch, they were gone, falling into darkness and light until…

"Huh," Elias looked around at the woods before them, "We're back."

Inara grimaced as the green ring, still on her fingers began to glowing with iridescent emerald light. Far off, filtered through the bushes and trees, a soft glow beckoned them forwards.

"Another world right Kitty Cat?" she glanced at Zaru.

Zaru smirked.

"Another world."

"Can't we just rest?" Inara asked desperately, "I just want to sleep for a week!"

"Come on," Jason stood and brushed himself off, "Maybe this time it's home!"

The five of them hurried off as a soft wind shook the trees above urging them on their way.

Author's notes: So that's the end of the first world a.k.a. Shift's World, I know it's a bit short and rushed but like I said before it's merely here to introduce you to the characters.

Again my main concern is really Inara who I'm still trying to round out as a character, she's not a Mary-Sue or a self-insert (nor do I hope she comes across as one). I think you can see from this chapter even though she played an important role in defeating the High Priest, it wasn't like she came in and saved the day all by herself and knew what to do and also became a kick-ass fighter for no apparent reason. The other characters all had their role to play and in the next arc, I think this becomes a lot more apparent.

Thank you very much for reaching and I would love to listen to your thoughts and opinions so please.. REVIEW!!


	6. When night falls

Thank you for all your beautiful reviews, please if you're reading this just drop a line telling me what you think, any criticism is welcomed!

Disclaimer: What's mine is mine, everything else is C.S. Lewis'

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 6: When night falls**

"I'm so sorry mam but there's no word," came the grave words.

There was horrified scream of utter anguish that it pulled at Susan's heart making her want to break down and weep. She desperately tried to see the faces of the people talking but everything around her was indistinct and strangely colourless as though she was seeing them through a thick mist.

"How…" the woman sobbed, "How… all my children… my god… how?!'

"Please dear, don't…" a man began.

"DON'T?!" the woman turned on him shrieking, "Don't? How am I supposed to act? My children! My beautiful children…"

She broke down into messy tears and choking sobs. The police, as Susan judged from the glimpses of his uniform, watched helplessly unable to say anything to soothe her pain.

"We'll stay on the case as long as it takes," the policeman promised, "We will get your children back."  
"Thank you," the man said in a hoarse voice, "If you hear anything…"

"You'll be the first to know," the police promised before leaving.

The woman continued to cry, her slender body shaking violently.

"My children… my… oh god… Peter… Susan… Edmund and my sweet little Lucy…"

Susan's eyes widened in horror.

"Mum?" she called out in a ghostly voice, "MUM!!"

The mist seemed to shift and Susan caught one brilliant flash of her parent's face before the dream dissolved into nothing.

"MUM!!" Susan screamed again, "MUM!!"

She blinked and she was awake staring up into a straw-woven ceiling. Everything was dark except for the waning moon outside illuminating a patch of the floor with its eldritch light.

Susan looked around shakily caught halfway between dream and reality but Inara's soft breathing in a nearby bed drew her back away into the real world. Susan desperately blinked back tears, scrubbing at her eyes with the back of her hands.

Why was she having all these dreams? Just the night before she had caught a glimpse of Peter in a dark, dark place, his blue eyes wide with fear. And the night before that…

Susan realised she was trembling. Taking in a deep shuddering breath, she slowly sat up knowing by now she'll get no more sleep for the night.

Pulling her sheets around her, Susan dragged herself out of bed and into a wooden chair beside the window. Arranging the blankets around her, Susan sat and stared out into the moonlit scenery before her, trying to draw the serenity of the land into her thoughts.

The minutes ticked by as Susan sat, fear and worries warring within her thoughts.

* * *

Inara let out a loud yawn, the joints in her jaws threatening to come apart as she sat up, blinking blearily into the sunlight. Automatically she glanced at Susan's bed and seeing it empty, her light brown eyes flickered to the window where Susan sat, still deep in thought.

"Dreams again huh?" the young teenager asked, slipping out of bed.

Susan nodded silently as behind Inara got dressed, pulling off her sleeping clothes and dragging on a pink silk gown that came down onto her knees. The fabric was embroidered beautifully, a design of purple flowers woven into the weave. Inara found her soft black shoes and slipped them on, tying a band of dark cloth across her waist.

"What was it this time?" Inara asked gently.

"My parents," Susan said quietly, "My mum was crying."

Inara winced. She knew how hard it was for Susan to dream of her family and this Caspian fellow, seeing them in some strange unknown world and unable to reach them, unable to help them. The dreams always left the young Queen distraught and silent for hours on end, consumed by what she had seen in those dark moments of sleep.

"On the bright side," Inara said lightly, "Your parents actually care about you…"

Her mouth twisted bitterly.

"My mum's probably working her way through a bottle of scotch and smoking a cigar right now at the fact that I'm gone and my precious sister's safe," Inara said with false humour, "Some family eh?"

Susan turned to look at her, her blue eyes astonished.  
"She would actually do that? Celebrate when you're… missing?" she asked incredulously.

Inara rolled her eyes.

"With a song in her heart," Inara promised.

She quickly changed tact.

"Come on. Let's see what Gui's cooked this morning. I've gotten a sudden craving for her awesome breakfast buns!"

Susan smirked.

"You've got a craving for all her cooking," she teased.

"Who wouldn't?" Inara beamed, "At least I'm not as bad as Zaru!"

"No but at least he's still slim," Susan said innocently.

Inara's jaw dropped.

"If you're calling me fat, prepare to suffer the consequences Queenie," Inara warned, pointing a finger at her, "Come on! Before Zaru eats all of the food!"

Inara left as Susan threw her sheets off her and slowly began to prepare for the day ahead.

* * *

"Adopt me," Zaru said quickly, his eyes gleaming at the sight of the food-laden table before him, "Adopt me now!"

Gui laughed, her chubby cheek shaking. The stout Asian woman shook her head good-naturedly before disappearing into the kitchen once more.

"I think you and Inara should watch out," their hostess called out, "Otherwise you'll both need rickshaws to get anywhere."

Gui appeared, holding a tray in her hands as Inara appeared at the doorway.

"Well speaking of the devil," she beamed, "Where's Susan?"

Inara smiled at the gracious woman before taking her place around the table.

"She's gone to get Cowboy."

Gui laughed at Inara's nickname for Jason before disappearing once more. Inara's smile fell a little as the woman disappeared.

"What's wrong?" Zaru asked seeing her look.

"You know… something's been bugging me," the girl sighed.  
"What?"

"It's just… I wonder… I wonder why back in the last world with Shift… none of his tricks worked on us. I mean the other women, the smoke and the food quickly had them licking Shift's ugly foot in about two seconds flat but with me and Su…" Inara sighed, "I don't know. It just seems strange."

"Oh that," Zaru snorted.

Inara tossed him a steaming bun and leopard got to work it.

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked around a mouthful of food.

"Huh?" Inara blinked.

"You've seen Aslan. The True King of Narnia. You've felt His presence and heard His words. What is a false god compared to Him?" Zaru said staring at her.

Inara smiled wryly.

"Wow, so there is a brain behind that stomach."

"Also some claws if you don't stop with the insults," Zaru warned.

A yawn interrupted their talk as Elias stumbled into the room.

"Morning Doc," Inara greeted.

Elias smiled sleepily, well used to Inara's nickname for him now.

"Where're Susan and Jason?"

"Jason's in his usual spot and Susan's gone to get him," Zaru reported.

Elias sighed and shook his head.

"What is with that man and his river? He loves staring at that thing."  
"There are some things man are not meant to know," Inara smirked, "Like Kitty here and his amazing never-ending stomach."

"HEY!"

* * *

Susan clambered up the grassy knoll, her blue silk dress tangling around her long limbs as she struggled through the thick growth. Pushing the hair away from her eyes, she smiled as she spotted Jason's familiar form on an outcrop nearby.

Even dressed as a native of this world in dark silks, he wore his battered coat and fedora. The Seeker sat on a boulder, his dark eyes focused on the glistening river meandering before him.

Susan hiked up her dress slightly as she walked.

It had been exactly three days since they had entered this new world; a country Gui had told them was known as the Republic of Jin Shizi. They had landed smack bang in the middle of the the small village square, dazed and confused as well as still bearing the injuries from the battle back in Shift's world.

Inara had taken one looked around and her eyes had widened.

"Okay…" she had turned to Zaru, "Why are we in China?"

As Zaru had opened his mouth to speak, Gui had stumbled upon them. To everyone's surprise, it was because of Zaru that the woman had welcomed them into her home with open arms and a bright smile. Apparently Talking Animals did exist in this world but were extremely rare and considered as benevolent spirits that brought luck to households.

Inara had gagged at those words.

They had spent the remaining time recovering from their injuries and getting to know each other. They had already subtly asked Gui about any 'Darkness' in this world but so far nothing had turned up.

Susan sighed.

In the bright light of day, her fears seem to subside a little but they were always there, ready to wrack her thoughts without warning. But she had to try and be practical.

There was no use falling into hysterics.

She had to trust that Peter and Edmund and Aslan and Caspian could look after themselves.

'_But what about Lucy?' _a small voice asked, _'What about her?'_

Susan shuddered. She clenched her fists together, the nails of her fingers digging deep into her palm.

She had to have faith and believe that everything would be fine because the alternatives were just too…

"Morning Princess," Jason's gruff voice floated down to her.

Susan smiled glad of the distraction.

"I am a Queen you know," she pointed out moving to stand beside him.

"A little young for one don't you think?" Jason asked casually, tipping his head back to look up at her.

"I ruled for fifteen years," Susan informed him.

Jason merely grunted and turned to look at the river once more. Susan stood quietly beside him, letting the tranquillity of their surroundings to enter her thoughts, stifling her worries.

"The others wonder why you do this you know," she said softly.

Jason snorted.

"They wonder too much."

"Why do you?" Susan asked curiously.

Jason shifted uncomfortably as he always did when the others asked personal questions. But it was mark of how comfortable he was with them when he spoke up.

"Did I mention anything about my… world?"

The Seeker was still trying to wrap his head around this idea of multiple worlds.

"No," Susan prodded gently.

"It's called Lawless. That's the region I'm from and it's been in the grips of a drought for centuries now," Jason explained laconically, "There's nothing there but sand and sun and a few hardy bushes."

"A desert," Susan named.

Jason nodded.

"A vast never-ending desert," Jason swept his hand around encompassing the lush green undulating plains around him, "All this… it's unheard of. A mere myth in my world."

"Oh…" Susan murmured realising the truth, "So that's why…"

"The only water in Lawless is some tiny oasis and underground lakes," Jason continued, "But those are controlled by a few money-grabbing landlords. But this… all this water… it's…"

He trailed off unable to find a word to even begin to describe his awe. But he quickly fell silent again.

"Is the grub ready?" he said bluntly.

Susan smiled, well used to his gruff manner by now.

"That's why I came and found you."

"Alright," Jason rose to his feet with a grunt, "Come on Princess on the Kitty's going to eat everything."

"His name is Zaru," Susan called out as Jason began to make his way down the hill.

"I like Kitty better."

Susan laughed out loud before following the Seeker down.

* * *

"To read about the history of such a place," Elias said effusively, "It is a privilege!"

"I thought you were a scientist… a what was it… a physicist?" Inara asked, "Why would you care about history?"

"First of all, I'm a theoretical quantum physicist specialising in spatial and temporal fluctuation in the…"

Susan, Inara and Zaru all gave him blank looks as Elias cleared his throat, embarrassed by his tendency to ramble on.

"Second of all, in my world all scientists are encouraged to learn about anything and everything. My interests span far and wide, little one," Elias chuckled as Inara scowled at the name, "History is just one of those things."

"Why?" Susan asked curiously, "It seems… a little unnecessary?"

"My dear," Elias gave her a shocked look that reminded her so much of Professor Kirke, she had to stifle a quick giggle, "Everything is connected!"

Inara blinked as the words struck a chord within her but before she could make a comment, one of the villagers came up to them, smiling politely.

"Hello Wen," Susan greeted.

"Greetings Mistress," Wen gave her a quick bow, "I was wondering if I could talk to the Great Spirit?"

"Great…" Susan began.

She quickly realised Wen was looking at Zaru.

"Of course! Go ahead!"

"Great Spirit," Wen gave Zaru a formal bow, "Please bless my household with your benevolence and good will and I promise to bear you offerings to appease you."

Zaru gave him a grave nod.

"Of course, go forth. You are blessed."

Wen's face split in a wide toothy grin and he hurriedly thanked the leopard before strolling off, whistling a jaunty tune. Susan shook her head as Inara rolled her eyes and jabbed the leopard with the tip of her foot.

"Oh come on! You are blessed?" she repeated in disgust.

Zaru shrugged.

"What? These people want reassurance. I am merely giving it to them!"

"And the fact they keep giving you food has nothing to do with it?" Susan asked innocently.

Zaru snorted.

"Minor details."

"Fatty," Inara huffed.

Elias placed a placating hand on Inara's arm as Zaru glared at her.

"These people merely want affirmation of their faith," Elias said calmly, "What's wrong with that?"

Inara deflated slightly.

"Nothing I guess but…" she glared at Zaru, "Get that smirk off your face!"

* * *

Peals of laughter drifted in through the window as the young children played with Zaru, howling with joy as the leopard bowled them over, playfully wrestling with them.

Susan smiled at the noise but turned back to the mountain of scrolls spread out onto the table before them.

"What are we looking for exactly?" Inara asked disgruntled.

Most of these scrolls were written in a language, which Inara said had looked like the Chinese from their world.

Susan was still a bit shocked at the fact that both she and Inara had both come from the same world just 66 years apart. Elias had gone into rhapsodies about the consequences of time travelling and other complicated theories whilst the others' eyes had glazed over.

Susan had talked to Inara a lot about her times and the Queen had secretly marvelled at the progresses made over next few decades. But she had also been disquieted by the offhanded way in which Inara had mentioned about the various wars and conflict going on in her times.

World War II was just over in her time and it made Susan sad to think that so much lives needlessly lost had not dissuaded mankind from leaving their bloody wars behind.

She sighed.

'_One worry at a time,' _she warned herself.

"Anything that might point out where the Darkness in this world might be," Elias said distractedly as he read quickly through one of the scrolls.

There had been a few books that spoke about translating the strange language the scrolls were written. It had taken Elias a few short hours to devour the books and a day to get use to reading the scrolls.

Unfortunately she and Inara weren't so gifted and they were more of a distraction than anything else.

"Have you found anything?" Susan asked.

Elias shook his head, a disgruntled look on his bearded face.

"Nothing," Elias rolled the scroll up quickly, "I've read through the most recent scrolls that correspond to the time that Aslan took us from our worlds. But there's been nothing to suggest that something is wrong in this world."

"It's getting late," Inara said distractedly glancing out at the dusky sky outside.

Elias sighed as he began to pile the scrolls together.

"I think it's best we call it a day," he announced.

A few short minutes later they were all walking back to Gui's house.

* * *

Raiders were not unknown to the area so a wooden barricade had been built around the small village many years before with sentry towers overlooking the main gates in and out of the village.

Night sentries patrolled the length of the wooden walls. Others stood guard in the towers overhead, their flaming torches illuminating the grassy knolls all around the village.

It was a quiet night with a nary a sound around.

That should have been the first warning.

The night was never quiet for the village. Always there was the chirping of crickets and the sounds of animals foraging by moonlight to break the silence but on this moonless night no insect or beast was around. All had fled what was to come.

Suddenly there was sharp breeze and all the torches along the barricade was blown out in a thrice.

There were cries of alarms but no real panic as the torches were relit once more. But this time the flickering flames showed something much more than just empty grassland.

One of the sentries on the tower spotted it immediately and began screaming on top of his lungs.

"YIN!!" his terrified shrieks instantly drew the other guard's attention, "YIN!!"

The response was instant as more torches were set ablaze. The guards on the towers began banging on bronze gongs, the resounding boom echoing far into the village.

"YIN!! YIN!!"

* * *

"What the hell?" Jason shot up in bed.

Elias in a bed opposite him was slower to get up, blinking around blearily.

"YIN!!" a man screamed as he ran down the street, a flaming torch in hand, "RUN!! YIN!!"

"Yin?" Jason frowned at Elias, "What on earth is that?"

Elias frowned.

"I think it's their traditional word for shadow," Elias translated, "But…"

"I think it's more than just mere shadows that's got them all worked up," Jason said grimly.

He hopped out of bed, pulling his battered brown coat around him. He quickly slung his belt around his waist, making sure his daggers were sheathed and in place. Pulling his fedora on, he sprinted out of the bedroom as Elias struggled to follow, getting tangled up in his sheets.

Jason burst into the living room and Gui was already there, her plump face pale and pinched.

"Oh by the Holy Spirits," Gui gasped, "I can't believe… after all these years…"

"What is going on?" Jason demanded.

"You don't know?" Gui's jaws dropped.

Seeing Jason's confused look, Gui shook her head and smacked herself gently on the forehead.

"Of course, you're travellers from a distant land. In Jin ShiZi, we have benevolent spirits like the Great Leopard Zaru but we also have…" Gui quailed, "Less friendly ones."

"Spirits?" Susan appeared at the door, her hair wild but her eyes alert.

"We must flee!" Gui wailed, "The last time the Yin came here…"

Her lips trembled and fat tears spilled down her cheeks.

"ZARU!" Susan yelled.

The leopard bounded in from the direction of the kitchen where he slept beside the fire.

"What?" he asked immediately alert.

"Trouble," Susan hissed.

She led the way, Jason and Zaru half a step beside her as they ran out of the house and towards the din coming from one of the city gates. Gui collapsed into a chair.

"Fools!" she cried, "You can't…"

"Don't worry madam," Elias placed a soothing hand on her shoulder, "This isn't the first time they've dealt with problems like this."

"But the Yin… they're not human."

Inara joined them.

"The last enemies we faced weren't humans either," she said grimly, "But we… uhh… Susan and the others managed."

"But just in case," Elias turned to Gui, "Perhaps you should get packing?"

The woman nodded and hurriedly began to shuffle around her house as Elias and Inara exchanged worried looks, praying the others would be okay.

* * *

As they ran, Susan dug her hands into her pocket and pulled out the yellow ring. She stared at it and just like the last world it had lost its golden appearance and become pure white.

"The Darkness is here," Susan announced.

"What?" Jason demanded.  
"I've been watching it," Susan nodded at the ring, "It becomes paler when danger's around."

"Aslan has changed the rings," Zaru reminded her.

"I know," Susan said curtly as she shoved the ring back into her pocket.

They rounded the corner and ran into a pack of the villager's strongest men. They were all ranged around one of the gates, the sentry still shouting from the barricade above.

Weapons were being doled out but they were make-shift at best: hunting spears and arrows, scythes and sickles, made more for farming than fighting.

Susan plucked a bow and a quiver of arrows from a nearby pile as Jason placed his hands on the hilt of his daggers.

"What is it?" Zaru gasped.

The menfolk were all quiet, their faces set into grim masks as suddenly and without warning something crashed heavily into the wooden gate.

Susan gasped as wood splintered and the gate bulged in slightly unable to fully repel the brutal assault.

"That's at least a metre of solid wood!" Zaru gasped, "What in the name of Aslan is this thing?"

"CRACK!"

Huge splinters coursed through the gate as the sentries began firing upon their attacker but whatever it was, the attack proved quickly futile.

"Here it comes boys!" one of the village elders announced, "We have to hold it for as long as possible! We need to give the women and children time to run!"

"CRACK!"

A solid chunk of wood came flying away from the gate and slammed into one of the boys knocking him down. Others rushed to help him but the elder barked at them telling them to stay in position.

"BOOM!!"

Splinters flew everywhere as something ploughed straight through the gate. Susan couldn't stop herself as she finally say their enemy and let out a terrified shout.

She wasn't the only one. Some of the villagers also screamed at the beast that crouched there before them.

It wasn't much bigger than a full-grown man and was vaguely human-shape but that's where the similarities ended. Huge soulless eyes, completely white in colour, were a stark contrast to the black oily skin that made up the creature's body. Long ornate horns curled back from its forehead as ridges of razor spines ran wildly along over its sinewy form.

The thing… the Yin howled and revealed a giant gaping fang-lined maw. It beat the ground with its taloned hands, stamping its feet in rage. It peered at them malevolently from behind its long fringe of straggly white hair and let out a single warning growl.

It instantly exploded forwards as the elder barked out a single word. Some of the men began firing arrows desperately at it as others hurled spears.

Susan put arrow to string but waited to see the effect of the first round of attacks. The weapons struck true, burying deep into the Yin's flesh but if it even felt it, it made no sign as it simply ploughed straight through the barrage.

The men let out cries of shock as one arm shot forwards, claiming its first victim. The doomed man screamed and screamed as the creature's claws wrapped around his neck and lifted him clear off the ground.

Susan looked away biting down hard on her lips as the man suddenly fell silent. A shocked silence rolled through the crowd as the beast casually tossed the limp body aside.

"This does not look good," Jason said calmly.

"Why do I have the sudden urge to flee from the nearest hill?" Zaru wondered, his hackles up.

"Take me with you," Jason said sourly, "Princess?"

Susan blinked, realising that both of them were looking to her for instructions. She glanced at the howling Yin and fought down the sudden crazed urge to throw down her weapons and run screaming in the opposite direction. Swallowing heavily, Susan slowly raised her bow.

"Hobble it," she said in a cool voice that betrayed none of her own fears, "Go for the arms and the legs."

The Yin roared in rage as the men formed a loose semi-circle around it, jabbing at it with their longer weapons trying to force it out of the gates. The creature roared and plucked a scythe from the hands of a farmer before snapping it half, its wiry muscles bulging.

The cries of the men and the scream of the Yin all faded away as Susan narrowed her eyes, took aim and forcing her body to stop trembling, she fired.

It was superb shot, zipping through the crowd of men before tearing straight through one of the Yin's wide white eyes.

The monstrous spirit let out a bellowing roar of pain, tearing at the arrow in its eye as it went berserk, clawed limbs flying everywhere. The men backed away hurriedly, eyes wide as the Yin raged and screamed.

Gritting her teeth, Susan took aim and fired again.

The Yin twisted and the arrow missed, slamming into its shoulder. Slowly with menacing slowness, the dark creature turned and glared at her, its single remaining eye drilling into her own.

Fear instantly swamped her senses as sweat began to roll down Susan's face. Her heart hammered against her ribs but still she plucked another arrow from her quiver and slowly put it her bow.

A sudden hush fell over the villagers as the Yin continued to stare at her, completely still as Susan aimed and waited.

With a piercing shriek, it surged forwards. Zaru instantly leapt to intercept the spirit but the monster swatted him aside without even stopping.

Susan gritted her teeth and fired again. The Yin's head snapped backwards as the arrow pierced its second eye, a scream of pure fury wrenching free from its fanged jaws.

But it simply lowered its head and continued to charge as Susan tried to move out of the way but she stumbled on the hem of her dress and almost fell over. She looked up, eyes wide as the Yin charged straight towards her.

"MOVE!!" Jason screamed.

He shoved her out of the way and twisted, flinging both his hands at the incoming Yin.

The Yin slammed against an invisible wall and bounced off as Jason collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath.

"Damn," he croaked, "That thing's strong!"

Susan crawled to her feet as the Yin slowly straightened itself, black ichor flowing from its twin ruined eyes.

"We'll take it from here," an authoritative voice said suddenly from amongst the crowd.

Susan and Jason both turned in surprise. The crowd quickly drew apart allowing two figures to step right in front of the Yin.

"Who…" Susan began, her blue eyes taking in the two young boys standing in front of her, neither a year older than her.

"May the Holy Spirits bless you," the village elder said ecstatically, "Please, defeat the Ying young masters of the Temple."

"Step back," one of the boys said.

Both of them were head-shaven and waring long flowing orange robes. They casually shucked this off revealing white clothing underneath, a black band tied around their waist.

The Yin howled and slashed at one of them and the fight was on.

What followed made even Jason's jaws drop.

The fight was brutal and quick, a stunning display of strength and prowess. The two boys moved with deadly efficiency and synchronicity, blocking the Yin's powerful punches with expressionless faces. Lightning-fast kicks and punches slammed the Yin into the ground and before the stunned spirit could even react, both boys stabbed it deep in its heart with twin knives.

The dark spirit let out a pitiful cry before its body slumped. Smoke sizzled from its skin, its flesh boiling into thick black liquid, melting away into the earth leaving only bleached bones behind. Even that quickly crumbled and turned to dust as their two young rescuers calmly put their knives away and put their orange robe on once more.

"Thank you, masters of the Temple."

All the men instantly fell to their knees as Susan and Jason stared at each other, stunned.

"Well," Susan looked at the spot where the Yin was, "At least we know what the Darkness is here."

She turned back to the crowd as with wild applause and laughter, the villages swarmed around the two boys, pumping their arms and slapping their backs. Joyous cries rang loud through the night as the celebration went on and on culminating in a splendid feast.

* * *

I'll quickly answer some quesiton from the reviews:

1) About the other Pevensies, Caspian and Aslan: as explained before each of them have been all hidden in different unknown worlds under the power of the Great Darkness; where they are and how Susan and co. will rescue them... well you'll have to wait and see

2) About Susan: there's been some concern about if her brothers and Caspian re-enter the story she'll take a step back and stop being the warrior queen and leader we've been seeing so far. I assure you when the others re-enter the story, Susan will not go back to playing second fiddle as before, the new Susan is here to stay and the conflict that causes will make for some interesting moments

3) About the original characters: thank you! I love hearing that many of you are enjoying the OCs and what they bring to the story. Jason seems to be popular but the others also find their own niche. Again the main problem I have is Inara because I think she is an interesting character but may come across as being a bit of a Mary-Sue. This story arc in particular is very important to Inara as a character as she grows a lot in this, but what happens you'll just have to wait and see

4) Well, I think that's it but I want to give a HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL MY REVIEWERS! Love hearing from you again! Please enjoy the story!


	7. Journey to the Temple

Thanks for all your lovely reviews!! But please, if you're reading this REVIEW!! Your comments and opinions encourage me and help me shape this story!!

REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!

Disclaimer: Blah bah, ain't mine

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 7: Journey to the Temple**

"So you think the Darkness we have to defeat in this world are these… Yin?" Elias shook his head firmly, "They can't be."

"Why not?" Jason growled, "Trust me old man, I've seen these things first hand and they are the dang definition of Darkness."

"They can't be," Elias argued, "Gui told me these spirits have been around since the dawn of civilisation in this world. It just doesn't make sense."

The five of them were seating around Gui's dining table, the morning after the Yin's attack and the appearance of the two mysterious boys. Zaru sat by Susan's foot, his sides bandaged, his grey eyes focused on Elias and Jason's angry faces.

"Why not?" Jason demanded again.

"From what Zaru has told us it seems this Darkness has only been spreading for the last few years at most," Elias argued, "It just doesn't correlate. These Yin have been here for untold eons."

Susan frowned.

"So are you saying the time doesn't match up?" Susan asked speaking up, "Professor…"

Elias's eyes suddenly widened as he stared at Susan. He gasped and smacked himself on the forehead.

"Of course!" he cried, "I am such a fool. Even after the stories you told me about Narnia and the temporal differences!"

Everybody else instantly shared exasperated looks as Elias descended into a babble of scientific equations and theorems.

"Okay Doc, remember… small words," Inara cut in.

But Elias wasn't listening. He was pacing the room, murmuring feverishly to himself, his words only half-directed to them.

"Time moves differently between the worlds. So even if the Darkness has only been spreading for a few years in Narnian time."  
"It could've been centuries here," Susan guessed, "Right?"

Elias nodded vigorously.

"I am a fool not to have seen that before!"

"So we're all in agreement?" Zaru spoke up, "These Yin are the Darkness?"

Everyone nodded.

"But there lies the problem. These Yin are not one central enemy like Shift was. They are a race of creatures. We cannot possibly hope to eradicate them all. It's just impossible!" Elias pointed out.

"Well," Inara said smiling, "I know where we can find out more about them."

Everyone turned and stared at her questioningly. Inara beckoned.

"Come on. Follow me."

She walked out of the door as the others quickly hurried after her.

AAAAAA

"Gui told me the two Kung Fu guys were staying at the house of the village leader," Inara explained, "And from what Queenie and Cowboy told us, they'll be the ones to ask about the Yin."

They stopped in front of the biggest house in the whole village. From the outside it didn't look very much but the small jade pendant hanging from the door indicated the importance of the inhabitants within.

"Go on," Inara nudged Zaru.

"Why me?" Zaru sulked.

"Uhh… because they think you're some great holy good luck charm," Inara said firmly, "Go, use your exploitative powers for good!"

Zaru growled at her but instantly walked up to the door.

"Does someone want to knock? I don't have hands!" he called out.

Susan laughed and walked up, rapping the door firmly with her hands. It instantly swung open leaving Susan standing there, mildly surprised, her hand in mid-air.

"Umm… hello… ahh…" Susan slowly lowered her hand, "We would…"

One of the orange-robed boys from last night was standing in the doorway, his intelligent dark eyes staring deep into Susan's blue ones. Susan couldn't help but notice that this young monk had very old eyes. They were exactly like her own, speaking of battles won and lost, of heartache and secret tears, of experiences that had aged them much too quickly.

Secretly she wanted to cry for this young boy-warrior. What had he endured to age his soul so? What torment? What anguish?

But externally, she just nodded.

The boy nodded back in reply, one kindred spirit to another.

In that split second, Susan knew she had found an ally and friend in this world. They were both the same, an old life-hardened soul trapped inside a child's body.

But his next words completely ruined her train of thought.

"Your majesty," the shaven-headed monk gave her a formal bow.

Susan blinked in surprise. The boy straightened.

"I have been waiting for you."

"Uhhh…" Susan desperately tried to search for the right words, "Thanks?"

AAAAAA

"We have elders with talent amongst us," the monk who had greeted her at the door explained.

They were seating in the head villager's home, Jiang on one side of the room, the five companions on the other. Jiang watched them carefully as they all stared at him confused, only Jason seemed to have an inkling of what he was saying.

"They are known as seers, those who can see into the future," Jiang continued.

"And they saw us," Susan realised.

Jiang nodded gravely.

"Before Hu and I left the Temple, the eldest of the seers told us that on our journeys we will meet a blue-eyed Queen," he gave the smallest of nods to Susan, "She and her companions must be taken to the Temple because they have a great and perilous task in Jin ShiZi. One that may decide the fate of all who live here."

His voice was mild and soft but his words carried a great weight.

"How much do you know about us?" Susan asked without blinking an eyelid.

There was an undercurrent inside the room, a curious tension that arose every time Susan and Jiang spoke and looked at each other.

"The seer said…" Jiang trailed off, "You are not of this world."

"What?!" Elias gasped, "He saw that? How is that even possible? It doesn't…"

"A lot of things that are not possible still exist," Jiang observed quietly.

"So what do our elders want us to do?" Susan cut in.

"You are to come with us to the Temple," Jiang said dutifully.

"Well…" Susan rose in her chair but before she could speak, the door burst open and the second monk barged in, eyes gleaming.

"Jiang! Jiang! Did you hear? There's a talking leopard in this village! A great holy spir…" Hu trailed off as he spotted the five figures sitting across from his companion.

His jaws dropped as he spotted Zaru who look at him coolly. Hu's eyes drifted to the other four people until it fell on Susan.

He let out a small gasp and instantly fell to his knees, bowing before the Queen. Susan shifted uncomfortably having always disliked the formality that came with being a royal.

"Your majesty!" he gasped, "I didn't…"

"Please, get up," Susan said in a clear voice.

Hu scrambled to his feet, blushing and brushing his robes off. Susan turned back to Jiang.

"When do we leave?" she asked.

Jiang smiled, a small twitch at the corner of his lips.

"Now."

AAAAAA

Zaru darted ahead, cavorting around in the long grass, half-heartedly chasing after wild hares as the gentle wind ruffled his fur. The leopard instantly loped easily back to Susan, mouth open, panting slightly.

"Isn't this the best!!" he crowed.

Susan laughed. The young Narnian was used to places like this, wide-open spaces filled with greenery and rivers and life. He had gotten used to the village in the three days they had spent there but to be out in the wild once more… it was no wonder he was acting like a young kit.

"Want to play?" Zaru begged.

"I think I'm a little old to be frolicking in the grass," Elias laughed.

"I'll come!" Hu said instantly.

The leopard and the boy ran forwards, chasing after each other as Susan smiled, chuckling under her breath.

Jiang, easily the more quiet and solemn of the two Temple monks, shook his head in well-versed exasperation.

Jason was walking silently beside her, stumbling every now and then still unused to walk in grassy earth, his face expressionless. But if you looked close enough, his dark blue eyes were gleaming as he surveyed the green world around him.

The Seeker from the desert was mesmerised by this paradise.

There was a yell as Zaru deliberately bowled into Inara up ahead. The young girl swore and swatted at the leopard lightly with her walking staff but the cat easily jumped aside avoiding the bow as Hu cheered him on.

"This was meant to be a grave and serious mission," Jiang said dryly.

"Cheer up lad," Elias said lightly, "We are alive and the sun is shining. Let's enjoy it before the darkness comes."

Susan sucked in a breath as a sudden memory of seeing Peter slumped against chains, a glimpse from one of her dreams flitted into her mind.

She shuddered but forced the memory away.

'_There's no use worrying,' _she told herself firmly, _'Focus on the present!'_

She followed Elias's advice and turned her face to the sun allowing its warm glow to bathe her and chase her nightmares away.

AAAAAA

It was nearing dusk when Zaru spotted the first sign.

"Smoke," he hissed lowly, bounding back to Susan, "I smell smoke."

"What?" Susan looked up but could see nothing, "Are you sure?"

Zaru nodded, tail twitching as Susan glanced at Jason. The Seeker sighed.

"His senses are sharper than mine," he informed her.

There was a cry as Inara and Hu who had taken off earlier suddenly sprinted back towards them, rounding a hill before coming into view.

"What is it?" Jiang asked calling out to his companion.

"There's… there's…" Hu began stumbling over his own words.

Inara's face was pale.

"There's a village," she said shortly, "And well… it doesn't look good."

Susan and Jiang frowned at each other before taking off running round the hill. They instantly came to a horrified stop.

"What in the name of Aslan…"

A pallor of smoke hung in the air giving a hazy appearance to the village below. Or more precisely what remained of the village.

It had once been a small thriving rural community protected by a wooden barricade like Gui's village. But the barricade had been torn to splinters and twisted metal. Blackened husks were all that remained of the houses. Dead animals littered the ground and the humans…

What had once been a village was now a smoking graveyard.

Susan had to look away.

"Yin," Jiang growled.

"They did this?" Susan said numbed, "How?"

Jiang was silent as he slowly made his way down the steep embankment to the village gates. Susan picked her way carefully after him. Behind her she could hear curses and gasps as the others caught up.

"By the mane," Zaru hissed, his ears pinned back.

Jiang's face was ashen as he clambered through what remained of the village's gates. The smoke seared Susan's throat but she pressed on, blue eyes sweeping the ground for survivors but all she saw was blood and wide opening unseeing eyes.

"This is a damned place," Elias said quietly.

"The Yin have been growing," Hu commented sadly.

"What?" Susan half-turned to look at him.

"Ten years ago, it would've been rare to see more than one Yin in half a year," Jiang informed her softly, "But now…"

"Not a week goes by without news of multiple attacks," Hu finished, "The Temple is stretched trying to protect all villages."

"What exactly is it that the Temple does?" Elias asked.

Jiang and Hu exchanged looks before Jiang cleared his throat.

"Come, this is no place for stories."

He quietly led the way out of the village as the blazing sun settled into night. In the reddish hue of sunset, they slowly plodded out of the gates but still the smoke clung to them, reminding them of the death they had just seen.

AAAAAA

A log crackled in the flames throwing sparks up into the air. The seven of them had camped a mile away form the village, pushing through the night, none of them eager to be anywhere near that place in the dark.

Seating around the flames, the five travellers from different worlds watched as Jiang and Hu decided where to start their story.

"The Temple was found in the time of the first Emperor," Jiang began gravely in an almost lecturing tone, "It was built to defend the people from the threat of the Yin, the dark spirits created by the First Being, He Who Created The World."

"Why would anyone create those things?" Jason demanded, "Sounds like your First Being is a bit of a sadist."

Jiang sent him a piercing look.

"Because of balance," he said simply, "That which we call good and evil are forces that exist in this world and others not because they are all war with each other but because they need each other to be. A world devoid of all evil cannot exist because what then can we measure good against? That which is evil is simply nothing less than different levels or perceptions of good."

"Whoa, deep," Inara said in the silence that followed.

"Good and evil are in balance even in the hearts of man," Hu said almost as if he was reciting it from a book and he probably was, "Because man can never be purely one or the other so both must exist in the heart and mind and therefore in man's creations."

Jason rolled his eyes.

"Alright. I got it. So the Temple?"

"How does one become a Kung Fu master?" Inara asked eagerly, "Can I join up?"  
"Kung Fu?" Jiang asked, confused.

"Ehh… one of you guys. Warrior monks or whatever you call yourselves," Inara supplied quickly.

"Women cannot join," Hu told her casually, "They cannot handle the training."

"What?!" Susan and Inara both said at the same time, eyes blazing. Jason snorted with laughter.

Jiang quickly held up his hands stopping them from arguing.

"It is the way of the Temple," Jiang shrugged, "Tradition. The Temple has scouts that go out to all the villages looking for young boys, no older than five, who can become warriors of the Temple."

"They are chosen then taken away to the Temple," Hu continued, "All ties with their families are severed.

Susan was surprised at the calm way, which Hu talked about children being removed from their families. To be taken from your own mother and thrust into a training regime at such a young age…

She had seen the training the knights of Narnia had to go through but they started when they were ten at the earliest and were more than free to visit their families. But this Temple seemed so heartless to just expect parents to forget about their own children, their own flesh and blood.

"Isn't that kind of… harsh?" Susan asked concerned.

"It is a great honour," Jiang told her mildly, "The boys are then trained in the art of mind and spirit in the Temple until he is ten… then comes the initiation."

Hu grimaced slightly.

"It's hard to be away from your family at first," Hu shrugged, "But you get use to it."

"The initiation is… hard," a quick flash of pain crossed Jiang's face, "You have to face the Chamber."

A note of fear thrummed in his voice when he said the Chamber. Susan quietly noted that Hu's face twitched at the word.

"I'm going to bite," Zaru frowned, "What's the Chamber?"

"It is a dark place," Hu shuddered, "A place where you face your darkest nightmares."

Both boys had grown pale at the mention of the Chamber. Out of the corner of her eyes Susan could see Elias wanting to say more but she quickly cut him off.

"So what happens after that?"

"Those who survive the Chamber than are gifted with the powers of the body and become warriors of the Temple. They go forth defending those who cannot but their foremost task is to defeat the Yin," Jiang finished.

"And what of the seers you mentioned before?" Elias asked curiously.

"Oh them, the scouts also go out and look for those with the 'gift'," Hu made air quotations around the world, "Those boys are trained to develop their skills."

"So they can see into the future?" Elias questioned.

"Past, present and future," Jiang said quietly, "Also of possibilities."

There was short silence before Jason spoke up.

"You mentioned the Yin were increasing?"

Jiang sighed.

"Yes."

"But nobody really knows why," Hu said quickly, "Not even the seers. Usually the Yin are random in the way they attack but lately… they've been smarter."

"Smarter?" Zaru hissed not liking the implications.

"They've been more strategic… attacking villages that supply the Temple with food and water and other necessities. Other villages have been ruined because of their long history of supplying the Temple with apprentices," Jiang was grave.

"So… someone or something is deliberately attacking the Temple itself?" Susan demanded.

Jiang and Hu both nodded. The five companions instantly glanced at each other, understanding flaring in their eyes.

"The Darkness," Elias mouthed silently.

Susan nodded.

"So what are we going to do next?" Inara asked the obvious question.

"The seers told us to bring you the Temple than…" Jiang shrugged.

"They'll tell you," Hu said confidently, "They always know what to do!"

"Let's hope so," Susan said softly.

It was at that exact moment that a wave of wrongness swept over their little camp. The fire in the pit instantly flared out as Zaru began growling low in his throat. In the darkness, Susan could only see the eyes of her companions wide and frightened in the gloom.

"What…" Inara began, panicking.

Jiang's eyes widened, his pupils glinting in the sudden gloom.

"THE YIN!!" he cried, springing to his feet.

"What?!"

Suddenly in the shadows, pinpoints of white light gleamed. They were eyes, hungry devouring eyes.

Susan leapt to her feet, her bow already in hand.

"Well," she said grimly, "Looks like we have some visitors."

AAAAAA

The seer suddenly grabbed at his temple and he fell to the ground.

"What is it Master?" one of the younger seers instantly helped him up.

Chu Xing, oldest of the seers and master of the mystics of the Temple, stared up at his underling with fear-filled eyes.

"They… they…" he said in a small broken voice, "One of them is going to die."

AAAAAA

Jason placed himself firmly in front of Inara, silently protecting the girl who watched on with wide-open eyes.

"Do you know how to fight at all?" he growled at her.

"Uhhh… self-defence classes count?" she replied hesitantly.

Jason raised an eyebrow.

"I know how to shop-lift!" Inara said brightly.

The Seeker shook his head as Inara deflated.

"Right. Not useful right now."

"They're here," Jiang said quietly.

Hu cried out and threw something onto the extinguished fire. There was a puff of smoke and the blackened logs erupted into flames once more. The sudden brightness instantly illuminated the Yin.

Elias and Inara who hadn't seen them before instantly recoiled as the five of those ancient evil spirits lumbered towards them, drool leaking out of their fanged maws.

"What are those things?" Elias cried out.

"Evil," Zaru said darkly.

In the firelight Susan could see that not all of the Yin were the same. Each was different in subtle ways. One was squatter than the others, its motley potbelly sticking. Another was rake thin, almost skeletal in appearance. The third had a wild more of straggly grey ash hair that spilt down its back. The fourth was covered in more spines than all the others and the last was the smallest by the far, looking almost like a tiny demonic child.

There was a brief silence as the two sides stared at each other.

The fire flickered.

Hu blinked.

And with a resounding roar, the Yin charged straight into them. Susan had already given them names inside her head: Squat, Tall, Hairy, Spiny and Kid.

Her arrow was shattered in mid-air as Tall lashed out, its clawed hand breaking the shaft with little effort.

Hu and Jiang swept forwards, Hu with a sword in hand, Jiang wielding a long glaive, a spear-like weapon. He thrust out but Squat threw itself forwards, rolling under the weapon before kicking out.

Two clawed feet slammed into Jiang's chest throwing the boy-warrior backwards. He turned the fall into an elegant flip before slashing out, gashing his Yin across the chest.

Squat stumbled backwards, black acidic blood gushing from its wound as it let out a pig-like squeal of pain.

With a cry, Jiang finished it off, smashing the spear through its face. The Yin fell backwards, body twitching as to the horror of everyone watching, the other Yin fell upon it with excited howls and began feeding noisily.

"Oh, that's just nasty," Susan grimaced.

Hu and Jiang merely watched on, their faces stony as Inara retched.

As one the four remaining Yin turned to them, their faces black with the blood of their fallen comrade.

Hairy and Spiny lunged at them but Hu and Jason was there, both of them armed with their bladed weapons.

Hu fired a high-kick smacking Hairy in the face. The spirit stumbled backwards as Hu sliced forwards with the sword but incredibly the Yin recovered and caught the blade with its bare-hands.

Hu's eyes widened.

"ROWWRRRR!!"

Roaring, it pulled the sword from Hu's grip. Carelessly, it tossed the sword over its shoulder before throwing a punch straight at Hu.

The boy ducked before, the clawed fist flying overhead before he exploded forwards landing a vicious uppercut that snapped the spirit's head back.

Blood flew from the creature's shattered teeth. Hu bellowed and barrelled straight into the Yin, crash-tackling it to the ground.

"MOVE!" Jason roared.

Zaru was now fighting Spiny, hissing and growling as they circled at each other, moving around in an intricate dance of claws and fangs. Jason leapt away from the fight and swung downwards with his knife.

Hu leapt to the side as Jason buried his dagger straight into Hairy's chest.

"ARGGGHHHHH!!"

The Yin bucked and roared, writhing frantically. It screech straight into Jason's face and tried to raise it arms in a vain attempt to attack. But with a shout, Jason yanked the knife out and the Yin was still.

AAAAAA

On the other side of the fire, Susan and Jiang fought with the two remaining Yin. Jiang was duelling hand to hand with the Tall Yin, his glaive having long been snapped to splinters in the battle. The two enemies traded vicious blows, fists and feet flying, flesh bruising and bones cracking.

A long bleeding cut was slashed across Jiang's face as Tall landed a nasty blow. The boy staggered backwards as Tall ploughed straight into him but Jiang was quicker.

The boy warrior grabbed Tall's oustretched arm and with a flick of his wrist, tossed the spirit straight over his shoulder. The Yin slammed into the ground, shrieking as Jiang spat on the ground before leaping straight on top of it, kicking and punching.

"FOR THE TEMPLE!!" the boy roared, cracking the monster in the face, "DIE!!"

He punched the monster over and over again, a feral look on his face.

"DIE!!"

AAAAAA

Susan fired but missed again. She tried to reload but the smallest of the Yin, Kid, was agile and cunning, taking advantage of her distraction to lunge at her.

"YAH!" a cry burst from her lips as Susan stumbled backwards, trying to avoid a flying claw.

She hit the ground in a dishevelled heap as with a triumphant screech, the Yin leapt into the air, ready to finish her off.

Fingers fumbling, Susan desperately tried to fire again, to kill the beast and to save her life.

"GET OFF HER!"

Elias and Inara was there, swatting at the Yin with their walking staffs. Bundles of cloth had been tied to the end and dipped into the fire creating long flaming torches.

The fire licked at the Yin's flesh and the demon instantly recoiled, screeching discordantly in pain.

A thick stench filled the air as burns opened up on the spirit's body, its skin sizzling, smoke roiling out from the blisters. Inara and Elias both staggered backwards, gasping for breath as Kid hit the ground, one of its legs horrifically burned.

It whimpered pathetically and tried to rise but its leg gave way and it fell to the ground with a squeal.

Susan fought down the urge to gag as she put two arrows to her string and fired them simultaneously.

Above the battle cries around them there was high-pitched zip of air rushing through feathers and the arrows slammed home.

Twin barbs pierced the spirit's throat and Kid keeled over, its white eyes going blank.

"Thanks," she croaked, crawling to her feet.

Inara and Elias managed to wheeze at her. Susan turned and watched with wide blue eyes as Jiang continued to lay into his Yin, his face a feral mask of rage.

"Die!" he shouted into the Yin's bloody face, "DIE!!"

"He's scaring me now," Inara whispered, her voice still hoarse from the smoke.

'Yeah, me too." Susan replied, her eyes still focused on Jiang.

"Maybe someone should stop the boy," Elias suggested.

Both girls looked at him incredulously.

"And what? Get punched in the face?" Inara protested, "No thanks!"

There was a sickening crunch and Tall went still. Jiang rose slowly to his feet, his face and front drenched in black gore.

The blood hissed and burned his skin but Jiang seemed not to notice.

"Coming?" he asked casually.

The three of them gaped at him.

There was a triumphant cry as the final Yin, Spiny, fell with Hu's sword thrust straight through its belly.

"Well," Hu said shakily, "That was bracing."

"You okay?" Susan asked seeing Inara's face. Now that the adrenaline rush was over, the teenager looked like she was going to be sick.

The girl was trembling but she shook her head.

"Yeah, don't worry," she tired to gave Susan a smile, "I think I'm getting used to freaky things happening to me!"

"These are fascinating creatures," Elias eyed the bodies all around him, "Perhaps I could perform an autop…"

He wilted as like the night before, the flesh of the Yin sizzled into nothing before the bones crumbled to fine dust.

"Sorry, Doc," Susan patted him on the back sympathetically.

The professor looked almost distraught at the lost opportunity to study new life forms. Inara just shook her head and sat down, pulling her knees to her chest. Zaru instantly slid to her side, leaning his head against her legs, silently comforting her.

Inara smiled gratefully.

Jason rolled his eyes at the professor but sheathed his daggers.

"What should we do now?" Hu asked looking at Jiang.

The warrior was calmly wiping the black blood from himself.

"We should move off," he said calmly, not caring the least he had just been in a fight for his life.

Susan was still secretly shocked at the crazed look she had just seen in his dark eyes but she had to approve of his calm demeanour after the battle, his cool head completely unaffected by the frenzy of the fight just before.

Jiang looked up and noticed Susan's eyes on him.

"Come on, we should…" he began.

"Boy."

Jason's word was spoken expressionlessly.

"What?" Jiang turned to the Seeker.

The man's face was inscrutable.

"Trouble," Jason slowly pointed out towards the west.

As one everyone looked and Inara let out a strangled cry.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god," Inara hyperventilated, "This is not happening! Tell me this isn't happening!"

A veritable army of Yin stood before them, their white eyes burning through the darkness.

"What should we do?" Zaru asked in small thin voice.

Jiang and Hu glanced at each other. Hu's face was pale but he gave a quick nod, affirming a silent agreement between the two boys.

"We'll hold them off," Hu said firmly, "You all have to…"

"No."

Hu turned to Jiang incredulously.

"What?! We need to get the Queen to the Temple! The elders commanded it!"

"They don't know the way!" Jiang growled back at Hu, "Go with them! I'll hold them off!"

"What?" Hu blinked, "NO! JIANG!"

"You have to!" Jiang said in a diamond hard voice, "I am the better fighter. I can hold them for longer!"

"Jiang!" Hu yelled desperately.

In that single sickening moment, Susan knew what was about to happen. Jiang turned to glance at her and a silent message passed between the two.

The girl in Susan wanted to cry, to breakdown into tears and beg him not to do it. But the Queen inside her, the strategist knew what had to be done.

She hated herself.

Was this how Peter felt when he let so many Narnians die in Miraz's castle? Did he feel this soul wrenching guilt?

And this had nothing to do with her. She hadn't led Jiang to his death deliberately or by her own folly but still she felt so dirty… so responsible for what was about to happen.

How could she live with herself? How could she place her life before his?

But she had to. Too much depended on her. Tears pricked her eyes but she refused to let them fall. This was no time for emotions, it was time for cold hard logic.

Susan squared her shoulders and spoke her command.

"Let's move!" she yelled, "Come on! MOVE IT!!"

Elias pulled Inara to her feet and they began moving off, Zaru bounding after them. Jason was next leaving Hu and Susan behind.

"Please, Jiang…" Hu begged, weeping freely.

For a split second, the cool determination on Jiang's face followed and a warm affection that stripped years off his face emerged.

"Thank you Hu," he said sincerely, "For being there. Every day."

"Jiang…"

"Go," the boy warrior said simply, "Go."

Stumbling, blinded by his tears, Hu ran with the others.

"Jiang," Susan said quietly.

"Your Majesty," Jiang kept one eye on the army of Yin that stood just metres away, "Please go."

"I want to thank you," Susan said softly.

"Just doing my duty," Jiang replied.

Susan gave him a deep curtsey as though he was royalty. Jiang blinked in surprise.

"I know this isn't really my role or anything but…" Susan took a deep breath, "I, Queen Susan the Gentle, hereby knight you… Sir Jiang the Selfless, Knight of Narnia."

Jiang smiled softly looking again like the young boy he was.

"Selfless?" Jiang echoed, "Sounds nice."

"Jiang…"

The young warrior held her gaze, his eyes fierce, his mouth set into a stubborn line.

"I'll give you as much time as possible. Now! GO!!"

Susan ran as fast as she could. Behind her, she heard a thundering roar as the Yin charged as one crushing wall.

A cry, Jiang's, pierced the night and the lone warrior smashed into the demons.

Susan ran and ran and ran like a coward into the night, the sound of battle fading behind her as she pushed herself on and on.

The others were waiting for her.

"What happened? Is he…" Inara trailed off seeing the tears on Susan's face.

"GO!" Susan yelled at them, "GO YOU IDIOTS!! RUN!!"

Hu's sobs filled Susan's ears as the group of them continued to run as far away as possible.

An hour ticked by and still they kept running. The Yin were still nowhere to be seen but still they ran.

Another hour passed, Elias and Inara were both desperately gasping for breath, limping badly but still they pressed on.

It was almost morning when the first Yin caught up to them.

"YIN!!" Zaru cried, his acute senses instantly reacting, "YIN!!"

With tears blinding her eyes, Susan whipped around, arrow to string but she never got the chance to fire.

"PWHIP! PWHIP! PHWIP! PWHIP!!"

A wall of arrows descended down from the skies, pinning the monster down as the sound of thundering hooves trembled the earth.

They all turned around as a cavalry of orange-robed monks instantly circled them, protecting them behind a barrier of flesh and blades.

"Your Majesty?" a tall man with intelligent eyes asked.

Susan nodded tiredly.

"We are to escort you to the Temple," the man continued.

"Then…" Susan's voice was a rasp whisper.

She swallowed.

"Lead the way," she croaked, "Lead the way."

The man nodded and the final leg to the Temple began.

AAAAAA

The next chapter is going to be a bit different in that there's no action at all, instead what you do get is a lot of character development and some questions about the companions' pasts are answered!

And just for people who are interested and trying to picture Jason, Inara and Elias in their heads, the actors/actress I've got picture in my head (and keep in mind, I don't particularly mind who you imagine) is Emily Browning (with light brown hair) as Inara, Ron Glass as Elias and Gerard Butler (in his Nim's Island costume) as Jason. Zaru is played by a CGI leopard (lol) and voiced by... yeah, haven't decided that bit

Also, and I know I sound like I'm whinging or something but I've noticed a new story up that's very similar to mine. It's about travelling to different worlds and using the rings and there's companions and such... I really, really, really hope that the author is not plagrising off me because that is just not on. If you want to base a fic on mine or use some of my ideas please ask before you do so, it's only decent courtesy.

Again, I hope I assumed wrong and that fic has nothing to do with this one but if it does, I really hope you have the decency to ask for my permission.


	8. The seer and what he saw

Here it is a new chapter!! Enjoy!! But just because I'm an evil, evil writer, I will not add in a new chapter unless I get 7 NEW REVIEWS!! So pls, pls, pls REVIEW!!

Disclaimer: see previously

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 8: The seer and what he saw**

A hush fell over the courtyard as the horses slowly trotted through the narrow gates, their hoofs clacking hard against the uneven stone ground. Black ribbons bound around the warrior's arms fluttered idly in the wind. Each of the warrior's faces was set into stony countenances that betrayed none of their true emotions.

Everyone's eyes were drawn to a small litter slung between two of the horses.

"A warrior has fallen," the head of the troop said in a solemn tone.

The elder seer bowed deep, sorrow on his face but he was bound by duty. He forced himself to be calm and spoke the expected ritualistic reply.

"The Temple shall mourn and rejoice," he said in a quavering voice, "We sorrow at the loss of one of our own but we must celebrate at the life he led and all that he wrought in this world."

The seer slowly straightened.

"Let the body be placed in the altar," he commanded, "And let us cleanse his spirit for the afterlife."

The seer stepped aside as two of the warriors dismounted carrying the litter between them. They disappeared into the Temple as amongst the crowd of orange-robed men, Inara and Susan supported Hu between them as he bitterly wept at the loss of his friend and comrade.

AAAAAA

"These people are amazing," Elias's eyes gleamed as he paced the chambers that had been given to them, "Their history and culture and…"

Jason cleared his throat slightly and gave a subtle nod towards the beds. Elias turned and instantly saw Susan and Inara sitting close to each other, Zaru lying across their laps trying to comfort the two.

"Not now, Doc," Jason said quietly, "Not now."

AAAAAA

Death.

The word just seemed so… final.

'_Well, duh,' _her mind whispered, _'It is final!'_

Inara could still see it in her mind's eye, Jiang yelling at them to run whilst he sacrificed himself for them, to give them a chance of survival.

That was her last memory of him alive. The next memory had been the sight of his broken body half-hidden by white sheets as he lay deathly still in the litter.

He had been around her age.

She felt strangely detached from it all. He had died. She had seen him go to his death and yet it all seemed so unbelievable. She seemed to be feeling everything from grief to rage to bitterness but yet she felt nothing at all.

Funny… the women dying back in Shift's world hadn't affected her... not like this. It hadn't made her question everything she knew. But somehow Jiang's death…

Maybe it was because she had known him, even if it was only for a very brief time. She had talked to him and gotten to see who he was.

He was a warrior, a protector, a hero… and who was she?

That question made her stop.

In that split second, Inara saw the hollowness of her old life. What did she know? Did she know how to save a life? Would she be brave enough to did what Jiang did? What did anyone of her age in her world and time know of life… of anything? Everyone was in such a rush to buy, to hoard, to make themselves rich and beautiful and famous that they had forgotten you were born with an expiration date stamped on your forehead.

It wasn't like she was going to dress herself up all in black, write really bad poetry and whinge about how much her life sucked but she accepted that one undeniable fact.

Everyone was going to die.

The question was… what was she going to do about it?

_'We must celebrate at the life he led and all that he wrought in this world.'_

Those words echoed inside her head. How would she want to be remembered? What was she going to do with her life? Did she want to die now having achieved absolutely nothing?

A memory unfurled in her head along with a harsh drunken voice.

_'You're never going to be good enough! You're useless! You're nothing! You're…'_

Inara accidentally bit on her own tongue and tasted blood. Violently she shoved the memory away from her.

No. She was stronger than that. She was going to be someone and in order to do that…

Inara took a deep breath and pushed Zaru off her lap.

"Yo," she called out, "Cowboy!"

AAAAAA

Susan felt Inara leave the bed but she was too numb to feel anything. She should've… she could've…

She hung her head and stroked Zaru's furry neck without really being aware of it.

Susan knew that there was nothing she could've done. Jiang had seen it and known it and as much as it killed her to admit, she knew it as well.

This world and if Aslan was right, so many other worlds even it they didn't even know it were at war and people died in wars. It was as simple as that. A harsh but undeniable truth.

But what was she going to do about it?

One thought solidify inside her head.

Jiang had given up his life so that they could live. A Darkness walked in this world and it had driven the Yin to them. Jiang had died trying to fight it.

There was a debt and it had to be repaid.

'_I will find the Darkness here,' _she vowed silently, _'And I will crush it… for you.'_

Zaru shifted off her lap as Susan stood up. Quietly, the Queen walked to the door, the talking leopard half a step behind her.

Elias looked up surprised but Susan brushed past him, Zaru ghosting her every move.

"Where are you going?" the professor asked.

Susan pushed the door open and she was gone.

"Where are they doing?" Elias wondered out loud but no one answered his question.

He turned expecting to see his other companions but he was alone inside the room.

"Jason?" he called out unsurely, "Inara?"

AAAAAA

"You want to what?" Jason growled.

The two of them were in one of the enclosed courtyards of the Temple. Inara was standing before him, hands on her hips. She scowled at Jason's hesitation.

"Teach me how to fight," she said bluntly, "I need to."  
"Why?" Jason demanded, "Why are you so interested in becoming a warrior maiden?"

"Because I'm going to die if I don't," Inara snapped back.

Jason stared at her, slightly surprised at the matter-of-fact way she had just said those words. Inara bit her lip choosing her next words carefully.

"You and I are the same," Inara began finally.

Jason snorted.

"Hey now!" Jason protested, "Don't go insulting me…"

"Of course I am so much more prettier but whatever," Inara cut him off, "But both of us want to go home. And to get home we might have to travel through a lot of worlds. And if kitty cat Zaru's right, there's darkness in each world we have to destroy. I need to be prepared."

Jason eyed him warily.

"Seems to me you're faring fine," Jason said gruffly.

Inara raised her eyebrow at the unusual display of sentiment. Jason was looking awkward so Inara fought down the urge to tease him.

"I'm blushing," Inara smirked, "But we both know I got lucky when I tricked Shift. And I got lucky again last night with the Yin. If I didn't have you guys to protect me… well… let's just say you won't be hearing my dulcet voice again."

Inara took a deep breath, she needed him to see that she was dead serious about this.

"I need to learn how to defend himself. I need to learn how to survive so I can get home and not die on the way."

Jiang's face flashed before her eyes with a solemn pang. A strange look flashed in her eyes and she remembered the vow she had made to herself just before. Inara stared in Jason's dark blue ones letting him see her sincerity.

"I want to be remembered," she said finally, cryptically.

Jason still looked unswayed. She sighed.

"Plus, I'm kinda sick of being a dead-weight. I mean Queenie's got her awesome archery, Doc's got his… uhh… eccentricity and sci-fi knowledge, you've got your hardcore Seeker skills and Zaru… well, he's a leopard!" Inara jutted her chin out stubbornly, "Aren't you tired of me dragging the proverbial team down?"

Jason shook his head but he began to shrug off his battered brown coat revealing his silken shirt.

"I must be going crazy but…" Jason sighed, "Fine."

"What?" Inara blinked.

"Fine," Jason said firmly.  
Inara's eyes lit up and she clapped her hands together. She'd won!!

"Great! When do we start?"

Inara let out a cry as Jason suddenly lunged at her throwing a right hook straight at her face. She only just managed to dive out of the way hitting the ground in an awkward heap.

"Right now," Jason smirked, "Come on! Let's see what you've got!"

Inara climbed unsteadily to her feet, muttering about her psychos as her first training session began.

AAAAAA

"I thought you'd be here," Susan's voice seemed so wrong in this place, a violation of this sanctuary.

Hu turned around, scrubbing hard at his eyes.

"Your Majesty!"

"Call me Susan or Queenie," Susan's lips twitched, her smile quickly died away.

Hu managed to give her a trembling smile before it fell away as more tears pricked his bloodshot eyes.

"I'm sorry,' he turned away, "I shouldn't be showing weakness especi…"  
"Grieving is not a weakness," Susan said sharply.

She raged at the thought that anyone would tell such a young boy that crying was wrong. That weeping for a fallen comrade was somehow weak.

"Don't let anyone tell you otherwise," Susan said fiercely.

She slowly walked up to Hu and stood by his side. Zaru laid himself down near the doorway, guarding his Queen as always.

"He was my friend…my brother," Hu whispered brokenly.

The two of them stood silent for a second in the cool catacombs beneath the ancient Temple. Spread out all around them along thousands of ledges carved deep into the stone was tiny urns, their glaze reflecting the flickering torches embedded into the walls.

"Centuries of warriors… their ashes remain down here," Hu said quietly, "It is constant remind to all who dwell at the Temple that nothing is eternal and that each day must be taken command of lest we perish with nothing."

Susan's blue eyes simply took in everything around her. So many fallen warriors…

Her throat tightened as she wondered how many had died before their time.

"I hate this place," Hu whispered.

"I don't blame you," Susan said frankly, "So many reminders of death."

"No, not just these tombs," Hu growled, "Everything! I hate this Temple!"

Susan turned to him and Hu glared back with blazing eyes. His sorrow had been pushed away, a dark rage burning through the wretchedness.

"This place has taken so much away from me!" he hissed.

Susan physically recoiled at the venom in his voice, her mouth wide open. Zaru rose to his feet, growling softly but Susan shot him a warning look ordering him to stay back.

The leopard hissed but slowly lay back down, his grey eyes cautious. Susan turned back to Hu who was pacing the chamber, twitching violently.

With a cry, he whirled around.

"My family… my childhood and now this!" Hu punched the walls, screaming in frustration, "Why? Why me?!"

He slammed his fist into the stone again uncaring that his knuckles were now bleeding.

"Why?" he flung the words at Susan like a knife, "Tell me!! WHY?!"

"I don't know," Susan said sadly, "You're asking the wrong person."

"It's not fair!" Hu stamped his feet, screaming like a child, "It's just not FAIR!!"

"No, it's not," Susan whispered.

How many times had she said those words before? Back in Narnia after each skirmish was over and her people lay dead at her feet, she had wanted to scream out all of her pain, demanding to know that one unsolvable question.

Why did things happen? Fate? Destiny? Aslan's will?

"I SHOULD'VE BEEN THERE!!" Hu screamed, "I SHOULD'VE…"

"Hu… it's not your fault," Susan said softly.

She slowly pushed his trembling arm down to his side. Her blue eyes looked deep into his. The tears were spilling down his face in a steady stream.

"You can't blame yourself for what happened," Susan gave a small sad laugh, "By the Mane! Maybe I should be listening to this… you can't blame yourself and you can't blame this Temple. It wasn't anyone's fault. It just happened."

She fell silent and tried to remember what Oreius the centaur had told her so long ago in the Golden Ages.

"There are times which test us. Moments which tear us apart and makes us bleed and hurt and weep. These times are inevitable," Susan spoke with all the wisdom of a true Queen, "You cannot hide and hope they won't come because they will. But the question is… what are you going to do what it happens? Because it is your actions in those times that define who you truly are."

Hu trembled in her grasp. Slowly Susan drew her arms around her and lay his head down on her shoulder. Hu stiffened but slowly relaxed into her.

Zaru watched her, respect and awe glittering in his eyes as Hu cried into her shoulder. Susan looked down at him sympathetically.

"So, Hu what kind of man are you?"

AAAAAA

Elias cocked his head to the side staring at the stone carvings along the doorway.

"Fascinating… ancient scriptures," he marvelled.

The scientist was quickly lost in his own world, his never-ending thirst for knowledge driving all else out of his head even the traumas they had all just been through.

This was a new world for him to discover and there was so much to learn.

He might've been a physicist back in his own world but the sheer breadth of his knowledge was almost unbelievable.

From languages to archaeology to chemistry to anthropology to social sciences to molecular biology to medicine… Elias had studied them all in his lifetime, devouring each subject with his unmatchable mind.

Physics was his one true passion but even that paled in comparison to his insatiable need to just learn about anything and everything.

"Fascinating is it not?"

A brisk voice made him jump. Guiltily, Elias turned and stared into the face of a seasoned warrior. The man's head was clean-shaven like all who dwelled in the Temple. Shiny pinked healed scars marred the man's golden skin but it was his dark intelligent eyes that drew Elias.

"Da Long," the man bowed eloquently, "Master of the Temple warriors."

Elias beamed back.

"Professor Elias Denton… uhh… Master Physicist," Elias turned back to the carvings behind him, "What is this?"

"You are standing at the doorway of the Chamber as you might have noticed," Da Long glanced around, smiling slightly, "Not many people like to be around it."

Elias looked around and realised with a startle, the hallway was deserted.

"What is this Chamber?" Elias frowned, "I remember something about it being a test and giving people the gift of the body?"

"The powers of the body," Da Long stepped around Elias and placed one calloused palm against the cool stone archway.

A thick set of metal doors sealed the Chamber shut and it was on this that Da Long looked at, his dark eyes lost in some internal thought.

"The boys at this Temple are not taught to fight until they have passed the Chamber."

"So what do they do?" Elias demanded.

"They are taught to have discipline of mind and spirit. Only those who are strong in these can hope to pass the testing of the Chamber."

"What is it?" Elias asked curiously, dark eyes scanning the carvings once more.

Da Long shrugged.

"Nobody knows. The Chamber was discovered at the dawn of our history and this Temple was built up around it. Perhaps it is a gift from the Holy Spirits themselves… or a curse. More than one boy has been driven mad by what they've seen inside."

"The Chamber makes you face your fears right?" Elias remembered.

Da Long shook his head gravely.

"Not fears. It reaches into the darkest parts of your mind and conjures up demons from your own thoughts. All doubts inside of you are laid open by the testing and you must learnt to overcome them. If you pass the Chamber will give you a gift… powers and strength beyond those of mortal men," Da Long looked at Elias, his gaze piercing the professor's, "You are man of logic and facts and that is admirable. But there are some things like this Chamber which are beyond what can be explained by mere reason."

Da Long suddenly turned away from the Chamber.

"Come," he said abruptly, "Mid-meal awaits."

Elias opened his mouth to protest but his words died on his lips as Da Long firmly gripped his arm and began leading him away. The professor threw one last longing glance back at the dark doors of the Chamber before they rounded a corner and it disappeared from view.

AAAAAA

"What happened to you?" Susan demanded.

Inara walked with solemn dignity towards their table. Everyone in the Temple ate in the one giant dining hall, the sounds of clacking cutlery and noisy conversation echoing off the high ceiling. Seated on one of the many tables spread across the room, Susan waited for an answer as Inara casually flicked the hair from her face.

"Nothing," Inara hedged.

A livid bruise was spread across one of her cheeks.

"Really?" Zaru smirked, "Looks like you wrestled a minotaur."

Inara tried to snarl at Zaru but winced at the movement.

"What happened?" Susan demanded again.

"Did someone hit you?" Elias asked worriedly as Inara slowly sat down, moving as if every joint in her body hurt.

"Yes," Inara said shortly, "Only because I wanted him to."

"What?" Susan blinked.

Her answer came in the form of a tall cowboy limping up to their table.

"Jason? What happened to you?" Susan asked, completely confused.

She looked from Inara and Jason trying to work it all out.

"She fights dirty," Jason accused, jabbing a finger in Inara's direction.

Inara tried to smile triumphantly but again it only caused her pain. Wincing, she settled for a small satisfied smile.

"Been teaching her to fight," Jason growled.

He slowly sat down and grabbed a small bun, tearing into it with his teeth. Susan sighed at his terrible table manners before throwing a napkin in his direction. Jason casually caught it and tossed it aside.

"She's better than I thought," Jason admitted grudgingly.

"Really?" Elias looked at Inara curiously.

Inara managed a small proud smile.

"Dabbled in some gymnastics when I was younger that helped a little. Lived in a not so wonderful neighbourhood and had a kindly neighbour who knows some very unkindly self-defence moves… that helped a lot," Inara smiled sweetly at Jason who glowered darkly at her, "I stomped on his foot."

"Pretty fast as well," Jason surmised slurping from a cup of water.

"So, she's good at it?" Susan asked surprised.

Inara frowned.

"You don't need to sound so shocked you know," she muttered under her breath but Jason's reply drowned her out.

"I said she was better than I thought," Jason shrugged, "I didn't have very high expectations. It just means I don't have to hold back as much."

"You punched me!" Inara said incredulously pointing at her bruise, "That was holding back?"

"I didn't break anything did I?" Jason smirked.

Inara had to laugh at that. Susan sighed and gently touched Inara's arm drawing her attention.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked.

Inara looked squarely at her all laughter and humour gone in her eyes, it was replaced by cool purpose and a ferocious burning desire to succeed. Susan nodded approvingly.

"You might want to put something cold against that reduce the swelling," she advised Inara, "Also try to take a hot bath tonight, it'll ease the aches in your body."

"How do you know about all that?" Zaru asked curiously from his position by her knees.

"I was trained to fight once," Susan said dryly, "Believe me, I remember the initial aches."

"Thanks, mum," Inara replied lightly, "Will do."

Susan's eyes blurred as she remembered all the times her siblings had teased affectionately by calling her mum. The same familiar dark fear about her family rose in mind but Susan was stronger than that. Hurriedly she blinked back the tears and focused once more on the conversation around her.

"… the most amazing carvings," Elias was explaining to two humans and a leopard who was blatantly more interested in food, "I could not believe…"

"Your Majesty?"

A young boy of no more than eight had appeared at her side. Susan again almost broke down again at the suddenly memory of Jiang calling her that with the same cautious respect.

"Yes?" she said throatily.

"My master wishes to see you and one of your companions in his chambers," the boy bowed deeply, "He said it was important."

Susan frowned.

"Companions? Which one?" Susan asked confused.

The boy glanced at Jason but seemed afraid to talk to the man. Susan smiled softly at his obvious hesitancy and couldn't blame him.

"We'll come," Susan rose elegantly to her feet, "Cowboy. Come on."

"Why?" Jason demanded loudly.

But Susan didn't give him a chance to argue as she hurried after the boy, Zaru trotting right behind her shooting one last regretful look at his half-finished meal.

AAAAAA

"So what do you want me for?" Jason asked without preamble.

He had been slightly surprised when he realised the man he was seeing was the same man he had seen in the courtyard earlier today, the man who had received Jiang's body… the elder seer, master of all seers in the Temple.

Wisps of white smoke hung around the seer's face as the old man peered blearily into the copper crucible before him, strange aromatic herbs burning in its burnished base. His chapped lips moved silently as he murmured quietly to himself, words too soft to be heard.

Jason tapped his foot impatiently and scowled at the old man. His stomach growled reminding him that he hadn't finished eating yet. The Seeker was idly wondering what would happen if he sent the crucible flying when the seer suddenly spoke up.

"Patience youngling," the seer called out, laughter in his voice, "I am reading the ways of the smoke."

"Does it have a happy ending?" Jason muttered darkly.

"It does not look good," the old man admitted finally looking up.

He smiled warmly, more wrinkles appearing on his lined grizzled face. Quickly, he placed a small lid on the crucible and put it aside. As Jason watched, the old monk moved to the windows, which was just a simple slit in the stonework and pushed the drapes aside. The fragrant smoke instantly dispersed as the seer finally turned back to Jason.

"It seems rude I know a lot about you and yet you don't know my name," the seer said in the way of a greeting, "I am Chu Xing."

"I'd give you my name but it seems you know it already," Jason said sourly.

Chu Xing smiled enigmatically.

"You are Jason Sierre, although you don't like to use your last name anymore," Chu Xing said without blinking, "Jason from a world of desert and eternal drought, a land known to some as Lawless. In that world you are a Seeker. A bounty hunter who tracks down humans for a price."

Jason was unnerved by all of this information but put on a bland face as Chu Xing continued.

"You also possess powers that put you above your fellow men… or so you believe," the elder seer continued, his sharp eyes noting Jason's nervous foot-tapping, "You have a knack for seeing things that other people don't… also a peculiar insight that generally warn you when people are lying. You are an unnaturally good judge of character."

Chu Xing fell silent giving time for Jason to interrupt but the Seeker was stubbornly silent.

"More obviously you have the power to move things with your mind. Some worlds would call you a psychic. In Lawless you are simply known as 'gifted'," the elderly monk continued eloquently.

"If you know so much about me why did you want to talk to me?" Jason snarled, shocked by the breadth of Chu Xing's foresight.

"Perhaps I dreamed I must see you," the seer said cryptically.

The monk seat down and indicated for Jason to do so. The Seeker glared at him and stubbornly continued to stand. The monk sighed but continued talking.

"I am well aware of your history… of what you have lost," Chu Xing said delicately.

Instantly the blood drained from Jason's face as his hands clenched into trembling fists.

"What?" the word was spoke as a dangerous threat daring the man to continue.

"The reason why I speak of this is because it is linked to your powers," the monk angled a piercing look at him, "You must be aware what you wield right now is a mere shadow compared to the true gift you have."

Jason frowned as sweat rolled down his face. Every fibre in his body, every single ounce of common sense in his head told him to run, to flee from whatever dark secret this man was going to reveal. But Jason had never been a man to run.

Maybe it was a need to know, to face his demons or maybe he was just a sadist.

"Explain yourself," Jason ordered.

"When you lost what you lost," Chu Xing continued, "Your mind shut itself. You couldn't deal so your mind dealt for you. It pushed your memory of those events and every other memory linked to it and locked it behind a shield. Would I be wrong in saying that you have a massive gap in your life you can't account for?"

All pretence of courage fled as Jason stared wildly at Chu Xing, horror spread all over his weathered face. Somewhere inside his mind, he heard a little voice shrieking at him to stop. To stop this man from tearing at the old scars and wounds that had yet to heal.

"You woke up in a town one day completely alone with no memory of the past six years of your life," Chu Xing said bluntly, "You caused that memory loss."

Jason shuddered and fought an insane urge to run as he forced himself to listen.

"But it takes a great amount of strength to maintain that block and so the body of your powers are spent in preserving this shield between your nightmares and your normal thoughts," Chu Xing continued carefully studying the Seeker, "So your true talent is still unknown even to you."

"Why are you telling me this?" Jason said in a tight voice.

"Because all of you who are Chosen by the Holy Spirits… that which the Queen calls Aslan and others call by different names… have been pitted against a great Darkness. The only hope of victory is for all of you to unlock every potential inside you," Chu Xing sighed sadly, "Some are already inside of you crying out to be freed… others will be acquired after many sorrows and trials."

Chu Xing looked at Jason with sympathetic eyes. The tall Seeker was ghostly pale, his teeth gritted together as though he was in great pain.

"What would you have me do?" Jason asked finally in a child's voice, "What do you want from me?"

"Nothing," Chu Xing frowned, "I know I must tell you this because I foreseen I must. I am merely telling you what has to be done. The task will be fulfilled in other worlds."

The monk rose to his feet.

"Have courage young one," Chu Xing said with a small smile, "Much depends on you but yet there is still hope for victory."

Jason stared helplessly at the man, his mind in utter turmoil as dimly he was aware of something dark and monstrous in his mind, pressing on the thin membrane of its prison, fighting to break free. He shuddered and violently shoved the feeling away forcing his mind to wrench away from whatever horrific memory was crystallised within.

Chu Xing nodded as if something had been agreed between them.

"Good fortune to you," Chu Xing sighed, "You will need it."

AAAAAA

"Jason?" Susan looked up as the door was banged open.

The Seeker pushed roughly past her almost knocking her over as Zaru sprang to his feet, growling in warning.

"Peace," Susan ordered quickly, "Jason?"

The man practically ran down the hall ignoring her worried calls. Susan glanced at Zaru in puzzlement.

"What was that about?" Zaru asked.

The Queens shrugged helplessly as she looked at Jason's retreating back. She pursed her lips and suddenly had a sinking feeling that seeing this elder seer would not be an enjoyable experience.

Memories of centaurs informing her of what they had learnt from the stars flood her mind. She shuddered remembering the various disasters, bloodshed and doomsdays the centaurs had calmly reported. What if…

Aslan. Her family. Caspian. What if this seer told her that…

Susan teetered for a moment, seriously contemplating running back to her chambers but the rustle of robes robbed her of that chance.

"Please," Chu Xing said warmly, "Come in."

Susan gulped and stepped forwards.

AAAAAA

"Your family is alive," Chu Xing said softly, his eyes kind.

"What?" Susan gaped at him.

Chu Xing chuckled.

"That was your first concern correct?" Chu Xing smiled.

Susan nodded dumbfounded.

"They are alive as is your…" Chu Xing clucked his tongue searching for the right word, "Your friend, King Caspian."

Susan flushed at the unsaid implication.

"As is Aslan," Chu Xing said finally.

"Thank you," Susan whispered warmly, "Thank you."

Chu Xing smiled.

"No need to thank me. I am merely the messenger. Now…" Chu Xing settled back into his chair, "You have a question for me?"

"What?" Susan blinked, "What do you mea…"  
She trailed off as a random thought popped into her head. She blinked and Chu Xing's smile widened.

"Do you mean…" she said unsurely.

Chu Xing merely nodded. Susan took a deep breath and steeled herself for the answer.

"Why was I the only one left? Why did this Darkness take me with the others?" she asked looking at Chu Xing for any hint of falsehood.

"Isn't it obvious?" Chu Xing smiled sadly, "You chose to forget. You lost your faith… even if it was only for a little while. You lost it. And the Great Darkness thought you were not a threat because you would no respond to the call of Aslan."

Susan flushed brightly.

"I didn't mean to forget…" she said awkwardly, "I tried to because…"

She stopped, horrified at how close she was to telling this complete stranger everything about her and Caspian.

She closed her eyes the memory of his face and his dark eyes burned in her mind. And that one kiss… that one wonderful, dreadful, soul-searing kiss…

Her eyes flickered open and saw Chu Xing watching her carefully.

"It is hard to see what could've been and then be robbed of it," he said offhandedly, "You a very strong."

Susan flushed at the frank admiration in the old man's eyes.

"If I was strong I wouldn't have stopped believing," she argued.

"If you hadn't stopped Aslan would've lost a great leader and a formidable warrior and perhaps all would've been lost," Chu Xing pointed out, "Perhaps it was fate that made you forget."

Susan laughed sadly.

"No," Susan shook her head, "It was all me."

"Than we should all be grateful," Chu Xing suddenly clapped his hand, "Enough of all this talking! I have a beautiful young girl before me, it should be time for laughter and entertainment!"

Susan had to laugh at the old man's humour. The elder seer held up a small ceramic pot, steam spewing from its long spout.

"Tea?" he asked waggling his eyebrows.

Susan laughed and accepted a cup.

AAAAAA

It was night but Hu could not sleep. Shakily, he climbed out of his pallet, his shirt sticking to the hot sweat dripping all over his body.

Stumbling in the dark, he managed to make his way to the corner of his room where a table and basin stood.

Splashing his face with the water inside, Hu looked up into the small mirror hanging on the wall.

"Jiang…" he whispered.

He slowly lowered his head.

"I hate this place," he hissed, the darkness of the night and his dreams crushing down on him, the Queen's wisdom lost in a whorl of self-loathing, "I hate this place."

'Youngling…'

Hu looked up surprised and almost cried out. His mirror showed not his reflection but utter unending darkness.

'Youngling…'

A pair of eyes, bloodshot but still vaguely human peered out of the darkness in the mirror and stared deep into his soul.

'_I hear you…' _the voice hissed.

"What?" Hu looked around desperately searching for a weapon, "Foul spirit be gone!!"

'I can help you…'

The eyes blinked lazily.

"What?" Hu took a step backwards, confused.

'_You want to avenge your friend? Regain what you have lost in your childhood?' _the soft voice chuckled, _'I can help you.'_

Hu looked deep into the mirror and the eyes stared back.

'Come on youngling… don't you want to prove yourself? Don't you want to avenge your friend? Are you brave enough? Are you that kind of warrior? What kind of man are you?'

Hu blinked and he could feel all of his inhibitions and doubts and fears float away. He whispered two simple words.

"Do it."

And the darkness laughed.

AAAAAA

This chapter is a lot different to the previous ones in that there's pretty much no action but a lot of character development and contemplation.

I really hope you've liked what I've done because I think this is an imporant chapter especially for Inara as a character and for opening up new mysteries (Jason's past) as well as answering some questions (such as why Susan wasn't taken with the others)

Oh and just as a side note, I'm really interested in hearing what you would like to see in a NEW WORLD. So if you have any ideas or suggestions please put them into your reviews. If any idea really sparks my imagination I'll take it!


	9. The fight and the siege

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Disclaimer: Pft... you know what doesn't belong to me

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 9: The fight and the siege**

It had been a week since the Queen and her companions had come to the Temple and in that week the Republic of Jin ShiZi had been under siege.

Da Long, leader of the Temple warriors, listened gravely as one of his many disciples reported back to him frantically.

"They are everywhere master!" the young warrior gasped.

He had been sent to patrol one of the many villages that populated the rural region of the Republic and had stumbled back to the Temple the night before, half dead and screaming the wildest tales. The healers had worked quickly but even now the livid bruises and bleeding cuts all over his face told a haunting tale of its own.

"An army of them and they're…" the young man stopped, "They're co-ordinated."

"Impossible!" one of the Da Long's advisors gasped, "Never in the history of this land have the Yin ever done so!"

"They did," the man snapped, "A small group attacked the village and we managed to fight them off. I then led some local men to hunt down the rest but we were ambushed. It was definitely planned!"

Several of his advisors instantly began arguing amongst themselves trying to be heard above his neighbour. Even amongst the din Da Long sat quietly, pondering over the latest turn of events.

He held up a single hand and everyone instantly fell silent.

"It seems to me we are at war with an enemy unknown," Da Long said quietly, his voice carrying all over the chamber reverberating in the ears and hearts of his men, "The Yin are not acting of their own accord… someone is controlling them."

"What? Wild tales!" one of the healer leaders yelped, "That's even more far-fetched than…"

"Chu Xing?" Da Long looked at the elder seer, "What have you seen in your readings?"

The seer shook his head sadly.

"Not much," he confessed, "Everything is in flux. All I can make out is a coming together of events and lives… but I know two things for sure. Firstly, the Queen and her followers are pivotal in the events to come and secondly… a grave betrayal is almost at hand."

The elder seer's words sent a stifling hush over the assembly of Temple leaders. Never had the elder seer been wrong in his prediction but if he was right…

Each man looked at each other and saw the barely hidden panic.

"What can we do?" one man said finally.

Da Long sighed.

"Prepare as best as we can. Send out more of our warriors to fight against the Yin," Da Long rubbed his temples, "We must protect the villages!"

"But what about the Temple?" one of the scroll keepers demanded, "If the fight comes here…"

The head warrior sent the man a withering look.

"You know full well that in all the history of the Temple no attack has befallen this sanctuary. The founders of this believed the Holy Spirits themselves protected this site. No harm can occur here," Da Long shook his head, "No. The fight will not be here. It will be in the home of our supporters and people. That's where the Yin will strike."

The warrior rose to his feet, standing imposingly over his fellow Temple brethren.

"Let us pray," the man commanded, "Because dark times are amongst us and there will be losses. May the Holy Spirit protect those it can and carry those who are lost to the afterlife to live in eternal peace."

Da Long eyed each man carefully. His confidence was like a tangible aura, strengthening all those who felt it. His words brought comfort and hope lightning a fire in all who heard it.

"But we will prevail," he said strongly, "Because we are strong and we believe! The Yin have sought to defeat us but they will fail. Because now… we have declared WAR!"

Turning on his heels, Da Long marched out of the council chambers to thunderous applause.

AAAAAA

It had been a week since they had come here and so far it had been relaxing.

"OUCH!!"

Susan amended her thoughts. It was relaxing except for the crazy people who insisted on being beaten half to death on a daily basis and called it training.

Looking away from her archery target, Susan caught a glimpse of Jason and Inara 'sparring'. Actually a more apt description was Jason trying to hurt Inara and the girl doing everything she could to avoid it.

"Good!" Jason barked.

Ever since he had met the elder seer Jason had been even more silent than usual, always lost in some unknown thought, a foreboding look on his face. The only time he seemed alive was when he was training Inara.

"Never focus on just one side!" Jason spat.

He swung at her with his right going at only half-speed and strength. Inara quickly ducked but had to throw herself backwards as Jason kicked out with his left.

"Both sides!" Jason yelled, "Both sides!"

Inara rolled neatly to her feet, gasping for breath. Her hair hung in sweaty clumps around her flushed face but she nodded, ready for more.

"She's willing, I'll give her that," Zaru yawned from his position in the sun.

Susan glanced at the leopard who was lolling sleepily in a patch of sunlight in the courtyard. She rolled her eyes.

"As compared to you?" she asked, "He who eats and sleeps all day."

"I breathe as well you know," Zaru retorted as he turned over.

Susan briefly considered shooting an arrow at him just for laughs but decided that was somewhat petty. Funny… but petty.

She turned back to her target where she had lined up all her shots to encircle the tiny red bullseye.

"Where's Elias?" she called out, taking aim with an expert's eye.

"Where else?" Zaru muttered.

"The library?" Susan sighed letting the arrow fly.

Zaru smiled.

"The library," he confirmed.

With a dull thud, the arrow slammed into the target completing the circle.

AAAAAA

Elias was in paradise. With a thousand years of history and culture and discovery to read over and marvel at, Elias was in his element. The only tiny regret he had was that he had no time to go through it all, word by word. So he had centred his reading and research on the Temple, devouring scroll after scroll, piecing together its long and convoluted history.

"Look at this," he called out.

One of the scroll keepers, librarians of the Temple, instantly hurried over, a stack of scrolls in his arms. Carefully setting them down, the man bowed to Elias.

"Found something else to amusement?" Feng asked, eyes dancing.

Elias smiled back.

In the short time he had been in the library all the scroll keepers had come to treat with great respect. Never before had they met a man who had mastered their language in such a short period and that was reason enough to admire him. But they also never met a man who valued and treasured their scrolls like they did. In Elias the scroll keepers had found a kindred mind and an instant bond had been formed.

"You remember me asking why the Temple has never been directly attacked?" Elias asked, his eyes still fixed on the crumbling scroll spread out before him.

"Asked? I think interrogated was the word I'd use," Feng smiled easily.

"I've found it peculiar because some of your more ancient history spoke of raiders from across the great sea."

"That was from eons past," Feng reminded him, "The great ocean surrounding the Republic have been void of visitors for at least three centuries now. For all intents and purposes we are alone."

"Yes, yes," Elias said briskly, "But back then the raiders knew of this place and the Yin. If they had wanted to destroy the Republic if would've made tactical sense to raze this Temple and let the Yin soften up the nation."

Elias pointed at a line of text on the scroll.

"I believe I know the reason why," Elias smiled.

Feng leaned forwards and glanced at the scroll. It was something he had already read before and opened his mouth to said so but his respect for the professor made him keep his tongue and read what he had pointed out.

"… the Chamber was the source of the Temple and all else rose from and above it. From its sacred stones we will build an impenetrable fortress," Feng frowned at Elias, "It's a recount of the founders of the Temple. So?"

"From its sacred stones we will build an impenetrable fortress," Elias quoted, "What if that line isn't just empty rhetoric? What if the writer meant exactly what is written here?"  
"Meaning?" Feng asked not knowing where he was going with this.

Elias's quick mind had already made the connections and came up with the only plausible conclusion. With lightning, breath-taking speed he had analysed his idea, looking for flaws and weighing it all up in his mind. And the conclusion still held. He was right. He just knew it."

"What if the Chamber is the thing protecting the Temple. It has great powers. What if one of those is to protect this place?" Elias said eagerly.

Feng gave him a blank look.

"Are you saying, there's something about the Chamber that protects this place?" he asked unsurely.

Elias nodded firmly.

"I'm sure of it."

"Professor… I'm not entirely convin…" Feng began.

Elias smiled widely.

"That's why I'm going off to investigate," Elias winked, "I'm right and I'll prove it!"

AAAAAA

Cries of alarm drew their attention away. Frowning, Susan closed the door to the mess hall and quickly followed the sound back to their source. Pushing through a small wooden door she found herself in the main courtyard of the Temple.

"What's happening?" she asked a young novice.

"Your Majesty!" the novice squawked.

He bowed deeply before straightening.

"Some of our warriors stationed in a major town nearby have returned," the novice looked worried.

"That's good right?" Susan asked.  
The novice shook his head.

"I think… there's been some kind of attack. They're looking for reinforcements."

Shooting a look at Jason, Susan began pushing her way through the crowd until she came to the front. She instantly stopped seeing a horse on the ground. The poor animal's legs were twitching violently as blood and foam leaked out its mouth. It tried to stand but its limbs buckled sending it crashing back down as it wheezed desperately for breath.

Susan felt sick. Red hot fury flooded through her veins as she knew that this animal had to be put down.

"Who?" Susan hissed furiously, "Who could've done such a thing?"

But nobody was paying attention to the horse instead they were all crowded around one orange-robed figure. He was talking frantically to Da Long, the man gritting his teeth as the bad news continued to roll in.

Susan took a deep breath and reigned in her anger. Cool logic prevailed and she focused on the matters at hand.

"Zaru?" Susan glanced at the leopard, "Get close."

The leopard nodded and instantly slinked through the crowd, his lithe body easily navigating the forest of legs.

"Yin?" Jason asked gruffly.

"Who else?" Susan shot back.

Inara stood quietly still recovering from her latest training session. A damp cloth was slung around her neck in a desperate attempt to cool her down.

Zaru quickly returned looking grave.

"Da Long's riding out with a platoon of warriors soon," the leopard reported, "One of the towns was hit hard and the warriors barely managed to beat the Yin back. If reinforcements aren't sent out they might lose everyone there."

Susan rolled her bottom lip between her teeth as she pondered her next move. She glanced at Jason and the man instantly understood nodding his head firmly. Susan squared her shoulders and began to push through the crowd to Da Long. There were shouts of surprise but as they realised who it was they quickly moved out of her way. Soon she was standing right in front of the man himself.

"Your Majesty," the leader of the warriors said evenly when he spotted her.

Susan dipped into a neat curtsey before straightening.

"My companion and I would like to ride out with you," she said firmly.

"What?" Da Long barked, "Why?"

The monks around them, watched the two with hushed breath. Secretly they marvelled at the sight of a young slim girl going up against the stubborn will of their imposing leader.

"Because there is a task we must fulfil here. I believe going with you will help with that," Susan explained diplomatically.

It was true. If there was Darkness here they weren't going to defeat it by sitting in the Temple and waiting for it to come. They had to actively go out and hunt for it. And if the Yin were mounting a major attack… maybe they might learn something.

She looked, the fire in her eyes belaying her soft words.

Da Long opened his mouth to refuse her but suddenly Chu Xing's words about the importance of this young girl echoed inside her head. He closed his eyes and cursed the seer silently.

"Alright," he said finally, opening his eyes.

Gasps of shock spread through the crowd but Susan didn't react looking at the tall Asiatic man for his orders.

"We ride out at once. Pack heavy on weapons and light on all else," Da Long ordered.

Susan curtsied again and pushed her way back out of the crowd.

"You coming?" she addressed Zaru.

"I'm here to protect you remember?" the leopard shot back hurt, "Of course I am!"

She turned to Jason.

"You too?"

"Feel like stretching my legs," the man smiled with feral glee.

Susan turned to Inara, opening her mouth regretfully.

"Oh don't worry," Inara reassured her, "I don't want to go. Right now I just want to collapse into a corner and cry but I can't because I'm seriously dehydrated. Not to mention too stiff to bend. Go. Have fun. Hack at some things for me."

Susan smiled and nodded before turning to leave, Jason and Zaru by her side.

"And oh!"

They turned back to Inara who smiled impishly.

"Bring back something nice!"

She gave them a jaunty wave before limping off to the mess halls.

AAAAAA

It was approaching nightfall when they reached the village. The horses snorted with exhaustion as they slowly trotted up the dirty path towards the main gate but all they found were splinters and bodies.

Da Long was expressionless as he dismounted but the other warriors couldn't help but gasp at the carnage around them.

"You'd think they haven't seen a massacre before," Jason said with black humour as he surveyed the scene coolly.

Susan was silent as she witnessed the devastation. Zaru slowly came up to her, gasping desperately for breath. The leopard had followed them on foot staying back a little as the horses tended to be skittish around him.

"Told you you needed to exercise," Susan teased lightly glad for the distraction.

Zaru merely let out a low moan as he slumped against her leg. Susan wound her fingers around the rough fur of his neck and looked up again.

The villagers were emerging now, showering praise and thanks on Da Long for coming. Other warriors, the ones originally stationed here, hanged back waiting to report to their leader.

"Do you think they'll attack again?" Susan asked quietly, looking at the destruction.

She grimaced as she recognised streaks of dark blood staining some of the shattered posts. Jason readjusted his hat before replying.

"Yes," he replied flatly, "They'll come and finish what they started. They've weakened this place and if Da Long's right about something controlling these things… they'll attack tonight before we can properly settle in and build new defences."

Susan nodded, secretly agreeing with the Seeker's assessment. Zaru groaned at the thought of having to fight after all the exertion he had just suffered through. The Queen ignored him as she fingered the polished wood of her bow.

"Well…" she looked up at the moon ascending in the sky, "This will be an interesting night."

AAAAAA

"Hey, Hu," Inara greeted lightly.

She hadn't seen the boy around for the whole week having only caught glimpses of him here and there. It was no secret that Hu had sequestered himself in his rooms but given the circumstances, no one had rushed to force the boy warrior back into swing of things.

It was night meal at the mess hall and the place was surprisingly empty. All day warriors had been riding off to the latest crisis leaving only the novice and the elders. The place was subdued and a sense of melancholy hung in the air damping all attempts of talking.

Hu looked up and Inara hesitated, blinking at his appearance. His eyes were bloodshot and huge bags hung below them, two spots of purplish darkness that stood out against the ghostly pallor of his skin. His clothes were dirty and his nails Inara noted as he brought them up to his face was bitten down to the nub.

"You okay?" she asked gently.

Hu shrugged.

"Watch my best friend die. I'm great," he snapped.

He shuddered and his shoulders slumped.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, "That was unnecessary."

"Hey, if it makes you feel better," Inara said sincerely.

She winced realising how sarcastic that sounded but Hu seemed not to notice. He was rubbing at his temples fretfully, his attention having already strayed from her.

"Hu? Are you feeling okay? Health wise?" Inara clarified not wanting to have her head bitten off again.

Hu looked up at her and Inara stopped. For a split second something alien seemed to be staring out at her but he blinked and it was gone. Inara was shaken but convinced herself she was just imaging things.

"Where are the others?" Hu asked hoarsely.

"Queenie, Cowboy and Kitty went off with Da Long," Inara reported, "Doc's looking at something… uhh… something about the Chamber protecting this Temple."

Hu's fist slammed into the table. Inara jumped at the sudden sound. The boy leaned forwards, his eyes burning.

"The Chamber?" he hissed excitedly, "It's protecting the Temple?"

Inara gaped at him and hesitated. His fervour disturbed her and Hu seemed to recognise it, his eyes glinting as he gave a small nod. The boy looked squarely at her and she felt a sudden compulsion to speak.

"Doc seems to think so…" Inara trailed off.

She licked her lips nervously.

"Hu are you feeling alright?"

Hu leaned back in his sit and smiled at her all of the tension and excitement draining away. Blithely he snatched up a chunk of meat from a nearby platter.

"Never better!" he smiled, biting deep into his meal, "So Inara what have you been up to?"

He nodded for her to seat down and his face was so open and guileless that Inara felt her nameless fears fade away. Smiling back, she slid into the bench beside Hu and the two began to talk, laughing and joking throughout the meal.

AAAAAA

"They're here!" one of the warriors ran into the war room where Da Long was holding council.

A gamut of reactions was instantly seen across the room. Some paled and others began glancing nervously at each other as nervous tics twitched their bodies. Some merely nodded grimly whilst others grinned savagely, eager for a fight. Only Da Long showed absolutely no emotions.

The leader rose to his feet with deliberate slowness.

"Then we shall man the gates," the leader turned to the warriors and village leaders inside the room, "Shall we?"

He acted like he was merely inviting them for a pleasant sunlit stroll in their gardens not marching into the darkness with weapons in hand and facing the horrors it held head-on. But it this lack of emotions that steeled everyone for what was to come.

"We are ready," the village head announced, "We will gather the men."

Da Long nodded and turned to his warriors.

"In battle there can be no thought or questions," Da Long intoned, his words reverberating deep in their minds, "Only action and instincts. May they guide you well."

He swept out of the room, straight-backed and proud, commanding respect and allegiance with the mere force of his will and prowess. Susan couldn't help but admire and envy him at the same time. He reminded her a lot of Peter and Caspian, all of them had the same knack of earning people's trust and swords, able to bind even the most antagonistic of strangers together to fight for a common cause.

Susan stopped herself before dark memories seeped into her mind. She pushed all thoughts of them away and steeled herself for what was to come.

No thought or questions. Only action and instincts.

The muscles in her fingers and arms twitched as though remembering the roar of the battlefield and the twang of the bowstring as she unleashing speedy death.

Susan glanced at Jason and Zaru and nodded to them.

The enemy was drawing closer.

It was time.

AAAAAA

Smoke twisted and twirled in an intricate ethereal dance, elegant and ghostly. The movements seemed random and chaotic following no pattern or order, dictated by the slightest breeze. Or so it seemed to the untrained.

Chu Xing stared intently into this smoke, his pupils dilated as he read the dire messages the smoke brought.

Suddenly he shot up in his chair, sweat pouring down his face.

"Oh by the Spirits," he gasped, "NO! It can't be!!"

The smoke curled in one way than another. Chu Xing slumped into his chair, holding back tears, all strength gone from his withered body.

"It can't be…" he protested softly, "Oh Hu… my poor, poor boy."

But he was a servant of the Temple and all else came secondary to his duty. He took a deep breath and fought down his anguish. Once again the Holy Spirits had used him as an instrument of fate, caring nought for his own feelings or pain. Chu Xing resigned himself to the inevitable and stood to fulfil his duties, bleak serenity the only thing on his face.

In measured even steps he walked to his door and flung it open.

Hu smiled up at him.

"Evening, elder," he said cheerfully.

Chu Xing physically recoiled, his failing eyes wide.

"What…"

Hu stepped calmly into the room, kicking the door shut behind him. The thing inside the boy no longer bothered hiding its presence. The eyes staring at the seer now was not the mischievous gaze he had known for so long, now they blazed with malice and bloody intent.

"You know I'm impressed," Hu said calmly.

He raised his hands and dark veins began to bulge through his skin snaking all of his body.

"You managed to break through," Hu continued not seeming to notice Chu Xing's horror.

"What are you talking about?" the seer demanded.

Hu gave him a nasty smile.

"Who do you think has been playing with your seering? Blocking you? Stopping you from seeing the true danger?" Hu pointed at himself and smiled proudly.

Chu Xing gritted his teeth and rose to his full unimpressive height.

"Whatever you are, I command you… LEAVE THE BOY NOW!" power roiled through his voice but Hu seemed completely unimpressed.

"Please," Hu rolled his eyes, "I really hope those aren't your last words…"

Chu Xing blinked and Hu was suddenly standing right in front of him. A cold hand shot out and wrapped itself around the seer's thin neck. The elder's eyes bulged as he struggled for breath.

"I'm so sorry but I really can't have you ruining the surprise," Hu shook his head, "Nothing personal you realise… just business."

Chu Xing gasped, his face turning red. Hu continued to smile into his disbelieving eyes as his other hand became a blur of motion.

The seer tried to scream but had no breath to do so as Hu drove the dagger deep into his gut.

"But that doesn't mean I won't enjoy it," Hu whispered.

He yanked out the knife and let the seer fall to his knees, clutching at his bleeding stomach. He looked up at Hu and did the very last thing the possessed boy expected: Chu Xing smiled.

"I know you're in there somewhere…" the seer told him, still smiling at him with a fatherly air, "And I forgive you."

Hu stared at him in surprise but the leering grin appeared again.

"Touching," Hu spat, "Touching but useless."

He slashed his dagger at Chu Xing's neck and blood splattered the walls.

AAAAAA

Elias worked by the flickering light of the small oil lantern, his lips moving silently as he tried to decipher the strange glyphs etched in the stone archway of the Chamber.

"The bird over the sun," he murmured studying at one particular symbol.

He looked around and pawed through the books and scrolls spread out around him.

"Ancient sign of salvation," Elias muttered, poring over an age-yellowed scroll.

He jotted something down on a piece of paper before moving onto the next stone, his eyes trying to pick out the hieroglyph from amongst the ornate carved decorations.

The sound of cloth on stone made Elias turn around, startled. His body relaxed as he saw who it was.

"Hu," he greeted warmly, "What are you doing…"

The boy stepped into the light and Elias froze seeing the dark veins framing the boy's face.

"Hu?" Elias asked timidly.

Hu smiled showing gleaming teeth.

"Sorry professor…" Hu raised a fist, "Hu doesn't live here anymore."  
"BAM!"

The boy exploded forwards and ploughed straight into Elias's face with a brutal punch. The man was sent flying with the force of the blow, crashing against the wall of the Chamber and crumpling to the ground.

"I really want to thank you," Hu said quietly to Elias's unconscious form, "You really helped me out."

He took a step towards the Chamber door.

"Doc?" a familiar voice called out, echoing from around the corner, "Doc?"

Inara appeared into the dim light carrying a tray of food, she was glancing down a it, making sure she wasn't spilling anything as she walked.

"You missed dinner again didn't you?" the girl sighed exasperated, "I swear to God, if I didn't make you eat…"

She looked up and promptly dropped the tray, ceramics shattering against the floor.

"HU!?" Inara gasped.

Hu rolled his eyes.

"Couldn't you have come earlier? You would've heard my pun!" he sneered.

"Hu?" Inara began backing away hurriedly, "What… what's wrong with you!?"

Hu growled and shot forwards moving with blistering speed. He grabbed onto Inara's wrist stopping her from moving. Inara whimpered and trembled as Hu gently drew her closer to him, nuzzling her gently.

"So… you're one of the special ones right? The Chosen?" Hu laughed, "Don't seem all that special to me."

Hu shrugged. Inara tried to break free of his hold but his grip was iron hard and unrelenting.

"But even though I just killed their leader who am I to argue with the seers?" Hu smiled right into Inara's terrified face, "Congratulations! You get special treatment!"

"What?" Inara managed to choke out.

Hu pointed his hand at the Chamber and the iron door instantly banged open. A cold wind swept out chilling Inara's skin as she stared in abject fear at the gaping darkness within.

"Please…" she begged, "Please!"

"Enjoy your stay!" Hu cackled.

He hurled Inara straight through the door ignoring her terrified pleas for help. He flicked his wrist and the door slammed shut behind the girl.

Silence reigned over the chaotic scene as Hu's chest heaved, adrenaline pumping through his body. He calmed and finally stilled before letting out a soft chuckle.

"That was fun!" he crowed.

He picked his way through Elias's books and stood before the stone doorway of the Chamber, studying the strange glyphs and symbols etched in the stone.

"So this is the protections on the Temple huh?" Hu cocked his head to the side, "Doesn't look like much."

He raised his hands and prepared to deal the final blow.

AAAAAA

"HERE THEY COME!!" Da Long bellowed.

The small ragtag army stood at the threshold of the ruined gate, weapons in hand, steeling themselves as pinpoints of white light suddenly blazed in the shadows.

Susan shuddered recognising the now familiar glowing eyes of the Yin.

"ARCHERS!!" Da Long commanded.

Susan raised her bow to the sky and pulled the string back, adjusting slightly for the wind.

The Yin let out a thunderous howl and they burst out of the night, the torches illuminating the horrifying forms. Screeching and roaring, the monsters charged at them, muscles bulging, talons and teeth at the ready.

"NOW!!" Da Long waved his sword.

Susan let fly with a cry. Her arrow shot up into the air before arcing elegantly through the sky, slamming into a Yin's face on its downward trajectory.

The night sky was suddenly home to dozens of arrows as the villagers shot again and again, a rain of death falling down on the howling Yin.

"Something's not right!!" Zaru boomed over the dying screams of the Yin.

"WHAT?!" Susan shouted back firing again.

"THIS!" Zaru pointed at the Yin with his nose, "From what the villagers said… this is a fraction of what got away the night before!"

"MAYBE THEY GOT SCARED!" Susan yelled.

She fired again, knowing without looking she had taken out a Yin on the left side of the incoming horde.

Zaru shot Susan a withering look.

"Something's not right…" the leopard murmured, "Something's…"

But he had no time to dwell on this harrowing thought as the Yin slammed into Da Long's warrior in a battering screaming wave.

The fight was on.

AAAAAA

Stone crunched and shattered as Hu slammed his fist into the archway, breaking a section of the glyphs apart.

Dust and shards of stone fell to the ground as Hu laughed. All throughout the Temple he could feel the ancient protections shielding the sanctuary give way.

The professor had been right, the symbols were protective spells and now that they were ruined…

The Temple was defenceless.

Hu raised his hand, eyes blazing in the lantern light.

"NOW!!" he screamed, summoning with voice and mind, "NOW!!"

And the meagre guards protecting the Temple gates were suddenly overwhelmed by an army of Yin that exploded out of nowhere.

The gate fell with a resounding boom as the monsters tore it apart and entered the stronghold of its enemies.

Hu smiled.

The siege was on.

AAAAAA

Actually a huge thanks to all my revies espeically khajit (did I spell dat right): your huge reviews are also appreciated!!

Authors notes:

First of all for the reviewer who was confused there are five companions: Susan, Jason, Elias, Inara and Zaru. In the second chatper there was Imar, the tiger, who actually took Zaru's place and pretended to work for Aslan but eventually tried to betray them.

As for Jason's past... I'm sorry to say but the Seeker's secrets aren't going to come out anytime soon, I want to build the suspence a bit more!!

I'm really glad I got some many new readers (hhmmm... must be because I changed the summary!); please stick around because this fic has a lot of stories and worlds to visit and the journey is only starting!

The next chapter is going to be interesting, hardcore action interspersed with some interesting development on one of the companions. By the end of it, one of the characters will be changed forever! Stick around.

REVIEW!!


	10. The darkest chamber

Have I mentioned how awesome you guys are? Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, you guys fully ROCK!! As always please review as they help me write faster!! So REVIEW!!

Disclaimer: Do I even need to repeat this anymore?

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 10: The darkest chamber**

"HELP ME!!" Inara banged her fists against the iron door, "HELP ME!!"  
With a desperate cry, she flung herself against the hard metal. But all she got for her troubles was a bruised arm.

"Ow. Ow. Ow," she hissed rubbing at the spot gingerly.

Frustrated, she kicked out but her foot merely bounced off. Inara took a deep steadying breath and turned around, leaning her back against the cool metal.

"Okay, okay," she muttered, "Inara. Think! Okay, you're stuck helplessly in here while Hu's gone all Prince of Darkness on you. God knows what he's doing to the Temple now."

She closed her eyes.

"I need to get out of here," she stood up, "Okay. Easier said than done. How do I…"

Inara stared at the door, hands on hips, a disgruntled look on her face as she realised how thick the metal actually was.

"Wow, what I wouldn't give for a buzz saw right about now," Inara muttered, "Or a James Bond gadget."

Inara bit her lip as she contemplated her next move but she couldn't see a way out of this. Letting out a frustrated cry, she threw her arms up into the arm.

"Great! Just great," she practically shouted, "There's a great big honking Darkness out there, I meant to be one of the ones who have to defeat it and I stuck in this stupid Cham…"

Her light brown eyes widened as she realised where she actually was.

The Chamber.

Her jaws dropped as she remembered everything Jiang and Hu had told her about this place. It was a room of darkness and nightmares where your worst fears came alive and…

Inara quickly shut her eyes, her breathing harsh and shallow. Suddenly the darkness around her seemed alive and throbbing with malice. Invisible eyes watched her, spying on her as they schemed silently, plotting her dea…

"Do not freak out," she told herself in a frantic whisper, "Do not freak out."

The room seemed to grow colder as she fought to control her breathing, her breaths coming up in short sharp puffs of mist. She wrapped her arms around her skinny body and looked out in the oppressive darkness.

"Hello…" her voice was trembling, "Hello?"

Dark thoughts hovered at the fringes of her mind as everything around her seemed to pulse with malicious life. Every sound and movement was suddenly metamorphosed into deadly dangers as Inara desperately tried to hold her nerve. Slowly she sank to the ground, clutching at her knees.

"It's all in your head," she tried to comfort herself but her voice was thin and disbelieving, "It's all in your head…"

"Oh really?"

Inara looked up and choked back a scream. A tall lanky man with the same reddish-brown hair as her own leered down at her.

"Hello Nara," the man said jovially.

Inara shook her head wildly, trying to avoid his gaze.

"No. No. No. No. It isn't real. It isn't real," she stared down at the ground, "You're not real!!"

"Oh?"

The man touched her arm and Inara flinched.

"Aren't you going to say hello to your daddy?"

Inara suddenly let out a piercing scream.

AAAAAA

Susan stabbed the Yin in the shoulder with her arrow but the monster just swatted her aside. The queen stumbled backwards almost tripping over her own feet as the demon leapt forwards, hissing furiously.

"BACK OFF!"

A flash of yellow and black slammed into the Yin knocking it down. Zaru bit deep into the Yin but instantly recoiled as the dark spirit's acid blood burned into his mouth. The leopard fell away, hissing in pain as the Yin tried to rise but Zaru was quicker.

The talking feline snatched up a fallen dagger in his mouth and bounded forwards, jerking his head to the side as he flashed past the Yin, slicing deep into its throat. The demon fell backwards, gurgling on its own blood, its body flailing wildly. Finally it stilled.

"Thanks," Susan gasped climbing to her feet.

She spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Are you alright?" Zaru asked worriedly, "Are you…"

"I'm fine!" Susan yelled, "WATCH OUT!"

She fired an arrow but the Yin was quicker twisting away as the arrow zipped past. It leapt straight over Zaru's head, its claws reaching for Susan but the archer was quicker, smacking her bow across its face.

"ZARU!!" Susan boomed as she grappled with the Yin, desperately trying to avoid its claws.

Zaru pounced on the Yin's back, hissing and spitting as the Yin fell away trying to throw the cat off. Susan narrowed her eyes and instantly fired three arrows into the demon's belly.

The howling monster went down, Zaru elegantly riding on its back as it crashed to the ground. Susan turned and surveyed the battlefield, her blue eyes darting from place to place trying to spot Jason.

The main wave of Yin had been broken early in the clash, Da Long's fighters having successfully separated the ravaging horde. The warriors were now locked into one-to-one combat with the Yin, the clang of weapons and screams permeating the air.

"This isn't right," Zaru repeated.

Susan glanced down at the leopard.

"There isn't nearly enough of them," Zaru muttered, "It doesn't fit what the villagers were saying."

Susan nodded grimly.

"I know," the queen frowned, "But what does it mean?"

She had no time to ponder that question as one of the warriors fell silently, the Yin who had defeated him howling in triumph. As one, Susan and Zaru surged forwards with twin cries but Jason gone there first, finishing the injured Yin with a thrust of his dagger.

"The small numbers. You've noticed it too?" he asked casually flicking the blood off his knife.

Susan and Zaru both nodded.

"Think it has something to do with the Darkness?" Jason continued.

"What else?" Zaru asked disgruntled, "But I just wish…"

But Susan cut him off with a startled gasp. Even with the battle raging around her, even amongst the bellows and cries, Susan could see something very clearly inside her head.

Da Long had privately shown her a map of Jin ShiZi before they had left the Temple but it wasn't any old map, there were pinpoints of red colour on it to show where the warriors of the Temple were stationed throughout the Republic.

Before she hadn't really realised it but now it seemed so obvious to her.

The coastline of the Republic had been almost obscured by the sheer amount of red dotting it. Most of the Temple's warriors had been sent afar, chasing after reports of an explosion in Yin attacks in the outer reaches of the land. Da Long himself had pointed out how many of his warriors had been sent away and how low his reserves were.

And now…

"This is a distraction!" Susan screamed over the roar of the battle, "They're luring us away from the Temple! This was never meant to be a successful attack! It's a smokescreen!!"

She turned to the others, her movements and voice frenzied.

"They're attacking the Temple!!" she shouted.

"But Da Long said the Temple was protected by the Holy Spirits!" Jason pointed out.

They had to spring apart for sparring pair of combatants.

"Aslan Himself was taken!" Susan screamed, "You think the Darkness can't break a little protection?"

The three of them stared at each, horror dawning on their faces.

"DA LONG!!" Susan whirled around, "DA LONG!!"

They scythed through the crowd, knocking everyone out of their way. Zaru let out a fierce roar drawing almost everyone's attention.

"DA LONG!!" Susan bellowed.

There was a replying shout. They instantly charged towards the source. Zaru and Jason bounded forwards taking out the Yin that was harrying the leader. Susan knocked a Yin out of the way with her bow.

"Da Long," she gritted out, "We need to get out of here and fast!"

"WHAT?" Da Long spat.

Both of them was momentarily distracted as the Yin launched a second attack but a quick sword thrust and arrow earned them reprieve.

"The Temple!" Susan yelled at him, eyes flashing, "The Temple's under attack!!"

AAAAAA

Feng, scroll keeper of the Temple library, was scared out of his mind.

"Seal the doors!" one of the elders bellowed amongst the chaos, "SEAL THEM!!"

The handful of warriors around began heaving benches and tables, moving them up against the doors barricading themselves in.

"How is this possible?" another of the elders was asking everyone, ashen-faced, "HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!"

It was pandemonium, the elders demanding answers and giving out instructions, some completely useless, as the warriors and novices rushed from place to place trying to defend all the exits and entrances.

"Master!" a young warrior raced up to them, his robes ripped and bloodied, "The Yin have invaded the living quarters!"

"Causalities?" a portly elder demanded in a clipped voice.

The warrior looked at him with haunted eyes and the elder swore.

"Where is Chu Xing?" he demanded.

No one had an answer for him. Feng bit his lip and put up a trembling hand.

"I'll look for him," he said, his voice shaking.

The elder looked at him and nodded, aware that Feng and Chu Xing were both friends.

"Go. Be careful."

Feng nodded. The man slipped out of one of the doors and it was instantly slammed shut behind him, not doubt being barricaded from the inside.

The thirty-something year old man turned and was struck by the eerie silence in the corridor. It unnerved him but before he lost it completely, he forced himself to move forwards the thought of saving his friend the only thing driving him on.

Somewhere in the distance he heard terrified screams, it was quickly drowned out by a ferocious roar… then utter unending silence.

Feng shuddered, chilled to his very soul.

"Holy Spirits please protect me… even though you failed to protect my home and possibly my friend," he babbled on.

He stopped and winced.

"Not that I'm accusing you or anything or…" Feng stopped, "Yes, keep talking so you attract the Yin."

Feng forced his nervous chatter down and edged his around the corner, his senses on high alert. He dashed up a flight of stairs and found himself outside Chu Xing's door.

"Oh thank the Spirits," Feng breathed.

He pushed the door open.

"Chu Xing, are you…"

The first thing he saw was the blood on the walls then the body. It took him a few long seconds for him to fully absorb what he was seeing before he was promptly and violently sick.

AAAAAA

Hu laughed hysterically.

"ATTACK!" he cheered on as his Yin surged forwards.

The pitiful line of warriors folded under the sheer weight of the attack as Hu waded into the fight, sword in hand.

"HU!"

It was one of his fellow warriors, a boy he had known since his very first day in the Temple.

"What are you doing?" the boy screamed at him, "HU!!"

Hu rolled his eyes and ran him through without a thought. Planting his foot against the boy's limp body, he slowly worked his sword free as the other warriors let out cries of horror and shock.

"TRAITOR!!"

Three young warriors leapt at him as Hu laughed, twirling his sword expertly in his hands.

"Back off," he hissed as the Yin he commanded surged forwards, "They're mine."

The Yin fell back forming a loose ring around the four combatants. Hu smiled arrogantly and raised his sword, daring them to make the first move.

"CLANG!!"

The first warrior surged forwards but Hu was quick, his weapon sweeping down and knocking the other sword away. The other two leapt to attack and the next few moments were a flurry of clangs and flashing blades.

Hu was a magnificent fighter, moving and parrying with infinite grace. He seemed to have six arms, his sword always in the right place to deflect the latest round of attacks. But any seasoned fighter could see he was on the defence merely deflecting the blows.

He was toying with them.

There was a cry of victory as one of the fighters managed to land a lucky blow scoring a bleeding cut across his cheek.

Hu narrowed his eyes and wiped the blood away.

"You are going to die," he vowed, "Right… NOW!!"  
He exploded forwards and the warriors were swept aside. The Yin and warriors in the courtyard stopped and looked as Hu finished the fight with a brutal display of strength and inhumanity.

One of the warriors screamed staggering backwards, clutching his bleeding stump of an arm. Hu slashed forwards and one of the warrior's fell, dead before he even knew what struck him.

The third raised his sword trying to defend himself but Hu hacked at him, cleaving the blade in two before punching the boy straight in the face. The warrior fell to the ground and Hu stomped on his throat, breaking his neck before he finished off the injured warrior with a sword to the belly.

Hu stood, blood-splattered and grinning, heaving with exertion. He looked deep into the other warriors' stunned eyes. Contemptuously he kicked the bodies out of the way as he stepped forwards.

"Well, now…" he cracked his neck, "That was…"

Hu suddenly shuddered violently and the sword dropped from his twitching hands.  
"GET OUT!!" a piercing scream ripped itself free from his throat, "GET OUT!!"

It was different voice to the guttural one the possessed boy was using, higher in pitch and softer.

"GET OUT!!"

Hu shuddered again and he fell silent. The whole courtyard watched him, not one daring to speak. Finally he opened his eyes but they were now completely black, no white in them at all.

"Oh shut up, little boy," 'Hu' cackled, "This is what you wanted wasn't it? You wanted my help to tear this place down! Well congratulations! Now you've got it!!"

Hu turned to his silent Yin.

"What the hell are you waiting for?!" Hu demanded, "KILL THEM!!"

AAAAAA

"Get away from me!" Inara screamed.

She scrambled to the side getting away from her father but Paxton Nixon merely laughed and reached out again.

"How is my darling little daughter?" he asked, an edge to his voice.

"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!!" Inara bellowed.

"Awww… don't you love me?" Paxton smirked.

Inara glared at him.

"LOVE YOU?" she hissed, "You stupid son of a… I'm sorry are we playing house here? Is that what you want? I'd love to play the daddy but you know… I never had a real good role model for that."

Inara climbed to her feet, her hands clenched.

"Getting drunk, falling on my ass and blaming my daughter for the fact that I am a big fat loser who can't hold onto a job is more what I'm into!" Inara growled.

"SMACK!"

Inara was almost knocked off balance as Paxton slapped her across the cheek with casual violence.

"And don't forget about the beatings," he winked at her, "Those were our best times together!!"

Inara clutched at her cheek as tears rolled down her face. Her whole body was quaking as she tried to back away from her father but fear paralysed her limbs.

"And remember when your mummy and big sis completely ignored you? Or the time you told your teacher and I made her believe you were just a silly, silly girl with a big imagination?" Paxton chuckled, "Good times."

"This isn't real," Inara whispered desperately to herself, "This is the Chamber…"

Paxton slapped her again and Inara spun to the ground, crying out in pain.

"Stupid girl," Paxton hissed, "You never learn."

Inara looked up at him, wild with fear, her eyes darting, looking desperately for an escape route but there was only darkness and him.

"Even when you told the cops and I had to run, you could never get rid of me. I am always going to be here, sweetie. I am always going to be in your head. You know that little voice in there telling you you're not good enough for anything? That you'll never amount to anything? That's me," Paxton gave her a smug look, "I'll always be a part of you."

"F…" Inara began, still on the ground glaring up at him.

Paxton kicked her in the side, bruising her.

"Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" Paxton growled.

He clicked his fingers as he smiled, a dark frightening look.

"Oh that's right. Your mother doesn't even like you. No one does."

Inara sat on the ground, her legs curled up to her chest as she tried to ignore him even as tears rolled down her face. She was shaking her head trying to deny what he was saying but the words were like some insidious poison, seeping into her mind.

They broke open the worst nightmares and memories of her life, things she had tried so hard to forget.

Her childhood was a blur of breaking bottles, angry shouts, accusations and curses, the smell of alcohol and vomit and…

She flinched.

The look on his face before he hit her, the strange light in his eyes before he raised his fists. It was burned into her memory, sending her fight and flight response into a frenzy, every nerve in her body telling her to run for her life.

But she couldn't move as the memories came in a giant crushing wave sending her almost into catatonia.

"Having fun there sweetie?" Paxton asked cheerfully.

Inara looked up at him, her eyes spilling with tears but there was a spark of fire in them, a small sign of defiance.

"You can't break me," she said in a small ghostly voice, "You can't…"

Paxton stroked his chin staring at her intently.

"You don't sound too sure there honey," he mocked, "Maybe once more with feeling?"

Inara merely glared at him.

"Fine," Paxton raised his hands, "A little change of scenery perhaps."

Inara opened her mouth to scream something at him but Paxton clapped once and everything around them instantly changed.

AAAAAA

They rode through the night, thundering hooves raining down on soft earth.

Susan was crouched low on her horse's back, trying to mould into the equine. The wind was whipping through her hair as the horse galloped as fast as it could, its legs a blur of motion.

Even though they were going as fast as they could Susan chafed at the defy. Every second lost meant more people would die.

She could see it in her mind's eye now, the Yin sweeping into the Temple tearing everything and everyone apart… the carnage, the gore, the…

She wrenched her thoughts away from that particular and tried to lose herself in the motion of the ride, just letting the wind sweep the thoughts out of her…

Elias.

Inara.  
A horrible image unfurled in her head of both of them, dead, their blood…

Susan bit down hard on her teeth and forced herself away from that train of thought. But silently she mouthed a quick prayer to Aslan, to the Holy Spirits.

They had to be alright.

They just had to.

AAAAAA

It was her childhood home, a small dingy apartment with flickering fluorescent light and dirty walls. And as always the smell of cigarettes and alcohol hung thick in the air.

Inara looked around madly trying to figure out what was going on.

"It's all your fault!!" a harpy's voice screeched at her.

Inara did a half-turn and instantly blanched. She tried to back-pedal but stumbled over a discarded bottle, falling with a painful smack onto her back. But her eyes were still fixed on the dishevelled woman towering before her, dark memories spilling into her head.

"Mum," she said in a single flat emotionless word.

"YOU!" Dorothy Nixon flung an empty bottle at her.

Inara flinched as the bottle sailed just past her head, shattering on the ground and spraying her with shards of glistening glass.

"HE LEFT BECAUSE OF YOU!!" Dorothy howled, her voice and face barely human, "YOU DROVE HIM AWAY!!"

Inara tried to push herself up but she cried out as the broken glass cut deep into her hands. Her arms gave way and she fell back down.

"You stupid little tramp!!" her mum snarled, "How dare you spew your filthy lies to the police?!"

Inara tried to get up again grunting in pain but Dorothy lunged forwards, bottle in hand. Blood and alcohol splattered the tiles as she smashed the bottle against Inara's face, the glass falling to bits in her hands.

The girl cried out, spitting out teeth and blood as the force of the blow knocked her back down. Her fingers scrabbled at the tiles as she fought to breathe.

"I only told the truth," Inara spat out, repeating the words she had said so long ago, "He did…"  
"SHUT UP!!"

What happened next was a blur of memory and illusions blended together. Dorothy kicked and punched and spat on her, screaming with feral rage. Inara tried to fight back but the woman was way too strong, overpowering her meagre defences and beating her into submission.

Dorothy slowly backed away, wiping blood from her knuckles as Inara stayed on the floor, curled up into a foetal position.

"You can't break me," Inara hissed through her pain, her eyes clenched shut, "You can't…"

"Oh please, why the trying sis?" a high pitched voice demanded, "Everyone knows how much a burden you are."

Inara looked up and a willowy girl with a beautiful perfect face glared down at her. Inara shook her head and tried to look away but the girl knelt down and grabbed her face with sharply nailed hands.

"Hiya, little sis," Chelsea sneered, "What's up?"

"Your number of boyfriends?" Inara managed to chew out.

Chelsea laughed and dug a nail into her cheek instantly silencing her. Inara clung to the floor as best as she could trying to find something solid to hang onto as her whole family appeared around her, unpleasant smiles on their faces.

"See? No one likes you," Paxton smirked from somewhere behind her.

"Useless! Useless! I wished I had the brains to kill you when you were still a baby," Dorothy snarled.

Chelsea sighed, tossing her long auburn tresses behind her head.

"Chillax," she told her parents, "I'll handle this."

She turned back to Inara, a gleeful smile on her face.

"You know," Chelsea said casually, "You really did ruin our lives. I mean before you chased daddy away we had a good life. A nice steady income, a comfortable house, decent schools but then… well, you told the cops and we all knew how that turned out."

Chelsea glared at Inara but composed herself quickly. The girl stared up at her, defenceless, her eyes bleary with tears.

"The world would've been so much better if you were never born," Chelsea gently placed two fingers on Inara's temples, "Here. I'll show you."

White light flooded Inara's vision and she saw glimpses of her own world. Her family happy and smiling, the picture perfect family.

Paxton… a devoted husband and loving father…

Dorothy… a church volunteer with a bright smile for everyone…

And Chelsea… beautiful, gifted Chelsea…

Her body bucked and writhed as more and more visions pounded into her head. They whipped through the years, the Nixon family becoming closer and closer, their happiness and wealthy growing with each day until…

Aslan.

Chelsea was chosen and met the others in the Wood between the Worlds. Beautiful, gracious Chelsea who made even Queen Susan the Gentle pale in comparison, commanding respected and admiration in every world she went into.

Talented and athletic, Chelsea mastered the art of fighting in a few short weeks and in every world, she knew instinctively what to do, outsmarting the Darkness in each one…

Shift… the Yin… nameless, faceless horrors… they all fell to Chelsea's blade and wit.

Then a dark immense chamber, Chelsea fighting through an vast horde of monsters by herself, her sword flashing and dealing death with each swing. With a triumphant cry, she hacked the chains from Aslan's paws and freed Him, her face ablaze with triumph.

The Great Lion Himself bowed to the girl, awed by her gift and grace. With Aslan by her side, Chelsea swept the Great Darkness from Narnia and…

Pictures and false memories continued to slam into Inara's head as Chelsea revelled in her success and was crowned the new Queen of Narnia. She ruled with dignity and finesse, loved by her people and ushering in a new Golden Age.

And all throughout the Worlds, everyone sung her praise.

Inara let out a violent gasp as Chelsea yanked her hands away.

"Now do you see?" Chelsea asked softly, "How much of a screw-up you are? Not only are you a useless waste of resources, if it wasn't for you… I would've been chosen. And so many people would've been saved. The world… the worlds would've been so much better off."

"You're lying," Inara croaked, trying to believe in her own words, "You're ly…"

Chelsea smiled smugly and stood, her mother and father instantly wrapped their arms around her. All three of them smiled at her.

"Really? You know it in your heart. You're not talented or gifted. You're nothing. Why would Aslan choose someone like you?"

"A mistake!" Dorothy chorused, "Everything about you… a mistake!"

Inara was crying, her tears hot and messy. She pounded at the floor, shaking her head trying to dislodge their voices but it was inside of her, calling up every insecurity and silent fear, breaking her, tearing her apart…

"Please! Please! Stop!" Inara begged "STOP IT!!"  
She clap bleeding hands around her ears trying to block them out but their voices boomed inside her very skull.

"Remember school? You failed in everything!"

"How about all those sports you tried? You failed again!"

"You failed as a daughter!"

"As a sister!"

"You failed at everything you do!"

"And how long do you think before your precious companions realise? How long do you think it'll be before they realise you're just a big fat useless burden and cut you loose? You know it's coming Inara. You know it inside your heart. They're going to wake up one day, look at you and wonder why the hell they ever bothered having you around!" all three of their voices cried, "You're nothing to them! Nothing to no one!!"

"SSSSSTTTTTTTOOOOOPPPPPPPP!!"

And everything was darkness and silence. Inara was still curled up on the ground, sobbing helplessly, trying to hold it all in, she wept and screamed trying to find strength but she flailed, lost and bewildered.

A gentle hand on her hair brought her back to reality. Inara looked up and her father was on his haunches next to her, concern and compassion all over his face.

"I'm sorry sweetheart," Paxton said, his own eyes gleaming with tears, "We're not trying to hurt you. We're just trying to make you see the truth."

He rocked back on his heels.

"Now," he held out one hand towards her.

A rough stone dagger lay in his palms.

"You know what you have to do."

Inara stared at the blade for the longest time.

AAAAAA

The door to the library exploded inwards and the Yin immediately poured into the room, baying for blood. The warriors, elders, novices and scroll keepers barricaded within immediately reacted, a volley of arrows and spears driving the demons back.

Several of the smaller and more agile Yin sprung forwards, bouncing off shelves and walls before throwing themselves down onto the Temple monks.

The warriors fought back and skirmishes broke out all over the library, swords and talons clashing together.

The casualties mounted on both sides, one warrior stabbed a Yin through the heart only to be crashed tackled by two others. He hit the ground, screaming, arms flailing as the monsters made short work of him.

"MOVE!!"

The novices and scroll keepers sent a high shelf of books and scrolls tumbling down as the warriors dived out of the way. The Yin screeched as the heavy bookshelf crashed down on them, crushing them beneath its weight.

It was a small victory but the battle raged insanely on.

But it was about to get worse.

Hu stepped into the library, his completely black eyes sweeping the chaotic scene before him.

"HERD THEM!" he barked, "Herd them away from the door!"

The Yin howled and increased their efforts snapping and slashing, driving the humans back as Hu hefted his sword and casually strolled into the battle.

"HU!" a scroll keeper cried practically weeping with relief, "THANK THE SP…"

A stab to the throat silenced the man as Hu kicked the body away. Cackling with glee, the possessed warrior fell on his former friends and comrades dealing death with each blow.

And somewhere deep inside his head, the real Hu, a terrified and trapped boy wept and prayed for release.

AAAAAA

"CHARRRGGGEEE!!" Da Long bellowed.

The horses put on an extra spurt of speed and they rammed straight into the giant mob of Yin blocking their way. The dark spirits went flying as the massive equines lashed out using hoofs and their bulk to plough through the masses, their riders attacking with their weapons.

But soon the sheer bulk of numbers began to slow the horses down as the Yin howled and swarmed onto the humans.

Da Long swung his horse around trying to make a clearing as he chopped down with his sword.

"FORM A RING!" Da Long cried, "FORM A RING!!"

The other riders tried to comply but the Yin were everywhere, their fangs and talons ripping into the horses who began panicking and bucking their riders off. But to fall in this battle meant death as the Yin fell on you, trampling and tearing.

Jason let out a roar and shoved his hands forwards and the Yin around him were blasted away.

"What was that?" Zaru gasped from his position on Susan's saddle, trying to keep his balance.

"He has powers," Susan shouted, firing into the horde with her arrows, "We don't have time for this!!"

The three companions were being forced closer and closer together as the Yin began to box them in.

Da Long seemed to realise the same thing as more and more of his warriors began to fall.

"RETREAT!" he screamed, "GO!!"  
He kicked his horse and the large charger lowered its head and rammed through the crowd, the Yin hot in pursuit.

Susan and Jason wheeled their horses around and followed, killing anything that tried to stop them as the few warriors left tried to do the same.

"We can't get to the Temple!" Susan yelled over the wind rushing around them.

She placed her horse right besides his as they continued to ride for their lives. Da Long fixed her with a burning look.

"There's another way," he shouted back, "A back entrance. But it's slower!"

"We don't really have a choice!" Susan cried, "The Temple!"

"I KNOW!" Da Long screamed at her, "COME!!"

The warrior leader cut to his left and began galloping off across the plain as the warriors followed. The Yin gave chase for a short distance before giving up, they fell back into their previous positions stopping anyone from reaching the Temple in time.

AAAAAA

Inara stared at the blade before reaching out and taking it with shaking hands.

"Yes," Paxton murmured softly, "It's the only way. Save yourself the pain and heartbreak… just end it now. You know it's the right thing to do."

Inara slowly sat up, aiming the blade at her.

"The others will reject you," Paxton whispered, "They will hurt you and you will be all alone with nothing and no one. Why do that to yourself? Why go through all that? Just end it now. It'll be better for everyone."

Inara raised her arm ready to land the killing blow.

"Yes," she murmured, "It's for the best."

A lifetime of hurt and pain welled up inside of her, breaking her spirit and eroding her strength. She wasn't strong enough for this. If she stayed with the others, she'll only let them down… she'll get them hurt or killed or…

She blinked slowly.

Even if she didn't they'll eventually see how utterly useless she was. Then what? Will they abandon her? Leave her to fester in a strange world far from home?

It was for the best.

Inara took a deep breath.

She swung the knife down, angling at her belly. Paxton's smile grew and he nodded in approval.

But suddenly, a small voice whispered inside her head, reminding her of a vow she had made not so long ago.

'_Is this how you want to be remembered?' _

"NO!!" Inara jerked her hand away and violently, acting almost out of instinct, she slashed at her father.

Paxton fell backwards clutching at his bleeding face. Inara tossed the dagger aside, ashen-faced and weeping but alive, still alive.

"I can't believe I listened to you!!" she screamed, completely losing control, "YOU! What the hell do you know about being useful? What the hell do you know about being wanted or needed? You are stupid useless layabout drunk who beats up on little girls to feel good about himself!!"

She climbed slowly to her feet, her eyes blazing.

"I'm a waste of space?!" she spat, "WELL GO TO HELL!!"

Chelsea and Dorothy appeared before her but Inara contemptuously turned away from them.

"YOU CAN ALL GO TO HELL BECAUSE I AM SO MUCH BETTER THAN ALL OF YOU!!" she screamed, "I WAS CHOSEN FOR SOMETHING! AND I AM NOT GOING TO LET A BUNCH OF BOOZING LOSERS TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME!!"

Her voice echoed through the darkness as Inara wilted, completely bereft of strength. She fell to her knees before crashing face-first to the ground.

She smiled wearily against the rough stone.

"I win," she whispered, "I win."

And a disembodied voice that seem to come from everywhere and nowhere all at once answered her.

"You have passed the test," it told her coolly, "You have been judged worthy."

Inara looked up trying to see who was talking to her.

"For what?"

"For what you were meant to be," the Chamber (for what else could the voice be?), "I was put here by the Holy Spirits, that which you call Aslan for just this very purpose. Thank you, Inara Nixon, you have helped fulfilled my life's purpose."

"What?" Inara asked, dazed.

But the voice continued ignoring her confusion.

"Here is your reward… the gift of the body."

And a golden light suffused her slightly form and Inara Nixon knew power as she had never known it before.

AAAAAA

REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!!

Okay, onto some of the questions/concerns you guys have mentioned. I know a lot of you are going "OMG!! INARA'S GET SUPER POWERS SHE'S GOING TO GO MARY SUE AND SAVE THE WORLD AND TAKE OVER THE WHOLE FIC!!"

Rest assured, Inara is not going to do anything like that. See, this was why I was so worried about Inara coming across as a Mary Sue because this chapter was a planned a long, long time ago and Inara was always meant to go into the Chamber and get powers to help her in the fight to come. But it was never part of the plan and will never be part of the plan for her to become a hardcore undefeatable fighter in the blink of an eye.

Again, you just have to trust me because the next chapter will deal with the consequences of the power and how Inara will grow as a character because of it, she will never, ever become Undefeatable!Invicinble!Sue

Onto the Chamber itself, I really hope this didn't come across as an Emo-fest. This was again about Inara growing as a character, you saw what kind of life she came from and how she's moved past it and become a much stronger person. This is the whole point of the Chamber. And Inara was the logical character to face it, Zaru and Elias are out because they don't have big traumas in their past. Jason's past will be revealed much later on and I think we've already addressed Susan's issues about her loss of faith and fear for her family. So Inara had to be one.

I have one reviewer talk about the captured Pevensie, Aslan and Caspian. Just to make something clear, they're not all palced in the SAME dimension, they are scattered through several DIFFERENT Dimensions. So I'll leave you with that to munch on!


	11. Battle joined

New chapter but sighs I only got 6 reviews for the last chapter even thought hit were well up. So here's the deal, I WILL NOT UPDATE UNTIL I HAVE 10 NEW REVIEWS!! SO REVIEW!!

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 11: Battle joined**

"Professor? Professor?" Feng desperately shook the prone man, "ELIAS!!"

The scientist's eyes fluttered and slowly opened. For a few seconds his gaze was unfocused but slowly he came to.

"Wha… what… what happened?" he asked thickly trying to sit up.

Feng helped him as Elias hissed as his whole face and head throbbed with pain. He frowned, clutching at his temples, trying to remember what happened.

"HU!" his eyes flew open, "HU! Something's wrong with him! The Darkness!"

He was in hysterics trying to make Feng understand but the scroll keeper was mystified.

"Are you sure you alright? You're not making much sense!" Feng shouted above Elias's voice.

"Hu… Hu's been… I can't believe I'm going to say this but he's been possessed and… he's the Darkness! He's the Darkness we must defeat!" Elias clutched at Feng's arm trying to make him understand, "We've got to stop him!"

Feng stared at him, his eyes growing wider and wider as he connected all the dots.

"Oh…" he cursed wildly, "The Temple's under attack. The Yin are invading!"

They both stared at each other and they said the same word with the same sick feeling in their gut.

"HU!"

"BANG!"

The iron door of the Chamber was yanked open with tremendous force as both men whirled around. Inara stood in the doorway, her face dirty and tear-streaked, her hair and cloths a mess but Elias was stunned at the look on her face.

Her eyes smouldered with fire and fury but beneath it all there was cool confidence, an unshakable faith in her ability to win. Inara the girl was gone, replaced by a warrior born with the need to fight.

"Inara?"

"Where is he?" Inara snapped.

Feng instantly recognised the aura and look around her.

"You… the Chamber… you've passed the test! The Chamber has gifted you with the powers of the body!" he gaped, "But… no women…"

Inara shot him a withering look and the sarcastic, loudmouth girl Elias knew so well was back.

"Yeah, yeah. Blah, blah, cheap jokes about kitchen and cleaning and monthly moods and women are meant to be cheap and snare husbands. Heard it all before," Inara snapped, "Can we skip the sexist talk?"

Feng's mouth snapped shut as Inara turned to Elias.

"Hu? Do you know where he is?"

Elias shook his head dumbly.

"What happened to you?" he asked instead.

A dark look passed over Inara's face and a flash of weakness but that was quickly suppressed, replaced by a look of fiery determination.

"I'll tell you later," she promised, "But first things first, I'd like to introduce Hu to my fist. Where is he?"

Feng and Elias both shrugged helplessly. Inara sighed but before she could ask another question, a resounding boom shook the whole the Temple.

"What was that?" Feng squawked.

Inara's head snapped to the side, her eyes narrowed.

"HU!" she cried.

She moved to run off.

"WAIT! YOU CAN'T GO AFTER HIM!!" Elias yelled after her, "HE'LL KILL YOU!!"

Inara stopped and turned back to him.

"I've got this crazy power in me now!" Inara argued.

"So does he!" Feng snapped, cutting in, "And this feeling you've got right now? Like you're the strongest being in existence? It's just a side effect! The initial rush! The power wears off really quickly and without the proper training, so does the strength! And you are not a good enough fighter to even begin hoping you can beat Hu!"

"I've got to try," Inara hissed.

Ignoring Feng and Elias's cries, she darted off. Elias let out a shout of frustration, his face creased with worry.

"That girl has a death wish!" he snarled, "Crazy, stubborn…"

The scientist finally caught a glimpse of the broken glyphs on the Chamber's stony doorway.

"Oh my…" he whispered, "So that's what Hu was doing here?"

"What?" Feng saw the shattered stone archway, "What in the name…"

"Hu broke the protection!" Elias turned to Feng excitedly, "That's how the Yin got in! If I can fix this!"

"But how?" Feng demanded.

"By… I don't know… carving or redrawing the symbols!" Elias beamed, "We can stop the Yin!"  
"Do you remember what the symbols looked like?" Feng demanded.

Elias smiled smugly.

"Photographic memory."

Feng looked confused but put his trust into the scientist. Elias rubbed his hands together.

"Okay, this is what I need…"

AAAAAA

Da Long led the way, his face unreadable but tension obvious in his stiff gait. Susan, Zaru and Jason were just behind him as the remaining warriors made up the rest of the line.

"What is this place?" Susan asked.

They had ridden far into the night before dismounting, clambering their way up a small mound of stones before Da Long had revealed to them a hidden cave. Even though from the inside the cave looked small, in reality it was just the beginning of a large winding underground tunnel. They had been stumbling through this tunnel for what felt like hours by now, walking by flaming torchlight as their footsteps and the sound of water dripping into water echoing all around them.

"It's an ancient hidden pathway known only to a handful of monks," Da Long said quietly, his voice sound peculiarly flat, "It's meant to be used in emergencies."

Susan nodded slightly and backed up a little allowing the man to walk in silence. She knew the dark thoughts that must be flashing inside his head, wondering if all his people were dead and the place he had sworn to protect with his life was even standing anymore.

She had known the same feelings well, watching her brothers ride off to war with their Narnians at their back. She had hated the waiting and the not knowing, the wondering if anyone was even going to come back at all.

And when there were reports of attacks on their people… Susan closed her eyes.

Yes, she knew the same fears well. And as always as she dwelled on Narnia, the same haunting thoughts about her family and Caspian welled up inside of her.

She forced them back down as Zaru rubbed against her leg, instinctively knowing her thoughts.

Susan smiled gratefully down at him and looked back up quickly.

They continued their long underground trek as Susan's thoughts and fears drifted to the Temple and their friends trapped within.

AAAAAA

Inara walked through the broken doors of the library and into a bloodbath. All the shelves and tables were nothing more than splinters, books and scrolls lying scattered all over the ground.

But it was the sight of the fallen warriors that shook her to her core.

"My God…" Inara whispered.

She took another step forwards and instantly saw the tiny frail body of a young novice. Revulsion instantly rose in her throat and it took her a few seconds to master herself.

It was the new unfamiliar power in her that finally gave her the strength to walk away.

It was hard to describe the thing that was now flowing through her veins… it was more than just strength, it was a deep need to protect and a ferocious desire to just fight, to destroy her enemies.

Inara licked her lips and promised the new power inside of her that very soon it'll get all the fighting it could possibly want.

AAAAAA

Feng hurriedly shoved everything into a rough hessian bag, his eyes darting around the small workshop as he hurriedly ran through the mental list inside his head, praying he hadn't missed anything.

Quickly, he dashed to the door and threw it open. A Yin peered back at him through the doorway.

For a few long seconds, human and Yin stared at each other, neither daring to move.

"ROWWWRRRR!!"

With a roar, the Yin surged forwards jaws snapping but Feng was quicker, ducking and allowing the monster to fly over his body. The dark spirit slammed into the far wall, breaking shelves as broken ceramics rained down on it.

Feng instantly slammed the door shut and pulling out a key, locked it tightly before dashing off.

The door shuddered and shook at the furious Yin threw itself at it over and over again. The thick wood held for a few precious seconds but the spirit blasted it apart, snarling and howling.

It emerged into the hallway, shaking itself as it sniffed the air. Dropping down onto all fours, the Yin began to hunt its prey.

AAAAAA

"HOLD IT!!" the elder yelled, "HOLD!!"

He and many of the other warriors in the last stronghold of the Temple, the main council room, was standing against the large wooden door as it buckled under the Yin's assault. The warriors grunted and strained as they tried to hold the door close with their bodies, using their own strength to stop the Yin from pouring in.

"HOLD!" the elder screamed again as latest push by the Yin almost sent them all flying, "HOL… ARGHHH!!"  
A gleaming sword exploded out of his back and the elder crumpled as the others around him let out cries of shock.

On the other side of the door with his Yin all around him straining to break down the door, Hu slowly yanked his sword free, the tip coming out bloody.

"Well," Hu smirked, "Looks like I hit something."

He took a step back as the Yin howled and raged, slamming themselves repeatedly into the thick wooden barrier trying to smash it apart.

"Well, this is no good," Hu sighed, "This is going to take all ngiht."

He leaned on his sword, tapping his chin with his bloodstained fingers as he thought. The dark being now possessing Hu's body began to rifle through his memory looking for something useful, ignoring Hu's desperate screams as it went. Slowly a sly grin came over his face.

"Well, now isn't that interesting?" he said aloud, "There's windows on the ceiling!"

He looked around and contemplated sending his Yin to check it out but he stopped himself.

"Come on Hu, you've just had a long night of killing people," he chuckled, "You deserve a nice treat… a whole roomful of idiots for you to slaughter."

Leaving his Yin to continue battering down the door, Hu set off, whistling as he went.

AAAAAA

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Elias demanded.

"No, not really but…" Feng shrugged, "You got any other suggestions?"

Elias sighed and watched as Feng began to pack the wet clay into the shattered parts of the stone doorway.

"What did you get that?" Elias asked curiously.

"The Temple has a small pottery," Feng replied.

He smoothed the clay down and stepped back, admiring his handiwork. Now the stone archway was whole again, the broken off parts replaced by clay.

"I really hope this works," Feng said emphatically.

"If my hypothesis is right, the power is in the symbols," Elias murmured, "If I can just duplicate the original glyphs in the clay."

"No more Yin?" Feng asked.

"No more Yin," Elias nodded.

"Good, go. Do it," Feng commanded.

Elias nodded and instantly darted forwards, a clay-shaping tool in his hands. He bit his lips and frowned, trying to see in his mind's eye what the glyphs were originally like. It took a few tense seconds but slowly it came to him. Painstakingly, he put tool to clay and began etching away, laboriously retracing the patterns in his mind.

A low growl made him look up from his work.

"Feng?" Elias asked worriedly.

But the scroll keeper wasn't looking at him he was looking at something far off down the hallway.

"Keep working!" Feng barked suddenly.

"What…" Elias turned and sucked back a scream at the sight of a Yin crouching on the other end of the hallway, its white eyes staring balefully at them, "Feng…"

"I'll take care of it!" Feng yelled, "GO! FINISH IT!!"

Elias hesitated but nodded firmly, getting back to work as Feng stepped forwards, shaking but defiant.

"All right," he raised his fists into a fighter's stance, "Here we go."

AAAAAA

"Ahhh… here we go…" Hu began mounting the stairs up along the outer walls of the Temple, heading towards its roofs, "The window… the window…"

"You know," a sudden voice called from the shadows, "I really got to thank you."

Hu's back stiffened but he slowly relaxed as he turned around and saw who it was. Inara was standing at the bottom of the stairs, glaring up at him, her hands hanging loosely by her side.

"Ahh… you're alive," Hu frowned, "How disappointing."

"Yeah, that seems to be a general theme with me today," Inara snapped, "People tell me how much of a disappointment I am. Didn't believe them though."

Hu laughed, amused by her audacity.

"So…"

Hu began to walk down towards her, one menacing step at a time.

"How did you survive?"

Inara narrowed her eyes at him.

"What the hell are you?" Inara countered, "I know you're some big crazy darkness but what are you?"

Hu leered at her as he began twirling his swords in his hands.

"I'm just what happens when a Yin and a woman come together," he whispered sinisterly.

Inara's jaws dropped as she connected the dots. Instantly a grimace crossed her face.

"Okay, ewww…." Inara gagged, "Really bad mental image there!"

"You have no idea," Hu hissed.

He crouched low on the steps, just metres away from her, his sword clutched high above his head as he began swaying from side to side, preparing himself. Inara merely raised an eyebrow.

"So you're Chosen huh?" Hu's smile grin, "Let's see how special you ARE!"

He leapt at her, his sword swinging through the air.

"CLANG!"

Inara deftly knocked his blade away, an ornate sword clutched in her own hands. Hu blinked as he sailed past her, hitting the ground and rolling to his feet. But Inara was quicker, spinning around and planting a brutal kick to his back

Hu was knocked forwards, stumbling slightly. He slowly straightened himself and turned, narrowing his eyes at Inara.

"What the hell?"

Inara beamed at him. She could feel the power of the Chamber roaring through her veins filling her with strength and a reckless courage. The powers seized control of her body and directed her movements forcing her muscles to perform moves and blows she had never dreamed was possible.

"Surprise!!" she pointed her sword at him, a clear challenge to the possess warrior.

Hu hissed and lunged at her, sweeping in with a wild cut. Inara blocked his blow, gritting her teeth as shockwaves rolled up her arms, numbing her to the shoulder. She ducked beneath a second slash, shaking the numbness from her arm before blocking an overhead swing, the power directing her movements.

With a cry, she knocked his sword away and kicked him again, this time catching him in the chin and popping him into the air.

Hu crashed to the ground as Inara charged but the demonic warrior was quicker, sweeping her legs out from under her. Inara hit the ground but rolled away before Hu could retaliate.

Both combatants rose to their feet.

"Oh… I get it now!" Hu's face lit up, "You managed to beat the Chamber! You're just high on the powers it gave you right now! That's why you're matching me!"

Inara didn't even react. Hu blinked and deflated slightly, unnerved by the cold determination etched on her face.

"Gotta say… sure beats drugs," Inara shifted into a fighter's stance, daring him to attack, "I kinda like it."

Hu did the same. The two began to circle around each other, eyes watching their opponent for the slightest hint of movement.

"I know! I'm high on power as well right now!" Hu cackled, he feinted but Inara didn't fall for this trick, "Of course, my power is darkness and death and destruction not all light and sunshine like yours!"

He winked at her.

"But guess what? My lasts longer!"

He ploughed into her, knocking her aside as the two began to duel in honest. It was clear from the very beginning, Hu was faster, stronger and better trained than Inara but the girl was running on fury, power and hatred, a potent combination that fuelled her on, allowing her to push past her pain and fight on.

"Why don't you just give up?" Hu crowed as he slashed her across the arm.

Inara cried out as blood welled along the shallow cut. Hu punched her in the face knocking her backwards. Inara stumbled back, her vision spinning around wildly.

"You can't beat me! Nobody can!"

Slowly Inara shook her head before straightening it, sending him a defiant glare.

"Maybe not," she hissed, "But I'm going to give it a red hot go!!"

With a cry, she charged forwards.

AAAAAA

Feng threw himself at the Yin tackling it to the ground as he fought the monster with his bare hands. Elias threw a desperate look behind him at the wrestling pair but he forced him to refocus, trying to carve the glyphs out into the clay.

"Come on, come on," he urged himself on, "What was it? What was it?"

As his friend continued to fight for his life, Elias called on every last drop of mental reserve as he slowly began to reshape the clay, the glyphs slowly emerging once more.

Feng cried out as the Yin bit down on his arm but the man fired punch after punch with his other hand managing to knock the demon away. The scroll keeper rolled to his feet, blood pouring from his arm as the world began to grey around the edges.

Woozy with blood loss, Feng only just managed to duck as the Yin threw a punch straight at him.

With a cry, Feng lowered his head and rammed head on into the demon as the brutal fight raged on.

AAAAAA

"As soon as we break through this wall, we'll be in the Temple," Da Long's voice echoed through the cave, "I have no idea what we're about to face but I do know there'll be Yin. We must be ready to face them."

Every single warrior he commanded nodded, grim-faced as they prepared their weapons. Da Long nodded back at them, his face the stony countenance of a man ready to receive the worse news imaginable.

"Ready?" Da Long demanded, his voice steady.  
The reply was instant and universal.

"YES!!"

With a cry Da Long kicked at the wall, Jason helping right beside him. The false wall, deliberately built to weaker than normal, instantly gave way, the mortar crumbling to dust as the bricks began to fall.

"NOW!!"

As one they all burst through the collapsing wall and into the main courtyard of the Temple.

"ROOOWWRRR!!"

A veritable army of Yin instantly whirled on them but the warriors were already in motion, slamming into the Yin before they could mount a proper counter-attack. The fight was brutal and quick, the warriors attacking with no mercy, sweeping through the pack of Yin before they even fully realised what was going on. Da Long was a madman, armed with two swords as he hacked his way through the Yin, unleashing death with each blow.

Roaring he slammed his sword straight through the mouth of one Yin before ripping it out, slicing through another.

Soon acidic blood sprayed high and far into the air, burning anyone it touched.

The final Yin fell under two of Susan's arrows as the warriors stopped and began surveying the scene around them.

Prayers and curses filled the air as battle-hardened warriors let out cries of shock and fell to their knees, recognising the bodies of some of their comrades spread out all around them, their unseeing eyes staring up into the night sky.

Susan felt queasy as she saw all the blood staining the stony ground. Zaru whined low in his throat as his more receptive senses picked up all sorts of horrific signs of a bloody loss.

"Well, this doesn't bode well," Jason said dryly.

Susan sent a scathing look.  
"This isn't a time for jokes. People died here!" she snapped.

Jason gave her a searching look.

"Would you prefer it I break down crying?" he asked bluntly.

"I'd prefer it if you showed some sort of respect!" Susan growled back.

She stopped, reigning in her anger. She knew why Jason was acting they way he did. This was no time for emotions or tears. If black humour would get them through the grim realisation that so many innocent lives had been lost than so be it.

Susan took a deep breath but the breath fled her lungs as she caught glimpse of a young novice's body, half hidden amongst the debris. Tears welled but she refused to let them fall.

'_War is no place for a child,' _she thought bleakly.

She smiled humourlessly as she remembered her siblings and her had been mere children in their first war.

"Sorry," she said aloud.

Jason merely place a hand on her shoulder, steadying her. His dark blue arms were unusually open showing her the horror he was feeling. Susan nodded and turned away, back to Da Long.

The man was obvious shaken by the sheer number of Yin and causalities but like a true leader he kept it all together.

"We move as one," he commanded, the sheer force of his words shaking his men into action, "We sweep through the Temple and we take them out! No mercy! Anything that moves that isn't one of us? We kill, no questions, no doubts, is that clear?

"YES SIR!" the answer rang through the air.

"Alright! MOVE!" Da Long commanded, striding towards the shattered door leading into the Temple proper, "MOVE!!"

Susan stepped forwards but Zaru clamped down onto the back of her pants, stopping her.

"What?" she demanded looking down at him.

Zaru looked up, a strange look in his grey eyes.

"Inara… I can smell her."

"What?" Susan asked, confused.

"I can smell her, she's close and…" Zaru sniffed delicately and grimaced, "… she's too not happy."

Susan was incredulous, staring at the leopard in open bewilderment.

"Wait… you can smell that?" Susan gasped, "How?"

The leopard cocked his head to the side and shot her an exasperated look that clearly read 'what do you know? You're a human!'. Susan sighed knowing better than to questions him and just took his word for it.

"Where is she?" she asked instead.

Zaru's reply was instant.

"That way," he jabbed in that general direction with his nose.

Susan nodded.

"Jason," she called.

The Seeker turned and jogged back to them, frowning as Da Long and his warriors continued to stream into the ruined Temple, the sounds of fighting already ringing through the air.

"What?" he grunted out, adjusting his fedora.

"Inara," Susan reported, "And knowing her probably in trouble."

Jason sighed but nodded.

"Alright," Jason pulled out his daggers, "Let's go!"

Zaru nodded and immediately loped ahead, leading the way as the three of them began to run along the edges of the outer wall as elsewhere the insanity of the battle continued to rage.

AAAAAA

Da Long led his warriors deep into the Temple, fighting with the Yin every step of the way. A seasoned veteran, Da Long knew instinctively where the main battle would be, where the Yin would try to strike, to utterly destroy the Temple: the main council room.

Cries and screams from both sides of the war, resounding off the walls as Da Long plunged on, deeper and deeper into the twisting hallways of the Temple, fighting through to the atrium of the council room.

"WATCH OUT!!" one of his men screamed.

Da Long's instincts screamed at him and he instantly hit the ground, rolling onto his back and stabbing up as Yin, smaller and armed with long scything talons, dropped from the ceiling, hissing and spitting in fury. One Yin fell on his sword as a torrent of black burning blood fell on the leader. Da Long roared in pain but tossed the sword and body aside as he rose to his feet, ready to deal with the latest threat.

One unlucky warrior fell, a Yin clawing deep into his back as the other warriors retaliated, engaging the miniature Yin in close quarter combat. The Yin were all brutally slaughtered in a few minutes of intense battle before Da Long urged his remaining warriors on.

They rounded the corner and were instantly before the great wooden doors of the main council room. The army of Yin swarming around the door instantly reacted to the intruders, swinging around and staring at them, a field of glowing white eyes amongst a sea of motley black flesh.

Da Long and his men stared back at them. For a few inexplicable seconds there was utter stillness as the two sides stared at each other, neither armies moving an inch.

"ROOOOOOWWRRRRR!!"

With one thunderous synchronised roar, the Yin and the warriors charged at each other. They clashed, bodies flying as everything dissolved into bloody chaos.

AAAAAA

"HELP! HELP!!" tiny reedy voices instantly made the trio turn around.

Susan blanched as she quickly realised what was happening.

"The children!" Susan gritted her teeth, "The Yin… how could they…"

"They're monsters, your majesty," Zaru growled, "That's what they do!"

Susan wavered, completely torn. She need to get to Inara as soon as possible but could she idly stand by whilst children were bein…

A rough hand grabbed her arm and Susan looked up into blue eyes that burned with a cold rage.

"I'll handle it," Jason snarled.

"Bu…" Susan protested.

"You want them children to die?" Jason spat, "Because I don't think I could live with that stain on my soul!"

Susan was taken aback by the vehemence in his voice but she nodded.

"Go!" Susan commanded, "GO!"

Jason nodded and darted off through a nearby door following the sounds of the children's cries. Susan and Zaru stared after him before the queen shook herself.

"Come on!" she yelled, "We've got to get to Inara!"

AAAAAA

Inara's head snapped back and she tasted blood. Hu laughed and swung at her again but Inara was quicker, ducking and landing a punch of her own straight into his gut. The possessed warrior merely laughed and shrugged off the blow as if it was nothing.

"Ooo… Inara. I think your afterglow's wearing off just a little," he cooed.

"Oh?" Inara backhanded him across the face spinning him to the side, "I feel just…"

Hu's sword flashed forwards and Inara felt hot wetness spread across her stomach. She staggered backwards. Luckily the cut was shallow but it still hurt like hell.

"You were saying?" Hu smirked, laughing at her.

Inara tried to charge at him again but the prolonged fight was wearing her down. Her movements were erratic and uncoordinated, her reflexes clearly impaired. It was a laughably easy matter for Hu to side step her lunge and kick her in the back sending her crashing to the ground.

Inara had to fight down her terror as she felt the well of power inside her begin to fade. It was like there was some unhidden channel inside of her, slowly siphoning all of the power away. And all the superhuman strength and fighter's knowledge disappeared as well leaving behind a defenceless teenage girl.

Inara paled knowing that the high Feng had described was wearing off, she could literally feel the power dulling from a raging inferno of hours before into a small flickering flame.

"I compliment you on trying but I have to seriously question your sanity…" Hu pointed his sword at her as Inara slowly staggered to her feet, her breathing harsh and uneven, "Shouldn't you be running away?"

Inara lunged and feinted using cunning instead of brute force, a trick Jason had taught her. Hu fell for her trick as he swung his sword low trying to block a supposed cut to his leg. With a cry, Inara swung her sword down on his, smashing the tip of his blade into the ground.

Rearing back, she stomped on his hand breaking his grip on his sword before whirling around, slashing at Hu but the Yin-infected boy leapt backwards easily avoiding the blow. Inara raised her sword wearily, her limbs shaking with exhaustion.

"Ouch, you got me," Hu snarled sarcastically.

Hu rolled his eyes and before Inara could react, he punched the air. An invisible force rammed straight into her gut sending her flying as her sword flew out of her hands. She crashed heavily into a wall before slamming into the ground, completely winded and stunned.

Hu laughed and clapped his hands.

"That looked funny! Do it again! Do it again!"

Inara slowly climbed to her feet, weapon-less and a look of fear finally entering her eyes. The power continued to drain from her body, leaving her muscles tried and screaming in pain.

"So?" Hu raised an eyebrow as Inara desperately look for a way out of this, "How do you want to die?"

He smiled nastily as Inara gulped and began praying.

AAAAAA

"SHINK!"

The novices screamed as the Yin slumped forwards, a dagger embedded deep into its skull. Jason towered under the fallen monster, blue eyes flashing.

"Master Seeker!" one of the boys of about eight partially wept in relief.

Jason let out a low hiss of fury as his blue eyes raked the room; about six boys had desperately cloistered themselves into a spare room, hiding behind whatever furniture was inside as the Yin had tried to batter the door down. It was the violent thudding and the claws shredding into the wood that had prompted their screams.

The Yin had just succeeded breaking in when Jason had arrived. Brutally the Seeker had killed the three demonic ghouls before kicking the broken remains of the door aside.

"Anymore of you?" Jason demanded hurriedly.

The boys shook their heads. Jason nodded, his exterior calmly but inside he was raging at the fact that no one had thought to look after the novices in this crisis. How could they just abandon them like that?

He silently vowed to dish out some payback later but for now he had six boys to look after.

"Okay," Jason ducked his head out of the door and scanned the surroundings quickly, his powers probing the hallway looking for any signs of the Yin, "We're clear. We need to move fast and silently… unless you see a Yin than scream on top of your lungs. Are we clear?"

All the boys nodded obediently as Jason felt a small grin dart across his face.

"Good, now go!" Jason led the way as the boys followed after him, their training allowing them to easy keep up with his pace.

Looking for all the world like a mother duck leading her ducklings, Jason led the boys away from the carnage and towards safety.

AAAAAA

Inara looked up blearily as Hu grabbed her by the collar and dragged her to her feet. He cocked back his fist and smiled straight into her face.

"Guess you're not so special after all huh?" he readied himself for the final blow as Inara closed her eyes tiredly unable to even speak, "Bye bye Inara."

"PWHIP!!"

A feather-fletched arrow buried itself into Hu's back as the possessed warrior bucked and screamed, dropping Inara as he writhed on the spot, pain ripping through his whole body. Screaming, he yanked the arrow out and tossed it aside before whirling around.

Susan slowly lowered her bow, her blue eyes sad.

"Hu… what happened to you?" she asked softly.

Zaru was crouched by her feet, bristling and snarling at Hu. For a split second, Hu's completely black eyes faded turning back into its normal dark brown hue.

Susan gasped as Hu smiled sadly at her.

"Your Majesty… I'm so sorry," he whispered.  
But then the dark thing inside of him seized control again and snarled at Susan.

"OUCH! That hurt you stupid slattern!"

Susan's eyes flashed and she fired another arrow but Hu easily caught it with his bare hands, snapping the shaft before tossing it aside. With a roar, Zaru leapt at him but Hu snagged him in mid-air slamming the leopard into the ground. Zaru kicked out with all fours, his claws digging deep into Hu's arm as Susan surged forwards, smacking Hu in the face with her bow knocking him back. The queen instantly grabbed Inara and dragged her back.

"What were you thinking?" she hissed, "Going after him like that? He's…"

"Possessed," Inara said wearily, wiping the blood from her lips, "I know."

She gingerly touched one of her bruises and winced.

"What's happening?" Susan demanded.

Zaru and Hu continued to fight, the leopard's animalistic reflexes proving to be sharper than Hu's as he snapped at the possessed boy with his fangs forcing him back.

"There's something in him… the darkness… a Yin and a human combined," Inara swallowed thickly as her words spilled out of her incoherently.

"Where's Elias?" Susan demanded.

"Back at the Chamber," Inara said quickly.

Susan turned back to Hu as he managed to kick Zaru back. The feline skidded on the ground before recovered, springing back at Hu crashing tackling the warrior to the ground.

"I've…" Inara trailed off, "I've got powers now. The Chamber… powers of the body…"

"Wait, what?!" Susan stared at her incredulously, "Chamber?! Powers?!"

"Long story," Inara turned back to Hu as he wrestled with Zaru, trying push the leopard off him, "Should we…"

She stepped forwards, raising her arms slowly. But she was almost grey with exhaustion, her movements leaden.

"No!" Susan stopped Inara with a gentle hand, "Go to Elias! Find him! I'll handle this!"

Inara stared at her disbelievingly. Zaru howled as Hu head-butted him before grabbing him by the neck and swinging the cat off him. Hu tried to rise but Zaru's head snaked forwards and his jaws clamped around the boy's thighs, fangs digging in deep.

Hu screamed as Susan raised her bow ready to join the fight.

"But I can…"

"You are barely stand," Susan snapped, "Hu will rip you to shreds. You'll just hinder us! Go! Find Elias!"

"But the Yin…" Inara began.

"You have powers right?" Susan demanded, "You can handle the Yin! But Hu is beyond that! Zaru and I can handle him! GO!"

Inara was torn but the force of Susan's command made her nod.

"Get him for me," Inara nodded and instantly took off, hobbling as fast as she could back into the Temple.

Susan nodded and let out a fierce war cry she leapt into the fray. She fired another arrow and Hu had to hit the ground to avoid being impaled in the head.

He climbed to his feet and his completely black eyes darted between Susan and Zaru. His shoulders slumped and he cursed wildly.

"I don't have time for this!" he growled, "I have a lot of people trapped inside the council room to kill!"

Zaru snarled and leapt at him again but Hu grabbed his two fists together and clubbed Zaru in the head knocking the cat down. The young leopard slid across the ground, out cold, as Hu turned to Susan, smirking.

"Bye!"

Before Susan could react, Hu bounded across the courtyard and hit the stairs, racing up them with incredible speed. The young queen instantly fired an arrow that missed, shattering against the stone wall.

"GET BACK HERE!" Susan roared.

Her only reply was Hu's mocking laughing drifting down towards her. Susan narrowed her eyes and charged after him.

The pursuit was on.

AAAAAA

Feng fell, his body limp as blood poured from a gaping bite wound in his neck.

"FENG!" Elias yelled.

The Yin looked up at him, its face bloody, eyes wild with victory. The monster fell into a hunter's crouch as Elias blanched and desperately looked for a weapon.

Roaring, the monster flew at him and Elias threw the first thing he could grab. A lump of wet clay slapped the demon's face, blinding it and the Yin's pounce went wild, missing Elias completely.

The Yin hit the ground, its head falling inside the Chamber as the rest of its body was draped across the doorway. Elias reacted instinctively and mercilessly, grabbing the iron handle of the Chamber door and slammed it violently shut.

There was a wet crunch as Elias closed the door on the monster's head, the unforgiving edge of the door mashing the Yin's neck against the hard stone archway. The Yin howled and Elias, sweat and fear rolling off him, slammed the door again and again until the body was still.

He slumped to the ground, gasping for breath as the Yin's body dissolved into nothing leading behind a horrific stench.

"FENG!" Elias turned to help his friend but he froze as he saw what was across the hallway.

Two more Yin, no doubt following Feng's scent, emerged from around their corner. Their white eyes instantly lit up as they saw Elias and the bleeding Feng.

Elias quickly recovered his wit and began pulling Feng back as the Yin slowly stalked towards them. Elias took a deep breath and screamed.

"HELP!!" he yelled desperately, "HELP ME!!"

His cries only spur the Yin on as with hungry growls, they raced towards him, talons at the ready.

AAAAAA

The door to the council room swung open and the warriors and elders inside charged out with a cry. Da Long's men answered with a thunderous roar and pressed forwards and the Yin instantly found themselves under fire from a pincer attack.

"Da Long!" one of the elders cried in relief.

Da Long gave him a short bow before straightening and slaying a Yin with a single blow.

"We heard you voice and knew it was time for a counter attack," the elder deftly smacked a Yin away with his staff, "Praise the Spirits you are here."

"What happened?" Da Long demanded, "How did the Yin attack?"

The elder couldn't answer as he smashed a Yin over the head, his staff snapping in two under the blow. Shrugging his shoulders, he impaled one Yin with the jagged end before kicking it away.

"There are reports… Hu… he… he's not human," the elder said finally.

Da Long stared incredulously at the elder who looked back with grave eyes.

"What?!"

The Yin fought and fought and fought but crumpled under the twin attacks as slowly the humans began to claim victory.

High above them, on the roof of the Temple, Hu felt the power shift and let out a furious roar.

AAAAAA

"How is this possible?!" Hu howled, "Stupid, stupid Yin!! You should've killed them before Da…"

Susan mounted the last step and Hu whirled around. Both of them were standing on the broad rooftop of the main Temple building, three of the four sides falling away into steep drops.

"What are you?" Susan commanded in a high clear voice.

"I am a result of the prejudice of this Temple!" Hu howled, "My father, a Yin, learned to love my mother. And I, a union of that love, was punished for it! She was killed for her so-called treachery, my father slain for what he was and I… I was hunted down because I was an abomination in the eyes of this Temple!"

Hu let out a cry of fury that echoed far into the night as Susan listened without judgement.

"They forced me to this!" Hu roared, "I was my life or theirs! They would've never stopped unless I was dead! I had to kill them!!"

"How did you get into Hu? How did you use him?" Susan asked softly, compassion in her soft voice.

Hu gave her a shifty smile.

"He was the same," the possessed boy said calmly, "He hated this place as well. It robbed him of his childhood, of any semblance of family and normal life. It took everything from him and gave nothing back but a harsh duty and a life bound to servitude."

Hu laughed.

"Was there any wonder he allowed me to use him as a vessel? He and I both shared a dark hatred and it was that burning hate that allowed me to pass through the protections surrounding this place and use him," Hu smiled, "And the fools never saw it coming."

Susan slowly raised her bow and Hu tensed.

"I feel so sorry for you. I'm so sorry what happened to your father and your mother and you. No one should have to be put through that."

"I don't need your pity, you…" Hu began furiously.

But Susan wasn't finished.

"I'm sorry that Hu was forced into this place and that he was robbed of his family. That too should've never happened but…"

Her face hardened.

"Most of all, I feel sorry for you… because all you know is violence and death. You know nothing about this world. Nothing about compassion or love or forgiveness. Tonight many innocent people have died because you know nothing," Susan shook her head slowly, "You are so blinded by your hate that you feel nothing for the suffering of others. And that. That, more than the nature of your birth makes you a monster. And I am so sorry for you."

She slowly drew her string back, her arrow aimed straight at Hu's throat.

"But that isn't enough to stop. Because this ends," Susan took a deep breath, "NOW!"

With a cry, she let her arrow flew and the final fight was on.

AAAAAA

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Okay, I really hope you liked what I did with Inara here. I know some of you (me included) really wanted to see Inara fight and kick some butt but I didn't want her to go off all Mary-Sue "AHA I IS AWESOME UNBEATABLE FIGHTER NOW!" so I made a compromise.

Basically, she got the new powers from the Chamber and at the very beginning the rust of the new powers gave her a 'high' so she could use it fully but as Feng and Hu said and Inara began noticing, the high quickly wore off meaning that at the beginning she could match Hu but later she reverted almost back to her normal self. I really hoped people have liked what I've done with Inara in terms of balancing out her character and not making her completely overtake the story by being too powerful!!

Guys, please review because reviews keep this story and my muses alive!! REVIEW!!


	12. Free at last

Thank you for all your lovely, kick-ass reviews!! I LOVE THEM ALL!! Okay, same drill as last time: NO MORE UPDATES UNTIL I HAVE 10 NEW REVIEWS FOR THIS CHAPTER! SO START REVIEWING!!

Disclaimer: blah, blah see before...

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 12: Free at last**

Elias tried to fight the Yin off but cried out in pain as a long talon digged deep into his arm. He dropped Feng as the second Yin darted forwards, eager to finish off the badly injured scroll keeper but Elias kicked out forcing the Yin away.

"HELP!! HELP!!" he boomed with all his might.  
Hissing the Yin sprung forwards again.

"ARGGHHHH!!"

One of them fell, a sword exploding out of its chest as the other Yin turned in confusion.

Elias looked up and his eyes bulged as he saw Inara ripped her sword free from the dying Yin before going up against the second one. They circled each other for a few seconds before Inara darted forwards with a cry.

The Yin easily parried her clumsy blow and smacked her across the face, dazing her. The monstrous spirit slashed out but Inara managed to just dodge its claws, straightening herself and lunging forwards. The Yin leapt at her at exactly the same time and for a split second all Elias could see was a blur of hair and flesh.

The two combatants fell to the ground and all was silent. Elias took a hesitant step forwards.

"Inar…" he began worriedly.

Inara sat up coughing wildly as she pushed the dead Yin off her, her sword impaled through its chest. Inara climbed to her feet and towered over its twitching body, the gasping victor.

"Idiot ran into my sword," she coughed out, her face pale and feverish.

The two Yin corpses instantly dissolved into nothing as Inara wilted against the wall, holding it for support.

"Okay…" she stared at Elias, a strange look in her eyes.

The scientist was instantly worried as her face turned green.

"Tha… that… that was the first time I've… killed anything," Inara took a deep breath, her minds reeling, "And…"

Elias instantly got it. It had only been a few weeks back that Inara had been an average teenage girl in her world but now she had just been involved in her second war. It was enough to make anyone go a little crazy.

And now this… to kill something, even a monster such as the Yin and have its blood on her hands…

"It was self defence," Elias soothed her hurriedly, "You have to…"

Inara raised a trembling hand.

"Now… you don't get it… this new power I have… I killed and…"

Inara closed her eyes and dimly felt the power that the Chamber had suffused her with. A power that gave her the strength and speed to fight with more power and grace than she could've ever imagined. But it was mere embers to the true blaze of undulated strength she had felt right at the beginning. The high had subsided and the true strength of the power lay dormant within her ready to be unlocked.

Hu and Feng had been right. She was barely trained and it showed. Even with the power surging strongly through her, her movements hadn't as smooth as it could've been, her blows not as powerful.

But the one thing that truly worried her was the almost ravenous hunger in her to fight, to unleash herself on the battlefield. And now with the death of two Yin on her hands… the hunger was sated. It was an eerie, unsettling feeling, knowing that only death and blood could truly satisfy the power now inside of her.

It was both exhilarating and deeply unnerving.

"I killed and I… I liked it," Inara shuddered, "It's weird."

Again she felt a faint echo of the invincible strength that had once possessed her and she felt goosebumps all over body. It was gone for now but not forever, locked until she had the training to consciously access it.

'_This is how I want to be remembered,' _Inara realised, _'As a warrior.'_

Inara made a vow to herself right there and then, she would train, sacrificing and giving her all until she could master that destructive power and use it against the darkness that dwelled in each world.

The girl shook herself and forced herself to smile at Elias. She had no time to dwell on her own feelings not when a war was still raging.

"I'm fine," she blinked realising Feng was on the ground and bleeding heavily, fear swamped her mind "Is he…?"

Elias ignored her and swooped down on the man, checking for his pulses For a few heart-stopping seconds, he felt nothing but than there was a slight twitch under he fingertips followed by another.

"Faint and erratic but there," Elias reported with relief.

Elias instantly tore the bottom of his robes and folded it up. He packed it against Feng's bleeding neck.

"Hold it there," he commanded Inara, "Pressure stops the bleeding."

Inara was slightly squeamish at the sight of so much blood but she nodded, holding the rough bandage in place as Elias got up.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

Elias walked up to the stone archway and picked up his clay-shaping tool once more.

"I'm ending this war," Elias said flatly.

He stuck the end of the tool into the clay and began laboriously writing out the last few glyphs. Finally and with a flourish, he was done.

There was a moment of charged silence then something hot and charged, unseen and completely indescribable seemed to explode out of the stone glyphs, shooting out from the Chamber towards all parts of the Temple.

Inara and Elias cried out as a strange tingling sensation gripped their bodies as thunder boomed in the night air outside.

The air seemed to roar and the stones themselves seem to shake. The temperature soared and a wild wind swept through the whole hallway, battering the two of them.

There was a few seconds of world-shaking madness than everything was silent. Elias staggered backwards, gasping for breath. Inara looked around, confused.

"Uhhh… did that work?"

AAAAAA

Da Long cried out as the whole Temple seemed to go wild, his surroundings tilting wildly, ceiling and floor melding into one as a dull roar shook the very foundation of the ancient buildings.

It ended and Da Long found himself swinging his sword at nothing. The warriors and elders looked around in confusion at the empty hallway, bereft of the army of Yin that had just been fighting them.

It took a few seconds for the truth to seek in.

The Yin were gone. Suddenly and as one, a victorious cry rang throughout the hall.

AAAAAA

Hu ducked the first arrow and was almost to launch a fight back when it struck. The whole Temple shook beneath their feet and both of them was almost pitched off the rooftop.

Finally everything settled. Susan clambered to her feet, looking around wildly trying to find out what had just happened as Hu looked confused for a split second before a dark look unfurled across his face.

"NOOO!!" he screamed, "Impossible!! The Yin…"

"Have gone?" Susan guessed with an impish smile, "Wow, tough luck."

Hu snarled at her. Susan raised her bow knowing that she had to keep Hu at bay, if she ended up in close combat with him… But Hu seemed to read her mind and sent her a predatory smile.

Susan swallowed thickly but put an arrow to string in a show of defiance. Hu chuckled and began to pace along the edge of the roof, Susan warily following his movements.

"You've never done this before have you?" Hu asked.

"Done what?" Susan demanded.

"Fight a man… a demon in one-on-one combat," Hu laughed, "Well, let's hope you learn fast."

He charged forwards in a blur of motion and Susan fired. The arrow slammed into Hu's shoulder but the possessed warrior barely flinched as he ploughed straight into Susan. The queen was thrown to the side but she steadied herself. Hu swung around as Susan tried to fire another arrow. Her finger slipped and Hu was there, batting the bow out of her hands. Susan watched helplessly as it arced through the air before falling over the edge of the rooftop.

Pain seared through her as Hu grabbed onto her hair.

"This is what you get for getting in my way!" he screamed.

Susan stared into the darkest eyes she'd ever seen and she shivered seeing the soulless fury boiling in them. This was a creature beyond reason, driven mad by its own hateful obsession.

Hu slapped her and Susan clutched desperately onto consciousness. With a cry, she grabbed an arrow from her quiver and stabbed it deep into Hu's neck. The half Yin, half human fell backwards, roaring in pain as blood spurted into the air. But he was far from finished.

Screaming, he ripped the quiver from Susan and tossed it away leaving her completely defenceless. Driven insane by rage and his own failure to destroy the Temple, Hu grabbed onto Susan's arm and dragged her towards the edge of the roof.

He grabbed onto her neck, choking her and with deliberate slowness, dangled her over the edge.

Susan's eyes bulged as she gasped for breath, her feet dangling. Metres and metres below her lay the hard rocky ground, ready to dash her body to pieces.

"I hope you enjoy dying as much as I enjoy killing you," Hu hissed in her face, "Your majesty!"

Slowly his fingers began to loosen as Susan gasped and struggled, scrabbling at his arm trying to hold on.

"DIE!!"

"NOOOOOOO!!"

Two voices simultaneously exploded from Hu's throat. Susan's eyes bulged as Hu turned and tossed her to the ground. Gasping and crying, Susan clung to the ground with weak hands, tasting the sweet air, just glad to be alive.

She looked up and Hu was pacing the roof, shuddering violently.

"Get out! Get out! Get out!" he cried, "NO!! I COMMAND YOU! YOU ARE MY SLAVE!! GET OUT!! GET OUT!!"

Hu suddenly arced impossibly backwards, his mouth pointed to the sky as he let out a horrible, screeching scream that that made Susan want to cower in fear and weep in pity at the same time. There was so much anguish and pain and fury all melded together into one monstrous scream that Susan had to clap her hands to her ears to try and block it all out.

Suddenly Hu slumped to the ground. Susan looked up slowly and began crawling to her feet. She had just risen when Hu's eyes snapped open. Susan froze, terrified as Hu rolled unsteadily to his feet.

"Your majesty?" Hu croaked.

Susan stared into two pair of normal eyes.

"What happened?" Susan asked softly.

"He's… the darkness he's still in here but I'm holding him back. Keeping him trapped," Hu smiled wearily.

Grotesquely, Susan's arrow was still buried in his neck, the blood still flowing heavily.

"Hu… I'm so sorry," Susan whispered.

"Don't be," Hu smiled sadly, "It's all my fault… I let him in and…"

His lips trembled and he fell silent. Susan took a step forwards but Hu backed away from her, shying away.

"We… we can help you," she said gently, her voice soft and compassionate, "The darkness… he did it all… it wasn't you."

"But the blood is still on my hands," Hu looked up at Susan with a child's pleading eyes, "Do you know about heaven?"

Susan froze but didn't reply. Hu continued as if she had answered.

"The elders always tell us only those who have been brave and dutiful and courage in life can go there," Hu trembled and spoke in soft ghostly voice, "Do you think I'll go there? After all I've done?"

Susan was suddenly very afraid.

"Hu…" she began.

"I've got to…" Hu stopped and darkness invaded his eyes, turning them purely black.

He closed his eyes and gritting his teeth. His whole body went into spasms before Hu opened his eyes again, gasping desperately for breath.

He coughed and blood flew from his mouth.

"He's still in here… trying to get out," Hu smiled proudly, "But I won't let him. If I die now… he'll go with me. No more darkness."

Susan's eyes widened.

"No!" her cry was a soft whisper.

Hu looked away from her to the horizon as the sun began to rise, painting the sky a blazing mosaic of red and gold.

"Please your Majesty… Susan… forgive me," Hu begged.

He crumpled in on himself but Susan was paralysed, unable to move, to talk, to offer him one last bit of comfort.

"Was I brave?" Hu asked brokenly, crying, "Was I…"

Susan opened her mouth to speak but Hu had already stepped off the edge of the roof. The queen stood there, completely stunned, unable to believe what had just happened. Unseen by her, Hu plummeted through the air as a soft smile crossed his lips.

"You lose," he told the darkness trapped inside of him, "You los…"

The ground rushed up to him and then there was nothing.

High on the roof, Susan heard a sickening thud. Slowly she walked to the edge and peered down at the ground.

She instantly turned away, her stomach rebelling as she fought to stop herself from throwing up. Slowly, she sank to the ground and began to cry tears of sorrow and relief.

AAAAAA

"I think we should leave," Susan said, her eyes steady, "It's time…"

She peered into her pocket at the yellow ring that now blazed with an inner light.

"You mustn't."

Susan looked up at the new head seer, the one who had replaced Chu Xing, just one of the many victims in the vicious battle just won. The man was shaking his head sadly. Susan suddenly felt uneasy knowing that this man had called her to his chamber for a very specific reason.

"There is something you don't know about this place. The world we are in… time moves very quickly in comparison to all the other worlds… even if you spend a year here, no time will have passed in any other world."

"What are you saying?" Susan asked coldly.

Ever since the tragedy of the Night of Darkness as the battle had come to be known, Susan had little patience for games. Her patience had been worn down to nothing by the long week since the battle, filled with nothing but mourning and burials and dealing with the nightmares that came to haunt her at night.

Recovery was slow in the Temple, everyone was still dealing with the shock of the invasion and the heavy losses. But with Da Long leading the way, the Temple and its people was slowly beginning to heal.

"You and your companions must stay here and train," the seer said bluntly, "The Great Darkness has many powerful agents. You barely managed to defeat the darkness here. How would you fare against stronger enemies?"

Susan opened her mouth to argue.

"Besides, Inara needs to train more than any of you. She has achieved something never heard of before. A mere girl with no training has managed to pass the test of the Chamber. Inside of her flows the powers of the body, gifted to her by the Holy Spirits themselves," the seer blinked serenely, "She needs to learn how to harness that power and use it properly."

Susan wavered as the seer continued to present his case.

"Besides… I think all of you need to rest and recover."

Susan sighed and finally nodded.

"Okay," she whispered, "We'll stay."

AAAAAA

_One year later…_

It was a bright summer's day and even though it was time for goodbyes, the atmosphere was festive and joyous. Decorative ribbons fluttered off the arms of Da Long, Feng and the head seer as they stood before the Temple gates, their men arrayed behind them.

"Thank you," Susan dipped into a deep curtesy, "For everything."

The year had been easy in some ways, a time of recovery and joys but in others, it had been impossibly hard.

Susan had spent the whole time besieged by dreams, catching glimpses of all her loved ones trapped in dark unimaginable worlds but true to the seer's word, she had quickly realised that time was barely moving in those worlds as night after night for almost the whole year she had seen the same few images.

But she could take it no more, even though time was standing still for her family, she could no longer bear to stand by idly and do nothing to help them. So as promised to the Temple, she had stayed for only a year, training and preparing herself for the perilous journeys ahead.

Two rapier-thin daggers hung at her waist, a sign of her new mastery in bladed weapons.

"No," Da Long said gravely, "Thank you for defeating the Darkness here."

Susan's throat closed as it always did at the mention of Hu. She shook her head sadly still remembering that fateful night.

"I didn't do anything. In the end it was Hu," she admitted softly.

Da Long clasped her hands in his, a sign of allegiance and loyalty. They nodded to each other as fellow commanders and comrades. With a final curtsey, Susan withdrew allowing the others to say their farewells.

"You!" Da Long pointed accusingly at Inara, "Remember watch your surroundings not just your opponent!"

Inara grimaced but smiled and gave him a short bow. There had been much uproar after it was realised Inara had passed the test of the Chamber and had been gifted with its powers. Many elders thought she should remain untrained but Da Long had stepped in, taking the girl under his wing and training her in the ways of the warrior.

The whole year had been tough for Inara, learning to fight and meditate, trying to bring her new powers under control. Even now, Inara felt she wasn't fully ready to go but Da Long had declared her training over.

And as uneasy as she felt, Inara trusted Da Long with her life.

"All else is left up to you now," Da Long told her softly, "Remember, little one, keep up your training and trust in the powers given to you."

"Thank you master," Inara said humbly, bowing again.

She straightened and sent him an impish grin that always amused and frightened Da Long in equal parts.

"And thanks for not killing me," she added lightly.

Da Long shot her one of his rare grins.

"Trust me I tried but you were too stubborn to die."

Feng listened, half-amused half-frustrated as Elias continued to prattle on about his research into the Chamber and the history of the Temple. The scientist once again made the scroll keeper vow to continue his work.

"Just go already!" Feng laughed, "I'll look after your work don't worry!"

Elias pulled Feng into a hug as Zaru and Susan laughed.

The head seer was talking quietly to Jason, a troubled look coming over the Seeker's face at the seer's words. But as Jason turned away, still frowning, loud voices drew his attention away from the seer.

Susan and Inara both watched with interest as a small gaggle of young novices rushed towards Jason, burying him under a tangle of limbs. Jason laughed and pushed the boys gently off him.

"Don't forget about us!" one of the boys he had rescued on the Night of Darkness said loudly.

Jason affectionately swatted the boy on the head as his companions laughed.

"Awww… how cute!" Inara cooed.

Jason glared at her even as more boys clamoured for his attention.

The farewells were over all too soon and before long the companions were crowded around Susan as she slowly reached for the yellow ring inside a pouch she wore around her neck.

"Farewell and good luck travellers," Da Long said finally, "May the Holy Spirits guard and guide you!"

Susan slipped the ring onto her finger and they left the Republic of Jin ShiZi in a rush of wind leaving the Temple and all its occupants behind.

Da Long smiled sadly at the empty patch of grass where they once stood.

"Good luck," he repeated once more before stepping back into the Temple as the front gates slammed shut behind him with a decisive bang.

AAAAAA

Victoria Townsend ran through the darkness, tears spilling down her face. Her petticoats and dress was tangling around her long limbs, hindering her every step. She ran with reckless fear through the darkness of the woods, uncaring of the noise she made as she barrelled through the scraggly trees.

"Vicky…" a soft lilting voice called, flittering through the trees, "Vicky…"

Victoria choked back a sob and kept running. She ran for as long as she could, backtracking and taking as many turns as she could trying to throw her pursuers off but deep down inside she knew it was hopeless.

Finally she had to stop and rest, leaning against a tree as she clutched at her burning sides.

Her breathing sounded unnaturally loud in the dark silence of the trees, a harsh gasping beacon for all the nightmares that lived in the dark.

A twig snapped in the distance and Victoria bolted upwards, blue eyes scanning the woods.

"Hello Vicky."

Victoria screamed as a voluptuous woman, dressed in strips of sheer gossamer silk that clung to her alabaster skin, emerged from the trees. The strange woman laughed at her fear and sashayed forwards, licking blood from her long red nails.

"Wha… what… what do you want?" Victoria whispered.

The woman laughed and tossed her impossibly black hair back over her bare shoulder.

"You know what we want," she hissed slightly.

Her black eyes flashed gold for a split second before returning to its normal hue.

"Vicky, Vicky, Vicky…" the woman shook her head sadly, "Why did you run?"

Victoria whimpered and tried to back away but a glare from the woman had her transfixed, her limbs paralysed.

"We got bored and had to kill another family," the strange woman said with relish.

Victoria choked on her screams as two more women emerged from the woods.

"The mother tasted stringy," one of them said petulantly, tugging the red flaming curls that hung by her face, "And she didn't put up much of a fight."

The third, a thin waif with blonde almost verging on white hair, remained silent merely tossing a bloody bundle at Victoria. The blankets landed at the girl's feet and promptly unravelled revealing its bloody contents.

Victoria screamed again and staggered backwards, blue eyes wide with horror.

"The baby boy," the blonde woman said dispassionately.

The three beautiful enchantresses stalked forwards as one as Victoria looked wildly at them, all logic and thought fleeing at the bloodthirsty looks on their faces. Crying and praying, Victoria whirled and ran for her life.

The redhead moved to pursue her but the black-haired woman stopped her.

"Desiree," she grinned, "Let Vicky have a small head start."  
She winked at her companions and spoke with a leer on her beautiful face.

"After all… it's only fair."

AAAAAA

Victoria splashed through the small brook in a mindless crazed run, she scrambled up the small embankment, shards of rock tearing into her palm but she felt nothing as fear screamed at her, ordering her body to keep moving.

The dress was torn to shreds as she pushed through a wall of brambles, thorns digging deep into her flesh drawing blood but still Victoria ran on, her eyes unseeing of the obstacles ahead.

It was useless, frantic charge to an illusion of safety that didn't exist.

"AHHH!!"

Her foot snagged on a root and she was down, crashing painfully to the damp earth. Victoria tried to scramble to her feet but in her panic, her dress was tangled around her legs tripping her up again.

"Aww… poor dolly need some help?"

Victoria's heart stopped as she slowly looked up. Desiree, the flaming haired girl, stared down at her, an eerie smiling on her lips.

"This is so much fun," Desiree cooed, "Like that hide and seek game I played with my family."

Desiree cocked her head to the side.

"But then I found them and they started screaming," a dark look crossed Desiree's face, "I don't like screaming… it hurts my imagination."

Victoria sucked in a deep breath and began screaming. Desiree growled and slapped her across the face. Victoria coughed up blood as Desiree glared at her, stamping her feet.

"What did I tell you?!" she screeched in a high childish voice, "No screaming! Bad girl! Bad girl! Sit in a corner and go to bed with no supper! Do you want me to punish you?"

Victoria began crying, tears falling thick and fast and Desiree instantly deflated. She knelt down and began gently stroking Victoria's thick blonde hair.

"Shhh… shhh… mummy didn't mean to get bad," Desiree tried to soothe her, "Now wipe those tears away because mummy's going to give you something nice."

Victoria looked up in horror and Desiree grinned at her. The blonde woman opened her mouth to scream as Desiree's face began to warp, her eyes becoming gold and slitted like a cat's. Two long gleaming fangs descended down from the redhead's gums poking out between her gentle lips. Her once beautiful features became demonic and ghoulish, shifting and morphing into a ghoulish mien of ruts and bumps.

"Shhh…" Desiree hissed gently, leering at her, "Mummy's going to make you sleep forever and you can play with the angels."

Victoria was helpless, transfixed and paralysed as Desiree began to lower her fangs to her exposed neck.

"HEL…" she began frantically.

Desiree dug her nails into her cheek silencing the screaming woman. Victoria whimpered as the demonic woman closed her hand across her mouth, silencing her.

Victoria felt all the strength drain from her as Desiree's fangs began to pierce her skin, rich blood oozing forth. She could practically feel the ravenous hunger flowing through Desiree's body as the redhead's tongue flicked, tasting the blood.

"Mmm… tastes like raspberry jam," Desiree chuckled.

Victoria let out a muffled sob.

"THWACK!"

With a scream Desiree was knocked off her. Victoria's face slammed into the dirt, bereft of support before she quickly recovered scrambling up and staring into the weathered face of her rescuer.

"Who… who are you?!" Victoria demanded incredulously, amazed that someone would be brave (or stupid) enough to wander the woods at night, "What are you doing here?"

The man standing before her tossed a splintered branch aside.

"A bit ungrateful to the man who just rescued your life girlie," he observed dryly, "Or is that how they say thank you in these parts?"

"Are you crazy?" Victoria shouted, paling, "What are you doing here? RUN! GO!"

"You did scream for help didn't you?" the man asked adjusting his funny looking help, "Or were you just pretending to be scared out of your mind?"

Victoria's jaws dropped completely perplexed by this man's lack of concern at the danger they were in.

"Do you have any idea who you just hit?" Victoria screeched.

She pointed at Desiree who was just beginning to stir. The man shrugged carelessly and Victoria promptly dissolved into an incoherent stream of confused babbling.

"Wha… how… are you crazy?! My lord, you have no idea who this is do you?!" she demanded, "How can that be? Don't you…"  
"Cowboy? Cowboy?"

Victoria froze as a second form stumbled through the woods, cursing as it did so. There was a frustrated cry and the sound of metal slicing through wood. Victoria jumped as one of the bushes at the edge of the clearing was torn to shreds and a slim body pushed its way through the remains.

"Cowboy!" Inara cursed, "There you are! What the hell are you doing?"

She stopped seeing a stunned Victoria and Desiree who was dazedly climbing back to her feet.

"Uhhh… feel like jumping in with an explanation soon?" she directed her words at Jason.

The Seeker shrugged.

"The redhead was biting the blonde one. I rescued her," he said succinctly.

"Bite?" Inara looked at Victoria in amazement, "Bite?!"

"I am going to punish you!!" Desiree howled, finally up.

Inara and Jason turned to the redhead and both stared in shock as the woman's distorted features. Desiree roared showing them her fearsome fangs.

"I'm thinking…" Inara began.

"Vampire."

Inara turned and the others were right behind her. Susan was fixed on Desiree's face, a grim lighting brimming in the sapphire depths of her eyes. Zaru hissed lowly, hackles raised, eyes glowing in the twilight. Elias merely stood and studied the situation carefully, a long quarterstaff in his hands.

"Really?" Inara turned back to Desiree in amazement, "Wow, Bram Stoker was right… they are skimpy."

Desiree roared and charged straight at Victoria, her long nails gleaming. Victoria screamed and flinched, eyes tightly shut ready to feel her skin and flesh being torn to shreds but the vampire never got there. Jason pushed Victoria away, sending her crashing to the ground before calmly placing himself in the path of Desiree's charge and planting a boot to her chest.

The vampire was knocked backwards but she elegantly flipped in midair before landing on her feet, her silky dress flowing like fluid around her.

"Hitting girls is wrong," Desiree pouted, "Now you must be doubly punished."

Jason merely smiled and unsheathed his two broad curved daggers. Desiree gasped, shocked at the idea that someone would be willing to fight her.

"Do you have any idea who I am?!" she demanded furiously.

Jason merely smiled the grin of a hunter as Desiree faltered, unnerved by the idea that someone had the guts to face up against her.

She backed up a step but the other four were there, blocking her exit. Victoria watched in amazement as Jason beckoned the redhead forwards. Desiree fell into a half-crouch and the fight was on.

AAAAAA

With a growl thrumming in her throat, Desiree launched herself forwards in a frenzy of motion. Jason was taken off guard by the speed and dexterity of the slim woman, a claw opening up a bleeding cut on his face before he could react.

Desiree blurred past behind slashing at him again but Jason blocked her wrist, knocking the hand away. He swung at her but Desiree ducked, slashing out. Jason hopped backwards with a grunt, her nails slicing through his shirt nicking his skin.

He backed away, narrowing his eyes and assessing his next move as Desiree chuckled and licked his blood off her nails with relish.

"Mmm… power," she giggled.

Her gold eyes flashed and she rushed forwards, nails outstretched. Jason managed to swat her arms away but she body slammed into him with crushing force, smashing him down into the ground. The vampire backed off a little as Jason wheezed and tried to get up.

Desiree immediately crouched to her knees ready to pounce on him. With a ferocious yell, she leapt ready to finish the Seeker off but Inara was quicker, stepping right into her lunge.

"BAM!!"

A right hook sent Desiree crashing to the ground. The vampire rolled to her feet, spitting furiously as Inara watched her calmly.

"I had her you know," Jason coughed slowly rising.

"Pft," Inara snorted, "She was kicking your butt and you know it! Let me show you how a real warrior fights!"

Desiree hissed and stepped forwards, cutting the air with her nails. Inara twisted and dodged, righting herself, centring her balance before backhanding the vampire.

"Look I don't know who you are but let me introduce myself," Inara smirked, "I'm the one who's going to beat you down!!"

The power from the Chamber thrummed through her veins, feeling her with a wild joy as she and Desiree fought, trading blows with vicious ease. Even with a year of training under her belt, Inara could feel that the true force of the power was still inaccessible to her, locked behind barriers she couldn't breach.

Gritting her teeth, Inara pushed all doubts aside remembering Da Long's words.

'In battle there can be no thought or questions… only action and instincts,' she could literally hear his voice inside her head. She relinquished herself to the battle as Da Long had taught her, relying only on the power inside and her training.

But the vampire was easily her match, a quick slash to the arm distracted Inara and she quickly took a punch to the face and reeled backwards. Two more blows slammed into her body taking her further off-balance. The vampire instantly grabbed the advantage and sprung at her.

Inara managed to duck just in time.

Yowling, Desiree sailed over her head and Inara twisted, bringing her left foot up and over landing a brutal axe kick straight into Desiree's back, the heel of her foot slamming down onto the vampire's spine.

Victoria gasped in shock as the others merely watched carefully, ready to charge in if Inara needed it.

Desiree hit the ground, screeching in pain as she writhed around wildly. But she recovered quickly, leaping back to her feet as Inara watched her with bleak eyes, gasping for breath, knowing she couldn't keep up with the speed of the vampire anymore.

Desiree seemed to smell her fear and sent her a wicked smile. Inara tensed but still raised her fists ready to fight on.

"INARA!"

The warrior girl instantly leapt out of the way as Susan fired. Desiree screeched as an arrow buried itself into her gut.

"Good shot," Elias cheered.

But Susan was already aiming a second shot.

"That's not enough to kill her," Susan growled, firing again.

Desiree swatted the arrow out of the before dragging the shaft out of her belly. Growling, she threw it straight back at Susan but the queen easily dived out of the way, the bloodied arrow hitting a tree and sticking fast.

"Bloody hell!" Zaru gasped amazed at the speed and strength of the slight redhead.

Desiree stamped her foot furiously, yelling on top of her lungs at them.

"Stupid dollies! Why are you fighting me! Don't you like my games?!" she bellowed in the midst of a childish tantrum, "That's it! No more playtime!"

"Desiree?"

Two slim figures emerged from the trees. Desiree's black-haired companion observed the scene before her with a slight frown as the white-blonde woman remained silent and emotionless.

"Charlotte!" Desiree almost cried with relief, "They have been naughty."

She pointed at the patch of blood on her belly where Susan's arrows had hit.

"They dirtied my dress!" she whined.

The dark-haired vampire smiled indulgently.

"Well, have they now?" Charlotte sent the companions a dark grin, "Guess we have to teach them a lesson."

Susan's eyes widened as both women's face began to melt into the terrifying ghoulish masks.

Victoria almost fainted at the sight of all three vampires approaching them, blood thirst gleaming in their golden slitted eyes.

But Susan kept her cool.  
"JASON!!" she yelled in a commander's ringing voice.

The Seeker swept his arm forwards and an invisible force slammed into the three women bowling them over. They cried out in shock but quickly righted themselves. But it was all the distraction Susan needed.

"ELIAS! COVER US!!" she turned to others, "RUN!!"

Elias reached into his bags and before the vampires could react, he threw a small dark globe straight at them. It exploded as soon as it hit the earth blanketing the clearing in thick black smoke.

The vampires' heightened senses proved to be their undoing as they wheezed and choked on the acrid fumes, stumbling around and into each other.

Finally the thick black smoke cleared but as the vampires looked around, the humans had already fled deep into the forest.

Desiree pouted and began stamping her feet again but Charlotte stopped her with a slight swat to the back of the head.

"We don't have time," she growled.

"Should we follow them?" the blonde vampire asked tonelessly.

"No, Shivonne," Charlotte commanded, "It's almost daybreak. We've got to go back and tell the Master what happened."

"Do you think he'll be mad?" Desiree asked fearfully.

Charlotte smiled at Desiree and gently stroked her hair.

"I doubt it but he'll be interested to hear about this," Charlotte shot one baleful look at the woods around them, "Come on."

Charlotte led the way out of the woods, Desiree trotting by her side, Shivonne silently bringing up the rear.

"Do you think I could play with the pony when I get back?" Desiree asked hopefully.

Charlotte laughed, a thick rich note that thrummed with evil delight.

"Of course, sweetie. You can play with him all day long."

The sky began to lighten as the vampires ran with long easy strides, breaking out of the woods and heading west towards them home.

AAAAAA

"Well, that was fun," Inara said with false lightness.

She winced as Elias rubbed some salve into her bruises.

"Vampires," the professor shook his head in wonder, "What kind of world have we landed in this time?"  
Jason was quiet, keeping watch at the mouth of the cave, lost in his own thoughts. Susan could tell from the stiffness of his back, he was thinking back to the fight he just lost.

She sighed knowing the Seeker was going to brood over this for a long time. He hated losing.

The queen shoved those thoughts aside and turned to the girl they had just rescued. Victoria's face and dress was streaked with dirt but the skin beneath the muck was utterly pale with the slightest tinge of green. She was shaking violently, clutching at the stone she was sitting on for support.

"Are… are… you're crazy," she stammered.

Victoria looked at the five companions, fear written all over her dirty features.

"You…" she sucked in a deep breath, "You're all going to die!"

And with that she fainted dead.

Zaru coughed and spoke into the silence.

"Well…" he paused, "That wasn't very nice."

AAAAAA

Author's notes: Khajit, are you a mind reader? Because from the very beginning of the Temple arc (as I like to call it) you predicted a lot of what was going to happen: Inara becoming a fighter, them spending a year in training because of time flow differences... ah! Please stop guessing, you're getting everything right!

To all my normal reviewers: (my god, u always review so quickly... I am impressed), Aurinko, Anime Princess, 5HourOpera, Fire Dolphin, dares to dream, My Lucky Whistle - you guys are awesome and I hope you are loving this story as much I love writing it!

To motherofryan and ClearPlastic - haven't heard from both of you in awhile, I hope you are reading this and if you are please drop a review!!

Anywho, a quick word about this chapter. The Temple arc is over and we now roll on with the next one. As you can see, Inara in particular has become a much better fighter but again, she's not INVINCIBLE!GONNATOTALLYOWNEVERYONE!SUE! (well, I hope she doesn't come across as that). Susan's picked up a few skills and you are gonna see how dangerous Elias is when he gets tinkering with chemistry and what really separates Zaru from the rest of the group.

So what you can expect from this new arc? New villains, the group kicking some butt and some massive fights in the offing. Oh and some shocks, but you'll just have to wait and see.

Oh, and pls tell your friends and family about this fic, because shameless plugging makes me HAPPY!


	13. Shadows in the West

Thank for all your lovely reviews! You guys rock! As always 10 NEW REVIEWS NEW CHAPTER!!

Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 13: Shadows in the West**

"Master," Charlotte swept into the room, her dress flowing behind her.

The dark-haired vampire was flanked by her two sisters, cold emotionless Shivonne on her right and eerily childish Desiree on her left.

"What is it my darlings?"

All three women dipped into low curtsies as Draken turned away from the high window towards them.

The vampire lord narrowed his eyes at Desiree's dishevelled appearance.

"Princess," he held out a single white cold hand.

Desiree simpered and literally wept in joy as she sidled up to her high lord's side. With the tenderness of a lover, Draken stroked Desiree's cheeks, wiping her tears away with his thumb.

He looked up, his dark eyes burning into Charlotte's.

"What happened?" he demanded, power ringing in his voice

"Strangers in the land," Charlotte reported, her voice brimming with fury, "We found a playmate but they interfered and we lost her."

"Strangers?" Draken hissed.

For a split second his black eyes turned into twin cat-like slits, gleaming gold and red in the darkness. The girls recoiled but Draken visibly composed himself, his eyes turning back to normal. An amused look came over his face.

"Well…" Draken smiled, "They're early."

Charlotte and Desiree visibly reacted, frowning in confusion but Shivonne remained silent, completely emotionless.

"They… you're expecting them?" Charlotte gasped.

Draken glared at her and Charlotte took a step back, unnerved by the fury rolling off her master. She lowered her gaze to the ground, showing submission.

"What do you want us to do?" Shivonne asked coolly.

Draken turned his eyes towards the blonde woman but if she felt the intensity of his gaze, she didn't show it. Draken smiled as always, amused by the coldness of the vampire.

"You delightful ladies are going to rest," Draken turned back to the window as the sky outside began to lighten, "I will handle the rest."

Charlotte opened her mouth to speak but thought better of it. She and Shivonne bowed low and hurried out of his chambers but Desiree remained, a longing look on her face. She hovered around him as Draken watched the sky light up with first sunshine of the day.

"What is it?" Draken said softly.

"Can… can… can I play with the pony?" Desiree asked timidly.

A cruel smile curved Draken's lips.

"Of course, go but remember…" he turned back to Desiree, "Keep the strangers a secret. I want the pony to have a nice birthday surprise."

Desiree giggled and hurried off as Draken turned back to the window just as the sun broke the horizon. Pale rays pierced the dusky sky and lanced through the window touching the vampire lord's skin. His skin belched out steam and smoke as it burned under the sun, blisters appearing on his flawless white skin.

Draken grunted as his skin continued to sizzle and burn but even as he endured the agonizing pain, his flesh curling and blackening, a small of pure ecstasy crossed his cold red lips.

AAAAAA

"The vampires have ruled here for three centuries now. With the High King of Vampires residing in his castle at…" Victoria explained, having believed their lie about being distant travellers from a far-off place, "

Which if you thought about it _logically_, it was technically the truth.

"High King?" Susan cut in confused.

"Yes, vampire lords. The rulers of this land. We humans live merely to serve as slaves and cattle to them," Victoria ducked her head, "Or so we are led to believe."

Susan felt sick at the thought of vampire rulers. In Narnia, the foul creatures had existed but only in meagre numbers. She had met a vampire only once, a crazed monster who had terrorised the fringes of her kingdom, killing all who dared resist him. She and her brothers had ridden out at once and tracked him down to his lair only to stumble onto a grisly scene. The sight of the monster feeding on a screaming faun had given her nightmares for weeks.

The ghoulish scene of him burning as she and the Narnians fired flaming arrows at him had stuck in her mind for years.

Susan dragged her thoughts away from the old dark nightmares and focused them on Victoria as the girl kept talking. They were walking through the woods, heading towards a place that Victoria had promised them would be safe.

"No one knows where the first vampire came from but he arrived in these lands and rules here to this very day. It was he who created the other vampires and they spread quickly, sweeping through this whole kingdom and setting themselves up as kings and queens," Victoria's face darkened, "One of the very first things the High King of vampires did was to craft a dark spell which shortened our days and lengthened our nights… it strengthened his army."

"Shorten the days?" Elias spoke up, "How is that possible? You can't seriously be suggesting that the vampires managed to speed up the rotation of the earth around the sun and slow it to their will!"

Victoria looked confused at the professor's words as Inara hushed him letting the blonde woman talk.

"And ever since the vampires have ruled with an iron fist, killing all who opposed," Victoria's face turned sour, "It is not a good life to be living here."

"And how do we stop these vampires?" Jason spoke up from the rear.

"Sunlight. Fire," Susan said grimly, "And lots of it."

"Chop off their heads!" Zaru suggested helpfully.

Victoria nodded.

"Aye, that works but vampires are faster and stronger than any creature who walks the earth. It is nigh impossible to face them in battle and live," a strange kind of adoration entered her eyes as she looked at them, "Except for all of you."

"Does garlic work?" Inara asked suddenly, "Or not inviting them into your house? Or running water? Or holy water or crosses?"

Victoria stared at the teenager and blinked owlishly. A warm smile spread across her lips as she let out a trill of laughter. Still chuckling, she shook her head. Inara bristled at the derisive tone of her voice as she spoke.

"Most of those are old wives tales or stories sold by peddlers who offer false protection. Only idiots would believe in those," Victoria paused, "There is one thing known to repel vampires but…"

Her face fell as some horrible memory emerged into her thoughts.

"That is forbidden," she said flatly.

Inara opened her mouth to question her further but stumbled on a root, falling clumsily to her knees. She swore loudly and tried to get up.

"Here," Elias offered her a hand.

Inara stared at his hand as if it was a foreign object before letting a small laugh.

"Don't worry," Inara said lightly, "I can handle myself."

She stalked past him as Elias shot Susan a worried look.

The queen shrugged helplessly. Back in the Temple, Inara had disappeared for ten months with Da Long and a batch of new warriors to train in the highlands. When she'd come back… she had been different, a little closed off than before, never asking or accepting anyone's help.

It was a far cry from the girl who had asked Jason for help in training. This new Inara was a stone-faced arrogant warrior, never trusting anyone else abilities but her own.

Susan sighed and wondered what could've changed her friend so.

AAAAAA

_Flashback_

With a cry, Inara fell into the mud splattering the muck everywhere.

"What the hell?" she rose to her feet and glared furiously at one of her fellow trainees.

The young warrior, Shan, laughed at her openly. A trio of his friends stood behind him, jeering and mocking her.

"Can't keep your balance?" Shan taunted, "How typical of a woman. Why are you even here? This is a man's job!"

"I'm sorry. How many Yin did you kill during the Night of Darkness?" Inara spat.

Shan rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed.

"A true warrior next boasts."

"A true warrior doesn't push his comrades into the mud," Inara snapped back.

A look of pure venom came over Shan's face and he took a dangerous step forwards, Inara refusing to back down.

"You're not a warrior," he spat, "You're a pretender making a mockery of our sacred ways. Go home woman! No one wants you here."

"What is going on?"

Shan and his friends stiffened as Da Long stared at them suspiciously, he flicked a concerned look towards the mud-splattered Inara.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"She fell into the mud. She's a bit clumsy, master," Shan said quickly.

Inara shot him a look of pure loathing as Da Long turned to her.

"Is that true?" he asked.

There was one type of people that Inara could not stand and that was a tattle-tale. No she would not go running to Da Long with this because she was a warrior now and warrior's fended for themselves.

"Yes master," she said emotionlessly, biting back her hatred.

"Ten laps," Da Long said briskly, "Do not fall again. Mistakes will get you killed on the battlefield."

Shan smirked at her as Inara scowled but dutifully picked up two hessian sacks of stones and slung it over her shoulders. Wearily, she began running around the mountaintop, fury driving her on.

It didn't end there. For the whole entire ten months, Shan continued to taunt her and trick her, getting more violent and vicious with each passing day. The other boys quickly joined in, realising that they could get away with it as long as Inara held her tongue. But still even with all of them against her, Inara refused to back down and refused to tell.

Left alone on this stony plateau with tormentors watching her every step, Inara learnt to fight back just as violently and learnt to keep to herself, learnt to always be on watch, always weary and alert. She also learnt another important lesson: she only had to herself to rely on, everyone else would just disappoint and fail her.

So Inara threw herself into her training becoming faster and stronger than any of the boys because she had to prove to them and to herself, she was just as capable as any of them, that women were just as capable of fighting as men.

They grew to respect her then fear her as she grew as a fighter, pushing herself on and on, growing more confident and self-assured about her abilities.

And slowly over those ten long torturous months, Inara changed. Even when she was back amongst her friends and some of those harsh lessons faded away, she was changed.

On the outside she was still the same sarcastic teenager but always in the back of her head there were voices. Voices that told her to watch herself, to not rely or trust others and there other voices as well, terrible whispering voices that told her she was stronger than everyone else around her, better… superior.

And so a new Inara had been born.

_End of flashback_

AAAAAA

Susan opened her mouth to speak but Victoria stopped her.

"Here," she pointed at a small modest house, smoking stream from its metal chimney, "This the house of my betrothed…"

As if on cue, the wooden door swung open and a lanky man strode out, delight and anxiety warring on his face. He was pale and rumpled, his eyes bloodshot as though he hadn't slept for days.

"Tori!" the man ran to Victoria and swept the woman up in his arms, "You… you…"

He choked back tears as he buried his face into her hair. Slowly he looked up, wiping the tears from his eyes.

He blinked at the five strangers with his beloved.

"And who are you?"

But Susan and Zaru were too shocked to reply.

"Is that…" Zaru began, his mind flashing back to the old Narnian legends.

One particular tale stuck in his mind, the story of a lamppost and a young girl who stepped into Narnia from the Kingdom of Spare Oom.

"This is my betrothed," Victoria said, blissfully unaware of Susan's stunned face, "Tumnus."

The man who Susan always knew as a gentle faun bowed, a small smile on his face. Susan felt the breath leave her lungs as swayed on her feet. Desperately she grabbed onto Zaru's fur for support, the leopard hissing in pain as she pulled too sharply.

Susan managed a shaky smile.

"Pleased…" she choked out, "Pleased to meet you."

AAAAAA

"Hello, pony," Desiree said in a singsong voice.

She jumped off the last step, landing with a giggle. The redhead vampire rubbed her hands together with glee as she walked along the length of dank dungeon, her bare feet slapping onto the wet stone.

"Awww… pony's all quiet today," she pouted.

She ran her fingers along the rusty bars of the cages she walked past ignoring the moaning, dying prisoners within.

"Guess Princess's got to wake you up," Desiree stopped in front of one particular cage, peering in through the gaps, "Hello, pony."

The prisoner within was little more than a skeleton, blisters and infected wounds spread all over his body. He looked up at the vampire with feverish eyes and instantly slumped back down onto the ground, moaning lowly.

Desiree sulked and reached for something hanging beside the cage.

"Come on pony, Princesss got some fun games to play today!"

She unlocked the cage and stepped in, carefully grinding the prisoner's fingers in the ground with her feet. The miserable figure merely whimpered in response.

"Oh come! You use to be so lively. What's wrong?" Desiree slowly uncoiled the long whip in her hands, "Does the pony need some mo… mo… motivation?"

She smiled in triumph at pronouncing such a hard word. The prisoner didn't answer her and she scowled.

"Fine!" she cried petulantly.

She raised the whip and smiled.

"Say when!"

And she brought it down, the long strip of leather tearing into the prisoner's skin. He screamed and screamed, his yells echoing around the dungeon as Desiree continued to play.

AAAAAA

Susan still couldn't take her eyes off Tumnus, still unused to his hornless head and completely human legs. She knew she should stop staring since the others were giving her strange looks but she couldn't help herself.

Was this really Tumnus? Had Aslan taken him after he had died and placed him here just for this very purpose? Or was this an alternate universe version of him?

Susan smiled to herself knowing Elias would be overjoyed at the fact that some of his ramblings were finally getting through to them.

Tumnus was eyeing her, slightly uneasy about her constant staring. She flashed him a smile and pointedly looked away as he relaxed.

"So, vampires," Jason said bluntly, "Where are they holed up?"

"Wait," Elias spoke up, "You can't be suggesting we go and attack them! Even you're not that crazy!"

"Seems to me we don't have a choice," Jason growled back, "We have to defeat them."

Victoria and Tumnus looked around the table in shock as Jason pointed at Susan, more specifically to the leather pouch where she kept the yellow ring. The green was still around Inara's finger.

"Remember?" he said pointedly.

Zaru growled drawing their attention to him.

"Are you sure this isn't some kind of compensating thing?" Zaru shot back, "You know for the whole vampire wiped the floor with you thing?"

Jason glared at the leopard and opened his mouth but Inara jumped in.

"I agree with Cowboy. Let's find out where they live, kill them and party," she smiled savagely, "I mean, now that we know their weakness…"

Elias shook his head.

"And their super strength," Elias countered, "We can't just barge in without knowing more! We'll be torn to shreds. And they're probably expecting us now!"

"All the more reason to attack first before they come hunting for us," Jason argued.

"We can't just…" Elias began, "Stop being so bull-headed!!"

"And what are you doing to do about it?" Jason growled, goaded, "Do some research about them? Because the last time you ended up researching something it ended fantastically!!"

Elias physically recoiled, stung by his words as Susan, Zaru and Inara gasped. Jason blinked seeming to realise the harshness of his words but refused to back down.

"You… you must be mad! Thinking of attack Draken and his ladies!" Tumnus broke into the argument, "Draken is the High King of Vampires! The very first of his kind! Who knows what dark powers he has."

"Nobody asked you boy," Jason growled at him.

Susan rolled her eyes and exasperatedly stepped in. Jason was opening his mouth to continue his verbal attack but she swatted him across the arm, stopping the Seeker. He shot her a glare but Susan ignored him.

"Play nice," she scolded, "Everyone. Silent. We are not going to charge in without knowing more."

Inara opened her mouth but Susan cut her off with a single glance.

"Tumnus," she turned to the curly-haired man, "What do you know about Draken?"

"He was the first vampire," Tumnus shrugged, "He came to these lands and killed the old king in the Western Castle. He set himself up as king."

"Tumnus is a historian," Victoria simpered sending Tumnus a sweet smile, "He knows everything about the vampires!"

Jason, Zaru and Inara gagged at the adoring look she sent to her betrothed. Susan swatted Jason again, kicked Inara's leg from under the table and lightly stepped on Zaru's tail drawing an undignified yowl. The three of them glared at her but Susan's glare was much more effective and they shut up.

Luckily Victoria and Tumnus didn't notice as they were too busy staring dreamily into each other's eyes.

"So this Draken…" Elias interrupted slightly uncomfortable with the dispaly, "He's alive?"

Tumnus tore himself away from Victoria and nodded.

"He lives in the Western Castle with his three… uhhh… consorts," fury and fear lit up in his eyes, "They are a vicious trio. They delight in torture and death. To destroy them would be an impossible task and…

Tumnus trailed off and looked at them gravely.

"Before you said you were going to kill Draken…" Tumnus shook his head, "At the first and final battle against the vampiric High King when the human armies marched against him and his vampires… legend has it he killed over two hundred men by himself."

Another stunned silence.

"Wow… that's…" Susan cleared her throat nervously, "A lot."

Inara shrugged.

"Well, you know what they say," she smirked, "The bigger they are…"

"The faster you end up dead?" Zaru countered.

Inara rolled her eyes as Elias spoke up.

"What more can y…" Elias began.

Zaru swiftly rose to his feet, his face contorted into a scowl as he gazed at the door.

"People coming," he reported quickly, "A mob and they smell angry."

Everyone froze. They had been around the leopard long enough to know and trust his hypersensitive nose. Swiftly they rose to their feet, hands flying towards their weapons but Victoria and Tumnus didn't budge from their seats.

"I was wondering where you got your talking friend," Tumnus said sending Zaru an amused smile, "I thought such bewitched animals only belonged to the vamp…"

"Didn't you hear what he said?" Susan demanded, "There's people coming!"

"What?" Tumnus was surprised, "Talking animals are like parrots, they just repeat what other people say to the…"

"People coming!" Zaru hissed lowly.

They could hear tramping of feet and angry cries. Tumnus paled and rose quickly to his feet.

"Here, hurry!" he urged.

Zaru muttered a curse and sent him a dirty look but Tumnus ignored him as he pulled back some carpet to revealing a trapdoor set into the ground. Quickly he pulled it open revealing a large dark space underneath.

"Inside!" Tumnus commanded softly, "Quickly!"

Victoria and the five of them hurriedly slipped into the dark recess, standing on each other's limbs and crushing each other against the wall. Tumnus quickly closed the door, plunging them into darkness as he replaced the carpet.

A few seconds later, a hard fist slammed angrily at his door.

"What's going on?" Susan asked.

Victoria's voice was small and scared.

"That… that will be the mayor."

"And that's bad?" Susan questioned.

Victoria whimpered.

"He… he's come to take me to the vampires!"

AAAAAA

Tumnus opened his door and there in the doorway stood the pot-belied squat man who fancied himself mayor of this small town.

"Mayor," Tumnus said evenly.

"Tumnus," the mayor growled, "Where's Victoria?"

Tumnus blinked.

"What? I haven't seen her since…"  
"BAM!"  
One of the mayor's overly muscular cronies stepped in and punched Tumnus in the face, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"I suggest you don't lie to me," the mayor said silkily, "Where is Victoria? She was chosen by the Ladies and I just received a very angry note from the castle saying she managed to get away… the High King is not happy."

Tumnus stared up at him from his position on the ground doing a very good job of pretending to be shocked.

"I have no idea," Tumnus paled, "Victoria… chosen… how… what…"

"Tear this place apart," the mayor said emotionlessly.

His cronies immediately ransacked the whole house, breaking Tumnus's cupboards and wardrobes apart with impunity.

"You better not be hiding her," the mayor warned, "We have a duty to our vampire overlords otherwise this whole town might be punished. I know you think I am the enemy but I am merely trying to keep as many people alive as possible."

"By selling them out to the vampires!" Tumnus snarled, "I know you tell Draken of any dissenters!"

The mayor casually kicked him in the gut causing Tumnus to scream out in pain.

"You will address the High King with respect," the mayor snarled, "He is our liege and we must follow his every whim. To do otherwise means death to all."

His grunts reappeared in the living room.

"Is clean," one of them muttered dumbly.

The mayor narrowed his eyes but nodded.

"Good. We'll check the other places," he turned around but looked back one final time, "Oh and Tumnus?"

The historian glared at him with vicious loathing.

"If I hear you mocking the King one more time? The Ladies might just pay you a visit."

The mayor swept out of the house, his lackeys trailing behind him as Tumnus crawled unsteadily to his feet. He hobbled over to the carpet and pulled it aside, grimacing he yanked the trapdoor open and the others hurriedly climbed out.

"Okay… that was uncomfortable," Inara complained.

Victoria immediately clasped Tumnus in her arms.

"What was that?" Jason growled.

"That was the mayor," Tumnus said wearily, "He's an agent of the vampires."

Zaru summed up all of their feelings.

"Oh goody," he said dryly, "Another enemy to beat."

A deep sense of glumness hung over the room as they slowly began to realise what they were going up against.

AAAAAA

Susan and Jason took the first watch as the others slept in Tumnus's rough hut. Susan leaned against the wall with a sigh, a gleaming dagger in one hand.

"What's wrong princess?" the Seeker asked lightly.

Susan looked up at him. The year in the Temple had been easy in many ways, no major crisis or disaster had broken out but yet it had been the hardest year of her life.

The dreams had continued to haunt her as Susan struggled with the helpless horror of watching those she loved in danger and with her unable to do a single thing.

But there had been other nightmares as well… dreams of her fight with Hu but in dreams the boy warrior hadn't been able to fight back and she'd been dropped to her death.

Susan shuddered.

Those dreams always ended with her screaming in the night as she shot up in bed, gasping for breath and clutching to the sheets around her trying to anchor herself in the real world.

It had taken a week of those dreams before she'd done something about them. Susan glanced at her daggers, still slightly foreign to her after all this time.

"Susan?"

But Susan thoughts were very far away.

AAAAAA

_Flashback_

"Fighting with daggers is very different," Jason was worried but his face betrayed none of his emotions.

Susan was drenched in sweat, her trembling hands holding her daggers as the Seeker circled her. They'd been training for hours now, Jason reinforcing what she'd been taught before and teaching her new tricks.

The gentle queen had bore it all without protest knowing she had to learn to fight for herself in close quarter combat.

"You are magnificent with your bow and arrows but you kill at a distance. You separate yourself from the brutality that is murder. It's like hearing a story about a war, you don't fully experience it."

"I experience it," Susan snapped, "You think I feel nothing when I kill peop…"  
"Not like this," Jason cut in coldly.

The Seeker kicked out at a wooden crate set in a corner of the training yard. Instantly one of its sides fell away revealing a small squealing boar inside.

"You never feel the blood on your hands," Jason looked at her squarely, "You want to fight like a warrior? You want to fight with daggers and swords and blades? You have to learn to kill."

Susan gaped at the boar as the Seeker pointed at it.

"Kill it."

"You can't…"

Jason's face was a stony mask as inside he prayed for this young woman, a war veteran but innocent in so many ways, to just back down.

Susan looked at the boar and remembered her dreams. Remembered Hu's maniac face as she was caught helpless in his grasps, remembered Peter and Edmund and Lucy and Caspian's faces as they were caught in some dark dangerous place.

Her eyes hardened and she squared her shoulders.

Jason sighed sadly as Susan raised her daggers.

Afterwards it took her hours to wash the blood from her hands but in that moment, with the death of one innocent pig, a warrior had been born.

_End of flashback_

AAAAAA

"Princess? Susan?"

Susan looked up at Jason. The Seeker was worried and he showed it. The year in the Temple had softened him a little. It had dulled his killer's edge but it had softened him as a person.

The boys he had rescued in the Night of Darkness had hero-worshipped him, following him and pestering him and slowly like water on stone, the Seeker had been worn down, talking to them and eventually training with them.

And being around so much innocence and adoration, Jason had changed as well.

"Just worried," Susan glanced at her daggers again and sheathed one, keeping the other in her hands.

She looked out into the darkness and knew as warriors and fighters they were stronger than ever. But as people?

Susan sighed.

There was Inara with her cold ways and newfound arrogance. And Elias…

Susan turned back to the hut and knew the scientist would still be up, haunted by his own demons.

The group was splintered. Friction had sprung up between Inara and the others, Elias and Jason.

She stood guard in the darkness as inside the hut Elias was kept up by the questions that had haunted him for a whole year.

AAAAAA

Had he done the right thing?

He still didn't know.

In the Temple, he had researched the Chamber and having discovered the protections written on its archway…

Elias closed his eyes.

Look at how that had ended up. With dead bodies everywhere, boys, men… it didn't matter. A monster had took control of his research and used it to hurt others.

And as a scientist, this had shaken him to the bone.

As a man, it had sickened him.

For days and weeks afterwards, he had languished questioning the very purpose of his life.

AAAAAA

_Flashback_

"Elias," Susan pushed the door open, "You can't stay like this!!"

Elias looked up from his desk where papers were strewn all over the tabletop and the ground.

"Sorry, I've got to…" Elias looked around helplessly, "I've got to invent something… make it all right."

"It's not your fault," Susan argued, "What happened at the Chamber… it was that monster inside of Hu. You saved the day Elias! You saved the day because you worked out what the symbols were."

"I worked out what the symbols were and people died!" Elias growled back, "I've got to make it right. I've got to."

Jason let out a growl of frustration, his patience having finally worn thin after seeing Elias like this for weeks now.

"You need to pull your head out of your –"

"JASON!" Susan snapped.

"NO!" Jason whirled on her, "This has to end. Elias! Get over yourself!"

The Seeker glared straight at the scientist. The last few days had been hard for all of them, Susan and Jason had spent most of their time helping the Temple bury the dead and rebuild.

"The darkness got in because of something you did. Yes, it happened. Get over it! You can't just lock yourself away like this!"

Elias leapt to his feet, his chair smacking to the ground.

"So you're blaming me? It is my fault then!?"

"Well anything I say is going to be ignored so yes! It's all your fault!" Jason snarled, "Are you happy now?!"

"JASON! STOP!" Susan barked, "Elias, he didn't mean…"

The scientist's face was contorted into a mask of utter anguish and rage.

"I think he meant it," the scientist spat, "And now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

And from that day on, Jason and Elias barely spoke to one another.

_End of flashback_

AAAAAA

Elias looked at the rough sack lying at his feet, looking at the ceramic balls nestled within, ceramic orbs that were another product of his research. He had given some to the Temple, repayment for what he'd done, to help them in their fight against the Yin and kept some for himself.

He hadn't been able to stop himself. Even though one of his research projects had ended disastrously, he hadn't been able to stop. His eternal need for knowledge and his need to use that knowledge had resulted in the creation of these things. And now, he just had to wait and see. He had to know. As a scientist, were his findings helping or destroying the world? This was the ultimate, a blind leap of faith in his abilities.

And he promised himself one thing. If these were used against those he cared about like before…

He would stop being a scientist.

AAAAAA

In the highest tower of the Western Castle, Draken sat on his cold stone throne. He smiled and his handsome face immediately shifted into the most demonic and grotesque of facades. The moonlight making his eyes glow in the gloom.

Leaning forwards, he placed his taloned hands on his temple and closed his gold and crimson eyes. He concentrated and with a small hiss, his dark powers surged out of him, writhing through the air like an invisible serpent. With a single mental command, it shot forwards penetrating through walls and space, searching through the night like a dark bat.

It soared high in the sky, above dark forests where wolves howled and hunted, over gleaming lakes that rippled in its wake. The stars themselves seemed to pale a little as though despoiled by the pure darkness and malice that transverse the night sky.

Draken revelled in his might and glory loving how the world seemed to shrink under his malevolent force. But he reigned himself in, he had a mission to complete.

Finally the dark power found its victim in a small house on the edges of a nearby village.

Smiling with anticipation, Draken urged his powers on and it spiralled down into an elegant dance plunging through the thatched roof and into the mind of his victim.

Draken leaned back, his eyes still closed.

It was time for a little fun.

AAAAAA

It was a dream she had many times before. She was in an immense ice cavern, its high ceiling domed, arching overhead like the roof of a cathedral. Everything around her was ice, glittering like diamonds in the pale light that filtered through the crystal walls.

Her feet wandered the now familiar path, past icy furniture, passing through many different chambers until she reached a huge foyer. In the centre of the atrium was a massive shard of ice, sticking out of the floor like a spear. Its surface was smooth and polished, reflecting the light and inside, just inside she could see the faintest hint of colour.

A random play of light revealed the slightest hint of pink in the ice. There was a person trapped inside.

Susan gasped and like so many times before she rushed forwards trying to see who was trapped within.

But as always she was interrupted only this time she did not wake.

"Hello, my dear," a soft seductive voiced whispered, ringing in her ears, heart and mind.

She turned around and instantly all the ice around her turned pitch-black. A towering man with smouldering eyes strode towards her, a black cape flapping at his feet.

"Black cape?" Susan tried to hide her fear, "That's a little unoriginal."

The man merely laughed, a rich baritone filled with amusement and contempt.  
"Susan," the man grinned showing fangs, "Do you know who I am?"

His gaze paralysed Susan. She tried to move but found she couldn't even move a single muscle.

"Draken," she managed to stammer out, fear in her voice.

"No… High King," Draken slowly approached her, stopping when he was at arm's length away.

Susan trembled as Draken reached out and stroked her cheek with a single cold finger.

"So beautiful," he chuckled as Susan glared at him, "Such fire."

He leaned in as though whispering a secret to her.

"I will enjoy breaking you."

Fear knifed in her gut, chilling her body to the very bone. Draken lowered his mouth to her neck, his cold lips against the warm throb of her pulse. Susan tried to jerk away but whatever spells that paralysed her held strong.

She bit her lip and refused to cry out, refusing to show any sign of weakness as Draken's fangs ever lightly dug into her skin.

"You will be my darkest queen," he pulled back, his eyes full of ravenous hunger, "And you will rule by my side forever."

"Sorry, prior claim," Susan managed to choke out, "I'm already queen of another country."

Draken laughed.

"Defiance in the face of defeat," the vampiric High King shook his head in disbelief, "You put all my other consorts to shame."

"I also dress better," Susan snapped back.

Draken silenced her with a finger to her lips. Susan hissed in pain as the cold of his fingers burned into her sensitive skin.

"Would it help if I did this?" the vampire asked.

His features blurred and boiled, shifting and changing. His skin darkened and his hair grew longer as Susan shook her head, desperately trying to push the nightmare away.

"No!" she cried, "NO!!"

Caspian stood before her, his familiar face twisted into a cruel smile.

"How do you like me now?" Draken/Caspian smirked.

"NO!" Susan yelled at him, fury chasing her fears away, "YOU DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT!!"

"Oh."

Familiar warm and calloused hands gripped her wrist. Susan screamed and tore her hand away, her paralysis wearing off.

"Isn't this what you dream of?" Draken as Caspian mocked, "Me holding you?"

"You…" Susan let loose with a tirade of curse unfitting of a queen but anger loosened her tongue.

Draken stood still smirking at her, completely unimpressed. His hands suddenly shot forwards and grabbed onto her wrists forcing her still.

Susan shouted in pain as his grip tightened, crunching bone.

"I will have you," Draken stated, still in his guise as her beloved, "And there is nothing that will stop me."

He reached forwards trying to kiss her but Susan moved her face away. With a growl, Draken grabbed onto her face wrenching her to face him.

His lips neared hers as Susan quivered, trying to break away.

It was nightmarish parody of her sweetest dreams, a vampire pretending to be Caspian, her beloved's face kissing her with a vampire's dominance and dark desires.

Her face hardened as she struggled hard against his grip.

She would not allow this to happen!

Almost acting on instinct, she plunged deep into her own mind summoning forth an image, an talisman that had always helped her through the darkest times.

It was Aslan's face that emerged in her mind, the Great King roaring in anger, furious at that thought that anyone would harm one of His beloved kings and queens.

Draken shrieked, a piercing discordant note of fear and Susan summoned the courage and strength to push the vampire away from her.

Aslan continued to roar in her mind as gold light spilled from her fingertips. She pointed it at Draken and Caspian's face melted away revealing the vampire's true form.

He disappeared with a bang, black smoke filling the icy chamber but Susan let out a fierce yell and the ice exploded into thousands of glittering shards.

The Aslan in her mind faded as Susan closed her eyes. She did not know if this was a sign of her belief in Him and it was this faith that had hurt Draken or it was actually the Great Lion reaching out to help her but either way she was thankful.

'_Thank you' _she whispered to the fading lion_, 'Thank you.'_

The chamber collapsed and Susan sat up in bed gasping for breath.

"Queenie?" Inara looked up blearily, "What's wrong?"

Susan's wrists throbbed with pain and she glanced down. Red finger marks stood out, a stark contrast to her alabaster skin. It was where Draken had grabbed her.

Susan stared at the bruises, a dream hurt come to life.

"Queenie?" Inara watched her carefully.

"I think…" Susan trembled, "I think we're in a great danger."

She hurriedly leapt out of bed as Inara watched on, uncomprehending.

AAAAAA

Authors notes:

Okay, this is a re-write of my original chapter because I felt it was a bit too... well, cutesey-lovey-dovey we are bestest friends ever kind of fic between the five main companions! I realised there were a lot of issues resulting from the Temple arc that would carry over into this world. However if people feel it's too dark and forced, I am more than happy to post up the other version.

So okay, 5HourOpera, I really thank your for your honesty but I would like to point out a few things:

1) They suddenly became ordinary to extraordinary? Really, all that happened was that Inara learnt to fight (over a whole year, I might add) and Susan learnt to fight with daggers. It wasn't like they all became super-duper heroes.

2) The group was lost all friction/secrets - we saw the gang post the year for like a small section of the chapter and it was spent fighting. You can't honestly make a good judgement on what they were like. As you can hopefully see from this chapter, there's even more issues between them. So I hope you realise that there is still a lot of mileage to go in the characters.

3) Inara Mary Sue. I know you didn't say this to annoy me but it really did. First of all, Inara didn't pick up her new powers and became awesome!fighter up of nowhere. She spent a WHOLE YEAR training so it makes sense. Also she didn't get defeat the vampire easily, I meant she managed fight Desiree off but she knew she would lose. Susan was the one who eventually got them out. Yes, her flaws have shifted but it doesn't mean she's suddenly become invincibile.

4) As for Victoria, she is in no way a replacment of Inara. She's a secondary character fro this worlds. What I do with your you'll just have to waist and see.


	14. By dawns early light

Thanks for all your lovely reviews!! Please, please, please review. MORE REVIEWS MEANS QUICKER UPDATES. I MUST HAVE 10 NEW REVIEWS!! calms down Enjoy!

Disclaimer: This is fully like totally like not mine

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 14: By dawn's early light**

Light glimmered off the sword's fine edge as her light brown eyes swept the meadows and woods looking for the slightest hint of danger.

It was early morning and Inara was patrolling the gates surrounding Tumnus's house, Jason doing the very same on the other side of the property.

She glanced back worriedly at house knowing Susan was still up and sitting at the kitchen table, bandages around her wrist.

Minutes after the queen had woken up from her dream, she had roused everyone and told them what had happened with Draken. Everyone was in a furore, Jason again demanding they launch an attack on the vampires before Susan got hurt. Inara secretly agreed with him, confident in her ability to take those demons head on.

Unsurprisingly Zaru had joined in on the call to arms but Elias's calm logic had once again prevailed.

Inara sighed and absently twirled her sword in her hands. She glanced at sky, finally after hours of unremitting darkness the sun was appearing again. She relaxed a little knowing the vampires would not dare attack so close to dawn.

She turned back to the house.

Suddenly her instincts screamed at her but she was too late.

"WHAM!"

A metal mace slammed into the back of her head and Inara dropped to the ground, knocked out cold before she could even voice a warning.

"Idiot," Charlotte hissed, tossing the weapon aside.

She turned back to her sisters, Desiree was eyeing the rising sun warily but Shivonne calmly matched her gaze.

"Ready?" the dark-haired vampire smirked.

All three of their faces instantly warped into ghoulish vampiric features.

"Remember," Charlotte hissed speaking around a mouthful of fangs, "Grab the girl and let's move!!"

Moving with deadly grace and speed, the three vampires charged at the house and crashed the door down in one fluid movement breaking into the small hut before any of the occupants could even react.

AAAAAA

"BAM!"

It was utter chaos as the three vampire sisters swept into the room. Tumnus was instantly swatted away by a vicious punch. The lanky historian hit the wall and crumpled as Zaru bounded forwards with a cry.

The white-blonde vampire Shivonne was his victim, the leopard ripping into her with his claws as he brought her down to the ground. Shivonne hissed and lashed out, punching the cat off her with a single blow.

Her strength was unbelievable. Zaru was sent rocketing up into the air, his back smacking into a ceiling rafter before he crashed back down to the earth, completely stunned and dazed.

Shivonne rose elegantly to her feet moving with the liquid grace of a dancer as she whirled and faced her next victim. Victoria screamed and hurriedly back-pedalled as Shivonne advanced, talons ready to shred.

"BANG!"

Tumnus leapt in and nailed the vampire in the face with a frying pain. The thick cast iron dented and the vampire fell back, stunned. The historian hurriedly threw the pan away, shaking the numbness from his hand as he grabbed Victoria and pulled her to him.

Victoria screamed as Charlotte lunged across the table, hissing in fury, reaching for Susan. Tumnus, his eyes bulging out of his skull, quickly yanked Victoria away from the fight as they both retreated to the back wall.

Susan had no time to reach for her bow but her daggers were sheathed at her hips. She grabbed one and moving with practised ease and speed, threw one straight at Charlotte.

The dagger sliced into the vampire's shoulder. The demonic woman howled in pain but managed to complete her leap, snagging Susan around the neck and bringing her down to the ground.

Susan cried out trying to push the monster off her as Charlotte laughed raising one taloned hand.

"Get off her!" Elias cried.

He smashed a chair across Charlotte's head, knocking her aside as Susan quickly climbed to her feet.

"Thanks!" Susan gasped out.

She unsheathed her second dagger.

"JASON!! INARA!!" she screamed.

Charlotte recovered quickly rising to her feet with a snarl. She and Desiree instantly charged at them, fangs snapping the air. Susan grabbed Elias and they both leapt backwards, hopping over a rough wooden bench. Quickly Susan kicked out sending the piece of furniture flying towards the vampires.

It crashed into their knees bowling them over as Susan led the attack with a cry.

She slashed out catching Desiree in the arm but the damage was minor. Desiree howled in pain.

"Bad girl!" she barked, "Play nicely or no dolls and dinner for you!"

Desiree pounced but Susan managed to twist out of the way, the vampire sailing past her.

There was a crash as Elias was sent flying into a stack of shelves, wood splintering under his body. He slumped to the ground, Charlotte laughing with glee. She turned to Susan and her gold eyes flash.

To the queen's horror, she felt her muscles seizing up as they had done under Draken's gaze. Paralysed by Charlotte's stare, Susan was helpless as the vampire sashayed up to her.

"What's wrong sweetie?" the dark-haired woman mocked, "You looks so stiff!"

"ROOWWWRRRR!!"

Charlotte whirled and Zaru was on her, the leopard back in the fight. Susan staggered forwards, shaking, the spell broken with Charlotte's concentration.

Desiree hissed and stepped forwards but Susan threw the dagger forcing her to dive to the side. The metal blade slammed into the wood, quivering as Susan snatched up a nearby iron poker.

With a roar, Jason powered through the broke door but Shivonne was up, vampire and Seeker slamming into each other.

The ambush had evolved in a three one-on-one fights, Tumnus wincing as the brawl tore his hut apart.

"Careful with that!" he cried.

"BANG!"

The cabinet broke as Zaru sent Charlotte flying into it with a body slam.

"SHINK!"

Jason's dagger sliced into his bookshelf ripping his precious books aside. Shivonne kicked out, sending one dagger flying.

"Argh!" Tumnus winced as Victoria sympathetically patted his back.

Desiree grabbed the staff as Susan lashed out at her. With a yell, the redhead swung the staff around with Susan attached to it.

"Oof!"

Susan's back slammed into the wall, the air driven from her lungs as Desiree wrenched the poker from her grip and tossed it aside. The queen slid to the ground as Desiree moved in, laughing and clapping.

"Fun! Princess is having fun!" she cheered.

She kicked out but Susan rolled away finding herself right beside the iron stove where a merry flame burnt amongst the firewood. Gritting her teeth, Susan grabbed onto one of the burning sticks and flung it straight at Desiree.

The vampire screeched as the fire smacked into her skirt, instantly sending the fabric ablaze. She stumbled backwards, batting at the flame, screaming violently. Susan climbed to her feet and armed herself with two more flaming sticks.

Snarling, she went on the attack.

AAAAAA

Jason slashed at Shivonne but the vampire was a skilled fighter, bending elegantly around the dagger as it swung past.

She punched out, Jason's head snapping back, his world spinning crazily around him. The vampire lashed out with a barrage of blows, each punch and kick deliberately hitting every sensitive cluster of nerves on his body. The Seeker cried out as pain roared through him, his limbs quickly becoming numb and useless.

Swiftly Shivonne planted a powerful kick that sent him flying into the wall. Jason hit the rough wood hard but managed to clamber to his feet only to meet a second attack.

Roaring, her face contorted into a gruesome grimace, Shivonne picked up the wooden dining table with one hand and hit Jason with it.

It was an awesome blow and there was a sickening crunch as wood met flesh. The Seeker instantly went down, blood gushing from a cut across his head.

Still screaming, Shivonne threw the table at one of the walls and it instantly collapsed, the table punching a massive hole through the wood.

The roof sagged dangerously as Victoria let out a scream of alarm.

What happened next was a blur of movement. Charlotte glared at leopard and the cat immediately froze up, held in her paralysing gaze.

Giving the talking beast no time to even react, Charlotte charged forwards and yanked, toppling the bookshelf onto the leopard burying him under an avalanche of books and wood.

The black-haired vampire moved with impossible speed. She snatched a bucket of water from the corner of the hut and threw it on Susan, instantly extinguishing her flaming weapons. Susan gasped in shock and that split second of distraction proved fatal. Desiree charged at her, wrapping her hands around Susan's neck before the queen even knew what was happening.

Desiree laughed and slammed Susan into the wall with brutal force. The queen instantly went limp in the vampire's clawed clutches as Tumnus cried out.

He took a step forwards but was barrelled over as all three vampires leapt through the massive hole in the wall and sprinted into the woods, the dawning sun searing their skin before they made it into the safety of the shadows.

Mocking laughter floated through the air as the vampires disappeared leaving behind four prone bodies and a ruined hut but they got away with one precious thing… Susan.

AAAAAA

"It's all my fault," Zaru blinked back tears, "I should've protected her! It was my duty!"

"And it was my duty to keep watch but I got ambushed," Inara snapped back, the back of her head heavily bandaged, "Can we stop with the negativity? We need to fight back. Now!"

Elias stepped into the ruined living room. Tumnus was digging around in the wreckage trying to salvage what he could.

"How is he?" Inara demanded.

Elias shook his head.

"Hard to tell. I'm not the expert. Victoria is," Elias limped over to the bench and sank down into it gratefully, "He'll live though."

Right after the attack it was Tumnus and Victoria who had roused them mend their injuries. Victoria was actually a healer in training, using her expertise to great effect in helping them.

The door to the bedroom swung open and Victoria walked into the room, a look of worry on her delicate features.

"Well?" Zaru asked.

"I've done all I can. I've made him drink a brew that should speed the recovery process but…" Victoria grimaced, "He was hit pretty hard."

"He'll heal," Elias said with a wry smile, "He's too stubborn to die."

Inara leaned against the wall, clutching at her head as she winced. Victoria instantly crossed over to her, looking at her sternly.

"How many fingers?" she demanded, speaking with an authority that sounded foreign on her.

Victoria waved one hand before Inara. The warrior girl was tempted to say something smart but she had seen Victoria's skills as a healer and grudgingly complied.

"Three…" she bit her lip, "Times the four of you I see."

"Seat down," Victoria scowled forcing her into a chair, "Here."

She poured Inara a mug of the concoction boiling on the stove. Her glare told Inara that a refusal was not acceptable as the girl began sipping hesitantly at the brew, gagging as she swallowed.

"I can't believe the vampires got her!" Zaru hissed.

The leopard was furious that queen had been taken under his watch. Even Inara knew better than to cross him now. Zaru took his duties to the queen very seriously and would lay down his life for her without hesitation. The very thought that Susan might be in danger lit a fire inside the feline that demanded action and vengeance without mercy.

He was furious and biting at the chomp to mount a rescue immediately.

"We have to do something!!"

"We weapon up and storm the vampires," Inara said firmly.

"Again for the tenth time," Elias said wearily, "We can't barge into their stronghold and expect to live. It's suicide."

"Maybe for the powerless and the helpless!" Inara snarled, "But luckily there's some people who have much stronger. If you're too much of a cowards to do it…"

Inara cracked her knuckles dangerously.

"I'll go!" she announced.

Elias had had enough.

"Inara," he said icily, "Get over yourself. You're are not indestructible!"

"What do you propose? Wait around and let them kill the queen?" Zaru growled.

Elias eyes flashed as he flushed dully.

"I care about Susan as much as you do but it's not much of a rescue operation if we get killed before we save her!" he snapped.

Zaru growled at him, taking his frustrations out on the professor.

"Coward!" he and Inara both snapped.

It was Victoria who stopped the brewing fight.

"Hey! Stop!" she demanded, eyes flashing, "Your friend is in danger! You think fighting is going to help!?"

Elias took a deep breath and cooled his anger. Zaru narrowed his eyes but fell silent. Inara muttered something but sat back down onto her stool.

The professor turned towards Tumnus, his mind already mulling over a plan.

"Tumnus. Is there any way to help her?" he asked quietly.

"Damn good question," Tumnus scratched the back of his head, "I've got some ideas but…"

"Hey, better than anything we've got!" Zaru urged.

Tumnus took a seat at the table, his eyes blank as he silently debated with himself, wondering if he should talk. But Zaru's growl quickly answered that for him.

"I don't know everything," Tumnus admitted, "But there may be a way to get into the castle."

"What?! How?" Inara demanded.

"You're saying this now?" Zaru scowled.

Tumnus held up his hand for silence.

"It's… the source is unreliable," Tumnus glanced at his ruined bookshelf, "I am a historian. I've gathered a vast collection of works in my lifetime, most of them about the vampires and their place in our history… a few years ago I managed to get my hands on a very rare manuscript. It was written by a priest who once dwelled in the Western Castle during the very time Draken arrived there."

Tumnus's lips twisted into a bitter scowl.

"Needless to say a lot of the work spoke of the massacre and sadism Draken visited on the inhabitants. But the priest made one mention of a hidden escape route some of the castle inhabitants used to flee from the castle… I believe that this secret still remains to this day."

"Why?" Elias questioned, "Couldn't Draken have…?"

Tumnus shook his head.

"The priest blessed this hidden passage. History shows that the blessings of the priest are one of the very few ways that a place can both be hidden from the vampires and protected," Tumnus smiled bitterly, "That's why at the beginning of the vampire's reign all priests were hunted down and executed."

The companions paled at the casual way Tumnus mentioned such atrocity but they remained silent as the historian pressed on.

"Draken would firstly never suspect such a secret could exist in his very home so he would never actively seek it out. It's not something he could just stumble on by chance," he surmised.

"So there's a secret way, great!" Zaru grinned, "We have a way in. We sneak it and get the queen out before…"

But Tumnus was already shaking his head.

"Once you pass through the secret way you would be beyond the priest's blessings and his protection. Draken would instantly realise you're there and then…" Tumnus cleared his throat, "Bad things will happen. Very, very bad things."

AAAAAA

Draken swept his hand at the door and it instantly swung open, screeching on its hinges. The High King of the vampires strode impatiently into the room and the iron door slammed shut behind him, bolting itself tightly.

Draken stopped and looked around the room. It was a chamber of mirrors, huge panes of reflective glass hanging from the walls and ceiling. They reflected Draken a thousand times over so that a never ceasing row of vampires appeared in each pane.

The vampire lord closed his eyes and concentrated, muttering a long complicated spell, his hands elegantly sketching strange symbols into the air.

For a few brief seconds nothing happened but then the pungent stench of sulfur permeated the air almost overwhelming the vampire but still he pressed on, his voice getting louder and louder as the mirrors began to vibrate, rattling on the walls.

An immense wave of heat swept over the room and the mirrors changed, no longer reflecting but became windows into some unknown hellish landscape.

It was a world of fire, black earth sundered by fissures in which red-hot lava flowed. Volcanoes dominated the landscape, spurting flames high up into a blood-red sky.

Draken immediately dropped to his knees, bowing in supplication.

A voice, a terrible voice filled with hunger and malice and crackling power, boomed in the chamber and in Draken's ears.

"WHY HAVE YOU CALL ME?"

It didn't speak, it shrieked and echoed and boomed with a force that drove dark spikes of fear into Draken's unbeating heart.

"I come to report that the queen is now within my grasp," Draken said hurriedly, not looking at the hellish world that mirrors showed but at the ground.

"GOOD. YOU MAY DISPOSE OF HER AS YOU WISH. WHAT OF HER COMPANIONS?"

"I expect they will try and rescue her. I will deal with them then," Draken said quickly.

There was short silence and sweat rolled down the vampire lord's face.

"DO NOT BE ARROGANT. PREPARE FOR THEM AND KILL THEM," the voice spoke of murder as though it was of no consequence, "SHOW THEM NO MERCY."

"None will be shown," the vampire agreed.

"GOOD. TELL ME ONCE IT IS OVER."

For a split second the black flared across the mirrors and a thousand eyes, each a different colour and shape glared out from the glass, unblinking as they pierced Draken with stares that hurt.

But then it was all gone, the mirrors returning back to normal. Climbing unsteadily to his feet, shaking and gasping Draken opened the door and swept out of the room.

He hated talking to the Great Darkness. It always hurt.

AAAAAA

A small silence followed Tumnus's words.

"So we arm ourselves against the vamps," Inara said coolly, "Fire, sunlight, swords!"

"It's too dangerous," Tumnus argued, "Draken is the most powerful vampire alive!"

The look Inara gave him was pure arrogance.

"Then I'd like to have a shot at him," she replied shortly, "Where's this place. I'll go there myself."

"Sunlight is out," Victoria objected, the healer taking a seat beside her fiancé.

She subconsciously leaned into him as his arms wrapped around her thin shoulders, the two drawing on each other's strength.

"It takes hours to travel up to the Western Castle. It will have to be done during the day… the woods are not a place to be when it's dark," Victoria said delicately, "Once you get there it'll be dark. If you attack, it will have to be done at night."

"Fire, I can do," Elias promised, "I still have enough of the flame orbs."

He pointed at his bags where his clay creations lay, innocent ceramic balls that hid dangerous firepower.

He felt a tingle of anticipation and a sick feeling in his gut. It was time to put his faith in science to the test. Would his creations once more be used for great harm or would it save the world?

He needed to know if he could wrought something that would save the world, he needed know for the sake of his sanity and deepest beliefs.

"Anything else that's effective?" Zaru demanded.

Tumnus and Victoria glanced at each other before speaking.

"There's one other thing…" Tumnus cleared his throat.

"But they are forbidden… anyone found with them is killed immediately," Victoria added.

"What is it?" Elias demanded.

"Mandalas."

"What?" all three companions exclaimed.

Tumnus leaned back and grabbed one of his books from the floor. He flipped it open to a certain page and showed them. The trio leaned forwards and studied the drawing on the yellow page. The fading black ink showed a strange shape: a cross drawn within a circle.

"Mandalas are the holy symbol of the priests that once existed in this land," Tumnus explained, "They are, according to legend, the only thing that can repel and hurt the vampires with ease."

"Great! We can just make some…" Elias trailed off seeing Tumnus's face, "We can't?"

"True mandalas are metal and wooden symbols carved and blessed by the priests. They use some sort of lost technique. No one exists anymore to make them. Carving your own would be a useless exercise."

Gloom showed on Inara and Elias's face but Zaru was receptive.

"But there's a way to get some right?" he questioned, "Otherwise you wouldn't bring this up."

Tumnus nodded.

"Yes, there is a secret cache of mandalas in the village. It's a sort of badly kept secret but the vampires don't particularly mind because it won't do them any harm… the owner is too scared to use it against them. He merely hoards them and sell them off at astronomical prices but only to his own cronies," the historian explained.

Inara's jaws dropped, her mind working very fast as she realised who it was.

"You don't mean…"

"Yes, the mayor," Victoria answered for Tumnus, "He has a chest of mandalas in his very house."

"So we have to break in," Elias sighed, "Should be easy."

Victoria sent him a crooked smile.

"Actually it should be. There's a very easy way to get into his house… the mayor's…" she blushed, "Uhhh… he's very partial to pretty, young girls."

As one everyone turned to look at Inara. The girl blinked before realisation struck. She grimaced.

"Oh come on! You can't seriously be…"

"You have to," Zaru cut in, "There's no other way!"

"You are very pretty," Tumnus smirked.

"Hey!" Victoria smacked him.

"I'm just saying!" Tumnus argued.

Inara was not amused but after the combined pleading gazes of Zaru and Elias she gave way.

"Great, to save Queenie, I've gotta act like a… I'm a warrior not a…" she began.

"A warrior is someone who'll do anything for the greater good," Tumnus said quietly.

Inara blinked and realised the truth of his words. She sighed, defeated, and slumped in her chair.

"Fine! Let's do it!"

Zaru sat up, eyes gleaming as the first step in rescuing his queen got underway.

AAAAAA

Susan blinked as the world around her slowly resolved into clarity. She moaned but her throat throbbed with pain, a token from Desiree's stranglehold.

Silken sheets rubbed against her skin as she moved. Susan froze.

"What in the name of Asl…"

She looked up and flinched as ghostly fabric touched her face. She was lying on a giant bed, long skeins of silk hanging down from the ceiling surrounding her in an eerie cocoon.

An image of the vampires attacking her friends slammed into her head and Susan gasped with the intensity of it. She looked around frantically and quickly realised where she was.

The Western Castle… the vampires' stronghold.

"Oh, this is not good," she murmured.

The door swung open and a slim familiar form drifted into the room.

"You're awake, your majesty," Charlotte hissed, jealousy and hatred in her voice, "How wonderful of you to join us."

Susan stamped ruthlessly on her fear as she arched an eyebrow putting on a defiant front.

"If you wanted me to partake of your wonderful hospitality," sarcasm dripped from every word, "You only have to send an invite."

Charlotte glared at her and Susan gasped as a sudden wave of black power swept through her. Her muscles again locked themselves, freezing her as Charlotte laughed haughtily.

"You mock me and yet I have such power over you…" she sneered, "Very stupid don't you think?"

Charlotte blinked and the spell was broken. Susan grimaced as she tried to get her limbs moving again.

"You envy me," Susan countered, "I wonder why?"

Charlotte's glare intensified but this time there was no power in her gaze only naked hatred but still Susan could see the faintest hint of longing gleaming in her pupils. The vampire looked away with a snarl.

"The Master wants to see you," she said flatly.

"Dressed like this?" Susan taunted.

She rose from the bed, pushing the thin curtains aside. She was dressed in rough travelling clothes, stolen from when they first arrived in this world.

"You can go naked if you want," Charlotte said bored, "Come!"

She grabbed Susan's arm and began wrenching her painfully across the room. Susan had to almost jog to make sure her arm was pulled from its socket as Charlotte led her through the door.

They walked down a long dark hallway, sickly green candles lighting the way. Rusty armour and dusty portraits lined the walls but Susan was sickened to see skeletal remains lying about as decorations, trophies no doubt of the vampires' triumphs.

"Here," Charlotte stopped and knocked politely at an immense set of mahogany doors.

It swung open silently and Charlotte stepped into the room, a simpering look on her beautiful face as she bowed deeply.

"Master, I present to you Susan the Gentle," she said quietly.

"Good."

Susan was terrified to see Draken at the far end of the long room, his back to them.

"Leave," the High King demanded.

A look of hurt flashed across Charlotte's face but the vampire bowed again before leaving but she shot Susan a look of vicious loathing as she deliberately bumped past her.

Susan stood, paralytic with fear as the dark dreams from the night before flooded her mind.

"You remember me," Draken said, his back still to her, "Good."

He turned and for Susan it seemed the movement took an eternity, the vampire revealing himself to her bit by bit. In real life, his beauty and darkness was a thousand times more potent than it was in the dream.

Malevolence and seductive charm leapt at her like a physical being, grabbing at her heart. Susan almost staggered with the force of his dark gaze.

"Come."

Almost unwilling Susan walked towards him, drawn by the magnetic force that sprung from him. She found herself by his side but Draken was already looking out at the window.

It was afternoon now or what afternoon was like in this dark gloomy world. The sunlight was shining on the vampire lord's skin, searing him. Susan gagged at the stench of burning flesh but Draken seemed not to notice.

"Would you like to see my powers darling?" Draken asked suddenly.

Susan could not speak, overwhelmed by the smell of burning skin and the power that thrummed in the air. Draken turned to her and smiled savagely, a look that revealed the true beast dwelling within.

"Of course you would," he answered for her, "Look."

Susan slowly turned to stare at the sunlight outside as Draken flung his arms forwards. His eyes flashed gold and instantly dark clouds boiled across the sky blocking out the sun.

A sense of foreboding welled in Susan's stomach as she watched on, transfixed by the display.

Lightning flared in the sky followed by the deep, shaking rumble of thunder.

Draken smiled, revealing his long gleaming fangs as the storm built, more clouds mushrooming the stormhead as more lightning and thunder brewed.

"Watch," he said softly again with a lover's voice.

"BOOM!"

A huge bolt of lightning tore down from the skies, splitting a tall tree in half, cinders gushing up into the air.

"That other tree, the one with three branches?" Draken murmured.

He gestured.

"BOOM!"

Lightning split the tree in two, flaming splinters raining down on the forest floor below. Draken clapped his hands and the storm immediately disappeared, black clouds fading to clear skies once more.

Susan was shaking violently, awed and terrified by what she had just seen. She never expected this much power! Terror swamped her thoughts as she realised what she was actually standing next to, a dark monster of the night, one with the abilities and the coldness of heart to perpetrate murder without a thought.

She suddenly felt very, very cold.

"Do you see now?" Draken asked her softly, "What I am? You have no hope of defeating me. There is no escape or rescue."

Draken caressed her cheek and this time Susan had no strength or will to resist him. She could feel dark ropes of power wrapping themselves around her, subduing her, coaxing her into submission. She tried to fight but it was like swimming through mud, laborious and hard as she lost her way again and again, stumbling in the dark seductive powers that Draken sent flying into her head.

"When your companions come to rescue you, I will kill them without a thought," Draken said quietly.

It was more terrifying when he said it without malice or boast. He merely stated it because it was the truth. Susan felt bile rise to her throat as she thought of the others facing this monster or of their looks on their faces as lightning came crashing down on them searing them to the….

She wrenched her mind away from such thoughts.

"Come," Draken chuckled lightly, "I have something else to show you."

AAAAAA

He led her down a long spiralling flight of stair, down deep into the earth where a huge underground dungeon had been carved.

In the wane candlelight Susan saw an endless sea of cages and the moans of the suffering and the smell of blood and infection immediately made her want to fight, to destroy the vampire beside her and rescue them but Draken's hold on her was strong, forcing her onwards without a fight.

Susan refused to let her tears fall. In the face of such torment and suffering endured by these prisoners, feeling sorry for herself was merely selfish indulgence. She would not cry for them until they were free.

The sound of a whip cracking immediately drew Susan's attention ahead.

"Princess," Draken called out, "Princess!"

The whip stopped and one of the cage doors open as Desiree bounded out, a gleeful smile on her face. The crazed vampire looked for all the world like a little girl having the most wonderful treat in her life.

"Master!" she cooed, "Come to see the pony?"

"Not me," Draken smiled.

Desiree sidled up to him, completely ignoring Susan. The redhead nuzzled into Draken as the High King stroked her hair, murmuring soft words into her ears. The female vampire giggled and stepped away blushing slightly.

"You love Princess don't you?" she beamed.

"I love all my consorts," Draken replied.

He shot Susan a significant look and she recoiled from the desire burning in them.

"Do you want to play with the pony?" Desiree held up the whip, a hopeful look on her face.

"Not playing," Draken gently pushed her hand down, "We are here to show our guest the star attraction in our dungeons."

"Guest?" Desiree was puzzled.

She saw Susan for the first time and instantly growled at her, her beautiful youthful face shifting into her vampiric visage.

"I don't like her!" Desiree hissed, "She hurt me!"

"And you hurt her," Draken said indulgently, "So be nice."

"She burned me!" Desiree sulked, her face shifting back into her human one.

"Desiree…"

There was note of warning in his voice and the redhead instantly reacted, letting out a frustrated sigh.

"Fine," she threw her arms quickly around Susan, "I forgive you."

She looked expectantly at Susan and Draken poked the queen in the arm with sharp nail.

"I… I forgive you," Susan gritted out slowly.

Desiree laughed and clapped her hands.

"Yay! Let's be friends!" she cheered, "Then we can have tea parties with all of our friends here. Mrs. Winston loves to chat."

The vampire pointed at an emaciated woman who looked at Susan with pleading eyes, eyes that begged her to end her misery in any way possible.

Susan shuddered, now completely unnerved by the redhead vampire.

"Leave us," Draken commanded.

Desiree sighed but nodded and hurried off, skipping away as she hummed a disjointed tune.

"Desiree's a lovely child isn't she?" Draken asked as though talking about an innocent child, "She has a lovely nature."

"She's also psychotic," Susan growled back.

Draken smiled at her, his eyes flashing gold and red as Susan gulped but refused to look away.

"Aren't we all?" Draken smirked.

The vampire lord grabbed her arm and dragged her towards the cage Desiree had just stepped out of.

"Would you like to see the pony?" Draken asked.

"Not really," Susan said honesty.

Draken sent him a sadistic smile, an anticipatory grin that revelled in the misery to come.

"Oh, I think you'll want to see this."

He flung the iron-barred door open.

"I, High King of the Western Castle and the Land of Darkness would like to introduce you to…"

A ragged bundle of rags and thin limbs were huddled in the corner of the cell, raw bleeding wounds ripped across his back. Susan threw a hand over her mouth, repulsed by what she was seeing.

How could anyone treat a human like this? This poor man had been starved and tortured and for what? The sadistic joy of a crazed vampire?

Hatred boiled up inside of her as Susan took another step forwards, every instinct in her body telling her to comfort this poor…

She froze as the prisoner shifted and a dirty clump of blonde hair glowed dully in the flickering torchlight.

Bile and vomit instantly rose in her throat as Susan fought to keep herself from being sick.

"No. No. No…" Susan stumbled backwards but Draken grabbed onto her, forcing her to look.

Her dreams… dark place… chains… it was all about this.

Tears, hot tears spilled everywhere, blinding her, choking her. She wanted to scream but was afraid if she opened her mouth she'll be sick.

"… the High King of Narnia, his Majesty King Peter the Magnificent!" Draken finished with a sick, twisted smile.

"Peter…" Susan managed to choke out.

She fell to her knees, her heart ripping into bloody shreds inside her chest. Her mind was in denial trying to push the sickening image away.

The emaciated figure, a far cry from the brave caring brother she had always known looked up, his eyes feverish.

There wasn't a patch of his skin that wasn't scarred or bleeding.

Peter Pevensie looked at his sister, wondering if the fever burning through him was causing him to be delusional.

"Su?"

AAAAAA

CLIFFHANGER!!

Author notes: for all those people who were wondering who Pony was... here's your answer!!

Ahem, now onto some of the stuff brought up in reviews.

5HourOpera, I don't hate you nor am I annoyed at you. You were being honest in your review and that's good because it forced to evaluate what I had done so far in this world and I rewrote sections about it because I realised some of what you said was valid. So honestly you don't need to apologise but if it'll help I accept your apology. Please stick around because the companions are going to show you why you should never mess with them.

Yes, the vampires are pure Bram Stoker but hey, I love the classics! Hope you are enjoying them as much I enjoy writing them!


	15. The plan in motion

Since I'm completely evil: I WILL NOT UPDATE UNLESS I HAVE 15 NEW REVIEWS (which is that big of a stretch since I'm gettg like 12 on average...) SO REVIEW!!

Disclaimer: You wanna sue? Go ahead, all you'll get is my debts...

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 15: The plan in motion**

Zaru was unique amongst his kind. All leopards had senses far superior to any human but Zaru's senses were legendary amongst his brethren. His sight was like that of a raptor's sensitive to the slightest hint of movement and colour in night and day, his hearing could pick up a leaf falling to the ground metres away and his taste… well why did you think he enjoyed food so much?

But it was his smell that really set him apart. It was as delicate and receptive as a bloodhound's, able to pick a scent and follow it even in the busiest of cities where there was a kaleidoscope of other odours that confused the trail.

He also had one other unique talent, using his scent he could sense other people's and beast's emotions. Not everyone was aware of the fact that their emotions had smells: sorrow was acrid and bitter, happiness was overpoweringly sweet... no matter the emotion Zaru could pick them all out.

Elias had happily theorised for hours about this talent, talking about pheromone detection… whatever that was. Zaru shrugged as he took another deep breath.

His senses told him one thing. Fear was everywhere in this village. It hung like an invisible cloud of black smoke, its stench like that of a rotting carcass.

He almost choked on it but he had learnt long ago how to control his hypersensitive nose, learnt how to shunt odours aside.

But it still made his furry skin crawl as he and his companions neared the centre of the village, the putrid reek of fear just got stronger and stronger.

AAAAAA

"I'm cold," Inara muttered, arranging her dress around her.

Victoria had helped the girl dressed, deliberately tightening it and shortening it in places. Needless to say Inara was little uncomfortable with her current outfit and the way men seemed to leer at her with every step.

"Relax, you look fine," Elias soothed.

The professor was dressed in formal clothing completed with a gold pocket watch hanging from its chain. To Inara, the clothing in this world looked very Victorian, bonnets and hats a part of every outfit.

"I look like a…" Inara stopped and faked a smile as a shifty looking man ambled past, taking his hat off at her.

"Just remember…" Elias warned her softly as they neared the mayor's house.

It was a squat stone building with nothing particularly impressive about it but compared to the other ruinous huts that made up the village, it was a palace.

"Play the part," the professor finished.

"I didn't exactly take 'Introduction to Street-walking'," Inara snapped.

"Just be as… uhhh… flighty as you can," Elias blushed slightly as he scrambled for the right words.

Inara had to smirk at his discomfort. Squaring her shoulders, she got ready for their mission.

"Alright," her eyes flicked up to the roof of a nearby hut.

A flash of gold fur told her Zaru was in place, watching them and ready to help if everything went south.

"Ready sugar daddy?"

Elias flushed again but shook his head well used to Inara's habits by now. He nodded briskly and knocked on the front door.

It swung open immediately revealing an old and very ugly maid.

"What do you want?" she demanded rudely.

"We're here to see the Mayor," Elias said calmly.

"He's out," the maid tried to slam the door shut on them but Elias stopped her by digging into his pocket and pulling out a gold coin.

"Really?" he said mildly, "Would you like to check?"

The maid snatched the coin off him with lightning speed and bit down on it, checking its authenticity. Elias shuddered as she drooled slightly on the coin but remained silent.

"This way," the maid turned around and walked into the house as the two of them followed her quickly.

The old woman led them into a parlour.

"I'll get him," she announced imperiously.

The maid disappeared as Elias and Inara smiled at each other triumphantly. The first part of the plan was done and finished without a hitch. Now for the second part…

The mayor waddled into the room, his potbelly straining the velvet shirt he wore. Food-stains dotted his cheek, his pig-like eyes sweeping the room greedily. They immediately narrowed in on Inara and he licked his lips.

Elias was a honourable man and had to resist the urge to say something or hit him as the Mayor continued to view Inara like a piece of meat on offer.

Inara stared at the man with obvious dislike but she had a job to do. Shoving down her revulsion, she quickly pasted a vacant smile came on her face.

"Oh, darling," she turned to Elias, batting her eyebrows, "The Mayor is as great as all the tales we heard!"

Hearing this, the porky man drew himself to his full unimpressive height and swaggered into the room.

"How may I be of service, my lady?" he boomed.

Inara managed to clumsy curtsey, he instantly snatched up her arm and placed his oily lips against her fingers in greeting. Inara kept her smile on her face as Elias looked at her sympathetically.

"Welcome to my humble abode, madam," he glanced at Elias, "And sir."

The mayor stepped back, an oily grin on his face.

"How may I be of service?" he repeated.

"We come to… do business," Elias hedged.

"And what are you after?" the mayor said silkily.

"Protection," Elias said bluntly, "We hear you have… manda…"

The mayor cut him off with a sweep of his hand.

"I am delighted to do business with you but everything comes at a price," he warned.

Elias replied by pulling out a pouch of jingling coins. The mayor's eyes widened and a small pig-like squeal escaped his lips.

"Oh please," Inara jumped in.

She giggled and played with her hair.

"I would be every so grateful," she added peering at him from under her lashes. She also deliberately stepped on the back of her dress and rocked backwards slightly making the cloth hug tightly around her chest. Inara grumbled internally but continued to smile at him, all coy and admiring.

The mayor flushed and he rubbed his hands together. Inara inwardly shuddered at the greedy look he shot at her girly parts. Her hands twitched as she longed to wrap her fingers around his stumpy neck.

"I would be glad to do business with you," the mayor glanced around furtively with ridiculous seriousness as if he expected the vampires to be at the window, "Come."

He led them to a cellar, unlocking an almost unbelievable amount of doors on the way. Finally he stopped in front of a large wooden chest set against one of the walls.

"This is my prized possession," the mayor said.

Inara realised she was meant to be impressed and let out a quick laugh. The mayor swelled out his chest looking even more ridiculous than normal.

The mayor unlocked it and flipped it open. Inside gleaming in the torchlight was a treasure trove of metal and woodcarvings, each etched into the circle and cross shape of a mandala.

"Collected over a lifetime. This will protect you from the vampires," the mayor stood up and picked out a small battered bronze one, "This for your purse."

"But it's so small!" Elias blustered, outraged.

The mayor chuckled nastily.

"Fine, find another buyer," he moved to throw the mandala back into the chest.

"Stop!" Inara turned to Elias, "Come on honey. Let's just get this one. The nice mayor is being really generous…"

She turned and winked at him.

"Aren't you?"

The mayor's reply grin made Inara's skin crawl. Elias sighed and nodded.

"But not the bronze… it doesn't suit my colours," Inara smiled apologetically at him, "Perhaps a silver one?"

"Anything for you madam," the mayor turned around.

Inara instantly lunged forwards grabbing onto his sweaty fat neck and ramming him headfirst into the wall. The mayor let out a squeal of pain and Inara rammed him again. He went limp in her hands and with some effort she pushed him aside. He fell, his fat slapping against the stone as he hit the ground.

"Ewww… man sweat!" Inara moaned, rubbing her hands hurriedly against her dress.

"Quickly," Elias urged, "We've got to go!"

Inara knelt and tried to pick up the chest but it was too heavy. Grunting, she managed to raise it an inch but Elias stepped in, helping her to heft the thing. Inara opened her mouth to protest but stopped knowing she needed the help. Scowling she shut her mouth. Between them they just managed it.

"Lucky he didn't lock the doors behind him," Elias grinned, sweating slightly.

Inara smiled back and they quickly ran for the doors, carrying the chest between them. They managed to make it all the way back into the parlour before they were spotted.

"HEY! STOP!" the old maid screeched appearing from a door, "THIEVES!! THIEVES!!"

There were bellows of fury and the mayor's cronies burst into the hallway as they charged at them.

Inara dropped the chest causing Elias to almost fall over.

"INARA! NO!" the scientist barked frustrated, "NOW'S NOT THE TIME!!"

Inara ignored him as she ploughed into the men, kicking and punching them aside. One man managed to get her into a headlock but she bucked him off before throwing a quick jab into his face, knocking him down.

"Oh you stupid…" Elias reached into his pocket, one hand digging around in his pocket. With a cry of triumph, he managed to pull out a small clay ball. He threw it into the crowd.

The ceramic ball hit the ground and the hard clay broke unleashing a thick wave of choking smoke that flooded the house. The grunts instantly fell back, crying out in confusion as Inara stumbled backwards.

"What the hell was that?" Inara demanded, "I was fighting them!"

"We don't have time for you little bloodlusts," Elias snapped, "We've got to get out of here remember?"  
"I could've taken them all on!" Inara growled back.

"We don't have the time!" Elias grabbed the chest once more, "Let's move!!"

Inara scowled but obeyed grabbing onto the chest. She and Elias burst through the front doors just as a black carriage pulled up. The door flung open and Victoria was there, her arms outstretched.

"MOVE!" she bellowed.

They slung the chest into the carriage and hurriedly leapt in. Tumnus, the driver, cracked his whips and wheeled the horses around. With a yell, he snapped the whip again and the horses plunged forwards wildly, stampeding through the village.

Zaru leapt from the rooftop, landing elegantly on the carriage's rocking top as they made their grand escape, shooting past the village gates and disappearing into the wilderness before the smoke had even cleared. The cronies finally made it out of the house but they were long gone, making off with their loot.

Inside the carriage, Elias smiled at the two women, his hair wild but an exulted look on his face. Inara looked at her wearily, gasping for breath.

Adrenaline pumped through him as the professor pumped the air in triumph. His smoke orbs had worked!

"That went well!" he crowed, "Now to rescue Susan!!"

AAAAAA

Susan tore the hem of her dress and dipped it into the small bowl of water. Gently she began bathing Peter's feverish face.

"Su… get out of here…" Peter murmured weakly, "They'll… they'll…"

His body seized up as whatever horrors had been visited on him seeped into his mind. Susan looked at the wounds on his skeletal body and felt sick.

She was a minor healer at best, her knowledge a mix of remembered lesson from Narnia and new skills picked up in Jin ShiZi but even a novice could see most of his wounds were badly infected.

She gently cleaned an oozing sore on his face and Peter flinched.

"Quiet," Susan hissed fiercely, "Just rest."

Peter let out a low moan as he tried to speak but his eyes fluttered shut. Susan was terrified to feel the heat coming off him as a powerful fever wracked his broken body.

Broken bones, infection, internal damage, burns, cuts… he seemed to have everything.

Horrible images unfurled in her head, flashes of her other siblings and Caspian in similar conditions.

Oh Aslan….

_Lucy._

Susan shoved the revolting idea aside, unable to deal with the idea of her little sister being tortured like this.

"Su…"

"What did I say?" Susan asked half-exasperated, "Peter! Rest! Stop being so stubborn!"

"What are you doing here?" Peter asked wearily, his eyes still closed.

Frustrated, Susan took in a sharp breath and instantly regretted it as she caught the scent of pus and burnt flesh. Susan gently dipped a trembling finger into the water and wet Peter's lips with it.

He murmured something quietly as Susan gave him a little more water.

"Why are you…"

"Aslan sent me," Susan said quietly, "To rescue you."

She smiled wryly as she looked around the prison cell, she was as much a prisoner as he was. Peter managed to smile as well.

"Not much of a rescue attempt, Su…"

He coughed violently, his chest heaving as he fought for breath. Susan hurriedly turned him over to his side as he threw up a mess of blood and other things she really didn't want to dwell on.

He retched, his whole body convulsing before he finally stilled.

"Oh Peter… what did they do to you?" Susan begged.

"Aslan sent you?" Peter asked instead, his voice raspy.

Susan wanted to bang her head against the wall. She loved her brother, she really did but sometimes his stubbornness and one-tracked mind made her want to do things that didn't seat well with her title as the Gentle Queen.

She sighed knowing that he would not rest until he had an answer. She gently brushed his dirty hair away from his face and returned to washing as much blood and muck off as possible.

The other wounds on his body would have to wait. She didn't have the materials to clean away the infection or stitch up the larger gashes and his back, marred with so many whip marks…

Susan shuddered trying to imagine the agony he must be in and failed. She had looked at his back before and the site of so much raw flesh and exposed nerves… she was infinitely glad she hadn't eaten anything in a long, long time.

"Aslan sent me," Susan said softly, "He pulled me from our world and into the Wood between the Worlds… do you remember from Professor Kirke's tales?"

Peter nodded slowly, wincing with each movement.

"Stop it," Susan scolded lightly.

She took a deep breath.

"Aslan called me to that place and I learnt about what is happening…" she blinked back tears, "Peter… Narnia's in trouble. And not just Narnia, there are so many worlds and each one is under attack by a Great Darkness that has spread across them all."

As she spoke, memories flooded into her head. Shift on top of his pyramid killing innocent women and Hu… a sob rose in her throat as she remembered his final moments, sacrificing himself to destroy the darkness inside of him.

"And I have to destroy them all in every world they're in before I… we can go back and save Narnia," Susan smiled wryly, "Also I have to rescue the people stupid enough to get kidnapped."

Peter managed a choking splutter of laughter but his feverish eyes were still closed. Susan internally debated telling him that the rest of their family and Caspian and Aslan were also in danger. One glance at his stricken form answered that question for her.

If she did tell him that everyone else was in danger, Aslan Himself would not be able to stop the stubborn High King from trying to get up and immediately mount a rescue on his own.

Peter mumbled something. Susan leaned in concerned.

"What?" she asked.

"He sent you alone?" Peter demanded, anger in his voice, "He sent you into danger alone?!"

"No, I have companions… friends," Susan smiled, "And they're the ones that are going to save us."

Her voice was strong with conviction. She knew they would come for her. Zaru with his fierce loyalty and protectiveness, Elias with his intelligence and thoroughness, Inara with her stubbornness and fire, Jason with his courage and ruthlessness… Susan knew she was in safe hands. But the friction that had come between them all…

She stopped herself.

"Don't worry," Susan whispered to her brother, "Help will come."

Slowly she began stroking his hair and a distant memory came to her of their mother chasing their nightmares away with a song. Softly, very, very softly, Susan began to sing that childhood lullaby, love flowing through her as she lulled her brother into a restful sleep.

AAAAAA

"Why didn't you wait for me?" Jason snarled.

"We got the job done didn't we?" Inara asked stung, "We couldn't help if you heal slow!"

Jason glared at her and opened his mouth.

"Look, it's done. Can we just move on?" Elias cut.

"Nobody asked you," Jason gritted out, "Shouldn't you be reading a book or something?"

Elias leapt to his feet, sparks flying from his eyes. The Seeker glared up at him,

"Shouldn't you stop being a jack…"  
"ENOUGH!!" Zaru roared.

Everyone stared at the leopard in surprise.

"Susan is in danger!" the cat growled, "Remember the blood-thirsty, murderous vampires?! How about we focus on saving our friend!"

Jason opened his mouth to argue but Zaru cut him off with a snarl.

"You need to apologise to Doc," he snarled, "You're feeling guilty because you don't know how to apologise so you're just lashing out."

Before the stunned Seeker could speak, Zaru whirled on Elias.

"You need to accept that he didn't mean his words. I mean the poor man spent days burying dead bodies. He was stressed and strung out and he didn't mean it! Let it go already!" Zaru yowled.

He turned finally to Inara who drew herself to her full height but Zaru cut her off with a growl.

"I don't care what emotional damage you suffered but you need to get it into your head that you're just a girl and not some godly immortal she-warrior!" Zaru growled.

He glared at all of them.

"We need to get along and play nicely because Susan can die if we don't get our act together!" Zaru roared, "So are we done being children?"

Everyone nodded. Zaru sniffed at them and slinked off grumbling under his breath as the other three stared at each other.

"Okay, let's do this," Inara said quietly.

"Are you sure about this?" Tumnus said nervously, having said nothing during their fight, "I mean the last time you fought the vampires, it didn't turn out that well."

"We've got the advantage," Jason snapped, "They won't be expecting this."

Victoria was hard at work, threat and needle in hand.

"You'll be finished before dawn?" Elias asked.

The blonde-haired woman nodded not even looking up as she continued to work.

"Even if I have to stay up all night," she promised fiercely.

Elias nodded and turned to the others.  
"So it's settled then…" he took a deep breath, "This time tomorrow night… we attack."

And everyone nodded grimly in response.

AAAAAA

Susan stood in the centre of the grand ballroom, her body stiff. Just an hour before Charlotte had dragged her away from her brother. She'd been forced into a formal gown and herded into this immense decadent chamber complete with a crystal chandelier dangling from the ceiling.

The three vampire sisters hung by the walls, Desiree clapping in delight, mesmerised by the chandelier. Shivonne was her usual cold blank self but Charlotte's beautiful face was full of loathing and venom, her eyes drilling into Susan's head.

The door swung open and Draken swept into the room, dressed in velvet and leather.

"Hello my dear," his voice cut through the air like a knife.

The sisters immediately dropped into a bow but Susan remained standing, quivering as the High King's voice slithered into her, fill with dark want and desire.

Charlotte's fury seemed to intensify, her anger rolling off her like flames as Draken walked calmly towards Susan.

"Shivonne," the vampire called out.

The blonde vampire immediately moved to one corner of the room where a harp sat. She elegantly placed herself before it and began to play, her long nails strumming the strings with fluid ease.

Music soared high up into the ceiling of the chamber, filling the whole room with its melody.

"Dance with me," Draken's eyes bore into her own, "My queen."

Dark power leapt from him and into her, choking her and seizing control. Against her will, Susan raised her hands and Draken clasped them.  
Under the hateful gaze of Charlotte, the two swept through the room, Draken leading her in a waltz.

"Are you going to make me one of your vampires?" Susan demanded in a voice that buckled under the weight of her fear.

Draken's smile was filled with male arrogance.

"Only when you beg for it," he whispered in her ear, "And that day will come soon."

He twirled her around and dipped her back as he lay across her, chest to chest, his lips ever so close to her neck.

"But until then…"

She felt his fanged smile against her skin.

"I'm going to enjoy the chase."

He straightened pulling her up as the music quickened. Draken danced like the devil, his cape whirling madly around him as he led her in a wild dance, spinning all across the dance floor as Charlotte stewed in the corner.

Susan shut her eyes and tried to stop her moving feet but Draken's strength and power was much too strong.

Susan was completely held helpless as she and the vampire danced through the night.

AAAAAA

They rode from daybreak to sunset, pushing the horses hard through the treacherous path to the Western Castle. They forded fast flowing rivers and navigated narrow ravines before picking their way through bramble-laden forests.

On the way they passed patch of woods that looked like it had been hit by a storm, charred wood littering the forest floor. But finally with the sun dying a slow death in the west staining the sky red and purple, they reached the edges of the castle grounds.

"This is it?" Jason asked bringing his exhausted horse to a halt.

Tumnus nodded, his face grey as he shook in his saddle.

"Yes," he managed to whisper finally.

"Where's this hidden entrance?" Zaru demanded.

Even though he'd been running for a whole day, the leopard felt no exhaustion. His queen was in danger, rest would just have to wait until all of her enemies were dead. Tumnus pulled a battered book from his saddlebag and quickly consulted it in the twilight. Finally, he pointed roughly towards northwest.

"Half a mile from here you'll see a small river," he explained, "There's a bridge, just under that bridge half-submerged in the water is your entrance."

Jason nodded.

"Good," he turned to Elias, "You know your role in all this?"

The professor nodded. The stress of their situation seemed to have dissolved a little of the tension between them.

"Give you an hour to get into position then starting creating a bang," he smiled crookedly, "Then get the hell out of here before the vampires come and investigate."

Jason grinned savagely back.

"Alright, Kitty and Girlie," he pointed at Zaru and Inara, "You're with me. We have one chance at this. If we fail Draken will probably hunt us down and kill us all viciously… so no screw-ups. Understood?"

The two nodded gravely and hurried off as Jason turned back to Tumnus and Elias.

"Remember, an hour. Go back to the clearing and check everything is still in place," the Seeker looked at all of his companions as though memorising their faces carefully, engraving them into his memory in case they never saw each other again.

"Tumnus. Go and get set up," Elias commanded.

Tumnus nodded and rode off leaving Elias and Jason all alone. Jason stiffened expecting another fight since that was all they did nowadays fight. Elias suddenly took a step forwards.

"I just wanted to say… since the chances of one of us dying is astronomically high and I really don't want this over my head…" Elias sighed, "I forgive you. I know what you said back then was born out of stress and frustration and… I'm sorry for the way I acted towards you. I… we are the oldest members of our little group and yet we've acted like children. I'm ashamed of that. So… I'm sorry."

Jason stared at the scientist and Elias looked back at him earnestly. Jason opened his mouth but stopped.

"I… I'll see you later."

The Seeker wheeled his horse towards northwest and disappeared as Elias chuckled and laughed ruefully, feeling a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"I'll see you later too," he promised.

And with that he galloped away as the countdown began.

AAAAAA

Susan sat alone in her locked chamber, watching as the sun set with fearful eyes. Behind her sat the unslept bed. She had tried to sleep so many times during the day, knowing she had to build her reserves up for the night when Draken tormented her in his every waking moment. But every time she closed her eyes he was there.

She shuddered remembering the feel of his cold hands on her warm skin, the feel of his fangs just nipping at the tender skin of her neck. His voice slithered in her mind, rich and heavy, trying to bend her will but still she resisted, clinging onto the hope that her friends would come.

Susan rose to her feet and began pacing the room, her nerves building as she imagined what bizarre courtship Draken would visit on her. His powers were like a delicious dark liquor, blundering her senses as thoughts of giving herself to him began to seep into the very edges of her mind.

She shook herself and quickly pictured the three vampire sisters. Did she really want to end up like them?

Inevitably the thought of siblings brought her to Peter. Her throat closed tight as the nightmarish image of his broken, tortured body flashed in her thoughts.

"I have to get out of here," she whispered to herself.

Peter was going to die unless they rescued him and soon.

The door swung open and as always Charlotte swept into the room, jealousy and envy in every movement and glance.

"The Master will see you now," she said in a clipped voice that quivered with rage, "He will dine with you."

Susan narrowed her eyes but Charlotte glared at her. Instantly paralysis gripped her body as the vampire's hypnotic gaze burned deep into her.

"You will go… NOW," Charlotte hissed.

She turned and her fist pulled at the air. An invisible rope tugged at Susan's body forcing her to move. Like a marionette, Susan was forced step by step towards Draken's chambers.

AAAAAA

The three of them were silent as they crawled through the slimy tunnel. Slowly the cramp passage opened up wider and higher until they could walk with ease through the dingy warren.

Zaru led the way, his keen eyesight easily discerning obstacles in the darkness. Jason and Inara stumbled along in his lithe wake.

The going was noisy, gravel crunching underfoot with each step but slowly the sound faded in frequency until they were walking in utter silence.

"Paved," Jason grunted referring to the ground, "Must be going the right way."

But Zaru's eyes were studying the walls.

"Look," the leopard urged quietly.

Confused, the two humans looked and felt at the walls. Inara frowned as her fingers met with the same pattern over and over again.

"What on…"

She realised the truth and let out a small gasp of surprise. No wonder the vampires couldn't find this place, someone had carved mandalas deep into the stone, the cross and circle pattern covering every square inch of the wall in all directions.

"Whoa," she whispered awed.

But Zaru had already lost interest. The leopard loped ahead, claws clacking against the stone.

"This way," he urged.

The leopard led them to a dead end, the tunnel finishing with a blank wall that stood obstinately in their way.

"Uhhh…" Inara glanced at her comrades, "Yay?"

"Stand back," Jason commanded.

Zaru and Inara quickly backed up as Jason held out both his hands, closing his eyes as a look of fierce concentration crossed his face. Nothing happened as Jason's arms began to tremble.

Slowly the very stones in the wall began to shake as Jason grunted, his powers slamming into the wall forcing it to move. With a cry he seemed to push at the air itself and the wall gave one massive shudder. There was a piercing screech as stone grinded on stone and finally the wall slid into some unseen recess and they were in.

Instantly Zaru was at the newly opened doorway, the inside of the Western Castle just beyond the threshold. His senses swept the corridor making sure they hadn't been spotted.

"Alright, let's do this," Inara smiled, anticipating a good fight.

The power inside of her seemed to quiver with excitement as well, eager to throw itself into battle once more. And she was eager to prove herself, to show them all just how powerful she was, how indestructible she had become.

"Anything with fangs…"

Zaru coughed.

"… that's not Zaru we kill," Inara finished without missing a beat.

"Now we just have to wait for…" Jason began nodding.  
"BOOM!!"

The whole castle shook and the plan was in motion. Zaru's smile was pure teeth and adrenaline.

"Good… right on time!"

With a growl, he burst out of the passageway and into the castle.

AAAAAA

Draken swirled the rich red liquid around in his glass, the intimate light from the candles bouncing off the rim.

"So my dear," his eyes glittered with amusement, "Did you sleep well?"

Pinned to her chair by the dark power of the vampiric High King, Susan only managed a glare. The High King leered at her as he sipped at his wine. It took Susan a few seconds to realise the rich ruby drink was actually blood.

She retched. Draken laughed and raised his glass to her in a toast.

"Don't worry," he mocked, "One day you'll come to love this."

Carefully he put his goblet down.

"Actually, the reason I wanted to talk to you tonight was to make you an offer…"

That more than anything made Susan's heart turn cold. She tried to hold her nerve but under Draken's intense gaze she began to crumble.

"I will trade you…" Draken's smile seemed to anticipate her shock and horror, "Your brother…"

Her jaws instantly dropped as a maelstrom broke free in her mind. Draken's eyes devoured her as she struggled to remain calm, to block out her thoughts and listen to his words.

"For you. I will let your brother go if you remain here and become my queen," Draken whispered, his voice filled with domineering want.

He leaned back in his chair with a victorious smirk as Susan mentally reeled trying to make sense of what was happening. She had been preparing herself for another barrage of his dark powers, for more attempts at seduction but this…

Peter's fevered face flashed in her mind and she had her answer. She closed her eyes and mastered herself carefully.

'_I'm sorry,' _she said silently to her friends and family.

She should've been frightened or hesitant but she had never been surer in her life. Her brother's life was at stake… what else could she do?

She straightened in her chair and steeled herself. Draken's smile grew wider as she opened her mouth.

Susan looked him square in the eye and gave him her answer.

"I…"  
"BOOM!!"

Fire flared in the darkness of the castle grounds and the whole building shook. There was a split second of utter calm then a second explosion rocked the castle. Draken instantly sprang to his feet with a curse, looking around wildly.

Susan blinked confused but a wild hope suddenly sprung inside of her. She rose to her feet but Draken was already gone, sweeping out of the room.

He pointed at the door behind him and it slammed shut. Gesturing, the heavy iron key turned in the lock and with a loud click the doors were sealed shut.

"Don't worry my queen," the vampire snarled, furious, "I'll deal with these peasants and you and I shall be together!"

He pocketed the key and swept down the corridor heading towards the highest tower of his castle ready to strike his enemies down.

AAAAAA

Elias and Tumnus stood on a rocky outcrop facing the Western Castle directly. Elias raised the heavy crossbow, modified to shoot his ceramic explosive orbs and took careful aim.

"Amazing!" Tumnus gasped, gaping at the damage two of the orbs had already caused.

The immense walls surrounding the castle had already been torn asunder leaving the castle exposed to attack.

"The vampires didn't take care of their castle properly," Elias grunted, "The mortar must be crumbling. There's no other way for these things to cause so much damage."

He fired again and the deceptively unimpressive-looking orb sailed through the air. It hit the side of the castle's eastern wing, the ceramic shattering against the hard stone.

The volatile chemicals inside were instantly released, they had been specifically created by Elias after much dabbling and experimentation and they worked to perfection, the chemicals immediately reacted to the air itself with deadly results.

"BOOM!!"

Fire blasted the walls apart tearing off a huge chunk of stone. A flaming avalanche was born crashing to the ground with earth-shuddering results as Elias smiled in satisfaction.

Inside he rejoiced. His research had paid off. He was using his intelligence and skills for the betterment of others not destruction.

For the first time in a very long time, Elias began to feel comfortable about his own abilities and stopped questioning the things that had happened in the Temple.

What happened hadn't been his fault. It had been the monsters. His creations were not evil, it was merely the wielders that made that choice.

"I think that's enough of a distraction don't you think?" Elias asked Tumnus grinning.

Tumnus stared at him in amazement.

"Why don't you just shoot the whole castle down now?" he asked excitedly.

"Because I might kill Susan," Elias replied shortly, slinging his crossbow over his shoulder, "Come on! We need to get to the rendezvous point!"

The two men instantly mounted their horse and thundered off as inside the castle the raid began.

AAAAAA

Zaru stiffened as he finally picked up Susan's scent. It was fresh and strong meaning it was recent, less than an hour old.

"This way!" he growled.

He rounded the corner sprinting as fast as he could as Jason and Inara fought to catch up.

"STOP!"

They whirled around and Charlotte was there, the black-haired vampire practically spitting in fury.

"HOW DARE YOU ENTER OUR DOMAIN!" the vampire raged, "YOU FILTHY MAGGOTS! I'll destroy you!!"

"GO!" Jason barked at them, pulling out both his daggers, "GO!!"

Inara and Zaru ran off with no hesitation leaving the Seeker to fight against the vampire. Charlotte chuckled and shrugged off her cloak revealing her short silken skirts beneath.

"Oh, you silly man," she chuckled.

Her face instantly melted into its vampiric countenance, fangs and golden eyes on display.

"You have no idea how much I want violence," she hissed.

Jason didn't even bother answering her as Charlotte's eyes widened glaring straight at him. The Seeker felt her power surged forwards and into him trying to block off his nerves and freeze his muscles but his own power welled up inside of him forming an impenetrable barrier.

With ease he deflected her paralysing gaze away. Charlotte staggered backwards slightly as if struck by a physical blow.

She gaped at him.

Jason smiled coolly.

"You're not the only one with powers…" he raised his daggers dangerously, "Slattern."

Charlotte howled and leapt straight at him, claws outstretched.

AAAAAA

"Oh, I was hoping for this," Inara grinned.

Shivonne stood in their way, her eyes studying them coolly. Zaru growled, hackles raised and ready to pounce. He was furious, Susan was very near, her scent getting stronger and stronger with each step. Inara glanced down at him, saw the rigid set of his body and made her choice.

"Oh no Kitty," Inara stopped him with a hand on his head, "This is my fight. You get Queenie."

"Are you sure?" Zaru snapped.

Inara smiled and unsheathed her sword from across her back. It was a gleaming blade of the finest Jin ShiZi steel, forged by the warrior monks of the Temple to serve one purpose only: destroy its enemies.

Shivonne didn't even blink as Inara raised her blade with practised precision aiming it straight at the vampire.

"Go get Queenie," she repeated slowly.

Zaru nodded and as one they both surged forwards. Shivonne slipped into her vampire face as she lashed out trying to stop them both but Inara was there, blocking her arms and forcing her back with a deadly slash.

Zaru weaved between the two fighters and disappeared off down the hallway as the vampire and warrior eyed each other coolly.

"I will kill you," Shivonne said quietly.

It was a statement said plain and simply with no anger or boast. Inara snorted.

"Please, you have any idea how many people have tried to?" she shot back, "And yet here I stand, still alive and oh so pretty."

Shivonne shifted into a fighter's stance but Inara remained as she was, closing her eyes and trying to bring her mind into a state of utter blankness as Da Long had taught her to do.

Fighting was more than just blows and blocks, it was using all your senses to study the flow of the battle, to identify the movements of your opponent and anticipate attacks before they were even launched.

Inara's breathing slowed as she concentrated. This wasn't an art she was particularly good at it and it took a great deal of effort to even begin to 'feel' the opponent but she was more than willing to try.

Instincts guided her movements as Shivonne darted forwards and Inara swept her blade down as the fight began.

AAAAAA

Zaru had made it but unbelievably one final obstacle stood in his way. Growling in frustration, he bunched up his muscles and sprung forwards, ramming himself into the door. He bounced off painfully, rising unsteadily to his feet.

"Your majesty!" he barked, "Can you hear me?!"

There was a short pause but then something hit the door from the other side.

"Zaru?!" Susan's muffled voice was amazed, "What's happening?"

"Rescue mission!" Zaru explained hurriedly, "Except this stupid door!"

He slammed into it again but it refused to give way. Susan began banging on the door trying to get his attention.

"Draken's got the key!" Susan yelled frantically through the wood, "You have to get if off him!"

Zaru wilted a little but quickly composed himself.

"Done!" he promised, "I'll be back! Hang in there!"

Putting his nose up to the air, he sniffed but the High King of the Vampires was easy to find. All he had to do was follow the overwhelming stench of death and crackling power.

Zaru instantly raced off, following his nose as he began to head towards the highest tower of the Western Castles.

AAAAAA

Draken mounted the final step to the tower and raised his hands. His powers surged forth instantly detecting two men riding through his forest.

Rage burned inside of him as he snarled in fury and threw his power up into the night sky. Instantly nature itself bent to his will as a strong wind wiped his cloak.

Storm clouds began to gather as Draken forced his powers to initiate the first spark of the storm.

Gritting his teeth, he directed his focus onto his victims and let his power flow causing the sky to rumble with thunder.

AAAAAA

All throughout the castle, it was vampires versus human in lethal duels to the death. There was no turning back.

The rescue mission had well and truly begun.

AAAAAA

**Authors notes:**

Now we begin the epic smackdown between vampires and the Chosen Five: should be fun!!

And to answer a few questions: Yes, there was a glimpse of the Great Darkness in the last chapter. The other champions are being kept in separate dimensions. And... uhh... I think that's it?

Just to explain Elias's flame/smoke orbs: they are small balls made of a hardened ceramic exterior and inside they contain a special combination of chemicals. Flame orbs, once they are launched and the outer shell is cracked, instantly explode. Smokes orbs only produce smokes. Just to clear things up a little!!

Oh well, enjoy the chapter!


	16. Monster fight

You now the drill! Will not update until I have 10 more reviews! Also, sorry but I'm going to be off for the next 2 weeks (sighs I'm going to placement for my uni studies), so in any case there won't be any updates for the next 2 weeks.

Also for the person who criticised me about me asking for reviews before I update, read the author's notes.

Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah

**Across the World**

**Chapter 16: Monster fight**

Jason stabbed forwards with his dagger but Charlotte twisted around the knife grabbing onto his arm. Instantly she recoiled, screaming in pain as she clutched at her burning and blistering hand.

"What the hell?!" she howled, clutching her injured hand to her chest.

Jason replied by pulling off his jacket. The vampire's eyes widened in horror at the sight of what was underneath.

Victoria had been hard at work for an entire night creating the thing Jason was wearing, that all of them were wearing. It was sleeved jerkin, the stolen mandalas stitched into place all along the fabric. Calmly he slipped on a pair of gloves, small mandalas adorning the palm. The whole outfit was armour and a weapon.

"How?" Charlotte gasped.

Jason flexed his arms, admiring the mandalas covering his body protecting him from the vampire's blows.

"So…" he grinned at the vampire, "How confident are you about winning?"

He thrust his hand at her and blasted her with his power. The vampire was sent flying, smacking into a suit of armour and crashing to the ground in a jumble of metal.

Charlotte rose unsteadily to her feet as Jason waited, sheathing one dagger and keep the other in hand. Growling, the vampire freed a long metal pike from the mess and hefted it up.

"I'LL GUT YOU!!" she screamed.

She charged forwards, stabbing out but Jason lightly sidestepped the lunge. As Charlotte sailed past Jason slapped his gloved hand onto her cheek, the mandala in his palm burning deep into her skin as she screamed.

The pike fell from her hands as Jason kicked her back. The Seeker was ruthless, forcing the vampire back as he landed blow after the blow, the mere presence of the mandalas sending the vampire's senses reeling.

He took a step back as Charlotte swayed on her feet, bleeding from multiple wounds. Jason calmly reached into his pocket and pulled out a small circular object.

"What are you…" Charlotte screamed as Jason's dagger flashed across her stomach cutting deep into her.

Before the vampire could react, Jason plunged his other hand deeper into her bleeding gut depositing the object within. Golden eyes bulging, Charlotte tottered backwards, clutching at her gut.

"What…"

A look of pure agony swept over her face as her flesh began to sizzle, smoke belching from the cut in her belly.

"Mandala," Jason said laconically, "In your gut."

Charlotte screamed and screamed, her nails digging into her stomach as she tried to pull the mandala out of her but her movements were clumsy as pain flooded her nerves sending her mind into a crazed freefall.

"NO! ARRGGGHHHH!!"

She slammed herself into the wall, completely confused, stumbling from side to side as her flesh continued to burn against the mandala.

Finally she slumped against the wall, black blood dripping from her mouth. Wearily she looked up, her face completely human as Jason stepped towards her.

Charlotte's eyes widened in terror as she raised her arm trying to fend the Seeker off.

"Please!" she begged, "I'll… I'll help you!! I don't want her around either! If you let me go, I promise I'll help you free her!"

Jason's face was a grim mask, completely unmoved by her suffering.

"Sorry," he said coldly, "I don't make deals with the devil."

"You…" she began gagging on her own blood.

Jason punched her straight in the face knocking her down and out. Charlotte hit the ground, her stomach still burning away.

Calmly Jason stepped over her body and continued down the hallway.

AAAAAA

Shivonne was an insane fighter, moving with blistering speed and punching with unbelievable strength. In the first few minutes of their duel, Inara had been on the defensive, her sword having been knocked out of her hands in the first few seconds of the insane assault.

She took a fist straight to the jaw and felt her teeth rattle inside her head. Inara lurched to the side, dazed. But the crazy thing was despite the pain she was in? She loved it! The thrill of the battle coursed through her as the power of the Chamber began to respond, secret gateways opening up inside of her as strength infused her muscles.

Shivonne kicked her in the chest and she went down but Inara rolled out of the way of a stomp before lashing out, sweeping the vampire to the ground.

Inara climbed rapidly to her feet and before Shivonne could get up, she kicked her straight in the face like she was booting a ball. The vampire's head snapped backwards, one of her fangs breaking off but still she showed no reaction as she rose to her feet.

Inara fired off a jab but Shivonne deflected and swung at her, an awesome blow that would've broken bone but Inara stepped right into her arm blocking its full power. Shivonne swung with her other arm but Inara ducked and fired off two punches hitting the vampire right in the kidneys. The blonde vampire grunted and threw a knee at her but Inara threw herself backwards, saving herself just in time.

"You're not moving as fast as you used to," Inara smirked, "Maybe it's…"

She pulled off her coat revealing her own mandala-laden jerkin.

"THIS!" the warrior smirked.

Shivonne merely blinked but Inara was on the attack. She threw a left hook catching Shivonne in the chin knocking the vampire to the side but a vicious backhand knocked the vampire back up again. With a cry, Inara clasped her hands together and clubbed Shivonne across the face.

The vampire swayed as Inara smiled but the vampire was far from finished. She recovered with amazing speed taking Inara by surprise as she began raining blows down on the girl.

Inara tried to block them but a couple of devastating blows get through. Inara took one in the chest and gut, reeling backwards and Shivonne's claws slashed forwards. Inara clumsily reeled backwards trying to avoid the blow but it caught her in the forehead slashing across her scalp. Immediately the wound began bleeding heavily, blood getting into her eyes as Inara tried to blink them away.

Half-blinded she made an easy target for the vampire. Shivonne hissed and powered forwards swinging again, talons at the ready. Inara ducked one before another caught her in the arm, the nails slicing right through the leather and into her arm.

"DAMN IT!" Inara roared in pain.

Wiping the blood from her eyes, Inara caught sight of a second slash. She grabbed Shivonne's wrist blocking the blow before body-slamming the vampire, the mandalas on her chest burning into Shivonne.

The vampire wilted under the assault and Inara went for her secret weapon. She grabbed the vampire's hair and swung her around, throwing her into the wall before reaching for something around her belt. It was a metal mandala, its edges sharpened to a gleaming point.

With a cry, she threw it. The mandala spun through the air before embedding itself into Shivonne's upper arm.

For the first time, the vampire visibly reacted screaming in pain as the small metal disc burned into her skin and flesh, searing her to the bone. Howling, she pulled it out and threw it to the ground but the damage was done.

The arm hung limp at her side, a huge mass of blackened and blistered flesh rendering it completely useless.

Inara winced as she touched the cut on her forehead, the blood still dripping down into her eyes.

Shivonne suddenly grinned at her and Inara blinked in surprise. With a yowl, the vampire pushed herself off from the wall and charged at her with blistering speed. Inara was too slow to get out of the way as the vampire reared and slammed an almighty kick straight into her.

With a cry, Inara was sent flying, crashing through a door and into the room on the other side as Shivonne leapt after her, cackling in glee.

AAAAAA

"BOOM!!"  
"MOVE!!"

Tumnus's horses just managed to leap out of the way as a massive lightning bolt lanced down from the skies, cleaving the ground with awesome force. Elias felt his hair stand on end as thunder boomed, deafening them both.

"What the…"

Tumnus was pale and sweating heavily.

"Draken! He… lightning… control…"

Elias's eyes widened in horror as the thunderclouds above suddenly lit up with brewing electricity.

"GO!" he screamed frantically.

The two of them urged the horses on in a mindless fear-ridden ride for dear life as Draken sent lighting bolt after lightning bolt at them, searing the earth and trees as the storm overhead built in strength and intensity.

Elias's eyes swept the dark forest, looking for refuge. Finally he spotted something up ahead.

"THERE!" he screamed.

He was pointing at a narrow crack into a nearby cliff face.

"GO!!" Elias bellowed.

He wheeled his horse around, thankful he had taken his riding lessons in the Temple seriously and shot straight for the small refuge. Tumnus followed almost falling off his horse as two equines ran for their lives, lightning bolts crashing down all around them.

"HURRY!" Elias urged.

His horse neared the cliff-face and Elias instantly threw himself off as a lightning bolt crashed down from the skies, the air itself burning under its intense power. He hit the ground just in time. His horse was instantly killed, thousands of volts of electricity tearing its body apart as Elias ran for the small narrow crevice. He dived inside, burrowing as far as he could into the fissure as Tumnus dismounted his horse and quickly dived in after him.

"Will this work?" he demanded, his breathing harsh.

"The stone should insulate us," Elias said, doubt in his voice.

Lightning slammed down onto the ground right in front of them and they both recoiled away but they were unharmed.

"I guess we wait out the storm here," Elias said quietly as outside the dark storm continued to rage.

AAAAAA

Zaru flew up the stairs, following his nose even as the air around him crackled and burned with strange malevolent force. Every instinct in him told him to run screaming in the opposite direction but the leopard pushed them all down as he literally threw himself up the last few stairs and reached the top tower.

Draken instantly whirled around and Zaru quailed at the insane look on the High King's face.

"Uhh… if you're busy…" the leopard began uncertainly.

"POW!"

Draken pointed at him and a bolt of lightning flew from his fingertips as Zaru threw himself to the side. The lighting seared the very end of his tail fur as Zaru yelped as his whole body convulsed. When the shock passed, he clambered to his feet, his body twitching violently.

Draken pointed both hands at him, lightning dancing along his fingertips. Zaru's eyes bulged and he did the only thing he could.

Run for his life.

The leopard literally threw himself down the stairs as Draken attacked again, unleashing a massive bolt of lightning that blew the stonework apart. Zaru hit the ground, gracefully rolling to his feet before sprinting down the hallway, the vampire in hot pursuit as the Western Castle shook with the power of his wrath.

AAAAAA

Shivonne was on top of her, pinning her down with her one good arm, nails biting into Inara. The warrior girl bucked upwards and the vampire reared back, screeching, the mandalas on Inara's jerkin burning into her.

Furiously, she grabbed at Inara's neck, her claws ripping into the jerkin's collar and she pulled. Threads gave way as the vampire bodily ripped the jerkin off her.

Inara cried out but reacted quickly grabbing the vampire's wrists before she could withdraw and forced the torn jerkin right into her face.

The mandalas slapped against her skin and instantly began burning her as Inara managed to get a foot in between them and kicked her off. The warrior rolled to her feet and glanced around quickly.

They were in a bedchamber, opulently decked out in velvet and crystals but Inara had no time to admire its beauty as Shivonne rose, her face blistered and blackened.

With a yell, she fired a punch straight into Inara's chest. The girl went flying through the air before landing on all things on the large velvet-laden bed.

"Owww…" Inara moaned trying to get up.

Shivonne leapt at her, nails outstretched as Inara hurriedly rolled to the side. Feathers went flying as talons tore into sheets and pillows.

"PILLOW FIGHT!!" Inara bellowed.

She smacked Shivonne straight in the face with a pillow, the blow knocking the vampire off the bed. Inara leapt right onto top of the vampire, throwing vicious blows right into her face.

"BAM!"

With a final vicious right hook, the vampire went limp. Gasping for breath, Inara rose to her feet.

"Yeah," she growled at Shivonne, "Take that."

She turned to move away. Suddenly Shivonne's hand shot out grabbing onto her ankles.

Inara yelped as the vampire yanked her to the ground.

She had been tricked.

"Idiot," the vampire hissed, "You think you're so strong but at the end of the day? You're nothing?"

Inara cried out and tried to fight back but Shivonne was much too strong breaking Inara's defences and wrapping her fingers around the girls' throat. Inara's eyes bulged and Shivonne twisted, slamming her into the ground.

The position from before was now reversed, Shivonne now on top, pinning and suffocating the girl. Slowly the vampire rose to her feet, dragging Inara up with her.

Inara punched and grappled at the iron-hard grip around her throat, her face turning red as Shivonne smiled coolly in victory raising Inara above her head with one hand.

"Argh!"

Shivonne slammed Inara into the wall. Blackness clawed at Inara's vision as her head spun deprived of oxygen. Again she was slammed into the hard stone, bone and organs crunching against the rock.

Desperately she flailed her arms scrabbling for a weapon, anything to help her. Flames seared her fingers and she screamed, looking at what she had touched.

It was a flaming torch thrust through an iron bracket in the wall, its fire illuminating the room. Shivonne reared back and slammed her into the wall again as Inara fought against the draining pain and the darkness threatening to overwhelm her, straining for the torch.

The very tips of her fingers wrapped around the rough wood but she could grab it. Shivonne roared in victory as she dragged Inara to her and placed her fangs against the vampire's neck.

Inara froze knowing she was about to die. All the bravado and arrogance in her was gone replaced with the sudden clear knowledge she was destructible after all.

She wasn't Inara invincible warrior, she was Inara a teenage girl who just happened to have a gift.

She remembered the voices that had been in her head before, voices that had told her she was best and unmatched and now she saw them for what they were: lies.

Inara smiled sadly and realised it had come way too late.

She closed her eyes as the fangs began to penetrate her skin.

"SHINK!"  
Shivonne screamed and dropped Inara as she writhed on the spot trying to pull the dagger out of her back.

"Come on!" Jason roared, "GET UP!!"

Inara instantly sprung to her feet and grabbed the torch from the wall.

"BURN!" Inara managed to choke out.

She whipped the flaming torch around and instantly set fire to Shivonne's hair. The vampire howled in pain, dropping her as she floundered, batting at her own hair trying to put it out.

"You know what? Inara massaged her throat, her voice hoarse, "For creatures allergic to fire you sure have a lot of it lying around!"

She spotted a nearby wooden table with an unused lantern on top and grinned. Stabbing forwards with the torch, she forced Shivonne backwards as the vampire continued to try and extinguish her flaming hair.

With a cry, Inara spun and with a powerful roundhouse kick sent the glass and metal lantern flying through the air. It shattered against Shivonne, spraying her with the oil within.

The vampire's eyes widened and Inara grinned.

"Mmm…" Inara licked her lips, "Crispy fried."

She threw the torch at her and fire licked oil as Shivonne screamed. She instantly went up in a blaze of blue-hot flames, Inara jumping backwards at the intense heat that washed over her.

Shivonne fell to the ground, fire wreathing her lithe form. Inara turned and smiled at Jason, a genuine grin that spoke of her love and thanks.

"Thank you," she whispered, "Thank you."

Jason blinked, expecting fury and rage, accusations that she didn't need help. Instead he nodded.

"Your welcome."

The two of them exchanged small grins of victory before running hurriedly from the room.

AAAAAA

It was an intricate dance, every move precise and performed without hesitation because the slightest error resulted in instant burning death. Zaru ducked and weaved and ran as Draken continued to chase him, throwing fistfuls of lightning at the leopard.

Zaru whipped around one corner as lightning blew the wall apart, charred stone falling into free space and plummeting to the ground outside. Yelling with fury, Draken whirled around the corner and punched the ground with his fists.

Lightning instantly surged across the floor in a searing wave, Zaru tossed a look behind him and let out a loud yelp at the incoming danger. His hind legs bunched and he leapt into the air.

Claws dug into a tapestry hanging on the wall as Zaru desperately clung on, the wave of lightning shoot past and dissipating as Draken scowled.

Zaru leapt back to the ground, his red tongue lolling out as he gasped for breath completely drained of energy.

"So little cat," Draken shook his hands and the lightning vanished without a trace, "Why did you come to my lair?"

Zaru glared at him, exhaustion seeping into his muscles, leeching him of all strength.

"Was it that you want to…"

Draken blinked and suddenly he was a blur of motion. Zaru gasped and had no time to react.

"ROOOWWWRRRRR!!"

The High King of vampires double-punched him with his claws and fist. Zaru was sent flying, his sides heavily bleeding. He slammed into the wall and flopped onto the ground, gasping for breath.

"Die?" Draken finished licking the blood from his fingers.

"Not particularly," Zaru rose on feet that shook, "No."

Draken sneered and slashed out, cutting the air with his claws. Zaru cried out as the air itself seemed to attack him, cutting him across the cheek.

"You think you can honestly defeat me?" Draken demanded, "I am the First of the vampires. Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Zaru," the leopard spat, "Protector of the Queen!!"

The leopard lunged at him, jaws snapping. Draken twisted around him, dodging without much effort before viciously chopping him across the back of the head with one hand.

Zaru tumbled to the ground, rolling once. Foam and blood leaked from between his teeth as again he stubbornly crawled onto all fours, refusing to give up.

"I'm impressed," Draken smirked, "And you know what? As a favour…"

He snapped his fingers and lightning instantly blazed in the palm of his hands.

"I'll make it quick," he promised.

He flung his hand outwards and Zaru leapt to the side as lightning arced through the air before crashing down on the spot he'd just been standing. Zaru gritted his teeth and leapt straight at the vampire as Draken attacked again, lightning stabbing forwards.

The leopard sailed straight over the vampire's head, Draken's hand tracking his movements, lighting streaking up piercing the air as they arrowed towards the feline. The deadly fingers of electricity missed Zaru by a mere whisker's width, his fur standing on end as the intense heat whipped past him.

He hit the ground and rolled onto his feet as Draken laughed, lighting crackling across his fingers.

"What was the purpose of that?" he sneered, "Not that I'm not enjoying the exerci…"

"It's called a trick, you chump," Zaru snarled using one of Inara's many words.

Draken's eyes widened and he looked up at the charred and broken ceiling above him, his lightning attack having ravaged the stonework and weakened the mortar into mere dust.

Zaru flicked his tail and the stone collapsed. Debris and rubble rained down on the High King, burying him in an avalanche as Zaru zipped forwards taking advantage of the vampire's distraction.

He followed his nose and tracked the scent of iron locating it in the vampire's pocket. With a roar, he brushed right past Draken's right leg, his teeth snapping out and tearing into his pants, ripping a chunk of the fabric free. Draken cried out but his shout was lost in the dull roar of the falling stone.

Zaru leapt free from the chaos and rolled to his feet as a colossal amount of stone and debris crashed down over the vampire's head burying him beneath its crushing weight.

Zaru coughed out the chunk of fabric and teased it apart revealing the iron key nestled within.

"Ha!" Zaru tossed a smirk at the mountain of fallen stone before him, Draken buried somewhere beneath, "In your face!!"

Grinning in triumph, Zaru took the key in his mouth and ran back towards his queen.

AAAAAA

Susan paced the room, nearly out of her mind with frustration and fear for her friends. The castle roared and rumbled, stone grinding together as some titanic battle erupted within shaking it to its very foundation.

Finally through the wood she heard a muffled curse.

"Zaru?" she instantly sprang to the door, placing her ear against it.

"Here!" Zaru growled, "Can't get the door open! Don't have hands!"

"You got the key?' she asked urgently.

"Yes," the leopard strained to place the key inside the lock, "Not that it's helping."

Susan took a step back.

"Slide it beneath the door. I can open it from this side," she commanded quickly.

Zaru instantly responded and a few seconds later, a large iron key slid across the stone stopping at Susan's feet. Practically crying in relief, she picked it up and put it inside the lock.

Closing her eyes, she twisted it and the lock sprung free. Crying out, she flung the door open and immediately received a face full of leopard.

Susan laughed as Zaru licked her again and again, nuzzling into her, his relief evident for the world to see. Slowly he calmed down and dropped to his feet.

Susan's eyes widened in horror.

"You're hurt!" she gasped, seeing the blood dripping from his face and sides.

"A mere scratch all done in the service of your majesty!" Zaru beamed delirious with joy.

In truth, he sounded a lot like Reepicheep at that exact moment forcing Susan to suppress a grin.

"The others?" she asked.

"Fighting the vampires," Zaru sniffed the air, "This way."

He trotted down the hall, Susan following in his wake.

"Draken?" she asked fearfully.

"Buried under a tonne of rock," Zaru tossed her a crooked smile, "Should hold him up for a while."

Susan laughed with relief, infinitely glad she had such faithful companions to pull her out of danger. Zaru turned the corner and was swiftly met with a blade to the face.

Inara cried out and just managed to stop the swing in time, the edge of her sword tickling Zaru's nose.

"Sorry!" she gasped hoarsely.

Jason was behind her, his bloodied daggers in hand.

"Hey," he nodded at Susan.

Inara beamed at the queen and drew her into a hug. Susan pulled back and gazed worriedly at the girl's badly bruised throat.

"What happened?" she demanded.

"Shivonne," Inara rasped out.

"Is she…" Zaru began.

"A flaming corpse by now?" Inara smirked, "Probably. I rule!"

Everyone rolled their eyes.

"Jason helped," Inara added quickly.

"We need to get out of here," Jason commanded, "Now."

"NO!"

Everyone turned towards Susan, confused.

"My brother… Peter…"

"The High King?" Zaru gasped.

"He's here! In the dungeons! We've got to get him out!" Susan explained hysterically.

Jason rubbed his temples wearily but Inara hefted her sword ready to follow Susan wherever she went.

"Alright," the Seeker said gruffly, "But hurry!"

Susan turned to lead the way but Jason stopped her.

"Princess."

She turned back to him and Jason tossed her a small cloth bundle, inside her were her two long narrow daggers, mere needles compared to the long curved scimitars Jason favoured.

"You might need them," he said calmly.

Susan shook her head and laughed taking her daggers before leading the way down into the dungeons.

AAAAAA

"BACK!" Susan barked suddenly.

She hit the dirty dungeon ground as a whip cracked right above her, missing her by inches. Susan's head snapped up and she glared at Desiree.

The redhead giggled.

"So many guests!" she chuckled, "Princess has enough for a tea party!"

Jason and Inara raised their weapons but Susan beat them to it, rising to her feet. She was seeing red, fury raging through her as she remembered all the sadistic torture this vampire had visited on her brother.

"She's mine," Susan hissed.

Jason smartly stepped back but Inara and Zaru hovered a little.

"Are you sure?" Zaru asked.

Susan replied by flipping one dagger in her hand and throwing it with deadly accuracy. It slammed into Desiree's shoulder knocking the vampire off balance as the whip fell from her grip.

"You dare hurt Princess?" Desiree demanded in shock.

She ripped the dagger free and tossed it away. Susan narrowed her eyes.

"I prefer to call it justice!" she snapped back.

"Hey!"

Susan turned and caught the bundle of rope Jason tossed at her. Frowning she uncoiled it in her hands and blinked seeing the mandalas threaded all along its length.

"Good luck," Jason smirked.

Susan nodded and turned back to Desiree. The redhead snarled and lunged at her but Susan dropped and rolled passing under the vampire.

Zaru, Inara and Jason moved back closing off the exits as Susan and Desiree circled each other.

Inside his cage, Peter's eyes fluttered open and he blinked blearily at the scene before him. His eyes widened.

"Su!" he clung to the rusty bars of his cage, "NO!!"

Desiree laughed.

"Shhh… pony, be quiet," she taunted, "I'm going to make a coat out of your sister!"

"SU!!" Peter begged.

Susan ignored him as Desiree darted forwards, fangs and claws ready to tear her apart. But Susan kicked her in the knee bringing her down before she slipped behind the vampire.

"What…" Desiree began.

She screamed as Susan looped the rope around her neck and tightened, the mandalas on it searing her skin.

"This is for Peter," Susan hissed into Desiree's ear.

The redhead cried and whimpered like an abandoned infant as Susan tied the rope into a knot giving the vampire no escape. The smell of burning flesh threatened to overwhelm Susan but the queen gave no quarter.

She threw more loops around Desiree's hands trussing the whole vampire up as she continued to rage and scream, driven insane by the pain searing through her.

"Desiree, I want you to know that what I'm doing doesn't give me joy," Susan raised her dagger, "And that's what makes you and I so very different."

And she was being honest.

Most people would've felt some sort of sick satisfaction from killing her but Susan despite everything else was still a bit gentle at heart. Taking a life to ease suffering or as revenge just didn't make sense to her. In this moment she was going to kill Desiree not because she wanted sweet vengeance but because the vampire needed to be stop.

Susan was doing this to protect other people, to prevent other from suffering at Desiree's hands as her brother had.

"SHINK!"

Her dagger flashed across Desiree's throat and the vampire fell forwards in a tangle of limbs. Susan quickly rummaged through her dress and triumphantly pulled out a ring of rusty keys. She carefully cleaned her blade against Desiree's dress before turning back to the others. Jason grunted in approval but Inara and Zaru were slightly shocked.

"Huh, monthlies again?" Inara tried to say lightly but failed.

"She deserved it," Susan said coolly, memories of Desiree whipping her brother still fresh in her head.

She walked towards Peter's cage as her brother looked up at her shocked. He smiled slightly.

"Gentle huh?" he coughed, "Could've fooled me."

"Hush," Susan scolded, "You need to rest."

She unlocked his cage and instantly caught him as he fell into her arms.

"A little help!" she called out to her companions.  
Jason was there, easily carrying Peter in his arms. Susan choked back tears at the sight of his wounded body, looking some very fragile and small in the Seeker's arms.

"Queenie?" Inara touched her arm gently bringing her back to reality.

Susan shook herself.

"Free the others," she handed the keys to Inara, "We're getting out of here."

Inara nodded and hurried off unlocking the rest of the cages inside the dungeon but whilst there were many bodies, there were only two other survivors. Everyone was shaken at the brutality of the vampires and the torture they had visited on their victims.

Even Jason had been shaken by some of the scars and wounds on the bodies.

"Come on," Susan urged supporting one feeble broke-footed man against her.

Inara was helping a young woman limp along whilst Jason was still carrying Peter in his arms, bearing the weight without comment.

"Let's go," the queen commanded.

And with that they left the Western Castle coming the way they had came through the secret passage.

AAAAAA

"Are you sure about this?"

They had found Elias and Tumnus stumbling through the forest, both shaken by the supernatural storm Draken had attacked them with. They had both been overjoyed to see Susan flinging their arms around her and crushing her with their hugs. Susan had laughed with pure undiluted joy but had quickly turned grim. The celebration would have to wait, there was still a job to be done.

"You've still gone more of those flame orbs?" Susan countered.

Elias nodded and hefted his crossbow once more but then changed his mind and gave it to Susan.

"You're a better aim," he said with a smile.

Susan took careful aim with the modified bow, a ceramic orb already loaded and ready to go.

"That's not going to be enough to kill Draken you know," Tumnus pointed out.

"I know but Draken's too strong especially in this own stronghold for us to defeat. We have to force him out and face us on our own terms," Susan said with all the confidence and foresight of a grizzled veteran.

Peter remained unconscious caught in the grasps of a feverish sleep as Jason continued to support him.

"Plus this will anger him. It'll blind his thinking," Susan felt the subtle shift of wind against her skin and changed her aim accordingly. "And…"

She fired, her narrowed eyes watching the orb sailing through the air. It struck the side of the main tower and exploded. White hot flames tore into the walls, shockwaves rupturing the castle's supports and struts.

"I like fireworks," Susan finished, Elias helping her load another orb. She aimed and fired again with equally deadly results.

It took a grand total of seven orbs but with one final sky and earth-shaking explosion, the Western Castle was torn asunder, collapsing in on itself as Susan watched on, satisfied.

"You did good Doc," Jason said quietly to the scientist watching the castle burn.

Elias nodded, knowing what the Seeker wasn't saying. It was the closest he'll ever get to an apology for the words said in anger back in the Temple and he accepted it.

"Thank you," he whispered.

And everything was right between them once more.

Tumnus shook his head in amazement, not believing what he was seeing. Slowly The true impact of what they had set out to do was finally sinking in now that they've succeeded. His eyes widened as he realised the implications.

"I can't… tonight… you've defeated Draken and the three sisters… something that no one could've possibly even begun to imagine! And you've torn the Western Castle down!" he turned to Susan and her companions, awe in his eyes, "Do you have any idea what you've done?! What all of you have done?! The danger you've put yourself in? Draken will kill you all!!"

Tumnus looked at all of them wildly, wanting to know what insanity had possessed them (and him!) to do this.

Susan tossed the crossbow back to Elias, her blue eyes resting on her brother's battered face.

"I didn't have a choice," Susan whispered, "A member of my family was in danger."

It was Inara who spoke but everyone agreed with her with resolute nods, not regretting a single thing.

"Ditto," the teenager's warm hazel eyes were met with Susan's crystal blues.

Susan wanted to thank them for what they've done and risked but there was no need. They were family and families protected their own.

Inara grinned as the two nodded at each other. Susan glanced at her other companions and saw Jason's gruff exterior but she knew him well enough to see the softness in his eyes, she saw Zaru's blazing eyes that promised he would do the same a thousand times over and she saw Elias's unwavering devotion and loyalty that spoke of the depth of his love for all of them.

It was the scientist who spoke with a small smile on his lips and in his voice.

"Yeah, what she said."

AAAAAA

"Can you…" Susan immediately began as Victoria walked into the room.

The healer crossed the living room and washed her hand in a nearby basin.

"It doesn't look good," Victoria said grimly.

They had ridden through night and day to get back to Tumnus's house, Susan desperate to get Peter some help. As soon as they had arrived Victoria had taken one glimpse at Peter and the queen had seen a different side of the previously flighty and chatty woman. The blonde healer had ordered them around, getting them to set up beds and fetch things for her as she began to work on the prisoners they had rescued.

"Infection has set in," Victoria shook her head, "His back… I don't think it'll ever truly heal. There's just too many whip marks. But the fever is worrying me. It's burning him from inside out and I don't think he can sustain it for much longer."

Susan felt the floor give way beneath her as Victoria's words drove her into a dark pit of despair. Her world trembled as she spoke the dread words.

"He… he might die?" she whispered.

She wanted more than anything in the world for Victoria to say no, to argue passionately, to destroy that idea without qualms but the healer nodded sadly.

"Yes."

Susan seemed to be seeing and hearing things from the bottom of a dark hole. She grasped at the edge of the table to steady herself as Victoria continued, rambling on about poultices and medicines she could try but Susan's mind was still caught on that one word.

Die…

Her brother might die.

Suddenly and roughly, Susan pushed past Victoria choking on her own tears. She rushed into Tumnus's bedroom and the very first thing she saw was the gold of Peter's hair capturing the light of the lantern.

He looked small and frail, nothing like the fierce overprotective brother she had known all her life. Seeing him like this, so helpless and lifeless… Susan wept and begged of the world questions it would not answer.

Why him? Why now? She'd just rescued him from the clutches of the vampires! He should be healing! He should be -

She collapsed at his bedside and stared into bandaged face, begging him to wake up and comfort her, to promise everything would be all right.

But he never moved.

Susan could hold herself together no more and she buried her face into his chest and wept great torrents of tears. She suddenly felt Zaru's rough fur against her skin as the leopard slid into the room offering her his warmth.

She clung onto him and Zaru leaned into her silently supporting the queen.

"Why?" Susan begged of him, "Why?"

"It will take a wiser beast than myself to answer that," Zaru said quietly, "But you mustn't give up."

Susan gave a hiccoughing laugh and wiped her tears again. A small watery smile emerged.

"You're right. He'll fight," she set her chin resolutely, "And he'll heal."

She clasped her brother's hand in hers and felt strength flood into her once more.

"Otherwise I'm going to kill him myself," she vowed.

Zaru wisely didn't say anything as Susan stayed at her brother's side for an eternity, simply praying and hoping.

AAAAAA

"BOOM!"

Rocks were sent flying through the air as an unbroken figure towered over the debris that was once his proud home.

Draken let out a cry of fury that echoed deep into the night, the sky above answering with a thunderous rumble of its own.

In the moonlight he changed, summoning up the darkest of his black arts to transmute his body, to transcend this form into the shape of a true monster.

Huge leathery wings shaped like a bats exploded out of his shoulder blades, unfurling as his handsome face melted into a demon's visage, his jaws growing and enlarging into an immense fang-lined maw capable of devouring a man in single bite.

His body hunched over as his muscles grew and grew, talons growing from his fingers, his foot becoming cloven.

Draken was now an abomination, a terrifying mix of vampire, human, bat and monster; faster, stronger and more powerful than anything that had ever walked this earth.

He raised his misshapen head to the moon and howled again. His wings stretched and he gave one mighty beat. The wind swirled and he was aloft, flying through the night.

His massive nostrils sucked in great gulps of air as he scented the wind for his preys. Finding the scent, he changed course powering through the sky with his wings, soaring towards his enemies.

He promised himself one thing as he flew.

They were going to pay.

AAAAAA

Author's notes:

Draken strikes back!! Well that'll be next chapter. For the people who commented, yeah this arc is short because it's very action based. The next one will be longer and will develop the characters further as well as introducing Peter properly into the story.

Okay for some of the reason reading my rant, I sound really annoyed and furious and the reason why I'm so peeved is because the review (which I've deleted) call me self-righteous and stupid and then went on to say just to spite me they're going to stop reading the fic. I've had a long week and that really set me off, so if I offend anyone I'm really sorry (except to the review. You deserve it). I've modified it to remove some of the ranting (because I've cooled down a little) but I still included some of more relevant information:

AAAAAAMajority of people skip the next rant, for the person who dared put in a review critcising the fact that I like to place a quota on the amount of reviews I get, read the next partAAAAAA

As for the idiot who whinged about the fact i like to say "please give me 10 reviews or I won't update" and had the audacity to call me self-righteous, seriously get over yourself.

Why do I put quotas on the reviews? It's because:  
1) They're not impossible targets, there are a lot more than 10-15 hits/visitors but not many people review. I like having reviews because people's ideas and opinions often shape my writing and make my stories stronger. So if you want to strengthen the story, reviews are the way to go about it. E.g. when 5HourOpera criticised me about the beginning of this arc and the time-jump, I specifically wrote the flashbacks in to help flesh out the backstory. Your opinions are valued and it does help!

2) Is it really that hard to put in reviews? I understand some people won't but the quotas are merely a way to encourage people. Seriously I put in a lot of hard work into this story when I could easily be studying (which I probably should but... meh) so really EXCUSE ME if I want to hear some feedback on my hadwork.

3) I don't strictly adhered to them, if I get roughly a good number of reviews (e.g. for the last chapter I only got 10, not including your one, out of the 15 and OMG! LOOK! I'm updating!)

If you don't like the way I run my fics or ask my readers to contribute, go read other ones. I'm shocked you actually wasted the time to review just to complain about the fact I "force" (note the inverted commas) people to review then proceed to label me. And then say out of spite I will blah, blah blah, well you can spitefully go away!

I'm sorry for the people who're reading this and are innocent but for the one person I'm talking to: seriously learn how to polite in getting your points across.

End of RANT!!!


	17. Beginning of the war

I'm back! Thanks for all your lovely reviews; as always more reviews quicker updates!!

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 17: Beginning of the war**

There were signs.

Dark clouds scuttled across the surface of the sky, blanketing the stars and the moon. The whole world instantly plunged into cold darkness.

A wild wind swept through the village, the trees at its fringes bending under the onslaught as the gale brought with it ice and frost.

There was a flurry of activity in the forest as every single living creature in a five-mile radius fled away from the village. The domesticated animals, trapped in pens and stables went berserk, slamming themselves repeating into locked doors and bars trying to make their escape.

Something streaked across the sky, blacker than black moving with amazing speed. In its wake plants died, withering and shrivelling into blackened twisted remains. Brown leaves fell to the forest floor as trees died marking the pathway of the flying creature, the line of dead plants stretching far to the west.

The creature banked away from the centre of the village and head towards a small house located between the outskirts and the forest.

With a violent howl, Draken folded in his wings and glided down landing lightly at the doorstep of a house.

He pointed at the door and it instantly exploded inwards, splinters flying everywhere. Calmly the monstrous vampire strolled into the room and the final confrontation began.

AAAAAA

Even though they had been expecting the vampire they were not expecting the demon that walked into the house.

"What on earth?" Elias barked out in surprise.

The winged demon roared in fury.

"You!" he jabbed a finger at them, "How dare you even dream of attacking me?!"

"We didn't dream," Jason snarled back, "We did and we succeeded!"

Draken growled and jabbed all ten of his claws straight at Jason. The Seeker's instincts and powers screamed at him and he hit the floor. An invisible power tore the wall apart, the air itself slicing into the wood.

Jason rolled to his feet, his eyes wide as Draken smiled in anticipation. Tumnus and Elias hovered by the walls, watching the vampire's moves as Draken stepped forwards.

Suddenly he froze and sniffed the air, his large nostrils flaring.

"She's not here!" he suddenly barked.

Instantly the three men froze, horror clear on their faces.  
"Where is Susan?!" the vampire howled, "She's not here!"

Jason cried out and pushed out with his powers trying to drag the vampire to the ground but Draken deflected the mystical attack without blinking. He flicked his wrist and Jason was thrown straight into the wall and pinned there by an invisible force.

"You think she can escape me?" Draken snarled, "I will HAVE HER!!"

Before anyone could even think of stop him, Draken whipped around, his wings lashing out and blowing the doorway apart. He took flight once more, tracking Susan's scent as Jason fell to the floor, Draken's powers fading from around him.

The Seeker looked up, worry etched into his face.

"Damn it!" he snarled.

"The girls!" Elias panicked, ashen-faced.

Jason leapt to his feet.

"Come on!" he urged, "We've got to follow him!!"

Three men charged out of the room, their plan completely falling to pieces as Draken soared through the air all his murderous intent aimed straight at Susan, his obsession driving him on.

AAAAAA

"How are we doing?" Susan yelled.

The queen was holding the horse's reins as the beasts dragged their carriage on, plunging deep into the forest towards their secret destination. Zaru sat in the chair beside her, his claws digging deep into the wooden bench as he held on.

The window to the carriage slid open and Inara poked her head out.

"Everyone's okay!" she called out.

Susan nodded. Victoria and Inara were all inside the carriage with Peter and the other prisoners all bundled up inside as well, the healer watching over them.

The plan had been very simple, Jason, Elias and Tumnus would wait for Draken to appear at the house and ambush him whilst the women took the injured and went to a safer location, an abandoned cathedral hidden deep into the woods, and wait for further news.

"Do you think the plan worked?" Zaru demanded.

One-handed Susan pulled the small leather pouch from around her neck. Using her teeth, she pulled it open and peered within. Inside the yellow ring was still white.

"No," she replied, closing the pouch again, "He's still alive."

She clucked her tongue and urged the horses on as they continued to madly run, the carriage bumping along behind them.

Susan suddenly froze feeling a wave of coldness sweep over her.

"What?" she twisted her head around the side of the carriage and gaped at the thing hurtling towards them, "By the Mane!!"  
"What?!" Zaru barked.

"DRAKEN!!" Susan screamed, "INARA!!"

Susan's shouts reverberated around inside the cramped carriage. Victoria looked up, terrified.

"What? How?"

Inara stuck a head outside the window just in time to see Draken latched himself onto the back of the carriage.

Long twisted talons burst through the thin wood as Victoria screamed pushing her patients away. Inara hurriedly threw herself back in and hefted her sword.

With a cry, Draken ripped the back of the carriage apart exposing them to the night air and his demonic assault.

"Holy…" Inara gaped at his new form.

Howling, Draken continued to rip chunks of the wood away flinging them to the road as he tried to thrust himself into the carriage.

It was impossible to fight inside the small cramp carriage, navigating around Victoria and the three unconscious patients. Inara dropped down onto one knee trying to balance herself on the rocking carriage a she stabbed out with her sword.

It pierced Draken's arm but the vampire barely noticed. He glared at her and instantly paralysis numbed her body freezing her in place. Inara's eyes bulged unable to do anything as the vampire reached out for her.

"PWHIP!"

He somersaulted in the air, his wings fighting to stabilise him as an arrow slammed into his throat. Instantly his hold on Inara broke, the paralysis wearing off. The teenager hurriedly stumbled backwards, getting away from Draken.

She threw a look over her shoulders and saw Susan at the tiny front window of the carriage, bow in hand.

The queen fitted another arrow to the bow as beside her Zaru took the reins with his teeth trying to control the fear-crazed horses.

Snarling, Draken gave one powerful pump of his wings and took to the air. He arrowed down towards the horses and before Susan could stop him, he killed them all with a single blow.

The dead equines instantly dropped to the ground, blood spurting from the severed arteries in their neck. But the carriage was carried forwards by its own momentum, running over the murdered beasts. The large round wheels hit the corpses and the carriage was suddenly airborne.

Draken hung back watching with glittering gold eyes as the carriage crashed to the ground, flipping onto its roof and back onto its wheels before ploughing straight into a tree.

Susan and Zaru were thrown free from the crash, hitting the ground with painful smacks.

The wreckage shifted a little and Inara pulled herself free from the wreckage, completely dazed and battered as Victoria frantically checked up on their patients. She let out a sob as she realised one of them, the woman they had rescued from the castle was dead but Peter and the other man was alive.

Draken folded his wings and calmly landed.

"Hello, my queen," he said darkly, "I think our courtship is over. I will make you mine. Right here, right now."

Susan rose to her feet, her bow in hand.

"Do you have any idea how many suitors have said that to me?" she snapped taking refuge in defiance, "And yet here I am still husband-less. What does that tell you?"

"That they were not brave enough to force you," Draken snarled.

He flicked his hands and Inara and Zaru crashed to the ground, invisible hands pinning them down to the damp earth.

"Just you and me, beloved," Draken flexed his wings and muscles, "Why don't you make this easy and I'll let your friends live."

"You're lying," Susan growled.

Draken chuckled.

"Of course, I am," he rubbed his hands together, "But I can make this very hard. That's not a problem at all!"

He surged forwards, claws scything through the air.

"SUSAN!!" Inara screamed as she tried to get up but failed.

Zaru was beside himself with fear, his muscles bulging as he tried to push up against the invisible force pinning him down. His claws dug into the earth for purchase, his back straining but Draken's powers were just too strong.

It was clear right from the beginning Susan didn't stand a chance. Draken was unbelievably strong and fast, attacking with a berserker's fury and power. She fired an arrow but he caught it midair, crushing the shaft with his bare hands.

Tossing her bow aside, Susan unsheathed her long silver daggers. Draken was like the wind himself, fast and unseen, sweeping behind Susan before she could even registered he had moved.

A powerful swipe of his wings bowled her off. He kicked out, a cloven foot ploughing into her chest and Susan was sent flying into a tree.

Bones cracked, her heart and lungs slamming against her ribcage as pain tore through her. She saw light and darkness all at once as she fell to the ground, gasping desperately for breath as she writhed on the ground.

"Bow to me, queen," Draken hissed stalking towards her, "Bow!"

Susan gritted her teeth and seized control of her fear. She stabbed out, her dagger sinking through his foot and into the ground. Draken howled in pain and kicked her with the other foot, sending her rolling. Susan felt blood and bile rush into her mouth as she choked for breath, fighting against searing agony just to breathe.

Draken pulled the dagger from his foot with a grunt. He tossed it over his shoulder and whirled on her, murder burning in his golden eyes.

"I will break you over and over again until you beg for mercy then I will break you again," Draken hissed, "I promise you this."

Susan's heart slammed into her ribcage trying to flee in terror as she tried to get up but her arms gave way beneath her. Draken's hand flashed out and grabbed her by the hair. She yelped as he yanked sharply threatening to scalp her.

"Come, my beauty," he whispered, "I have much I desire to do with you."

He pumped his wings and began to take off dragging Susan with him. Inara, Zaru and Victoria screamed at him to stop as he raised a few inches into the air.  
"STOP!!" a thunderous cry bellowed.  
It was a warrior's shout; designed to be heard over the death screams and clanging swords of the battlefield.

Draken dropped back to the ground and turned to his new challenger. Susan looked up and everything in her froze.

"PETER!!" she screamed, "NO!!"  
She had no idea how he could've possibly even stand. But there he was, the High King of Narnia, battered and broken and yet still blazing with fire and fury. He stood, unsupported and swaying, her fallen dagger in his hands.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!!" Peter cried in a voice that ripped itself painfully from his throat.

"You?" Draken laughed, "Boy, you can barely stand!"

Susan instantly recognised the look on her brother's face. She knew his answer before he even opened his mouth. She opened her mouth, wanting to beg him to stop but she knew it was hopeless.

"What are you… scared?" Peter spat.

Draken's face hardened and his wings snapped open. Peter raised his dagger, his bandages turning crimson as every movement reopened his wounds.

"PETER! STOP!" Susan screamed.

Draken slapped her viciously and Susan had to fight to keep her eyes open.

"He wants to fight and I want to break you…" Draken sneered, "I think both goals can easily be accomplished right here."

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!!" Zaru snarled still trying to get up, "FIGHT ME!!"

"Don't worry, all of you will die," Draken vowed, "It just depends on the order."

He slowly advanced on Peter, licking his lips as he flexed his muscles. His victory was inevitable but still Peter stared him down, unwavering, willing to sacrifice himself for his sister.

"Try me," Peter snarled.

"PETER!!" Susan wanted to close her eyes to push this horrible unfolding scene away but she forced herself to look because she refused to be a cowards.

Draken darted forwards, his claws flying out towards Peter before the king even realised what was happening.

Susan screamed.

But what happened next would forever be burned into her mind.

The forest suddenly seemed to come alive as the deafening drumming of hoofs against dirt resounded all around them, drowning out all else. A dark form exploded out of the bushes with a cry.

Susan caught the faintest glimpse of a very familiar hat as Draken whirled. A black horse slammed into him, knocking him down a split second before something very heavy and large fell on top of the vampire snaring him in its grasp. Draken fell to the ground, trying to break free.

Susan retched as the smell of burning flesh hit her nose.

"Sorry," Jason said briskly, perched on a panting horse, "He got away."

Elias and Tumnus emerged from the trees, each riding a different horse.

Draken snarled in fury and tried to move but was stopped by the heavy metal net on top of him. His skin continued to burn as he flexed his wings but the move only ensnared the metal net around him binding him tighter.

He screamed as the mandalas woven into the net burned at him, blistering his skin. He bucked and writhed, fighting harder and harder but the net just got more and more tangled up until he couldn't move at all.

"DAMN YOU!" he howled, "I'LL…"

His eyes flashed and thunder rumbled dangerously overhead.  
"NOW!!" Elias bellowed dismounting from his horse.

Both he and Tumnus pulled two heavy casks from their horses and dumped the contents on Draken, drenching him in water. Lightning sparked from the vampire's hands and he screamed pointing straight at them.

Lightning blazed out but hit the metal of the net and was drawn within. Draken screamed as the electricity ripped through him drawn by the water and the metal all around his body.

"Conduction," Elias said triumphantly, "You've got to love it."

Draken tried to attack them again, lighting burst from his hands but again the net and water sucked up the electricity frying him with his own power.

He roared in pain and the power holding Inara and Zaru down suddenly disappeared. Unsteadily both of them climbed to their feet.

The vampiric High king was now nothing more than a whimpering mass of burnt flesh. He raised his hands trying to use his powers to push them away, to pin them down, to do anything but the mandalas suppressed his powers, the ancient protective talisman draining him of all strength.

He slumped unable to fight on.

"So…" Jason pulled out his long curved dagger, "Who wants the honours?"

Everyone was staring in horror at the once dangerous vampire unable to grasp the fact he was now at their mercy.

Jason shrugged.

"Your loss," he calmly walked over to the net-bound vampire.

Draken offered no resistance as Jason pulled some of the net away freeing his head. The vampire stared at him with blank eyes, completely bereft of strength.

"I hope hell has a warm place for you," the Seeker spat.

The very last thing Draken, the First of the Vampires, Lord of the Western Castle and the High King of all the Vampire Lords, saw was Jason's dagger flying towards his neck.

He died without a sound, his head fall to the ground as his body slumped the other way.

Jason cleaned his dagger as the others looked at each other in shocked disbelief.

It was over.

It was finally over.

And as if to confirm it, the night sky above suddenly brightened into day, the moon paling as the sun rose in all its flaming glory.

"What…" Susan blinked in surprise.

Tumnus gasped.

"The spell… the one Draken used to shorten the days! It's been broken!" he turned to them, hope leaping into his eyes, "The sun has returned!!"

The sun's rays seemed to feel them up, strengthening them. Susan smiled and felt for the first time in a very long time joy and hope.

AAAAAA

"So what happens now?" Inara asked.

They were at the old cathedral, Victoria once again administering medicines to her patients. Peter was out cold once again, his short time of lucidity over as he once more descended into a feverish sleep.

"We fight," Jason said grimly, "And kill all the other vampires in this damn world."

"Maybe what we've done is enough," Elias pointed out, "We have destroyed an extremely powerful enemy in this world."

"How can it be over?" Jason scowled, "The vampires still rule this world!"

Zaru coughed and they all turned towards him.

"There is an easy way to check that you know," he looked pointedly at Susan.

The queen instantly understood and she pulled the leather pouch over her head and looked inside. A cheery sunshine blaze gave her the answer.

"The ring's telling us to move on," she said quietly, "But… Jason's right. The darkness hasn't been destroyed here!"

"No."

She looked at Tumnus, the historian's face was grave but there was a light in his eyes.

"The vampires are still strong here and they will amass. Once they've discovered what has transpired… what you've done, they will hunt you down to the ends of the earth and kill you all. Every one last of you… and us," he added as an afterthought.

Susan glanced at her brother's limp form and instantly felt sick. There was no way they could run, not with him weighing them down.

"You've got to leave," Tumnus told them firmly, "Use your ring and escape from this world."

"But… we can't leave you!" Inara argued fiercely, "We've got to finish what we've started!"

"It is not your duty!" Tumnus snapped.

Inara flinched not expecting such passion and anger from the usually mild man. He looked at all of them beseechingly trying to make them understand.

"Do you know what you've done? The vampires have reigned here for centuries under Draken. Everyone thought they were unstoppable so no one dared to hope, let alone pick up a sword!" he said, his voice trembling with emotions, "But you! You've defeated Draken, the most powerful of all the vampires! You've shown us that they are not immortal, that they can be stopped and killed! Once this news becomes known… the hope it will bring will sweep the world like a wildfire!"

Tumnus spoke like a leader with passion and grace, inspiring them all.

"It may not happen at first but I promise you this… somewhere, someday that hope will become a real thing as people begin to fight back, to retaliate against the vampires. With these mandalas," Tumnus pointed at the chest full they've retrieved, "The return of the normal days… the vampire's reign is coming to a close."

"But… victory is not guaranteed," Susan pointed out.

"No, it will be hard war with causalities on both sides but…" Tumnus squared his shoulders, "There will be a war and we will win because we dare to hope and that is something the vampires are not used to seeing. What you've done here is not enough to free this world but it's enough…"

His voice dropped into a whisper.

"It's enough to start a war that will free us."

He looked squarely at all of them.

"I promise you. I will tell everyone who will listen what you've done. I will do everything within my power to start and end the war against the vampires. I will see them destroyed," he vowed.

Susan looked deep into his eyes and what she saw there made her believe. She stood up.

"We must leave?" she asked.

Victoria nodded gravely.

"Before the vampires try and attack you. Your brother… he's not strong enough to withstand that and you cannot run or fight properly whilst trying to save him," Victoria pursed her lips, "I've done all I can. He's stable enough to move for a short while. You'll just have to hope whatever world you land in there'll be gifted healers."

Susan rushed towards and clasped her into a warm hug.

"Thank you," she whispered, "Thank you!"

"No," Victoria stepped back and looked at her with a woman's eyes, "Thank _you_."

Susan turned to her companions.

"Come on," she beckoned, "We've got to move."

It took a few hours to get ready, packing some provisions for the journey but at the end Susan gave Victoria one last hug and looked deep into Tumnus's eyes.

They nodded at each other, Susan silently passing on the duty of defeating the darkness to Tumnus. He accepted without hesitation.

Clutching to her brother's hands as he laid on a stretcher at her feet, Susan reached into the leather pouch and felt for the ring.

Inside her heart sung, hope setting a fire ablaze in her spirits. She had rescued her brother. Peter was with her once more. The dark weight that had crushed down on her before seemed to lighten a little at the blissful knowledge that at least one of the people she loved was now safe. The sinuous, dark journey still stretched out before them suddenly seemed a little less impossible. There was still much to be done, more battles to be fought but for now Susan savoured her own sweet victory against the darkness.

Her fingers touched the edge of the ring. There was a flash of light and a feeling of falling and they were in the Woods between the Worlds once more.

AAAAAA

Jason and Elias carried the stretcher as Inara led the way, the green ring on her finger throbbing with emerald light.

"This way," she called out.

Zaru darted ahead, checking for dangers as he scouted out the woods. Quickly he came back, jittery with excitement.

"The pool! Is this way!"

He darted off, the others following him. Susan bit her lip as Peter moaned, the jolts jarring his wounds.

Elias and Jason instantly slowed down carefully avoiding paining the boy as Susan sent them grateful smiles.

"This it?" Jason grunted.

They rounded the corner and instantly saw a large shallow crystal clear pool nestled between two trees, light blazing from its depths.

Inara looked at her companions, her friends and smiled. The wall that had sprung up between them, a wall she had created all by herself with her arrogance and need to prove herself was gone, scattered to the winds when Jason had rescued in. In a rush of emotion took her by surprise and her smile widened.

"Alright," Inara beamed at them, "Let's see what this world has to offer!"

It took a little bit of planning and bickering but they managed to get everyone including Peter and the stretcher into the pool.

Inara put the ring on her finger once more and they were gone, flying across time and space before descending into a completely new world.

AAAAAA

Susan sat in the little park half-hidden by the bushes as she watched over her brother. Peter was lying on the ground beside her, mumbling incoherently as he drifted in and out of sleep. In the harsh light of day, his wounds were terrible, the inflamed red flesh and the stink of pus signs of a devastating infection. Susan looked at the blood-stained bandages and fear stabbed into her. She closed her eyes and prayed to Aslan he would recover and be the same overprotective, endearingly exasperating brother she had always known.

Zaru lolled in the sun, keeping one lazy eye out for danger as Susan waited impatiently. There was some rustling in the bushes and Susan stiffened, her bow already swinging up.

She relaxed as a familiar voice drifted to her.

"Alright! You can come out!" Inara called, "The world's clean!"

The warrior girl pushed through the bushes dressed in a bright sapphire shirt and buckskin trews. Susan arched an eyebrow at her colourful attire.

"Everyone looks like that. It's like a rainbow out there," Inara waved her off.

She suddenly smirked.

"Though Cowboy's annoyed that he has to expand his colours beyond varying shades of brown and white."

Inara helped Susan pick up Peter's stretcher and the two girls began to move out of the park, Zaru trotting behind them.

"Are there healers?" Susan demanded straight away.

Inara nodded but she looked puzzled as she did so.

"Well, short answer is yes but the townsfolk were a bit hedgy when we pressed for more details," Inara glanced at Susan, "Elias's trying to sort it out."

They stepped through the gates of the park and entered the town of Analivia. The whole city was a riot of colours, finely woven tapestries hanging from the pristine white walls of the city. Garlands of bright flowers peppered the sidewalk, growing out of boxes built into the pavestones.

Susan and Zaru gaped at the scenery as people dashed by, their clothing luminously coloured with the most vibrant of hues, hats with the most intricate and bizarre of designs perched on their heads.

"My eyes are getting sore," Zaru muttered.

"Careful," Inara warned, "I don't think talking animals are normal here."

They walked on in silence taking in everything. Ribbons were strung between buildings, public murals decorating every available inch of space, lamp-posts so very much like the one in Narnia were decorated with iron-wrought shapes. The whole city was an artwork unto itself.

"Is… is this normal?" Susan asked hesitantly.

Inara shrugged.

"Apparently," she led them through many winding streets, having to backtrack a few times as she got lost but finally they made it.

A huge fountain dominated the centre of the square carved from marble it depicted a tall towering bearded man, a figure that Susan recognised as looking like the River God of Narnia, surrounded by stylised waves. She couldn't help but admire the skill of the carver, the skills he must've possessed to create such a thing of mesmerising beauty.

She instantly spotted Elias and Jason in the crowd before the fountain. Jason saw them and pointed, instantly a tall wiry man detached himself from the throng and strolled towards them.

"Is this him? The boy who's been badly injured?" he asked briskly.

Susan bristled at his tone but nodded. The man instantly knelt down beside Peter. Although his bedside manners were terrible, he was obviously skilled as he deftly checked Peter's wounds.  
Her brother moaned in pain as the man gingerly peeled one bandage back. He let out a low whistle at the sight of the gaping gash beneath. He turned Peter over and pale at the sight of his heavily bandaged back, blood already seeping through the thick linen.

"There's nothing I can do," he directed his comment toward Elias, "I was hoping…"

"Isn't there anything?" Susan begged, "Please, you have to…"

"You have to go to Mystic Lake," the man cut her, "The Sisters of the Moon are your only hope."

He noticed their blank looks and stared incredulously at them.

"You've never heard of them?" he demanded.

"Uh, distant travellers. Far, far away," Inara supplied quickly, "Don't know."

"The Sisters of the Moon are known across the land," the man barked, "How can you…"

"Distant," Jason growled, shooting him a warning look, "Very distant."

The man instantly got the unspoken threat and wisely shut his mouth.

"Mystic Lake. How do we get there?" Susan pressed.

The man's face suddenly turned dour as whispered conversations suddenly broke out amongst the gathered crowd.

"It's a hard place to get to. Before the… before the incidents the Sisters would visit this place often and the journey to the lake would be a pleasant one but…" the man sighed, "Well, now they have to be more vigilant. They've cloistered themselves in and set up protections. If you want to save this boy, you'll have to brave the Swamplands to get to Lake."

"What's wrong with the Swamplands?" Elias asked innocently.

The man looked at him bleakly.

"No one knows. But the Sisters have wrought a powerful enchantment over that area. I know of one man who tried to go through… he stumbled back here stark, raving mad."

Their eyes widened at the revelation as the whispered gossiping got louder and louder until even Susan could hear it.

"I heard…"

"The Sisters… they're gone…"

"Why is he do…"

"They have to protect…"

"No ones ever managed to break through," the man said flatly, "No one."

Susan glanced at her companions solemnly hating what she had to do next. But the looks they gave her told her they were ready if she was going to brave the Swamplands.

Susan smiled gratefully at them, her heart swelling at the thought that no matter what dangers she faced they will always be at her side.

"Well," she tried to smile and she turned to the man, "There's always a first time."

AAAAAA

Analivia was a jewel of a city, its beauty and decadence a thing of marvel and much envy. It was the epicentre of culture and the arts, travellers coming from afar to enjoy its splendour.

Unfortunately its surrounding lands were not as luxurious.

"This place reeks," Zaru announced imperiously.

He wrinkled his nose as the sweet overpowering scent of rotting leafs made him gag.

"Maybe it'll get better," Elias said hopefully.

Jason snorted as he and Inara carried Peter on his stretcher. They had headed almost immediately, stopping only to replenish their provisions. Travelling along a rough southeast direction, they had quickly come to the edges of the swamps.

It was a cesspool of fetid water, grey and murky. A ghostly cataract of mist clung to the water's surface. It was an eerie quiet place seemingly devoid of any life whatsoever, no plants grew in the shallows and no animals dwelled in the water. The only sound was the sloshing they made as they struggled through the water, their feet sinking deep into the mossy mud beneath making each step a laborious task of freeing themselves before taking another step.

Elias was already speculating about the existence of such a swamp, the smell and sight of rotting vegetation made him theorise that this was a great basin, other rivers draining into this immense expanse of swamp bringing with it rotting debris from miles away.

He pondered over the lack of flora and fauna wondering if some vast natural upheaval has caused such a phenomena.

Even with everything he'd seen in the other worlds, worlds full of magic and the occult, Elias was still a scientific man at heart. He didn't truly believe that magic existed, to him everything was a puzzle that could be logically solved.

He had a pet theory for everything.

Zaru's talking abilities were merely an evolutionary quirk.

Jason's seemingly psychic powers were simply a manifestation of an overactive frontal lobe that allowed his access to areas of his brain that others were denied. It was an area that many of his home world's brightest were investigating.

And Inara's powers given to her by the Chamber? He hypothesised that the Chamber was merely a psychological test and having passed it, Inara simply believed she had these powers and so could fight beyond her normal strength. A simple placebo effect brought on by belief.

Yes, Elias had many theories and right now he was trying to puzzle out the mysteries of this Swampland.

Walking behind him, bearing Peter between them, Inara and Jason walked. The young girl grimaced, every time her boot squelched in the mud.

"Stop doing that," Jason growled, "It's annoying."

"Can't help it," Inara replied shortly wrenching her foot out of the ground again.

Zaru and Susan were slightly ahead of the group, scouting the way. From Zaru's mutters that sound unnaturally loud in the dead silence, the leopard didn't enjoy having to stick his bare feet into the swamp either.

They walked for a good mile in complete silence, the quiet of the swamp oppressing any desire to talk. But left to her thoughts, Inara had a niggling question that refused to go away.

"Hey, Cowboy," she called out.

Elias had wandered off a little to investigate something he'd seen in the water. Zaru and Susan were so far ahead by now that the mist completely swallowed them up.

"Doc told me back in Shift's world you couldn't give a stuff about me and Queenie," Inara said carefully, "But… now you go out of your way to help us. I mean you didn't even bother arguing with Su about embarking on this crazy expedition…"

"You have a point?" Jason snarled.

"Why?" Inara asked, "I just want to know why you care so much about us… about doing the right thing."

Jason was quiet as they continued walking. Inara winced wishing she'd just keep her mouth shut.

"Sorry, if it isn't any of my…"

"Why are you doing this? At the beginning it was about going home wasn't it?" Jason asked.

Inara nodded. She slipped in the mud almost toppling Peter into the swamp but quickly recovered her balance. Jason rolled his eyes.

"It was," Inara admitted, "But after the Temple. After Jiang sacrificed himself… I made a promise to do something about my life. Back home… I was a nothing but here… in all these worlds I have a chance to prove myself now. Granted I did act like an egoistical idiot before.

Inara paused.

"And with the power now inside of me…"  
Inara bit her lip.

"It's a part of me now," she said slowly, "There's this need in me to fight and protect and I have to… I want to do it."

Jason nodded gravely.

"In Lawless, I was a Seeker. A bounty hunter of sorts. But that was a job, it wasn't my fate," Jason snorted as how lame it sounded but continued anyway, "But I find myself on this quest and I realised something… this is where I was supposed to end up. I was meant to help defeat this Great Darkness thing. So whatever it takes, I'm going to do it."

There was a short pause.

"And I always did like a challenge," he stopped again, "And without me all of you would've been killed at least eight times over."

Inara laughed at his usual gruff way of showing affection. Elias suddenly splashed back to them ending their conversation.

"This is amazing," he spluttered, "I've found signs of plant life that seems suited to desert life. I have no idea how it washed up her…"

Elias was a man of facts and logic but what happened next completely defied explanation.

A thick mist suddenly swept through the area turning the Swamplands into a world of ambiguous grey and shifting half-seen shapes.

Inara turned on the spot, utterly confused as she tried to see where the others were. Suddenly she felt the other end of the stretcher give way. She cried out and the stretcher dropped into the water, Peter pitching in the murky muck.

Instantly she dragged him up as he spluttered weakly, coughing up water, his eyes still sealed shut. Inara scrambled for purchase in the mud and finally found a small island amidst the swamp. She sat down, supporting Peter against her, uncaring of the water now seeping into her clothes.

Slowly, she looked around at the mist around her and could see nothing but wispy grey.

"Okay…" she trailed off, "What the hell?!"

AAAAAA

Zaru felt his senses go dead. He heard and smelt and saw nothing but the cold clinging mist. He was completely freaked out, never before had this happen. Never had his senses failed him… not like this.

"Your majesty!" he called out, his voice getting higher and higher "Your majesty!"

But Susan didn't reply. The leopard looked all around him, panic creeping up onto the cat.

"SUSAN!!" he roared as he bounded through the swamp looking desperately for the young queen.

AAAAAA

Elias felt cold as he tried to make sense of what had just happened.

"Jason?" he called, "Inara? Susan? Zaru?"

He stumbled through the water, fumbling his way through the mist as he tried to find the others. In his rising panic all he did was get himself more and more lost in the swamp.

Suddenly he stopped and froze.

"Oh no. Oh no. No. No. No. No. No," he gasped.

He tried to pull his leg out of the mud but with a wet squelch it sucked him further down. Elias cried and struggled, the thick rich mud gripping him fast and pulling him under with each movement.

The scientist struggled as slowly, inch by inch, the quicksand began dragging him down into the water.

AAAAAA

The Seeker frowned.

"What on…"

He probed the mist with his powers but it like trying to peer through an opaque wall. His senses, his powers… they all told him nothing.

Jason saw a shift of movement from the corner of his eyes and whirled around, unsheathing his dagger in one swift move. He pointed it warily at what the movement was.

"Who you are!" Jason barked out, "Come out or I'll gut you!!"

The mist swirled and a tiny figure stepped out of the mist. Jason stared in shock as something dark and hideous in his mind began to rise, breaking through layers and layers of barriers and walls that had tried to lock it away for so very long.

The little girl looked up at him with his own dark blue eyes.

She beamed widely and spoke one word that shattered his world.

"PAPA!!"

AAAAAA

Author's notes: sorry, exhausted from the 2 week placement so my brain funciton dead at the moment. Enjoy!


	18. In the mist

Updated! NOW REVIEW! 10 new reviews update!!

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 18: In the mist**

"Zaru?! ZARU?!"

But all Susan had was the echo of her own voice. She raised her bow, not knowing what was happening but wanting to be armed as a deep sense of wrongness welled up in her.

"What's going on?" she demanded.

"Susan."

She froze, her bow falling from frozen fingers and sinking into the swamp.

"Susan."

"No… this can't be!" she mumbled, "Dreaming… I must be dreaming… I must…"

He stepped out from the mist, his eyes dark and full of love. He reached out for her with one hand beckoning for her.

"Susan," his accent caressed the name, changing it in a way that made her tingle with want.

"How…"

"I'm here, my love," he answered, his dark curls rustling in a gentle breeze, "Come."

Susan clasped a shaking had to her mouth and spoke that one word that would always shake her world.

"Caspian?"

AAAAAA

Zaru ran through the mist as fast as he could, his feet swallowing up distances in great strides but yet he got nowhere, the mist unchanging around him.

Finally he gave to a stop, gasping desperately for breath.

"Hey! Anyone out there!?" he demanded furiously, "COME ON!!"

A sudden sunlight suffused the air, the mist evaporating as something huge and magnificent slowly appeared before him. Zaru recoiled, hissing furiously as the shape pulled itself free from the mist.

The leopard's jaws dropped as he finally saw who it was.

"ASLAN!!" he gasped, "HOW?! Impossible… you…"

Aslan walked towards him, His paws not even penetrating the water's surface. The Great Lion looked at Zaru with grave eyes and the leopard instantly dropped down into a crouching bow.

"Come with me, Son of the Forest," Aslan rumbled in His most commanding voice.

Before Zaru could even blink, Aslan was off running along the surface of the swamp, seemingly gliding on the water's surface.

Shaking himself, Zaru instantly bounded after his King, all other thoughts and worried pushed to the side as he raced through the mist.

AAAAAA

Inara sighed, aggravated as she tried to see through the mist. With Peter in her arms, she couldn't move anywhere unless she seriously wanted to lug the unconscious Pevensie through the swamp. Inara sighed. She might've attempted it but the chances of her hurting him further were very high and she didn't particularly feel like turning into Susan's personal shooting target.

"Inara."

The girl's head snapped up as three figures emerged from the mist. Her eyes bulged as she saw who it was.

Paxton, Dorothy and Chelsea Nixon, father, mother and sister to Inara smiled down at her.

"Hello, honey," Dorothy reached out to touch her but Inara pulled away.

"Sweetheart, we've been looking all over for you!" Paxton smiled lovingly, a look that Inara had never seen him direct at her before, "Come on!"

"Yeah, sis," Chelsea smiled, "Time's a wasting! Wriggle on!"

Inara looked at all three of them in absolute bewilderment trying to figure out what was going on. They continued to smile at her, the three of them standing arm in arm like the perfect family they never were.

Peter moaned something and moved, his movements jolting her. Inara glanced down at his sweat-slicked face but he was still once more.

Slowly she looked up and understanding came into her eyes. A look of utter hate twisted her face.

"Oh, come on!! Protection?! Is this the protection thing? The Sister chicks put some mojo on this swamp and you're it?" Inara demanded.

Her mother laughed lightly shaking her head in amusement.

"What are you talking about?" Dorothy tried to reach out to her, "Sweetie, I think you're a little confused."

But Inara wasn't listening to her, she looked around, her face flushed with anger.

"Is this how you people work?" she snapped, talking to the mist around her, "Use some mist, confuse and separate the group then hit the people with some spooky ghosts of their loved ones?"

Inara glared at her family with utter loathing as they continued to beam at her, their expression saccharine sweet. She snorted in disgust.

"Is this how you drive them mad?" Inara growled, "Show them the people they can never have and then torment them until they break?"

Peter was slipping from her arms. Inara stopped her rant to adjust her grip on him making sure his whole body was out of the water.

"Well, I think you people need to check your mind reading!" Inara yelled violently, "I HATE MY FAMILY! They are a collective bunch of losers and my issues with them? Long taken care of! I metaphysically kicked their butts back in the Chamber and moved on! So if this is some great attempt at emotional torture, you utterly fail!!"

She shook her fist at the air around her.

"FAIL!!" Inara roared rebelliously.

"Baby sis…" Chelsea began reaching out for her.

"Yes, please touch me," Inara snapped, "Because I really want whatever diseases you picked up from your harem of lovers!"

Inara resolutely turned away refusing to even look at the illusions of her family.

"I'm going to sit here and ignore them," she announced, "And you can all just go to hell."

There was a moment of silence then…

"INARA!!" her family shrieked as one, "Please!! Look at us! We need your help! They've got us! They're going to… OH MY GOD!! HELP!!"

Even though they screamed and screamed and screamed and every instinct inside begged her to turn and look, Inara refused to. She closed her eyes tight and clenched her teeth trying to turn herself deaf.

Her family's screeches got louder and louder, more desperate and more heart wrenching but Inara refused to be taken in, her body trembling with the torment.

Finally everything around her fell silent.

Inara looked back and all she saw was mist once more. Growling, she wiped tears away from her eyes and glared around her.

"I hate you," she muttered darkly.

There was nothing she could do but stay and keep vigilance over Peter, worries and fears for the others running rampant in her head.

AAAAAA

Elias panicked and thrashed around wildly trying to find purchase but the mud just sucked him deeper in. He quickly realised his mistake and stopped. The oozing filth was now up to his chest. Slowly, very slowly he moved an arm.

He stopped in horror as he sank another half inch deep into the hungry maws of the mud pit.

"As long as I don't move I'll be fine," he reassured himself shakily, "As long as I don't…"

A thought caught his attention.  
"But then I'll just starve," Elias argued with himself.

His eyes bulged as he realised what he'd just said. An overwhelming urge to just flail with all his might, to try and fight his way out of the mud almost overtook him but once again his cool head prevailed.

Elias cautiously relaxed his muscles and found himself just floating in the mud, not moving anywhere. He looked around slowly.

"Uhhh… Susan? Jason? Inara?" he paused waiting for a reply, "Zaru?"

No answer.

Elias looked again trying to find something that would help him. Maybe a nearby tree he could use or a rope or just… Panic filled him again. Something! Anything!  
"Professor?"

A slim figure, blonde and blue eyed appeared before him like an angel. She looked at him puzzled.

"Professor? What are you doing down here?" she asked curiously.

"Five?!" Professor gasped in utter amazement.

His assistant from the city of Metech, the world he had hailed from, was standing inexplicably right before him. She looked at him, confused at why the great professor was choosing to sit himself in the mud.

"It is I," Five reported with a smile.

"What are you… how?"

"When you… uhh… left," Five chose her words delicately, "I went after you. You always get into trouble without me. I activated the Transporter and ended up here. My sensors than found you and here I am."

She smiled.

"You look a lot dirtier than the last time I saw you."

"Get me out!" Elias said, relieved, "Hurry!"

His assistant knelt down at the edge of the mud hole and reached out for him. But her fingers were just a few bare inches off from his.

"You have to reach out," she grimaced, "I can't…"

Elias instantly surged forwards, moving against the mud as he swiped out trying to grab her but her hands were just too far way.

"Five, you have…" Elias shouted out in alarm as his movements caused him to sink.

"Try harder!" Five barked, "Come on!"

Elias tried to lunge again but the mud sucked him down once more trapping him up to his shoulders. The professor cried as gravity did the rest, pulling him slowly into the mud further and further until it began to flood into his mouth, choking his screams.

Five ignored his cries for help and continued to urge him on.

"Professor! Come more! One more time! MOVE!!"

AAAAAA

"Papa!" the little girl looked up at him, awe and adoration shimmering in her eyes.

A single name came to his lips.

"Delilah," he whispered.

The girl clapped her hands in delight and danced on the spot, spinning as her laughter made Jason's heart swell and die at the same time.

Ugly black memories began to boil just beneath his conscious mind wanting to break free. But almost out of instinct, he forced them down.

A sudden memory hit him with bone crunching force.

'_You woke up in a town one day completely alone with no memory of the past six years of your life,'_ Chu Xing, seer of the Temple had told him, _'You caused that memory loss.'_

This little girl looked about six. Jason was almost in physical pain as he wrested with himself. Chu Xing had talked about many things. About his powers and the suppression of painful memories.

The Seeker screamed and stumbled backwards, clutching at his head. It was like an axe had split his skull in two, the pain threatening to stop his heart.

He could feel them, he only had to reach out and he would see them all, remember them but he forced himself not to.

The pain!

More were coming through the barriers that once held the memories back. Sorrow and guilt rose up in one soul crushing wave. Tears came to his eyes and he didn't even know why he was crying.

"Papa?" Delilah looked at him timidly, "What's wrong."

"Nothing," Jason tried to hide the fear in his eyes, "Nothing, Ladybug."

The girl beamed at her pet name and Jason froze.

Ladybug? Where had that come from?

Needles stabbed into his eyes and Jason hunched over, crying out. A single image flared inside his head. It was him with a tall beautiful woman by his side, her hair dark as night, her eyes brilliant amethysts and a little girl, dark haired and blue eyed, using their arms to swing herself up into the air.

His fedora fell into the swamp as he looked away clutching at his head.

"What… who are you?!" he screamed, "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!"

"Papa, it's me… your little Ladybug?" the girl's limps trembled, "Don't you remember."

Remember.

Forget.

Remember.

Forget.

REMEMBER!!

"NOOOOOOO!!" Jason screamed pushing the two opposing voices out of his head.

His was being torn apart from the inside, two factions warring inside his head. The memories continued to come to life inside of him, awaking after being bound for so long. He could feel it shift, feel it being disturbed as the little girl in front of him continued to rip his existence apart.

The memories were getting stronger and stronger now, growing in strength, ready to explode through the blocks and barriers set deep in his mind with the all the force of a geyser.

Frantically he used all his powers to stop them, driving his abilities deep into his own mind, reinforcing the shields in place.

"Papa?" Delilah moved forwards trying to touch him.

Jason roared in pain and fury and anguish. He was like a wild beast, trapped and completely terrified.

"Get away from me!" he screamed, "GET AWAY!!"

AAAAAA

"Come to me," Caspian urged.

Susan floundered through the murky waters, a delighted smile on her face.

"Caspian! How did you get here?" she demanded.

He smiled at her shyly, his hair in his face.

"I escaped," a pained look creased his brows, "It was hard… but I did it. I did it for you. I destroyed the darkness and I made it here. Everything…"

He smiled and the sweetness in his grin was like ambrosia to her, strong and unbelievably intoxicating.

"Come, we must leave here and return to Narnia," the King urged, "We must rescue our people… then we can be together again."

Susan felt tears come to her eyes as she fought to be by his side.

"Caspian, I…"

"SHINK!!"

There was a sickening thud and Susan let out a piercing scream.

Blood seeped into the murky water, the trickle unfurling into the swamp staining it a delicate pink.

"No," Susan's eyes were wide and disbelieving, "NO!!"

Caspian clutched at his bleeding belly, the blood blossoming across his white short. His lifeblood spilled from him, thick and fast, the water getting redder and redder with every passing second.

The King of Narnia stared at the blade sticking out his gut and looked up at her, the light fading from his eyes.

Blood fell from the corner of his lips.

"Susan… I lov…"

He fell, face first into the water, splashing Susan with mud and blood. The queen was beside her, screaming and weeping as she fought to get to him, to staunch the bleeding, to do anything but watch him down.

But the mud was thick and held her fast. She struggled, her ankles jerking at the mud's grip but she was stuck.

"CASPIAN!!" Susan screamed, "CASPIAN!!"  
His blood spread towards her like a gruesome oil slick, Susan flinching as it touched her bare legs.

Sunlight glinted off the razor edge of the sword that had just killed her love, a gleaming counterpoint to the darkness of the bloodied water.

"No," Susan choked on her own tears.

She felt like she was crying to death, her tears were like blood, each fallen drop draining her of her strength. Her mind was a wreck, reeling from what had just happened.

She wanted to just crawl up and die as vomit crept up her throat. She was shaking, she was ashen, she was white, she was sweating, she was dying.

"No…" Susan looked to the skies and screamed, her voice rending the world apart with its anguish, "PLEASE!! HELP!! ASLAN!! HELP!!"

AAAAAA

Zaru wanted to drop where he stood and just die. He was exhausted, his limbs trembling as he fought to continue on. Aslan was just up ahead running with the speed and endurance of a horse.

"Please… Aslan… stop…" Zaru croaked out wearily.

His tongue lolled out of his mouth as he panted furiously trying to shed all the heat from his overworked body. His feet were numb from exertion and the icy cold swamp, a contrast to the aching fire that attacked every muscle.

He coughed and tasted blood.

His heart and lungs seemed aged before their time, each breath was pure agony, his lungs aching as they tried to expand. His heart was exhausted barely able to keep up, pain stabbed him deep in his chest and Zaru collapsed, sucking water as he tried to breathe.

He spluttered, retching violently.

"Come! There is no time!" Aslan barked somewhere from up ahead.

"You run!" Zaru hissed, annoyed, "I need…"

He raised his head out of the water, shaking with the effort.

"I need… sleep," his eyes fluttered close, "I need…"

"The others will die without you!" the Great Lion roared furious.

Zaru was beyond listening as his head swayed unable to stay up for any longer.

"Good," he muttered deliriously, "I…"

He fell beneath the swamp's water, drowning but too exhausted to even help himself.

AAAAAA

Jason glared at Delilah as she grinned toothily at him.

"Papa, do you want me to get Mama, she can…"  
"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!" he screamed.

Violently, he used his powers to stamp on the suppressed memories inside his head. They instantly fell silent as the blocks pushed them back, the barriers strengthening as white fire spilled through Jason's veins.

"GO!!"

He pointed at the girl and she let out a piercing scream before exploding into a cloud of mist.

Ruthlessly Jason obliterated every last resistance of his hidden memories and pushed them back down, locking them again in his subconscious, forcing them back into their frozen slumber.

He whirled around, unable to speak as his eyes went completely white, blazing with dazzling light. Power flowed through him like a raging sea, battering and fighting to break free.

"STOP IT!!" Jason screamed into the mist, "STOP!!"  
His hands were like claws as he flailed at the mist around him. His powers exploded out of him, erupting like a roaring volcano. With a final anguished shout, the furious Seeker ripped the mist apart.

AAAAAA

Inara's head snapped to the side as a distant cry penetrated her ears.

"STOP!!"  
"What?" she gasped as the mist around her suddenly vanished from existence.

The Swampland was visible once more and the very first thing she saw was a struggling Elias.

"DOC!!" she shouted.

She surged forwards, dropping Peter onto the shallow island they had been resting on as she struggled through the mud.

"DOC!!"  
Elias's head disappeared beneath the surface of the mud as Inara threw herself down at its edge. Grimacing, she plunged her head deep into muck and scrambled for Elias.

She felt something hard in her hands and pulled with all her strength.

It was a deadly contest of tug-of-war between her and the mud pit who pulled back, trying to suck the scientist down into its greedy deaths. Gritting her teeth, Inara dug her heels into the ground and yanked with all her strength.

There was a sickening prolonged squelch and Inara suddenly stumbled backwards, a heavy muddy object falling right on top of her.

"DOC!"

Hurriedly, she cleared the mud from his mouth and nose, splashing swamp water into his face trying to clean it all away.

There was a few brief, terrifying seconds then Elias let out a huge splutter and immediately began gasping for breath, his chest heaving as he tried to breathe.

Inara let out a sigh of relief and pounded his back helping him cough up all the mud he had breathed in.

"What happened?" he wheezed.

"You ruined my shirt that's what," Inara smiled softly.

Elias managed to chuckle weakly as Inara stood up.

"Come on, old man," she helped him up, "Let's get you away from your almost tomb."

Leaning on Inara, Elias managed to weak nod as the two wandered back to the small island.

AAAAAA

Susan blinked and the mist and Caspian was gone.

"What the…" she looked around frantically wondering what had just happened.

Slowly she realised the truth.

"The protections…" she murmured.

A look of black hate crossed her face.

"HOW DARE YOU?!" she screamed, "HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO US!!"

Ineffectively she kicked at the water before she stomped back to where she'd been, scooping up her bow. Angrily, she wiped the tears from her face, streaking mud across her cheeks but she didn't care, focused only on her fury.

"I am going to…" she began.

A weak splutter drew her attention away.

"ZARU!"

Susan bounded through the water and made it to the leopard. She quickly pulled his head out of the water allowing him to breathe.

"What happened to you?" she cried feeling him tremble.

His body was hot, his fur sweat-soaked as if he'd just fought a war.

"Aslan… made me follow…" Zaru muttered incoherently, "Couldn't keep up. Couldn't… I failed. I failed you!"

Susan felt a burning desire to destroy something but she quickly checked her anger.

"No," Susan kissed the top of his head fiercely, "You have never failed me and you never will."

That seemed to calm Zaru and he collapsed into her arms. Slowly she rose to her feet, pulling the leopard up with her.

"By the Mane!" she gasped, "Inara's right! You do eat too much!"

Grunting with the effort, Susan dragged Zaru through the swamp as she tried to find their friends.

AAAAAA

The tiny island was crowded by now, Inara sitting on the edge as she watched over her friends worryingly.

Peter was still asleep, his fever escalating as he thrashed now and then, fighting against an enemy he could only see.

Elias was exhausted, napping on the uncomfortable ground as Zaru curled up next to him, the leopard's breathing harsh and laboured.

Susan was staring across the swamp, her face closed.

"Are you okay Su?" Inara asked gently.

"I… worried about Jason," Susan said quickly.

Inara arched an eyebrow.

"What did you see?" she said in her usual blunt way.

"I…" Susan glimpsed at Inara's concerned eyes.

The two of them had grown very close opposites though they were. But somehow it all worked, Susan's calmness and reason perfectly balancing out Inara's quick temper and rashness.

In a way, Susan envied Inara and her ability to say what was on her mind without caring what others thought. She could never do that, always striving to be diplomatic and trying keep the calm. To her Inara had a rare freedom of spirit, unburdened by the tiny voices of doubt that always seemed to weigh her down. The young girl was confident and fiery, never quailing and never apologetic what she believed.

And as for Inara? She admired Susan's leadership and the depth of her love for all of them. She knew without a doubt that the queen would do anything for those she loved, willing to risk everything to protect those who could not.

Susan was a queen in every sense of the word, regal and graceful, with a woman's passion and love and a warrior's courage and duty.

"I saw Caspian," Susan whispered.

"Your hot lover?" Inara teased lightly.

Susan laughed, grateful as always for Inara's ability to make people laugh.

"Yes… I saw him die," Susan looked away.

It was silly to be crying over something that wasn't real but seeing him… even an illusion of him like that. It amplified all the darkest fears that she was too afraid to even admit she had.

She shook her head.

"It wasn't real," Inara said gently.

"But… I don't know," Susan whispered, "Just with everything. I can't help but think…"

"Oh, please," Inara snorted.

She touched Susan's arm making the queen look at her. The conviction in her voice strengthened Susan and made her hope once more.

"He has something to fight for. You. And which man is going to be idiotic enough to die when he has someone like you for a reason to live?" Inara demanded, "Besides, if he does die, I'm going to personally find a way to kill him again just for hurting you."

Susan laughed, gratitude in her eyes.

"Promise?" she teased.

"You can get that in writing," Inara vowed.

Susan smiled but she was distracted by the sight of someone walking towards them. She instantly sprung to her feet.

"JASON!" she cried out relieved, "Oh thank…"

She stopped as he got closer and she could see his face.

"Jason?" she asked.

Inara and her exchanged worried bewildered glances. The Seeker strolled towards them, his face an unbreakable ice-cold mask but they had been around him long enough to see the chaos of emotions roiling in his eyes.

"Jason?" Susan whispered, "What happened?"

"I stopped the mist," Jason snapped.

He pushed roughly past them and flung himself down on the ground, waking Zaru and Elias in the process.

"And?" Inara asked.

"Nothing," Jason growled, "I'm tired."

Knowing she'd getting nothing out of the man, Susan sighed and glanced at the darkening sky.

"Looks like we're having a little camp out tonight," she looked glumly across the depressing swamp.

Jason fell back, disengaging himself from the group. Inara and Susan looked at him worriedly but didn't say anything.

Once again Inara tried to lighten the situation.

"And damn," she sighed, "I forget my bag of marshmallows."

The sun descended beyond the horizon and night fell on the swamp. They slept but got no rest as the memories of what they had seen in the mist haunted them in their dreams.

Jason clutched his fists as half-remembered memories of a little girl named Delilah looped inside his head. He was once again of the dark memories inside of him, hidden and suppressed awaiting their chance to break out again.

He shuddered and closed his eyes willing sleep to come.

It never did.

AAAAAA

It was mid morning when they finally reached the end of the Swampland, the water getting shallower with each step they took.

Elias winced as he pulled flakes of dry mud from his body taking hair with each piece. It was not a pleasant felling.

He glanced at his companions. Susan and Inara were carrying Peters' stretcher. The queen looked haggard, her face place and pinched but she was smiling at something Inara had said, her blue eyes sparkling with mirth.

And see that twinkled in those blue irises Elias knew that whatever the swamp had done to her, whatever nightmare she had seen in the mist she would recover and be stronger for it.

He frowned as his mind continued to puzzle over what exactly had happened in the mist.

One theory caught his attention, maybe it was hallucinogenic gases somewhere in the swamp causing mass delusions? But his vision of Five had been so… real.

Elias frowned. If there was one thing he hated was a question with no answers. But before he could dwell anymore on this enigma he was suddenly distracted by the sight of Jason, ploughing through the swamp water before them.

The Seeker had clearly been the most affected by what happened. He had barely spoken a word to them the whole night.

From the rigid set of his shoulder, Elias could tell the man was still tormented by what he had seen. But there was something more than that, he had seen the man's eyes, caught a glimpse of it just as he woke up but there was…

'_Fear,' _Elias realised, _'Whatever Jason had seen… it terrified him.'_

The scientist felt cold at the thought of something frightening the usually unshakeable man.

Zaru was slowly walking beside Elias, his movements laboured and uncoordinated. But suddenly the leopard looked up, his eyes brightening.

"There's something…" he paused the and sniffed the air, sampling the smells coming towards him, "People!"

Jason barked a warning from up ahead, confirming Zaru's claim. Susan shot Inara a worried glance and nodded, the warrior girl instantly got the message.

"Doc!" she called out urgently, "Take the stretcher!"

Elias obeyed and Inara ran to where Jason stood, unsheathing her sword from across her back as she ran.

AAAAAA

Jason was standing statue still, a look of pure vicious loathing radiating from his eyes. Inara stopped beside him, sword at the ready as she studied the newcomers.

A trio of women, each tall, slim and elegant, stood at the edge of the swamp, white gowns flapping in the breeze. Their long hair were braided and pinned, coiled into the most complex of patterns. Each strand seemed oiled and glistened in the light.

The contrast between the greyness of the swamp and the women's neat, bright forms were startling. Inara suddenly realised that these must be the Sisters of the Moon they were searching for.

Jason grunted, feeling the power emanating from the trio of women and immediately knew who had caused the illusions in the mist. He felt a surge of violent hatred burning his veins.

Again vision of Delilah flashed in his head but he ruthlessly shoved them away.

"What are you doing here?" one of the Sisters, slim and stern-faced, demanded.

"Admiring the scenery," Jason said shortly, matching her aggression.

A dangerous crackling energy pulsed between them. The speaker crossed her heavy brows, scowling with great dislike. She was a handsome woman, her features much too strong to be considered a classical beauty. She looked like one who was used to power and used to people obeying her every word.

"I advice you not to vex us," she said icily.

The two women flanking her raised their weapons in response, confirming that threat. They were wielding what looked to be two short silver staff, chips of blue crystals glittering on the tips. Inara blinked and to her it seems inside the crystal's multi-faceted depth, a strange inner light was throbbing.

She and Jason could both feel the menacing aura the strange weapons gave off and tensed, more than ready for a fight.

"What are you doing here?" the woman demanded again.

"We have someone for you to heal."

Jason and Inara turned and Susan and the others were there. Susan flicked her eyes towards Inara and the girl instantly responded, relieving Susan of the stretcher.

The queen stepped forwards in measured steps, her blue eyes solemn showing just the smallest hint of pleading.

Susan knew that this woman was a leader and she knew how leaders talked, with flattery and diplomacy, each word being carefully selected and shaped for maximum impact. Humbly she sank to her knees, uncaring that the fetid swamp water was now soaking into her dress.

"Please, blessed Sisters of the Moon," Susan said formally, "Help us."

The leader narrowed her eyes and Susan looked up, not with aggression in her eyes but a hard stubborn look telling her she would no submit or go away until her requests were met.

The leader woman narrowed her eyes and weighed up her options. She nodded sharply and began to turn.

One of her women gasped in shock.

"But Artema!" she protested loudly, "How do we know they're not working with the Plague Man!"

"Plague Man?" Elias echoed.

But he was ignored as Artemta drew herself to her full height and looked down at the woman, her dark eyes flashing.

"We will help them and I believe it is not your place to argue with me," the leader said with a voice that brooked no argument.

She turned to leave. Susan rose to her feet, smiling in relief as the tension left her body. Inara and Jason gaped at her in surprise.

"We can't just go with them!" Inara protected, "I mean they tried to kill us! How do we know they won't do it again?!"

It was Artema who spoke, not even bothering to turn back to them as she walked briskly away.

"You can't know," Artema called, "But I'm leaving. If you want help, you better follow me now!!"

Artema's guards eyed them suspiciously and one of them jabbed her small staff towards them, the blue crystal end flaring with light. Jason raised his hand ready to blast the woman away but Susan grabbed onto his arm, stopping him.

The Seeker growled but allowed his arm to be pushed down.

Susan moved confidently ahead leading the way. Wordlessly the others followed as the Sisters of the Moon lead them away from the misty Swamplands.

Jason gave the swamp one last wistful, furious look.

Delilah's face appeared again and he felt icy fear pierce him straight in the heart.

Papa, she had called him.

Does that mean… Did he have a daughter? What happened to her? Did he have a wife as well?

Six years, he had woken up one day in the middle of a small town with absolutely no memory of six years. He had always pushed any questions aside, always feeling a deep-seated reluctance to dwell on those missing years of his life.

But now questions tormented him, driving him slowly bad.

Six years… what happened in those six years.

He remembered Chu Xing, the High Seer of the Temple's words.

"But it takes a great amount of strength to maintain that block and so the body of your powers are spent in preserving this shield between your nightmares and your normal thought. So your true talent is still unknown even to you."

Unknown… there was so much he didn't know. But there was more…

"All of you who are Chosen by the Holy Spirits… that which the Queen calls Aslan and others call by different names… have been pitted again a great Darkness. The only hope of victory is for all of you to unlock every potential inside you. Some are already inside of you crying out to be freed… others will be acquired after many sorrows and trials."

Jason realised with searing clarity that one day he would have to confront those hidden memories and endure whatever agony they brought. But today?

He glanced at his companions and the road they were on as they followed the Sisters of the Moon.

He squared his shoulders and tried to clear his mind.

Today was not the day.

AAAAAA

Author's notes: Yeah, I'm evil. The mystery of Jason's past will be slowly revealled over a long, long arc. Ha!


	19. Sisters of the Mystic Lake

New chapter! 10 new reviews equals quicker update! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: see previous chapters

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 19: Sisters of the Mystic Lake**

"What is this place?" Susan whispered, awed in spite of herself.

Artema smiled enigmatically and said one word, the most beautiful word there ever was.

"Home," she said simply, cresting the top of the small hill and leading them down a winding path.

Mystic Lake, the man had told them and it was apt. The loch was massive, stretching for miles in an unbroken expanse but the thing that made it so mysterious was its water.

Somehow, through some strange quirk of nature, the water of the lake shimmered like an opal. The water was dark but it was streaked with the most marvellous of colours: flaming ruby, soothing emerald, incandescent gold, mysterious amethyst, the hues all made the gentle ebb and flow over the water almost hypnotic as the colours played in its depths, a wonder that even struck Zaru dumb.

Elias was busy hypothesising away.

"Minerals in the water?" he whispered to himself, unaware of how loud he actually was, "Yes, the minerals and the refractive index of the water would…"

Susan merely chuckled as Artema picked her way down to the lake's edge. The five companions plus Peter on the stretcher followed after her, Artema's guards bringing up the rear.

"Is that the patient?" Artema asked bluntly.

She coolly assessed Peter's scarred form, not flinching as most people would've done.

"Nasty wounds," she commented, "What happened?"

Susan felt a black oily tide of hatred flow through her as she remembered what the vampires had done. She quickly mastered herself, striving to present a blank face to Artema.

"He was hurt," the queen replied in a clipped tone, "We managed to rescue him but he needs to heal properly.

"Aye, he does," Artema frowned, "Chances are he'll die if he doesn't get help."

Susan blanched at her words, shorn of all softening. Zaru growled, disliking the woman straight away.

"Man, she's as subtle as a wrecking ball through an orphanage isn't she?" Inara muttered sarcastically.

Artema wasn't even listening to them as she made her way along the lake's shore.

"Here, help," she called out to her guards.

The two women instantly hurried forwards and between the three of them, they managed to pull a small boat out from amidst a patch of tall reeds.

They pushed it into the water and hopped lightly on. Artema turned to them, rolling her eyes at their surprised faces.

"What are you afraid?" she demanded, "Get on already!"

"Can we try and drown her in the lake?" Zaru muttered quietly.

From the look on Inara's face she clearly agreed. Susan sighed and swatted the leopard lightly.

"Come on," she said wearily, "Looks like we're going on a little rowing trip."

AAAAAA

The building was perched on an island in the centre of the lake, a thing of some opulence and luxury it made Cair Paravel seem like a roadside tavern. The whole thing was an intricate masterpiece of pale pink marble and glass, a pearl set against bejewelled waters of Mystic Lake.

"Unbelievable," Elias breathed.

Jason merely shot the thing a black look that clearly said he would like nothing more than to topple the thing into the lake.

"This is our headquarters," Artema said somewhat unnecessarily, "Navachandra."

The guards rowed the boat to a small pier and they disembarked. Artema again led the way bringing them to a small metal gate set in one of the marble walls. She unlocked it and herded them in, re-locking it behind them.

A beautiful garden lay before them, a wild landscape of lush growth and heavenly scents.

Even as she admired the beauty before her, Susan couldn't help but observe that there were a lot of guards patrolling the walls and the gardens, their strange silver weapons in hand.

She glanced at the guards with them and studied the weapon. It was like a sceptre more than a staff, its head a cluster of strange blue crystals, the bottom tapering into a long, thin sharp point, shaped like a dagger.

With a sudden sickening realisation, Susan saw that it looked a lot like the White Queen's wand but only smaller and much less menacing. Still it gave her a deep sense of unease. But she had no time to dwell on this as Artema led them up a flight of stairs and into the palace proper.

Inside was just as impressive as the external façade, Artema had led them into a long foyer made purely of marble inlaid with gold. Tapestries hung from the walls, depicting images of graceful women in florid poses. Braziers warmed the room, the expensive wood burning within giving the air a perfumed smell.

Susan caught sight of a small scurrying figure and half-turned to look at it properly. A young girl, maybe no more than eight, dashed across the halls, her head kept low. She was wearing a rough brown shift, her feet completely bare but the one thing that caught Susan's attention was the girl's hair or rather the complete lack of it.

The little girl was bald.

She frowned but her attention was drawn away as Artema was speaking.

"You two, take him to the healing chambers," the woman commanded.

Her guards nodded and instantly relinquished Elias and Inara of Peter's stretcher. Susan cried out and took a step forwards them.

"Don't worry," one of the guards said, "We're going to help him."

"Can… can I be there?" Susan begged.

Artema shook her head firmly.

"Sorry but the secret ways of our healing are known only to the Sisters of the Moon," she said, "You can see him once we have healed him."

"Can you?" Susan asked fearfully.

She had seen the extent of his wounds and the strength of the infection eating away at his flesh. But Artema nodded confidently and Susan believed her. Artema was not one to coddle, she told the truth as brutal and harsh as it was to hear. If the healer honestly believed otherwise she would tell her so without hesitation.

Susan stepped back and allowed the guards to take her brother away. She watched as they disappeared around the corner. It was hard for her to let go, to relinquish care over Peter so soon after she'd just gotten him back. But this was no time for her own petty thoughts and selfish desires, her brother needed help, help she couldn't give. Susan fought down her anxiety, her own sense of failure and tried to be strong. A sudden commotion broke out at the doorway relieving Susan of her dark thoughts.

Artema's eyes instantly darkened as a group of Sisters rushed into the foyer, talking loudly, panic rife in their voices.

"What's going…" Susan began, puzzled.

Artema swept past her, almost knocking her over.

"What is it?" Artema boomed in a voice that demanded obedience.

The hubbub petered out as one by one the Sisters turned and faced Atema. They sank down into eerily synchronised bows but Artema impatiently gestured for them to get up.

"What happened?' the woman growled.

Rather than answer the group of Sisters parted down the middle revealing someone amongst their midst.

Artemua sucked in a shocked breath. Susan and the others openly cried out. Elias leaned forwards, his dark eyes gleaming with his usual fanatical desire to learn and understand whilst the others recoiled, repulsed by what stood before them.

A Sister, a lithe figure with smoky grey hair, smiled sadly at all of them. The front of her white gown was drenched in blood and gore. Almost every inch of her skin was streaked with blood but the little that did show through was deathly pale.

The white of her eyes were black and red, the vessels within bursting even as they watched.

"Urasa…" Artema began completely paled.

Her face hardened and she snarled in fury. Susan jumped at the sudden change.

"Why?" Artema demanded, her high voice echoing off the walls, "Why?

"I had to…" Ursa whispered.

She coughed and a fine mist of blood exploded from her mouth. She fought to speak with lungs that were failing.

"There was a woman in Buresque… she was birthing. She and the baby would've died," Ursa blinked and blood seeped from the corner of her yes, leaking down her face in a life-leeching stream.

Atema's mouth was twisted into a bitter, exasperated grimace.

"Ursa…" Artema began, her tough facacde cracking, "You silly…"

Ursa let out a second violent explosive cough. Her breathing rattled in her throat and suddenly it seemed every pore and orifice in her body was bleeding. The thick crimson spill came from her ears, eyes and nose. She was like demon alien, pulled out form the most twisted nightmare ever dreamt, a sickening blood-drenched angel.

Susan had never seen such a horrific, tragic figure in her life as disgust and horror warred with compassion and sorrow inside of her.

"Don't be sad," Uras whispered, I…"

A thick black glob of blood burst from her mouth and she fell into a pool of her own blood. She twitched once and was quickly still. Artema let out a small cry and made to move forwards but stopped herself, knowing it was too late.

Zaru with his sensitive ears could literally hear her life leaving her body with a final beat of her failed heart.

A grim silence descended over them. It was broken by a wrenching sob.

"What the hell was that?" Jason demanded fiercely, mistrust burning in his eyes.

Susan gaped at him at the same time as Artema glanced towards him, sorrow etched into every line on her face. She shook herself and a hard mask fell into place.

"How dare you?" she hissed violently, "You barbarian! Have you no decency!? A woman has just died right before your eyes!"

Jason glared back at her, sparks of anger quickly igniting into a towering rage.

"I am not the one who has innocent blood on their hands!" Jason snarled back, "How many people have died in your enchanted swamps?"

Artema drew herself to her full height, glaring at the man. The Sisters were stunned, watching in fearful fascination as Artema pointed an accusing finger at the Seeker.

"We are at war!" she said in a voice that trembled, "I sorrow at the lives we've taken but it must be done!"

"Why? Because you…"

"JASON!"

Susan's voice lashed out like a whip. The Seeker glare furiously at the queen but Susan's icy cold stare instantly froze his anger and he backed down a little, still shooting Artema dark looks.

Artema turned to Susan and composed herself quickly.

"Voids!" she bellowed, "Attend at once!"

A bald-headed girl, the very same one Susan had just seen before, materialised out of nowhere. Artema turned back to the mourning crowd of Sisters as they wept over their fellow healer and friend.

"Take them to the guest wing," Artema ordered imperiously not even looking at the little girl.

The girl, a Void as Artema had called her, instantly sank into a deep bow. Susan and Zaru glanced at each other, puzzled trying to work out the strange hierarchy of this place as the little girl bowed to Susan and hurried off.

The queen hesitated and glanced at Ursa's body. Questions came to her lips, questions she desperately wanted answers to. What was going on in this world?

'Come on!" Jason growled, tugging at her, "We need to talk!"

Susan allowed herself to be dragged as they followed the Void deeper into the palatial Navachandra, home of the mysterious Sisters of the Moon.

AAAAAA

Even with everything that had happened, even with all the enigmas and intrigues Susan were desperately tried to solve, she couldn't help but admire the view of the enchanting waters of Mystic Lake from the spacious balcony.

A dark spot gliding over the shimmering water caught her eye and Susan frowned. It was a large barge of some sort, manned by three Sisters as they sailed the covered boat over to the west.

Heated words drew her attention back into the room behind her.

"A haemorrhaging fever?" Elias pondered aloud, already working at the latest mystery, "It must be unbelievably virulent to cause such rapid death.

He shook his head trying to get the grotesque image of the girl's final moments out of his head.

"That poor girl, every vessel in her body must've ruptured! The agony from the internal image," Elias pursed his lips, "Of course I wouldn't know for sure unless I do an autopsy or…"

"Ugh, Doc!" Inara protested aghast, "Enough!"

"How do we know they didn't cause this?" Jason demanded furiously, pacing the room, "I mean they had no qualms in killing us!! Who knows what else they could and would do?'

Susan turned cold at the though of her brother left helpless in the clutches of these mysterious women. If Jason was right…

She forced calm into her self. Her gut and the Sisters had told they meant no harm and she believed the women and more importantly her instincts.

"I agree with Inara, enough," Susan said wearily.

She swept into the room and sat on her bed, rubbing at her temples. Arriving in a new world was always a chaotic time, there were so many mysteries and unknowns, gasps to fill in their knowledge.

She had no idea what darkness was here, what form it would take and how to defeat it… in fact the only thing she knew was that a darkness was here and that it was growing.

The queen sucked in breath as she realised that perhaps another of her family was here waiting to be rescued. But again her gut told her no. Before she had found Peter there had been signs, vivid dreams that saw him in his prison cell, dreams that haunted her for nights on end.

But for now, there was nothing.

Susan glanced up at her companions and felt a little uncomfortable at the beseeching looks they were giving to her. Even after over a year with them, the once Gentle Queen was still a little unused to being the one in charge. In the Golden Age, it had always been her brothers at the forefront, the ones the Narnians had turned to in times of strife. She had always been sidelined, handling the court life and the day to day running of Cair Paravel.

But now she was war general and high queen all at once and it took a lot of getting used to.

She smiled slightly. At least she was way too nervous to be conceited. A sudden memory of Peter introducing himself to Trumpkin as High King Peter the Magnificent made her grin widened.

"We need to know more," she said evenly, "I agree with Jason… I don't trust them. Not fully. But we can't judge them. They're obviously under attack by something."

"The Plague Man," Elias easily remembered, "The guards accused us of working for him."

"Well, now there's a name that inspires visions of puppy love," Inara muttered sarcastically, "Oh wait! It screams out 'Darkness! Kill me now!'"

"I still don't trust them," Jason rumbled, "What they did to us in the swamp…"

"Alright!" Zaru growled, "We get it! You don't like them, move on already!"

Jason aimed a kick at the leopard who easily leapt out of the way, hissing at him.

Susan sighed. Sometimes dealing with all four of them at once made her feel more like a schoolteacher than a queen.

"Can we please…" Susan began.

"You'd like anyone who'll give you food!" Jason snapped, in mid-argument with Zaru.

"Jason!" Elias cut in, "That's a little harsh don't you think?!"

"No, I think it's plenty harsh… but true!"

Inara quickly grabbed Zaru by the hindquarters stopping him from pouncing at the Seeker. Susan felt her patience snap.

Jason opened his mouth to speak but had to quickly duck as a flash of silver flew towards him. He straightened just in time to see the dagger bury itself into one of the bedposts.

He turned and stared at Susan, genuinely shocked.

She glared back at him, her blue eyes glowing.

"Are you done?" she demanded in a clipped voice.

The Seeker raised his hands in surrender.

"Sit," Susan commanded.

Jason took a seat as she swept a furious look over the rest of them. Zaru instantly sank down to the ground as Inara mimed zipping her mouth shut.

Susan looked at Jason with frank confusion but the Seeker refused to look at her. There was no questioning that the man could be gruff and prickly but he'd never been this malicious before. Whatever he'd seen in the mist must've really torn his world apart. Susan decided to talk to him later and focused on the problem at hand.

"We can't do anything until we know more," Susan glanced at the door.

She stood up.

"What are you doing?" Inara asked startled.

"Getting some answers," the queen opened the door and as Artema had done called out, her voice ringing down the hallway, "VOIDS! ATTEND AT ONCE!!"

Instantly a young boy with shaved head appeared before her, bowing deep. Susan was slightly unnerved at this sign of complete and utter submission but pushed her feelings aisde.

"Take me to Artema," Susan commanded.

The boy bowed again and led away. Susan turned back to her friends and companions.

"Try not to kill each once I'm gone," she sighed, "I really prefer it if we all stayed alive."

Not giving them a chance to reply, the queen followed the Void out towards the one person who could give her answers.

AAAAAA

Susan mounted the stairs of the pavilion. The lush garden around her would've normally been a cause to stop and stare but right now she was on a mission.

"What are you doing here?" Artema demanded turning around.

"I heard you were here," Susan countered.

Susan couldn't help but smile. If there was one thing she could beat all her siblings in it was the intricate dance of diplomacy. In reality it was anything but diplomatic, it was a verbal and cultural battlefield where words were knives and pitfalls were abound, intrigue and betrayal lay at every corner and it was game that Susan was a master of.

In the short time she had known Artema she knew one thing. She couldn't afford to give the healer any sign of weakness.

"I had to see you," Susan smoothly slid herself into one of the benches lining the pavilion walls.

"I'm sorry," Artema smiled thinly, "But I'm busy right now."

"Standing here all by yourself?" Susan arched an eyebrow, "Yes… busy."

Artema glared at her and Susan smiled to herself victoriously. Keeping the opponent off balance and on the defensive was a tactic that worked well both in battle and in talking.

"What do you want?"

"Information. You refused to answer any of our questions on our way here," Susan glanced out of the pavilion as if the answer didn't bother her one whit, "I'm curious what is this place?"  
"How can you not have heard of us?" Artema demanded.

"Travellers, far away," Susan said blithely.

She flicked her blue eyes towards the handsome woman and decided to needle her just a little.

"But if you are so legendary you surely wouldn't mind explaining to me who and what you mystical Sisters do."

It was statement carefully constructed to hold both flattery and insult in just the right amount. Artema puffed herself up and Susan smiled again.

"We are an ancient order who use mysterious arts to cure the ills of other. Our ability to heal is almost legendary," Artema said smugly, "We are well received in every city and town we go to because everywhere we go we spread joy and bliss."

"But not everything is going well," Susan observed, "This Plague Man?"  
Artema stared at her, her dark eyes calculating Susan easily matching her gaze.

"You and your companions are all fighters," the head healer said carefully.

Susan arched an elegant brow, waiting.

"And you are in our debt. We will heal your companion but for a price."

"Of course," Susan said coolly, "Because heaven forbid you use your arts for the benefit of everyone without compensation."  
Artema ignored her.

"I will consider the debt pay if you do one thing for us," Artema took in a deep breath, "The Plague Man is a mysterious monster that aims to destroy this place and all Sisters of the Moon for reasons unknown to us. All we do know is that he's been hunting down as many Sisters as he can and killing them. We've managed to track his location down to caves just outside of Buresque."

"And you want us to help you in destroying him?" Susan guessed accurately.

"You will be accompanied by some of our more battle ready Sisters," Artema promised, "But yes, that is what I wish."

Susan paused and pretended to think for a very long time making Artema nervous. Finally she nodded.

"I agree. I will inform my companions at once."

She rose to leave and as she turned Artema smiled, pleased with her success.

"However," Susan timed her words with perfect precision, striving for maximum impact, "I only agreed to do so because for now our aims both match… do not pretend you have succeeded in blackmailing me."

With that the queen swept out of the pavilion, completely victorious.

AAAAAA

Buresque was a town famous for its weaving and dye works, the tapestries and clothing it produced unsurpassed in quality or sheer brilliance. The bards that transverse the length and breadth of the land of Rentorra sung the praise of the weavers in every town they visited, singing of their grace and impossible skill in time-honoured ballads.

Sadly for Jason and Zaru they were not in Buresque to visit the weaver's district. Instead they were clambering along the mountains at the town's border eastern border preparing themselves to face a monster.

Zaru easily bounded up the rocky incline, finding footholds with uncanny ability as Jason followed her lead distractedly. He slipped and fell promptly onto his back with a muttered curse.

Zaru peered over the edge at him, smirking..

"Quiet," he whispered, "Stealth mission, remember?"

Jason scowled and heaved himself back onto his feet. For a few minutes they walked in complete silence. Zaru kept shooting Jason side long glances opening his mouth a few times but the leopard held his tongue each time.

"If you want to say something, just say it," Jason growled curtly.

Zaru started and almost stumbled off the rocky lege and he checked himself.

"Okay, " she took a deep breath as if preparing herself for a dive, "What's going on?"

Zaru was after all a leopard (a fantastic virile specimen of a leopard but a leopard nonetheless) so he was unused to dealing with human emotions and moods. But even he could easily pick up that something was unsettling Jason. Somebody had to talk tot the Seeker and Zaru was the only one brave enough to do it. But he gave up all attempt at being subtle since he was so very bad at it.

Jason never paused, his stride unchanged as he continued to walk. Zaru sighed and instantly regretted his impulse.

"Never…' he began.

"I saw something in the mist," Jason stopped.

Zaru wisely stayed quiet and let him tell his tale in his own time.

"It was…" Jason's eyes held a wondering look but it also filled with fear and apprehension, "Something from my past…"

Zaru sucked in a sharp breath. The Seeker rarely ever discussed his past, even Elias with his overpowering curiosity knew better than to ever press him about it.

Even thought it might seem completely unexpected and just plain strange, Jason and Zaru had a bond. They were different in possibly every way, Jason usual taciturn and rude, Zaru big-mouthed (literally and figuratively) and playful.

But the two were the fighters of their group, bound by spilt blood and duty. They trusted each other without hesitation because on the battlefield doubt could easily get them killed. Jason trusted Zaru to win his battles and protect Susan and Zaru trusted Jason to pull the queen out if it came down to it. And that's what bound them together as comrade in arms, because both of them knew the other would protect Susan with their lives.

"I suppose it wasn't someone you wanted to remember," Zaru said finally.

"You supposed right," Jason sighed and rubbed his eyes, "I don't know… everything's all messed up… inside my head and…"

He had so many questions and fears and they were all driving him to distraction.

Was Delilah his daughter? What had happened to her? Why did he choose to forget her?

Ironically he had all the answers coiled up in the base of his mind. But they were locked up behind barriers he himself had consciously constructed. And there they would stay he vowed. The dark corrosive power of those terrifying memories had frightened him, even though he had only experienced them for a split second as the blocks had threatened to crumble inside the Swamplands. But a mere taste was enough for him to run in the opposite direction.

He wasn't ready for them… not just yet but he knew from Chu Xing, the seer of the Temple, that one day he would have to face them and learn what had transpired in those missing years.

But now was not the time.

He felt slightly guilty as he acknowledged he was taking out his feelings on the others but being who he was, he didn't really know how to apologise.

His reaction towards the Sisters on the other hand… he still didn't trust them. Every instinct he possessed warned him to watch them carefully. And so he did.

"Forget about it," Jason said gruffly ending the conversation.

His rough exterior came up again, his vulnerability hidden like a creature scurrying into its lair. Zaru nodded and left it at that.

They walked on and quickly mounted the final rocky hillock.

"Here it is," Zaru whispered.

Below them laid a cul-de-sac, nothing more than a crack in the rocks with steep walls on all sides except for one narrow ravine leading into it. Once someone stumbled in, they were trapped and it was here they would spring their attack.

Jason and Zaru glanced at each other and nodded. They were ready for the ambush.

AAAAAA

Their guide led them up a small winding path, her footing sure and swift. The young Sister turned back to watch their progress, her silvery grey eyes glittering with amusement.

"How are you holding up back there?" she called back.

Inara easily bounded up the hill, completely fresh and at ease unlike Elias who was huffing and puffing as he struggled to navigate the treacherous ground.

"Just fine," Susan grunted back.

She was dressed in wide soft trousers but the extra movement in afforded her didn't' help very much with the treacherous gravely ground. Susan cried out as the pebbles underfoot gave way. She slipped but luckily Elias's hands snagged her around the arm, steadying her.

"Thanks," Susan breathed, she adjusted the bow hanging across her back and continued climbing.

"Hurry," Selena, their guide, urged.

The young Sister watched the land around them. The grip of her silver sceptre-like weapon tightened as a flash of blue light strobed through the darkness.

"Quick!," the others are in place," Selena cried.

Inara and Selena led the way as Susan and Elias clambered after them. Elias could feel jitters run through his body. Susan turned to him and offered him a wry smile.

"You feel it too?" she asked.

The night around him seemed charged, a deep foreboding air permeating through everything. The world was eerily quiet as if it held its breath for the events about to unfold.

"At least its bright," Susan said lightly trying to soothe her nerve as much as his.

Elias glanced up. The moon was fat and round against the dark velvet of the sky, a glowing disc but its light offered him no comfort. To him it was like the cold intense eye of a far-off unimaginable creature, glaring down at them, mocking them with the superiority of one who knew what horrors were about to come.

Elias shuddered again.

"Stop," Selena called.

She glanced around the mountains, her eyes narrowed as she took in her surroundings trying to orientate herself by the stars.

"We're in place," she announced.

She raised her sceptre up into the air and the blue crystal flashed announcing to her fellow Sisters that they were ready. The reply was swift as five points of blue light flashed back from all around the rocky mountains.

"It's time," Selena announced.

Susan checked her daggers were in place before taking out her bow, twanging the string slightly to ensure it had the proper tension. Elias checked the small cloth bag he had by his side was easily within reach. In his hands, he held his quarterstaff.

Inara unsheathed her sword and nodded.

Selena held her sceptre up once and more and a blaze of light, bright enough to illuminate the whole area with a cool blue light, shot out and the trap was sprung.

AAAAAA

The night was suddenly alive with cries and shouts. Zaru stiffened but Jason remained quiet, completely unmoved as a sudden piercing shriek echoed through the air. There was a moment of silence and there another prolonged screech. It was abruptly cut off as Inara winced.

"This should be fun right?" he asked, "I mean…"

The leopard suddenly froze as a revolting stench tore through his senses. The leopard gagged and pawed at his nose trying to get rid of it.

There were times he regretted having a hypersensitive sense of smell and this was one of them. Even the mind tricks he had taught himself to block out overpowering stimuli utterly failed.

The vile pungent reek of rotting meat and infected wounds literally punched him in the nose. He gagged again, his fur standing up on end as he fought to keep himself from crying out.

The air was suddenly thick with it, using his nose he could literally sense out a figure off into the distance, the wind bearing of rot and blood to him. Zaru could not even being to imagine what creature would generate such a scent. It was as if a blood-soaked battlefield strewn with fallen bodies had been left under the blaze of a merciless summer sun allowing everything on the field to rot and bloat.

Zaru grimaced and could literally taste the scent. Jason instantly recognised Zaru's discomfit.

"What's wrong?" he demanded.

Zaru opened his mouth to speak and instantly regretted it as the smell caressed his tongue.

"There's something horribly wrong here," Zaru managed to gasp out, "It stinks!"

"The Plague Man," Jason said grimly.

There were further flashes of blue light in the darkness now and a furious scream, so guttural it was barely human, rent the air.

Suddenly there was another flash of blue light, much closer to their position now.

Jason shifted, unsheathing his two daggers.

"Get ready," he ordered roughly.

Zaru crouched down long, claws unsheathed, all nerves and disgust draining from his body.

This was no time for emotions.

It was time for battle.

AAAAAA

The monster twisted towards and Susan felt a rush of dread. The primeval part of her brain, the part that was wired for fight and flight, instantly kicked in almost debilitating her as it screamed at her to run for her life.

The thing standing in front of her was barely recognisable as a human. Eyes, black demonic eyes flecked with red, glared at her even as droplets of thick red blood oozed from the corners, dripping down his hideously contorted face.

His whole body was wreathed in yellowed, dirty bandages stained with blood and a lot of other things that Susan really didn't want to know. The patches of skin that did show through the bandages were horrifically scarred with sores and pus-leaking wounds, tumours and other strange mutated growth warped his skeletal thin body even more.

The Plague Man opened his mouth revealing a bleeding thick red tongue and yellowed teeth. He was wearing a tattered scarlet cloak and it whipped through the air as he whirled around and slammed the Sister he was holding in his hands into a rock.

She screamed with all of her might as the other Sisters tried to free her. The Plague Man roared and swatted them all away with one swipe of his hands.

He held the trapped Sister aloft.

"DROP HER!!" Susan bellowed shaking herself free from her shock.

The Plague Man ignored her and drew the whimpering Sister closer to him. He leaned forward and…

He kissed her.

The Sister's eyes bulged in horror as the others cried out.

"NO!!" Selena screamed, "NO!!"

Elias cried out in repulsion as the Plague Man vomited out a gout of black blood. It leaked into the Sister's mouth, she tried scream but choked on the blood.

The Plague Man tossed her aside.

Inara's eyes widened as the Sister bucked and flailed, her mouth stained with the Plague Man's dark blood.

She let out a piercing shriek, screaming and screaming. Susan cried out as the Sister began bleeding from every opening in her mouth. Blood gushed from her ears, mouth, nose and eyes, drenching her and the ground in crimson.

In a split second it was all over, contemptuously the Plague Man kicked the blood-splattered corpse aside.

"Bastard!!" one of other Sisters charged at him swinging her sceptre.

"Nikkal!" Selena screamed, "NO!!"

Nikkal swung the sceptre at the Plague Man, it struck him in the side and blue light instantly flared. Tendrils of crackling blue energy exploded outwards, wrapping themselves around the diseased monster like neon snakes. The Plague Man let out a bellow of pain and anger as the energy burned at him. His whole body went into convulsions, thrashing around violently as a look of fierce concentration appeared over Nikkal's face.

"She's controlling the energy!" Elias gasped, "Somehow she's generating that attack!"

His mind was in uproar as he tried to figure out the science behind it. Some sort of taser? An electric generator? But it was impossible, something so slender couldn't hide the components needed to generate such a powerful blast…

Elias's eyes widened as he was finally confronted with something he could not explain. Susan nodded, barely listening as her blue eyes stayed on the writhing figure of the Plague Man.

"Inara, stay back," she barked, "I don't want you anywhere near him. If that blood touches you…"

Inara growled, hating the fact she couldn't do anything in this fight but stayed back. Susan notched an arrow into her bow and let fly. The arrow stabbed deep into the monster's torso but he barely noticed.

Fighting against the electricity flowing through him, the Plague Man managed to turn and directly face Nikkal as the healer continued to pour the energy into him.

He opened his mouth and everyone's eyes widened.  
"GET OUT OF THERE!!" one of the other Sisters screeched, "NIKKAL!!"

Nikkal looked up and she paled but there was nothing she could do. The Plague Man vomited out a stream of black blood in one gushing torrent. It hit her straight in the face sending her reeling backwards.

The cage of blue energy holding him prisoner instantly vanished as Nikkal fell to the ground. She twitched violently but she was obscured from view by the black blood that blanketed her. Mercifully it took only a few seconds for her to still.

The ten remaining Sisters glared at the Plague Man, raising their weapons. But they were wary of getting close to him having seen what he could do.

The Plague Man leered at them and swiped the air with his filthy hands daring them to come closer.

"Elias," Susan ordered in a cold voice.

The scientist tossed his staff to Susan who caught it deftly. He quick slung the modified crossbow from his back and reached into his bag. Elias pulled out a small clay ball and fitted it into a small sling on the crossbow.

Carefully he aimed it at the Plague Man.

"NOW!" Susan barked as one of the Sisters ducked to avoid getting her head taken off.

Elias pulled the trigger and the sling shot forwards propelling the small ball into the air.

The Plague Man turned at the noise of the firing crossbow and the orb hit him straight in the face. It exploded, throwing flames everywhere as the diseased demon flew backwards from the blast.

"Good shot!" INara cheered.

Elias was already loading a fresh flame orb into the bow. The Plague Man rose to his feet unsteadily, some of his bandages and his cloak smouldering.

With a growl of fury, he turned and ran, his cloak flapping behind him.

"Now's our chance!" Selena cried, "GO!!"

The Sisters ran into the night, hounding the Plague Man as they began to slowly lure him into their trap.

AAAAAA

"They're coming," Jason said softly.

Zaru nodded. There were a few moments of final calm before the insanity began and then they were there.

The familiar sound of a longbow twanging pierced the air quickly followed by a pained bellow.

"NOW!!" a voice thundered.

Zaru gasped as the horrific form of the Plague Man burst through the narrow ravine and landed into the cul-de-sac. But he quickly recovered, muscles bunched.

Without a word, Jason and Zaru threw themselves off the ledge. Jason landed solidly on both feet as Zaru landing with the delicate grave of a dancer.

The Plague Man glared up at them, the two warriors cutting him off from the only exit.

"Watch out!" Elias screamed appearing behind them, "He vomits out blood. Do not let that stuff touch you no matter what!!"

Jason grunted and punched the air with his fist. An invisible force slammed into the Plague Man knocking him back and Inara sprung forwards.

There was a flash of silver and the Plague Man suddenly himself with a sword impaled through his chest.

Inara screamed and pulled her sword. With blistering speed, she stabbed him over and over again, the blade sinking deep into his chest and belly.

After the seventh stab, Inara backed up a little. The Plague Man was keeled over, clutching at his bleeding body, gasping in pain.

Inara smiled triumphantly but the monster looked up at her, his eyes completely clear and filled with malice.

He smiled and Inara gasped in surprise.

"INARA!!" Jason bellowed.

"BAM!"

The Plague Man swiped at her and she went flying. She crashed into the hard rock of the walls, her head cracking against the stone and she slumped to the ground, out cold.

Jason growled and surged forwards but the Plague Man leapt straight up into the air, twisting in mid-air and kicking him in the back, knocking the Seeker down.

He landed right at the opening of the cul-de-sac and glared straight into the faces of Susan, Zaru, Elias and the Sisters.

"GET DOWN!!"  
Zaru leapt forwards ploughing into Susan and Elias tackling them to the ground as the Plague Man let out a huge gush of black blood from his mouth.

The vile poison splattered into the face of two unfortunate Sisters and they crumpled to the ground as Susan and Elias scrambled to get out of the way. Miraculously they managed to avoid getting hit by any of the splatters.

Susan looked back as the Plague Man opened his mouth again. The remaining Sisters instantly ran away and the monster laughed.

There was a flutter of crimson cloth and he was gone. Susan let out a slow sigh of relief.

She turned to her companions.

"Oh my…" Elias pursed his lips, "How in the hell are we doing to kill that?!"

But no one had an answer for him.

AAAAAA


	20. The spreading sickness

Across the Worlds UPDATED!! Please review, 10 new reviews quicker update!!

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 20: The spreading sickness**

The Plague Man ran through the night, clutching at his bleeding chest. He ran faster than was humanly possible, running with the speed and endurance of a horse.

Finally he came to the edge of a small village, a rural town in the middle of nowhere where the stink of pig sties and wet hay clung thickly in the air.

He slumped to the ground, his taloned hands digging into the dirt as he tried to drag himself on, the huge wounds in the chest sucking the strength out of him.

"Mister?"

It was a small boy, too young to be afraid.

"Are you alright mister?" the little boy lisped.

The Plague Man sucked in a deep breath that rattled his failing lungs and slowly opened his jaws.

"What… what is this place?" he rasped out.

"This," the boy smiled in joy, "This is my home! We're famous cause we give food to the Sisters of the Moon!"

The Plague Man's eyes widened and a slow sick smile came over his face.

**AAAAAA**

"You were supposed to help us!" Artema hissed, "Not get my healers killed!"

Susan glared at her, dislike flaring across her beautiful face. She held onto her temper with some effort and carefully chose her next words in this latest round of verbal sparring.

"I didn't get your healers killed," the queen snapped back coldly, "I believe the Plague Man was the one who accomplished that!"

"I should've never trusted you!" the head healer snarled, "I can't bel…"

"Where I rule, leaders are usually the ones leading the charge," Susan said icily, "Not cowering in the back and critiquing those who had the guts to do the job."

Artema let out a gasp of fury and drew herself to her full height. Sparks seemed to jump from her dark eyes. The Sisters, battle wearied and some sporting injuries, instantly drew back slightly afraid.

They were back in Navachandra, after the night's disastrous ambush attempt. In total four sisters had fallen in the fight. After they had stumbled through the doors, Susan had expected help and comfort, not to be met by recriminations and anger. Her already meagre respect for Artema plummeted greatly as the head healer continued to bark at her, fuming and spitting.

Zaru growled dangerously not liking her tone as Jason contemplated stabbing her right there and then. Elias was too focused on the semi-conscious Inara who was leaning against him to pay them much attention.

"How dare you?!" Artema demanded, "Who do you thi…"

"I'm tired," Susan cut in, eyes flashing, "And my people need rest. So if the only things about to come out of your mouth are pointless rhetoric and attempts at making yourself seem better than you really are I think it can wait for morning."

Susan smoothly waltzed past her, Zaru by her side.

"If you think…" Artema grabbed Susan by the arm and twisted her around, "I will not…"

She stopped as she felt Zaru's mouth clamp lightly around her leg. A few seconds She let out a gasp as she felt something cold prick her back.

Jason and Zaru glared at her, daring her to make a move. Susan smirked, her anger still simmering away under her cool mask.

"Artema, you may care for your people but you do not care for them enough to risk your lives for them," Susan stated.

There was no anger in her voice, she was just calmly stating what she believed were facts as she saw it.

"I care for my healers!" Artema snarled, red-faced, "I would die for them!"

The Sisters whispered amongst themselves shooting her dark looks. The head healer glared at them before turning on Susan. The queen was completely unfazed.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Susan replied coolly, "Zaru. Jason. Leave her."

The queen swept out of the room, her companions following after her. Artema turned back to the Sisters and glared at them.

"What are you waiting for?" she barked, "Go get yourselves patched up!!"

The Sisters instantly dispersed leaving a furious Artema behind.

AAAAAA

"How are you feeling?" Susan asked.

She took the damp cloth from Elias and gently wiped Inara's face down. The warrior grimaced as Susan touched a bruise.

"Like I just got hit by a bus," Inara said thickly.

She sat up slightly in bed and blinked as the whole room spun around her wildly. She groaned and clutched at her head.

"Here," Elias passed her a cup.

Inara took a swig and grimaced at the bitter taste.

"Ugh! What is that?" she gasped.

"One of Victoria's brews," Elias smiled at the scowl on her face.

Inara winced but could feel her headache recede slightly.

"What happened?" Inara asked wearily.

"The Plague Man's a lot harder to kill than we thought," Susan said dryly, "I think an alternate plan is in order."

Inara nodded and instantly regretted it as the movements caused the word to spin around her once more.

"Where's Cowboy?" she asked.

Susan gestured at a nearby bed. The Seeker was curled up amongst the sheets, fast asleep. Inara smiled softly at the sight and leaned back into bed.

"What about me?" Zaru demanded, slightly put out, "Don't I rate a mention?"

Inara rolled her eyes and the leopard huffed.

"Isn't there anything to eat?" he whined, "I'm hungry!"

"Aren't you always?" Susan smiled slightly, "Besides it's no time to eat, we've got to figure out how to stop…"

She was cut off as her stomach let out a loud rumble. Everyone looked pointedly at her and the queen blushed.

"Oh, hush," Susan shot back.

She rose to her feet and walked to the door.

"Voids! Attend!" she called out.

As before a bald-headed servant appeared. She was a tiny girl, no more than twelve and to Susan's eyes she looked… faded. Her hair was a colourless blonde, her eyes a soft grey.

The Void knelt into a bow and stayed that way. Susan sighed.

"Please, can you get us some food? Anything will do."

The Void nodded and rose to her feet.

"Thank you!" Susan called as the servant hurried away.

She turned back to the others.

"So new plan?"

AAAAAA

"Drop an anvil… on his head?" Elias stared at Inara, completely befuddled, "Uhh… would you like to repeat that?"

"Okay, fine! Maybe not an anvil… a piano?" Inara tried again.

Elias sighed and rubbed his temples, feeling the first signs of a pounding headache.

"Is this some elaborate way of saying you have absolutely nothing useful to contribute?" he said dryly.

Inara smiled sweetly.

"No."

"Worst ideas… ever," Zaru drawled.

Inara was insulted.

"You wanted to challenge him to an eating contest with the loser having to kill himself!" she reminded him.

"And?" Zaru wanted to know, completely unaffected by her outrage.

Jason sighed.

"Would anyone terribly mind if I killed them both in their sleep?" Jason wondered aloud.

Susan, who was toying with her dagger was contemplating the same thought. But she wisely sheathed the blade before the temptation became too much.

"You two, please stop," she said, her quiet voice instantly halting their bickering, "I think it's useless for us to plan without further knowledge. We have no idea what or who this Plague Man is and what he might do next. So there's no way we can prepare for him."

Elias cleared his throat.

"Actually, I can speculate on that," the scientist closed his eyes, sorting through the thousands of thoughts running through his head until he came to the one he needed, "I think that the Plague Man is some kind of… freak."

Everyone stared at him, completely unimpressed.

"And you're the smart one?" Jason growled.

Elias glared at him.

"What I mean by that is I think the Plague Man is literally what the name sounds like. A man infected by some kind of virulent plague but he didn't die or succumb like any normal person would. I think the disease he was infected with mutated somehow and changed his body," Elias took a deep breath, "I mean the whole point of a disease infecting its host is to reproduce and continue existing. Well I think this disease has found the ultimate way of infecting others… by creating an indestructible, mobile contagious host."

He paused.

"Of course, this Great Darkness we're dealing with might have something to do with that," the scientist added almost as if he didn't believe it.

And deep down he didn't. The idea of some malevolent mystical force out there wanting to destroy everything was ludicrous. In his mind, this Great Darkness was nothing more than a single person obsessed with power and control, just like any murderous dictator. All this talk of magic and mystery made Elias very impatient.

"And he's killing off the Sisters to make sure there's no one to heal those he infects," Susan shook her head and sighed, "Fantastic, a crazy monster with foresight and a strategy. Because things aren't already hard enough!"

She flopped back onto the bed, utterly disgusted and drained, not only from the failed ambush but from her confrontation with Artema.

"But we still don't have a def…"

There was a timid knock at the door, Susan got up and opened it. The Void was standing right there, her eyes averted, a silver tray in her hands.

"Thank you," Susan said warmly, taking the tray from her.

The girl twitched as though surprised at her words. Susan froze and stared at her curiously.

A sudden thought came into her head.

'The best way to judge a man is not to ask his equals but see how he treats his inferiors.'

Those words from a half-forgotten book came back to her. And Susan froze.

Jason didn't trust the Sisters and even though she thought it was a bit of an overreaction on his part, the Seeker's instincts had never failed him or them. She had a lot of questions about the mysterious Sisters, especially seeing how Artema had reacted tonight, and now was the time to get some answers.

"Would you like to come in?" Susan asked gently.

The girl looked up, startled, fear clouding her eyes. Hurriedly she looked back down again, shaking her head furiously.

Kindness infused Susan's words as the queen gently touched the Void's chin making her look up.

"Please?" the queen smiled, "If anyone asks, I commanded you to."

The Void nodded timidly and Susan stepped aside allowing her into their chambers.

AAAAAA

The Void laughed and clapped her hands in glee like the little child she was as Zaru continued to leap up into the air and perform acrobats purely for her amusement. The leopard landed and smirked at her, clearly enjoying the attention.

Susan saw the open joy on the little girl's face and felt a rush of anger for anyone forcing a child so young to be a servant. A child should be allowed the time to be a child, not forced into becoming an adult way before their time.

Wryly, she admitted to herself she'd been forced to grow up much quicker than was considered normal.

The little Void's name was Cinda.

Jason's dislike of the Sisters was boiling over into hatred as he saw the lingering traces of hardship and sorrow in the little girl's eyes. He didn't need his powers to feel the sadness in her, he could just tell from her smile. There was a faint hesitancy there, a slight restraint as if she was unused to showing her emotions, unused to having the freedom to just enjoy herself.

He growled and unconsciously clenched his fists.

Inara watched the Seeker as he continued to study Cinda. It was no secret that the gruff Seeker had a soft spot for kids. She had clearly seen it at the Temple when he had played and trained with the boys he'd rescued.

There was no denying it.

Under the layers and layers of roughness and rudeness, Jason was a big softie. She smiled slightly knowing full that Jason would be horrified at the mere thought.

Inara knew better than to say it aloud… not if she wanted to avoid having to sleep with one eye open for the rest of her life.

"Cinda," Elias began gently.

The scientist with his kind eyes and gentle manner easily gained the little girl's trust.

"We're strangers here," he said, "And we have some questions about this place."

"Strangers?"

Her eyes glinted with intelligence and curiosity.

"Far from here," Zaru confirmed.

He loped over to her side and she clapped and laughed as he nuzzled her gently in the neck. She flung a clumsy arm around the leopard and hugged him tightly.

"What are the Sisters?" Susan asked.

"They're healers," Cinda said promptly, "Granted with the most amazing abilities ever since. As long as the patient is still alive, no matter how grave the injuries, the Sisters would be able to heal it… and with no scars as well!"

Elias raised an eyebrow at this but remained quiet.

"Do… uhh…" Jason was clearly trying to keep the rage out of his voice, "Do the Sisters treat you well."

Cinda's face clouded over and the Void looked away. Jason growled slightly under his breath and Inara looked like she wanted to punch something.

"Cinda?" Susan said softly.

She gently touched the girl's arms and drew the Void into her embrace.

"They're… they're mean!" Cinda whispered tearfully, "They don't let me play and I don't have friends… all I do is work and obey. That is my duty to them."

"How long have you worked for them?" Inara asked quietly.

Cinda closed her eyes.

"As long as I can remember," the Void said listlessly, "I was selected by the Sisters to work for them. It is the price everyone must pay for the Sisters' services."

"Slavery?!" Jason snapped, "Slavery?!"

Cinda flinched with the reflexes of one used to facing angry people. Susan instantly hugged her again and shot Jason a warning look. The Seeker quickly calmed himself down.

"What are they like… the Sisters?" Susan prompted.

"'Right… I guess," Cinda played with Susan's hair, transfixed by its softness, "Some of them are nice… others…"

She trailed off, not wanting to delve back into anymore dark memories.

"What do you know about the Plague Man?" Elias asked into the silence.

Cinda shuddered and Zaru and Susan both leaned into her, offering her their support and warmth. Susan felt an almost irrational urge to just pick up the girl and run far away from this marble place, a decadent luxury for some, a prison for others like Cinda. What kind of people would expect a little girl to live like a slave?

Susan knew in that instant she would do anything to protect this little girl and she had to smile at the strength of her own maternal instincts, something the others teased her almost daily about.

"He's a nightmare man," Cinda babbled, "The Sisters are all scared of him but he's…"

She let out a squeak as the door burst open and Selena, one of the Sisters, burst into the room.

She stopped and stared at the Void in shock. Cinda instantly leapt from the bed and straightened out her rough brown skirt.

"What are you doing here?" Selena scowled, "Are you looking to be punis…"

"If you want to keep your tongue, I advice you shut up right now," Jason hissed lowly.

As if to proof his point, Inara's sword was already in her hands. She glared at the Sister daring her to say another word.

"What do you want?" Susan asked wearily, her patience wearing thin with all of the Sisters' dramatics.

Selena glared at the Void but turned to the queen.

"Can I talk to you?" she asked, politeness entering her voice.

Susan nodded.

"Not here," Selena glanced at the Void with dislike, "On the balcony?"

Susan untangled herself from Cinda and walked out to the balcony. Selena closed the door behind her, sealing them off from the rooms. Susan leaned against the railings of the balcony, noting once again that a large barge was sailing across the shimmering fantastical waters of Mystic Lake.

"Why is she in here?" Selena demanded, "You'll put ideas into that little girl's head!"

"You mean the thought that she might actually amount to something more than a slave?" Susan countered, the deathly cold of a blizzard in her voice.

"It is an honour to serve us," Selena snapped back heatedly.

Susan had had enough with all of the Sisters of Moon, their constant need to set themselves apart from other people, their elitist snobbish attitude. Susan was about two seconds from ordering Elias and Jason to level Navachandra down.

"Selena, either say something useful or get out!" Susan snapped.

The Sister glared at her but visibly forced her anger aside.

"I know where the Plague Man is," Selena said abruptly.

Susan blinked.

"What?" she gasped, surprised.

"I'm going to try and destroy him once and for all, I'm sick of seeing my fellow Sisters die by his hands," Selena hissed, hatred burning in her eyes.

"And why are you telling me this? Why not Artema?" Susan demanded.

"Because she denied my request for help," Selena spat, "No other Sisters would go with me without her blessing."

Susan saw the truth and sighed.

"So you want me and my people to help you," she said calmly.

Selena stared at her, deadly serious.

"Will you?"

Susan thought for a long while, debating with herself. Drawing up long lists of pros and cons, deliberating each point carefully before finally opening her mouth to reply.

"Yes."

AAAAAA

It took them three days to reach their destination.

"This it?" Elias asked dubiously.

Jason, with a telescope pressed to his eyes said nothing as Selena nodded, her face pale but determined.

"Looks quiet," Susan murmured.

"This is going to sound like a cliché but…" Inara narrowed her eyes, "It's too quiet."

Jason had to agree as he continued to peer through the telescope. The small village was a complete ghost town, the streets bare and deserted, the farms and houses devoid of all life. But it wasn't just the abandoned buildings that were unnerving. They were in the country but yet they stood in absolute stillness, the usual sounds of birds and insects nothing more than a distant dream.

"This…" Selena licked her lips, "This is… was a prosperous community."

Susan narrowed her eyes.

"Zaru?" she asked.

The leopard took one sniff of the air and gagged violently.

"He's here," he reported tightly.

"Anyone else?" Susan questioned.

Zaru shook his head.

"If there is, they're infected with the plague," the leopard's fur was sticking on end as he sniffed the air again, "The infection is all I can smell."

"Wonderful," Inara muttered morosely.

She glanced at the others.

"What's the plan?"

As one they all looked at Susan. She frowned, pursing her lips.

"It's too dangerous to do anything without knowing more," she said slowly.

"Recon?" Inara raised an eyebrow.

"Reconnaissance," Susan confirmed, "Jason? Zaru? Sweep the town. Keep low. Report back as soon as possible."

The Seeker nodded and instantly moved off handing the telescope to Elias. After a few seconds the man had completely disappeared from sight. Zaru slinked off as well, his fur blending into the golden grass around them.

Susan nodded, knowing she had made the right choices as a leader but as always she hated herself for putting those she cared about in danger. But the queen steeled herself knowing that this was the burden of leadership.

She turned back to the others.

"And now we wait," she said quietly.

AAAAAA

Zaru padded stealthily up to the village's edge and he followed his nose trying to sense where the scent of diseased flesh was coming from. His stomach gave a jerking wrench at the stench and for the first time in his life, Zaru regretted eating.

His eyes were watering heavily and he had to keep swallowing to stop himself from throwing up but still he forced himself on, trying to track down the source of the horrifying reek.

Slowly he began to realise that turning westwards the stink was abating a little meaning that…

He turned to the east and was instantly hit with a fresh wave of what smelt like infected rotting meat.

"Oh goody," the leopard muttered dryly, "Aren't I the lucky one?"

The feline easily leapt up onto one of the house's roofs, clawing his wall up the rough wooden wall. With the grace inherent in all of his species, Zaru went roof hopping, leaping effortlessly from one house top to another, his eyes scanning the streets below as he continued to follow the scent.

His muscles bunched and he leapt again, sailing through the air in a perfect arc and…

"BAM!!"

Something heavy slammed into his side and with a cry, Zaru plummeted to the ground. Luckily the road beneath was only mud and the leopard only had the breath knocked out of him as he splattered straight into the mire.

"What the…" he managed to wheeze out.

Zaru climbed unsteadily to his feet, coughing out mud.

"What the heck was that?" he demanded.

A low growl drew his attention and Zaru glanced to his side. A small mangy dog, a cur made of nothing but fur-covered bones, looked at him balefully as he growled again.

Zaru hissed at him, the ancestral rivalry between all cats and dogs arising from his primordial part of his brain.

"Oh bugger off!" he snapped, "I don't have any food for you!'

The dog let out a ferocious bark that boomed through the air, rattling the glass in their window frames and Zaru froze.

It happened in a split second. Like a film stuck in fast-forward, the transformations were swift and terrifying. Black bile spewed out from the dog's mouth, his mandibles twisting and morphing until they were as heavy and deadly as a crocodiles. Yellow pus boiled out of its eyes and the dog's body began to change, growing more and more muscular with each passing second.

It was a monster with gnashing teeth and cold predatory eyes, steely bones wrapped in overgrown muscles and straggly fur. The creature growled once at Zaru and the leopard gulped.

"Uhhh… nice doggy?" he tried.

Howling, the dog-monster lowered its head and charged straight at him.

AAAAAA

Jason stepped into what was clearly once an orchard. But everything inside was not lush and vibrant with life, it was withered graveyard filled with spiny trees tottering on the brink of death.

He accidentally brushed up against one tree and instantly a shower of dried up grey leafs cascaded to the ground. Dried twigs snapped underfoot as Jason winced before treading more lightly through the dead orchard.

Snuffling noises came to him and Jason frowned before stealthily moving forwards. He ducked behind a dried up bush and carefully peered around it. In the distance, he could see what looked like three pigs rooting through the dirt obviously looking for food. The Seeker relaxed and rose to his feet.

One of the pigs instantly oinked and tested the air with its snout. It caught Jason's scent and its head swung towards him.

The man instantly froze as he saw the pigs properly for the first time.

Long yellowed twisted tusks jutted out from the beasts' immense jaws, their eyes were small but red and filled with a ravenous hunger. They were more like demonic boars than pigs, patches of matted fur covering their bulky bodies. Sores and tumours covered the sections of bare skin, each one glistening with blood and green pus.

The first pig grunted and its partners looked at Jason as well. The Seeker swore and unsheathed his daggers.

With a roar, the three boars charged, their trotters kicking up the dead leafs underfoot. Jason gritted his teeth and lashed out with his hands and power.

The rightmost pig was sent flying as Jason's power slammed into it. There was a sickening crunch as the pig's back cracked into one of the trees and it instantly went limp.

At exactly the same time, Jason let fly with one of his daggers. The curved blade tore deep into the head pig's face but it barely stopped the behemoth. Jason swore and thrust out with his powers again but he was drained from the first attack.

The pigs stumbled as the power slammed into them but they quickly recovered. They looked up ready to tear the Seeker to pieces but he was already gone.

Putting their snouts to the ground, the boars sniffed and instantly picked up his trail They began to move, sniffing their way to him, hunger driving their diseased brains on.

AAAAAA

"… and it's been that way for centuries now. Ever since the establishment of Navachandra and the Sisters of the Moon," Selena finished her story.

She had just told them the history of the Sisterhood, Elias hanging onto every word. It was a simple tale about one woman realising her gifts and teaching it to others until one day she had healed a powerful ruler who had rewarded her by helping her establish a headquarters. Susan had barely listened to a word, her blue eyes focused on the village.

Inara was slightly antsy, swiping at the grass around them with her sword.

"What about the Voids?"

Selena shrugged.

"Ever since there have been the Sisters, there have been the Voids," Selena said with an arrogance that grated Susan, "They're servants and a sign of the people's love for us. They're chosen because of their… special qualities."

"Spec…" Elias began.

"Stop."

Susan looked at Inara.

"What is it?"

The warrior girl was looking to the skies, a troubled expression on her face. Slowly Inara took a deep breath clearing her mind and allowing herself to feel the world around her, feeling the subtle movement of air against her skin. She frowned as a slightly breeze, almost imperceptible, touched her hair.

Her eyes snapped open.

"DOWN!!" she roared.

Something huge and shrieking dived down at them, wings flapping furiously through the air. Razor sharp talons tore a furrow in the earth missing everyone as it rose into the sky.

"What is that?!" Susan screamed looking at the huge feathered monster.

The creature had once been a hawk but now it was nothing more than a terror on wings.

"Here it comes!" Selena cried.

She twirled her sceptre around and the hawk-beast dived against at them. The Sister swung out trying to hit the monster with the blue crystals but she missed, the monster banking past her. It whipped through the air and dived back at her before Selena could even react.

"SELENA!!"

The Sister cried out as the beast drove its beak into her arm drawing a huge spray of blood. Selena screamed in pain but managed to spin the sceptre in her hands until the narrowed and bladed end was pointed forwards. She stabbed out forcing the hawk-beast away.

"Are you okay?" Elias yelled.

"I'm fine!" Selena grunted trying to stem the blood.

The hawk dived again but Susan was more than ready. In quick succession she fired a flurry of arrows. The creature screamed as barbed metal tore through its wings bringing it to the ground. A final arrow slammed into its throat finishing it off. It crash-landed to the ground in a flurry of feathers. Inara instantly stepped forwards and sliced out, taking off its head just to makes sure.

"What the hell was that?" she demanded.

"It seems the infection causes different results in animals," Elias said grimly.

He pointed at the boils and sores on the hawk's body.

"The Plague Man must've created this."

"Selena, are you alright?" Susan moved forwards trying to help the healer but the Sister waved her back.

"I'm fine," she gritted out.

Selena placed one hand on her bleeding wound and closed her eyes. There was a flash of white light and when she removed her hands she left behind unblemished skin. The wound had completely vanished in the blink of an eye.

Susan gasped in surprise. She stared at the completely healed shoulder for a few seconds before shaking herself.

"Are you infected?" Susan demanded.

Selena shook her head.

"I don't think the animals can pass the disease on," the Sister suddenly snarled. The Plague Man knows we're here! We've lost the element of surprise!"

"Zaru!" Elias gasped, "Jason!"

Susan nodded.

"I know," she glanced at the others, "We've got to get them. Now!"

The queen charged through the field of tall grass heading towards the village as the others followed frantically. And all around them the air was alive with the howls and roars of hungry feral animals.

AAAAAA

Zaru and the dog-monster clashed once more, each of them throwing themselves into the other with reckless abandon. The dog's jaws snapped but Zaru twisted his body out of the way, raking his claws across the canine's face. The dog howled in pain and staggered backwards, completely blinded as Zaru hissed at it.

Zaru leapt forwards going for the dog's throat but the huge beast managed twist its head to the side and Zaru missed. With a roar, the dog swung with its head and bashed Zaru in the face with its heavy jaw.

The leopard was sent flying, crashing into side of a building. He landed in a heap and rose unsteadily to his feet, wincing in pain.

"Oh come on!" he spat, "That was cheating!"

The dog growled and lunged at him in response. Zaru easily jumped out of the way allowing the dog to smash its head into the wall. With a surprised whine, the dog staggered backwards blinking woozily as Zaru laughed.

He pounced onto the dog's back, tearing and biting its hindquarters. The monster roared and growled trying to throw the leopard off but Zaru's teeth sliced through skin and bit deep into its muscles. Zaru's razor teeth sliced and slashed through the tendons before he threw himself off, landing lightly on its feet.

The dog swayed and its back legs buckled sending its crashing to the ground. It began whimpering in pain as the leopard sighed in sympathy.

"See that's what you get for messing with ME!"

The leopard surged forwards and the dog could only look up wearily before Zaru's teeth clamped around its throat and wrenched backwards. The dog fell backwards as Zaru began to spit the bitter tasting blood out frantically.

"Ugh!" he hissed and grimaced, trying to get rid of every last drop, "Couldn't you taste nicer?!"

He glared at the dog's body and gave it a swift kick.

"Enjoying yourself there?"

Zaru turned and Susan was staring at him, one eyebrow raised.

"What?" he gave a feline shrug, "Just saying."

"You've been hanging around Inara too much," Susan smiled, "You sound just like her."

Zaru's jaws dropped.

"Take that back!"

Susan laughed but her face quickly hardened.

"Come on," she urged, "We've got to find Jason!"

The two of them hurried off, following the sounds of a massive fight drifting towards them.

AAAAAA

The pigs had backed Jason into alleyway, blocking off his only exit with their immense pus-oozing bodies. The Seeker scowled.

"Oh yes, do lead yourself into a death trap," he shook his head, "Fantastic."

He raised his one remaining danger and glared at the diseased boars.

"I must warn you," the Seeker said carefully, "I have a sudden craving for bacon."

The boars howled and stamped the ground before lowering their heads to charge. Jason stiffened and prepared to face death head on.

Suddenly there was a flash of blue light and one of the boars crashed to the ground, screeching pain as its limbs flailed around wildly.

Inara darted into his line of vision, dodging the dangerous hoofs before sweeping in. Her sword slashed down and the boar went quiet.

Selena threw her sceptre, the bladed end piercing the boar's back and it went down. Brutally, Jason stepped forwards and sliced its throat.

"Well… I've got a sudden urge to be a vegan," Inara said looking at the dead boars in disgust.

Jason shot her a feral smile.

"And I have a sudden urge to have suckling pig!"

Inara gagged but before she could snap at him, Susan and Zaru came running up. Susan stopped.

"Pigs?" she looked disgusted, "How many animals did he infect?"

The whole group swept out of the alleyway. Zaru instantly froze.

"Uhhh… guys?"

They all looked at him.

"Good news or bad news?" the leopard asked almost apologetically.

"Good," Susan had a feeling that things were about to get much, much worse.

"I know where the Plague Man is," Zaru pointed with his nose towards the village's centre, "I can smell himself really clearly now."

"And the bad?'

Zaru coughed delicately.

"You know when you just asked how many animals he infected?"

Susan frowned.

"And?"

Zaru looked up at her with bleak eyes.

"From what I'm smelling… I think he infected every animal in a ten mile radius."

AAAAAA

Elias's fire orb blew the first line of monsters apart but there were plenty more to come.

It was completely feverish mayhem as they slammed into the army of mutated, infected monsters.

Susan calmly shot flying beasts from the skies as Zaru protected her, slashing out at the monsters that tried to attack her.

Inara kicked what looked like a sheep aside before slicing out, dealing death with each blow.

Jason kept Elias behind him, using dagger and power to keep the monsters away as the scientist reloaded his crossbow again.

"BOOM!"

The wall of infected animals around them was blown away as they charged on before the stunned creatures could regroup.

By now they could see the horrific figure of the Plague Man standing beyond his army of infected animals, urging them on. Susan cried out in fury and shot an arrow at him but he easily dodged the flying shaft.

Four infected sheep leapt at them, their once woolly coat now transformed into lethal spikes. Selena lashed out, the blue crystals of her sceptre touching one of the sheep. It instantly lit up, discharging a burst of energy that sent the monster into convulsions.

Susan killed two of them with well-placed arrows whilst the final one engaged Jason.

The Seeker leapt out of the way as the sheep-monster lunged at him trying to impale the man onto its spikes. It spun trying to charge again but Jason surged forwards, ramming his dagger down into its neck.

It died quietly and was quickly trampled by the other maddened beasts trying to kill them.

In such close quarters, Elias couldn't use his fire orbs without blowing them up as well. The scientist switched to his quarterstaff, driving the monsters away as Inara tried to help him.

The warrior was light on her feet, her moves some fluid and confident it was almost as if she was dancing. Her sword flashed out and an infected-cat died with a violent hiss.

"WATCH OUT!!" Selena cried.

Something massive and black thundered towards, deadly horns ready to disembowel. The diseased bull screamed in rage and continued its mad charge, crashing through its brethren to get to them.

Inara placed herself straight in its path ready to kill the bull herself. Susan cried out knowing it was coming at them much too fast and strong for her to handle.

"MOVE!!" she screamed.

Jason suddenly tackled Inara aside as the bull thundered past, his horns just missing them.

"What was that?!" Inara demanded.

"You could've been killed!" Jason spat.

Both fighters leapt to their feet and they beat back the monsters once more.

"I could've…" Inara began.

Jason snorted as he embedded his dagger into an infected dog. With a sweep of his hands, the monsters around them were shoved backwards earning them a precious respite.

The bull continued its crazy charge as Selena swung out at it trying to paralyse it with her sceptre but the bull leapt over her swing bowling her over in the process.

Susan saw her chance and took it.

Tossing her bow to Elias, Susan threw herself into a slide, unsheathing her daggers as she went. She slid right under the leaping bull and stabbed upwards, letting its momentum do the rest.

The bovine beast hit the ground and roared in pure agony, its belly completely split in two. Susan rose to her feet, bloodied dagger in hand as the bull slumped, its lifeblood seeping into the ground.

Their progress was slow but they were getting there.

Jason kicked out and with sickening crunch, a deer's legs crumpled as he ruthlessly cut it down before moving on.

Inara took a claw to the arm and cried out but managed to punch the cat into submission before stamping onto its back.

Zaru was like a golden-furred devil, in multiple places at once as he hissed and slashed, protecting Susan and attacking at the same time.

Blue energy crackled in the air as Selena struck out paralysing monsters then using the bladed end of her weapon to finish them off.

Elias did the best he could, swatting monsters away with his staff. He began to crumple under the combined attack of three monsters but Susan coolly shot two of them in the back as Elias dispatched the third.

Working in unison, Susan and Zaru beat some of the monsters back giving the scientist some breathing space.

He loaded a fire orb into his crossbow, aimed and fired.

Two infected cows were instantly incinerated as the ceramic ball exploded, fiery heatwaves driving the monsters back.

Fearlessly they stepped through the fire and into the village centre. And there, standing beside a large well, the Plague Man eyed them coolly.

For a second no one moved. Susan squared her shoulders and raised her dagger.

"Hello," she smiled crazily, "We're here to kill you!"

AAAAAA


	21. Bitter losses

**Across the Worlds**

New chapter! New chapter! Get it whilst its hot!! Across the Worlds

**Chapter 21: Bitter losses**

The Plague Man smiled at them, showing off his cracked and yellowed teeth.

"Do you honestly think you can defeat me?" he hissed.

Everyone started shocked that he could even speak. The infected monster laughed.

"Although I'm a little surprise," he rasped, his breath punctuated by the wheezing of deteriorating lungs.

His hands swept around indicating his army of diseased animals, they hung back, eyeing them hungrily but stayed in their holding pattern.

"You got much further than I expected," he smirked, "But one thing worries me…"

He pointed at Selena who tensed, ready for a fight.

"Why are you working for a monster like her?"

"Uhh… I think the kettle has something to say about that," Inara rolled her eyes, "Hypocrite!"

The Plague laughed in amusement.

"You think I am a monster?" he glared accusingly at Selena, "I'm what her people made me!!"

Even in the madness of the battle there was a second of stunned silence.  
"Made?" Elias demanded.

The Plague Man opened his mouth to speak but Selena cut in, furious.

"Why are you even listening to him?" the Sister demanded, "He's a murderer! He's obviously lying!"

Susan glanced at her face and saw no hint of falsehood. Selena honestly had no idea what the Plague Man was saying.

"Oh really?" the Plague Man laughed, mocking her, "Are you sure about that?"

Selena raised her sceptre, her eyes glinting dangerously. The Plague Man blinked and suddenly he was in motion before they could even react.

Susan cried out as razor sharp claws sliced across her forehead, blood spilling down her face. Jason raised one arm to defend himself and grunted as talons ripped deep into him.

The Plague Man whirled and laughed, mocking them.

"Are you sure you can defeat me?" he taunted.

Selena glared at the monster and reached out with one hand. Her cool fingers probed Susan's wound and the queen hissed in pain. There was a flash of light, a sense of overwhelming warmth and the head wound was gone.

Without taking her eyes off the Plague Man, Selena did the same to Jason, wrapping her fingers around his wounded left arm and healing him in the blink of an eye.

The Seeker grunted in surprise and moved his arm testing it out. Elias gasped out loud.

"Impossible," he stammered, "That's… that's just impossible!"

"Enough talk," Selena raised her sceptre, "You die!"

The Plague Man laughed and gestured. The infected animals attacked, howling with feral rage.

Three plague-infested dogs leapt at Inara, bowling her over. The warrior girl hit the ground and was instantly lost from sight amidst a frenzy of snapping jaws and fierce growls. Elias managed to recover from his shock and stepped in, his staff flying out and knocking one dog away, giving Inara time to recover.

With a cry, she kicked out throwing both dogs off her. She flipped to her feet as the dogs recovered and charged at her again. Keeping the scientist behind her, Inara stabbed out again and again.

Three bodies hit the ground as Inara turned to Elias.

"Thanks," she smiled.

She spun around him to face an incoming sheep.

Zaru was embroiled in a melee with two other cats. Fur and blood flew through the air as they clawed and spat at each other, giving no quarter.

Elias, Inara and Zaru continued to fight against the monsters forcing them away from the well as behind them Susan, Jason and Selena found themselves locked in combat with the Plague Man.

AAAAAA

The Plague Man was incredibly was fast, capering out of their way as they tried to hit him. Selena swung out with her sceptre but the Plague Man easily jumped backwards dodging the blow.

He kicked out smashing Jason in the face and sending him spinning to the ground. With a cry, he charged at Susan but the queen was ready.

She dropped her bow, her training from the Temple taking over. With a cry, her hands shot forwards grabbing onto the infected monster's outstretched arm. She twisted, slamming her hip into his charging body and momentum did the rest.

With a flick of her wrist, she used his own speed and inertia against him and with a fierce battle cry, she tossed the monster straight over her shoulder.

The Plague Man's back slammed against the hard paved rock, bone crunching as he screamed out, black blood exploding from his mouth. Susan hurriedly jumped out of the way, avoiding the infected fluid.

"Nice move!" Selena said with frank admiration.

Susan helped Jason up, the Seeker clutched at his chest glaring at the monster who eyed them wearily.

"Princess," Jason growled quietly.

Susan instantly got his message, she pulled out one dagger and expertly threw it with pinpoint precision. Jason closed his eyes and pushed out with his power, pouring it into the dagger's flight.

The Plague Man screamed as the dagger tore straight through his chest, tearing through skin, flesh and lung before exploding out through the other side. The monster staggered but was far from finished.

The Plague Man convulsed and vomited out a stream of black blood at Selena. With a cry, Jason threw his hand forwards and the spray of black blood went wide.

It splattered to the ground, the mosses and weeds growing between the stone paving instantly shrivelling up and dying.

The monster cursed and cried out in fury.

Instantly a stag with bleeding eyes and mouth bounded right over Inara's head, its hoofs knocking her down as it sailed past. Zaru instantly leapt to the warrior's defence, snapping and clawing forcing the infected animals back until she could get up once more.

The stag charged at Jason and the Seeker threw himself aside, rolling as the stag thundered past.

He leapt to his feet and slashed out as the stag tried to wheel around. The razor blade sliced right through the beast's flanks.

Instantly a huge torrent of blood sprayed into the air, infected flesh and writhing maggots flying everywhere.

Jason was half-blinded by the deluge and the stag rammed its antlers in Seeker sending him flying.

"JASON!!" Susan cried.

She whipped around as the Plague Man flew at her. The queen was like water, literally flowing around his movements until she was in a place to attack. With a cry, she landed a stout kick to his back sending him sprawling.

Again she lashed out and this time the edge of her boot slammed into his knee with a sickening crunch.

The Plague Man screamed out and writhed on the ground, clutching at his knee. Susan picked up her bow and coolly shot two arrows into the side of his head.

Jason sidestepped the stag as it charged at him again. With a cry, the Seeker's arm shot out and he buried his dagger deep into its exposed neck.

The stag fell to the ground at exactly the same time the Plague Man did. The infected demon's eyes rolled up to the back of his heads and he fell forwards without a sound.

"You…" Selena stared at Susan, "YOU DID IT!!"

Jason nodded his head in approval as Susan stood there, slightly stunned by her own handiwork, her chest heaving.

"Looks like the training at the Temple did pay off," the Seeker said casually.

The infected animals went into a feral rage at the fall of their master. Jason rolled his eyes and shoved out with his powers knocking them all back.

Zaru bounded over to Susan and nudged her leg, beaming in joy. Susan laughed and ruffled his head lightly.

"Alright," Inara grunted.

She was covered in cuts and bruises, her hair a wild tangle but her eyes were filled with humour.

"Let's put down these beasties and get out of here!" she cheered.

Elias loaded another fire orb into his crossbow ready to burn all of the creatures to the ground.

A flash of movement caught Susan's eyes and she turned. Selena stepped up to the Plague Man's body, her sceptre held high.

"You will not harm anyone anymore," she swore, the bladed end of the sceptre pointing down at the Plague Man, "This is for all the innocent lives you've destroyed!"

"Selena…?" Susan asked.

"Just making sure he's dead," Selena said grimly.

She shouted and she swung the sceptre down with all her might, the bladed end flying towards the Plague Man's head.

A sudden sickening wave of premonition and dread hit Susan like a physical blow and she cried out. But she was too late to stop the inevitable.

"SELENA!!" she screamed, torment in every syllable, "WATCH OUT!!"

Startled, Selena glanced at her and the Plague Man struck. Even with the two arrows embedded into his skull, the monster exploded forwards, swiping out with his hands.

Selena screamed as claws tore through her thighs. She fell to the ground as the Plague Man reared his head, leering at her.

Gritting her teeth, the Sister tried to lash out with her sceptre but the Plague Man caught her wrist in one arm.

"SELENA!!"  
There was a sickening crunch as he easily broke her wrist. Selena screamed and her sceptre fell from her broken hands.

"Stop them!" the Plague Man barked.

The animals banded together and launched a fresh wave of attack, sheer numbers overwhelming the five companions. Susan tried to fire an arrow at the Plague Man, to stop him but an infected owl got in the way, taking the blow for its master.

"NOOOO!!" she screamed.

She was bowled over by a bear cub who foamed at the mouth, instantly embroiled in a deadly fight for life. Zaru roar and leapt onto the ursa's back, biting deep with his teeth.

Elias was almost overwhelmed by the attack, his crossbow lost in the frenzy as he tried to fight back with his quarterstaff. Jason stabbed a pig and used its body as a springboard to vault over the roaring rabble and landed beside the scientist, protecting him.

Inara danced and weaved around the monsters, spinning and flipping as she fought for her life, taking claws and teeth as her sword slashed out again and again.

And amidst the madness, Selena screamed in agony.

AAAAAA

Her sceptre fell from her shattered hand as the Plague Man laughed maniacally.

"Maybe now you understand what your victims feel," he hissed, "Before they die from your actions!!"

Selena spat in his face and clamped her uninjured hand around his neck.

"Trying to choke me?" the monster laughed, "Please try, it'll amuse me!"

"Then you'll find this hilarious!" Selena snapped, fighting back nausea and pain.

White light exploded from her hands and the Plague Man screamed, his anguish sawing through the air making everyone and everything look at him.

Selena closed her eyes as she poured her healing powers into the Plague Man trying to drive whatever rampant infection away from him.

For a second, it seemed to be working as some of the sores on the man's body began to close but she never really stood a chance.

The Plague Man sucked in a deep breath and opened his mouth.

Selena's eyes were still clamped shut as she continued to send waves and waves of healing energy into the Plague Man's twisted body.

Susan felt tears on her face as she kicked the bear's dead body off her. She felt sick knowing what was about to happen but she could do nothing but watch.

"SELENA!!"

Time seemed to slow as the Plague Man retched violently.

The Sister's eyes were still shut tight as the Plague Man vomited all over her. Black blood invaded her mouth and nose as Selena let out a choked cry.

Her hand fell from the Plague Man's neck, the healing power fading as she crashed to the ground, twitching and kicking, completely drenched in black goo.

Susan felt like someone had just punched her in the gut as Selena went still.

"NOOOOOO!!"

Red-hot fury spilled through her veins and Susan charged forwards. An infected fox tried to get in her way but Susan smashed her bow over its head, wood splintering and cracking from the blow.

She tossed the shattered bow aside and stepped right in front of the Plague Man as he rose to his feet.

"I'm going to kill you," she promised in a tight heated voice.

"I do not wish to destroy you," the Plague Man said softly, "My crusade is not against one who is innocent."

"SHUT UP!!" Susan screamed, "SHUT UP! AND STOP LYING!! YOU'RE A MURDERER!! DON'T YOU DARE LIE ABOUT IT!!"

Her foot knocked against something and she instantly scooped it up. It was Selena's sceptre and it was the only weapon she had.

"SUSAN!!"

It was Zaru who screamed, using her name for the very first time but Susan didn't hesitate as she threw herself against the Plague Man.

The Plague Man raised his arms to defend himself as Susan swung the sceptre around, the blue crystal head flying towards the monster.

The queen let out a cry of shock as a tremendous wave of heat swept through her body, channelling down the length of her arm and into the sceptre.

She felt a tingle, a twinge and a tickle and the blue crystals of the sceptre instantly lit up.

The Plague Man screamed as the glowing crystals touched his skin and flashed.

It was like a thunderstorm had exploded out from the end of the sceptre, thousands of tendrils of crackling energy ripping through the infected man.

There was a tremendous boom and the Plague Man flew backwards.

His back slammed into the rim of the stone well behind him and before everyone's astonished eyes, he flipped right over the top and fell into the well.

There was a long silence before a massive splash echoed out from the well as the Plague Man finally hit the water.

"ELIAS!!" Susan barked, shoving all her surprise and shock aside, "FIRE ORB!!"

The scientist reacted quickly throwing her a ceramic ball. She caught it and charged straight for the well, tossing the small orb into its depths.

The ceramic smashed into the water's edge, the tension shattering the clay and the orb instantly detonated.

Shockwaves blasted the well apart as Susan was sent flying. She hit the ground and looked up, dazed at the smoking hole where the well once stood.

"Let's go!!" she shouted, voice ringing, "MOVE!!"

Inara helped her up and the two girls ran, Zaru just behind them. Jason cleared a path with his powers and they charged straight through the tattered rabble of infected animals, killing any who dared block their path.

A bear tried to swipe at them but Susan stabbed out with Selena's sceptre. Blue light flashed and paralysing energy instantly knocked the animal down.

They burst through the horde and onto the other side.

"ELIAS!!" Susan commanded hurriedly, "LEVEL THIS PLACE! JASON MAKE SURE THEY DON'T GET AWAY!!"

Elias and Inara instantly threw a whole barrage of fire orbs into the animal's midst. They began to panic as they realise what was about to happen but Jason drew up every last dreg of power he had lost and flung it forwards, almost fainting.

The power was like a clamp, forcing the animals into a tight group as the ceramic orbs hit the ground with deadly consequences.

The army of infected monsters instantly went up in a hellish wave of blue hot flames as they fled from the village.

"Do you think it's over?" Inara asked sprinting beside her.

Susan looked at the yellow ring inside her pouch and saw the metal was still white.

"No," the queen said grimly, "It's not."

Behind them, animals burned and screamed, their shrieks providing a horrific symphony of suffering and anguish as the five companions continued to run away from the village.

AAAAAA

Inara's eyes were closed as she let the cool morning air sweep over her body. Slowly she shifted her foot, adjusting her balance as she slid smoothly into her next move.

Her breathing was slow and steady in absolute synchronisation with the beating of her heart.

Her mind was blank, focused only on the purity of her surroundings and movement.

She swept her arms around in one slow, precise movement before she twisted her hand around before withdrawing with the same controlled steadiness.

"You have no idea who stupid you look right now," a gruff voice shattered her serenity.

"It helps me stay in balance and in control," Inara replied calmly without opening her eyes.

She moved again, sliding her foot slowly along the ground. In Jin ShiZi, what she was doing was known as Tai Chi, an ancient art that helped her regulate her breathing and balance and strengthen various parts of her body as well as improving her flexibility.

To Jason it looked like a completely useless exercise for a would-be warrior but Inara had been trained well and knew better. Tai Chi had taught her how to direct the energy and force of her strikes, the subtle differences in hand and foot placements having different effects when sped up and used in battle.

She moved her arm out once more in a palm strike that would push her enemies away. She retracted and pushed out again, this time her hand placed in such a way that would transfer all energy to her opponent's body causing massive internal injuries.

"Please, it'll help me completely kick your ass one day," she opened her arms, shifting back into a normal stance, "What's up Cowboy?"

"How's Princess?" Jason said bluntly.

Inara frowned.

"Queenie? Why are you asking me?"

"You're the one who sleeps with her!" Jason blinked, "Uhh… that sounded a bit…"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Inara moved into stretches, loosening up her muscles, "She didn't sleep at all last night. Even though she was obviously dead tried."

After running from the village, they had managed to stumble onto a small tavern just as night began to descend. With nowhere to go and with injuries and fatigue wearing them down, the five companions had stayed the night, resting up for the final leg of the journey back to Navachandra.

"I woke up a few times and she was up, staring at that sceptre thing," Inara finished.

"Guilt," Jason sighed, "Susan does love to beat herself up over everything."

For one so young, the queen had so much riding on her shoulders and she took it her duties with a dignity and determination that demanded respect from all who met her. But her one fatal flaw was her inability to see that everything was not her duty and not her fault, every time something went wrong Susan would place herself right in the middle of it, questioning her every judgement and action.

"I know," Inara replied with a sad smile, "She's not going to rest until the Plague Man's dead."

"And we just have to make sure she doesn't get killed in the process," Jason said grimly.

The two warriors smiled at each other and nodded, knowing that for Susan they would fight to the death.

AAAAAA

Elias pushed the door and walked into without preamble. Susan was still sitting on the edge of her bed as she had done the night before, her blue eyes staring at Selena's sceptre weapon.

"Eat," the scientist said sternly, "You need the energy."

"I don't want to," Susan said hoarsely.

Elias eyed her as if he had half a mind to smack her across the back of the head for being silly but he set down the tray of food down with a small sigh.

"Susan, don't do this to yourself," he advised gently, "Don't beat yourself up over this. I wasn't your fault."

"It was," Susan said quietly, "When Selena came to me with her plan… I knew it wouldn't succeed. It just couldn't. The odds were stacked against us. And yet, I agreed and now she's…"

She trailed off, her throat clogging up with emotion.

"Selena would've gone with or without us," Elias said sternly, "We are not responsible for her decisions and actions nor the actions of the one who actually killed her."

But Susan was shaking her head.

"I should've made her stay behind… should've…" she protested.

She had spent the whole night wracked with thoughts of what could've been, plans she could've executed to get them all out alive but somehow imagining what could've unfolded if she had been wiser and faster made Selena's death all the more terrible.

It was no wonder she hadn't slept at all.

Elias sighed and sat down beside her. He placed a fatherly hand on her shoulder and Susan glanced at him, startled.

"I once had a good friend," Elias said quietly, "He wanted to do a dangerous experiment involving particle accelerators to study the…"

He saw Susan's blank look and cleared his throat, blushing slightly.

"Bottom line is… I knew my friend was placing himself in danger, that he was risking his life but he was risking his life for something he wanted to do. And as a friend, I told him about the risks but at the end of the day I supported him… because what else is a friend meant to do?"

A dark look entered Elias's eyes as he continued to tell his tale.

"He died," the scientist said flatly, "The experiment backfired and he died… we couldn't even find a body. And the days that followed… I was haunted. Maybe if I had been stronger and argued more fiercely and…"

He looked sadly into Susan's eyes as the queen stared at him, shocked.

"It took a long time but ultimately I realised it wasn't my fault. That the choices people make are out of our hands. Things happen. People make stupid choices that gets them hurt or worse… and what can we do?" Elias glanced at the window, internally staring into his past, "What else can we do? We respect the choices they made and we don't demean them by judging or criticising them."

Susan was shaking her head but Elias stopped her with a gentle hand.

"And we realise we are not the ones at fault. People are responsible for their fate and no else can be blamed for what they do… Susan… let go of the guilt."

Susan saw the sadness in his eyes and wanted to weep. The dams holding her own emotions threatened to break but Susan clung on.

"I can't help it," Susan said throatily, "I… just… I'm a leader. I'm supposed to protect my people… to protect does under my care. When I fail… people die."

"People die more than just because of you," Elias said severely, "I think I speak for all of us when I say you're a damn fine leader and we'll follow you to the ends of the earth. We trust you not because you're perfect but because you care enough to cry when we get hurt… we trust you to put us before yourself, to be first to charge into battle and the last to retreat. We trust you because you are one extraordinary woman."

Susan stared at Elias, shell-shocked at the depth of his feelings. For the usual calm and logical scientist to profess such emotions and passions, for him to shower such praise on her… she saw herself and her duty in a new light.

Loss with an inevitable part of leadership but was she going to curl up into a ball because of it? Or was she going to accept the inevitable and do the best she possibly could to protect those left? Was she going to remain strong?

Susan smiled.

"Thank you," she whispered, "Thank you."

Elias smiled back.

"Good," he rose, "Now… eat! I command you!"

Susan laughed and began to tackle her meal with gusto.

AAAAAA

The closer they got to Mystic Lake, the more morose and withdrawn Susan got knowing the confrontation she would have to face against Artema.

As Jason and Elias paddled their boat across the smooth bejewelled waters of the lake, Susan squared her shoulders and tried to take in the serenity of the surroundings into her, to still her thoughts and prepare herself for the ordeal to come.

"Don't let that cow blame everything on you," Inara said fiercely.

Susan smiled.

"If you want I could take off a hand for you when she says something stupid," Zaru offered, only half-joking.  
Susan had to laugh at that.

"And what would that do?" she asked.

The leopard shrugged.

"I figured it'll distract her for a while," Zaru responded, "Give you time to calm yourself before you shoot Artema full of arrows for whatever stupid things she's bound to say."

Susan laughed as their boat smoothly sailed into one of the inlets surrounding Navachandra. She looked up at the marble palace and promised herself one thing.

She would not allow Artema to blame Selena's death on her.

She was not responsible for Selena's choices or the Plague Man's murderous actions.

But she would do her damn best to get justice for Selena. No matter what it took.

AAAAAA

Leaves began to fall from the canopy, the green leeching out of them as they fell amidst a rain of wizened twigs and branches. The forest was silent, devoid of all life as the monster continued to walk through the trees, death trailing in its wake.

There was a resounding boom as a tree, rotted through to the core, crashed to the ground, branches and debris flying everywhere.

Black blood dribbled down from uneven teeth, plants dying from even the smallest drop.

A hawk circled through the air overhead. Its keen eyesight took one glance at the creature moving through the jungle and the bird shrieked before powering away, fleeing for its life.

The Plague Man was badly injured, his skin burn and lacerated amongst the livid sores and bruises but yet still he walked, driven on by whatever ravenous disease that now occupied his skeletal body.

The Plague Man stumbled, his blood splattering against a clump of wild bramble. The plant instantly curled up and shrivelled into nothing as the monster slowly rose his feet.

He refused to lie down and die… that would come later. But for now he had people to kill.

With an eerie smile, the Plague Man continued on his journey, eager to finish what he'd started.

AAAAAA

There was a timid knock at the door. Susan who'd been pacing the room in anticipation for summons to see Artema glanced at the others in surprise.

Inara opened the door and a small figure spilled into the room.

"Cinda!" Zaru bounded over to the little girl and greeted her with enthusiastic licks to the face.

The little Void laughed and clapped her hands in joy. Zaru backed up a little and Elias's eyes widened in shock.

"What happened to you?" he gasped.

A neat white bandage covered her forehead, her left arm was similarly swathed in bandages. Cinda laughed them off, delighted to see her friends once more.

"Oh that," the little servant shook her head, "Well… I don't… the Sisters said I must've fallen somewhere but they patched me up real good."

"Are you okay?" Jason asked urgently.

Cinda nodded vigorously.

"They gave me some… med… med… medicines," she stumbled over the word, "And they gave me light duties for a few days."

Everyone still looked a bit worried and the servant smiled.

"Don't worry," she promised, "A lot of the Voids tend to get hurt and the Sisters always look after them. And when we get too old or just unable to work, the Sisters retire us and send them us to a peaceful village up in the mountains."

"Does you people get hurt a lot?" Elias asked, surprised.

Cinda sighed.

"Sadly, yes," the servant smiled at them, "So what happened? Where did you go?"

Zaru opened his mouth to tell her but a warning rumble from Jason stopped the leopard instantly.  
"Nothing," Susan lied smoothly, "We had to check something for the Sisters. It was a bit boring really."

Cinda looked a bit crestfallen, clearly expecting some dramatic tale of daring and adventure but she quickly recovered.

"What…" she began.

"VOIDS!! ATTEND!!" a piercing voice boomed from somewhere nearby.

Cinda sighed and slipped out of the chambers, heading towards the crying Sister.

"Do you think she's alright?" Jason asked, not quite meeting their eyes.

"They better not have hurt her," Inara said flatly, "Otherwise, Artema might have a nasty accident with my sword."

Susan nodded grimly, agreeing with her words. Suddenly the door swung open and Cinda was there, ashen faced.

"Yes?" Susan asked.

"It's…" the little girl gulped, "Artema. She wants to see you."

Susan took a deep breath and nodded at Cinda. The Void came her a worried smile but walked out of the room, Susan following in her wake.

The others offered her sympathetic but encouraging looks as Susan followed Cinda to face Artema once more.

AAAAAA

"Get out," Artema said calmly.

Susan arched an eyebrow.

"No recriminations or accusations?" she said dryly, "How very unlike you."

"It's obvious you won't listen to a word I say," Artema hissed, "So I want you to leave. I will not have you here leading more of my Sisters to their death."

"Selena chose her own path," Susan said coldly, "I didn't push her to her death."

Artema growled under her breath.

"You certainly didn't stop her!"

"She came to you with a plan to face the Plague Man," Susan reminded her, "You didn't stop her either."

Artema flushed but didn't reply. Instead, she gestured at Cinda to open one of the doors leading into the chamber. The Void instantly obeyed pulling it open with a small grunt.

A very familiar and much loved figure stepped into the room. His blonde bangs flopped over his forehead, half-obscuring his crystal blue eyes as he gave her a small, warm smile.

Susan's eyes widened in shock as delight and joy suffused her heart.

"PETER!!"  
She threw herself at her brother, tears stinging her eyes as she wrapped her arms around him. Like so many times before in her life, her older brother's arms returned the hug in a familiar, comforting embrace.

"Hey, Su," he said lightly with a small wry grin.

"That's all you have to say for yourself?" Susan demanded, laughing and crying, "I expected sudden confessions of awe and adoration!!"

Peter laughed, the familiar sound of it comforting Susan more than any words he could've ever said. She took a step back and studied him slowly, noting his unblemished skin, his clear eyes and his firm commanding stance that she knew so well.

"You're…"

Gingerly she touched him on the cheek where only days before horrible scars and wounds had marred his skin.

"You're healed."  
"You're welcome," Artema cut in coldly, "But I believed I told you to leave?"

Even Artema couldn't spoil Susan's joy. She hugged her brother again.

"Easy there Su!" Peter laughed, "I need to breathe remember!!"

Susan clutched her brother's hand and drew her away from the room, Artema's glare boring into the back of their heads with each step. Cinda skipped ahead of them, her friend's joy making her beam.

"What happened?" Peter demanded, "Susan, what's going on here?"

Susan shook her head, the reality of their situation jarring her joy for a second.

"Peter… there's so much…" her lips trembled, "You have…"

She stopped.

"I think we should wait until we see the others first."

"Others?" Peter frowned.

Somewhere in the back of his mind he vaguely remembered hazy faces, snatches of things he'd seen in his delirious fever. He shuddered remembering how close he'd been to death.

Again he looked at his Sister and felt a wild joy to see her once more. But more importantly, he was happy to see the old Susan back, not the sneering bitter girl she'd briefly changed into.

"Come on," Susan followed Cinda until they reached their temporary chambers once more.

She pushed the door open and instantly everyone turned to look at her. Zaru gaped, instantly recognising the young man standing behind her.

"Your majesty!" he cried flinging himself to the ground, "It's an honour!"

Jason, Elias and Inara all recognised Peter but had very different reactions.

"So you're heal," Jason grunted, "Good, didn't want to almost lose our lives for nothing."

Peter looked at Jason and instantly saw a warrior, a tool he could use in battle. The Seeker narrowed his eyes, not liking the vibes he was getting from the oldest Pevensie. The boy definitely had an authority to him, a sense of nobility and duty but there was an arrogance and a pettiness as well.

"I'm glad you're alright," Elias said sincerely.

Peter nodded at him, unsure of what to say.

Inara raised an eyebrow at him.

"Gotta say, all cleaned up, you don't look too bad… Petey Boy," she said with a wicked grin.

Peter started at Inara's smirk. His eyes flickered towards Susan as his sister rolled her eyes well used to Inara's teasing ways and her delight in setting people off-balance. She glanced back at him, her eyes telling him clearly to just keep quiet.

The king shook himself and returned to the matter at hand.

"What's happening?" Peter asked in a commanding voice.

Jason bristled at the way he talked to them but said nothing, his blue eyes narrowing to thin slits. Inara sensed his tension and glanced at him questioningly. The Seeker shook his head.

Zaru instantly straightened more than ready to report his side of the story.

"I think you should sit down," Susan said quietly, "It's a long story."

Peter frowned and did as he was instructed.

"So where is everyone? Is Lu okay? Ed?" Peter asked urgently, "Where are we? Is this Narnia?"

Susan opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by a sudden sharp moan. Her head instantly snapped towards Cinda.

The Void was leaning against the doorjamb, her face pale.

"Cinda?" she asked urgently.

The little girl gave another moan as she stumbled forwards, Elias catching her in his arms.

"What is it?" the professor asked quickly, "Are you okay?"

"Pain," the little girl whimpered.

"Where?" Elias asked in a soothing voice.

Cinda gave a small cough and Elias was alarmed to feel a sudden wave of heat rush through her body.

"Everywhere!" the girl screamed, "IT HURTS!!"  
She began to buck and writhe, screaming on top of her lungs. Inara instantly leapt over them, running out into the hallway.

"SOMEBODY!!" she screamed, "HELP!! HELP!!"

She charged down the corridor, looking frantically for any Sisters as back in their chambers, Cinda continued to yell out in pain, tears pouring down her little face.

"What is it?" Peter leapt onto his feet, "Is she…"

Elias froze as he felt something hot and wet leak between his fingers. Trembling, he slowly removed his hand from Cinda's back and held them up.

Everyone stared in shock at the blood staining his fingers.

"Oh my…" Susan swore.

"Is she… what's happening?" Peter demanded, completely bewildered.

Jason swore.

"INARA!!" his voice boomed won the hallway, "I DON'T CARE WHAT THE HELL YOU DO!! GET A SISTER IN HERE! NOW!!"

"Susan…?" Cinda whimpered.

Susan quickly shook herself out of her paralysis and sank down beside the girl, taking her little hands in her own.

"What is it?" she asked in a calm, low voice.

"I'm scared," Cinda cried.

She suddenly coughed and foam and blood flew out of her throat flying through the air before splattering against the ground.

The Void continued to buck wildly, screaming in agony as the blood from her back turned from a trickle to a torrent.  
Elias felt sick as the blood continued to stain his hands but still he held the little girl, giving her as much comfort as possible.

Inara appeared at the doorway, a Sister wriggling in her iron hard grip.

"Something's wrong," Zaru begged, "HELP HER!!"

The Sister took one look at Cinda and shook her head.

"I'm sorry but I can't," she shrugged, "She's a Void."

Everyone gaped at her, completely stunned.

"What?!" Elias exploded, "She's a little girl!! Are you just going to let her die?!"

The Sister looked at him helplessly.

"This happens all the time," she informed him, "There's nothing I can do."

The Sister suddenly found Jason's dagger at her neck. She blanched as Jason's eyes burned into her.

"You help her," he growled, "You help her in anyway that you can or so help me, I'll…"

The Sister instantly knelt down and placed a hand on Cinda's face. The healer closed her eyes and concentrated, the familiar white glow of their healing powers washing over the tiny writhing girl. But unlike before, nothing happened.

The Sister opened her eyes.

"I'm sorry but there's nothing…" she sighed, "The Void work here because they're sick. We try to help them but sometimes… there's nothing to be done. Really they come here to die."

Jason let out a roar of fury and hurled his dagger into the room. It thudded into the bedpost as the Seeker kicked the wall in rage.

Inara slumped against the wall, her eyes disbelieving as she stared down at the little helpless girl.

"There's nothing…"

The Sister shook her head.

Susan looked helplessly from the Sister to Cinda, her world completely breaking apart. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up.

Peter looked down at her, trying to give some of his strength to her as he stood and watched, a bystander in this tragic he was not fully a part of.

"Susan… Zaru… Elias!!" Cinda cried.

Her movements were getting weaker and weaker as the pool of blood gathering beneath her grew and grew.

Elias's hand from fingertip to wrist was now bathed in her warm lifeblood. The scientist wanted nothing more than to breakdown but to do so now instead of comforting the little girl was the most selfish act imaginable.

"We're here," Susan said soothingly, rubbing the little girl's cheek, "You're going to be fine sweetie. We're going to get you help and you're going to be just fine. And when we leave this place, you'll come with us."

"With you?" Cinda gave her a ghostly smile as her skin turned to a dusky grey, "Really?"

"Yes," Jason said in a hoarse voice, "You'll come with us and have lots of adventures."

"Really? And I won't have to work here anymore? I can play with all of you?" Cinda begged.

Her breath rattled in her throat as her eyes began to flutter shut.

"Yeah, we'll have a blast," Inara tried to smile but failed miserably, "We'll chase Zaru around all day until he gets sick!"

Cinda laughed, dully, the veins and arteries bulging in her neck as she fought to breathe.

"I'll teach you how to climb trees," Zaru promised.

"And I'll teach you everything you ever wanted to know," Elias smiled at her paternally.

Cinda looked at all of them gratefully through eyes that wanted to close. Her limbs began to go limp as her wild seizures stopped.

"I… I… I'm so glad… I have friends like you," she managed to wheeze out.

"Not friends," Susan smiled, "Family."

"Family?" Cinda closed her eyes, "That sounds wonderful…"

Susan felt her hands go slack and Elias felt everything in her relax and it was all over.

"Cinda… Cinda…" Susan looked away, tears pouring down her face as Peter continued to grip onto her shoulder, offering her an anchor in the tidal wave of grief and pity that threatened to overwhelm her.

She rose and turned into her brother's embrace as she broke down, sobbing into his shirt.

"I'll leave for now," the Sister hurried out before everyone could stop her.

"What the hell is going on here?" Zaru hissed venomously, "This place… what did she mean the Voids come here to die? There was nothing wrong with Cinda! Her heart and breathing, it sounded normal! There was no smell of disease on her anywhere!"

"I told you!" Jason swore, "The Sisters cannot be trusted."

"Well," Inara's cool voice cut through their grief and turmoil.

Everyone look at her. The warrior's face was an iron mask of simmering rage and resolve.

"There's only one thing to do. Find out the truth."

"Yeah… but how?" Elias demanded, still holding Cinda's lifeless body, "It's not like they're going to be forthcoming about this."

"I think there is one person who would talk to us," Inara said quietly.

Susan wiped her tears way and froze her grief in a shell of cold anger. She glanced at Cinda's body and sorrow ripped her apart but she forced it aside. There would be time for mourning later, now it was time for action and answers.

"Who?" she demanded.

Inara smiled crookedly.

"The Plague Man."

AAAAAA

Author's notes:

Well, it's exam time against so I'm going to be uber busy and may not be able to update as much as possible! I hope you are enjoying this fic!!


	22. The true face of darkness

New chapter!! Sorry about the delays but exams and life… sighs! Enjoy!

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 22: The true face of darkness**

"… and that's our situation right now," Susan ended with a whisper.

Her brother stared at her, his mouth agape.

"How?" Peter whispered, stunned, "How?"

"I don't know," Susan said helplessly, "I don't…"

"Everyone?!" Peter whispered, anguished, "Everyone?! Caspian? Aslan? Ed? Lu?!"

Susan nodded hesitantly and something in Peter seemed to break. He trembled, he shuddered.

He was meant to protect them. He was meant to shield them from all the evils in the world. Especially Edmund and Lucy, it was his job as their king, as their knight… as their brother. And he had failed them.

He imagined Edmund and Lucy in the hell he'd been and his heart broke. Rampant fear and dread tore through him as he remembered with graphic detail every bit of torture he'd faced. If Edmund and Lucy…

Bile rose in his throat and Peter swallowed heavily to stop himself from throwing up.

Susan instantly saw the look of despair flash across his face and moved to comfort him but Peter's chin suddenly jutted forwards, a very familiar stubborn look spreading across his face.

"We have to save them," he growled out, every inch the king now.

Susan smiled softly. As much as she loved her brother, it was comforting to see the High King back. It filled her with confidence and a security that had been sorely lacking for a long, long time.

"We fight the darkness," Susan said quietly, "And the rest will fall into place."

"We have to destroy the Plague Man," Peter spat, eyes flashing.

"Yeah before we do that, we need to talk to him," Inara cut in.

Susan turned to her companions.

"You've got a plan?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

In response Inara, Zaru and Jason grinned as Elias shook his head in exasperation.

**AAAAAA**

The town of Analivia was in furore, the news spreading with breathtaking swiftness as everyone gossiped to anyone who was willing to listen.

"Did you hear?" one housewife said with relish as she shopped.

"What?" the storekeeper asked eagerly.

"A Sister! There's a Sister of the Moon here!" the housewife announced, practically bursting to tell everyone, "Here in Analivia!"

"What?!?" the storekeeper gaped at her, "But the Plague Man…"

The housewife shook her head.

"I'm sure. There's a Sister in Analivia! I heard from Greta who heard from Shimon who heard from…"

All over the town, gossip continued to spread reaching every household and ear until it finally reached the one person that had been searching desperately for such news: the Plague Man.

**AAAAAA**

The very next day the gossip had changed.

"The Sister's leaving!"

"What?!? So soon?"

"I heard Artema forced her to go back to Mystic Lake! She's leaving at noon today!"

"Oh curse! I wanted to see her about my sore back!"

"Well, maybe if you can catch her before she goes."

"Maybe I will."

"I heard she's taking the route by the river. Maybe you can meet her there!"

And soon the gossiping continued until everyone from the grandest lord to the smallest servant knew.

And so did a certain infected monster.

**AAAAAA**

The Sister walked alone down the trailing path, her white robes fluttering around her ankles, a scarf swathed around her head hiding her hair. Her sceptre was held lightly in her slender hands.

Behind her, unseen by the Sister, the bushes and trees lining the road began to whither and die, dried leaves and rotting wood crumpling to the ground as sudden death swept down the road towards the lone woman.

The Plague Man emerged from the trees even as they died around him. Lightly he stepped out onto the road and let out a piercing whistle.

The Sister instantly froze in her tracks.

"Well, well," the Plague Man sniggered, "I think we have a sheep that's lost from the flock."

He stalked forwards, red eyes gleaming with a crazed light.

"Would you like to join some of your other Sisters?" he mocked.

The Sister continued to stand statue still as the Plague Man stopped, puzzled.

"What…"

"NOW!!!" a loud voice boomed.

"ARGH!!!"

A metal hook flew out of nowhere and sunk deep into the Plague Man's shoulder before the monster could even react. A long length of chain trailed behind the hook and it suddenly gave a sharp tug sending the Plague Man tumbling to the ground.

The Sister whipped around and with a cry, buried the bladed end of the sceptre deep into the Plague Man's gut pinning him to the ground.

He roared in pain, writhing like a hooked fish as the Sister tugged the scarf off her hair.

Inara smirked down at the infected monster.

"Am I good or what?" she bragged.

The Plague Man opened his mouth but suddenly it snapped shut against his will, clamping his lips together as his eyes bulged in shock.

Jason emerged from around the other end of the path, his hands raised, his powers surging out of him and keeping the Plague Man from vomiting.

Susan and Peter came next, Zaru loping by his side. Elias brought up the rear.

"What the hell is that?" Peter demanded instantly seeing the Plague Man.

"A monster," Susan hissed remembering Selena's last moments.

Elias handed her his modified crossbow, a flame orb loaded already. The archer queen stopped right near the Plague Man and pointed it straight down at him, her blue eyes deadly.

She nodded at Jason. Wearily, the Seeker allowed the Plague Man to open his mouth.

"YOU!" the Plague Man barked.

"Su, maybe I should do this," Peter argued, "You haven't really interrogated anyone before."

"Not now, Peter," Susan snapped.

Peter blinked shocked at the tone of her voice. He bristled but Susan ignored him.

"Talk," she ordered the Plague Man, "What are the Sisters?"

"Monsters," the Plague Man hissed.

"Funny, you look like one yourself," Peter snapped, "I say we kill him right here!"

He raised his sword dangerously but nobody else moved.

"Why?" Susan demanded stopping Peter with a hand on his arm.

"Because of what they do," the Plague Man snarled.

"They're healers," Elias pointed out, "What so dangerous about that?"

"It's the way they heal," the Plague Man growled at him.

He tried to move but everyone shifted, ready to tear him apart with their weapons. The Plague Man saw the pointless of trying to fight and forced himself to relax.

"How do they heal?"

The Plague Man laughed bitterly.

"They don't heal," he snapped, "They merely transfer wounds."  
"Transfer?" Peter muttered.

He frowned half remembering something from his time in Mystic Lake. He had been delirious for much of the time, hovering on the fringes of life as death sung his name trying to lure him into oblivion.

But there had been lucid moments, times filled with bleary images of white-robed women hovering off him, their hands glowing with white light.

But there was something else, something he had dismissed as delusions. A brown-robed, shaven-head figure standing there as well screaming with feral fear. The figure had been in convulsions, fighting violently even as the Sisters tried to restrain the person.

Peter blinked and shuddered.

"What?" Susan's voice was as cold and terrible as a wolf's howl over a moonlit tundra.

"They transfer the wounds from their patients to the Voids," the Plague laughed, a wild desperate note filled with sorrow, "They keep putting wounds into the Voids until they died. Then the Sisters move onto the next one."

It took several seconds for the horrific truth to sink in.

"Oh my…" Elias gaped.

Susan glanced at Jason and saw the same terrible realisation blossom.

"Cinda," Susan whispered, "Her head and arm…"

When they had returned to Navachandra Cinda had had bandages on her forehead and arms… in exactly the same places Susan and Jason had been injured in by the Plague Man. The very same wounds Selena had healed as they faced off against the monster before them.

If the Sisters had been transferring wounds into Cinda… the little girl could've only taken so much. Her death… it must've been caused by…

The Sisters!

Susan felt a bleak wave of despair and fury wash over her.

"How do I know you're not lying?" she asked with trembling arms.

The Plague Man smiled at her bitterly.

"Let me show you something," he promised, "Then you'll see the truth."

**AAAAAA**

"Su, what are we doing?" Peter hissed.

They were walking through the Swamplands, Jason's powers pushing the Sister's enchantments aside. But even with this protection, they were all wary from their last tangle with the swamp's protection.

The Plague Man walked in the middle of their group, heavily chained and bound, Inara levelling the fire-orb loaded crossbow into his back, ready to shoot at the slightest hint of betrayal. But the infected monster put up no resistance as he both followed and led them.

"What do you mean?" Susan asked warily.

She had always been slightly annoyed by Peter's need to be in charge and take control but never before had it grated her so. Had he changed, she wondered… or had she?

"You can seriously expect us to believe that monster!" Peter snapped glaring at the Plague Man, "He's probably leading us to our death. I say we should…"  
"Peter," Susan said firmly, "You haven't seen what I've seen here… his words… I think it might be true."

Peter sighed, a very grown-up and condescending sound.

"Su, I love you but we both know you're not used to dealing with intrigue and battles," he said softly trying to break the news as gently as possible, "I can't even begin to describe how thankful I am for you rescuing me but maybe it's better if I lead…"

Susan gaped at him, shocked. She drew herself to her full height, anger sparking in her eyes.

"Are you saying I'm an unfit leader?" she hissed.

Peter gave her a sad look and reluctantly nodded.

"Even in Narnia… you were never on the frontlines."

Susan took in a sharp breath and tried to reason with herself. After all he was right, even in the Golden Age she had never volunteered herself for battle. Sure, she'd fought when needed like against the Telmarines but she'd usually placed herself squarely in the background, offering support and comfort, never daring to place herself at the head of army. That had always been Peter or Edmund's job.  
"Peter, it's different now," she wanted so much to explain her experiences travelling across the worlds and the things she'd learn but words seemed so inadequate in describing just how much she'd changed, "Please, just trust me!"

Peter looked at her worriedly and Susan met his eyes refusing to look away. Whatever he saw inside of her made him sad, she could see from the bitter twist of his lips.

"Fine but Susan…" he spoke to her not as siblings but as one commander to another, "If I believe you're placing everyone in danger…"

His unspoken threat hung in the air between them like a rift. Susan's back was ramrod straight and she resisted the urge to shoot him a dirty look.

Peter sighed and shook his head, just wanting his sister to realise the truth of their situation as Susan hurried ahead, not trusting herself not to fight.

They walked in silence for a few more hours until they passed the Swamplands and reached the edges of Mystic Lake.

"Get a boat," the Plague Man ordered.

"We're going to Navachandra?" Zaru questioned, surprised.

"No," the Plague Man shook his head, "Somewhere very, very different."

**AAAAAA**

It was only after they were halfway across Mystic Lake, having just bypassed Navachandra that Susan realised where they were heading.

"Hang on," she looked around and glanced back at the palace in the centre of the lake, spotting the balcony of their guest quarters they'd stayed in, "This is where the barges where heading!"

Everyone glanced at her.

"Barges?" Peter questioned.

Susan nodded her head vigorously.

"From our balcony, I noticed barges on the lake sailing towards the west," Susan pursed her lips, "Sisters were on the barges."

She looked at the Plague Man questioningly. The monster merely smiled crookedly.

"You'll see," he said cryptically, "You'll see."

Jason and Elias continued to paddle the barge across the lake until they spotted the far shore coming up ahead.

For a long time all they could see was indistinct grey smudges in the distance but as they drew closer they could pick out faint shapes.

"A wall," Zaru reported, his keen eyesight easily outstripping their own, "And fortresses… it's a barricade."

"Barricade? Is this a second base or something?" Jason demanded.

The Plague Man laughed bitterly.

"Not even close."

They finally reached the shore's edge and they could clearly see five immense stone towers soaring up into the sky, sections of impenetrable wall strung between the five buildings.

"Where's the entrance?" Inara asked.

Wordlessly, the Plague Man pointed out an iron gates set into the wall.

"Well," Jason raised his hands dangerously, "Should we knock?"

"Wait…" Peter began, his blue eyes darting along the edges of the wall, "Maybe there's guar…"

"Do it," Susan commanded cutting in.

Peter shot her a dark look as the Seeker instantly obeyed, his power exploding out of him. The gates rattled in the doorway, the iron resisting the barrage. Jason grunted, sweat rolling down his face until he was forced to give up.

"Here," Elias raised his crossbow, "Jason. Use your powers to dump water onto the door."

Jason nodded and Elias shot a fire orb straight into the gates. Peter sucked in a surprise breath as the ceramic ball cracked, white-hot flames instantly spilling out and licking the metal.

The Plague Man winced remembering the feel of the flames against his flesh. Jason closed his eyes and pointed at the lake behind them.

Instantly a small wave of water arced high over their head and slammed straight into the burning super-heated gates. There was a deafening hiss as the flames were instantly extinguished by the cold waters of the lake.

"Well, there was useless," Zaru commented staring at the now blackened and dripping wet metal gate.

"Inara?" Elias asked, "Kick it."

Inara looked puzzled and slightly unsure but she trusted the professor. She sprinted at the door and leapt straight at it, smashing the gate with a roundhouse kick.

The metal instantly cracked and shattered under the blow as everyone blinked in surprise. Elias smiled smugly.

"Heating and instantly cooling metal destroys the bonds holding it together," he explained, "It's simple science really. Come on."

They hurried through the gate and what they saw on the other side made them all instantly sick.

"By the Mane!" Peter gaped.

A huge pit lay before them, gouged from the soft earth. Some areas had already been buried over but some were laid bare revealing their grisly contents.

There were bodies… hundreds possibly thousands of bodies laid in the pit, each of their heads baldly shaven. Some had clearly been here for a while already in advance states of decay but others were recent, facial features still horrifically present.

"Voids," Susan whispered, her voice a ghostly whisper as it echoed across the mass grave before them.

"What…" Inara gaped, "How?"

What sickened Jason the most was not the sight of the bodies (because really, he'd seen worse before) but the casual way they had just been dumped in the pit, as though they were just rubbish and not actual human beings.

He clenched his fist swearing revenge.

"What is this place?" Peter demanded.

"A dumping ground… for all the Voids the Sisters have used up," the Plague Man looked all around them, tears spilling from his eyes, "They fill the Voids up with injuries and sickness until they can take no more and than they just… leave them here."

"By the Lion…" Zaru could literally smell the blood, bile and infection and it made him retch.

"You…" Elias looked at the Plague Man, "You were here."  
The Plague Man nodded slowly.

"I was born here."

Everyone started in surprise.

"I was once a Void and they used me…" the Plague Man shifted some of the bandages on his arm and they could clearly see a tattoo of an half eclipsed moon on his skeletal arm, "This is how they transfer wounds to a Void… using this magical mark. All of these bodies have them… they used me and filled me with countless diseases and injuries. And then… I died. Or so they thought."

The Plague Man looked across the immense death pit, his eyes looking dreamily into the distant past.

"But when I came here… I somehow managed to come back once more. Maybe it as the remnants of magic and disease running through me but when I woke… I was a monster. But only because they'd made me so," the Plague Man looked at them, his eyes steely, "On that day I swore revenge for not only me but for all the other Voids they've used in their dark arts."

"How… how is this possible!?!" Elias stammered, "Magical healing? Transferring wounds? It's just not… it's not…"

"It's magic," the Plague Man hissed, "Dark, filthy magic."

Elias swayed on the spot, his mind frantically trying to absorb this irrefutable proof. This was something science could not prove.

"Magic," he whispered tasting the foreign word, "Magic…"

He looked at the pit of rotting bodies and for the very first time in his life Elias believed there was just something sciences could not prove.

"By the Mane!" Zaru gasped suddenly not realising the epiphany Elias was having, "The Voids!"

Susan sucked in breath as she finally saw the truth. The darkness in this world wasn't this broken tortured soul before them but…

"The Voids! If we leave them with the Sisters…" she gritted her teeth, "They have to pay. For Cinda… and for all of these poor souls."  
"We just can't destroy them!" Elias argued shaking himself out of his shock, "They're humans! We just can't kill them!"

"We won't," Susan promised, "But we will get justice and stop them once and for all."

"How?" Inara questioned.

The queen glanced through the open gateway and across the lake to Navachandra, the glittering marble palace that was the Sisters of the Moon's headquarters.

"I'll think of something. But first we've got to rescue the Voids. Now. I am not letting anyone else die because of them," she s vowed, "I say we invade them and rescue every last Void."

"Now?" Peter cut in incredulously, "Susan! You can't be serious."

Susan whirled on Peter, it was about time he realised she wasn't the same gentle queen as before. She'd been tested, her skills forged in heat of combat and in the face of death and she will not bow down to another, never even her own brother and liege.

"No! You don't get to question me!" she snapped, patience exhausted, "This isn't Narnia anymore Peter! You are not the High King of everything!"

Peter blinked, surprised by her venom but he instantly retaliated.

"I am not trying to be the High King!" he snarled, "But think Susan! You can't just invade them with seven people, six if you exclude that monster! Six people Susan! Against all of the Sisters! It's crazy and pointless!"

"We can do it!" Susan snapped, "We've faced worse!"

"Oh damn it Susan! This is what I was afraid of!" Peter growled, "You've become a leader but you still haven't got the experience and the brains! You're going to getting us all killed if you don't listen to me! Su… you've got to admit, I have the experience in battle and war! I can do what you can't do! I can lead all of you to victory. Please… just trust me!"

It was Inara who spoke.

"Uhh… why?" she asked bluntly.

Peter swung to looked at her incredulously.

"What?" he demanded, glaring at her.

"Why the hell should we trust you?" Inara said coldly, "I'm sorry but we're not part of your little Narnian fanclub. You're nothing to us but Susan's brother and some guy we rescued. Why should we trust you?"

"I was the High King of a whole country," Peter pointed out, eyes flashing, "I've lead armies into countless battles and victories. I have more experience as a leader than Susan."  
"Not from what we've seen," Jason countered dangerously, "Seems to me, she's doing a damn fine job."

Peter turned to the one companion who would support him

"Zaru!" he ordered, "Tell them!"

The leopard whimpered under his intense gaze but looked at Susan.

"I will follow Queen Susan where she goes and whatever she decides," he glanced at Peter quickly, "Please don't hate me!"

Peter stared at all of them, flabbergasted. Susan shook her head, not wanting to fight with her brother anymore.

"Please… Peter. Trust me," Susan begged.

He deflated, a defeated look coming over his face. He looked around at the companions and couldn't help but admire their loyalty towards his sister. Even though they were against him, the High King was glad that there were such faithful protectors watching his sister.

"I really don't have a choice do I?" he said dryly, "Fine, I'll go alone with whatever harebrained scheme you're cooking up."

Susan smiled taking whatever small victory she would. Their fight was not over yet but there were more important things to take care of.

"Thank you," she turned to the others, "The plan will be simple…"

"Break in, hurt as many things and people as possible, grab the Voids and get the hell out?" Inara offered.

Susan blinked and nodded.

"Alright!" Inara rubbed her hands, "Should be fun!"

"You seriously need to get your head checked out," Zaru shot back, "All that power's eating your brain away."

"Pft!" Inara snorted, "As if!"

Susan looked at everyone seriously.

"Are you all in?" she asked.

Everyone nodded even Peter.

"Okay," she hefted her bow, "Here we go then."

**AAAAAA**

Susan stepped off the boat and onto the island where Navachandra stood. Artema instantly swept towards them, flanked by her guards.

"What the hell are you doing here?" the head healer demanded, "I…"

Her eyes bulged as the Plague Man stepped out of boat behind the Gentle Queen.

"What…" she began.

"BAM!"  
Susan ruthlessly punched Artema straight in the face, knocking her out as the guards gaped in shock at her actions and the presence of the Plague Man.

"Don't kill anyone!" Susan commanded, "Grab the Voids and get out! Plague Man?"

"At this time of the day, the Voids will mainly be inside the kitchens preparing the meals," the Plague Man informed her, "Eastern Wing. Second level."

"Good," Susan looked back at her people and her brother who stood by her side, "Go create some chaos."

The guards surged forwards, swing their sceptres but Susan was quicker bringing up Selena's one. Blue crystal flared and the guards staggered backwards, paralysing energy ripping through them.

Wielding the fallen Sister's sceptre with expert ease, Susan ploughed into the guards, Peter right beside her.

The High King took out his frustration out on the Sisters, deflecting their weapons before punching them out, only slightly regretting hitting women. But the frustration and anger coursing through him needed an outlet and this was the perfect way.

Zaru and Inara bounded off, breaking into the main foyer as Elias and Jason concentrated on laying waste to everything around them with flames and power. Navachandra shook as explosions and flying stones slammed into its side.

"GO!" Peter roared fending off three Sisters at once, "GO!!!"

Susan and the Plague Man entered the palace joining Inara and Zaru as they battled the influx of warrior Sisters.

Inara got hit with a sceptre, energy shrieking through her but Zaru managed to tackle the Sister aside bringing her down. Gritting her teeth in pain, Inara shook the energy off her and spun around, chopping one Sister in the throat with her hands. The Sister staggered backwards, clutching her throat as Inara bicycle kicked her sending her flying.

Susan and the Plague Man left Inara and Zaru to fight the Sisters as they headed for the kitchen.

They rounded one corner as a battalion of sceptre wielding Sisters charged forwards them but the Plague Man vomited out a huge pool of black blood onto the ground stopping them in their tracks.

He led Susan into an alternate hallway as the Sisters watched them go helplessly, not willing to risk their lives in crossing the black blood.

Artema had told her before that the Sisters were not a warrior group and it showed. They relied on their mystic and the goodwill of others for their protection but now there was a group who'd seen their true dark nature and wanted to destroy them and the Sisters were helpless to stop them.

A group of Sisters surprised them, bursting out from some hidden passageway but the Plague Man and Susan were more than their equal in combat.

The Plague Man lashed out and three Sisters fell under his blow. Susan danced around two Sisters, their sceptres flashing forwards as they duelled.

Susan dropped to her knees as a sceptre sailed overhead and she slashed forwards with the blade edge of the sceptre cutting one Sister across the thigh. The injured healer crashed to the ground, howling in pain as Susan ruthlessly kicked her in the face knocking her out.

Blue light flashed but Susan jumped backwards avoiding the paralysing crystals. The queen swung out, trapping the Sister's sceptre to the ground with her own before punching the healer in the face.

Pain roared up her arm but Susan smiled in satisfaction as the Sister crumpled. She turned back to see the Plague Man throw the last Sister into the wall.

"Do you trust me?" he asked.

Susan hesitated for a split second but nodded.

"Hop onto my back," the Plague Man ordered.

Susan quickly ran around him and leapt onto the infected man's cloaked back, using the cloak to secure herself.

"Whatever happens…" the Plague Man commanded, "Don't let go."

He sprinted forwards, Susan hanging off his back. The monster moved with impossible speed, sprinting through the corridors. Sisters continued to try and ambush them but the Plague Man vomited each time, setting up pools of black blood that the healers could not transverse.

It took only a few minutes and they stopped in front of a set of wooden doors. Heat and the perfumed smells of spices floated out to them as Susan leapt off his back.

"Here?" she asked.

The Plague Man nodded. Susan squared her shoulders and pushed the door open.

**AAAAAA**

Peter joined them in the mayhem inside the foyer as Inara and Zaru continued to fight against the stream of Sisters coming their way.

"Your balance is a bit off," he informed Inara as she fought, sword and sceptres sparking off each other.

"WHAT?!?" Inara bellowed.  
Peter was a magnificent fighter. His sword was like quicksilver, blocking and attack with incredible speed. His swings and slashes were confident and strong, his superb footwork always bringing him to the right place to attack. He easily fended off four Sisters at once and slashed out.

His sword sheared through one of the sceptres before he kicked the healer back.

"You're balance is off!" Peter yelled back, smirking slightly, "If someone knows what they're doing, they would've tripped you up by now."

Inara's jaws dropped in shock but she recovered quickly, cracking the flat of her blade against a Sister's face.

"You're lying!" she snarled furiously.

"Really?" Peter stepped forwards and his sword flashed forwards.

Inara tried to leap back but she was too slow as Peter hooked her foot with the flat of his sword and sent her tumbling to the ground. The warrior smacked into the hard marble but quickly spun, trying to leg-sweep Peter but the king easily hopped over her leg.

She did managed to knock two Sisters down though. Inara swore and Peter helped her to her feet.

"Oh shut it," she snapped at the laughter in his eyes.

The king and the warrior fought back to back, pushing the Sisters away as the healers continued to flood into the foyer.

**AAAAAA**

"We're here to rescue you!" Susan announced to the kitchen where the Voids were working, hurrying from station to station as they tried to prepare the Sisters' meals.

There was a second of stunned silence and then resounding applause.

"Oh blessed be!" one female Void announced falling to her knees.

"Wait… you knew about the Sisters?" Susan demanded, "Why didn't you do…"

"If we did anything they would've killed the Voids who were marked," one male Void said grimly, "The ones with the tattoos. The Sisters would've retaliated by putting all of them to death by placing more wounds into them."

"The tattooed ones didn't know or forgot," one young Void said miserably, "Like Cinda… they wiped her memories clean about the tattoo and the healings before they started using her."

Susan swallowed thickly, fury rising up in her and threatening to overwhelm her senses like an intoxicatingly dark liquor.  
"Get all of the Voids together," Susan commanded, "We're getting out of here."

They instantly obeyed, rushing off to gather the few Voids not inside the kitchen as Susan looked at the Plague Man.

"Thank you," he said.

Susan shook her head.

"Don't thank me… it's my pleasure."

**AAAAAA**

Zaru, Inara and Peter looked up as a huge crowd of brown-cloaked figures burst into the foyer, quickly overwhelming the few remaining Sisters as the liberated Voids punished their captors.

"Let's move!" Susan yelled.

The whole crowd wept out of the palace and into the gardens where Elias and Jason fought and continued to attempt to destroy the palace.

"GO!" Susan roared, "GO!!!"

Before the overwhelmed Sisters could react, the Voids and the companions along with the Plague Man boarded every last available boat and paddled as fast as possible away from the palace.

The few remaining healers stared at the destruction around them in stunned disbelief.

Navachandra was ruined.

The Voids were gone.

The Sisters of the Moon had been utterly defeated.

**AAAAAA**

Analivia was alive with gossip once more.

"Did you hear? This afternoon! Town square! The Plague Man's been captured! The Sisters are coming to punish him!"

"Really?!? Town square! I'll be there!!!"

"Come on! Let's go!"

And soon the town square was packed to the seams with curious and excited townspeople. Artema, her face bruised and battered, stood at the edge of the stone pedestal in the centre of the square, her guards all around her. Dressed in her creamy white gown and with a dark menacing scowl on her face, she looked like some vengeful goddess from some long forgotten legend.

There was a commotion at the back of the crowd and screams of shock and horror. The crowd instantly parted as the new arrivals walked confidently up to the stone stage.

Artema narrowed her eyes at Susan's defiant glare. Flanking the queen was Peter and Zaru, behind her walked the Plague Man, his ugly countenance drawing looks and dark mutterings. Elias, Jason and Inara walked behind him, a small number of shaven-headed Voids bringing up the rear.

"How dare you?" Artema hissed at Susan, "Come here with this monster after all that you've done!"

There were surprised murmurings in the crowd as Artema turned to the people.

"That's right!" she announced dramatically, "This heathen has allied herself with that foul monster and together they destroyed Navachandra!"

There were gasps of shock and anger swelled up amongst the crowd. The people shifted restlessly ready to tear them apart but the sight of the Plague Man kept them back for now.

"Really Artema with such wonderful theatrics you would've made a fine bard," Susan said coldly, "Sadly you chose a more murderous path."

Artema froze but quickly recovered as the Sisters by her side glanced at each other uneasily.

"What are you talking about?" the head healer demanded harshly, "You are the one who is working with the Plague Man!"

"Funny thing…" Peter said lightly.

Like Susan he was well versed in the arts of intrigue and the swaying of the public. With his handsome face, firm stance and bright intelligent eyes, he was a leader that people naturally gravitated towards. The crowd looked at him and his sister and saw two wise rulers with charisma and allure. More importantly they saw two people they could trust.

This was what it all came down to, two sides playing to the crowd trying to make them believe and trust. Susan and her companions could easily win in combat but that wasn't the point. The crowd had to learn about the Sisters' dark secrets and more importantly believe them. Only then could justice be properly served.

"Seems to me all this is your fault," Peter finished mildly.  
"You created him through your dark arts," Susan countered, "And now you're reaping your own bitter harvest."

"Don't believe them!" Artema announced to the whole square, "Remember the service we have done all of you! We have healed your ills and soothe your pain! We are healers bound by a sacred code to nurture and protect and we have never failed you!"

The crowd nodded at her words and the precarious balance of favour tipped in Artema's favour.

"But at what price?" Peter thundered.

"We know what you do!" Susan barked, "You don't heal! You can't heal! All you do is take wounds from one person and implant it into another. And you keep doing it until the poor victim of your dark arts die!"

Artema gave them a magnificent sneer as the crowd looked puzzled.

"What possible proof do you have?" she demanded, "Testimonies from that monster over there?"

"We have the Voids," Susan said defiantly, "The very Voids that you transfer wounds and sicknesses to. Innocent people that we liberated from your prison palace."

"I'm hurt," Artema quickly snapped, "You managed to confuse our poor Voids into believing your delusions. The Voids are sick, that's why they work for us so we can heal them everyday. How dare you use sick people in your twisted schemes!"

The crowd glared at Susan and Peter as Artema's words got into their heads conjuring out twisted caricatures of the two as murderers and liars.

"We are not sick!" one of the Voids yelled, "You are the ones who are sick!"

There was a brief moment of insanity as the Voids continued to yell abuse at Artema and her Sisters but the healer didn't even blink an eye.

"Enough!" Peter's voice scythed through the babble, "Voids, please show your tattoos to the crowd."

The Voids instantly pulled back sleaves or revealed other parts of their body showing the crowd that strange tattoo pricked into their skin. Susan had deliberately chosen the Voids who had been marked by the Sisters for their sick, depraved arts.

"So some pretty pictures?" Artema demanded contemptuously, "What on earth does that prove?"

"This," Susan raised her bow and before anybody could react, she shot an arrow straight into Artema's shoulder, "That was for Cinda."

The head healer screamed as the crowd echoed her cries.

"HOW DARE YOU?!?" one voice thundered.

"MURDERERS!!!" a woman screeched.

The crowd began to surge forwards but Jason waved his hands and an invisible barrier slammed into the place forcing them back.

"Heal yourself!" Susan screamed, waving her bow at Artema.

The healer was ashen-faced and tottering on her feet as she yanked the bow out of her shoulder with a scream. One of the Sisters moved forwards but Artema waved her back.

"HEAL YOURSELF!" Peter roared, "And let them all see what your so-called healing powers do!"

Fear entered Artema's eyes for the first time as her dark eyes flickered from Susan to the watchful crowd around them.

"DO IT!" Susan demanded, "OR I'LL SHOOT YOU AGAIN!!"

"See!" Zaru boomed, "See the hesitation! We are right! The Sisters are not healers! They are murderers!"

"Heal yourself!" Elias turned to the crowd trying to fire them up, "Heal yourself! Heal yourself!

The crowd's eyes were instantly drawn to Artema as the head healer continued to sway, unsure of what to do, trying to think of a way out of this but failing miserably.

"Heal yourself!" the crowd chorused, "Heal yourself!!!"  
Artema bit her lip and placed a hand on her shoulder. Instantly white light flared and she shuddered. She removed her hand and the bloody wound was healed.

The crowd waited with bated breath.

Suddenly one of the Voids shouted out in pain and staggered forwards. The others around her instantly helped her pull her rough shirt aside. The crowd gasped as the Voids revealed, for the whole world, to see the bloody wound now in the woman's shoulder, an exact mirror image of the one Artema had just healed.

The Void smiled through her pain at Artema.

"See!" she yelled, "Look! This is their so-called 'healing'!"

The crowd turned to Artema and her Sisters with vengeful, disgusted eyes as Artema looked around her wildly trying to look for support.

"NO! You don't get it! Yes, we do hurt the Voids but… think of the people we've saved! We've helped you and your own for so long! We've cured kings and judges and worthy citizens such as yourself! What is the life of servants weighed up against all that!"

The Plague Man could take it no more.

"MURDERERS!!!" the Plague Man pointed at Artema and her healers, "MURDERERS!!!"  
The crowd took up the chant, baying for Artema's blood.

"MURDERERS!!! MURDERERS!!!"

Artema cursed and glanced at her Sisters who all looked at her, faces drained of all blood, their eyes wide.

"Let's get out of here!" Artema snarled.

She picked up her own sceptre.

"FIGHT!!!!" she screamed, "FIGHT!!!!"

Susan raised her bow.

"You heard her!" she yelled at her own fighters, "FIGHT!!!"

She and Peter instantly charged towards the pedestal as Artema urged her own warriors on.

There was a roar as Zaru sped past all of them and slammed into the first Sister, tackling into her before she could even raise her weapon.

Blue light flared as one Sister tried to paralyse Peter but the king was much to fast for her. Moving out of the way and letting the swing shoot past him before stepping in, kicking her in the gut.

The healer crumpled as Peter turned to the next combatants.

Artema whirled and tried to run but Susan shot off an arrow. It slammed straight into the healer's leg hobbling her. With a shriek, the woman tumbled to the ground.

Between all the fighters Susan had at her command and some of the more adventurous members of the crowd, the Sisters were quickly subdued. Ropes were brought out and they were trussed up as Susan and Peter mounted the stone pedestal and walked over to the writhing Artema.

The healer turned and glared up at them as the two Pevensies looked down at her coldly.

"You think you've won?" she hissed.

She blinked and her eyes turned completely black. When she spoke, her voice was a low gravely rumble that seemed to echo out from the bottom of an endless dark pit.

"You cannot defeat me!" the voice hissed through Artema, "I have already laid waste to all that you hold dear and more worlds are already falling to me. Enjoy your pointless victory because I will soon feast on your bodies!!!!"

"What the…" Peter cursed.

Artema rose to her feet, screaming barking as dark smoke seemed to pour out of her mouth. She reached a hand towards them, her movements jerky and unsure. Peter and Susan tensed, weapons raised as Artema slowly pointed at them, her dark eyes flashing and –

"BAM!"

The leader of the Sisters was sent flying. She crashed to the ground, her head cracking against the stone. She screamed, a long piercing screech that awoke the most primordial instincts to flee before she fell silent, slumping to the ground in an unconscious heap.

Susan looked around, nervous and frightened at what had just happened. Jason slowly lowered his head with a grunt of satisfaction.

"The Great Darkness," Zaru said grimly.

Susan shuddered and hurriedly backed away from Artema before a thought caught her mind.

With a cry, Susan slowly reached for the leather pouch around her neck and peered inside. The ring inside was now a cheery sunshine gold.

Finally she allowed herself a small smile.

Finally it was all over.

"That was for you,"she whispered to the winds, "Cinda…"

**AAAAAA**

"What are you doing to do now?" Susan asked.

They were standing a meadow not far from Analivia, the Voids and some townspeople there to wish them luck and farewell.

The Plague Man sighed.

"I don't know… stay and make sure Artema and the other Sisters get what they deserve when the trials get underway and…" he looked grave, "Submit myself to the people's justice as well."

"What?" Susan blinked.

"I did kill people and lay waste to a lot of land and houses," the Plague Man reminded her, "Even though the only people I killed were the Sisters…"

It turned out the Plague Man had never killed the people inside the village when they had stumbled onto him. He had chased them all away merely wanting to destroy the farms so Navachandra would be deprived of their food source.

"If I am given a prison sentence, I will serve it," the Plague Man sighed, "If not… I will find someplace and finally allow myself to die."

Susan smiled sadly up at the monster.

"Either way… I wish you well," the queen whispered.

"The same to you dear heart," the Plague Man looked at her frankly, "I am a thing of darkness so I understand a little of what you are about to face. Stay strong and never doubt yourself, you are a good warrior and magnificent woman. Even though the road ahead may be dark, I have doubt that you will blaze like a star."

"Thank you," Susan whispered, humbled, "I hope to see you again."

"Maybe in another life?" the Plague Man said with some humour, "Or another world?"

Susan laughed and gently touched the monster's cheek before stepping away. She joined her companions and her brother at the centre of the clearing.

"Ready?" she asked them all.

"More than ready," Peter said.

He looked at her and she could clearly see there was still some tension between them. Their roles had shifted. She would no longer stay on the sidelines follow him blindly like before and he had to accept that she was a queen and a general now with her own band of loyal fighters who answered only to her. It would take some getting used to for both of them and she had no delusions that there would be many fights in the offing but for now they were at peace and that was enough.

"Onto another rousing adventure gang!" Inara cheered, "Altogether now! There's no place like ho…"

Susan slipped the ring on her fingers and they disappeared in a rush of sound and light.

**AAAAAA**


	23. The woods

Holidays are here!! Yay! I can write more! Enjoy the new chapter!

Disclaimer: yada, yada don't own a thing

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 23: The woods**

"It's never been night here before," Elias pointed out.

Susan drew her cloak around her trying to keep in the warmth as she glanced out at their surroundings.

Night had fallen over the Woods between the Worlds, bringing with it shadows and coldness. The air was chilled and damp, their breath swirling in front of them as though they were dragons. The sky overhead was an ocean of pure darkness, void of any moons and stars. Just a few hours before they had travelled from the world of Mystic Lake and its devious Sisters and landed straight back in the woods. The fading light of the setting sun had made it impossible for them to search for the next pool so they had decided to camp for the night.

"Mmm…" Inara said disinterestedly.

She was staring dreamily into the fire in the centre of their little camp, stifling an occasional yawn.

Things that drew the flickering light caught Susan's eye: the brilliant fine gold tresses of her brother's hair, the gleaming daggers Jason were idly toying with and the multi-hued gold and ochres of Zaru's fur.

Elias tore his eyes away from the starless sky, fascinated by the utter lack of stars, and returned to stirring the simmering pot of the fire.

"Smells good," Zaru licked his lips.

"Any substance remotely resembling food smells good to you," Jason growled back.

The leopard smirked at the Seeker.

"Is that meant to be insulting?" Zaru wanted to know.

Susan had to laugh.

"You have no shame," she spluttered chuckling.

Zaru adopted an injured look even as his tail twitched with amusement.

"And I feel just terrible about it," the leopard said with mock hurt.

The five companions continued to talk and bicker amongst themselves, the heat of the fire and the warm glow of knowing they had just defeated another darkness lightening their hearts and humour.

Peter chafed at the wait, he longed to hurry to the next world, to destroy the darkness and continue on the next. He wanted to scream at them, didn't they know what was at stake?! Edmund and Lucy were still out there, lost and trapped, possibly hurt and even –

'_They could be dead,' _his mind whispered to him.

Peter shuddered and tore his mind away from that train of though as he forced himself to study the people around him. He watched them awkwardly, feeling slightly out of place. But he had no time to dwell on his loneliness, Peter was much more interested in studying his sister's new friends and guardians.

As a king, he had learnt how to judge people, to learn what purpose they served and how he could use them. And he had most of them already worked out.

Zaru was a fiercely loyal protector like Reepicheep in many ways, a terror to face in combat and in an eating competition but outside of all that he was fun-loving and laid back, a complete counterpoint to the gruff Jason who was formidable both on and off the battlefield.

Even now the Seeker could feel Peter's gaze on him and looked up, meeting his eyes challengingly.

King and Seeker stared at each other in a tense contest of wills, Jason silently telling Peter he was a man who listened to nobody except by choice and Peter mutely informing Jason that he was a king who commanded and expected instant obedience everywhere he went.

Jason narrowed his eyes and gently ran one thumb across the edge of his blade.

Peter knew if there was going to any friction between him and Susan's companions, the source would most likely be from this man.

Peter quickly flashed him a mocking smile, his own hands shifting towards the hilt of his sword daring the Seeker to make the first move.

Their contest was interrupted as Inara threw a twig at Jason distracting him. The Seeker scowled and lightly threw the twig back as the warrior ducked with a laugh.

Peter glanced at her.

Inara.

An unusual name for a very unusual girl.

She was seemingly full of bluster and jokes, sound and acting like an innocent young girl. Apparently defenceless except for her sharp tongue and sarcasm. But Peter had seen her fight, had seen the warrior that lurked beneath her laughing mask like a shark hiding in calm blue waters. She was a terrifying fighter, swift and deadly, her movements graceful and flawless as she danced around her enemies but Peter could tell she was still not fully trained, still untested in many ways.

Her balance was off for one thing, her grip on her sword also needed more work. He resolved to help her with her flaws although he already knew full well what her reaction to his criticisms would be like.

Peter turned his attention to Elias.

The man was a genius and Peter instantly respected that. He was also moral and upstanding in many ways. Elias had quickly taken Peter under his swings as he had already done to Susan and Inara, always willing to lend a listening ear and always read to bestow words of wisdom if needed.

Out of everyone, Peter felt the most comfortable around him. With Elias, he didn't feel the need to constantly watch his words and actions because the scientist never judged.

And Susan… he was amazed and so very proud of her. Before all of this Susan had been lost. She had forced herself to become spoilt and ugly, hiding her true gentle self behind a sneering indifferent mask. She'd cut and hurt all those around her as she flailed, trying to hide and run from a pain that even she underestimated.

But now…

She was a little like the queen of old Narnia that Peter knew so well but she was something else altogether. Susan had become a warrior and a sage leader, a woman who commanded the respect of all those around her. She was unwavering in her beliefs and unflinching in war, fighting to protect those could not without a thought for herself.

He certainly didn't like her usurping his place as undisputed leader so to speak but he was old and mature enough to realise that was his own problem. Yes, Peter was well aware he had anger issues and power issues and…

Peter sighed and rubbed his temple.

All those things aside, he didn't want Susan to lead because he was terrified. He knew the burden of being a commander more than anyone else. To have to send your friends and family into battle and watch them fight, heart in throat because you know that they might not come back alive, that they might die because of mistakes you've made.

Sometimes being a leader was more soul-crushing than the worst torture an enemy could inflict on you. Peter's mind once again returned to the moonlit courtyard of Miraz's castle as the iron gate fell trapping the Narnians within as he himself had fled, leaving his people to die.

Peter looked at Susan sadly. He just wanted her to keep her innocence, he was her older brother and he was meant to protect her. Putting her on the frontlines would utterly destroy her.

She wasn't ready to be a leader, to face the burden and the torment and as a brother, he had to protect her.

A steaming bowl was suddenly shoved under his nose starting him.

"Eat," Susan commanded.

Peter grinned and Susan smiled back, sensing that some of the tension between them was gone.

"Yes, boss," he teased, "You just love mothering people don't you?"

Susan blushed.

"Oh lord, she was like that before?" Inara asked with exaggerated shock.

Susan glared at her friend as Peter nodded, a wicked smile on his face.

"You got any dirt?" Inara asked eagerly, "Say… something in the childhood memories? Anything involving public displays of nudity?"

"Actually…" Peter began eyes dancing.

Susan's eyes widened in horror and she quickly slapped a hand against her brother's mouth.

"Oh hush," she growled warningly.

Susan turned on Inara.

"And stop trying to find blackmail material!" she yelled at the warrior girl.

She removed her hand from her brother's mouth and grinning, Peter dug into his supper.

AAAAAA

"Well, this is fairly boring," Inara commented to the world.

Zaru grunted beside her, poking hopefully amongst the pile of dirty dishes for any last scraps of food. Inara rolled her eyes and looked out at the woods once more.

The others were sprawled all around them, fast asleep, curled up in their blankets around the dying embers of the fire.

Inara tossed another log onto the flames and watched as smoke and cinders began to unfurl from the wood.

Zaru glanced up at the skies.

"It's getting light," he noticed.

"You know what that means…"

Inara and Zaru shared wicked looks. The leopard lightly bounded over Elias's body and reached Susan's sleeping form as Inara quickly joined him.

"Wake up, your majesty," Zaru batted Susan lightly with his paws.

Susan frowned and mumbled unintelligible before rolling over onto her side.

"Queenie," Inara jabbed Susan hard in the shoulder.

Susan twitched and Inara repeated her motion.

"Five more minutes," Susan muttered not even opening her eyes, "Please remember the salt goes on the left."

"Don't sleeping royalty say the darnest thing?" Inara asked Zaru.

"Do it again! Do it again!" the leopard gently touched Susan's cheek.

"The fauns don't like the hazelnuts," Susan grunted in her sleep, "Feed them to the nymphs and maybe they'll dance for us."

Zaru smirked and flicked his tail against her nose tickling her. Susan instantly let out a sharp sneeze finally forced to wake up.

"I could have you all beheaded you know," she muttered without opening her eyes, "I am a queen you know."

"Wakey-wakey," Zaru smirked, "Rise and shine!"

"I hate you," Susan muttered slowly opening her eyes, "My watch?"

Inara tapped her on the shoulder.

"Tag, you're it!"

Susan grumbled under her breath and slowly began to sit up as Inara moved over to Peter's slumbering form and gave him a gentle kick in the side.

The king instantly jolted up, arms flailing for his sword, his blue eyes wild like a caged animal as he looked for an incoming attack.

Inara jumped back hurriedly avoiding his fists as Peter slowly calmed down.

"Sorry," he muttered running one shaking head over his face, "I…"

Peter shuddered as dark memories of his imprisonment by the vampires leaked into his mind. Fragments of feverish moments whipped through his mind. He could see Desiree, the insane redhead vampire giggling with glee as she raised her whip once more.

Crack!

He jumped as he remembered the sound and feel of the leather searing into his back. For a second he sat there, pale and trembling as though expecting the real pain to emerge.

Susan gripped his shoulders gently giving him an anchor to hold onto as he fought to suppress those dark memories. They began to fade as he slowly began to realise the others were watching him, alarmed and concerned.

Peter shuddered violently.

"Peter?" Susan's eyes begged him to talk to her but he couldn't, not without giving life to his darkest nightmares and memories.

"Our watch?" he said shakily.

His ghostly attempt at a smile told her he didn't want to talk and Susan knew it.

"Yes," she said lightly.

Zaru and Inara glanced at each other but wisely didn't say anything.

Peter got up, sweat sticking his shirt to him as his limbs trembled. He knelt down and slowly lifted his sword, comforted by the weight of the blade in his calloused hands.

Zaru suddenly stiffened, the fur on the ruff of neck sticking up as though he'd just been jolted by an electric shock.

"Zaru?" Susan asked urgently.

The leopard let out a booming yowl and whirled on the others.

"Weapons! Now!" he roared, "Something's coming!!! JASON! ELIAS!!!"  
Before Zaru could even get all of his words out properly, their attackers were amongst them.

"What the hell?" Inara gasped.

There were five of them, tall spectral-like monster with burning red eyes and flowing black capes.

Peter swore as he recognised them.

"Watch out! They're the ones who captured me!" Peter barked, "They're strong!"

The monsters seemed to quiver and with a sudden jerking movement, their robes bursting open revealing their bodies for the first time.

They were like a roiling cloud of thick black smoke, fumes twisting this way and that way in an ill-defined shape that vaguely resembled like a body. A small clump of black mist made up their heads, burning red eyes glaring at them from amidst the smoky darkness.

The only thing that was solid about them was their long limbs, black and skeletal, jutting out from what were roughly their shoulders add ending in dangerous slicing claws.

Their red eyes flashed and the smoke-monsters exploded forwards. They were impossibly fast, swirling around Inara's and Peter's sword before ploughing straight into them.

Inara let out a shocked cry as one smoke-beast crunched her straight in the gut before lifting her metres up into the air. Without warning it dropped her and the girl slammed hard into the ground with a sickening thud.

"JASON!!!" Susan roared desperately.

The Seeker waved his hands around trying to push the monsters away but the smoke-beasts seemed completely unaffected as they turned on him.

Susan let out a cry as Jason slashed out, his blades passing through the demon's smoky body with no effect at all.

Jason cried and moved one hand to throw his dagger but the monsters pounced on him and he was quickly lost under a blanket of black smoke and slashing claws. With a howl, Zaru leapt and tried to tackle one of the monsters but it whipped around and easily swatted him aside.

Zaru smacked into a tree painfully and tried to rise to his feet but the smoke-beast slashed at him. The leopard just managed to just out the way as razor claws ripped the trunk apart.

Susan fired an arrow and it sank some way through one of the smoke-monster's insubstantial head before finally hitting something solid. The creature screeched and writhed, pulling away from Jason as it tried to yank the shaft out of the back of its skull.

One smoky ghost peeled away from the huddle and charged straight at Susan. It was on her before she could even move, the queen screamed as the demon passed straight through her. For one split second she was completely consumed by black smoke, the strength draining from her limbs as a bitter cold bit deep into her flesh and bones.

She buckled and hit the ground as the smoke-demon whirled around, claws outstretched.

"TANG!"

Peter leapt in front of her, deflecting the claw away with his sword.

Susan seemed to see everything through a haze as she tried to stand but her limbs were numb, her mind flailing as it tried to recover from the unbelievable chill that had just ripped through her.

"BOOM!"

Susan turned and saw the smoke-demon's fly from Jason as Elias fired a fire orb straight into their midst. The Seeker staggered unsteadily to his feet, bleeding from multiple wounds.

A cry of pain drew her attention as Inara staggered backwards, clutching a bleeding arm as she tried to fend one smoke-demon away.

Zaru yelped as he was thrown across the clearing and slammed into ground with painful force.

Peter stopped and took in the scene around him as the smoke-demons continued their assault. He instantly made his decision.

"ELIAS!!!" he roared over the din of the fight, "COVER US!!!"

Elias instantly fired a small ceramic ball into their still blazing campfire. There was a moment of stillness before the fire exploded with deadly force flinging white-hot flames everywhere.

The smoke-demons screeched as the heat and fire washed over them but luckily Susan and her companions escaped unscathed.

"MOVE!!!" Peter roared, "GET OUT OF HERE!!! WE HAVE TO RETREAT!!!"  
There was completely mayhem and confusion as smoke from the fire and their demons blinded them.

Susan felt a rough hand grab onto her arm and pull her up. She forced her numbed legs to move, crying out as rich hot blood gushed down her arteries and into her muscles searing her limbs.

She ran, ungainly and unsteadily in whatever direction the hand pulled her to. They hit the trees and continued running, tripping over roots and boulders before finally they stopped, leaning against one another for support as they fought to control their breathing.

"You okay?" Elias asked.

Susan nodded weakly, massaging her cold arms. She glanced around her fearfully before turning back to Elias.

"I don't thi…"

She froze and did a double-take. She looked frantically at the woods as a deep sense of dread settled into her gut.

"Elias…"

"Yes?"

Susan looked straight into his eyes.

"Where are the others?"

AAAAAA

Peter ploughed straight through a bush, bashing his way noisily through the foliage as he ran, arms pumping, legs chewing up distances in great leaping bites.

Inara was just a half-step behind him, hair streaming as she ran. She threw a desperate looked behind her and distracted, her foot snagged on a root. She fell forwards with a cry.

Peter turned at the sound only to have Inara slam straight into him. His knees buckled and he fell backwards. Unfortunately for both of them the group was sloped and they found themselves tumbling down the hill in one messy tangled ball, hair and clothes picking up twigs and dirt as they rolled.

"Oof!" Peter's back slammed into the loamy dirt as Inara fell straight on top of him.

Grimacing he tried to push her off as he struggled to breathe.

"HEY!" Inara barked, "Hands off the merchandise!"

"Merchan…?" Peter began puzzled.

He flushed as he realised his hand was sprawled over her chest. He hastily snatched it away as though he'd been stung.

"Pervert," Inara muttered, shooting him a dirty look as she crawled off him and clambered to her feet.

"You fell on top me!" Peter accused incredulously, "I almost cracked a rib!"

Inara helped him up.

"That better not be a jibe about my weight," she shot at him heatedly as she snatched up her fallen sword with her uninjured hand. Peter retrieved his as well.

"No," sarcasm dripped from every word, "You were light as a feather."

Inara swung her sword straight at him but he easily deflected the blow, one eyebrow raised. Inara shot him a last glare, muttering her breath as she obstinately turned away, ignoring him. Peter sighed and ran one hand through his messy hair as he looked around.

"Uhhh… Inara?"

"WHAT?!?"

He pointed wordlessly around him and Inara, frowning, follow his hands, scanning the woods.

Suddenly she blanched realising the problem, they were completely lost and alone in the woods.

"Oh…" a curse left her lips.

AAAAAA

Jason peeled his battered jacket back with one hand revealing livid bruises all along his arms. From the awkward way he moved, Zaru could tell the Seeker had a lot of others injuries.

"Are you okay?" the leopard asked.

The Seeker turned and Zaru could see one of Jason's arms was hanging limply by his sides. The Seeker lanced down at it and sighed. He gripped the limp arm with his good him and slammed his shoulder against a tree.

Zaru winced as his hypersensitive hearing caught the crunch of bone resetting back into its socket.

Jason bit back a curse as pure agony rolled up his arms sending his nerves into a frenzy. Slowly he tried to move the arm, testing it out gingerly.

Just fine," Jason grunted back.  
The Seeker glanced around and instantly saw they'd been separated from the others.

"The others?"  
Zaru sniffed the air, tasting the scents on the wind.

"Doc and her majesty is about half a mile north-east from here," Zaru reported.

He turned his head and sniffed again allowing a fresh wave of odours to enter his nose.

"The Loud One and the High King are southward," the leopard added, "They're a little bit closer."

Jason pulled his jacket back on.

"We'll got after Susan," he said decisively, "Inara can handle herself."

"Good," Zaru nodded enthusiastically, "Except… one problem."

"What?" Jason glanced down at him.

Zaru coughed delicately, his ears twitching.

"The smoke-demons are about to come right at us…"

Jason's eyes widened.

"WHEN?" he demanded.

He flinched as a small sapling was torn to shreds by not one but two smoke-demons. They exploded out from the trees, claws slashing at everything in their path. They stopped, red eyes gleaming with hunger as they spotted their prey.

Zaru sighed and answered the question.

"Now."

AAAAAA

"Should we make a smoke signal or something?" Elias asked.

Susan turned on the spot hoping to see something, anything that would tell her where to go but all her eyes met were trees. Overhead darkness began to fade as the sun rose steadily into the sky from beyond the mountains.

"No, it'll only draw the smoke-demons to us," Susan kicked the dirt in frustration, she glared up at the sky overhead, "Please! Give us a sign! Anything!"

As if by divine intervention, a blaze of pure white light shot up into the sky, its brilliance coming to them in fits and snatches through the woods, filtered by the shifting leaves and wind.

Susan's jaws dropped. Elias looked at her incredulously.

"I didn't do it!" Susan squeaked.

The scientist blinked at her and turned back to the light, instantly his eyes narrowed.

"Actually, that looks familiar," he frowned, "It looks like…"

Susan studied the light closer and instantly recognised it as well.

"The light from the pools!" Susan turned excitedly to Elias, "That's the way we have to go!!"

Elias smiled at her joy.

"Well then," he hefted his quarterstaff, "Shall we?"

Susan led the way, her bow and quiver of arrows strung across her back. In her hands she held Selena's sceptre, the blue and silver weapon comfortable in her grip. It was strange in many ways, even though she only had the sceptre for a short number of days somehow it just felt right to her… as though she was meant to have it.

Susan shrugged remembering what Inara had said about the Chamber back in Jin ShiZi and the way it had been built just for her. Maybe this sceptre had been created just for this very purpose, to be wielded by her.

Whatever the reason, the sceptre calmed her nerves a little, the knowledge she was wielding such a powerful weapon suffusing her with confidence and a sense of power.

They skirted a dense clump of bushes, pushing their way through the woods towards the light.

Susan stepped on a twig and it snapped in the silence with the brutal suddenness of a gunshot. It started her and her hesitation saved her life.

"SUSAN!!!!"

A claw shot out from the brushes, swiping past and just missing her as Susan cried out and hurriedly back-pedalled.

The demon emerged from the trees, bit by bit, smoke seeping through the dense shrubs and gaining form before them. It screeched and slashed at her again but Susan jumped backwards, spinning the sceptre in her hands.

With a cry, she darted forwards swinging the crystal-end of the sceptre straight at the smoke-demon.

Blue sparks tore through the dark smoke of its body as a burst of crackling energy exploded from the jagged crystal chips at the head of the sceptre. The smoke-demon shrieked and convulsed wildly, blue power surging through its body making it look like a brewing thundercloud as Susan pulled the sceptre away.

"RUN!!!" she bellowed at Elias, "RUN!!!!"

The two of them swept past the writhing smoke-demon and plunged straight back into the trees as they ran for their lives.

AAAAAA

Inara stiffened.

"What is it?" Peter turned to look at her.

The teenage girl had a strange look on her face as her injured left arm trembled.

"Inara?"

"Stop it!" she snarled not at him but seemingly at herself, "STOP!"

"Inara?"

Peter took a big step backwards as Inara trembled and suddenly her arm swung up as though of its own accord. The High King caught one glimpse of an emerald ring on her finger as Inara spun on the spot, stopping about a quarter of the way through the turn. Inara's hand was acting like a compass as the ring drew her irresistibly towards whatever destination it desired.

Both of them watched in fascination as the green ring on her finger pulsed with light. A split second later as though in response, a brilliant white light flared deep in the woods, burning with amazing intensity.

Peter quickly found his tongue.

"What is that?!?" he demanded jabbing one finger at the ring.

"The ring," Inara glanced at the flickering light burning through the woods, "And I think that's where we're supposed to go… the ring's drawing us towards it."

"Alright," Peter said grimly, "Hopefully the others can see it too."

"You must be some kind of mutant cave-fish not to see that light!" Inara retorted, "I'm just worried the smoke freakys will follow that light to."

Peter realised she was right and sighed.

"Well… that can't be helped," he beckoned her forwards, "Come on."

They ran through the forest, Peter's lope effortless as Inara struggled slightly as the ring kept wanting to bring her arm up, to point the way forwards.

"I can see the bloody light," Inara snapped at the ring, "Stop making me point as well!"

With a cry of frustration, she pulled the ring off her finger and deposited it into her pocket. Peter glanced back at her to see what she was doing and sighed in exasperation.

"Are you quite done?" he demanded, "We do hav- INARA!!!!!"

Inara turned and was blind-sided as razor claws flew straight at her. Whether through instincts or pure luck, Inara didn't jump back and got impaled for her troubles, she stepped forwards and was hit with the smoke-demon's hand. The force of the blow sent her flailing through the air.

She smashed into a tree and fell painfully to the ground, scrambling for her sword as she tried to get up, completely winded.

Peter stepped forwards to help her but a second smoke-demon burst out from the trees right in front of him. He had to throw himself backwards to avoid getting ripped to shreds.

"DAMN IT!" Peter roared, "INARA!!!"

Inara was up, dodging and weaving as her own smoke-demon sliced and slashed at her, the two caught up in an intricate dance of flashing swords and claws.

"BUSY!" Inara yelled back.

She saw an opening and went for it, charging and stabbing forwards. She gasped out in shock as her blade went straight through the demon's incorporeal body with no effect whatsoever. Tendrils of black smoke instantly shot out from the smoke-demon's body wrapping themselves around Inara's arm.

She cried out as invisible fangs of pure ice bit deep into her flesh, chilling her to the bone. The sword fell from her hands as all her fingers went numb. She staggered backwards, shaking her arm frantically, trying to get the feeling back.

The smoke-monster surged forwards but Inara managed to throw herself to the side as the demon barrelled past, shrieking in fury.

Peter parried with his demon, claws glancing off his blade as he stepped around the smoke-monster trying to out-manoeuvre it but the creature was impossibly quick, swirling and darting away.

The smoke-demon whipped to the side and Peter let out a cry of shock as Inara crashed straight into him having been thrown through the air by a single blow. Both of them tumbled to the ground as the monsters howled in victory.

"Why do always feel the need to fall on top of me?" Peter demanded exasperated and furious.

Inara tried to get up but her legs were tangled and she fell back down.

"Because you are so irresistible!" Inara snapped back, "You think I plan these things?!?"

"I'm starting to think you do," Peter shot back.

The low growl of the approaching smoke demons drew their attention back to their attackers. The two fighters glanced at each other before tightening their grip on the swords.

Inara twitched ready to jump but Peter stopped her with a glare, shaking his head.

The smoke-demons drew closer.

Peter gritted his teeth and moved his foot subtly getting purchase.

The smoke-demons were now were arm's length.

"NOW!!!!" Peter roared.

Moving with blistering speed, both of them burst from the ground leaping up and slashing forwards.

One smoke-demon screeched as Peter's sword scythed right through its arm. It fell backwards, screaming as thick black smoke belched from its stump of arm as though it was blood.

Inara's sword was flying straight for the smoke-demon's head before it could even register her movements. The blade cleaved straight into its head and lodged an inch in having finally hit something solid. The monster screeched as thick black smoke spewed from its wound.

Inara's eyes widened.

"THE HEAD!" Inara yelled frantically to Peter, "GO FOR THE HEAD!!!"  
She yanked out the sword with a cry. Peter was right beside as they both lunged forwards. The smoke-demon's eyes widened, pure red eyes reflecting their fierce faces as twin swords flew straight at its face.

Its body writhed in its death throes as both blades punched messily through its head, smoke spewing out from the gaping wound. The smoke-demon clutched at its ruined head, bucking as its smoke-like body seemed to shrink, twisting in on itself. It took only a few seconds and the smoke-demon's body boiled away into utter nothingness.

They whirled on the injured smoke-demon. It's eyes widened as it saw the murderous intent on their faces. It raised its lone arm as though in surrender, begging for them to stop.

Peter and Inara grinned at each other and leapt forwards, swords slashing down.

AAAAAA

Jason was slammed straight into a free, narrowly avoiding getting impaled on a branch as the smoke-demon howled straight in his face. Jason roared back and tried to move but the creature's claws had his wrists in a shackle-like grip.

Zaru sprung at his smoke-demon, slashing at the creature's eyes as he sailed past. Claws dug deep in its red irises and tore the delicate membrane apart, blinding the monster as it shrieked in pain, flailing around wildly.

"COWBOY!!!" the leopard leapt to help him but a lucky blow from the blinded smoke-monster swatted him aside.

Smoke began to crawl along the demon's arms snaking towards Jason as the Seeker bucked trying to throw the creature off but it was impossibly strong.

The man yelled out as the smoke darted forwards and flew straight at his face. Jason was blind, choking on acrid smoke as a deep chill attacked every square of inch of bare skin.

His eyes began to flutter shut as his very blood began to cool and still, his brain shutting down as its supply was cut off. He suddenly felt very, very weak and wanted nothing more than to just fall into the darkness and sleep forever.

"JASON!!!"

Zaru's voice seemed to come from far away, distorted and almost incomprehensible. Jason scowled with muscles that longed to rest, furious at the thought of the leopard disturbing the peace that drew around him.

So tired… so very tired…

'_PAPA!!! NO!!!!'_

Jason's eyes flew open as that small voice reverberated around in his head and blew his world apart.

"DELILAH!!!" he screamed, smoking flooding into his mouth.

At the edge of death with his strength draining away, the dark memories threatened to rise once more. Jason yelled and thrust out with all the powers he possessed trying to force the smoke-demon away.

Something deep inside of him seemed to snap and vanish into nothing as a hot, burning wave of power rushed through him, an ocean compared to the raindrop he controlled before.

White light exploded from his body as the smoke-demon screamed, its body boiling as the light burned straight through it like sunlight through night.

Zaru gaped in shock as he was almost blinded by the brilliance wreathing Jason's form, his body barely visible in the magnificent blaze.

With a deafening bang, the very molecules of the smoke-demon blew apart, torn by the powers that surged through it.

The white light faded and Jason fell to the ground, completely limp. Zaru's hearing just managed to pick up traces of harsh breathing and a thundering erratic heartbeat.

The blinded smoke-demon had been caught by the edge of the white light and it stood stone still in one spot, shivering violently.

Zaru bunched up his muscles and leapt with all his might, roaring in fury. His teeth sank deep into the smoke-demon's neck and bit into something solid. Using his momentum, he managed to slam the paralysed monster into the ground and with a vicious deep-throated growl he wrenched his head to the side, the creature's throat still lodged in his teeth.

The smoke-demon went limp before disappearing into nothing as Zaru coughed violently trying to get the icy feeling from his jaws. He turned away and instantly bounded towards Jason.

"Cowboy!" he growled.

He jabbed the man with his nose.  
"GET UP!!!" he yelled, "HEY! COME ON!!!"

"ZARU?!"

The leopard turned and let out a cry of relief as Inara pushed her way into the clearing, Peter just behind her. Both of them stopped in surprise.

"What happened?" Peter demanded.

Zaru froze under his furious glare.

"I didn't do it!" he said quickly, defending himself.

"What happened?" Inara asked more gently.

"He… smoke-demon… power… giant white light…" Zaru said frantically, stumbling over his own words.

Peter held up her hand to stem the flow.

"Come on, we'll sort it out later," he growled.

He and Inara managed to heft the semi-conscious Seeker between them.

"Damn, he's heavy!" Inara gasped as they began to stumble forwards.

"Just move!" Peter snapped, "Zaru! The others, where are they?"

"On the move!" the leopard reported as they began moving through the trees, "I think they're heading towards the big honking light up ahead."

"Good," Inara nodded, "We'll meet them on the way."

The four of them moved as fast as they could through the woods, thrashing their way nosily through the undergrowth as they followed the light towards their final destination.

AAAAAA

"It's back!!!" Susan cried.

Through the trees Susan can catch glimpses of black as the smoke-demon sped through the woods in a parallel path to them.

Elias responded by shooting a fire-orb straight at the monster but it easily evaded the ceramic ball. A tree was blown apart as the small explosive ball hit the trunk.

"How many of those things do you have left?" Susan demanded.

Elias smiled enigmatically.

"Let's just say enough to level this whole place…"

Susan's jaws dropped.

"Twice over," Elias finished.

"Huh," Susan blinked, "Remind me not to get on your bad side."

The smoke-demon burst from the trees, shrieking as Susan ducked its claws and hit it with her sceptre. A burst of blue energy ripped through the creature but this time it recovered much more quickly, swatting the sceptre out of Susan's hands before the queen could react.

She blinked surprised, fingers closing on empty air as Elias cried out.

"SUSAN!!!"  
She looked up and cried out as the smoke-demon surged forwards. Streams of black smoke exploded from its body and flew at her face engulfing her as she fell to the ground.

She'd been in Narnia during the Thousand Year Winter but this… this was much more horrifying. A cold, so deep and so complete that warmth and light seemed a mere mirage consumed her.

Her eyes threatened to close as nerves and vessels and tendons froze locking her body into a horrible twisted position.

She tried to scream but didn't have the strength as the cold slashed deep into her, leeching warm and filling her with ice. But it was more than just mere cold that assaulted her senses, it seemed to rip her mind apart draining away all that was good and joyous and replacing it with a deepest, darkest despair imaginable. All will and strength vanished in the blink of an eye as Susan struggled to remember why she wanted to live and breathe at all.

But it was only the beginning.

Something seeped into her head, insidious and poisonous as an image unfolded in her mind.

She was hovering above a dark crack in the earth, the never-ending crevasse spreading out for miles on either side. It was so deep she half expected to see the molten heart of the earth welling up but all she saw was complete darkness.

But something shifted in those shadows. Susan felt sweat roll freely down her face and back as the seconds ticked by, dread clawing her gut apart.

She tried to scream but it came out soundless as a single eye opened up in the dark part of the earth, staring unblinkingly at her. Like a beacon fire, it signalled a chain reaction as thousands upon thousands of eyes emerged from the shadows, each focusing the burning intensity of their gaze on her.

And malice, as evil and gleeful as anything she'd ever known seemed to thrum in the air as something in the darkness reached out for her, longing to draw her into its embrace and rip her apart.

The darkness spoke in a voice that was as dreadful and powerful as a storm.

"FEED ME!!!" it roared with voice of thousands and yet was soundless at the same time, "FEED MEEEE!!!!"

The eyes blinked and Susan felt herself began to fall every so slowly towards the dark pit. She screamed and bucked by her body was paralysed, she was unable to even shed a single tear as she fell towards her death with agonising slowness.

"FEED ME!!!!"

She suddenly realised she was looking at the Great Darkness itself, the thing that had captured all that she loved and was laying waste to her kingdom.

A red hot rage burned through her and like a fire melting wax, the numbness in her limbs began to fade.

"FEED MEEE!!!!"

Susan took in a deep breath.

"FEED..."  
"NOOOOOO!!!!!!"

AAAAAA

"NOOOOOO!!!!!"  
Susan shot up, looking around wildly, arms flying everywhere as she tried to fight the Great Darkness away.

"SU!!!"  
A strong hand gripped her wrist. Susan looked up into the worried eyes of her brother and instantly went slack.

"What happened?!" she demanded.

"They killed it," Elias explained hurriedly.

Susan glanced at Inara as the warrior lowered her sword. Susan slumped into her brother's embrace, limp with relief.

"Thank you," she breathed, "Thank you."  
"We've got to move!" a trill of fear ran through Zaru's voice, "There's more… things coming at us!!"  
Elias pulled Susan to her feet and supported her as the whole group ran, helter-skelter through the woods as the shadows amongst the trees shifted and writhed as though full of thousands of creatures trying to claw its way to the light.

The morning sun shone the way as they burst out of the trees and into a clearing. A small clear pool lay before them, its shimmering surface blazing with light.

"HURRY!" Elias barked as they raced to the pool's edge.

Inara reached into her pocket and slipped on the ring as her arm swung up drawn by the power of the green band towards the pool.

"GO!!!" Zaru roared, "GO!!!"  
A dull roar ripped through the woods as Inara clutched at all her friends.

"HERE WE…"  
Something immense and dark exploded out from the woods tearing the trees apart but they were already falling.

"… GO!!!!"  
They hit the pool's surface and fell into light and nothing.

AAAAAA

**Author's Notes**: First of all, I LOVE YOU GUYS!!! YOUR REVIEWS ROCKED!!! They really helped me get through my exams because every time I felt down I would read through them and get a bit of boost that helped me go on! Please keep the reviews going because I love them just as much as I love all my readers!!

This chapter was designed to be a stand-alone but still contribute to the overall storyline. Most importantly I think it's Peter's monologue at the beginning of this chappy.

I need a lot of you were like 'why is Peter such an ass all of a sudden? I thought he got over his superiority complex?'. The reason why Peter is so keen on taking the leadership position is partly because he sees himself as the better leader but more importantly he's doing it to protect Susan. He, more than anyone, knows how lonely and terrible leadership can be so he wants to take it to spare his sister. I know it's misguided but I hope that clears the water a little – Peter isn't the same arrogant brat but the movies!!


	24. Caught in the middle

To celebrate the extremely close release of the Prince Caspian the DVD (November the 26th in Australia – YAY!) Here's a new chapter and the beginning of a new arc!!!

Disclaimer: What's mine is mine, what's C.S. Lewis is the work of that genius

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 24: Caught in the middle**

"URSINES!!!!"

The tall grizzled veteran stood on the corpses of his fallen men, eyes blazing with fury as he thrust one accusing hand at the approaching army.

"ALL TOGETHER!!!" he roared, "CHARGE!!!!!"

He leapt down the steep embankment stumbling over bodies and rocks as he bounded with supernatural speed over the rough terrain, the ground having long been torn apart by missiles and bombs. His troops followed him, some dropping down onto all fours as they bolted towards their prey. Each of them wore cloaks made from skinned animals, the dead creature's faces still intact and covering the warriors' heads as the rest of the pelt hung from their shoulders.

The reply to their charge was swift and brutal.

"TORANS!!!" a thunder voice commanded, "FORMATION!!!"

"It's Derrick!" one of the Ursines cried, a feral grin on his face.

"Well, well, well, so it is" the Ursine King, Myron, returned the savage grin.

He spoke as he ran, his breathing as calm and even as though he was standing still.

"Let's give him a warm welcome!!!" Myron screamed.

The Ursines tore forwards and instantly a change came over them. The fur cloaks seemed to bind to their skin and grow until every man and woman was furred but the transformation continued as bones began to change form with sickening crunches, organs squishing as they rearranged. Their muscles grew and strengthened as their limbs shortened and long curved dark claws grew from their hands.

The fantastic changes took only a few seconds until every Ursine had changed into giant lumbering bear-beasts that possessed the characteristics of both beast and man and yet was neither. The Ursines were slightly slimmer than a normal bear with a human's intelligent eyes but possessed the brutal strength and claws and wild nature of the true beasts.

Myron roared as he ploughed at his sworn enemies, the foul treacherous Torans, eyes gleaming red with bloodlust.

"NOW!!!" Derrick boomed.

Gunfire blazed and gouts of white fire exploded form the barrels of the Torans' guns. The air was alive with bullets, the metal slugs zipping through the air like deadly wasps as the Ursines let out one huge synchronised roar.

One Ursine went down, a bullet tearing through its head as Myron raised his arms, which were furred and clawed, but the hand with its opposable thumb was definitely one of a man's.

"NOW!!!" he roared in a guttural voice.

Several bear-beasts raised their hands and Myron barked out one guttural word. Light flash and shimmering blue barrier suddenly slammed into place right in front of them, absorbing and destroying the bullets with ease.

The Ursines fell back down onto all fours and charged forwards, the barrier moving with them as they pounded towards the Torans.

One Ursine stepped onto a bare patch of dirt and the hidden trap was sprung.

"NOOOOO!!!!" Myron screamed.

The hidden landmine exploded shredding two Ursines to bloody shreds as the King Ursine roared in fury.

"TORANS!!!" he shrieked, "YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT!!!"

He was so close he could see the Torans like, soldiers dressed in black and blue fatigues and uniform, each with a helmets and goggles about their face. Their leader was a stocky man with vicious scars running down one side of his leathery face.

Derrick smirked and gestured for his men to attack. One of the Torans dropped to his knees, something long and dark slung over his shoulder.

Myron's eyes widened and the bear-like man raised his head and let out a barking roar.

"ROCKETS!!!!" he roared, "EVADE THEM!!!!"

The rocket exploded forwards in a gush of smoke and sparks as the Torans fired. The shrieking missile slammed into the mystical barrier and ripped it apart as the Ursines dived behind mounds of dirt and body, some reverting back into their human forms to hide better.

"You cannot hope to win Teddies," Derrick snarled out onto the battlefield, "WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED!!! NOBODY CAN GET IN OR OUT THIS TRAP!!!"  
He swung his hand down, chopping the air.

"FIRE!!!!" he roared.

The broken landscape was alive with Torans as they sprung up from hidden ditches and trenches, guns blazing. The Ursines screamed in rage and pain as the bullets found their marks.

"ATTACK!" Myron shouted, "ATTACK!"  
The Ursine King summoned a ball of shimmering blue flames into his clawed hands and with a roar, hurled it forwards. One Toran was hit and instantly engulfed in fire. He rushed from his hiding spot, screaming as he ran, fire consuming him before he exploded into a pile of ashes.

Myron howled in triumph as some of his Ursines followed his lead. Fireballs and lighting bolts sailed from the bears' claws incinerating every Toran they touched. The retaliation was equally brutal, missiles and grenades pounding the Ursines as shrapnel and explosions tore them apart.

It was a senseless bloodbath, men and women dying in a frenzy of gunfire and magic, bodies from both sides piling up onto the blood-soaked ground and yet the battle raged on.

"We can win this!!" Derrick roared, "DON'T LET THEM ESCAPE!!!"  
He hefted his gun and began firing with deadly precision, instantly nailing one Ursine in the neck. The bear screamed and died, blood spurting from its severed carotids as amidst the madness there was a flash of light and six figures were caught up in the massacre.

AAAAAA

"DOWN!" Zaru barked.

He tackled Susan to the ground as rocket whistled past overhead before smashing into a mound of rocks and blowing it apart in a spray of sparks and flames.

"WHAT THE HELL?!?" Peter barked looking around wildly.

Twin burst of purple energy flashed right past their faces as it tore into a trio of Torans.

Peter instantly looked at the group. Jason was leaning heavily against Inara as the girl struggled to hold the semi-conscious man up. Susan had gotten back up and was swaying on her feet, deathly pale as she struggled to recover from whatever the smoke-demon had done to her back in the Woods.

"MOVE!!!" he ordered, "GET UNDER COVER NOW!!!!"

He grabbed his sister and supported her as they ran helter-skelter across the battlefield, ducking and weaving as the two sides exchanged bullets and magical blasts.

Elias and Inara were supporting Jason between them as they ran, stumbling over the uneven ground.

"ROOOOOWRRRRR!!!!"

Peter let out a yell and unsheathed his sword with one hand, his other arm slung around Susan as he swung out at the giant bear-beast powering straight towards them. With a howl, Zaru leapt fearlessly forwards ripping into the Ursine's face. The bear screamed in fear and rage as Zaru clamped his fangs deep into the bear's neck and chomped down with all his might.

The Ursine instantly went limp as Zaru jumped off, spitting out blood.

"HURRY!" the leopard urged.

They dove into an abandoned trench in an undignified heap just as a missile whooshed by overhead.

"The flask," Elias said urgently, "Where's the flask?!"

Inara quickly dug through Jason's battered coat until she came up with a small metal flask. She promptly unscrewed the lid and tipped some of its contents into the Seeker's mouth.

Jason instantly spluttered and coughed violently as the powerful tonic swept through his body. Inara passed the flask to Elias and the scientist did the same to Susan.

The queen gasped on hot fire ran through her veins neutralising the deep cold that had claimed her body.

She came to and looked around wildly as the ferocious din of the battle rang all around her.

"What's going on?!?" she demanded.

"New world. Massacre, massacre, massacre," Inara reported grimly.

She peered over the edge of the trench and winced as she saw an Ursine go down in an explosion of fire.

"We need to get out of here," Peter growled.

Zaru joined Inara and sniffed the air delicately.

"North-west," the leopard reported, "If we fight out way through, the north-west area is completely empty. We can go from there."  
"How many people?" Susan asked weakly, trying to sit up.

"The fighting's only concentrated here," Inara responded, "Shouldn't be that hard."

She winced as an explosion went off, magical sparks flying high into the air. Zaru shot her a withering look that clearly told her to just shut up.

"We can wait it out here," Elias pointed out.

"No," Peter said decisively, "They'll find us eventually. We need to move whilst we still have the advantage of surprise."

Inara, Zaru and Elias glanced at Susan who nodded.

"Jason?" she asked.

The Seeker was slowly coming to, blinking owlishly at her.

"Can you fight?"

Jason groaned but nodded.

"Okay, Jason will push everyone away from us. We burst out of here and we make our way north-west with any means necessary," Susan ordered quickly, "Ready?"

"No!" Peter argued, "We can…"

Before the High King could even outline his plan, Jason closed his eyes and swept the air with his arms. There were bellows of shock as Torans and Ursines alike were shoved away from the trench by an invisible force.

"NOW!!!" Jason roared.

Peter shot the Seeker a dirty look but leapt to his feet, bounding over the edge of the trench Inara and Zaru right beside him.

Susan hefted her sceptre and joined them with Jason and Elias just a step behind.

"MOVE!!" Peter roared, "GO!!!"

One Toran stepped into the way, gun raised but Zaru moved like the wind, smashing into the man before he could even register the flash of gold fur barrelling towards him.

An Ursine charged at them but Inara and Peter engaged the bear, their swords raking across the beast's back. The Ursine roared in fury and rose to its feet, swiping at them with vicious claws.

"WHACK!"

With an almighty blow, Peter hacked one of its arms off before burying his blade deep into the bear's belly. The Ursine crumpled as Peter yanked his sword free.

"GO!!!" Jason roared.

He swiped the air with his hands and two Torans were pinned to the ground as the Seeker grunted, his face turning grey as he struggled for breath. Elias steadied him as they continued to run.

There was a pained scream as an Ursine staggered back, scrabbling at the arrow shaft embedded into its eye as up ahead Peter and Zaru ploughed into a quartet of Torans.

Inara leapt into the fray, slamming her palm into one Toran's chest and sending him flying. A high-pitched whistling sound made her look up.

Her jaw dropped.

"Oh sweet mother of…" she cried, "HEADS UP!!"

She punched another Toran away.

"EVERYONE!!!! DUCK!!!!" she screamed.

A missile arched elegantly through the air before whistling down towards them, smoke and fire blazing in its trail, its trajectory perfectly aligned to hit them head on.

Elias raised his modified crossbow as Jason raised his hands.

"DOWN!!!" Inara roared again.  
Peter and Susan smacked into the dirt as Zaru barrelled into them.

Elias pulled the trigger and a fire orb was lobed into the air, flying straight towards the missile as Jason clenched his fists. The missile buckled as an invisible force threatened to knock it off course but it was not enough.

The fire orb struck the missile.

There was a terrifying second of utter clarity as everyone could clearly see the dark shape of the fire orb striking the head of the missile with perfect precision.

There was a moment of stunned silence than fire and shockwaves blasted their worlds apart, knocking them into the deepest darkness.

AAAAAA

"Beep. Beep. Beep."

"Are they clear?" a gruff voice demanded.

"They're showing some traces of magic exposure, especially the girl but that could've just been from the battle… there were a lot of spells flying around."  
"Are any of them Ursines?" the voice growled.

"No, sir. Negative."

Peter opened his eyes with a groan and clutched at his head as every muscle and nerve throbbed with painful synchronicity.

"Stay down son," the rough voice told him.

A bleary face swam into Peter's line of vision as the king blinked rapidly, trying to clear his vision. There was a loud ringing in his ears and the light was stabbing painfully into his eyes.

"Do you remember what happened?"

Peter's vision began to clear as a scarred and battered face peered at him, concern in the man's flat grey eyes.

"The others…" Peter managed to pant out, "Where are the others…"

"Right here, son," the man patted him gently on the back, soothing him, "You gave us a good scare. What were you doing in the middle of the Divide?"

"Travellers," a voice rasped out, "Far away. Travelling the land and writing a book."

Peter and the man both turned to see Inara sitting up in her bed. Elias was still passed out on a nearby bed.

"Travelling? Children like you?" the man shook his head in amazement, "What were you thinking?"

Peter glared at him and even with his face all bruised and cut up, it was easy to see the authority and command he possessed shining through.

"We are capable," Peter said icily.

The man shook his head, half-amused half-admiring Peter's audacity.

"Who are you? Where are we?" Peter demanded, interrogating the man.

Inara shot him a warning look but Peter ignored her, his intense gaze fixed on the man before. Inara gritted her teeth, Peter's bullheadedness already getting on her nerves.

"Where?" the man echoed, "You're in Rawall, the stronghold of the Torans. And I am their High Commander, Derrick."

"Torans? Rawall?" Inara echoed.

A thought caught Peter's attention and he let out a gasp before looking around frantically, blue eyes bulging.

"Where are the others… where's my sister?"

"Ah," Derrick let out a sad noise.

His face instantly darkened as his hands closed into tight dangerous fists.

"I'm sorry to tell you this… but they've been kidnapped."

Peter and Inara gaped at him.

"Kidnapped?!?" Inara spluttered, "What? How? By who?"

The power inside of her surged, adrenaline pumping through her veins as the strength inside of rejoiced at the chance for battle.

"By the darkest monsters to walk these lands," Derrick hissed.

Hatred contorted his face, making his scar countenance even more fearsome. Peter had to acknowledge that this was a man he would not like to face in battle.

"Who?" Inara pressed.

Derrick stood, his body trembling with rage as he uttered his next words with the most loathsome venom imaginable.

"The Ursines."

AAAAAA

"Susan."

Susan turned, her heart melting at the familiar voice.

"Caspian," she whispered back.

They were standing on opposite banks of a stream, separated by a long line of fast flowing crystal clear water. A lush green glade only heightened the surreal beauty of the moment.

"Why are you standing over there for?" Caspian teased lightly, "Trust me, it's a lot nicer over here."

"The surroundings or the company?" Susan raised an eyebrow.

Caspian tugged at his tunic and smiled modestly, dark eyes dancing with mischief.

"I'm sure milady will not disagree with the company," he said with a short bow.

Susan laughed and gingerly placed one foot into the stream. She cried out in shock as a deep cold seeped through her shoes and into her foot, chilling her to the bone.

With a cry, she threw herself backwards rubbing frantically at her foot trying to get the feeling back.

Caspian laughed.

"Come on your majesty," he urged, "It's only a tiny bit cold. I'll be more than happy to warm you up once you get over here."

"No… Caspian… I…"

Before her eyes, the stream froze over, water congealing into ice as Susan gasped in shock. She crawled to the bank's edge and peered into ice. Something was embedded deep within the ice's frozen hold, its colours and form distorted by the thickness of the ice so that Susan couldn't tell what it was. But she knew one thing for sure… it was a human.  
"SUSAN!"  
Susan looked up and gasped in horror as something huge and dark and with many, many legs descended onto Caspian. The king was suddenly armoured and armed, swinging his sword at the thing that had him pinned down to the ground.

Susan watched, paralysed, as huge curved fangs swung down and ripped into Caspian's chest.

Blood sprayed her face and she finally found the voice to scream. The world around her turned into a void of black emptiness as Susan struggled to her feet, looking around wildly like a frightened child. Eyes began emerging from the shadows, thousands of piercing irises that glared at her, the intensity of their gaze like a physical force that tried to crush her into nothingness.

Susan looked into the emptiness of the Great Darkness and let out a second piercing scream that fractured the world around her. Everything faded into blinding whiteness and her eyes flew open.

AAAAAA

Susan woke to find Zaru's face a mere inch from her own. She blinked at him as the leopard blinked back.

"Uhh… Zaru? Bit close," the queen said quietly.

The leopard gave her face one enthusiastic lick before backing off a little allowing the queen to sit up. Susan shuddered as she realised she was drenched in sweat. Zaru instantly picked up on her apprehension.

"Are you okay?" he asked urgently.

"Fine," Susan closed her eyes trying to master herself.

Internally, she cursed whatever forces of destiny or nature forced her to have these dreams. She was really, really sick of watching the people she loved being put in danger and being helpless to do anything about it. Susan glared up at the ceiling but sighed knowing it was useless.

"What happened? Where're the others?"

"We got knocked out," Zaru explained helpfully, "Jason's talking with the Ursines."

"Ursines?" Susan frowned.

"The magical bears," Zaru explained off-handed, "They rescued us."

Susan stared at him.

"Magical bears?" she repeated, incredulously.

Zaru shrugged.

"Hey, I didn't make this world," the leopard shot back.

Susan sighed, wondering what crazy world they had landed themselves in. She looked around, relieved to see her weapons were nearby. Reaching for them, she began to get up off her pallet but froze halfway.

"What is it?" Zaru asked instantly, concerned.

"Wait, you mentioned Jason… where're the others? Peter? Inara? Elias?" Susan looked at him, her flashing blue eyes demanding answers, "Where are they?"

"Taken."

Susan looked up as the flaps to the tent were pushed open allowing sunlight to stream in. A towering figure strolled into the tent, old and weathered, long limbed but possessing a wiry strength. Susan watched her carefully, her body tensed as she recognised the formidable warrior that stood before her.

Myron grinned at her bearing yellowed fang-like teeth.

"Hello, dearie," he said lightly.

His face and expression was quite human, there was something primeval about him… something bestial. But Susan didn't even blink an eyelid.

"And you are?" she asked mildly as though they had met over tea.

Myron didn't reply but knelt down to pick up her sceptre, studying it with a critical eye. Susan bristled but kept still as Zaru watched the man carefully ready to leapt to the attack as if posed a threat to his queen.

"Interesting weapon," Myron noted, "A magical conduit which draws energy from the user and turns it into energy blasts. But it takes a strong spirit to wield such a thing. Very impressive for one so young and untrained as yourself to use this so effectively in battle."

He touched the blue crystals at its end reverently and Susan scowled. She reached forwards, touching the sceptre with her fingers. A rush of heat swept through her and the blue crystals flashed spitting sparks at the Ursine as he grunted and dropped the sceptre hurriedly.

"Who are you again?" Susan asked as though she hadn't done a thing.

Myron grinned savagely at her, admiring her coolness.

"Myron, King of the Ursines," the man was wearing a coat made of bear pelt, the beasts face mounted over his head, "Charmed."

"No doubt," Susan said dryly.

She pulled the sheets off her and got up.

"Where are my friends?" she demanded, "You said they were…

"Taken," Myron sighed, one hand toying with his coat, "By the most treacherous scum to have ever walked this earth."

Susan and Zaru both gasped as the temperature in the room seemed to soar, the air itself becoming heated and cloying as Myron growled throatily. Sparks seemed to leap from his body. Zaru rumbled low in the throat and he made to lunge at the bear but Susan grabbed onto the ruff of his neck stopping him.

"The Torans," he looked at Susan with gleaming yellow eyes, "Which means they're in the biggest danger imaginable."

He snapped the air with his teeth as a wild wind swept through the tent's opening.

"Never trust a Toran," Myron growled, "Make no mistake. Your friends are better off dead."

AAAAAA

"Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!" the Torans roared in approval as Inara took a blow straight to the face.

She was knocked to the side but quickly regained her balance as her opponent, a hulky giant of a man, swung at her again. His fists were as hard and unyielding as stone and would've easily broken every one of Inara's bones had he hit her. But the warrior girl was much to quick, jumping out of way as the fist swung by. She charged forwards firing a brutal kick straight into his unprotected gut before the man could even react.

The Toran keeled over as the crowd cheered and booed.

"Go get her Ox!!!" one of the Torans screamed, "Don't let her beat you!"

Ox glared at her, blue eyes flashing as Inara smirked, beckoning him forwards with her hands. With a bellow, he charged at her, fists swinging as Inara threw herself straight at him.

There were cries of awe and surprise from the crowd as she hit the ground and skidded forwards throwing up a cloud of dirt and rocks straight into Ox's face. The Toran bellowed with rage and staggered backwards, scrubbing furiously at his eyes trying to clear his vision.

Inara slammed an open palm into Ox's chest knocking him back before cracking his knee with a vicious kick. His leg buckled and gave way as he collapsed to the ground. Inara unleashed a quick flurry of blows, jabbing him in pressure points and painful nerve spots as Da Long had taught her, pain and paralysis ripping through the hulking Toran.

Inara took a step back and cocked back her fist ready to deliver a final blow.

"Enough!" Ox bellowed, blinded and writhing in pain, "ENOUGH!!!"  
The crowd cheered as Inara lowered her fist and smiled, the power inside of her roaring in victory. She closed her eyes relishing the surge of strength running through her as a large crowd of jabbering Torans instantly swallowed her up. Two men darted forwards and helped Ox to his feet, the large man shaking his head in disbelief that he'd just been beaten by a girl easily half his size.

The Torans were talking animatedly amongst themselves enacting out parts of the fight as Inara stood, basking in their attention.

"That was unbelievable how you…"

"Pft," Inara snorted, smiling smugly, "Child's play! You should see me at my best!"

Elias sighed and shook his head.

"Modesty is obviously a foreign word to her," he said exasperatedly.

He watched Inara continue to brag to her admirers and he couldn't help the smile that curved his lips. Susan, Zaru and Inara… sometimes it surprised and even intimidated him how strong his feelings were for those three (and yes, even Jason). He was a scientist, a man of logic and reason but when faced with those three, he was always hit with an almost overwhelming and completely illogical need to protect and guide them, to celebrate their triumphs and joys and to wipe their tears away and offer solace in times of darkness. All of this had come stealthily and as a revelation, an earthquake that had completely changed his world. Elias smiled wryly as he realised that this must be what fatherhood felt like. There was no blood link between them but to Elias, that didn't matter at all.

Peter was off in his own world as well, his blue eyes were fixed on some far-off distant spot as thoughts and fears ran rampant in his head. Elias glanced at him and knew instantly what was wrong.

"Susan will be fine," the scientist said quietly.

"How do you know that?" Peter demanded aggressively, "She could be…"

"Jason and Zaru are with her," Elias cut in, dark eyes fixed on the High King, "And Susan is no defenceless maiden either. They'll be fine."

Elias watched the struggle on Peter's face. He was an interesting child, a mess of contradictions. Young and yet so old, immature and yet wise in many ways, arrogant but yet Elias could see the love he had for his sister. Instincts rose in the scientist, strong and demanding, the ones Jason had mockingly referred to as his mother hen-ing and Elias sighed as he realised he had another chick to look after.

A shadow fell over them and both king and scientist turned.

"She's an incredible fighter that one," Derrick had joined them, his eyes lingering admiringly on Inara as she played to the crowd, showing off, "If I had a hundred of her, the cursed war with the Ursines would be over in a week."

"What war?" Elias asked curiosity piqued, "Over resources? Land?"

"Over insults and betrayals," Derrick said in a dark, dark voice.

Elias raised an eyebrow as Peter spoke up.

"How do we get to the Ursines?" Peter asked, his voice implacably hard.

Derrick looked at him incredulously.

"You're not seriously considering invading the woods just to rescue your sister and your friends are you?" Derrick demanded, "It's suicide."

"I have to try," Peter gritted out, refusing to back down.

Derrick looked at the haughty, hardened look on Peter's face and once again felt a commanding presence from the boy that belayed his youthful features. This was a hardened warrior and commander, a sword that would not yield or bend to others will.

The Toran general sighed.

"Meet with us in tonight and I might be able to help you," Derrick told him finally, knowing already his decision would outrage many, "But you must reconsider…"

"I will meet with you tonight," Peter said brusquely.

Derrick raised an eyebrow at Peter's tone but said nothing, merely shooting the boy a warning look before turning around and marching off. Elias shook his head.

"Don't you think that was a little…" Elias paused and continued delicately, "Blunt?"

Peter shot him a hard look, arrogance and cool command etched into his youthful face.

"I got what I wanted. What else matters?" he snapped.

"But…"

"Don't you understand?" Peter growled, "We have to defeat the Ursines not just to rescue Susan but because obviously they're the darkness here. So if I hurt some feelings in doing our job… then so be it."  
The High King stalked off as the scientist blinked. He clutched at his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

"Urgh," he muttered, "Brat!"

AAAAAA

Siobhan raised her hands and blew the two charging Ursines away with twin blasts of green power. The powerful mage easily transformed into her bear form and slammed into an incoming Ursine, roaring as she wrestled the larger bear into submission with pure brute strength.

A fourth Ursine stampeded towards her and Siobhan whirled with a speed and grace that looked foreign on her bulky form. One pawed hand shot out and she slammed her claws into the warrior's face, breaking nose and teeth as the Ursine roared and stumbled backwards.

Siobhan kicked her brutally in the gut and the bear keeled over, flopping to the ground weakly. She quickly shifted back into her human form, dark eyes darting around the training field looking for the slightest sign of an attack. But all her opponents were out cold and in no position to retaliate. Finally the young teenager relaxed.

"Bravo! Bravo!" Myron stepped onto the training court, clapping loudly, "Well done, dear daughter of my heart. You are a true weapon, one that will reap much blood from our enemies!"

"I live to serve our war," Siobhan said expressionlessly.

"What do you think?" the Ursine King turned to his honoured guest, baring his yellowed fangs in a smile.

He talked as if his daughter was an object, something to be shown off and gawked at. Even now he talked as if she wasn't there. For her part Siobhan stood silent and dutiful, her eyes dull as she stared off into the distance, disconnected from the conversation and the world.

Susan blinked and realised Myron was staring at them, clearly expecting them to fawn over him and congratulate him for siring such a brilliant warrior.

"Impressive," Jason grunted in genuine admiration.

But Susan could sense the tension in his body and could easily guess what had the Seeker on edge. The way this man treated his daughter, his own flesh and blood, to view her as a weapon and nothing else… Susan bit down on her tongue and tasted blood.

Zaru sneezed as he literally smelt the rage coming off his companions.

"She's wonderful," Susan said, careful to keep her voice light.

Myron was dangerous, a complex bundle of insanity and brilliance. Dealing with him was like waving a match near gunpowder, you had no idea when he would explode killing everyone in the near vicinity.

"I trained her myself!" Myron boasted, "Showed her no mercy. Not even when she was little!"

Jason shifted, hands going to his daggers but Susan stepped backwards, purposely treading on his toes as the Seeker glared at her. Susan ignored him.

"With such warriors as these, the Torans would surely fall to you," she said, admiration seemingly shining in her eyes.

Inara had taught her this, how to lie not only through words but with looks and expressions as well. And lessons had sticked judging by the way Myron visibly puffed up under her praise.

"Don't you worry, the foul Torans' time is nearly over," he boasted, "Victory will very soon be ours!!"

The man strutted off, Susan resiting the urge to roll her eyes as Zaru indulged his. Jason swore under his breath.

"You are not from this world are you?"

All three of them started and turned to look at Siobhan in amazement. The Ursine Princess looked at them expressionless.

"How… how do you know?" Susan demanded.

"Your auras are different… everyone in this world has a connection to the earth even if they can't sense it. With you I feel nothing," Siobhan explained.

She paused.

"Plus you have a talking cat. That isn't common in these parts."

Susan smiled and couldn't help but like the girl. To still have fire and spirit after all she had gone through… that was impressive in itself.

"The Torans," Jason said flatly, "What's the situation with them?"  
"We are at war with them," Siobhan replied, her voice monotonous as though reciting from a textbook, "As we have been for many, many years now."

"Why?" Susan pressed.

Siobhan sighed and for the first time the bland control she had over her emotions seem to fade.

"Long, complicated story," she said dryly.  
"We need to get our friends and my brother away from them," Susan said urgently, sensing an ally in her, "Is there anyway we can do that?"

Siobhan looked at her, analysing the queen carefully, weighing up her words before she spoke.

"There is one thing…" she began thoughtfully.

She shook herself and looked at them squarely.

"Meet with me here tonight and I'll help you."

Not even giving them a chance to reply, the Ursine Princess began helping her fallen comrades up as Susan and the others stared at each other, confused.

"Uhh…" Susan blinked, "Okay?"

AAAAAA

"Why have you brought them into our council?" an elderly man demanded, "They have no right!"

Derrick glared at the man. The harsh fluorescent lights above bleached his skin a bluish-white making him even more imposing than normal.

"I am Head Commander, you will not question my command," he said coldly.

The elderly man flushed.

"Father."

Everyone's eyes were drawn into a wiry young boy with floppy brown sitting at one corner of the massive metal table.

"Can we trust them?" the boy asked bluntly.

He couldn't have been any older than Peter but where the High King emanated authority and control, this young man was full of nerves and insecurities.

"Do not question me David, you will respect my decisions and hold your tongue," Derrick barked out.

David quickly looked down at the tabletop, flushed with embarrassment as Derrick turned to the table of men.

"I believe they can help us in the dangerous mission to come."

"Impossible! We cannot bring strangers into this!" one battle-scarred man argued, "How do we know…"

"My sister is with the Ursines!" Peter snapped, "I need to rescue her and if this helps, then I'm sure as hell going to do it regardless of what you idiots have to say!"

Some of the generals gasped at the boy's audacity and rudeness, their eyes flashed as their hands began to tighten around the holster of their guns. But Peter was defiant, his blue eyes raking the men daring them to make the first move.

Elias gently touched Inara's arm.

"Do something," he urged quietly.

Inara sighed and rolled her eyes before lightly kicking Peter in the shin stopping him as he was about to speak. He whirled and glared at her but Inara smoothly placed herself in front of him.

"You want to know why we want to help?" she said.

Her voice shifted subtly, becoming huskier as she trembled, a hint of tears glistening in her eyes. Instantly every eye was on her as she drew herself to her full height, face pale as a kind of reckless courage entered her eyes.

"I was five when those blasted bears came into our village," she said throatily, "They tore our guards apart before we even knew they were there. They murdered all of our friends, our family… I saw my mother burn before my eyes because of those bas…"

Inara stopped herself, her words hanging in the air as all the generals stared at her, shocked. A tear rolled down her face but Inara composed herself, wiping it away. She looked up, defiance burning in her eyes.

"We swore on that day we would destroy those Ursines. So don't you question our loyalty to the cause," she snapped, fury roiling in her voice, "Because you have not suffered like we have!"

She turned around and grabbed a startled Peter around the neck as she sobbed into his shirt, her back heaving.

A silence fell over the room as the sound of Inara's cries echoed off the walls. Elias hid a smile behind a grave mask as he silently counted from one. On the count of three, the general who'd protested hesitantly cleared his throat.

"Please accept my apologies," he said humbly, "And forgive my brutish tongue."

Inara turned around as Peter gaped at her. She smiled at the general weakly, obviously trying to remain strong and composed.

"We would do anything to help you," she promised, all wide pleading eyes, "Please believe us."

Derrick glanced at the room and no one else protested. He gestured for the three of them to take a seat as he took command at the front of the room.

Inara sent a subtle smirk at Peter who was still staring at her in disbelief before directing all of her attention to Derrick.

"Gentlemen, we are here today because we have finally discovered it…"

AAAAAA

"… the location of the Djinn!" Myron roared.

In the clearing, the Ursines replied with bloodthirsty howls as at the rear of the pack, Susan glanced in confusion at Siobhan.

"Djinn?"

The princess shook her head, silently telling her now was not the time. Susan forced her attention back to the roaring Ursine King.

"Are you sure these are the good guys?" Zaru muttered dryly to Jason.

Jason flicked a glance around him at all the baying, howling crazed Ursines and glanced at Zaru. Before they had been certain the Torans had been the darkness they must destroy in this world. But now…

The Seeker was starting to have doubts and he always trusted his gut.

"After many years of endless searching," Myron grinned a vicious smile, "We've finally found it! The resting place of the Djinn! And it will soon be ours!"

The Ursines roared and stamped their feet, working themselves up into a howling frenzy.

"And soon the Torans' foul betrayal will be overturned!" Myron snarled, "And we will have justice!"

AAAAAA

"And once we have the Djinn, we will punish the Ursines for their foul betrayal! And finally we will triumph over those cursed bears!"

Derrick let out an exulted laughter.

"Tomorrow!" he promised, "Tomorrow, the end begins!"

The generals cheered.

AAAAAA

"It's coming, my fellow Ursines!" Mryon screamed.

The bears stampeded and roared.

Myron threw his hands into the air and sparks of purple fire flew up into the air. The Ursines responded by shooting blasts of energy into the air until the whole night sky was lit up by magical fireworks.

The sight should've awed and delighted the three companions but the careless display of sheer power made all of them nervous.

"TOMORROW!" Myron promised, "TOMORROW, THE END BEGINS!!!"

AAAAAA

The Torans and Ursines were on a collision course. The race for the Djinn was on.

AAAAAA

Author's notes: Okay, so the characterisation of Peter as being arrogant is causing some controversy. I'm making him a bit of a stuck-up brat because this is how I see it.

In the movie, Peter seems to have gotten over his superiority complex somewhat and yes, I have no problems with that. But think about it. Narnia's in trouble, Edmund and Lucy are still being, Aslan has been captured, Peter himself has been captured and tortured. This has completely thrown him, Peter is used to being in control (I say he needs to be in control) and with everything spiralling crazily, he's overacting. He needs to feel like he's fixing everything, like he's doing something and for him the best way to do that is to take control of the situation and do things he's way.

That's how I see it, feel free to disagree and add your comments.

As for pairing Peter with Inara… I don't know. Last chapter was bit of an experiment to see how they bounce off each other and they seemed to interact well. But there are no firm plans as of yet.

Next issue: my faithful reviews… I TOTALLY LOVE YOU GUYS!!! YOU GUYS ROCK!!! Khajit, Fire Dolphin, 5HourOpera, diva divine, dares to dream, MyLuckyWhistle, Jagger K, Emma Please (and a who bunch of other reviews I'm probably forgetting. Please forgive me!!!) Your reviews seriously make my day. Whether you are encouraging or critiquing me (and please continue critiquing, it helps strengthen my writing!) I look forward to reading all of your comments. And to everyone who drops in now and then with reviews and comments, please continue!!


	25. The cave

NEW CHAPTER! NEW CHAPTER! REVIEW! REVIEW! I'm really sorry but the number of reviews had really dwindled over the last few chapters. Seriously I am not going to update until I have more reviews! Some please… review!

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 25: The cave**

Exhaust fumes belched into the air as the truck rumbled on down the narrow stretch of road. It was a military vehicle, its body a patchwork of motley green and reinforced steel.

The back of the truck was a tray roofed by oiled canvas and it was here that Peter, Inara and Elias sat.

"Echo Squad," Derrick was speaking into a radio-phone, "Report."

"Echo to base," a voice crackled over the walkie-talkie like device, "North road is clear."

"Good. Keep scouting," Derrick put the phone down.

There were three other men with them including Derrick's own son, David.

"Where are we heading?" Peter demanded.

"A set of caves located in the Highsky Mountains,' David said quietly.

"To get this Djinn thing?" Inara asked unsurely.

David nodded as Derrick and his men conversed in quiet voices.  
"BOOM!"

Everyone let out a cry of shock as the truck jolted almost tipping over as a massive concussive wave blasted into its side.

"What the hell?!?" Derrick snarled furious.  
Everyone instantly looked through the open back of the truck. Elias gasped at the sight of a burning truck wreathed in hot blue and pink flames, purple sparks flying everywhere.

"What the…" Peter began frowning.

"URSINE!!!"

Derrick's radio phone burst into life as a frantic voice boomed through the truck cabin.

"PATROL! URSINE PATROL!"

"They knew about our mission?" Derrick demanded incredulously.

"NEGATIVE! Seems like a random patrol!"  
Derrick cursed but his anger drained away as the cool face of a calm and collected leader fell into place.

"All units! Return fire! We can't have those Ursines report back!"

The reply was instant as gunfire roared through the terrain. There was a lull in the barrage of hot bullets and pained screams could be hard.

"BOOM!"

A blast of crackling energy blazed into the side of another vehicle in the Toran convoy. The occupants bailed before the vehicle detonated, spraying hot flames and metal everywhere.

"Rocket!" Derrick held out his hands and one of the soldiers deposited a long thick black tube in his hand.

David peeled a section of the canvas back and Derrick aimed through the gap, tracking the energy blast back to its source amongst the rocky landscape.

His finger jammed down on the red button and hot flames spewed from the head of the tube as a rocket shot forwards, smoke trailing in its wake.

The rocket shot through the air like a shark, lethal and fast before disappearing amongst an outcrop of rocks.

A minutes of utter silence followed then-

"BOOOOMMMM!!!"

The truck rocked on its wheels as the boulders disappeared in a burst of fire, smoke and shattered stone.

There was a tense silence as the Torans wanted for a retaliation but all was still.

Derrick grabbed his phone.

"We press on. I want two medics looking after the injured, otherwise everyone else find a truck and move. NOW!" he ordered to all his units.

The vehicle convoy rumbled on as Peter, Inara and Elias stared at each other.

"What have we gotten ourselves into?" Elias demanded incredulously.

Peter sighed wearily, looking like the battle-scarred veteran he was. He glanced out the truck's back, blue eyes scanning the mountains. He turned to the others.

"Do we have a choice?"

AAAAAA

The creatures snorted and hissed as they trampled everything in their path in a sinuous weaving way, their bodies almost thrashing like a snake's. They were like giant lizards with lazy gold-flecked eyes, their skins beaded and olive green. Their long claws dug into the loamy dirt as they trashed their way through the woods, saplings and bushes folding up their weight. Perched on top of their immense backs, clinging to puny leather saddles, the Ursines rode.

"What are these things?" Elias demanded.

Siobhan looked at him obliquely, a smile in her mysterious eyes.

"We call them the Ka-Lac, beasts of the evergreen," the Ursine Princess said quietly.

A cry came from up ahead and the whole party of trampling lizards stopped, the Ursines glancing uneasily at each other.

"What is it?" Susan asked quietly.

"We're reaching the edges of our land," Siobhan informed them, "This is Toran territory now."

"And that's bad?" Zaru asked, clinging to the saddle with every claw he possessed.

"Very bad," Siobhan said quietly, "The Torans like to…"  
"BOOM!!!!"

A Ka-Lac was thrown up into the air, its stomach ripped to shreds by a fiery explosion as blood and chunks of smoking meat flew everywhere. The Ursines riding the lizard were instantly killed in the blast.

"… lay traps," Siobhan finished grimly, "FATHER!"

Myron, who was astride the biggest Ka-Lac, a veritable dinosaur covered in spines and armoured scales, roared in fury.

"URSINES!!" he thundered, "NOW!!!"

The bear mages instantly hurled bolts of power to the ground triggering off other hidden landmines. They detonated with deadly force, columns of fire and smoking spurting high up into the air.

But disabling the landmines only seemed to have set off a second trap. There was cries of shock as a huge log, easily the size and dimensions of a mansion pillar swung down from the canopy, a complex rope and pulley system coming to life.

The log hammered into two Ka-Lacs, cracking the lizards' ribs and driving bony shards deep into organs. The giant lizards died noisily as their riders were hurled metres into the air, soft bodies slamming into trees and rocks.

Out of the dozen riders, only one got up.

"NOO!!!" Myron howled in fury.

He hurled a fireball straight at the log and the wood instantly exploded.

"DEFENCE! NOW!" the Ursine King roared.

Four Ursines held up their hands and glaring bright lines of pure power shot out from their palms connecting the four of them together in a square. Everyone else hurried in the safety of the magic as with a cry, the four mages summoned up an impenetrable wall of shimmering magic.

And not a moment too soon as a second log swung down from the trees. The trunk slammed into the barrier and bounced off as the mages grunted.

"Advance! Defensive formation!" Myron roared, "GO!"

The Ka-Lacs swarmed around Myron's steed keeping him in a protective barrier as slowly the whole Ursine army advanced through the woods, protected by their magic as trap after trap was sprung.

"Well," Jason's voice was dripping with sarcasm, "Isn't this a nice little traipse through the woods?"

AAAAAA

"SIR! Look at this!"

The Toran soldier jammed a pair of binoculars into Derrick's hands and the commander put it to his eyes. What he saw made him swear aloud.

"What is it?" David asked.

"Ursines. A bloody army of them," Derrick growled out.

The others took out their binoculars and looked out across the rocky terrain. There just at the edges of where a forest met the plains, they could see something shimmering in the sunlight.

Elias sucked in a breath as he realised it was some kind of protective barrier.

"What is that? Some kind of force-field?" he demanded.

"No, worse," David sighed, "Magic."

Elias's eyes bulged as he tried to take this in. Against his sensibilities as a scientist warred with what he'd see thus far on his journeys.

"They haven't seen us yet," Derrick muttered, "That gives us a…"

He picked up his radio-phone.

"Units Delta to Echo. I want mid-range artillery fire. Aim straight at those damn bears. Units Alpha, Tango and Mu, cut them off. We'll provide the second charge," Derrick whirled on his men and the three companions, "Arm up. We are going after them."

"But father!" David protested, "We need to get to the caves. We can't afford to…"  
Derrick cut him off with a glare.

"The blasted bears are obviously after what we're after. We need to stop them now whilst we've still got the advantage of surprise. How far are we from the caves?" he directed the last question to the driver of the truck.

"Just around the next bend, sir," the driver responded promptly.

"Good," Derrick switch his radio-phone back on, "All units. We dig in and hold them off. I will lead a strike team and head to the caves. You hold those bears off no matter what, you understand?"

"YES SIR!" the reply was thunderous and instant.

Derrick nodded grimly.

"Good. Delta to Echo. FIRE IN THE HOLE! FIRE IN THE HOLE!!!"  
All along the convoy of military vehicles, Toran soldiers fired rockets and grenades straight at the incoming Ursines.

It was a spectacular sight, sparks and flames lighting up the skies as the deadly missiles whistled towards the target.

Peter, Inara and Elias watched, slack-jawed as the explosives slammed into the shimmering magical protection of the Urines and blew it apart in a deadly blast.

AAAAAA

The protective barrier held for a split nanosecond under the onslaught before winking out of existence just as a fresh barrage rained down on them.

"Bloody hell!" Susan gasped watching the missiles fall, "WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE?!?"

Myron waved his hands around and a wave of red light washed over the incoming barrage. The rockets and grenades went crazy and slammed into each other, exploding harmlessly in mid-air.

"CHARGE!" Myron roared, "WE MUST GETO THE CAVES!!!"  
The Ka-Lacs roared and stampeded forwards moving with astonishing speed as the Torans continued to fire at them. One of the lizards fell, its face ripped to shreds by bullet as Myron and some of the more senior Ursines began chanting aloud in a strange, guttural tongue.

"DESTROY THEM!!!" Myron roared finishing the spell.

The ground itself was sundered apart as a massive fissure opened out, zigzagging towards the Toran convoy.

There were screams of shock as the earth opened up beneath two of the trucks sending them spilling down into a giant gaping ravine. Myron clapped his hands together and the giant crack in the earth instantly sealed itself back off, crushing the two doomed trucks.

There was a second of stunned silence from the Torans before gunfire ripped into the Ursines.

Some of the Ursines had leapt off the Ka-Lacs, transforming in mid-air before hitting the ground in their fearsome bear forms.

"This is madness!" Zaru roared, "UTTER…"

"NO!" Siobhan suddenly roared.

A rocket slammed straight into their Ka-Lac and detonated, the lizard was suddenly headless as concussive and heat waves blasted them out of their saddles.

Susan crunched the ground, crying out in pain as Zaru landed lightly beside her, landing delicately all his paws.

"Your majesty are you…"

Susan stood up slowly, grimacing in pain. Siobhan and Jason had both managed to soften their falls by landing in a tumbling roll.

"We've got to…" Siobhan began.

Jason grabbed both her and Susan and threw them before behind the fallen body of their lizard steed. Bullets slammed into the creature's thick scales as they took shelter behind the lizard's immense corpse.

"The caves," Siobhan hissed, "We've got to get to the caves."

"Okay, this is probably the worst timing imaginable but…" Susan turned to the Ursine Princess and began rapid-firing questions at her, "What is going on here? Why are you and Torans fighting? What does this Djinn have to do with it? And just what the heck is a Djinn?"

"BOOM!"

A grenade landed not far away, exploding but its blast radius failed to reach them.

"Now's not the time," Siobhan said wryly.

Susan gritted her teeth, frustrated at her lack of knowledge but the queen nodded and turned to Zaru.

The leopard looked up at her, eyes wide.

"There's a scent coming from the west," he reported, "It smells like gold."

"You can smell gold?" Susan asked startled.

Zaru rolled his eyes at the general ignorance and dullness of humans but nodded.

"The cave is reputed to have many treasures," Siobhan said quietly.

"If Kitty's right there must be a trail between those mountains over there," Jason pointed at the ring of immense mountains circling the plain where the Ursines and Torans continued to wage war on each other.

"Alright," Susan hefted her bow and kept it at the ready, "Let's go find it! Zaru! Lead the way!"

Zaru nodded and sprinted off, the humans charging after him.

Susan had read books and seen films about the two War Worlds that had ravaged her world and had tried many times to imagine the insanity of those battles. The booming of artillery fire, the never-ending bursts of super-heated bullets, the bodies…

Somehow the worst nightmare she could've ever envisioned paled to the hell she found herself running through. She leapt over smoking craters and the whimpering fallen, over blank-eyed bodies and chunks of foul-smelling burnt flesh.

Susan fought down the urge to vomit as she stumbled after the others. Jason threw a hand forwards and deflected an incoming grenade away, his power batting the small explosive weapon out of the sky as it exploded on an empty patch of land raining dirt down on them.

Meanwhile the Torans had run out of long-distance weapons and were now engaging the Ursines with simple handguns and rifles as the bears slammed into them in a shrieking furred wave.

Magic and bullets seared the air as the two sides engaged in a titanic struggle, broken and battered bodies falling at the wayside as the blazing might of magic clashed with the cold efficiency of technology.

A Toran leapt into their path, bullets spraying the air as Siobhan coldly cut him down with a blast of magic.

A truck suddenly roared into their path as the Torans began a counter-charge into the Ursines, vehicles slamming into the Ka-Lacs and Ursines. One lizard's ankles were crushed as a heavy truck crashed into its leg bringing the monstrous creature down.

The truck door burst open and Torans spilled out, murderous and armed. Susan fired two arrows in quick succession, suppressing her terror and disgust as two soldiers fell, arrows buried in their throats.

Zaru engaged a third, bringing the man down and tearing into him as the Torans raised their guns.

"NOW!" Jason bellowed.

Siobhan and him before raised their hands and their powers surged forwards flinging all of the men away.

"INTO THE TRUCK!" Susan roared.

Zaru bounded gracefully in as the humans threw themselves after him into the truck's cabin.

"I hope someone knows have to drive," Susan said staring in bewildering at the array of dials and switches before them.

Jason and Siobhan stared at her blankly.

"I don't have hands," Zaru offered helpfully.

"Fantastic," Susan sighed.

She grabbed the steering wheel and using what ever meagre amount of knowledge she had about automobiles, she swung the car around.

"The foot pedals!" Siobhan yelled, "I remember something about…"

Susan slammed on the first pedal and nothing happened. She slammed on the second one and the truck roared into life, shooting forwards as Susan fought with the wheel.

"HERE WE GO!!!!" she yelled exulted as they zipped across the battlefield heading towards the west and the cave of the Djinn.

AAAAAA

Out of the dozens of Toran trucks that had moved out of Ralwall that dawn, only two had made it to the cave of the Djinn. Now with about a dozen Toran soldiers at his back, Derrick looked at his prize and grinned widely.

"That's a cave?" Inara said clearly unimpressed, "Looks more like a crack in the rock."

The sheer cliff face before them had been smoothed by wind and time, blotched here and there by algae and moss. The only thing to break up the monotony of its chalk-white surface was a single crack, about the size and width of a normal man.

"Is this it?" Derrick demanded.

"Yes sir," one of his men responded.

"Alright, let's move!" Derrick ordered.

They filed into the small crack one by one, each soldier disappearing into the darkness as the others waited outside nervously for their turn.

It was extremely claustrophobic inside the small fissure and Peter felt terror well up inside of him.

The darkness…

His breaths became shallow and rapid as he struggled to control himself, his breathing bordering on hyperventilating. Sweat rolled down his face as he clawed his way through the shadows, his heart smashing against his ribcage.

Back in Draken's castle, the darkness was when the vampires would come out and play. He sucked in a shuddering breath as he remembered Desiree's maniacal face, the look of sheer glee on her twisted features as she raised her whip and…

His body seized as though he'd been struck. For a second Peter stood statue still, his breathing unnaturally loud in his ears, dark memories tainting his thoughts. He clung to the rocks, nails scratching into the stone as his mind screamed at him to flee from the darkness.

"Peter?"

He felt a soft hand on his arms and the sudden touch made him want to scream, memories of a vampire's cold touch ripping through his mind. Slowly Peter forced himself to look to his left, trembling from head to foot.

"You okay?" Inara asked concerned.

"I…" Peter tried to be strong but Draken and Charlotte's laughing face flashed into his mind and his nerve shattered, "The dark… vampires…"

Inara gently touched his shoulders.

"Let's get you out of here," she said quietly.

With Inara's hands guiding him, Peter forced himself to walk, stumbling through the darkness until he reached the end of the ravine and made it back into the light.

Inara stepped out after him.

"Are you…"

Peter wrenched himself away from her grip, aghast at his lack of control and courage.

"I'm fine," he snapped.

Inara blinked in surprise before rolling her eyes.

"Oh yeah, that sounded believable," she drawled, glaring at him.

Peter instantly felt ashamed at both his words and his almost breakdown but he purged it from his memories as he resolutely turned around and began studying the immense chamber they were in.

Now was no time for his feelings. He had a job to do. Everything else just had to wait.

Behind him, Inara sighed as Elias emerged beside her.

"What happened?" the scientist asked, seeing the disgust on her face.

"Nothing," Inara shook her head, her eyes still on Peter.

The two of them looked at the place they were in and let out twin gasps. The chamber was immense, soaring up and arching above in a high-domed ceiling. Three giant doorways dominated the far wall but what drew everyone's eyes were the immense piles of gold coins that littered the ground.

Aside from one bare patch on which they stood, gold coins littered the ground, piling up so high that it was like a sea of gold.

Gutters ran along the edges of the floor, fire springing up from the oil substance that followed within.

"What is this place?" David gasped in disbelief.

"Gold!" one of the Toran soldiers cheered, "GOLD!"

Before Derrick could stop him the soldier dived into the coins, throwing it high up into the air as he revelled in the riches.

"Come on!" he urged, "There's so plenty for ev- ARGHHHH!!!!!"

His screams bounced off the walls as something unseen grabbed onto the soldier and ragged him down into the sea of coins. Everyone cried out in shock as the soldier screamed and writhed, struggling to breath free.

He made one final desperate lunge as the other Torans tried to rescue him but the thing holding onto him gave one powerful jerk and the man disappeared into the coins, never to be seen again.

"KEVIN!" one of the soldiers yelled, "KEVIN!"

The man dived into the gold trying to find his friend.

"NO YOU IDIOT!" Derrick roared, "GET BACK!!!"

"ARGHH!!!"  
The solider was instantly seized by whatever demon lurked within the gold coins and just like before he was pulled screaming to his death, disappearing beneath the coins.

Derrick roared in fury.

"EVERYONE! GET AWAY FROM THE COINS!" he yelled, "GET AWAY FROM THE COI…"

Before anybody could take a step, there was deep grinding noise from above and holes seemed to emerge in the ceiling. Gold coins gushed out from the newly made channels raining down on them.

"BACK! BACK! RETREAT!"

Derrick whirled around only to find that the crack in the rocks they had come through had completely disappeared.

"WHAT?!?" the commander roared, "IMPOSSIBLE!"  
The coins continued to fall down on them, half-burying them in a glittering deluge. They were all floundering, treading to keep their heads above the still falling coins.

"ARGH!"

A third soldier was sucked down into the coins, struggling all the way.

"THE DOORWAYS!" Elias roared, "GET TO THEM!!!"

The Torans seemed to have realised the same thing as they began struggle their way to the three doorways. It was utter insanity, the falling coins reflecting the fire's light and blinding them as they literally swam through the heavy coins, limbs flailing as they struggled towards safety.

"ARGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!"

The scream was abruptly cut off as a fourth Toran sank beneath the golden flood.

Peter desperately lunged forwards and smacked into the hard ground, groaning in pain as he pulled himself free from the sea of coins, his limbs aching.

Inara and Elias hit the ground beside him, each of them gasping for breath. A split second later, a fourth figure joined them.

And as sudden as it had started the rain of gold coins stopped as they all climbed to their feet.

Elias looked at Peter, Inara and David and blanched.

"The others?" he asked unsurely.

All four of them stared at each other and back at the sea of coins before them.

"They must've…" Inara realised.

"Gone through another doorway," David cursed.

The Toran youth kicked the wall in frustration, his face drawn into a dark scowl.

"What do we do now?" Inara demanded.

"What else?" Peter hefted his sword and shot them a small smirk, "We continue on."

Slowly the four of them began to plunge deeper into cave of the Djinn, their nerves threatening to break with every step.

AAAAAA

"Well that was fun," Zaru commented lightly.

Jason made to touch one of the coins but Siobhan stopped him with a snarl.

"DON'T!" she snapped, "The coins are enchanted!"

It had taken about ten minutes of most erratic driving ever undertaken for them to find the secret path amongst the mountains. It had taken five more minutes to make it to the entrance of the cave, stopping briefly at the sight of two Toran trucks. After that it had taken them ten minutes to make it through the gold coin chamber.

Susan shuddered as she remembered the invisible hand at her ankles trying to put her down into her death. Luckily she had managed to jam her sceptre down amongst the coins and shock whatever creature lurked within as Siobhan and Jason had stopped the fallings coins from burying them alive.

With Zaru's nose leading the way, the quartet had chosen the right most doorway.

"You're sure they went this way?" Susan asked.

"Trust me," Zaru said dryly, "I can smell them loud and clear."

Susan nodded and turned her companions, Jason and Zaru watched her patiently ready to go at her command. Siobhan looked uneasy about following her but kept her peace.

"COME ON!" Susan urged, "LET'S GO!"

The queen sprinted down the long dark hallway as the others hurried after her.

AAAAAA

David tossed the small pebble over the edge and they all watched it plummet down into the darkness, disappearing quickly from sight. They all waited with bated breath, waiting for the stone to hit the bottom of the immense fall but the telltale sound never came.

"Okay," Inara said slowly.

She gulped.

"Don't fall. Good to know," she finished.

"Come on," Peter eyed the darkness around them warily but gathered his courage, "We can't stay here."

"Here," David pulled a torch from his belt and used it to shine the way ahead.

The torchlight seemed infinitely feeble in the darkness but it showed the obstacle up ahead. Before them, spanning an immense ravine was a single stone bridge, thin and spindly compared to the all consuming darkness that lay around and below it.

"This doesn't seem right," Elias said quietly.

There was an unnatural stillness in the room as though invisible watchers were holding their breathes, waiting for them to make a move. They all shuddered, feeling the ambiance get to them.

"Let's…" Peter's voice sound weak and reedy, he cleared his throat with a quick cough, "Go."

The High King took the first step, his body quivering and ready to dart back at the slightest hint of danger. He took another step and froze.

Nothing happened. Slowly he relaxed.

"Come on," Peter urged, turning back to the others.

The others joined him on the bridge and slowly, they began to walk across it.

"This isn't too bad," Inara said after a few minutes of silence, she glanced over her shoulder to talk to Elias, "I mean, I expected – ELIAS!!!"

Peter whipped around and gaped in horror as he saw something impossibly large swing in from the shadows.

Elias was right in its path as the thing beared down on the bridge, the sound of gears and clacking chains ringing in the chamber.

The scientist's eyes bulged but his feet was frozen to the spot unable to…

"BAM!"

David slammed into him tackling out of the way as a huge stone block slammed into the bridge taking out a whole section of it, sending stone tumbling down into the dark pit below before it swung out of sight once more.

"Thanks," Elias gasped as he rose unsteadily to his feet.

The Toran nodded and stood up, pale and trembling.

"Are you okay?" Peter asked hurrying over to Elias.

The scientist nodded him off.

"Guys," Inara's voice was completely flat.

"What?" Peter demanded.

"Not to alarm anyone but…" Inara pointed out at the shadows, "More blocks incoming!"

The three men gasped as they saw more stone blocks swing down towards the bridge.

"Pendulums!" Elias cried realising what they were, "Giant stone pendulums!"

"Don't care!" David snapped, "RUN!!!!"  
The four of them took off, David and Elias at the front as they began a deadly sprint against time. The pendulums swinging down towards the bridge like wrecking balls.

"MOVE!!!"

Inara shoved Peter in the back pushing him clear, with a she leapt forwards just as the pendulum struck the bridge. Stones fell down into the dark abyss as Inara rolled to a stop.

The High King helped her up as a second pendulum gave swinging down at them.

"Crazy! Crazy! This is just nuts!" Inara cried.

They took off helter-skelter as the pendulums demolished the bridge, sections of it caving and falling down into the eternal darkness.

Inara tripped and crashed to the ground, right into the path of a pendulum as Peter whirled, eyes bulging.

"INARA!"  
He was too far away to help her!

"INARA!"  
The warrior's eyes bulged as she realised her danger, the stone block flying towards her.

"BOOM!"

A fireball consumed the pendulum and the stone block at its end broke off as the shattered pendulum head fell into the abyss. Inara hit the ground, lying flat as the remains of the pendulum swung by overhead, just missing her.

"Good shot," Elias congratulated, smiling with relief.

David lowered the modified crossbow/orb launcher and grinned back.

"Come on!" Peter grabbed Inara and the final sprint began as five pendulums swung at them, one after the one.

"BOOM!"

They just stepped clear as the stone block bashed through the bridge with deadly force, the concussive waves sending them off balance as they stumbled on.

"BOOM!"  
"BOOM!"  
"BOOM!"

Three more pendulums struck, just missing them.

"GO!" David shoved Elias and the scientist went flying, hitting the ground and getting free of the bridge as the Toran bounded forwards, crash-landing beside him.

Peter and Inara leapt into the air just as another pendulum swung into the bridge.

"BOOM!"

The whole second-half of the bridge gave way, unable to take anymore as Peter and Inara hit the ground on the bellies but their jump just wasn't enough. With a cry, they both slipped and tumbled down into the pit.

"NOOOOOO!!!" Inara screamed.

Peter flung one hand outwards and just managed to snag onto the edge of the cliff. He grunted as Inara flailed and managed to grab onto his leg, stopping her deadly plummet into the pit.

They dangled there, held only by the tips of Peter's fingers.

"DON'T LET GO!" Inara yelled, "DON'T LET…"

"I KNOW!!!" Peter roared back, straining to bring his other arm around and grab onto the ledge.

Slowly he began to slip as Inara's weight began to drag him down.

"WHY ARE YOU SO HEAVY?!?" he barked, desperately trying to keep his grip.

"HEY!"

"HERE!"

Elias and David grabbed on his hands, dragging him back onto the solid land as slowly, limp with relief, Inara came up as well.

"Let's…" Peter took a shuddering breath, "Never do that again."

Inara casually smacked him across the back off the head as David fell back on his haunches staring exhaustedly up at the ceiling. Peter hissed in pain and glared at Inara as Elias nodded, smiling wryly.

"Agreed."

AAAAAA

"Well," Zaru coughed delicately, "Impossible much?"

The four of them were standing at the edges of what once must have been a bridge but now it was nothing more than shattered stone teetering on cracked pillars.

"They must've passed through this way," Jason said quietly.

Susan froze as she stared down at the gaping darkness below in absolute terror. Had Peter or any of the others…?

"How do we get across?" Siobhan demanded brusquely.

Susan levelled a venomous glare at her, outraged at her lack of compassion. But there were other things to worry about.

"Well obviously we can't use the bridge," Susan said coldly swallowing her anger.

Zaru coughed delicately.

"Actually…"

Everyone looked down at him as the leopard peered out into the shadows, his feline eyes piercing the gloom with ease.

"What?"

"A path, a hidden one," Zaru pointed with his nose, "There's a second bridge down there."

"WHAT?!?"

Susan looked down into the darkness and could see nothing.

"Are you sure?" she demanded.

The leopard glanced at her and an impish look came into his eyes. His muscles suddenly bunched as Susan froze.

"Zar…"

She never got the chance to finish as the leopard leapt up into the air, sailing across into the abyss.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?!?" Siobhan spat, "YOU'RE GOING TO DIE!!!"  
Jason remained silent watching the leopard with cool eyes as Susan clung to the walls, heart hammering against her ribs, praying that he would be fine. The leopard reached the pinnacle of his leap and began to fall, dropping past the bridge and into the darkness, falling and falling until…

He landed lightly to his feet on an invisible stone path just beneath the bridge. Smirking, he turned back to them.

"Coming?" he asked teasingly.  
Susan glanced down at the drop that awaited her and gulp. She strapped her bow to her back and thrust her sceptre into her belt and took a deep breath.

"Aslan… help me," she whispered.

And with that she jumped.

AAAAAA

David wilted.

"Oh come on!" he protested.

Elias shuffled forwards, his eyes instantly drawn to the hieroglyphs covering the walls. He slowly reached out with one hand and traced the runes and symbols with reverence.

"This… this is amazing," he whispered, dark eyes trying to take all of it in.

Peter glanced at the round chamber and sighed. It was a complete dead end.

Fire torches flickered and burned, causing the gold inlays in the walls to glitter. David let out a cry of frustration and turned to Peter and Inara.

"We've got to head back," he growled, "I can't believe this!"

"Actually we can't head back," Peter sighed, "The bridge remember?"

David paled as he realised they were trapped in this room. He whipped back around and looked everywhere, frantically, trying to find an exit.

"Look, if we're going to resort to cannibalism to sustain ourselves… I'm all skin and bones," Inara suggested helpfully.

Peter glared at her as David began to tremble, his hands twitched as he stood completely still.

"Not now," the High King hissed.

Elias was still studying the walls in fascination trying to figure out what the symbols all meant.

"Come on," Peter sighed, "We've got to head back and find a new…"

A ferocious roar ripped through the chamber and everywhere whipped around.

"What the… DAVID!!!"

Before anybody could react, a huge bear burst into the room and slammed the Toran into the ground, dark claws ready to tear him apart.

AAAAAA

They left the bridge and abyss and walked down a long winding hallway, the corridor so narrow they had to march along in a single file, Siobhan at the front, Jason at the rear.

"I wonder where all this leads," Susan whispered, "I mean it could go for mi…"

Siobhan suddenly froze, her head snap up as she sniffed the air like a hound.

"Sio…"  
"TORANS!!!" Siobhan snarled, eyes blazing with fury, "HERE!!!"

Before anybody could stop her, the Ursine princess dropped to all fours and instantly shifted into her bear form.

"NO! Siobhan! STOP!" Susan barked.

The bear bolted forwards, moving with surprising speed as Susan smacked the wall in frustration.

"COME ON! AFTER HER!!!"

They sprinted down the hallway chasing after Siobhan's echoed roars. Suddenly they could see light up ahead and surprised screams.

"What the… DAVID!!!" one voice echoed down towards them before Siobhan's roar drowned him out.

Susan, Jason and Zaru burst into the chamber just in time to see Siobhan pounce on a young teenaged boy.

"SIOBHAN!" Susan roared, "DON'T!"

She stepped forwards but someone beat her to it. A slim figure charged straight at the roaring bear and leapt into a flying kick.

"BAM!"

Susan blinked as the figure managed to kick the half-tonne bear straight off the Toran. She eyes widened as she realised who it was.

"INARA!!!"

Inara turned and blinked, eyes lighting up but Siobhan was up.

"BAM!"

The princess roared and slammed into Inara sending the girl flying. The warrior crashed into the wall, the air knocked from her lungs as Siobhan roared, rearing to her full terrifying height ready to finish her off.

Inara looked up blearily, out of breath and unable to move.

"NO!!!!"

Three attacks simultaneously flew at Siobhan as the bear swept her claws down at Inara.

David raised his gun and with a cry of fury fired at Siobhan just as Jason's power slammed into the princess sending her flying. The bear crashed into the wall as the bullet zipped by missing her, followed a split second later by Peter's thrown sword.

The bullet slammed into the wall, drilling into the stone as Peter's blade glanced off the rocks.

"SIOBHAN!" Susan roared, "STOP!"

The princess shifted back into her human form.

"THEY'RE TORANS!!!" she barked, "They're going to kill us if we don't kill them!"

"Spoken like a true Ursine!" David got to his feet, scratched and bruises but his arm was steady as he levelled his gun at her, "Is that how you justify slaughtering my people!"

"You're the bastards that started this war! If you hadn't used the Djinn…" Siobhan began.

Jason helped Inara up, the girl blinking at him woozily.

"What… what's going on?" she slurred.

"Seems like our two friends have some issues to work out," Jason said grimly.

Susan and Peter glanced at each other and smiled, relieved to see the other was alive but their attention was quickly drawn back to the fight escalating in the centre of the chamber.

"USED?!? We simply did what had to be done after what your king did!" David roared.

"US?!?" Siobhan was completely red in the face, her hands shifting in and out of its bear farm, dark claws emerging and disappearing rapidly, "You're the ones who made the wish first!"

David's jaws dropped as he gasped, outraged. Pure venom entered his eyes

"WHAT?!?" he screamed, "HOW DARE YOU! You were the ones who betrayed us first!"  
"LIAR!!!"

"BANG!"  
David fired his gun at exactly the same time Siobhan blasted a ball of fire straight at him.

"ENOUGH!!" Jason roared.

He flicked his hands and both fire and bullet was swept out of the way.

"We don't have time for you little petty squabbling," the Seeker snapped.

"Squabbling? Thousands of people have died because of the Ursines and their lust for power," David barked.

Jason sent him a glare that would've frozen stone.

"Can you tell us what's going on here?" Elias said gently, "What's this about the Djinn? What wish?"

David and Siobhan still eyed each other wearily, weapons at the ready but Siobhan spoke.

"The Djinn was a mystical being that fell from the skies long ago. Our people, the Torans and the Ursines lived in peace for millenniums until the Torans were corrupted by their own greed," Siobhan sent David a look of pure loathing.

"The Djinn told our two people, who had found it together, that it could grant three wishes," David took up the tale, "The two leaders, the Toran High Commander and the Ursine King, were given the power to use the wishes on behalf of their people."

"Except the Toran High Commander betrayed our people and made the first wish. He wished that the Torans would rule this world and all others were made their slaves!" Siobhan growled, "See their treachery?!"

David raised his gun at her but the princess refused to back down, snarling in fury. David was trembling, his face flushed.

"See her lies?!? We did no such thing! It was the Ursine King who made the first wish and he wished that the Ursines would be the supreme rulers of this world and all others would fall into ruin!" David screamed the last words at her, "They were the ones who betrayed us first!!!"

Siobhan narrowed her eyes but turned to the others.

"So after the first wish was made and before the Djinn could make it real. The Ursine King grabbed the Djinn and wished that the Ursines would become the rulers, to protect our people."

Elias opened his mouth to ask a question but was cut off as David jumped in, red with fury.

"The real events were that the Toran Commander bravely fought the king off and grabbed the Djinn, wishing that the Torans would be the leaders!"

David and Siobhan glared at each other and both talked at the same time, fighting for dominance.

"There was a long silence and the Djinn finally spoke. It told our people that since both wishes contradicted each other, it could not fulfil any of them until one race was destroyed. It then disappeared, gone until that day would come. And so we have fought for centuries because of that one betrayal. To destroy the traitors and protect our own!!"

The six companions glanced at each other, completely confused by their twin stories.

"And now we have found the resting place of the Djinn!" Siobhan spat, "We, Ursines, hope to use the Djinn once more to destroy the Toran and bring peace to our people!"

"STUPID BEAR!!!"  
David fired his gun at Siobhan and the bear ducked before blasting the Toran with a wave of energy. The boy slammed into the wall and everyone gasped as a single brick, struck by his body, suddenly sunk into the wall.

The chamber began rumbling.

"What the…" Susan cried out as a stone slab fell from the ceiling cutting off the only exit.

"Not good," Zaru whimpered, "Not good!"

There was an immense screech and the ceiling began to descend down on them, lowered by some unknown ancient machinery.

Everyone cried out in horror.

They were going to be crushed to death!

Peter levelled a glare at Siobhan and David.

"Oh good going," he growled, sarcasm dripping from every word, "I hope you're happy!"

Helplessly trapped they could only watch as the ceiling continued to lower, death coming at them with agonising slowness.

AAAAAA

Author's notes: I hoped you enjoy my take on the Indiana Jones-esque Temple of Doom. First of all, again thank you for all your lovely reviews but I hate to say it, I need more reviews! More reviews means more updates so get cracking!

Anywho, this world is really an important one to me because of the message it holds but to see what I mean by that, you have to wait till the next chapter! **evil laugh**


	26. Centre of the maze

Yay! New chapter! Again I will not update until I get more new reviews!!! Seriously the number of reviews had dropped off recently... so no NEW UPDATES UNTIL I HAVE 12 NEW REVIEWS!!! (yeah, some people hate it when I do this but you're forcing my hand a little here....)

Disclaimer: see previous

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 26: Centre of the maze**

**AAAAA**

_Excerpt from the required reading text for Toran students, 'Our Duty – Legacy of the Djinn':_

_Never forget we are at war. Complacency would mean the very destruction of our race. Safe as we are in Ralwall and the other cities that make up our home, at our fringes lie the forests, the realms of the cursed Ursines. We must be vigilant because the Ursines' hungry eyes are always turned to our beautiful cities. The bears burn with jealous rage because they know we are the superior race and they would do anything to raze us from this earth. If we are complacent, even for a second, the beasts will invade our home in a giant crazed horde destroying all that we have built, slaying our families and rape our women._

_We, Torans are the last bastion of humanity, our cities the citadel of civilisation. We must stand strong against the cruel, crude and vulgar animals that are the Ursines. They are depraved race, guided only by lust and bloodlust. Have no mercy. They are not humans. They are animals who hide behind human faces. Never give into temptation to treat them as humans because they will use any means necessary including trickery to destroy us. Let no compassion still your hand. Kill them before they have a chance to kill us and throw our land in a time of barbarianism and chaos._

_Remember our duties and our laws: Magic Is Sin, Love our Toran brothers and lastly… KILL THE BEARS. Remember the Ursine's treachery as they stole the Djinn to make their foul wishes. If we are to survive we have to destroy them all and undo their betrayal. Because only then can our race leave in peace and flourish._

AAAAAA

_The Teachings of the Ursine Sage, Byron Thunderclaw_

_We Ursines had lived for centuries in our forest homes. We worship the trees and the sweet rivers, earth and sky because they nourish us as we in turn tend to them in an endless cycle, eternally giving, eternally happy. Our race is a peaceful race and if left alone, we would usher in a golden age where the sufferings and atrocities from the past would be forgotten as we embrace the earth and our brethren and all would know only love._

_But we are not in a time of peace, we are besieged from every corner by an enemy, foul and disgusting. Enemies which have salted the earth and gouged the forest to construct their ugly cities. The Torans are a truly barbaric race, destroying our homes to build their foul nests of squalor. Their savagery is unbound, they have even used the Blessed Djinn, the gift from the gods, in an unprovoked and mad scheme to try and wipe us from the land. Our brave king protected us from the Toran's treachery but the dark race, furious, driven deep into the depths of insanity now seek to use their foul weapons to destroy all that we love._

_If we love our land, if we love our people, we must destroy the Torans. If we stand idly by, we will be hunted down in our forest home and killed by demons in human form. No man, no woman, no cub will be spared. We will be butchered, roasted and devoured by the Toran demons. _

_Remember the Djinn, it has promised us sanctuary and a chance to free this land from the Torans if we win our war against them. We have been entrusted a sacred task. Remember the laws of the forests: harm no Ursines, use no metal weapons and to Torans HAVE NO MERCY. We Ursines are what stands between this land and the insanity of the Torans. We must unite lest we fall and if we fall, a darkness will descend and this world will know only pain._

_Know your duty, brothers and sisters and let's march. March for the Ursines, for the Djinn and for all that is good._

AAAAAAA

"Could this get any worse?" Zaru muttered darkly as the ceiling continued to bear down towards them.

"SHINK!"

Everyone gasped as long iron spikes suddenly shot out from the ceiling. Now they were going to be impaled _and _crushed to death,

Susan, Inara, Peter and Jason all shot the leopard a disgusted look. The leopard froze under their gaze.

"WHAT?!? I didn't do it!" he yowled.

"Good job, bear," David spat at Siobhan.

The Ursine princess shot him a look of pure loathing in response.

"Yes, please argue with each other in the small time we have left to live," Susan muttered disgusted, "That'll really help!"

Jason swept his hands at the stone slab blocking their only exit trying to move it. It trembled for a second but refused to even budge an inch.

"Let me!" Siobhan barked, "Maybe then this _Toran _will see what a real Ursine can do!"

She thrust her hands forwards and blasted the stone with a burst of power. The crackling energy glanced off the stone, singeing it but leaving it completely undamaged. The Ursine princess gasped out loud in shock as the others paled.

"What can you do again?" David asked venomously.

Susan and Peter dashed to the slab, their eyes darting up to the falling ceiling as they ran. With a cry, both of them began pushing at the rock trying to move it but it was impossibly heavy. Inara instantly leapt to help them, shoving at the stone as all three of them strained and pushed.

Jason, David and Siobhan quickly joined them, the princess shifting into her bear form as David growled in disgust. But all three of them joined in, shoving at the rock and trying to make it move.

But even with all of their combined strength, the slab seemed glued to the ground.

"This cannot be happening!" Peter kicked the slab like a child in mid-tantrum, "This…"

"AHA!"

Everyone whipped around as Elias looked up, grinning in triumph.

"Elias?" Susan asked unsurely.

"These are very much like the symbols we saw back in the Temple!" Elias said excitedly, "Unlike our own languages, this is against based on graphical representations of…"

"The point?" Jason cut in, his eyes flicking up the iron-spiked ceiling above.

Beaming from ear to ear, Elias slammed his hand into the wall. One of the bricks instantly sunk in a recess.

"And voila…"

With the screech of stone grating on stone, a section of the paved floor slid away revealing a gaping hole.

"The exit," Elias beamed.

Everyone stared at him.

"Elias! I could kiss you!!" Inara beamed.

Elias grimaced.

"Please don't."

Above them, the spiked ceiling continued to lower itself, concealed gears grinding against each other.

"Come on!" Susan urged frantically, "Everyone in!"

"We don't need where that leads!" David protested, "We could just be falling into a second trap."

"You want to die?" Peter asked bluntly.

David was the first to dive through the hole.

"No screaming," Siobhan looked a little miffed at that, "Must be safe."

Peter unceremoniously shoved her down into the pit as well. The spikes were mere inches from them as Susan and Zaru went down as one, Inara and Jason following quickly after.

Peter stayed and helped Elias down before throwing one frantic last look at the spikes and stone bearing down on him.

Taking a deep breath and shoving down his fear, Peter leapt down into the shaft just as the spikes slammed into the stone floor, iron digging into the stone but its victims were already long gone into the darkness.

AAAAAA

They shot out of the stone chute and smacked into the ground with painful force. Wincing and groaning, all of them slowly got to their feet.

"Where are we now?" Zaru asked wearily.

They were standing in small circular chamber with four exits shooting off in different directions, each path disappearing off into the darkness as they left the glow of the flaming torches on the walls.

Susan's jaws dropped as she realised where they were.

"A maze," she whispered, "A giant maze."

"So which direction now?" Inara asked.

"North," Peter said instantly.

"South?" Susan suggested.

"West," David stated decisively.

"East!" Siobhan cut in quickly.

Elias, Jason, Inara and Zaru blinked as David and Siobhan growled at each other. Peter raised an eyebrow, blue eyes flashing, as Susan stared him down, refusing to give way.

"Great," Jason muttered disgustedly, "Just great."

He turned to the one person who would have any idea where to go.

"Kitty? Any suggestions?"

Zaru took in a quick breath, sniffing the air but froze. His eyes widened suddenly.

"There's something…" he began.

His jaws dropped, his ears twitching as he picked up a small warning sound.

"JUMP!" he roared.

The now familiar sound of stone grating on stone ripped through the air as everyone instantly leapt back.

"BOOM!"  
A massive stone slab, this time carved into a shape of an immense cross slammed down into the chamber neatly dividing it up into four quarters. As the dust settled, they all gasped as they realised they were cut off from each other.

In the north chamber, Inara, Elias and Jason gaped at each other, stunned. In the south chamber, Peter and Susan cursed aloud as they realised what had just happened. And in the east chamber, Zaru wilted as Siobhan and David shot each other looks of pure loathing.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," the leopard growled.

"We'll just to have to go our separate ways!" Susan yelled, her voice only just penetrating the thick stone, "Try to stay alive!"

"Is there an alternate plan?" Jason muttered dryly

Throwing one last helpless look at the rock cutting them off from the others, the three groups set off trekking in the unknown dangers of the labyrinth.

AAAAAA

"Nice," Inara whispered.

They stepped out of the hallway and the very first thing they saw were long iron spikes driven into the wall before them, their points gleaming in the torchlight.

Jason threw a small pebble at the wall expecting some trap but the stone just bounced harmlessly off one of the spikes.

"It's safe?" Elias asked.

"Seems so," the Seeker glanced at his companions, "Who wants to go first?"

Elias and Inara both blanched as Jason sighed before stepping out into the new hallway. He blinked, realising that the floor was inclined, sloping down towards them. A second doorway was located halfway along the hall.

Jason turned to the others and beckoned them forwards. Seeing the way was clear, Inara and Elias joined him.

"Alright, let's hurry," Jason took a step forwards.

"BOOM!"

A stone slab fell over the doorway they'd just exited sealing them into the corridor.

"Well, that can't be good," Inara said into the stunned silence.

"BOOM!"

The hallway shook against a huge stone block dropped from the ceiling at the very end of the hall. Elias's eyes widened as he quickly realised what was happening.

"It's a race!" he barked, "We've got to get to the exit before the stone gets to us."

"Or we get impaled and crushed," Jason muttered darkly glancing back at the spikes, "RUN!!!"

The three of them took off, sprinting up the slope as the stone, borne by gravity and the steepness of the floor began to slide forwards, gaining momentum with each passing second.

Muscles burning, hearts almost exploding with the effort, the three of them ran for their lives as the stone continued to slide towards them with the reckless force of a bullet train.

"DAMN IT!" Jason swore realising they weren't going to make it.

With a cry, he shoved his hands forwards, his powers pushing out trying to stop the stone but the block had gathered too much momentum and energy to be stopped. The Seeker grunted and strained with the effort as he managed to slow it down – just.

"GO! GO! GO!" he roared.

Inara shoved Elias through the exit halfway up the hall as the stone continued to slide towards them, mere inches away.

"JASON!!!" Inara screamed

She flung her hand outwards and grabbed onto his wrist. Elias instantly grabbed hold of the back of her shirt and both of them gave a might tug.

The Seeker was literally yanked off his feet as Elias and Inara swung him into the exit just as the stone roared past. A split second later, there was a resounding crash as the stone slammed into the iron spikes at the end of the slope.

"Well," Elias clutched at his chest trying to breathe as Jason slumped against the wall, eyes closed, "That was fun."

Inara was on her back, her legs cramping up. Her eyes fluttered open and she shot the scientist a sour look.

"Yay."

AAAAAA

"Left."

"Right."

Peter sighed.

"Are you trying to be difficult?" he demanded.

Susan shot him an icy look. She loved her brother, she really did but there were times she was sorely tempted to just bludgeon him with something.

"No," she said flatly, "But we're underground. The right path heads up so maybe it leads back to the surface."

"The Djinn's the key to this world," Peter argued, "We can use it to destroy the Ursines and get rid of the darkness! Something that important has got to be at the centre of this place. So we should head down."

"The Ursine's the darkness here?" Susan demanded, "I heard the Torans were!"

"Obviously the Ursines would lie to you," Peter snapped, "They're evil!"

"From what David and Siobhan were saying, I think both sides lied," Susan growled back.

Peter shot her a maddeningly superior look that made Susan want to strangle him.

"Again obviously the Ursines would obviously lie," he repeated slowly as though he was talking to a child.

Maybe it was the stress of the situation or the worries and fears she had for her friends but whatever it was, her patience finally snapped.

"Stop treating me like a child, Peter!" she growled, "You think you're the one who knows everything?! That you're always right? I hate to break it to you but you're not as perfect as you think you are!"

For a second, Peter looked stunned at the fact that she would attack him like this. Back in Narnia, Susan was always the passive one willing to let things go for the sake of peace. The shock of this new attitude sent a shot of fire coursing through him.

"My instincts have never failed me," Peter snarled, "Or have you forgotten about all the battles or wars I've won?"

Susan's nostrils flared.

"As if you'll let me forget!" Susan hurled at him, "Damn it Peter! Yes, you were a _magnificent_ leader but that doesn't mean I'm not!!"

"You don't have the experience!" Peter growled, "Can't you see I'm just trying to protect you?! Leadership is a lonely thing Su. You're up on a pedestal all by yourself and everyone's just waiting for you to fall! Do you really want to be hurt by all that? I'm just trying to protect you! And if that means I have to take over, so be it!""

Susan's eyes widened as she realised his implications.

"So what, back in the Golden Age it was just Peter the Magnificent? Where about the rest of us, were we just court ornaments?" her hands twitched as she longed to raise her bow to him, "How in the name of Aslan is your head so big?"

Her words goaded Peter, pushing him and breaking the hold he kept on his tongue. Venom and poison flowed as he lashed out at her.

He knew he was overacting but with his nerves frayed from having to wander around in the semi-darkness and memories of the vampires resounding in his head, he took all of his hatred and fear and stabbed her with it.

"For all the good you did, you were pretty much a bloody ornament!" Peter roared.

Susan's jaws dropped and hurt glared in her. Tears stung her eyes but she refused to cry. No. She would not show weakness.

"You-"  
"CLANG!"

She swept her sceptre up at him but Peter coolly blocked the blow but Susan wasn't finished. She focused and s short burst of energy flew from the sceptre's crystals jolting Peter backwards.

Peter staggered backwards, his face completely drained of blood as he realised the cruelty of his words.

"Su…" he began.

She looked up at him and the naked hurt in her eyes tore into him like one of her arrows.

"Don't," she said softly, trembling, "Don't you dare to pretend that isn't your true feelings."

"Su, I didn't…"

A tear ran down Susan's face. As much as they sometimes argued, as much as they sniped at each other, she loved her brother with all her heart. He was always there, always there supporting and helping her and even though she'd never put it into the words, she was in awe of him sometimes. His respect and approval was something she'd always fought for but now to hear him label her as useless… it tore her apart.

"I…" Susan swallowed thickly and composed herself, a bleak closed look coming over her face, "I am a leader now Peter."

Her voice shook but strengthened as she let all the experience and wisdom and maturity she had gained flowing through her, filling her a strength that exulted yet humbled her.

"I am a warrior and I am a true queen. I have led my people into battles and wars and I know how hard it is to send the ones you love into a fight that could very well get them killed. I have charged on the frontline and I have retreated as the rear. Do not lecture me on the loneliness of leadership," Susan said calmly, "I have witnessed murder and destruction and betrayal and in those fires I have been forged anew."

Susan levelled him a look that made him tremble and so very proud. Peter was frozen to the spot, mesmerised by the strength and compassion he now saw in her.

"The old Susan. Susan the Gentle, she of the thousand suitors and the hand-wringing at the thought of blood is dead," Susan continued calmly, "I am the new Susan. And you will respect me as I already respect you."

Susan held onto her gaze and finally for the very first time, Peter began to see just how much his little sister had grown. It was so strange, in his heart he felt a fierce joy and delight, awed at the woman she'd become but he also grieved, mourned the innocence that was lost, wept for the girl she no longer was.

Did acknowledging her as she was now meant he had to let go? Step aside and let her bear brunt the world, let her be hurt by her own choices and those around her and yet say and do nothing because it was no longer his job?

Peter smiled, bittersweet. Did he really have a choice? He had to left her go.

The High King of Narnia nodded to the Queen of Narnia, not as a ruler but for the very first time as an equal.

"We'll go right then," he said softly.

Susan nodded gravely and turned to the right hallway.

"Su… I'm sorry. I never saw you as useless. I… I was just being cruel," Peter's voice was shorn of all falsehood bearing his pain and anguish for all the world to see.

The old Susan would've bottled it up, pushed it down and turned it into a petty grudge. But growing up meant giving up such childish indulgences.

"I'm disappointed but I forgive you," Susan said quietly, "Come on."

They walked through the right doorway, Susan leading the way as Peter followed her every step.

AAAAAA

"I don't think this is a very good idea," David sighed.

"Do I care what a Toran thinks?" Siobhan snapped.

Zaru was ready to tear out both their throats and dispose of their bodies by now. Every step of the way with them had been arguments and nasty threats, small shoves and random acts of violence. Zaru longed to be free of them as soon as possible.

The three of them had stumbled onto a small chamber inside the maze, a room with paved tiles there was cracked and broken, the exit just on the other side.

"There must be a trap in here," David said calmly.

"We'll deal with it," Siobhan smirked, "Or at least I will, you'll just wring your hands like a good Toran."

Before anybody could stop her, the Ursine princess stepped out onto the tiled floor. Confidently she took another step.

Her feet touched the second tile and it promptly gave way. With a cry, Siobhan staggered off balance as more tiles gave way, forming a sizeable hole that led into infinite darkness. She instantly fell, crying out with shock.

"HELP!" she screamed.

She flung one hand outwards and Zaru darted forwards, teeth snapping, his fangs managed to sink into her fur's sleeve just managing to stop the girl from plummeting to her death.

"I can't hold her!" Zaru growled around a mouthful of fur, "DAVID! HELP!"

"Why should I?" David demanded, "She's just an Ursine. Plenty more where that came from!"

The princess glared at him.

"I would rather die then be rescued by him!" Siobhan snapped even as she dangled over a fall that would surely kill her, "I would rather die with dignity."

Zaru closed his eyes and felt disgust roll through him. His eyes snapped open.

"David. Help me help her or I swear to the almighty Lion Himself I will rip your throat out!" Zaru growled.

David blanched and instantly surged forwards grabbing onto Siobhan's arms. Grunting leopard and Toran managed to pull the Ursine princess back onto the solid land.

"Why did you help me?" the princess snapped at David, "I would've managed with you!"

"Oh really, by what growing wings and flying?" the Toran shot back.

"ENOUGH!!!" Zaru roared.

David and Siobhan looked at him in shock as the leopard growled at them.

"You two are idiots but seeing as how both of your races are idiots that's no surprise," Zaru snapped, "Do you even know why you're fighting anymore?"

"Because they betrayed us. They tried to use the Djinn to destroy my people!" David protested.

Siobhan responded instantly ignoring him.

"They tried to destroy us! We're just defending ourselves!"

"Wrong! You're fighting because you have no bloody idea why you're fighting. You're just doing it because every single one of your people are just too blind to see there's nothing worth fighting over!" Zaru roared, anger sparking from his eyes, "You're so caught up in waging war on each, you never stopped to realise what's the bloody point! Because there is none!"

The response was instant and almost identical from the two sworn enemies.

"We destroy the Urinse and remove the wish they cast on us!"

"We destroy the Toran and remove the wish they cast on us!"

"And have you stopped to realise if both of your people would just stop the fighting, everyone will be able to live in peace? That both wishes can never be fulfilled because they directly contradict each other! And even if you somehow slaughter the other race and completely obliterated them from the face of the world what's the point? The wish would've already been fulfilled with no help from this stupid Djinn thing," Zaru growled, "Millions have died and suffered for an insanity that can never come true!"

"If we lay down our arms, the Ursines will eat us alive!" David snapped, "You can't honestly expect us to just…"

"Why not?" Zaru shot at him, "If both sides just lay down arms, neither would be destroyed. If your leaders were smart enough to realise there is an easy way out of a pointless war over a past insult and betrayal that means absolutely nothing today, than all of the deaths and insanity would be over in the blink of an eye!"

"Make peace with the Torans? NEVER!" Siobhan vowed.

Zaru deflated and sighed sadly, shaking his head.

"I am a beast. And maybe we beasts are slower than humans but beasts never fight wars amongst each other because in a war there are no winners, just those who don't lose as much," the leopard said quietly, "I'm not saying that always works. There are times where you need to stand and fight for yourself but if there is a way to avoid a war, then we beasts do everything in our powers to achieve that.

Siobhan and David stared at him as though every word he was spoke was completely foreign and alien to them.

"The war between the Torans and Ursines are just… needless," Zaru whispered, "You're are all so caught up in slaughtering and murdering each other, you never stop to realise the fruitlessness of what you're doing. Eradicating a race is impossible. Fighting a war for centuries on end means nothing more than pointless, needless death. Honour on the battlefield, glory in mayhem and murder? Insane beliefs held by insane people."

Zaru looked at both of them, saddened by the realisation that both their people were doomed to destruction either by each other's hands and by the corrosive hate that flowed within them. Such boiling, naked hatred, frustrated and tormented by a victory that could never be… what else could it do but turn inwards and destroy the very people that fed it?

"No, true victory can be won by taking the blood of others. The only true victory lies in winning the hearts and minds of other," Zaru quoted softly, speaking the words a wise centaur had once told him.

"You're joking," David said in a voice that was weak, "There can be no peace between us."

"Why not? Is it really because there is no way or is it because of hatred and pride and blindness?" Zaru glanced at the tiled room before them, at the gaping hole that had almost claimed Siobhan's life, "Come. We must find another way."

The leopard slowly slinked out of the room as David and Siobhan glanced thoughtfully at each other. They blinked and realised who and what they were.

"What are you looking at?" Siobhan snapped but her voice lacked any real poison.

David shook his head and held out a hand. Slowly the princess took it and David helped her up.

"Come on," he said, looking at everywhere but her, "Let's go."

AAAAAA

"There's no escape! There's no escape!"

The Toran twitched and convulsed as he raised his gun.

"NO! Please! NO!"

His companion, his leg mangled by a previous bullet looked up at him helplessly, arm raised but Ox stared down at him, his eyes burning with a feverish light.

"No hope. No escape," the towering Toran muttered, rocking slightly to and for, "No escape."

Behind him, the rest of his squad laid mangled, murdered by the maze's vicious traps.

"No escape. I'm sorry," Ox said sincerely, "Better you die quick."

The Toran soldier's eyes widened in shock, his face completely white.  
"PLEASE! NO!!!"  
"BAM!"

Blood splattered the walls. Ox completely ignored the cold-blooded murder he had just committed and put his own gun to his head and closed his eyes.

"No escape."

"What the hell?"

Ox's eyes snapped open and he stared straight at Elias, Jason and Inara as they gaped at the blood and bodies all around them.

"Ox… what happened?" Inara whispered.

Ox slowly smiled.

"I rescued them. There's no escape. I have to…" he raised his gun at them, "Sorry."

He raised the gun and pulled the trigger before Inara could even blink.

"BANG!"

Jason shoved Inara and Elias to the ground and roared in pain as the bullet slammed into his shoulder, drilling a bloody hole into him.

"JASON!" Inara cried.

The Seeker grimaced and clapped a hand to his wound.

"Keep your eyes on the prize girlie!" he snapped as Ox raised his gun again. But Elias was faster hurling a smoke orb straight at him. The ceramic ball cracked and instantly unleashed a cloud of choking black smoke, flooding the whole chamber. The Toran soldier cried out in surprise and staggered backwards as Inara and Jason surged forwards.

A heavy fist swung out of the smoke and smacked into Inara sending the warrior flying. Inara smacked into the wall, head cracking against the stone. She slid to the ground, vision greying as she fought to stay conscious.

"Inara!" Elias was instantly by her side, peering into her unfocused eyes.

Jason crunched Ox in the gut with a devastating blow and the soldier staggered backwards, howling in pain.

Like a maddened creature, Ox merely lowered his head and charged, bellowing as Jason jumped neatly out of the way. The Seeker lashed out, smashing the Toran in the knee with his boot.

There was a sickening crunch and soldier leg crumpled. Ox's face smacked into the ground, teeth breaking but he quickly flipped crawled onto his elbows.

"No escape," he whispered through blood and shattered teeth, "No escape!"

"Stop," Jason said coldly, "Or I swear I will kil…"

Ox reached into his combat suit with a shaking hand and withdrew a single dark green device. The Seeker blinked at the foreign object but Elias instantly recognised it, his eyes widening in horror.

"RUN!!!" he screamed at Jason.

The scientist instantly hefted Inara up, the warrior still dazed from the blow to her head.

"RUN!!!"

Jason instantly swooped to Elias's side and between them they dragged Inara away, the three of them stumbling over each other's feet.

Ox grinned and pulled the pin to the grenade.

Jason and Elias leapt over the fallen Torans, dragging Inara behind them. They sprinted past a set of holes in the walls and instantly long iron spikes shot out from the recesses, whistling through the air towards them.

Jason flung his hand forwards and the deadly spikes were blown from the air, clanging uselessly to the ground.

Ox slowly unfurled his fingers and his grin widened.

"No escape…"

"BOOOOMMMM!!!!"

Shockwaves blasted them off their feet and they tumbled to the ground. Ironically this saved their lives as fire and shrapnel gushed by overhead slamming into the far wall before burning out.

Jason cautiously threw a look over his shoulders and grimaced as he saw what remained of Ox. Elias was pale, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

"We should move," the Seeker said grimly, getting up.

Inara blinked at him, the world still spinning around her.

"Wha?" she slurred thickly, eyes unfocused.

"Come on," Jason helped Inara up and together the three of them continued deeper into the maze.

AAAAAA

Peter and Susan stepped out of the chamber and gasped at the sight before them. They were standing on a bridge suspended over a chasm but what shocked them the most was the sight of other bridges, thousands of them, crisscrossing and spanning across each other in an intricate network.

And in the centre of it all, like a spider in its web as a soaring dark stone tower.

"What is this place?" Peter gaped.

"I think the tower is the centre of it all," Susan whispered, "Get to the tower…

"And we get to the Djinn," Peter finished.

Susan sighed.

"Guess we didn't find an exit huh?" she said lightly.

Peter shook his head and laughed as the two Pevensies stepped onto the bridge.

"HEY!!!"

Susan's head snapped to the left and far below on another bridge, she could dimly make out the forms of Elias, Jason and Inara.

"YOU OKAY PRINCESS?!" Jason roared.

"FINE!!!" Susan barked back, "MAKE FOR THE TOWER! WE'LL SEE YOU THERE!!!"

The three figures, shrunken by the distance, instantly began moving as Susan turned to Peter.

"Come on, let's go!"

The two of them took off dashing along the bridge until they came to a set of stairs. They bolted down them and came to a second bridge.

"We need to go down another level!" Peter remarked, "We…"

There was a burst of light somewhere in the immense cavern and something dark shot towards them, spark and smoke blazing in its wake.

"NO!" Susan's eyes widened in shock as she recognised the Toran rocket.

The small explosive device slammed into the bridge and detonated blasting both of them off as the whole structure collapsed, stone tumbling down into the darkness.

"BAM!"

"Oof!"

Miraculously both of them hit another bridge on the way down, landing awkwardly with painful force. Slowly they got up, groaning in pain.

"What the hell?" Peter turned and paled seeing the troop of Torans scurrying along the bridges like ferocious ants, "Looks like we have company!"

Gunfire blazed down on them as both of them sprinted for their lives, throwing themselves down the next flight of stairs as they ducked beneath the bridge, bullets slamming down into the stone.

"Why are they attacking us?" Peter roared, "STOP!!! WE'RE YOUR ALLIES!!!"

The only reply was another burst of gunfire.

Susan blinked as something long and dark descended down from the ceiling. Her eyes widened as she realised it was a rope.

"NO! PETER!!!"

Three Torans instantly rappelled down on the drop, guns blazing. Peter leapt to the side, the gunfire going wide as the High King lashed out with his swords. With an audible twang, the rope was sheared in half and the three soldiers were sent plummeting to the deaths.

"KILL THEM!" Derrick's voice boomed in the darkness, "KILL THEM ALL!!!"  
"MOVE!!!" Peter screamed.

A second rocket slammed into their bridge as with no other option, Peter and Susan dived over the side, leaping into a complete freefall as the bridge was blasted apart.

Susan felt her heart literally stop as she flailed in midair, trying to grab onto anything to stop her fall but all she could feel was emptiness.

"No," she whispered, falling and falling, "No… please… NO!!!"

White light suddenly lanced out of nowhere and enveloped her and Peter, stopping their fall. Slowly the two of them were drawn towards another bridge and solid ground.

As soon as Susan's feet touched the rockets, the light faded and the queen wilted, gasping for breath.

"Hi!" Zaru beamed at them as Siobhan shook her hands causing the white light blazing along her fingertips to fade, "Missed me?"

AAAAAA

"URSINES!!!" Jason roared.

Inara having recovered slightly cursed as two darks form barrelled towards them, claws clacking against the stone.

"DOC!" she barked.

Elias raised his modified crossbow and fired. The fire orb slammed into the bear on the left and exploded blowing the Ursine off the bridge. The second Ursine screamed in fury as the flaming body of its companions disappeared into the abyss beneath.

"ROOOWWRRR!!!"  
The Ursine slammed her fist into the ground and a shockwave of green power instantly blasted the three of them down. The enraged bear instantly leapt through the air, its eyes red with bloodlust.

Jason was swatted to the side with a single blow and the Seeker skidded across the rocks, shooting over the edge of the bridge. He plummeted down a few feet before slamming into a second bridge down below, his fall stopped with painful suddenness.

The Seeker was stunned, unable to even get up, let alone help as the Ursine turned on Elias and Inara.

"DOC! GET BACK!!"

Inara darted forwards, sword in hand even as the wound on the back of her head continued to bleed. The power inside of her surged, growing on her adrenaline and fear as Inara swept her sword forwards.  
"CLANG!"

The bear's claws glanced off her blade as in a move that completely blindsided Inara, the Ursine twisted on her hind legs and smashed into her with a spinning kick.

The warrior stumbled backwards, almost falling off the bridge but regaining her balance at the last precious moment.  
"STOP!" Inara shrieked, "I DON'T…"

The Ursine responded by hurling a ball of fire at her. Inara hit the ground and rolled, the flames shooting past overhead.

Inara charged forwards and feinted, the bear falling for it as Inara hacked the Ursine across the chest with a sudden reversed slash. The Ursine stumbled backwards, howling pain, clutching at its bleeding chest.

"STOP!!!"

The Ursine dropped down to all fours and charged, completely berserk. Inara gritted her teeth and waited as the bear pounded towards her. At the last possible second, the warrior threw herself to the side, rolling as the bear stormed past.

"ROOOOWWWRRR!!!" the Ursine screamed in anguish as Inara stabbed her deep in the side.

Inara pulled the blade free, dark blood spraying her before she chopped at the Ursine's exposed neck. The bear went still as Inara staggered backwards, gasping for breath, completely covered in blood. She gaped at the carnage she had wrought even as the power inside of her rejoiced.

"INARA!"

Inara turned and swore as she saw a phalanx of Ursines descend down from a flight of stairs, charging towards them.

"LET'S GO!!!" Inara grabbed Elias by the arm and before the scientist could even stop her, both of them began fleeing for their lives.

AAAAAA

"What's going on?!" Peter spat.

"The Torans and the Ursines have arrived and they're hell bent on killing anything or anyone in their way," Zaru licked at the wound in his paw, "We ran into a few problems on the way here."

Siobhan turned as a deafening scream filled the air. The cry was suddenly choked off as Siobhan cursed.

"NO!" she slammed her fist into her hand, "No!"

"What happened?" David asked concerned.

"One of the Ursines… she…" Siobhan cursed.

"Daughter."

They all turned and Myron was there, his eyes glowing with a creepy light.

"I see Torans with you. Why don't you make me proud and kill them?" the Ursine King hissed.

Siobhan froze as the others instantly stiffened, hands going to their weapons. Zaru was the only one completely unaffected, licking his paws free of the blood as Myron took another step towards them.

"I have seen the Djinn," Myron whispered, "And it told me so many beautiful and dreadful things. But none of those things could be ours until all Torans are dead. Please my daughter, start the storm which will scour the earth clean!"

With Zaru's voice ringing in her ears, Siobhan took one look at the savage, rending greed in her father's eyes and took a deep breath.

"No."

The reply was weak and uncertain.

"WHAT?!?" Myron barked, "YOU SAID WHAT?"  
"No," Siobhan shook her head, "Father. Don't you see… none of this will end. This war will drag on for all eternity and our people do with it unless we stop it…"  
"By killing the Torans!" Myron howled.

"No, by brokering peace," Siobhan said calmly.

"PEACE?!? You speak of peace?!? With them!" he jabbed one clawed finger at David, "NEVER!!! YOU ARE NO DAUGHTER OF MINE!!!"

Myron howled and flung his hand outwards, streams of dark energy lancing towards them. Siobhan cried out and threw up a wall of sparking power, trying to deflect the attack. As the energy bolts slammed into the protections, Siobhan grunted in pain, sweat rolling down her face.

"BANG!"

Myron howled and staggered backwards as blood blossomed across his shoulder.

"Get away from her!" David roared, brandishing his gun.

"SEE?!? SEE THEIR MURDEROUS INTENT!?!?"

He instantly shifted into his bear form but Susan was quicker firing three arrows right at him. Myron screamed as they slammed into his chest knocking him back. Howling in fury, he ripped the arrows free and held up his hands, power blazing between his clawed paws.

"GO!!!" Siobhan screamed, "I'LL STOP HIM!!!"

Throwing a desperate look at Siobhan, the others had no choice but to flee as the Ursine princess faced off against her father.

"Why?" Myron said sadly, his bear-like features twisting into a mournful face, "Why my daughter?"

"Because this insanity must end," Siobhan said calmly.

"Then so be it. You have made your choice!"

Myron hurled the burst of energy forwards and Siobhan leapt into the air, shifting into her bear form halfway. The magical attack exploded but the princess leapt clear and slammed straight into her father, tackling him to the ground.

AAAAAA

"BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!"

Gunfire roared through the chamber as a squad of Torans ran into a pack of Ursines. A fight instantly broke out, both sides tearing into each other with abandon.

Susan, Peter, Zaru and David were swept up in the madness.

"See?!?" Zaru barked, "See the insanity? They're trapped in this place but rather than trying to get out alive they simply go back to murdering each other!"

Peter shoved Susan and David to the ground and slashed out, killing an Ursine in a single blow as the maddened beast stampeded towards them.

"SON!!!"

David turned and blanched seeing his father, armed with two rifles, in the midst of a fight with three Ursines.  
"BANG!"

One of the bears fell backwards, a bullet having ripped through its heart as Derrick laughed, exulted.

"KILL THEM SON!!! THE DJINN HAS PROMISED US EVERYTHING IF WE KILL THE BEARS!!!!"

Covered in blood and cackling with glee, the leader of the Torans looked like an insane serial killer, rejoicing in the madness all around him.

A Toran charged at them, gun blazing as David turned.

"BANG!"  
He nailed the man with a single bullet, bringing him down.

"This has got to end," David told Zaru, "I'm starting to think…"

"The Djinn is evil? Way ahead of you!" the leopard roared.

David scooped up a fallen rifle and began firing into the fight all around him trying to break free from the madness. Two Torans fell, arrows in their throats as fearlessly Susan wielded her bow to deadly effect.

"WE'VE GOT TO GET TO THE TOWER!!!" Zaru roared, "THE DJINN'S THE DARKNESS HERE!!! WE'VE GOT TO DESTROY IT!!!"

"Someone mentioned something about destruction?"

Peter turned and Inara, Elias and Jason was there, looking battered but still standing strong.

Jason swept his hands around and at least three people and bears were sent falling to the deaths over the bridge.

"BOOM!"

Elias hurled a fire orb into a trio of Ursines that were mauling a Toran to death and the bears were instantly ablaze.

"TRAITOR!!!" Derrick was sprinting towards them, his face a ghoulish mask of unsuppressed rage, "TRAITOR!!!"  
"GO!!!" Susan urged.

The six of them ran for their lives, breaking free of the fighting mob and dashing towards the final stretch of bridges towards the base of the tower where the door stood.

Unceremoniously, Peter kicked the small wooden door open.

"IN!" he commanded.

Susan and her companions piled in as David stopped, seeing his father charging towards them.

"GO!" David ordered, "I'LL HOLD HIM OFF!!"  
"But…" Peter began.

"GO!!!"  
David shoved Peter in the back sending him sprawling into the tower before he slammed the door shut. David raised his gun and turned as Derrick stopped, metres in front of him.

"David, why have you betrayed me?" the man was like a vengeful god, demanding an apology that would go unheard, a bloody verdict already decided.

"Because this…" he pointed at the fight that still raged on, Toran and Ursine falling as the two sides continued to tear into other, "… this must end for the sake of both of our races."

"You," Derrick trembled, "You are no son of mine!"

Like gunslingers facing off at high noon, father and son raised their guns and fired.

AAAAAA

The chamber was simple, bare of all decorations and art, a simple stone pedestal the only feature of the bland room.

But there sitting on that small altar of stone was an oil lamp, it's shape like an exotic slender teapot, strange glyphs and symbols etched into its ruby-red surface.

"Is that it?" Inara demanded completely unimpressed.

Zaru growled, feeling the malice and power rolling over the innocent looking lamp.

"Let's just destroy it and get out of here," Jason muttered, "I'm sick of this place."

They took a step towards the lamp.

'_Welcome.'_

A voice spoke in their heads, a voice as smooth and thick and luscious as rich, golden honey. They were instantly mesmerised, freezing in their tracks as they all stared at the lamp, greed flickering in their eyes..

'I am the Djinn of the Great Lamp. What is it that you wish for?' the disembodied voice asked.

Susan shook herself.

"If you don't mind," she raised her sceptre, "We're here to destroy you."

'Really? Is that what you want?'

Now, the voice was talking to each of them individually, its words seeping in their minds as it whispered to them of the greatest desires and wishes.

It cooed to them, its tone seductive and soft as a power, a strength that far surpassed their own began to work on their wills, bending them slowly.

'_I can give back your kingdom and your rightful place as High King…´_ the Djinn told Peter.

Peter grunted in surprise.

'_I can erase all those memories you're trying to hold back. Remove all that pain in the blink of an eye,' _the Djinn promised.

Jason's eyes narrowed.

'_I can give you all the knowledge in the world… in all the worlds. You will know all the answers to every mystery ever known,' _the Djinn coaxed.

Elias slowly lowered his crossbow.

'_I can make you stronger and more powerful than you could even hope to be. I will make you the most feared warriors in all the worlds,' _the Djinn whispered.

Inara trembled.

'_I can make you the beloved of Aslan. You will be by His side always, His confidante, the most trusted and adored of all his subjects,' _the Djinn cajoled.

Zaru's tail twitched.

'_I can give you Caspian and I can give the live you could never have together,' _the Djinn vowed.

Susan's eyes widened.

In the split second after they heard those words, their most deepest ambitions laid bare and almost in their grasps, they all lowered their guards and the Djinn swept in, binding them in its dark enchantment, trapping them with honeyed words and seductive charms.

'_All you have to do…' _the Djinn said slowly, _'Is kill the others. Kill them and everything you wish for…WILL BE YOURS!!!'_

As one, the companions turned on each other, swords and weapons flying.

AAAAAA

Author's notes: And that's the message I was trying to get across. The Torans and Ursines represent a lot of the conflicts going on in the world today. There are lot of countries, a lot of different racial groups at war today, trying to exterminate the other and when you actually sit back and think about it, do any of them actually think about why they're fighting? Is what they're fighting for even possible to achieve? It just seems to me that there would a lot less violence and atrocities happening if people just stopped the fighting, stop the madness and think a little.


	27. The end of the world

Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!! As my Christmas gift to you all, this is the newest chapter… get it whilst it's hot!!!

Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, you know the drill…

Across the Worlds

**Chapter 27: End of the world**

"CLANG!"

Inara and Peter flew at each other, faces contorted into demonic masks of rage as their swords clashed in a flurry of flashing silver. Inara was fast, spinning and dancing around him but Peter was clearly the better swordsman. Back at Mystic Lake, he had already noticed the weaknesses Inara had: the slight awkwardness in her grip, the hesitation she had when shifting her balance and he savagely used this knowledge to his advantage.

With a cry, he darted forwards and lashed out smashing her defence apart as her sword slipped in her hands unable to take the force of his blow. Peter hooked the blade with his hilt and jerked.

Inara blinked as her sword went flying out of her hands.

"You will not have the Djinn!" Peter vowed, snarling at her.

He stabbed forwards but Inara was quicker, side-stepped his lunge and cracking him across the face with a vicious right hook. Peter stumbled backwards and Inara surged forwards, grabbing on his wrist and twisting violently.

Peter roared in pain and his sword fell from his numb hand.

"The Djinn is mine!" Inara spat into his face, "Nobody is going to take that from me!!!"

The red lamp sat innocently in the centre of the room as everything insanity raged, the former companions and friends turning on each other, screaming in fury.

Jason stabbed at Susan with his daggers but the queen managed to deflect them with her sceptre before trying to shock him with the crystals. Jason grabbed the sceptre in an iron-grip and threw one hand at her.

Susan cried out as a blast of power sent her crashing into the wall. Jason tossed the sceptre contemptuously aside before advancing.

'_Get up!' _the Djinn chorused in her mind with the sweetness and intensity of a full symphony, _'Do you want to see Caspian again? Be with him again? GET UP!!!'_

Susan slung her bow from her back and fired an arrow at the Seeker. Take by surprise, the Seeker twisted only to get hit in the shoulder but his coat took the brunt of the razor sharp head.

'_FIGHT!' _the Djinn's voice was like a tsunami sweeping all their doubts aside, _'FIGHT!!!'_

Roaring Elias lobbed a fire orb at Zaru, a crazed look on his normally placid face. The leopard easily dodged the blast as the explosive blew a hole in the wall allowing the din of the battles raging outside on the bridges to flood the room.

Zaru landed and leapt straight at the scientist smashing into him and tackling him to the ground.

'_KILL HIM!!! KILL FOR ASLAN'S LOVE!!!' _the Djinn rejoiced.

Zaru was forced to leap clear as Peter and Inara spilled into his space, the two grappling furiously with each other.

"YOU CAN'T STOP ME!!!" Inara screamed, "I am stronger than you can ever possibly hope to be!!!"

Peter managed to get a fist free and punched him squarely in the face. Inara's head snapped back as she tasted blood but she was far from finished, head-butting him back.

Jason flung his hand forwards and managed to catch Susan and Zaru with his power. Queen and leopard slammed into the wall as the Seeker stepped forwards, daggers in hand.

'_KILL THEM!!! ERASE THE PAIN!!! KILL THEM!!!' _the Djinn thundered in his head.

The Djinn reached out with poisoned tendrils, dark magic flowing from its surface and flooding its victims minds, filling them with mindless rage and violence, their will crushed by the strength of its powers.

A cruel smile came over Jason's face as an unholy light shimmered in his eyes.

"Yes," he whispered gently to himself, "Kill them…"

Slowly and deliberately, Jason stepped forwards, ready to finish them off.

Siobhan roared and swiped at her father.

"Why are you fighting me?!" Myron roared, "WE ARE URSINES! URSINES DO NOT FIGHT THEIR OWN!"

"We Ursines need to realise that this war is never going to end," Siobhan said grimly, blocking one of her father's devastating blows, "We Ursines need to realise that peace is the only way forward."

"PEACE?!? NEVER!"

Myron blasted Siobhan back with a burst of power but the princess flipped through the air, landing easily on her feet.

"Looks like you trained me well," she said grimly.

Myron roared at her, shifting in and out of his bear form as he charged at her. Huge razor sharps claws sliced the air as father and daughter duelled, punishing each other with terrifying force.

The two bears backed off a little, bleeding and bruised. Siobhan roared defiantly and slammed into her father like a tidal wave against rock.

Fur and blood flew as they ripped into each other, biting and slashing. They broke apart only to engage in a full-powered magical duel, curses and terrifyingly dark spells flying at each other.

A bolt of power tore through Siobhan and she staggered backwards, screaming in pain. Myron charged at her, claws flying towards her throat but the princess managed to roll out of the way as her father shot past.

Fire exploded and Myron was alight as Siobhan threw a spell at his back. He screamed in pain and fury and waved his clawed hands around. Light flared and the fire vanished.

"I am going to kill you," he vowed to his daughter.

Siobhan rose to her feet, staring him down.

"It doesn't change the fact I'm right. The war between us and the Torans must end!"

"ROOOOWWRRR!!!"  
Myron flew at Siobhan and princess threw up her paws trying to defend herself. Myron ripped into her arm and she cried out, dropping her defence for one fatal second.

With a booming roar, Myron unleashed a powerful uppercut slamming Siobhan in the chin. The princess went flying through the air before smacking to the ground at the edge of the bridge.

Myron calmly walked towards her and pinned her down with one foot to her throat.

"Why are you doing this?" Myron hissed, "I raised you. I beat you to teach you one thing… help our people."

"I am," Siobhan gritted back, her mind flooding with terrible memories of cold nights and little food, of hours and hours of training until she fell broken and bleeding.

It had been done to shape her, to teach her to put the well-being of her people before all else, to sacrifice everything to save the Ursines.

"I am saving us from a war that need not be," Siobhan spat, "I am saving…"

Before Siobhan could say another, her father began to press his foot down crushing her windpipe and suffocating her to death.

David's arm exploded in a burst of red and he staggered backwards, crying out in pain. Derrick watched him coolly, his hands steady as he aimed the gun at his son again.

"You can't beat me," the Toran Head Commander said calmly, "So why don't you just give up?"

"And let you get to the Djinn?" David switched his rifle over to his good hand and raised it once more, "Just out of curiosity daddy dearest what are you planning to do with that thing?"

"What is necessary for the survival of our people," Derrick hissed, "What any leader would do?"

"Genocide?" David guessed, "Isn't there any other way?"

Before he had been so blinded by the irrational hatred and indoctrination that ran so deeply and rampantly through his people. But now he finally saw the war for what it was: a bloody farce with no possible winners.

"Peace? With the bears?" Derrick spat, "I would rather make a pact with vipers!"

David ignored the sheer agony that rolled up his arms, ignored the dangerous amount of blood he was losing and set his face into a grim mask.

A muffled explosion rocked the tower behind him as chunk of the wall was blown away but David ignored the distraction.

All around the father and son pair the battle between Torans and Ursines continued to rage, magic and gunfire blasting the bridges and bodies apart. But around them, on the lone bridge leading into the tower of the Djinn, there was only an eerie silence.

"I'm sorry father," David whispered.

"You have no right to call me that," Derrick spat back.

David threw himself to the side as Derrick blasted a flurry of bullets at him. David hit the ground, out of the line of fire and pulled his trigger.

Instantly a burst of white fire and bullets ripped through the air and into his father's leg. Blood splashed against stone as Derrick went down, screaming in agony.

A lucky bullet slammed into David's chest but his bulletproof combat vest turned the deathblow into a murderously hard punch that blasted the air from his lungs.

They raised the guns at each other and pulled back on the trigger once more.

"CLICK!"  
"CLICK!"  
They stared at each other incredulously as both guns died in their heads, completely spent of bullets.

"Oh come on!" David hissed in fury.

He tossed his gun to the side as his father unsheathed a long serrated combat knife from his boot and slowly rose to his feet, favouring his injured leg.

David pulled out his own standard-issue knife and held it in his shaky, sweaty hands.

"Come on David," Derrick hissed, a gruesome parody of a fatherly smiley on his face, "Make your old man proud!"

Driven completely insane by lust and greed and the Djinn's own dark powers, Derrick limped forwards, his hesitating movements not diminishing the terrifying blood-splattered image he made.

David raised his dagger and prepared to fight his father to the death.

'_Once you have all the knowledge in the all the worlds, you can use it to destroy the Great Darkness,' _the Djinn urged, _'Imagine. Saving every innocent life out there! What is the life of your little friends compared to all that?'_

Elias fired a fire orb right into the flurry of limbs and blood that had become Peter and Inara. The two of them instantly dived to the side as the ceramic ball hit the ground and exploded.

Inara was smacked by the concussive waves and she smashed into the wall as Peter got off relatively unscathed. With his wild hair and wild eyes and covered in blood, Peter was like a demon.

He scooped up his fallen sword and pointed it dangerously at Elias.

"Die," he hissed and charged forwards.

Across the chamber, Jason was stalking towards Zaru and Susan, daggers in hand.

"Must kill. Must kill," he was repeating it like a mantra, raising his daggers over his head.

"TRAITOR!!!" Susan hissed, "You promised fealty to me! I am your queen! Bow! I command you! BOW TO ME!!!"

"SHUT UP!!!" Jason backhanded her across the face and Susan tasted blood.

Susan roared and lashed out. Jason cried out in pain as the thin dagger in her hand sliced across his leg. Susan stabbed out trying to disembowel the man but Zaru got in the way, knocking her hand away as he pounced on the Seeker, howling in fury.

"YOU WILL NOT STEAL ASLAN'S LOVE FROM ME!!!" the leopard screamed.

Jason went down trying to push the furious leopard off him as Susan rose to her feet and scooped up her bow once more.

She calmly put an arrow to string and pointed it at Jason and Zaru's body. She narrowed her eyes, taking careful aim and…

"THWACK!"

Her arrow was sheared in half by a flashing blade as Susan gasped.

"Hello Queenie," Inara snarled at her, sword in hand.

Susan roared and smacked her in the face with the bow knocking her back before grabbing her sceptre from the ground.

"CLANG!"

Sceptre and sword clashed as Susan tried to fend against Inara's onslaught. Blow after blow rained down on Susan as Inara unleashed the full force of her fury, driven by the Djinn's taunts and encouragements, its spells binding her tighter, all hesitation swept aside in a pusling wave of darkness.

'KILL HER!! PROVE YOU'RE THE STRONGER IN ALL THE WORLDS!!! KILL HER!!!'

Inara slipped in a pool of Jason's blood and Susan lashed out, slamming the sceptre's head into her chest. Inara's eyes widened in horror as blue light flared. The warrior convulsed as Susan sent a blast of paralysing energy flowing through her.

"You think you can win against me?" Susan hissed, "You're nothing compared to me!!!"

Inara dropped to the ground, limbs twitching as Susan raised her sceptre reading to impale the girl through the chest.

'FINISH HER!!!' the Djinn cheered, 'FINISH HER FOR CASPIAN!!!'

Susan stabbed down but Inara managed to twist, the blade slamming into the ground just missing her body. The warrior lashed out, leg-sweeping Susan to the ground.

"I am a warrior!" Inara barked at her, "Who the hell do you think you are?"

Before Susan could react, Inara's legs snapped around her in a scissor manoeuvre, trapping her head. Susan screamed in agony as Inara tightened and twisted trying to break her neck but didn't have the leverage.

"CRACK!"

Inara went limp as Peter stomped towards her and kicked her viciously in the face knocking her out cold.

"Thanks Peter," Susan gasped.

Peter grinned devilishly at her, sword in hand.

"Don't be. Just wanted to kill you myself!"

Elias was grappling with Zaru as Jason tried to rise from his position on the ground, bleeding from dozens of scratches and injuries. His arm gave way and he slumped to the ground, blacking out.

Susan glared at her brother.

"Jealous?" Susan spat, "Jealous I'm a much better leader than you are?"

"Leader? That's not what I'd describe you!" Peter roared.

Susan rolled out of the way as Peter stabbed at her. She rose to her feet, sceptre in hand, jumping over Inara's prone body

'_KILL! KILL! KILL!' _the Djinn was practically delirious with delight, _'KILL!'_

Peter was clearly the superior fighter and running in on an intoxicating cocktail of adrenaline and rage, he easily disarmed his sister with six terrible blows.

Susan could only gape at him, her arms numbed as Peter smirked, wagging his fingers at her.

"Sorry Su," he raised his sword, "Nothing personal."

Susan whimpered and closed her arms waiting for the end to come.

On the other side of the room, Zaru managed to take Elias down, slamming into his chest and tackling the scientist to the ground. Before the man could even react, the leopard stuck his head into the bag Elias always carried with him and quickly jumped back, a fire orb clasped gingerly in his jaws.

"GET BACK HERE!!!" Elias roared.

Zaru completely ignored him as he wheeled around and dashed across the room in full flight.

'_WHAT –' _the Djinn began.

It cut itself off as Zaru leapt straight over the stone pedestal and the Djinn's lamp, the fire orb falling from its mouth in mid-flight.

'_WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?' _the Djinn roared, _'I CAN GIVE YOU ASLAN'S LO…'_

"I don't need your help," Zaru spat landing on the other side of the pedestal, "I already have it."

The fire orb slammed into the edge of the pedestal and the hard rock cracked the ceramic open.

"BOOM!"

Fire gushed out blasting the Djinn's lamp across the room as it reduced the pedestal to mere pebbles. The lamp crashed into the wall and fell to the ground, a fine crack running across it middle.

Instantly its voice died away as the enchantments it had held over the group faded like smoke before a gale.

Peter stopped himself in mid-swing, staggered backwards in horror. The sword fell from his trembling hands as a haggard, terrified look twisted his youthful face.

"Su…" he gasped out, "I'm sorry… I'm so, so sorry!"

Susan stared at him in utter disbelieving shock before looking down at her hands, looking at the blood that stained her palms.

"What have I done?" she whispered.

"It was the Djinn…"

Elias, Susan and Peter looked at Zaru as the leopard returned their horrified gazes calmly.

"Magic," the leopard continued.

"How…" Elias began rising slowly to his feet.

He flushed, feeling mortified at what he'd just done.

"That lamp promised me Aslan's love," Zaru sneered at the cracked lamp, "Oh please, as if I'd fall for that lie! You should've just bribed me with a lifetime's supply of food!"

"We… we need to get out of here," Susan said hurriedly, stumbling over her own words, "I… I…"

Her mind was reeling from what had just happened, at the insanity that had just gripped their minds and drove them to try and murder each other.

"I…"  
Before Susan could speak another word, the door to the chamber suddenly exploded inwards and David crashed through the splinters, Derrick roaring as he charged at him.

The commander's knife flashed down at his son as David's hands shot out, grabbing onto his father's wrist and stopping the blow.  
The two of them grappled, David fighting for his life.

"THUNK! THUNK!"

Derrick fell backwards, screaming in pain as he tried to pull the two arrows from his shoulders.

"David?" Peter asked hurriedly.

The boy climbed to his feet, one arm completely drenched in blood. He was pale and swaying on his feet but still alive.

"I'm… fine…" he choked out.

"YOU!" Derrick turned on them, hatred turning him into a raving monster, "YOU CORRUPTED MY SON!!! I WILL KILL YOU A – "

"BAM!"

Derrick suddenly flew into the wall and fell to the ground, instantly knocked out cold. Everyone turned to Jason, the Seeker slowly lowering his hand.

"So we stopped killing each other now?" he asked laconically.

"Yeah," Zaru said lightly, "Because of me."

Jason grunted as he climbed to his feet.

"I would've won you know," he said offhandedly, "I was just biding my time."

Susan snorted but didn't say anything.

"Is the Djinn destroyed?" David gasped.

Everyone turned to look at the cracked lamp. Susan's hands were already ready around her neck, pulling at the yellow ring's pouch when suddenly a massive explosion rocked the tower.

"SUSAN!"

Peter slammed into her, tackling her out of the way as a huge chunk of stone dislodged from the ceiling, crashed to the ground just missing her.

Elias hurriedly scooped Inara up as more stones began to fall.

"MOVE!!!!" Peter barked, "MOVE!!!"  
They all ran from the chamber as the tower shook again. They stepped out of the door and into a war zone.

The Torans had seized control of the upper bridges and were raining down bullets and grenades down onto the Ursines as the bears tried to defend themselves and were cut down.

Magic fire exploded upwards and a quartet of Torans was engulfed, falling screaming to the deaths in the infinite drop below.

Zaru instantly spotted a familiar figure.

"SIOBHAN!!!" the leopard roared.

Susan instantly aimed and fired an arrow into the air. The feathered shaft streaked through the air.

Myron, intent on slowly crushing the breath and life out of his daughter never saw his dangers.

"ROOOOOWWWWRRR!!!"

The bear king let out a trumpeting scream as the arrow slammed into the back of his skull, the barbed shaft drilling deep into his brain.

He reared back and bellowed again as his magic, crackling and burning with unbelievable power exploded out of his body in a crazed maelstrom.

Ursines and Torans alike were blasted apart as Myron roared again and again, his power surging out of his dying body as though his magic was trying to escape from its fleshy prison and fly free. Bridges were blown apart, dropping hapless soldiers and bears alike into the abyss as Myron staggered, his eyes burning with white light as his uncontrolled and wild magic continued to burst out of him.

Siobhan rose, her magic knitting her wounds back together as she raised her clawed bear paws.

She surged forwards.

Razor sharp claws ripped through Myron's back, their tips penetrating his heart as Siobhan gave a throat roar of fury. The Ursine King went limp, his magic sparking and flickering into nothing before his corpse fell from Siobhan's claws.

The Ursine Princess stared at her father in utter horror, completely stunned by what she had done. Slowly she composed herself and shifted back into her human form.

"URSINES!!!" she bellowed, "ATTEND! THE OLD KING HAS DIED AND BY OUR LAWS I AM YOUR NEW QUEEN!!!"

The few surviving Ursines roared in reply, dropping to their knees and swearing fealty to her.

"Torans!" David suddenly yelled.

The remaining soldiers stared down at him.

"Derrick has fallen by my hands!" David shouted up to them, "By the rules that we live by, I am your new commander!"

The Torans stared at him blankly.

"My first order of commander is that we broker peace with the Ursines and stop this insanity!" David continued, a determined fire burning in his eyes.

As thin and battle-wearied as he was, a force seemed to emanate from him, a force that seemed to strengthen all those around him. Peter and Susan nodded in approval, recognising the natural leadership inside this young Toran.

"As queen, I will honour that commitment!" Siobhan yelled, "We must have peace between our people if our races are to continued to exist!"

Siobhan and David looked at each other, their eyes meeting and they both nodded. And in that split second, the century old war between Ursines and Torans ended and a new age of peace was ushered in.

"NO!!!!" a thunderous voice boomed.

Everyone turned and David gasped at the sight of his father, badly injured emerging from the rubble of the tower.

"DERRICK!" one of the Toran soldiers, "DERRICK! DERRICK!"

It soon became a chant taken up by all of the Torans but Derrick wasn't listening to them. Instead his insane, feverish eyes were boring into his son's. Elias with an unconscious Inara still slumped against him, sucked in a breath as he realised that the head commander was seconds away from dying, the huge wound in his neck draining the life out of him with each drop of lost blood.

"NO!!! There will be no peace!!! They must die!!!" Derrick screamed, completely deranged.

"It is over father. Your time is over," David said calmly, "The war is over."

Derrick fell to his knees, his face death pale as the damaged arteries in his neck continued to leech the lifeblood from him.

"No…" he whispered, "I rather… the Ursines must…"

He held something aloft and Susan gasped as she recognised the cracked lamp of the Djinn in his hands.

"NO!!!" she screamed.

She instantly swung her bow up and aimed an arrow but it was too late.

"I… I wish…"

The lamp shuddered in his hand, malice and delight emanating from its ruby-red surface.

"I WISH THE WORLD WOULD END!!!" Derrick screamed fanatically, "I WOULD RATHER US ALL DIE THEN LIVE WITH THE THOSE DAMN BEARS!!!"

The glyphs on the lamp flared and the whole cavern began to shake. Derrick fell face first, the last drop of blood spilling from his body as Susan's arrow smashed into the lamp shattering it into a thousand glittering shards.

But it was too late.

"No…" Zaru whispered.

"Oh my…" Elias looked at them, "Is that possible? For the world to just…"

A flaring red light began to fill the cavern as impossibly hot air began to gush up at them from the abyss. They scrambled to the bridge's edge and peered into the darkness.

Peter swore as they all gaped at the huge wall of magma swelling up towards them, the burning molten rock unleashing huge plumes of smoke and toxic fumes.

"We're… we're…" David could barely speak, "This… can't…"

Susan reached for the leather pouch around her neck and pulled it open. The yellow ring was glowing once more.

"I can't…"  
"BOOM!!!!"  
A huge geyser of magma shot up into air, smashing into the bridges and melting them into nothing as it punched a hole in the very roof of the cavern. Above ground, a volcano was born as spitting hot lava flew in every direction killing everything it touched as the molten rock splattered to earth. A tsunami of lava instantly gushed from the volcano's mouth, the forest burning into cinders as rock and sand fused under its fiery might. The forest of the Ursines and Rawall, stronghold of the Torans, quickly fell under the inferno's onslaught, millions dying in the space of a breath. And all around the world, thousands of volcanos were born, tearing the world and seas asunder.

"We've got to…"

Siobhan leapt through the air and landed next to them, looking around frantically.

"What do we do?" she screamed, "WHAT DO WE DO?!?"

Susan threw one last desperate look around as below them, the magma trembled unsteadily ready to gush upwards once more.

"HOLD ONTO ME!!!"

David and Siobhan blinked but responded as everyone instantly latched onto her. Without wasting a single second, Susan's hand plunged into the pouch and touched the ring.

They were instantly gone in a flurry of wind as the whole abyss blew, lava destroying the tower, the bridges and every remaining Toran and Ursine in a single terrifying second.

Volcanos continued to spring from the earth, lava spewing from their smoking maws as the whole world burned and fused into a blackened wasteland, destroyed by hatred and blindness and a single wish.

Inara's eyes snapped open.

"Nara?"

A familiar face swam into view as Inara groaned.  
"Another minute…" she muttered, closing her eyes, "I just need another min…"

She tried to turn over in her bed, her arms flailing around trying to get a hold of her blankets. She froze as her fingers met cold hard compacted dirt.

"Please tell me I'm in a nice comfortable bed with plenty of hours of sleeping in to do and not caught in some unholy life or death situation," Inara begged, her eyes still closed.

"There's rainbows and fields of wild flowers with puppies and unicorns frolicking together," Susan said in a very dry voice.

Inara sighed and opened her eyes again. Susan was bent over her, looking at her carefully. Behind her Elias was peering out through the open door of the room, his face a mask of deep concentration.

Zaru smiled at her, his tail lazily twitching.

"You were out for awhile," he noted.

"I got kicked in the face!" Inara protested.

She gently touched her bruised face and winced.

"Where's Peter? I have a sudden urge to ensure he can't father any children," Inara muttered.

Susan helped her sit up. Inara froze as flashes of her last conscious moment came into her head.

"Have we stopped trying to kill each other?" Inara demanded, "What happened? Is the Djinn gone? Where are the others?"

Zaru and Susan glanced at each other, exchanging pointed glances as Inara frowned, not liking the looks on their faces.

Inara looked around and realised they were in a ramshackle house, holes in the ceiling allowing a grimy light into the room.

"Where are we?" Inara asked, "Are we still in Toran-land?"

"No," Susan said shortly, "We're in another world."

"What?!" Inara blinked, "How long was I out?"

Susan sighed and quickly filled Inara in on what had just happened. Inara's jaws dropped as Susan told her about Derrick's wish.

"And the world… it's just gone?"

"Destroyed," Zaru said grimly, "Because of one man's blindness and addiction to destruction."

"So what happened?" Inara demanded.

"I grabbed the yellow ring and we moved out of the dying world. We ended up in the Wood between the Worlds and the green ring quickly activated the next pool. After the disaster the last time we stayed in the woods…" Susan sighed, "We jumped into the pool and ended up here."

"Where's here? Where're the others?"

Susan closed her eyes.

"Peter and Jason… David and Siobhan… well… we…"

"We arrived alone," Zaru said quietly.

"Alone?!" Inara hissed, "ALONE?!?"

"We somehow got separated. When we got here… it was just us four. I don't know where the others went," Susan tried to reign in her panic and terror, trying to maintain a calm façade as Inara closed her eyes.

"Any other bad news to heap on the misery pyre?" she asked.

"Depends," Elias said, speaking up for the first time.

Inara looked at him.

"You should see this…"

Inara stood up and slowly walked to the open door. She took one look outside and her legs gave way. She fell to her knees with a jolt but this did nothing to shake her out of her shock as she continued to stare at the world outside in stunned horror.

It was a complete hell.

This place must have once been a glorious shining city but now it a bleak landscape of twisted metal and broken concrete, a world devoid of any life.

The sky was thick with a strange impenetrable smog, dregs of the choking smoke settling over the crumbling shattered buildings that littered cracked and dilapidated streets. Fire still raged in some sections of the ruined city, fiery claws slashing at the sky. A building collapsed before her eyes into a cascade of rubble and debris, falling to the ground in a plume of dust.

The air was dry and harsh burning her throat with each breath as Inara struggled to take it all in.

"What… what happened here?"  
"From the looks of it?" Elias said, "A war… a giant one. And look at that."

He pointed and Inara followed his finger. She looked past the first row of broken buildings, past a billboard that ironically showed the beaming face of a beautiful woman and at a giant crater that had been gouged into the centre of the city.

Its edges were blackened, everything within a mess of fused metal and glass. The crater easily encompassed an area the size of thirty city blocks.

"What is that?" Zaru asked as Susan and the leopard joined them.

"Only one thing can cause that much damage," Elias said grimly.

He looked at them, dark eyes extremely worried.

"An atomic fission weapon."

Everyone looked at him blankly. Elias sighed and explained himself.

"A nuclear weapon."

"Well, this is homely," Jason remarked dryly.

Peter raised an eyebrow as he surveyed the post-apocalyptic hell that was their surroundings. They were standing on an outcrop so the view it afforded them of the ruined city below was both stunning and deeply, deeply unnerving.

"Well, it does have a certain… charm," the High King pointed out, "I think we should starting scouting the land."

Jason grunted, tossing the young boy (well in his eyes anyway…) a challenging look. Peter met his eyes coolly. To Susan he might be willing to submit and follow her lead but to this man…

Peter jutted his chin out stubbornly, both Seeker and King completely oblivious to the fact that they were standing in very similar challenging poses with very similar mulish looks on their faces.

"Really?" Jason growled out.

Peter narrowed his eyes. Jason glared at him not liking the casual way the older Pevensie expected other people to just follow him without question.

Peter was fuming at the fact that Jason so obviously looked down on him.

"What's your plan?" Peter snapped.

"Sit. Wait. Hope you drop dead," Jason said bluntly.

Peter visibly held back his temper and hand, resisting the urge to skewer the Seeker through. Jason smirked daring him to make the first move.

"Is fighting going to solve anything?" a weary voice broke in.

Jason and Peter turned and stared into David's haggard face. The Toran was pale and still shell-shocked over the destruction of his whole world and death of everyone he knew. But there was a spark in him, it burned in his eyes and drove him on, pushing him past pain and anguish and into action.

"We can't stay here," David continued quietly, "Unless you really want to fight out whatever petty dislike you have for one another."

"Because as you've just witnessed hatred always ends so well," Siobhan said bitterly speaking up.

Jason and Peter sucked in a shocked breath and glanced at each other, instantly ashamed. Peter shifted, red staining his cheeks as he fidgeted with his shirt. Beside him the Seeker winced, clearing his throat uncomfortably before speaking.

"Sorry," they both muttered, chastised.

"What happened here?" David asked dully.

"War," Siobhan had a sad look on her face as she glanced out at the destruction before her, "What else?"

She trembled, emotions overwhelming the usually taciturn Ursine. David instantly shifted, touching her arm, comforting her. Siobhan blinked and looked at him in surprise as David's eyes bore into her own, reminding her she was not alone.

"We need to look for the others," Peter said firmly.

"Great. How?" Jason swept his arm around, indicating the immense land around them, "They could be anywhere!?"

"What do you usually do when you need to find someone?" Peter demanded.

Jason sighed.

"Honestly? Kitty usually picks up their trail and we just follow him."

Peter grimaced, rubbing at his temples.

"Fantastic," he muttered, "Just fan…"

"I can you know."

David, Peter and Jason turned to look at Siobhan. The Ursine raised an eyebrow at their incredulous stares.

"Bears have good senses of smell," she pointed out.

"Urgh! Bears!" David cursed but without the bitterness or hatred from before.

"Can you? Please?" Peter begged.

Siobhan nodded and concentrated, the fur cloak and the bear's face on her head merging into her own skin as her magic flowed through her veins. The men watched fascinated as she continued to change, her slender form filling out into a bear's devastating bulk. Siobhan was half-in, half-out of her bear form when she suddenly froze.

"People," she sniffed the air, her speech was slurred as she tried to speak around a mouthful of sharp teeth "Coming."

"What?!"

Before Peter could say another word, the sound of running engines and screeching tyres tore through the air. They were on them in a second, a fleet of rusty old motorbikes tearing around the hill, clods of dirt flying in their wake.

Peter took a step forwards, sword in hand but the motorbikes whipped just past him forcing the king back as the riders formed a tight ring around the quartet, cutting them off completely.

The riders were dressed purely in black, sunlight glinting off the black visors of their helmet. They continued to circle them like vultures, motorbikes roaring.

"Bad?" Jason asked mildly.

"Very bad," Peter scowled.

He raised his sword as the others raised their weapon: Jason with his daggers, David with a lone handgun. Siobhan merely dropped to all fours, now fully in her bear form.

"Alright," Jason said calmly, "Let's see how many of them we can take down with us."

"Mutant zombies."

"Huh?" Susan was completely confused.

Inara looked at her earnestly.

"In any post-nuclear war world there's got to be mutant zombies. You know people who O.D.-ed on radiation and now feed on human brains for survival!"

"I'm pretty sure that's scientifically impossible," Elias pointed out, amused, "You'll most likely die from radiation poisoning or some form of secondary cancer. The process will be excruciating of course and…"

Susan, Inara and Zaru glared at him, really not wanting to be reminded of the potential dangers they were exposing themselves to by just walking through this ruinous city.

"Sorry?" Elias offered meekly.

They continued walking, passing more scenes of destruction. Zaru breathed in taking in the scent of ash and blood and death, his fur sticking up as his nose told him the depravity and destruction that once visited this city.

A burnt out shell of a car lay sprawled over the pavement, its twisted remains like the blackened skeleton of a long-dead beast. Above every window in every building had been shattered leaving gaping holes to stare mournfully down at the small group as they continued to walk, hurrying their steps as the grim silence of the dead city slowly got to them.

Suddenly Zaru froze picking up a scent.

"People," he hissed lowly.

"Here?" Elias gazed around the ghost city incredulously.

"Mutant zombies!" Inara reminded them.

Susan whacked her lightly across the back of her head before she could continue. Stealthily they rounded the corner and stopped, hiding behind the remains of a burnt out bus.

"What on earth…" Elias began.

"Two tanks of water!!" one man yelled, springing to his feet.

There was an instant uproar amongst the crowd. The throng was sitting on the wide flank of concrete steps that led down into what looked like an amphitheatre. There were people up on the stage, bare-chested muscular men and women cowering in chains as the crowd continued to fight and scream amongst themselves.

"Three tanks!" a woman dressed in luxurious purple silks called out.

"And Madam Rousseau has upped the ante to three tanks!" a towering man on the stage announced to the baying crowd.

He was massive in both height and weight, broad-shouldered, his arms muscled to an abnormal degree. His face was lit up with greed and malice, his long auburn hair tied back into a tail revealing the complex tattoos imprinted into the left side of his face, the thick ink lines stylised into claw marks complete with dripping blood. On his right, there was a real scar, puckered and ugly.

"Come on ladies and gentlemen!" the man announced, "We have three lovely slaves for you here. Wonderful girls ready to work as maids or for pleasure! Three tanks? You insult me with your thriftiness!"

"Five tanks!" the first bidder yelled.

Rousseau glared at him.

"Eight," she spat.

The man on the stage laughed.

"Now we're talking! Eight tanks! Do we have more bids? Look at the girls! Imagine how they will look in your kitchens or bed!!"

He pointed at the three skinny waifs on the stage, thick heavy chains binding them to the iron rings in the ground. A quartet of heavily muscular guards armed with clubs stood at the ready, the girls quailing under their intense gaze and the roar of the crowd.

"How dare they!" Susan hissed disgusted, "How dare they!? Slavery?!?"

She stepped back away from the bus and turned to her companions, blue eyes flashing, her skin flushed as she trembled with fury.

"What do we do?" Inara growled, her eyes still focused on the redhead man as he exulted in the latest bid.

"What else?" Susan took up her bow and tested the string, plucking at it delicately.

She glared at the slave auction happening behind them.

"We put a stop to it!!"

Siobhan roared and took a step forwards, snapping with her jaws. The motorbikes began to slow even as they continued to circle them, finally with a gesture from one of the riders they all stopped.

Jason narrowed his eyes, drawing his power to him as he readied for a fight. The riders continued to simply watch them in complete silence, a ring of black helmets studying them intently.

Finally the rider who had gestured hopped off his bike. Peter tensed, tightening the grip on his sword.

With one swift movement, the rider tore off his helmet as a skein of wavy dark hair revealed itself in the harsh daylight.

The High King froze as the tall figure continued to walk towards them, a disbelieving look on his swarthy face.

"Peter?" the voice was accented and astonished.

Siobhan, David and Jason looked at the High King in surprise as Peter tried to speak but his voice came out as a squeak.

He swallowed thickly and tried again.

"Caspian?" he stammered out

Caspian the Tenth, King of Narnia, was completely stunned, blinking rapidly as he tried to make sense of what was going on. Of all the people he expected to see…

His riders remained silent, watching the scene, still straddling their bikes.

Peter and Caspian both spoke at exactly the same time.

"What are you doing here?!?"

**Author's notes:** Well, I'm really glad that the message from this world struck a chord with so many people – that's the main point of why I created this particular world…

So onto some of the questions from the last few chapters:

First of all – the Djinn, the reason why our heroes started fighting each other is because of the Djinn's powers which is to basically cause wars and sow discord. Sorry if that wasn't made clear last chapter but I hope this clears things up a little.

Gixie – the reason why both fathers said 'you are no child of mine' was to show symmetry; it was showing once again how both Torans and Ursines beneath it all acted and were pretty much the same. It was an artistic licence and I'm sorry if it annoyed you – when you said there were other examples can you please point them out? Because I don't really understand what you're saying (probably because I'm a bit slow with these things…)

Khajit – About David and Siobhan… yeah, they're a little bit vague on backgrounds and seem a bit shallow but seeing as how they're staying around for at least one more arc hopefully I can build on that. There's an important bit of Siobhan show here about her past that will come into player a little bit later.

And for the people who wanted Caspian – HERE HE IS!!! But if you're all expecting Susan to just fall into his arms and everything be lovey-dovey… well, you'll just have to read on!!!


	28. Faces from a distant past

Sorry about the long wait… computer was stuffing up but get it whilst it's hot!!!

Disclaimer: Yada, yada, I am not C.S. Lewis

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 28: Faces from the distant past**

"So what's the plan?" Elias asked.

"We charge in, kill things, rescue them, don't get killed and get out," Susan snapped in staccato fashion.

Susan was furious. The mere thought of slavery was abhorrent to her. Even the idea of imprisoning someone was terrible but to just go and sell them for profit…

Susan gritted her teeth.

She was a Narnian, no matter her birthplace, and to any Narnians be they beasts, centaurs, dryads or humans there was nothing more important than freedom (especially if you factor in the 1000 years of slavery under Jadis's brutal regime). All Narnians were wild at heart and to them the caging of anyone for any reason was almost incomprehensible.

But this, this slave auction was beyond that. To just sell someone, to sell them off to the highest bidder as if they were meat or a yard of cloth, that was a crime that could not go unpunished.

The general and strategist inside her knew this was a stupid idea, attacking a whole crowd with just four people but the queen and the human inside of her raged at the injustice happening before her. She could not stand idly by.

Susan turned to the others and they nodded at her, ready to go into battle. She gripped her bow with white-knuckled fingers.

"Only attack those who fight back,' she said in a clear calm voice.

She raised her bow, put arrow to string and aimed it carefully at the redheaded man leading the slave auction.

"Come on!" the man urged the crowd feeding the frenzy, "I have ten tanks of water! Surely you can do better than that!"

With a cry, she let go of the bowstring. It sprung forwards with an audible twang and the arrow lanced through the startled crowd and ripped deep into the man's shoulder.

AAAAAA

Peter and Caspian stared at each other, completely stunned.

"Caspian?" one of the riders asked unsteadily.

"Do we kill the intruders?" a cold voice demanded.

That seemed to snap Caspian out of his shock and he instantly shook his head, his eyes still dazed.

"No!" he commanded, "NO! These are friends of mine…"

"Well, friends might be taking it a bit far," Peter smirked.

Caspian laughed. Behind Peter Jason was frowning, something resonating in his mind.

"Caspian," the Seeker whispered to himself, testing the name, "Caspian…"

Siobhan shifted out of her bear form as the riders all started in surprise. The Ursine princess glared at Caspian, hands on hips, ignoring the riders' disbelieving stares.

"What is this place?" she demanded, indicating the land around them, "What happened here?"

Caspian opened his mouth to talk but a flash of movement froze him in his tracks.

"BAM!"

The Telmarine was sent sprawling as Jason's power surged forwards slamming the man down into the ground. Jason slowly lowered his arm, a satisfied smirk on his face.

"JASON!!" Peter roared, furious.

"CASPIAN!!" the riders shifted and sunlight glinted off metal as an array of rifles and knifes were instantly pointed at the Seeker.

"What the hell?!?" Peter spat, his face flushed, "What are you playing at?"

"Caspian right?" Jason said calmly ignoring the weapons pointed straight at him.

Caspian slowly got up, his face contorted into a scowl.

"I could have you executed," his voice was winter cold but Jason didn't even blink.

"What was that about?" David demanded.

Jason uttered one single word.

"Susan."

Caspian froze, his eyes bulging at the name. Peter was slightly unnerved to see a wild joy suffuse the king's dark eyes. Caspian opened his mouth to speak but no noise came out. He swallowed before trying again.

"She… she's here?" Caspian asked, disbelieving, "She's… she's here?"

His lips twitched ever so subtly forwards but Peter and Jason both noticed, their eyes narrowing.

"Why did you attack him?" one of the riders demanded, a slender female judging by the hug of her leather jacket, "What right…"

"He hurt someone close to my heart," Jason scowled, "She went through hell because of him!"

Caspian flushed, both shamed and furious. He drew himself to his full height, a muscle twitching dangerously in his cheek.

"I did no such thing," he hissed, "I would never hurt her. If it was up to me I would have had her stay forever!"

The intensity and the promise in those words took Peter by surprise.

"So do not blame me for what happened," Caspian's voice was husky with emotion, "It was not my wish to have her leave."

Peter felt helpless before his words. He had known about the strength of Susan's feelings for this man, having seen Susan lose her way after leaving Narnia and Caspian behind. And after seeing her smother her soul and sorrows in make-up and silks, it had been easy to paint Caspian as the villain, imagine him as the cold manipulative bastard who had broken his little sister's heart. But now in the face of such anguish, Peter could see Caspian had been hurting just as much as his sister.

The High King grimaced realising he actually (Alsan help him!) felt sorry for the Telmarine.

Caspian glared at Jason daring the Seeker to say another word but Jason merely grunted in response. Peter, not knowing how to even begin dealing with such intense emotions, decided to press onto more urgent priorities.

"Caspian, we need your help," Peter said slowly.

Caspian tore his eyes away from a now silent Jason and turned to Peter. The High King winced realising his next words were going to be the spark that lit the gunpowder.

"Susan's missing," Peter said quietly, "We need to find her."

Caspian's face drained of blood.

"Missing?" he swore beneath his breath, "This is not a good place to be lost in."

Peter and Jason frowned at his words as Caspian remained silent, a dark closed look on his face.

"Sir, we have to move," the female rider spoke up, "Our scanners are detecting large bodies moving in this way."

"The Blooded?" Caspian asked, turning to her.

"Negative," the woman's voice shook, "I think it's the Arachnas."

Caspian's eyes widened as the riders shifted uncomfortably.

"We ride!" Caspian ordered, "Peter, you're with me. Sabra, Desmond and Leonie, take the other three with you."

"What's happening?" Peter demanded, "Blooded? Arachnas? What is all…"

"Not now," Caspian said, cutting him off as Peter glared at him, "Trust me. You do not want to be here when they come."

He literally dragged the High King to his motorbike and quickly both kings mounted the machine, Peter seating awkwardly behind Caspian.

"MOVE!!!" Caspian ordered.

The riders roared off, the four travellers clinging on for dear life.

AAAAAA

"CUTTER!" one of the guards roared as the man fell to his knees roaring in pain.

Cutter grabbed the arrow's shaft and ripped it from his flesh, screaming in fury.

"Who dares?" he roared, "Who dares?!?"  
"I do," a clear voice scythed through the crowd's cries.

Cutter turned and his eyes narrowed seeing the slender young woman standing at the top of the concrete amphitheatre, silhouetted against the sun's light.

"You just picked the wrong person to mess with!" Cutter spat, "KILL HER!! KILL HER NOW!!!"

One of the guards roared and began charging up the stairs, bowling people left and right.

Susan coolly fired a second arrow and the guard went down, gurgling around the shaft embedded in his throat.

Cutter roared in fury and pulled his gun from his holster, aiming it at the girl.

"HEADS UP!!!" a second voice bellowed.

Cutter's head snapped upwards just in time to see a small ball descend from the heavens. The slaver frowned wondering what it was.

His question was quickly answered as the smoke orb slammed onto the stage and promptly exploded, thick smoke billowing out in all directions. Cutter sucked in a lungful of the smoke and instantly began wheezing violently, staggering through the smoke as he fought to breath.

Beyond the smoke, most of the slaver buyers had fled but several remained, turning on the queen.

"How dare you!" one immensely muscular man roared, "Do you honestly think you can get away with this?"

"CRACK!"

With a sickening crunch, the man's kneecap was shattered. He fell the ground, screaming with all his might as Inara stepped back, admiring her handiwork.

"Ouch," Inara observed, "That looked like it hurt!"

She ducked as a second man swung at her.

"GO!" she yelled at Susan, "I'll take care of these people!"

Susan flew down the stairs, Zaru bounding beside her as Elias brought up the rear. Arrows went flying as Susan attacked anyone who dared to cross their path.

"Isn't this fun!" Zaru said cheerfully before tackling one man down, tearing into him with fang and teeth.

"Yes," Susan snapped letting loose with another arrow, "Like a walk in the park!!"

AAAAAA

Peter glanced up as Caspian approached, the current king of Narnia looking highly uncomfortable. Peter mentally sighed knowing what he wanted to talk about.

Two of the bikes' engines had stalled forcing the small group to halt as the riders tinkered with the engines. Now it seems Caspian was taking advantage of the delay to ask about…

"Queen Susan," Caspian said bluntly, stopping just in front of him, "How is she? Is she well?"

The Telmarine looked at Peter pleadingly, begging the oldest Pevensie to answer the questions that had plagued him for almost three years.

His last memory of her had been that unexpected, unforgettable kiss and then she was gone, returned to her own world before he even began to realise how much she'd meant to him. Caspian had tortured himself in his waking hours and in his sleep, memories of that kiss, her smile, the disbelieving grateful look on her face as he rescued her in forest, all of these images and thousands more in between looping endlessly inside his head.

The simple truth was that he _needed _her, needed her like air or food or water or some other necessity of life. Every day without her, even when surrounded by friends and loyal subjects, had been pure unending agony. And he had to live through all that knowing all along he would never seen her again.

Knowing that she was here and so close to him? It made his heart race and stop at the same time.

"How is she?" Caspian repeated, heart in his throat.

Peter looked at him squarely knowing that against his every wish Caspian and Susan had a bond and if nothing else this man deserved the truth as ugly as it might be.

"She…" Peter sighed, "She was hurting. A lot."

Caspian sucked in a breath, pain stabbing him deep in the gut.

"She got lost," Peter confessed quietly, "She tried to forget about Narnia and Aslan… and you. And I think she would've succeeded if none of this had happened."

When Caspian spoke again, his voice was trembling.

"And now?" he begged.

Peter smiled.

"She's different. Stronger, maturer, a real spitfire," Peter laughed, "If you want to court her…"

Caspian flushed at hearing his desire named so nakedly but Peter merely smirked.

"If you want to court her," he repeated, "I suggest you learn how to duck arrows… fast."

"You don't mind?" Caspian asked incredulously.

In Narnia, Caspian always had the impression that Peter would have gladly impaled him upon Rhindon for merely looking at Susan let alone courting her...

"You know what I learnt Caspian?" Peter smiled sadly, "Susan's a woman now. I'm not going to stand in her way anymore. I trust her to make the right choice but…"

He pointed a warning finger at Caspian, all joke and humour gone from his face. His expression was the cold steely mask he wore to battle.

"If you hurt her, they'll be looking for your body for weeks," he vowed.

Caspian winced and managed to a weak smile as Peter smiled again, silently enjoying the other man's discomfort.

"Besides you still have to get through all of Susan's protectors," he said casually.

Caspian frowned.

"Protectors?"

AAAAAA

Zaru roared.

"HOW DARE YOU?!?" the leopard spat.

The guard barely stood a chance as the leopard went for his throat, hissing in fury. Susan sat up slowly, gingerly rubbing her bruised cheek.

"You okay?" Elias asked urgently.

"Lucky blow," Susan cursed, standing up.

Both of them winced as one of the slaver buyers went tumbling down the stairs, joints popping out of place, bones breaking as he went. Inara casually stepped over his unconscious body, all the other buyers lying in unconscious heaps behind her.

"Fun group activity," she noted dryly, "Next time can we just shop and squeal over hot guys?"

Susan grimaced, memories of her past life in London floating back into her mind. It was not a period of her life she was proud of. Ruthlessly she shoved those thoughts into the darkest recess of her mind as the smoke hovering around the stage finally cleared revealing Cutter, the slaves and his remaining guards.

"You've got guts," Cutter spat, still coughing slightly, "I will enjoy playing with them!"

"Wow," Zaru observed, "That was mildly intimidating."

Inara cocked her head to the side.

"I don't know those freaky scar tattoos do increase the intimidation factor slightly," she glanced at Susan, "Queenie? Thoughts?"

"I'm shaking in my boots," Susan said dryly.

Cutter flushed, turning a dull crimson as the guards hid their laughter with small coughs. The slaver glared at Susan, raising his rifle threateningly.

"Before I was just going to kill you but now I'm going to hurt you then sell you off as slaves," a nasty smile curled his lips, "I'm pretty sure Madam Rousseau will have some fine customers who will enjoy meeting you two lovely girls."

He raised his gun, his face still contorted in a malicious greedy grin. Susan merely raised an eyebrow.

"You know maybe you should spend less time talking," she suggested helpfully, "It gives your opponents less time to spring a trap."

Cutter blinked in confusion as Susan grinned pointing at something behind him. The slaver whirled around just in time to see Elias, who'd sneaked up behind him, fire his modified crossbow.

The fire orb hit the ground right next to the slaver's foot and detonated, blasting Cutter off his feet in a burst of flames. Susan, Zaru and Inara instantly moved leaping onto the stage as Cutter hit the ground in a smoking heap.

The guards surged forwards, roaring as they swung their heavy clubs around. Susan instantly tossed her bow aside, unsheathing her daggers.

With a roar, the two sides clashed in a flurry of blows and blades.

AAAAAA

"So there's some kind of dagger-wielding… uhh… cowboy with magical powers, a scientist, a Narnian leopard and a loudmouth girl who just happens to have magical fighting powers?" Caspian asked faintly.

Peter nodded.

"That pretty much sums it up. There's also Siobhan and David but Aslan didn't choose them, we had to rescue from them the last world," Peter turned sober at the memory of Derrick's crazed last wish and the devastation the Djinn had wrought with those words, "It's complicated."

"And Queen Susan is their leader?" Caspian asked quietly.

Peter nodded, smiling slightly.

"Their loyalty to her is unbreakable," he informed the Telmarine.

Peter winced remembering all the times the companions had sided with Susan against him. As much as he had hated it at the time, he couldn't help but admire the strength of their devotion to his sister.

"So trust me, if you hurt Su, I'll be the least of your worries," Peter gave him a friendly smile with too much teeth, "You'll be bitten, stabbed, snapped in two and blown-up before you can even think to regret it."

Caspian blanched as Peter smirked watching him squirm. The High King turned serious as he looked Caspian squarely in the eye.

"Before you mentioned that Susan is in danger," he said seriously, "How dangerous is this world?"

Caspian sighed and ran one hand through his tousled hair.

"It's complicated," he said in his accented voice, "There's… there's no rulers in this world. No laws. Nothing. There are factions and sects such as this one but others are much more ruthless and less scrupulous. If Queen Susan runs foul of one of those…"

"There's just humans right?" Peter asked suddenly, nightmarish images of the vampires flashing in his head.

He felt sick and nauseous but forced himself to be strong as strange look came over Caspian's face. The Telmarine fidgeted slightly.

"For the most part… yes," Caspian said shortly.

Peter was silent, a closed look on his face as he took in this new bit of information. Finally he shrugged nonchalantly drawing a startled gasp from Caspian who had expected Peter to immediately demand a full-scale search and rescue for his missing sister.

"Well, Su can watch herself. She can handle herself in a fight and knowing her she's probably keeping low at the moment."

"You think?" Caspian asked dubiously.

Peter smiled at him reassuringly even as he prayed that his sister would be fine. The idea of her being in any danger and that he was too far way to help, it set Peter's teeth on edge. But ruthlessly he grabbed hold on his nerves and forced himself to talk because as much as he might hate to admit it Susan no longer needed him to protect her, she could easily handle herself.

"Trust me, the last thing Susan would do is jump into a fight. Until she knows more about this world, she'll stay out of a trouble."

AAAAAA

Susan was in deep trouble. The queen cried out as took a kick to the gut and staggered backwards, gasping desperately for breath. The guard leered at her, laughing oafishly as he raised his club ready to finish her off.

Susan looked up, wincing and the guard swung down at her. With a cry, she threw her hand forwards before diving to the side.

The heavy club just missed her, sailing right past her ankle as it smashed into the paved floor, chips of stone flying everywhere.

Susan hit the ground and rolled to a stop before slowly climbing to her feet, glaring at the guard.

"Clunk!"

The club fell from the guard's nerveless hand and he fell to the ground, Susan's thrown dagger embedded deep into his chest. He stared at amazement at Susan, shocked that such a petite girl could defeat him. The guard tried to speak, blood oozing from his lips but died before he could muster a single breath.

Susan ruthlessly shoved down her revulsion and walked towards the downed guard, pulling out her dagger before turning back to the rest of the battle.

Inara was locked in combat with two of the guards, sword flashing as she danced and duelled with two muscular men who easily towered over her by several inches.

"WHAP!"

With a cry, Inara hacked into one of the guard's clubs, shearing it off at the handle. The guard blinked at her piggishly holding the useless handle in his hand, confused at what had just happened.

Inara smirked and struck him across the face with the flat of her blade knocking him out.

"INARA!" Susan yelled, seeing her danger.

Inara turned and the second guard crashed straight into her, throwing her aside by pure brutal force. Inara hit the ground, her sword flying out her hands as the guard swung at her.

Susan cried out and flipped her dagger in her hands ready to bring the man down but Inara was quicker, lashing out and kick his arm away before he could hit her.

The guard roared in fury and swung down again but Zaru pounced on him, latching onto his face as the man let out a muffled roar and staggered away, trying to rip the leopard free.

Susan winced as the guard tripped over his own foot and hit the ground, Zaru still on top of him. Suddenly the man was still as Zaru delicately leapt off him, his mouth blood-stained.

"Watch my back!" Elias yelled.

Susan, Inara and Zaru fell back, protecting the professor as he darted towards the captured slaves.

"Please sir!" one of the girls screamed at him, "You have to free us!!"

"Cutter will kill us!" the other slave begged, "If you don't free us, he'll…"

"Shh…" Elias tried to soothe them, "Don't worry, we'll get you out of here."

The remaining guards slammed into the trio guarding his back as Elias studied the iron loop embedded in the stone floor, the origin of the slaves' chains.

"Stand back," he ordered the girls.

Timidly and terrified out of their minds, the girls crawled as far away as the chains allowed as Elias reached into his pocket and pulled out a small glass vial. He unscrewed the top and poured the small amount of liquid onto the iron.

Instantly the iron began to sizzle and smoke as the strange substance ate through the metal in record time. Elias smiled in triumph before capping the vial and slipping it back into his pocket.

"Come on!" he urged grabbing onto one of the girl's arms.

The three girls were free but the arms and legs were still shackled, the loose end of the chains rattling as they stood.

"GO!" Elias roared, "MOVE IT!!!"

Susan ripped her sceptre free from its sheath across her back and swung out, shocking the final two guards with its paralysing energy. She darted across the stage, grabbed her bow and led the charge up the stairs, dark hair flying out behind her.

Elias shepherded the freed girls out of the concrete amphitheatre as Inara and Zaru brought up the real, watching the downed guards carefully.

In a few short minutes they were gone leaving behind smoking craters, shattered stones and the dead and unconscious bodies of Cutter and his men.

AAAAAA

"What is this place?" Siobhan demanded.

Caspian slowed his motorbike to a halt and eased himself off the machine, Peter almost falling off it, his muscles protesting against the uncomfortable rocky ride he'd just endured. Grimacing, the High King stood rubbing at his stiff limbs.

"This is our headquarters," Sabra said quietly.

The rider pulled off her helmet revealing her flaming red curls. Dark eyes glanced at Caspian, her leader, some silent message passing between the two.

Caspian gave a small subtle and Sabra grimaced.

Jason looked around and couldn't help but feel impressed. They were standing in the immense foyer of what must have been an extravagant skyscraper, a monolithic structure of iron and steel. But whatever disaster have visited this world had sheared the tower almost at its base, most of the building lying around in twisted scraps of metal and broken concrete but the foundation and first few floors were completely intact.

"Doesn't look safe," David grunted.

"We don't live at the bottom boy," Desmond, a heavily scarred man growled, "This is just the overground."

"Overground?" David repeated.

Sabra hurried over to something that looked completely alien to Jason and Siobhan but David and Peter could see it was an elevator, the heavy metal doors sent into a filthy marble wall.

The redhead opened the metal panel beside the door revealing a confusing array of buttons and switches. Deftly, she began to press and flick them in a long sequence, some of the switches lighting up as the rest of the riders loitered around, completely unimpressed even as the newcomers gaped in surprise.

Finally Sabra stepped back and the metal doors rumbled before sliding open revealing the elevator within.

"After you," Caspian urged.

Jason and Peter glanced at each other before entering the small metal box, David stepping in after them. Siobhan shuddered but followed suit as the riders crammed in after them.

Caspian pressed a button against the wall and the doors sealed shut, the whole elevator rumbling as they began descending down the shaft.

They were instantly plugged into the darkness and Peter started, sweat rolling down his face as he tried to fight his rising panic.

"Not the dark," he muttered trying to master himself, "Anything but the dark!"

Jason glanced at him sharply and Peter sucked in a quick breath, alarmed the Seeker would know his weakness. The High King forced himself to look back at him squarely, his crystal blue eyes betraying none of his terror.

Finally the elevator stopped and the door slid open allowing a cheery yellow light to spill into the cramped confines.

The riders got out first and finally the four travellers from another stepped out of the shaft and into the light.

"What the…" Peter gasped, eyes bulging at the scene in front of him.

Jason blinked in surprise but remained silent as David and Siobhan let out twins cries of shock.

They were standing on a platform that overlooked an immense underground cavern, its expanse stretching out far beyond what the eye could see. But it was the sheer size that had shocked them it was what the cavern contained within.

Towers, buildings and roads were stretched out beyond them, people bustling amongst them going about their daily business. Above on the ceiling, millions of tiny white lights blazed creating the illusion of a sunny day.

It was as though through some fancy of nature an entire city had been sent plummeting deep into the earth, to lie deep in the bowels of the world itself and yet somehow support an entire civilisation and thrive.

Peter, Jason, David and Siobhan were looking at a giant underground city. Caspian smiled at their shock.

"You like?" the Telmarine gave them a smug smile, "Welcome to Persephone."

AAAAAA

The view from the balcony as impressive as it was daunting. Awe-inspiring that such an immense subterranean city, such exquisite engineering could be achieved. Terrifying that a civilisation capable of such greatness could be reduced to this pathetic underground existence as a whole world above had been reduced to ruin by evil wrought by their own hands.

Jason's mind flashed back to the last world and the one rage-crazed wish that had ended it all. The Seeker sighed and pondered on the needless death and destruction that hatred caused.

He stiffed and turned as the door to his utilitarian room swung open. Caspian walked in, somewhat cautiously expecting another assault. Jason raised one eyebrow and waited.

"I want to talk to you," Caspian began.

Jason had a good damn idea what this young man wanted to talk about but he kept up his blank face taking perverse pleasure in the way Caspian fidgeted under his icy gaze.

"About?" Jason asked mildly.

"Do I have to watch my back around you?" Caspian asked without preamble.

The Seeker smiled, a cool lift of the lips that spoke of danger and treachery.

"No," Jason said innocently.

Caspian drew himself to his full height, his shoulders squared.

"If you wish to fight me for Queen Susan's honour we can have it arranged," Caspian said heatedly.

Jason finally reacted, taking a dangerously step forwards, tension thrumming in the room.

"Listen boy," Jason growled back, "Susan doesn't need you fighting for her honour. She is very capable of doing it herself!"

Caspian's eyes flashed.

"Why you hate me?" Caspian spat, "Do you think I wanted her to leave me!"

"No, I dislike you because you just expect her to fall back into your arms like some witless maiden," Jason shot back.

Caspian flushed, his hands going towards the knife hanging at his belt. Jason raised his hands, ready for an attack. Caspian froze, narrowing his eyes, still fuming but knowing enough o back off.

"Susan isn't some innocent girl who's just going to fall for her white knight," Jason said matter-of-factly, "She's a woman. You want her? You have to fight for her!"

Jason watched Caspian carefully, gauging his reaction. Whether the "king" like it or not (Jason relished the thought of Caspian daring to go against him) Susan was under the Seeker's careful eye and protection. Jason wasn't naive enough to believe he could control Susan's choices but he would make damn sure only those worthy enough would even come to her attention.

Caspian's answer was instant, his voice quiet but burning with intensity.

"I will fight a war for her," Caspian vowed.

Jason smiled predatorily even as he inwardly approved the boy's willingness if not his suitability.

"Good," Jason almost snarled, "Let's see if it will be enough for her!"

AAAAAA

"Cutter will kill you all," Layla said deadpanned.

"I'd like see him try," Inara said fiercely, "Don't worry girls we'll handle him."

"No you won't," Hari, another of the slaves they'd freed broke in, "He'll you apart and freed you to the Archnas or the Nzambi. You'll never beat him!"

"Well, not with that attitude," Inara scolded.

"Do you have any idea who you are facing?" Layla demanded, "Cutter is one of the Blooded!

"The Blooded?" Elias asked curiously.

The small group was huddled at the base of a once impressive skyscraper, now nothing more than a blackened skeleton of twisted metal and evil shadows.

"One of the largest groups running the Western Lands," Layla said incredulously, "How can you not have heard of them?"

The four companions glanced at each other as the slaves looked at them, suspiciously.

"Distant travellers," Elias said promptly, "Far, far, far away."

"He has a vasty army behind him, am army that will mobilise again us and tear us all apart," Kira, the third girl, said quietly, ashen-faced, "Cutter is not someone you want to tangle with."

"An army?" Susan said sharply, a strange note in her voice.

Inara, Elias and Zaru turned towards her, the queen was staring off into the distance an unreadable expression on her face.

"You mean one like that?" Susan asked flatly, pointing to the west.

They all looked and as one blanched at the sight that greeted them.

Motorbikes trucks and cared, each one black and emblazoned with the symbol of a dagger thrust through a red heart, was charging towards them, dust spraying in their wake.

"Oh cr…" Inara cursed.

The slaves recoiled as though they'd been punched, Layla scowling in fury as Kira burst into tears.

"Oh no! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!" Hari cried, "They're here!"

Susan glanced at Elias and the scientist instantly understood. He raised his crossbow and instantly set an orb into place.

An fire orb slammed into the side of the one motorbikes and detonated, tossing the rider high up into the air. Elias instantly followed up with a second shot.

The reply was instant and deadly as bullets roared through the air, everyone diving to avoid the rain of red-hot metal.

"NOW!!!"

Elias, Susan and Inara instantly began hurling orbs into the incoming army, fire and smoke blasting the convoy. It gave them the split second they needed.

"GO!" Susan cried, "RUN!!!"

Inara pulled the slaves to their feet and glanced at Susan. Susan nodded at her and Inara grimacing knowing what the queen was saying. She was to protect the slaves with her life.

The warrior nodded back, dragging Elias with her as they down the ruined street. Zaru was by her side as Susan followed as behind them the army of the Blooded burst through the smoke in hot pursuit.

AAAAAA

"It makes you think doesn't it?"

Siobhan looked up, her eyes wet with tears. Angrily she scrubbed them away and turned away. The Ursine princess was perched on the edge of the roof overlooking the whole city of Persephone.

"What the hell are you talking about?" she demanded.

David took a seat beside her, his eyes focused on the wondrous city all around them.

"Would our people have ended up like this?" the Toran said quietly, "Would our world have ended up like this graveyard if it wasn't…"

"For your father?" the Ursine princess snapped, "Your father butchered my people!"

She glared at him, flames leaping from her eyes as her hands shifted into claws ready rip the boy apart.

"My father killed everyone," David said sadly, "He was so blind he couldn't see that the war would eventually kill us all."

The two once mortal enemies sat together in silence looking at Persephone, a dreary reminder of what remains after a war: ruins and nothingness.

"Do you think… do you think we would've ended up like this?" Siobhan asked suddenly in a small timid voice.

David shrugged sadly.

"Honestly? I don't know…"

"Could we… the war never should've happened," Siobhan punched the floor in frustration, "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! I can't believe we fell for the tricks from a stupid lamp of all things! Now everyone's just…"

She swallowed thickly.

"Everything's gone," she said flatly, "We are all that's left."

"Just us two," David responded just as quietly.

They sat in silence, each wrapped up in their own grief and despair, taunted by memories and possibilities. Siobhan suddenly leapt to her feet.

"I have to go," she said stonily, her voice trembling, "I just have to…"

She ran off, her sobs floating through the air as David bowed his head, his shoulders trembling as he tried to hold himself together.

Siobhan continued to run from him and her memories as he was left to sit by himself, both of them the last of their kind, completely and utterly alone.

AAAAAA

Peter stepped out of the bathroom and into utter darkness. Instantly he froze, his heart smashing against his chest as he peered into the shadows around him, nightmares and fragmented memories swirling violently inside his head.

He slowly forced himself to edge forwards, his hands flailing through the dark trying to find the light switch.

"Hello Pony," a taunting voice sung from the shadows.

Peter froze, his breath catching in his throat. He tried to move, tried to blink, tried to do something but he was completely frozen by fear.

"Missed me?"

A very familiar, very terrifying figure stepped out from the shadows, all coy smiles and winks.

Desiree, the vampire who had tortured him for months on end, smirked at Peter's horrified face. She sashayed over to him as Peter trembled, still rooted to the spot.

"You're… you're dead," he managed to choke out, "You can't be here! Please! You can't…"

"Oh don't worry Pony," Desiree taunted, "Princess is not really here."

She moved to touch him and Peter shuddered violently, memories of the violence and sadism she had visited on him looping in his head. The vampire's fingers passed through him as though she was a mere ghost.

Peter fought to control himself, his heart threatening to give way as he fought down the urge to turn and run.

"What do you want?" he finally managed to get out.

"I'm just whispering on a secret," Desiree grinned at him.

The redhead vampire pointed at him, smirking and suppressing bursts of malicious laughter.

"Poor little Peter King, soon you'll be a useless thing," Desiree chanted, clapping her hands along in a jaunty rhythm, "Poor little Peter King, soon you'll be a useless thing.'  
Peter stared at her uncomprehending as Desiree gave one last wave and a wink. And suddenly she was gone.

Peter stood for the longest time, trembling violently, his breathing shallow and fast, his heart hammering against his ribs. Slowly, very slowly he began to realise the shadows were gone, the familiar lights of his room had reappeared once more.

Peter took eight shaky steps towards his bed and collapsed onto it, lying down like a broken doll, his eyes blank and unfocused, Desiree's taunting rhyme echoing in his head.

AAAAAA

Siobhan collapsed in the hallway, sobs ripping themselves free from her throat as she completely fell apart, shifting in and out of her bear form as she continued to cry out her sorrow and despair.

"There, there…"

She stiffened.

"Siobhan… my little warrior… why so sad?"

Slowly the princess looked up into a face that she loved and hated, admired and detested all in equal parts.

Myron, King of the Ursines, Slayers of the Torans, her father beamed down at her.

"You… I've lost my mind," Siobhan looked up, "I… you… you can't be here!"

"Really?"

Myron reached out with one hand and Siobhan gasped as a rush of heady, undiluted power, the strength of which she had never felt before coursed through her like a river, almost forcing her to change into her full bear form.

Siobhan shuddered and fought to control the strength raging through her, coarse fur slowly melting back into smooth skin.

"What… who are you?"

"I am your father," Myron said sternly, "You think that blasted Toran could kill me? I've changed my daughter. I've… ascended."

Siobhan stared at him, bewildered as Myron sighed in frustration, shaking his head.

"I've been sent here by the powers above to help you… to help our people," Myron told her, "I've seen the future. Our people, the glorious Ursines, can be restored and you, you my daughter have that power. Remember your duty dear one… remember…"

"The survival of the Ursines before all else," Siobhan quoted the rule she had lived by all her life, the rules she had fought and almost died for time and time again, "Sacrifice everything for our survival."

Hope flared into Siobhan's heart and leapt into her eyes as she pushed herself off the floor, sitting up.

"How?" she demanded, "How?"

"Simple," Myron grinned at her, "I'll give you the power and there's only one thing you have to do…"

The Ursine King's eyes seemed to turned completely black as Siobhan shuddered at the force that lurked beneath those dark irises.

"Kill them all."

AAAAAA

Susan raced through the narrow alleyway brining up the rear as they continued to run for their lives, the army of the Blooded still in hot pursuit. They had taken as many turns as possible, ducking into little side streets and alleyways where the large trucks and cars couldn't fit but the motorbikes were proving their worth, having almost caught them once and twice already.

With lungs burning and legs cramping, Susan pushed on as the familiar whirring and roar of a motorbike engine echoed down the small laneway towards them.

"QUEENIE! DOWN!!" Inara roared.

Susan threw herself to the floor as Inara hefted up a pole from the ground and hurled it like a spear.

The slaves cried out in horror as the rough-make spear tore through the rider's chest and he went down in a spray of blood. The motorbike swerved and buckled and slammed into the wall, body and metal flying everywhere.

Inara swallowed back the urge to vomit at the carnage she had wrought but she shoved her revulsion down.

"It was either him or us," she said into the stunned silence.

The slaves were still gaping at her as Susan climbed to her feet.

"COME ON!" she urged, "HURRY!"

They continued their crazed flight through the labyrinth of streets, the sound of motors echoing everywhere adding to the confusion.

They rounded a corner and stopped seeing three possible paths up ahead.

"Which way?" Elias demanded.

Susan glanced down at Zaru as the leopard sniffed the air desperately.

"I can't tell!" he cried out, "There's no difference between them!"

Susan winced, her blue eyes darting between the three entranced trying to figure out their next move. The sound of roaring motors got louder and louder as she began to panic.

"Su…" Elias began.

Susan blinked and rubbed her eyes.

"Is that…" she began.

"What?" Hari demanded, "What?!?"

Susan blinked again and she caught a glimpse of gold and amber fur disappearing down one of the alleyways.

"Aslan," she whispered in awe, "ASLAN!"  
"What?!?" Zaru barked, "Your majesty…"  
"This way!" Susan urged pointing at the direction Aslan had disappeared in, "GO!!!"  
They raced down the alleyway, through alternating sections of light and shadows, the sound of roaring engines echoing in their ears. They charged down a dark tunnel, racing towards the light at the other end and finally burst out of the city's edge and into a long wide field.

"This…" Zaru froze, "… doesn't seem right."

"No," Kira was ghost white, "No…"

"What… who are these… things?" Elias demanded incredulously.

A ragtag band of people stood before their little group but it would've been deceiving to call them humans.

They were monsters, horrifically scarred and deformed. Their skin was strangely patch-worked as though sewn together from the skin of others, huge gaping scars crisscrossing their wiry bodies. Assorted ragged clothing hung from their wiry bodies, smeared with blood and other foul fluids, war paint that instantly struck fear in all their hearts. The monsters' eyes were wide and bloodshot, their teeth filed into filthy blood-caked fangs.

They were carrying weapons, rusty blades and old guns and just to complete the terrifying image they made, all of the creatures had trophies, teeth and bones and skulls of their victims hanging from their necks and wrists in terrible parodies of jewellery.

"What the…"

"Nzambis," Layla said flatly, "We should've just let the Blooded kill us."

"What…"

"Mutated monsters," Hari said quietly, "They are ravenous, vicious beasts. Normal humans drive wild and made by the poisons in the earth. They feed on human flesh. They're going to hunt us down, break out legs and eat us alive."  
Inara stared at the slaves in horror.

"Mutant zombies?!?" Inara protested incredulously, "Oh come on! I was just _kidding_!"

The Nzambis let out a defiant roar and raised their weapons to the sky, shaking their fists in fury as lust burned in their eyes.

"Oh no, no, no," Susan whispered.

Roaring, the mutated cannibals charged forwards just as the armies of Blooded exploded out from the city catching the group in the middle of a deadly pincer.

AAAAAA

Author's notes: First of all thank you for all your wonderful reviews, I'm just thankful the last world was so well received.

As for this world… yeah, I'm being evil guess the Caspian and Susan reunion is still not here just yet…


	29. Face to face

New chapter! Enjoy! Enjoy! Enjoy!!

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 29: Face to face**

She was here.

Caspian stood before the large windows of his chambers, staring unseeingly out into the underground city of Persephone. His face was carefully blank even as his heart and mind frenzied and roared.

She was here.

How many times had he wished for this? Dreamed for it? Longed for it as though it was air? How many times had he asked Aslan for this moment? Begged for it? Cursed the Great Lion when it failed to come true?

Caspian let out a long breath.

He was literally trembling. She was in this world, lost in some unknown place, so close to him and yet so very far away. It was torture.

And the thought that she might be in any danger at all…

Caspian's eyes darkened and his hands tightened into fists. He wanted nothing more than to ride off at once, to charge after her, find her and protect her but he knew it was useless.

He had to wait and pray for news, a sign, anything that will lead him to her.

"Susan," he whispered her name, tasting it as memories flowed into his thoughts.

The very first time he saw her, standing in the woods. That first look, seeing her flawless beauty and the sweetness and kindness that glittered in her eyes. The graceful way she held herself, the confidence in her every move and words.

He knew he had made an ass of himself, staring at her for so long but when she had met his eyes and gave that small knowing smile… he had been captivated.

There were so many moments yet so very few.

The fire and passion in her eyes as she'd argued against her own brother, supporting him.

The searing disappointment that had threatened to overwhelm him as she'd wordlessly walked away from him after Jadis' enchantment.

That one brief bittersweet moment before she'd ridden off and the terror he'd felt as he charged after her in the woods rescuing her from the Telmars. When he'd clasped her hands to help her up onto Destrier there had been a rush and a fire that leapt between them and he never wanted to let go.

The fear and the awe that had coursed through him as he witnessed her feats on the battlefield, standing fearlessly like a goddess as she fired arrow after arrow into her enemies.

And then that final day, that one moment by the tree when his world had fallen apart.

He had felt sick when he realised he would never see her again. He had wanted to scream, to lash out, to do something anything that would stop her from walking away.

One final hug, that first and final taste of her lips, that brief touching of their hearts and souls and she had gone.

For almost three years, memories and dreams had taunted him. He fell asleep each night, remembering that one kiss, the softness of her lips and body. He had hated the very first moments of each day as he awoke, caught between sleep and wake, half-believing she was still here. He had woken up each day hating a world without her.

He had forced himself to be strong, to be the king and ruler everyone expected him to be even as he felt hollow and utterly desolate.

Everything had felt wrong.

And now after all that anguish and all that longing… she was here.

"No matter where you are," he promised roughly, "I will find you."

There was a gentle knock on his door.

"Come in," Caspian called.

Sabra pushed the door open, the redhead bowing respectfully towards her leader.

"What is it?" Caspian demanded.

"Sir," Sabra paused, "There's news."

Caspian's eyes widened and fire clawed its way through his chest, filling him up with hope.

"What is it?!" he almost yelled at her.

"One of our spies inside the Blooded just reported back. They're mobilising against a new target… a dark-haired woman who helped rescue some slaves."

"A dark-haired woman?" Caspian turned cold at the thought of Susan being caught up in a fight with the Blooded.

"The description fits her," Sabra said carefully, "Her companions as well. It's her, sir. It's definitely her. There's something else…"

The woman cleared her throat nervously.

"The word is… she went against Cutter himself," Sabra winced, "He wants her dead."

Sabra blinked as Caspian pushed roughly past her, storming out of the hallway.

"Call everyone!" he barked over his shoulder, "We ride off at once!!"

AAAAAA

"Are we going to die?" Zaru asked with bleak humour as the Blooded and the Nzambis charged at them from both sides.

"No," Susan snapped, "We are not."

She hefted her bow.

"Anything I should know about these things?" she demanded asking the freed slaves.

"The Nzambis will tear you from limb to limb and devour you as you laying screaming," Kira whimpered, tears spilling down her face, "They are unstoppable!"

Susan fired an arrow into the crowd of monsters bearing down on them and grunted as one of the Nzambis went down, the arrow buried deep into its skull.

"Nothing's unstoppable," she spat.

"They are ravenous," Layla cut in, "Once they've scented blood, they'll never stop."

Susan was forced to hit the ground as one of the Blooded began firing wildly, bullets ripping into the Nzambis but do little to stop their crazed charge.

"I've just had a very, very bad idea," Zaru said suddenly as the shooting stopped.

"What?"

"INARA!!!" Zaru roared suddenly, turning and bounding towards the Blooded as thet roared in on their motorbikes.

"WHAT?!? ELIAS! COVER THEM!!!" Susan yelped.

The leopard surged forwards, Inara half a step behind him as Elias raised his crossbow and began firing orbs into the Blooded army, blinding them with bursts of dark smoke.

Susan was forced to deal with the stampeding horde of Nzambis unleashing a deadly barrage of feathered shafts but the monsters was incredibly agile, dodging the arrows or even snatching them out of midair.

Susan's eyes widened but a scream of surprise forced her to turn around. She twisted just in time to see Zaru lunge through the air, slamming into one of the Blooded riders and unseating him in one furious hit.

The motorbike buckled wildly, bereft of any control as Inara leapt forwards, snagging the handles and bringing it under control.

"You have got to be kidding," Susan gasped realising what they were up to.

"WATCH OUT!"

Susan smacked painfully into the ground as Hari dived at her, tackling her out of the way as a rusty spear zipped through the air, missing her by inches.

Both of them hit the ground clumsily as the spear slammed straight into one of the Blooded's chest. The rider slumped forwards, his motorbike roaring forwards in a straight line passing straight past them and into Nzambis.

The motorbike and the rider were instantly swallowed up by the crowd, the man screaming as they tore into him with teeth and claws.

"By the Mane," Susan whispered, ghost pale.

"We need to get out of here," Layla said calmly, "They're going to kill us."

Susan climbed to her feet, blue eyes sweeping the field as she assessed their position.

"BACK!" Susan roared, "GET BACK!"

She began retreating, heading towards the approaching Blooded riders as the mutated monsters continued to pound towards them. Susan grimaced but she would rather face her chances against human than the bloodthirsty Nzambis.

She threw a look over her shoulders and saw Inara and Zaru capture their second motorbike as Elias blasted the Nzambis' frontline apart with a well-placed fire orb.

"BANG!"

The scientists screamed as bullet ripped into his shoulder. He slumped to his knees as Susan twisted and killed the shooter with a single arrow. Hari and Kira darted forwards, helping the injured professor up as Susan cursed.

"We have to get away form here!" she screamed, "RU–"

Before she could even get all the word out of her mouth, a second spear from the Nzambis tore straight through her side.

AAAAAA

"Where are we heading?" Peter demanded.

Caspian gritted his teeth and slammed the accelerator down with his boot forcing the truck to roar forwards as fast as it could go.

"One of the major ruined cities, Angela," Sabra explained.

She winced as Caspian spun the wheel wildly causing the truck to fishtail as it zipped wildly around a sharp bend.

David cursed as he lost his balance and slammed painfully into wall. Beside him Siobhan was strangely quiet, staring blankly ahead, a haunted look in her dark eyes.

"Blooded territory," Desmond, the scarred soldier muttered disgusted.

The truck jolted wildly as Caspian forced the machine to run across the rough lands with reckless speed, the occupants within bouncing around and jarring the walls and windows with painful force.

"Sir! Stop it!" Sabra barked, "You'll get us killed!"

But Caspian was like a man possessed, blind and deaf to all but his desires. He merely shifted gears and forced the truck to go faster than ever.

"Let him," Jason commanded, "The sooner we get there, the sooner we can save Princess from the latest mess she's gotten herself in."

"Going against Cutter and the Blooded," Desmond whistled in admiration, "She's got to be insane that little idiot!"

Peter twisted in his seat, eyes flashing as he opened his mouth ready to defend his sister but he froze as he caught a reflection in the window.

He blanched as he spotted Desiree's taunting face jeering at him, captured ghostly in the glass. He blinked and it was gone.

He felt icy needles pierce his spine as he remembered her sadistic chant, his gut clenching violently at the thought.

'Poor little Peter King, soon you'll be a useless thing. Poor little Peter King, soon you'll be a usele–'

"You going to say something boy?" Jason rumbled snapping Peter back into reality.

"She's not an idiot," Peter said weakly before turning back round.

The High King slumped in his seat, feeling feverish and weak as he tried to force Desiree's face and words from his mind.

Had she really been there in his room? Or had he imagined it all? Had –

"OW!"

His head slammed into the side of the window as the truck swerved again.  
"Sorry," Caspian said distractedly.

"These Blooded people, tell me about them," Jason demanded.

Sabra shrugged.

"What's there to say? Thugs, murderers, rapists, slavers and all round bastards," the redhead reported, "They've been around the Great Fall. Cadfan is their leader and Cutter is his brother. If your girl messed with Cutter… she's in for a world of trouble."

"So they have a whole army after them?" David demanded.

Desmond barked with laughter.

"More like multiple armies. Your girl is a dead woman walking," he jumped as Caspian let out a warning growl, "Uh… scratch that last part."

"Armies huh?" Jason smiled coolly.

He raised his daggers and smiled at his own reflection as light glinted off their razor edges.

"Should be fun."

AAAAAA

Susan let out a wordless cry of shock a split second before sheer undiluted pain ripped through her. Her legs buckled and gave way and she collapsed to her knees, the world tilting on a crazed axis around her. Gritting her teeth, she struggled to get back onto her feet.

"Susan!" Elias cried out.

"I'm fine," Susan managed to hiss out.

Nausea roiled through her as darkness clawed at her vision but Susan clung to her consciousness as she fought to get up, her fingers slick with her own blood as the wound continued to gush unabated.

She began to hyperventilate, her heart going wild as she swayed losing the fight to stay up.

"Here," Layla's hands swam into her line of vision as the slave handed her a wad of cloth, fabric ripped from her own clothing.

Hari was by her side, working quickly as she pressed the cloth against her badly bleeding side binding it tightly with another hank of fabric.

Susan gasped as the cloth bit deeply into her wound unleashing a fresh wave of agony. She swayed clutching at Kira to steady herself.

"Sorry," Hari whispered loosening the rough bandages.

"Can you stand?" Layla asked loudly.

Susan gritted her teeth and lurched to her feet, each movement sending sharp bursts of pain shooting up her side. Blood instantly stained the bandages as Susan teetered on the spot.

"I'm fine," she muttered weakly.

Kira handed her the fallen bow as Susan looked up and grimaced seeing the horde Nzambis stampeding towards them.

The Blooded seemed to have forgotten about them, focusing their firepower on the incoming Nzambis, bullets tearing into the crazed mutants but it did little to stop the horde.

"We've got to…"  
"GUYS!!"

Susan twisted and instantly regretted it as pain ripped through her. She staggered, gasping for breath as her bandages darkened with blood.

"Come on!" Inara cried over the screams of the Nzambis, "HURRY!!!"

She dashed off as Susan tried to take off after her, pain clawing through her. Kira supported her as the two of them dashed across the field, Elias and the others following behind them.

"Majesty!" Zaru cried out in shock seeing them.

The leopard was guarding three discarded motorbikes, the result of his and Inara's hard work.

"Hurry! Get on!" Inara commanded, "We need to get the hell out of here!"

As if to emphasis her words, a bullet bounced off one of the machines as they ducked.

"NO! THEY'RE GETTING AWAY!!!" a voice boomed across the chaos.

Cutter was standing on top of a truck as it rumbled across the field, the rest of the Blooded's army having finally caught up.

"NO!!!" the redhead man was practically dancing with rage, a demonic light coming to his eyes as he jabbed a finger in their direction, "GET THEM! GET THEM!!!"

"Is he insane?!" Elias gasped, "There's an army of mutant zombies and he's going after us?"

"Of course he's insane," Layla said sourly, "Why do you everyone's scared of him?"  
"GET THEM!!!" Cutter screamed even as the Blooded army charged towards the Nzambis, "GET THEM!!!"

A small number of the Blooded peeled away from the main group and shot towards them, urged on Cutter's fanatical cries.

Susan raised her bow and narrowed her eyes as blood began to seep through her bandage.

"No!" Kira screamed, "Don't…"

A feathered arrow slammed into Cutter's throat knocking him off his perch and stealing his life before he could even blink.

"Come on," Susan said quietly as the slaves stared at her aghast, "While the bulk of the Blooded are distracted, we need to go. Elias. Give us cover."

Elias raised his crossbow with one hand and fired, sending a fire orb flying into the midst of the Blooded heading towards them. The small ceramic ball detonated, blasting the formation apart and buying them precious seconds.

The Nzambis and the Blooded clashed on the main part of the field, the two armies screaming and bellowing as they fought. The Nzambis were easily outnumbered but they made up for it with sheer strength and bloodlust.

One Blooded was torn off his bike and ripped apart, the Nzambis feeding on him even as he screamed.

The Blooded opened fire but the mutated monsters retaliated with a barrage of spears and bullets of their own, holding their position.

Inara righted one of their bikes and gestured to the slaves.

"You girls get on and go!" she commanded, "We'll distract the Blooded that's after us. Hit the city and hide! You've…"

"WATCH OUT!!!" Zaru roared suddenly.

A duo of Nzambis pounced on their group as the slaves screamed. Inara instantly darted forwards, sword swinging.

One of the Nzambis blocked her blow with a rusty scimitar and kicked her brutally in the gut knocking her back. Inara stumbled backwards gasping in pain as the mutated monster howled and surged forwards.

Zaru engaged the second monster, hissing and spitting, ears pinned back as he lashed out but the Nzambi was just as quicker, dodging the blows and crunching the leopard with a vicious swipe.

The leopard howled in pain but recovered in time, leaping up and ripping the monster's face with brutal speed. The Nzambi staggered backwards blinded as Susan surged forwards, sceptre in hand.

"ARRRGHHH!!!" the monster howled as she slammed the end of the sceptre into its gut, blasts of paralysing energy ripping through its skeletal body.

It convulsed wildly before the energy faded. It collapsed to the ground in a twitching pile as Susan turned, feeling hot and faint as her wounded side continued to bleed.

Inara was locked in ferocious combat with her opponent, bleeding from a savage cut across her cheek as the monster battered her with demonic speed and strength.

The Nzambi swiped at her with its scimitar but Inara ducked, the blade shooting past and the monster stumbled off-balanced. Inara instantly acted, surging upwards, her blade swinging up in a wide arc.

There was a flash of light, a splattered of blood and the Nzambi was severed in two, its scimitar falling from its dead fingers.

"Hurry!" Inara straightened, uncaring of her injures and the blook, "MOVE IT!!!"

Layla and Hari instantly moved forwards righting the bike, the latter expertly switching the engine on.

"Head into the city and hide," Zaru ordered them, "I think most of the Blooded will be distracted by this to trouble you too much. We'll go in the opposite direction trying to throw them off your trail. Can you handle yourselves?"

"Don't worry," Layla said quickly, "I have friends who can hide us."

"Good, go," the leopard told them, "HURRY!"

Hari climbed onto the bike as Layla hopped on after her.

"Kira!" the blonde-haired slave called out, "KIRA!"

The third slave was staring in numbed shock at the fallen Nzambis, shaking violently as she backed away from them, raising her arms up as if to defend herself.

"I… no… I… can't…" she fumbled.

"What are you talking about?" Layla snapped, "Stop being foolish!"

"I… I don't…"

"Shock," Elias sighed, "The poor girl's in shock."

"We don't have time!" Hari growled, "KIRA! GET ON THE DAMN BIK… KIRA!!!"

Kira twisted as the Nzambi Susan had knocked out suddenly surged to its feet. It howled in fury, its eyes glowing with bloodlust. The slave screamed as Zaru leapt forwards but it was far too late.

Kira's screams were cut off as the Nzambi's jaws snapped forwards. Everyone cried out in shock as the slave fell, lifeless eyes staring up at her murderer.

Susan felt sick as the Nzambi howled in victory.

"NOO!!!" Inara snatched the scimitar from the ground and threw it with all her might.

The Nzambi's triumphant smile was wiped off its face as the blade slammed right between its eyes, knocking its body to the ground.

"GO!!!!" Inara screamed.

Weeping bitterly, Hari gunned the engine and the two slaves roared off just as the Blooded squad sent after them regrouped.

Inara sheathed her sword and grabbed one of the motorbikes as Elias did the same to the other, wincing as he used his injured arm.

"Can you work it?" Inara demanded, her face a grim mask.

Elias nodded.

"We have something similar in Metech," he said confidently, "You?"

"One of my mum's many boyfriends that I actually liked show me how," Inara replied tersely.

Susan woozily climbed on behind Elias as Zaru leapt on Inara's bike. Inara and Elias instantly revved the engines, the Blooded riders bearing down on them. They took off in the opposite direction, drawing their Blooded pursuers away from Layla and Hari.

The riders took the bait and they sped away from the city, away from the insane battle that raged between the Nzambis and the Blooded.

With the wind whipping through her hair and her side still bleeding heavily, Susan could only manage a weary thought about the craziness of their situation her strength gave out and she against Elias's back as the pursuit roared on.

AAAAAA

"Angela dead head," Sabra announced, the redhead leaning forwards to look out of the windshield.

"City of Angels my ass," Desmond muttered darkly.

The city was a massive sprawl of ruins, shattered and a far cry from the glowing Mecca it once must've been. Now it was nothing more then a homage to a long last past and the ghosts that once were.

To the west, a pillar of dark smoke rose into the air, hovering in the sky like a spectre of death.

"Looks like trouble found them," David muttered.

Jason snorted.

"More like they went out and found trouble," the Seeker shook his head in exasperation, "Honestly, when I'm not around…"

"I'm going to murder them," Peter vowed seriously, "Every single last one of them…"

Caspian was silent, studying the smoke for a few brief seconds before slamming his foot on the pedal again. With a roar the truck tore down the long stretch of road into Angela. The cavalry had finally arrived.

AAAAAA

"Oh no… FASTER!!!" Layla screamed.

Hari risked a look in the side mirror and blanched as she saw a single dark motorbike speeding towards them, the rider's helmet proudly emblazoned with the heart and dagger insignia of the Blooded.

"HOLD ON!!!" Hari screamed gunning the engine and forcing their bike on.

She tore around the corner, her knees almost skimming the walls as she fought to outpace their pursuer, her heart in her throat, her knuckles white as she clung on with all her might.

"BANG!"

A window shattered spraying glass on them as the rider fired at them, Hari zigzagging wildly to avoid the bullets.

"BANG!!!"

Hari let out a soundless scream as their back wheel suddenly blew, the bullet tearing the tyre to shreds. With a sickening slowness, the metal rim hit the concrete and…

"ARGH!!"

Both girls were sent flying as the bike buckled wildly before flinging itself forwards, crashing into the wall, shards of twisted metal spraying everywhere. Hari hit the ground, her ribs cracking under the blow. She laid there, gasping for breath, her chest desperately trying to inflate itself. Layla cartwheeled through the air before crashing onto the concrete, deathly still.

"Layla!" Hari yelled, "LAYLA!!!"

A shadow fell across her.

"CLICK."

Hari looked and bit back a scream as the rider pulled back the hammer of his gun, the black visor of his helmet flashing in the sunlight. Hari closed her eyes and prayed it would be quick.

"BANG!"  
She screamed, her body convulsing widely as blood sprayed her body. She froze, paralysed waiting for death to come. It took a few eternal seconds for to realise she had not been hit.

Hari opened her eyes just in time to see the rider fall, a neat hole punched into his visor. She gasped out loud as the body hit the ground. Shaking violently she fearfully looked up into her rescuers.

"You okay?" Sabra asked urgently.

Hari nodded, still trembling as a tall man with long dark hair slowly lowered his smoking gun.

"Thank you," Hari breathed, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

"Don't thank us yet sugar cakes," Desmond said sourly, "You don't know who we are yet."

Sabra glared at Desmond at Hari blanched.

"We're the Dawntreaders," Sabra told Hari.

"From Placid?" Hari asked naming a city only a hour away from Angela.

Sabra nodded, her dark eyes quickly taking in Hari's thin form. Her eyes widened as she noted the shackles still attached to the girl's wrists.

"Were you a slave? One of the ones who got away today?" she asked quickly.

Hari flushed, her eyes going to the ground as if she'd done something wrong.

"I… we… Cutter almost sold us off… we were rescued," Hari stuttered, "I…"

"By a young woman with dark hair? Blue eyes?" Sabra questioned.

"Yeah, Susan. She had others with her… and a leopard… a _talking _one," Hari shuddered, "I think it's Poisoned or somethi…"

Hari jumped as the shooter stepped towards her, a frighteningly intense look on his handsome face.

"Where are they?" he demanded, his eyes boring into hers.

"We… the Blooded and Nzambis… they rode off away from the city trying to…"

Sabra and Desmond gaped at her in horror.

"AWAY FROM THE CITY!?" Sabra gasped, "The fools!"

"What is it?" Peter demanded, "What's wrong?"

Caspian let out a small cry of rage, his hands twitching violently.

"They…" Caspian's face was dark, "They're heading towards the woods!"

AAAAAA

"What's that up ahead?" Inara roared as she kept herself low over her bike, bullets whizzing past overhead.

Elias looked up and blinked in surprise, seeing nothing ahead by sky.

"What…" his eyes widened, "STOP!!!! INARA BRAKE!!!!!!!!!"

He instantly hit the brakes, wheels screeching violently, rubber burning as he tried to stop his bike but momentum was a cruel and unforgiving force.

Elias blanched as he realised it wasn't going to be enough.

Inara's eyes bulged as she realised what they were riding towards.

"NO! DAMN IT N–" her cries were cut off as both their bikes went shooting over the edge of the cliff, the bikes arcing through the air as their pursuers stopped. Cheering and whopping nastily, the Blooded watched them fall.

"HOLD ON!!!" Elias screamed as gravity took hold of them and gave an almighty yank sending them plummeting through the sky.

They got a quick dizzied glance of heavily forested land before they went into freefall; their arms flailing as they scrabbled for something, anything to stop their wild fall. Zaru let out a terrified roar as the canopy rushed up towards them with terrifying speed.

There was a flash of green, the sounds of stick and bones snapping and then utter and complete darkness.

AAAAAA

"ROOOWWRRRR!!!"

"ARGH!!!"

The Blooded soldier fell screaming as two Nzambis tackled him to the ground. His legs kicked out wildly as he tried to push the two monsters off. The Nzambis raised their hands and swung down and the soldier was still.

Greedily the two mutated creatures bent down and began to feed, noisily and messily. All around them bodies, both human and monster, scattered the field. Smoke hung over the carnage but did little to hide the pure bloodshed that had taken place.

There were only about a dozen Nzambis left but the Blooded had lost huge numbers, several of their trucks and motorbikes lying on the ground ablaze as the monsters picked around in the wreckage looking for survivors.

A truck roared past, Blooded soldiers raining bullets down onto the monsters from its rooftop. One Nzambi was blasted apart by the gunfire, its body falling wetly to the ground.

Roaring, one of the Nzambis threw itself straight at the truck clinging onto its front as the driver swerved wildly trying to throw the monster off.

Howling it raised its fist and smashed straight through the glass, blinding the driver. The truck spun wildly as the Nzambi roared and hurled itself into the cabin. The truck spun wildly and tipped, two wheels leaving the ground as gravity did the rest.

With a mighty crash the truck toppled onto its side, soldiers flying everywhere. The mutated monsters were like vultures, falling onto the wounded before they could even react. Most died screaming and begging.

The other Blooded fired desperately into the feeding horde trying to save their comrades but the Nzambis gave no quarter, the soldiers' bodies quickly vanishing amongst the screaming mass.

Suddenly from the rear of the Blooded armada a single truck burst through its line and roared onto the field, its spinning wheels kicking out clods of dirt as it ripped across the carnage.

One of the Nzambis looked up from its feeding and its eyes widened in horror.

"SPLAT!"

The monster's body was instantly pulverised as the speeding truck rammed straight into it, blood and flesh splattering the windows. Everyone inside the truck winced as Caspian calmly turned the window-wipers on, the rubber squeaking as they wiped the blood away.

"Looks like we stirred up the hornet's nest," Desmond noted darkly as the other Nzambis let out yowls of fury.

The monsters instantly bounded towards the truck, hefting their weapons as they ran.

"THUNK!"

David hurriedly backed away from the back as a rusty spear embedded itself into the metal, the barbed hook missing his head by inches.

"Sir…" Sabra said warningly.

"Siobhan? Jason?" Peter ordered calmly.

Jason narrowed his eyes at Peter. The High King rolled his eyes.

"Please?" he asked flatly.

Jason and Siobhan both closed their eyes and despite the rocking of the truck, both of them seemed to enter a deep trance. With deliberate slowness both of them raised their hands.

"What are they doing?" Hari asked, Layla still unconscious on the floor beside her.

"Magic," David smiled crookedly.

"BOOM!"

The truck rocked violently as something seemed to bursting out of Jason and Siobhan's hand, warping the air as it flew. It blasted the back door of the truck open and shot out in an expanding circle like a ripple. The shockwaves struck the Nzambis and instantly blasted them backwards, sending them flying across the field.

Grunting with satisfaction, Jason reached forwards and grabbed the doors slamming them back shut.

"Okay, boy, now that that's been taken care of," he called back to Caspian, "GO!"

AAAAAA

Susan's eyes snapped open and she sucked in a quick gasping breath as pain shot through her whole body, her nerves firing wildly as her muscles convulsed. Susan cried out in pain trying to fight through the agony as she realised she was wet.

She looked down and felt sick as she saw that the whole right side of her body was drenched in blood… her blood.

"Shh… lay still," Elias urged.

He was worried. Susan's face was now ashy, her hands cold and trembling. The scientist in him knew what was happening, she was losing way too much blood, her body was losing the fight to keep her blood pressure steady and when it did lose she'd crash and there would nothing he could do but stand and watch her die.

Elias gritted his teeth and knew they had to get medical help and fast.

"Doc? Queenie?"

Inara and Zaru emerged from amongst the trees, their expressions grim.

"What is it?" Susan asked weakly.

"Keep still," Elias ordered sternly, "You need to rest."

He turned to the others.

"What is it?" he demanded.

Zaru sighed.

"There's trees from miles on end…" the leopard's nose twitched as he took in the almost overwhelming stench of Susan's blood.

Inwardly Zaru was almost hysterical with panic knowing almost better than anyone how weak and close to the death the queen was but he managed to bottle it all up, refusing to break down until she was safe.

"We're trapped," Inara said without preamble, her eyes resting worriedly on Susan, "There's no way we can get out of these woods."

Susan's eyes were fluttering shut as she drifted in and out of unconsciousness. Elias bit his lips, his incredible mind working fast trying to see a way out of this but the first time in a very, very long time he had no idea what to do.

"We can't stay here," he decided, trying to put on a calm and controlled façade, "We need to get out of here and get Susan some help."

"Can't me and Inara head off and…" Zaru began.

"No," Elias cut him off, "We're new in this world, who knows what's lurking around here. We need to stay as a group. Inara, help me gathering some branches."

Using the branches, his jacket and other pieces of cloth Elias managed to erect a rough sling.

Susan tossed and turned, muttering feverishly in her sleep as they gently deposited her inside, the knots thankfully holding as Elias and Inara rose carrying Susan between them.

"Zaru?" Elias asked ignoring the way the rough wood bit into his hand.

The leopard tore his eyes away from Susan and took in a deep breath, taking in the scents around them. His mind was in turmoil, his body trembling at the thought that his queen's very survival rested solely on him to find a way out of these woods. He shuddered and lost the scent, panic rising up inside of him.

His grey-gold eyes drifted back to Susan's pale face and he licked his lips.

'_I will not fail you,' _he vowed.

With that the leopard fought down his fears and doubts focused on the one constant in his life: the strength of his senses. He took in another deep breath and tasted the scents that came to him, testing each one carefully.

"Smoke," his eyes snapped open, "I smell smoke and metal. North-west. This way!"

The leopard loped off effortlessly towards the smell of smoke as Inara and Elias followed, their precious cargo slung carefully between them.

AAAAAA

"Don't go near those!" Zaru barked.

Elias who had been ready to touch the trees froze.

"They're poisonous," Zaru hissed darkly sliding up smoothly next to him, "This whole grove is."

"And yet we're resting beside them?" Inara muttered.

She was leaning against an uninfected tree, rubbing her aching arms. They had been travelling for almost an hour following Zaru's nose, stumbling through the unfamiliar woods a sense of dread and unease building with each second. To make matters worse the adrenaline from before had melted away leaving behind aching bodies and weary minds. Grimly the three companions had forged on until finally Zaru had called a break.

Susan twisted in her sling, her face drenched with sweat.

"No… Aslan… no…" she whispered deliriously, "I…"

Inara glanced worriedly down at her but Susan fell silent again, her eyes darting around rapidly behind their lids.

"What are these things?" Elias whispered studying the grove of trees before him carefully.

Unlike the tall and proud trees that dominated the woodlands these poisoned trees were stunted and deformed, their branches twisted and gnarled, reaching up towards the sky as though they longed to claw it open. A few withered leaves hung stubbornly to the ends, the rest of the tree sporting blackened patches as though they'd been charred. The ground around them was bare as though nothing could bear living so close to such poisons but what had fascinated Elias the most was the thing draped across the small grove.

Huge spans of what looked to be spider webs cocooned the trees, binding the trunks and branches in their silky grasps. But it was the sheer size of the webs that had transfixed the scientist. Elias frowned and did a quick estimation extrapolating on his knowledge.

"The weavers must be gigantic. At least the size of a human," Elias murmured.

A sudden shadow fell over the scientist as Zaru's eyes instantly widened, his hackles going up.

"DOC!" he barked, "LOOK OUT!!!"

He slammed into the scientist tackling him sideways as a glistening line of spider's web shot out from the canopy above smacking the ground where he'd been standing. The silk bulb at the end instantly exploded, expanding out into a net that would've easily ensnared its hapless prey. The leopard and the scientist hit the ground and rolled as the shadow darted across the forest floor, the creature above scurrying through the branches.

Inara took a step forwards, her sword raised but Zaru swung towards her, baring his fangs.

"NO!" he roared, "STAY BACK! PROTECT THE QUEEN!!"

Elias jammed his hands into his bags and pulled out a fire orb, his dark eyes watching the dark shape overhead as it continued to bound from tree to tree, moving with blistering speed. Zaru's keen eyesight easily tracked its movements, the leopard waiting for just the right time.

"NOW!!!!" Zaru bellowed.

Elias instantly hurled the orb up into the canopy, watching breathlessly as the small ceramic ball disappeared amongst the leafs and…

"BOOM!"

Smoking debris rained down on them as the orb detonated. There was an ear-piercing high-pitched shriek and something massive plummeted down from the trees, smacking into the earth and bouncing once before laying there, its legs twitching violently.

Zaru, Elias and Inara all stared in shock at the creature before them.

"Okay, slave markets, crazed gangsters, mutant zombies and now this?!?" Inara jabbed a finger at the massive spiders sprawled out before them, "I officially hate this world!"

The spider was gigantic, easily double the size of a grown man, its body completely armoured in gleaming black-segmented carapace. Its eight massive eyes were black and soulless, its fangs curved and cruel each as long as Inara's sword. A smoking hole had been blown through its body but still the monster tried to move, its legs scrabbling wildly on the ground.

It shrieked and howled, fangs clacking together as it tried to rise once more. Its legs buckled and folded and it finally hit the ground, the light leaving its eyes.

Elias slowly let out the breath he'd been holding.

"How the heck did it get so big?!" Zaru gasped.

"Carcinogens. The radiation must've affected their genetic structure causing a random mutation that…"

"Guys?" Inara said timidly.

"… accelerated their growth," Elias continued lost in his own thoughts, "Perhaps it affected their endocrine system allowing a huge influx of growth hormones that would've…"

"Guys?!" Inara said sharply.

Zaru and Elias turned to her.

"What?" Zaru demanded.

Inara wordlessly pointed up to the canopy above. Zaru and Elias slowly looked upward and blanched. Spiders, a whole swarm of them, hung silently in the trees their eyes taking in their fallen comrade and the humans foolish enough to murder it. Their fangs twitching as their legs slowly began to bunch.

Zaru gulped.

"RUN!!!"

With a screeching war cry the spiders leapt through the air, blackening out the sky with their immense armoured forms.

AAAAAA

They crashed wildly through the undergrowth, Susan leaning against Inara as the warrior practically pulled the queen along. Blood splattered the ground as Susan stumbled, completely leeched of all her strength.

"Come on Queenie," Inara growled, "Don't you dare fail on me!"

She bodily picked the queen up and propelled her along, the stretcher abandoned for speed.

"You just had to kill the damn spider didn't you!?" Zaru howled as he ran ahead of them, Elias bringing up the rear.

"You had another plan!?" Elias bellowed back.

"Less arguing, more fleeing for our lives!" Inara snapped, grimacing as she saw Susan's blood-soaked side.

Inara gritted her teeth, praying the queen could hold on even as she realised Susan was deathly pale.

"Don't quit on me," Inara hissed trying to support her weight as much as possible, "Don't you dare!"

The four of them continued to run as the spiders swung through the trees behind them, threads of silk lancing towards them. Zaru ducked as a burst of silk sprayed the air above, hitting the tree and instantly cocooning its trunk.

Elias twisted and hurled a smoke orb into the trees trying to slow the spiders down.

"Zombies and gangs on bikes, now this," Inara growled, "Does someone up there really hate me?!"

Susan muttered weakly and coughed up a mouthful of blood, Inara froze, her eyes widening in horror.

"No," she whispered, "ELIAS! We can't keep running, Susan's going to…"

"We don't have a choice," the scientist said grimly, "If the spiders catch us…"

"KEEP MOVING!!!" Zaru barked, "MOVE IT!!!"

They burst through a screen of trees, the spiders screeching discordantly behind them. Susan coughed up another mouthful of blood and Inara made her choice.

"We have to fight!" Inara said desperately, "We can't…"

"GIRLIE!" a familiar voice bellowed.

They all turned and stared in amazement as Jason appeared from behind a tree, the Seeker's eyes instantly taking in their dishevelled forms. His eyes widened slightly as he saw how badly injured Susan was.

"What… how? How are you here?!" Elias spluttered, his eyes bulging.

Siobhan stepped out beside Jason, her hands glowing as energy danced between her fingertips.

"Magic," the Ursine princess said simply.

The sound of clacking carapaces instantly tore their attention back to the incoming danger as the spiders ripped through the foliage, baying for blood.

"Spiders," Zaru yelped, "COWBOY DO SOMETHING!!!"

"SIOBHAN!" Jason growled, "NOW!!!"

The Ursine princess closed her eyes and waved her hand around.

"Hold on," she said calmly.

There was a burst of light and a feeling of weightlessness, the world rushed around them in a dizzying storm and they were gone.

AAAAAA

"Whoa!"

Inara stumbled forwards almost taking Susan down with her.

"Head rush," Inara groaned as the world spun wildly around her.

It took a few minutes for her to get her bearings. She blinked in surprise as she realised they were now standing on the edge of a cliff overlooking the woods, the very cliff they had sailed over just hours before.

"Takes a little getting used to," Jason said casually, "If you're weak."

"Conceited ass," Zaru muttered.

"Where are w –" Elias looked up and froze as he saw the ring of people staring back at them.

Peter took a step forwards, worry and fear etched on his face but Caspian beat him to it.

"Susan?"

His voice and face was timid, a hope growing in his eyes but he was afraid, so afraid that this was a dream, that this was an illusion and he'd wake up and she'd been gone like so many times before.

So he stood and waited and prayed.

Even in the midst of her feverish half-conscious state, Susan recognised his voice. She looked up blearily, wondering if she was delirious or dreaming or dead.

"Cas…"

Blood trickled down the corner of her lips as Peter and Caspian both gasped in horror.

"Caspian?" she managed to get out.

They stared at each other, face to face after so long, after so much torture and agony, after so much hoping and praying. And now the moment was here.

They were finally face to face, finally together.

"That's Caspian?" Inara's eyes widened as she took in Caspian's strong form and handsome face, "Damn girl! No wonder you dream about him all the time!"

Zaru barked with laughter as Elias shook his head. Jason growled and smacked his forehead into his palm. But Susan and Caspian were too mesmerised by each, too caught up in their world to even notice her words.

"Susan…" Caspian took a step towards her, body trembling, "You're hurt."

Anguish was written all over his face. Susan managed a weak smile.

"No, don't worry about me. I'm f –"

She toppled and Caspian surged forwards, arms outstretched. He caught her as Susan plummeted through them and into the dark abyss of unconsciousness.

AAAAAA

Author's notes: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for all your lovely reviews!!! They're wonderful.

Just giving you a head's up this arc is going to be the longest one to date, if the way works out the way I plan there's a few more chapters ahead before we plunge into a 4-parter that's going to shake things up... but you have to wait and see.

Now for some of your questions... no (srry but i can't remember who said this) not everyone in this world is an illusion. Only some things are, Caspian and co at Persephone are definitely real.

Caspian and Susan finally meet but for the fallout there's next chapter...

And finally to the newest reviewer, you know you can stick all of those comments in one review right? It really confused me b/c I thought it was coming from four different people and they were saying the same thing LOL!! To help me with my stupidity can you please stick to one review at a time? Greatly appreciated!!! (and please keep reading and reveiwing!!!) As for you suggestion about the ice-world, there's definitely going to be a land of ice and snow and I think anyone who knows anything about Narnia can guess who's in that world!!

As for when I update srry guys but real-life is a pain sometimes. I endeavour to post things asap but you know how annoying things can get sometimes. But I promise this story will be finished - it's the plot bunny that just won't die!!!


	30. The queen's champions

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 30: The Queen's Champions**

Cadfan, leader of the Blooded, rose to his feet.

"And I select my two Champions!" he roared as his men howled and bayed for blood, "Jeremiah!"

A vast shadow cut across the square of concrete and dirt that made up the battle ring as a huge, hulking man stepped forwards, his piggish eyes gleaming with malice. Jeremiah easily towered over everyone in the crowd, his hulking height offset by the rolls of fat and flab that hug off his odious body.

In one fat fist he clutched a club, in the other a sword that looked like a knife compared to his sheer size.

"And…"

The squeal of rusty wheels rended the air as two of the Blooded pushed their way through the crowd, dragging an immense cloth-covered cage into the ring. The cage rattled violently as whatever was inside rammed itself violently against the bars with reckless abandon.

"Killer!" Cadfan boomed dramatically as he yanked the cloth off the cage.

The Dawntreaders, the men and women that Caspian led, all gaped in horror at the Nzambi locked inside the cage, the foul monster roaring and screaming, blood and spittle leaking from its fanged maws.

The mutant clutched at the bars of its prison and howled, its hungry eyes drilling into the Dawntreaders.

"Select your two Champions," Cadfan finished, smirking in satisfaction.

Caspian calmly rose to his feet and walked into the ring, unsheathing his sword. He looked up at Jeremiah as the obese man chuckled oafishly down at him.

"Try not to die," Inara said helpfully, "You'll embarrass us."

Jason merely grunted at her words and strolled confidently into the flat square that made up the ring. All around them ruined skyscrapers rose into the air, their metal peaks biting into the white clouds above.

Cadfan smirked at his opponents.

"Now," he snarled, his hungry eyes devouring his prize, "Let the Challenge begin!"

He kicked the cage and the door fell open as Killer dashed out, screaming in fury. With a roar both Jeremiah and the Nzambi charged forwards, foaming at the mouth and the fight for Susan Pevensie was on.

* * *

_Three days before…_

Susan dreamed. She dreamed of a burning castle or darkness blotting out the sky as centaurs and humans and dwarves and dryads fled in terror. She flew across an endless land, peering through the mists of time into places forgotten and places she'd seen before.

She saw Stretch leading a vast army against the last of Shift's followers, arrows and spears flying through the air as they stormed the last of the fallen despot's stronghold. Metal clanged on metal as humans and beasts alike fought tooth and nail to free their world as Shift's priests broke and fled in terror, their temple burning behind them.

The dream shifted and she was back at the Temple.

Monks, hundreds of them, encompassing both men and women, lined the walls of the courtyard as a litter was carried out through one of the doors, the carriers solemn and grim.

They gently placed the litter on the ground and one of the monks shifted the white sheet back revealing an emaciated face, eyes peacefully closed in an eternal sleep.

"Here lies Da Long," one of the monk announced from his position on top of a stage, "The mighty leader who lit the way during the Night of Darkness and led us in the following years of peace and prosperity. He strengthened us and made us great. Now may his soul transcend this mortal plane and fly forever with the gods and our ancestors."

The monks each bowed towards the body of the Da Long. They straightened and the dream began to dissolve and bleed into a new one.

"TUMNUS!!!"

A stout man, shaven-head and clothed in a rough brown cloak was clutching a shield, mandalas embedded into the metal. A vampire, an impossibly beautiful goddess with flowing black hair hissed violently at him longing to tear him apart but kept at bay by the holy artefacts.

The vampire screeched in pain as a burning arrow buried itself in her gut, her face instantly shifting into its true demonic mien. She stumbled on her own feet, falling to the ground as a figure dashed towards her, sword in hand.  
"MOVE!" Tumnus bellowed at the man.

The man leapt out of the way as Tumnus charged at the downed vampire, nimbly hopping over her flailing limbs. He sliced down with his sword, blood splashing against the stone and the vampire instantly went limp.

"So that's another one down huh?" the man with him said wearily.

Tumnus hefted his sword.

"Only a few more hundred to go," Tumnus grinned, "Aren't you excited?"

He and the man walked out of the room as the grim interior of the castle morphed into an open sunlit field.

The Plague Man sat on a rock, staring pensively out across the field.

"What's wrong?" a young voice piped up.

The horribly scarred monster turned and smiled seeing a small girl approach him, her strawberry blonde hair growing out in short tufts from her once shaven head.

"Nothing Yula," the Plague Man smiled.

"Dora says it's wrong to lie and I believe her because she's old and we should respect and listen to our elders," Yula said in one sentence without pause, "So you shouldn't lie to me."

The Plague Man laughed before turning serious.

"I'm just sad that's all," the Plague Man turned back to look at the field.

"Why?" Yula said curiously, sitting next to the deformed monster.

"I don't know really," the Plague Man admitted.

Susan could see many things on his face, regret, fear and a deep wrenching sorrow. Her heart instantly went out to him as she longed to speak to him and comfort him but in this world she was only a ghost, a silent observer.

"What's there to be sad about?" Yula pointed out, "The bad Sisters are gone and we are all free to laugh and play. It's wonderful to be alive!"

The Plague Man looked at the little girl saw the honest open joy in her eyes and heart and couldn't help but smile.

"Yes," he turned to look up at the sun, joys sparkling in his demonic eyes, "It's wonderful to be alive."

The dream darkened and Susan found herself hovering over a desolated world, red-hot lava searing its surface as everything that had ever lived burned.

Susan swallowed thickly as she realised this was the world of the Djinn, the Toran's cities and the Ursine's forests and all that had dwelled there destroyed forever.

She closed her eyes and looked away but she could still smell the smoke, feel the unbelievable heat that washed over her body.

So much death…

Why? Why did it have to end like this? Why did it have to end with the destruction of every man, woman and child that had ever walked that earth, who had breathed and loved and laughed and lived?

Why?

'_Because hatred is forever,' _an insidious voice whispered, weaving through her mind like smoke.

Susan froze, twisting around in the dark trying to see who had spoken. Her breath quickened, her pulse practically jumping from her skin as the deathly cold of a mid-winter's blizzard pierced her skin chilling her to the core.

'_Love and light and all those wonderful cheery fairy-tale things? Illusions. You take a man and you strip him down to his core and all you would find is a poisonous heart. Everyone hates and lusts and kills. That is the truth. We are all monsters on the inside,' _the disembodied voice jeered_, 'Even you.'_

Susan gasped as she realised what this was.

"You are the Great Darkness," Susan whispered.

'_I am not so Great. I am merely a manifestation of what is so very, very common. I am the voice that whispers in the minds of all men to kill their comrades. I am the desire to cheat and betray and tear all those around me. I am everywhere. Eternal. Forever. Immortal,' _the Darkness said with relish, _'Do you honestly think you and your little friends can topple me?'_

"We have faced the darkness in multiple worlds," Susan snapped glaring out at the darkness all around her, "And yet we still stand, triumphant. What's your track record?"

The Darkness laughed, a booming terrifying sound that tore at Susan's ears forcing her to recoil. It drove a spike of fear into her heart as the laughter continued, the darkness quivering with the strength of its malice.

'_Don't worry sweet-cheeks,' _the Darkness cooed, _'Good things come for those who wait.'_

The voice faded and Susan was left to hang in silence. There was a tearing sound, a violent grating screech as though the world was being torn apart. Susan looked around wildly as the sound intensified, her bones practically vibrating, she turned and a huge… _thing _burst out from the shadows. It was all glaring eyes and gnashing teeth, it reached out for her with thousands of clawed arms, shrieking and howling. Susan screamed as one massive mouth opened and surged forwards ready to swallow her wh–

She tumbled through time and space, images, flashes of them flickering before her and disappearing like the flames of a candle.

She saw her mother screaming and crying, her father trying to comfort her.

She saw Professor Kirke and Ms. Polly open the door to the wardrobe, the wardrobe that had started it all, their faces fell as nothing happened.

She saw a realm of ice and snow, a wilderness ruled by wolves and bears.

She saw a desert, a dark hooded figure scuttling across the burning gold sand.

She saw an emaciated boy tied to a table, screaming as a white-coated man raised a bloody scalpel.

She saw thousands of images, thousands of worlds, her head throbbing violently as she tried to take it all in.

"NO…" Susan felt blood leak from her nose and ears, the images were overwhelming her, her mind blacking out as it struggled to keep, "NOOOOO!!!! STOOOOPPPP!!!"

There was a sudden silence and darkness and Susan opened her eyes. She was awake.

AAAAAA

The first thing she was aware of was a warm weight against her leg. She blinked and winced as light seared her sensitive eyes. It took a few minutes for her vision to adjust and she found herself looking up at a bland white ceiling.

Her side suddenly throbbed with pain and she let out a low moan.

"Queenie?"

Susan twisted her head as Inara unfolded herself from an uncomfortable looking chair. The queen opened her mouth to speak but could only get a dry croak. Inara instantly grabbed a glass of water from the beside table and helped Susan take a few thirsty sips.

"What happened?' Susan rasped out, sitting up.

Inara ignored her instead choosing to swat something on the bed. Susan blinked and looked down seeing the familiar furred form of Zaru napping against her leg.

"Kitty Cat, wake up!" Inara snapped, "Queenie's up!"

"Wha?!" Zaru's eyes flew open, "Your majesty!"

Susan laughed as the leopard practically pounced on her, his rough tongue scraping against her cheek as he greeted her enthusiastically. After a few seconds, she gently pushed the leopard away and turned back to Inara.

"How long have I been… out?" Susan asked tentatively.

"Two days," Inara said bluntly.

Susan's eyes bulged.

"Two days?!" she gasped.

"Two very long, very exhausting days listening to Petey, Cowboy and Shaggy having testosterone fuelled chest-pounding displays of pointless masculinity to prove who cares about you the most and who can protect you the best," Inara muttered disgustedly, "Yes, fun was had by all."

Susan frowned as something lingering at the edges of her mind, teasing her as she tried to remember what it was.

"How are the others?" she asked instead.

"Cowboy's fine. Doc's tinkering with all the computers in this place so he's ecstatic," Inara reported.

"And The High King is furious over what happened," Zaru said grimly.

Susan sighed familiar with Peter's perchance for over protectiveness. Inwardly she winced at what could've happened, hundreds of unpleasant scenarios going through her head.

"What did he do?" she asked, dreading the answer.

"Accuse us of failing to protect you," Inara smiled sweetly, "I then cordially invited him to take his sword and shove it up his…"

"Needless to say he wasn't pleased," Zaru cut in before Inara could finish, "He ranted for a while listing all the times we 'failed' to protect you. Jason then threatened to cut out his tongue."

"Shaggy got involved and that only made things worse," Inara sighed, "Now we have three grown men sulking and whinging about each other. Me and Zaru have holed up in here for some peace and quiet."

Susan frowned.

"Shaggy?"

"His majesty," Zaru caught Susan's confused look and clarified, "King Caspian."

Susan's eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat.

"Caspian!" she whispered, tasting that single word, a word that held so much hope and joy yet so much heartbreak and dread, "He's… he's really here?"

Inara and Zaru glanced at each other unsure of how to proceed.

"Uhhh… yes?" Zaru said quietly.

Susan felt the air leave her lungs as her mind went blank, completely and utterly blank.

"Guys… can I be… alone? Please?" she begged.

Inara and Zaru glanced at each other again and nodded quietly withdrawing from the small room as Susan continued to sit in her bed and just stare, her mind still frozen in shock.

She wanted to see him, wanted to hear him and touch him with a desire that almost hurt. But through all that, through all that anticipation and joy there was something else, something that made her want to run. It was something, something…

Susan blinked.

It was _fear_.

AAAAAA

Persephone had been designed to be the final stronghold of mankind, completed even as the first bombs had rained down from the skies, their explosions bleaching the sky into a burning white as mushrooms of smoke and poison tainted all that it touched. Billions had perished at once and millions more had died in agony as radiation ate them alive. The pitiful few who survived fought amongst themselves for many years, resorting to the pinnacle of inhumanity to live. Torture and murder were the norm, some even feeding on man flesh to survive. But after a century of chaos and madness order had slowly restored itself, people banding together into small isolated communities each equipped with an army of despots and barbarians that raided and destroyed other groups for the frugal supplies that remained.

For those lucky enough to have known about Persephone or stumbled upon it, they had lived in paradise, sheltered from the madness that had waged on the land above. Food and water were produced via unknown technological wonders and the people thrived. It was only in the last few decades that the Dawntreaders had been formed, a small elite group of fighters and hunters were had sallied to the land above bringing in refugees. To outsiders, the residents of Persephone lived in the ruined city of Placid above, the secret of their underground Mecca jealously guarded lest it became common knowledge and a jewel for all those who would kill to claim it.

And Elias had learnt all this just from reading for two days straight. Needless to say he was pleased with himself. The library had made for fascinating reading, it contained a strange mix of both modern books and texts from the days before the Great Fall, the name give to the nuclear war that had wiped out the world. He had been delighted to see books about computers and technology that rivalled his own world of Metech.

Most of the machines inside Persephone were dead, their batteries and internal power having long since been consumed. But some unknown generator still operated giving Persephone heat, light and air as well as limited energy. A vast dam beneath the cavern gave water and the food came from the glass and steel structures, immense greenhouses known as the Biodomes.

"This ones been broken," Desmond grunted, "We almost had a famine until we managed to increase the productivity of the other two but it's still a strain."

"What happened?" Elias asked, studying the darkened dome.

"Power just ran out," Sabra sighed, "And the technology is completely alien to us, we tried to fix it but uhh…"

"We failed. Abysmally," Desmond added.

"Where's the generators?" Elias asked.

They entered the darkened building, pushing through the glass doors and walked in an immense room filled with turbines and rows upon rows of buttons and switches.

"That's seems to be problem," Sabra said helpfully shining the way with her torch.

Elias followed the beam to a half-dismantled turbine and curiously went up to it. He peered inside, taking in the bundles of cables and circuits and instantly laughed.

"This? This is so basic!" he snorted, "Don't worry! I'll get this thing running!"

Sabra and Desmond gaped at him, astonished.

"Are… are you sure?" Sabra stammered.

Elias held out his hands.

"Tools?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

AAAAAA

The door swung open and there he was, the fulfilment of a thousand feverish, desperate dreams and broken hopes. So why did she feel so uneasy?

"You're up," Caspian said gently, a warm smile on his face.

Susan fought hard to keep her edginess from her face. She wanted so much to just smile and throw herself into his arms, to have that famous happy ending but something held her back.

So even as her heart swelled and her spirits sang at being with him once more, she sat frozen, unsure of what to do.

"Yeah," she whispered, "I am."

An uncomfortable silence filled the air as Caspian frowned slightly, picking up on her nerves. Susan inwardly winced and scrabbled for something to say.

"How… how did you end up here?" she asked.

She hated this. She hated this with every fibre of her being. She wanted nothing more than to just fall into his arms but she couldn't. She was frightened of him, of the fire and the electricity that seemed to spark between them, of what it would do to her if she just gave in again.

The last time she had given herself to him fully, given him her whole heart and soul and it had been broken, shattered into a million broken pieces.

It hadn't been his fault. It hadn't been either of their faults but still the aftermath and what she had done in the face of it all terrified her.

After he had gone, there had been a hole, a gaping blackness in her life and she had tried to ignore it, tried to move on but the hole still remained like a terrible dark beast that sought to rend her apart every time she even thought of Narnia let alone him.

So she had fled. She had pushed away Narnia, pushed away all of those memories, terrible and beautiful, locking it behind a mask of coldness and uncaring.

Susan had lost herself, hiding herself behind make-up and rouge and nylon, chasing boys and parties, dulling and numbing the pain with forgetful faces and kisses and cheap alcohol and smokes.

She was ashamed of the girl she had become but still she had strived to change herself, to cut out all the parts that had made Caspian loved her because to live otherwise meant her own destruction. She had been weak, so terribly weak but she'd been so lost.

She had torn her siblings apart with knives of cold words and glares, taking vicious joy in the pain she'd caused, the confusion she sowed as she tried to make them forget about Narnia or at least stop talking about it. She had even forced herself to believe that everything, Narnia, Caspian and even Aslan Himself had all been a dream, a delusion thought up by a desperate girl fleeing the war.

But underneath it all, underneath the mask of a pouting woman she'd been a lost girl, waking up in the middle of the night with tears on her face and no one to turn to because the one person she needed was separated by walls that even love itself couldn't transcend.

And now there was this, this moment, this opportunity to be together again. But it meant opening herself and letting him back into her fragile, barely mended heart and… and…

She just couldn't do it.

The first time she had nearly died, the first time she had become a ghost. And she was terrified. She couldn't risk a second time, she wasn't strong enough to handle the thought of being torn apart again, of facing the same anguish and terrible torment once more.

'_You are a coward,' _she said viciously to herself, _'A coward!'_

But she still couldn't do it.

"I…" Caspian's dark expressive eyes showed his obvious confusion and hurt.

Susan longed to reach out and touch him, to reassure him but still she held back, wavering.

"I arrived here after I was taken," Caspian said quietly, his eyes burning into hers.

Susan looked away unable to take the desire there, unable to answer his unspoken questions. Caspian visibly flinched.

"I was almost eaten by a horde of Nzambis until the Dawntreaders rescued me," Caspian continued softly.

His voice was leeched of all emotions as he fought down the urge to grab her, to scream at her and demand what was wrong. But he held his tongue and temper, hesitant because he was afraid of her answer, afraid that she would look at him with tears in her blue eyes and confess she no longer loved him.

"They brought me here and healed me," Caspian narrated tonelessly, "I helped them rescue some of their people and I've been their leader ever since."  
"How long ago was this?"

Their conversation was so polite and distant it was as though they were strangers discussing the weather as they waited for the bus. Before words had flowed so easily between them interspersed with bursts of laughter and knowing sidelong glances that had made her heart race… but now? They might as well be strangers.

"A little over a year in this world," Caspian answered.

He could take it no more.

"Susan…" he reached out for her hand.

Susan flinched as his fingertips grazed her skin. Both of them felt the sparks and the warmth that suddenly surged through their body. Susan's body stiffed, her breath quickening as her heart bounced violently against her ribs. Caspian saw the flush of her cheeks and took it as a sign to continue, hope growing in him.

"Susan…"

His warm fingers wrapped around her hands, his thumb gently stroking her skin. Susan trembled, wanting so much just to give in to the fire but it scared her.

Susan knew she had a choice to make. Either she took this chance, this one opportunity however long it would last and make everything of it and deal with the consequences later or she could be a coward and hide and despair of what could've been.

Could she do it? Did she have the strength to open herself once more?

"Caspian," she begged, looking at him, letting him see the fear in her eyes, "Please… don't."

Caspian's hand flew from hers as though he'd been stung. He stared at her, eyes wide as he rocked on his heels, backing away from her.

"Susan…"

"I think it's best you leave," Susan said quietly.

"I…"

"Please," Susan whispered, "Please."

Caspian swallowed heavily and he nodded, a cool mask falling over the hurt and anguish on his face.

"I hope you make a full recovery soon, your majesty," he said softly.

It stung to hear the formality and distance in his voice but Susan had made her choice. She nodded numbly.

He squared his shoulders and turned around, not looking back as he walked out of the room. When he left, Susan put trembling hands to her face, tears spilling from her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she whispered brokenly, "I'm so, so sorry."

She wept, not knowing what to do.

* * *

_Present day_

Jeremiah roared and swung his club down at Caspian as the Blooded cheered and egged him on.

"Crush him Jem!" one of them roared.

"Break his bones!!" another encouraged.

Susan felt like throwing up as she forced herself to sit and watch Caspian as he twisted to the side, the club smashing into the ground harmlessly beside him.

There was so much riding on this one battle but even though she herself was in great danger, Susan was not scared for herself but for him.

"Please," she begged the world, "Please…"

Her hands were wound through Zaru's fur, clutching painfully at him for support as the leopard remained silent offering her his strength.

Caspian smashed into Jeremiah's knee with his boot. The obese man's fat quaked with the blow but the giant seemed barely affected at all, sniggering at the attack.

"That all you can do?" he asked stupidly, "Jem too strong!"

"Come on!" Inara boomed, "Kick his fat ass!"

Peter stood to the side, his face grim, his hands twitching as he longed to jump into the fray but he held himself back knowing the rules of this Challenge. He glanced at Susan and wondered once more why she didn't choose him to fight. Growling in frustration, Peter turned his focus on the battle wincing as Jeremiah smacked Caspian around the face.

The King stumbled, bloodied and dazed as the podgy Blooded roared and stabbed forwards with his sword.

"Caspian!" Susan screamed.

At very last moment, Caspian managed to grab onto Jeremiah's wrist stopping the stab just a hair's breath from his skin. He hacked down at the man with his sword but Jeremiah blocked it with his club.

"Damn," David breathed, "That was close."

Across the ring, Jason and Killer fought, trading blows and slashes with blistering speed.

The Nzambi howled in pain as Jason ripped his dagger across its arm but the mutant recovered quickly swatting Jason across the ring with one powerful blow.

The Seeker rolled onto his feet parrying the monster as it lunged at him with a rusty blood-smeared sword, the two blades clashing with a violent clang.

The Nzambi was unbelievably fast, darting to the side and kicking Jason before the Seeker could even react. He stumbled backwards hissing in pain as the Nzambi jabbered at him wildly, shrieking and bellowing.

"Oh shut up!" Jason snarled.

His arm snapped forwards, one of his daggers zipping from his hands in a blur of silver. Killer roared in pain as the dagger sunk deep into his gut but the monster merely ripped it free unleashing a torrent of blood.

Ignoring the usually mortal wound, Killer raised the dagger to his lips and licked his own blood off with relish.

Jason's jaws dropped, genuinely disgusted as the monster fed on his own blood grinning with glee.

"That can't be healthy," Jason muttered recovering from his shock as the cheers of the Blooded resounded through the air, cheering their Champions on.

Killer threw the dagger away and knelt into a crouch, blood-shot eyes watching the Seeker warily and with hunger in its dark iris.

Snarling, it leapt forwards as Jason raised his daggers for the new onslaught.

* * *

_Two days ago…_

"So have you thought about my offer darling daughter," Myron cooed.

"You're not real," Siobhan hissed glaring at her "father".

The ghost or spectre or whatever he was chuckled as he continued to address his daughter.

"A whole world recreated, millions of lives reborn and all you have to do is one little thing for me," Myron urged, "What is the life of these miserable people compared to your own family… your own race?"

"Stop it!" Siobhan snarled, "STOP IT!!"

"You know you want to. I can see it in your eyes," Myron smirked.

"GET OUT!!!" she screamed, raising a clawed hand, "GET OUT!!!"  
"SIOBHAN!?"

David's muffled voice drifted through the door. Distracted, Siobhan glanced at the doorway before turning back to her father but he was gone. Shaking with anger and nerves, Siobhan stalked to her door.

"Siobhan?" David's voice asked again.

"What?" the Ursine princess demanded yanking the door open.

"Are you…" David began unsurely, trying to look behind her shoulder, "Are you talking to anyone?"

"What is it?" Siobhan snapped cutting him off.

"It's the Blooded. They've come to talk to Caspian… and I don't think it's good," David said.

"What's that got to do with me?" Siobhan snarled, "They're not my people. Why should I care?"

"You should care because they're the ones who rescued you from death," David said coldly.  
"I wish I died with my people instead of being the lone freak in this world!" Siobhan growled.

David stared at her unsure of how to response as Siobhan glared defiantly back at him, daring him to argue back.

"Sio – " David began.

"Either show me a way to restore our world or get out!" Siobhan snapped, "I don't have time for you and your petty little friends!"

She slammed the door in his face and whirled around. Myron grinned at him.

"See?" he folded his arms together, beaming at her triumphantly, "You do want the Ursines back!"

Siobhan could only stare back at him blankly.

AAAAAA

Caspian stood at the windows in his rooms, a closed and brooding look on his face.

"Why?" he whispered begging the world to answer him, "Why?"

Why had she rejected him? Did she not love him? Did she not –

"Sir!" Sabra burst into his room, red hair streaming behind her.

"Yes?" Caspian demanded curtly.

"It's Cadfan and he's got an army of Blooded with him," Sabra looked extremely uneasy, "I… I think he means to call a Challenge!"

"Well," Caspian said mildly, "Let's talk to the old man then."

Caspian swept out of the room, throwing away his doubts and haunting questions as he took on the mantle of leadership, his determined face betraying none of the dark thoughts that brewed inside of him.

AAAAAA

"This looks friendly," Peter remarked dryly.

A ring of Blooded stood before them, their vehicles at their back, their weapons in their hands. Scarred, snarling and all darkly clad, they made an intimidating group of vagabonds and bandits.

"If music comes on and we suddenly dance battle, I'm so out of here," Inara muttered back.

Caspian strode at the head of the pack, his eyes calmly meeting the burning gaze of an old man standing at the frontline of the Blooded.

Cadfan had rose to the leadership of the Blooded by wile and treachery and sheer brutality, slaying all who stood in his way. He had held the throne for twenty long years, ruling with an iron hand and bloody knife, his dark reputation swelling with every new act of inhumanity. And now all of the bloodthirstiness, all of that cunning was directed at Susan.

"Hello Cadfan," Caspian said calmly stopping just metres from the Blooded leader.

"I demand a Challenge," Cadfan spat out.

The Dawntreaders stiffened, a look of apprehension flashing across their faces. Sabra and Desmond winced as Jason, Inara, David and Peter looked at each other confused.

"On what grounds?" Caspian asked speaking the time-honoured reply.

"Blood," Cadfan growled, "You have a murderer in your midst. She killed my brother! I call a Challenge. Two of my men against yours. The winner will have the murderer."

Caspian gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing as he imagined Susan in the hands of this barbarian. His temper flared and he saw red, his hands twitching as he longed to kill this monster of a man right now. But doing so would spark a war, a bloody battle that his people could not hope to win.

"I accept your Challenge. Two Champions shall be chosen from both sides. Two days from now at the break of dawn, it shall take place on this very place," Caspian said in a clipped voice, "Do you accept my terms."

"I accept," Cadfan snarled, "Choose your Champions!"

With a wave of his hands, the Blooded withdrew back into their trucks,.Cadfan contemptuously spat on the ground before whirling away, his cloaks flying around him.

"Sir, do you think…" Sabra began in the dead silence that followed.

"We didn't have a choice," Caspian snapped back.

He turned and began stalking back towards the heart of the ruined city.

"What are you waiting for?" he barked over his shoulders, "We've got a Challenge to prepare for!"

"Okay…" Inara frowned at the others, "What's his problem?"

AAAAAA

"So let me get this straight," Elias said.

He turned away from the control panels of the Biodome and glanced through the glass windows to his left seeing into the newly re-energised greenhouse. The lights and artificial sunlight were back on, the oxygen and humidifier working within their normal parameters. He had set the machines to work, busy sowing new seed and after that he had timed a cycle of false rain to fall.

"This Cadfan has challenged us for Susan's life and there's going to be a two on two battle to decide who's the victor?" Elias asked.

David nodded and Elias shook his head, sighing.

"Are you worried?" David asked surprised, "Don't you think the others can handle this?"

"No that's not what I'm worried about," Elias looked up at the Toran, eyes dancing, "I think we have a fight on our hands."

"Uhh… what?" David blinked confused, "I just told you…"

"No," Elias shook his head, "I mean a fight to decide who's going to fight."

"Really?" David blinked.

Elias merely smirked and nodded once more.

Susan clutched at her temples and groaned.

"Hello, mystical fighting powers?" Inara reminded everyone, "I'm the obvious choice here."

"Sadly those powers doesn't correct some of your novice mistakes," Peter said cuttingly, "Your left side's is vulnerable to anyone who knows what they're doing."

"Take that back!" Inara growled.

"I'm a leopard. I have super reflexes and claws," Zaru smirked, "I'm the obvious choice here."

"I will be one of the Champions," Caspian said quietly not meeting Susan's eyes, "There will be no arguments over that."

There was an instant hubbub from the small collection of people packed into Susan's room.

"But sir!" Sabra gasped, "We can't afford losing you!"

"Then I will not lose," Caspian countered.

Susan blanched as she realised the danger Caspian was putting himself in to protect her. Her hands trembled as tears threatened to blind her but still she held herself back, unable to bring herself to breach the rift between them.

"Okay," Susan said in a ghostly whisper.

The room was silent as everyone stared at the two in frank confusion. Both Susan and Caspian refused to meet their eyes.

"Uhh…" Zaru coughed into the comfortable silence, "So there's still one more Champion needed?"

"Me," Peter said flatly, "I'm the obvious choice here, I'm skilled and strong and Caspian and I have fought together before, we're used to working with each other."

"You mean all that crazy friction and almost fighting with each other thing didn't happen?" Inara smirked, "Yeah, great teamwork!"

Peter snarled at her as Susan glanced at Jason. She took a deep breath knowing what her next words would do.

"Jason," she said softly, "Will you…"

The Seeker nodded.

"With my life," he vowed.

"What?!" Peter stared at her, "You're choosing him?! Susan…"

Susan looked at him squarely, the dangerous glint in her blue eyes and stubborn set of her chin telling him it was hopeless to argue. Peter sighed.

"Fine," he jabbed a finger at Jason, "If you lose…"

"You can say I told you so until your face goes blue," Jason smirked.

He straightened, cracking his neck from side to side.

"So…" he turned to Caspian, "Where does one train around here?"

* * *

_Present day…_

The club smashed into Caspian's chest and there was a definite loud crack as the Blooded roar in approval. The Dawntreaders cried out in shock as Susan's hand convulsed wildly, her fingers practically screaming at her to pick up her bow and defend her… well whatever Caspian was to her.

But she forced herself to stay seated having been warned about the barbaric traditions that guided the Challenge. Champions were chosen to fight to the death and all outside interference was strictly prohibited on penalty of death. If Susan intervened now even Caspian himself could do little to stay her execution.

"That idiot!" Peter hissed, frustrated as he too fought the urge to jump into the fray, "His defence was weak! He should've been defending better!"

"Damn!" Desmond growled as Caspian took a punch to the face.

Jeremiah was chuckling brutishly as he continued to smack the king around the ring, Caspian flailing to defend himself.

"No," Susan whispered as Caspian's head snapped back, his face bloodied as Jeremiah laid into him once more, "Don't you dare… you promised. You promised me!"

Caspian tripped over his own boot and fell to the ground, his head cracking against the stone as Jeremiah roared and beat his chest in triumph.

"FINISH HIM!!!" the Blooded howled, "FINISH HIM!!!"  
Jeremiah raised his club.

"NO!" Susan grabbed for her bow, putting arrow to string.

She raised it ready to fire, ready to do anything to save him but a small pale hand grabbed onto the bow pushing it down.

"Are you crazy?" Sabra snarled, "You'll be killed!"

"I would rather die then see him die!" Susan screamed back at her.

She threw Sabra's hands off her and raised her bow once more. This time a stronger hand clamped onto hers forcing her down.

"What?" Susan stared into her brother's serious blue eyes, "PETER!!"

"I'm sorry Su," Peter said softly, "I can't let you do this."

"He's going to die!" she screamed at him.

"No, he's not," Peter looked at her carefully, "Susan… just trust him. Please."

Susan gritted her teeth and tried to move but Peter's grip was iron-hard. Reluctantly she nodded and tore her attention back to the ring.

Jeremiah let out a bellowing cry as he swung down with his club as Caspian stared up at him dazed.

"ARRRRGGGGH!!!"

Boos boomed from the Blooded as Jeremiah suddenly screamed and dropped his club, his hand twitching wildly as blood spurted from his wrists. Jason's dagger slammed into the side of a building and embedded itself there, quivering as crimson stained its razor edge.

The Seeker smirked, pleased with his throw but he had little time to celebrate as Killer smashed into him tackling the man to the ground.

Jason hissed in pain as a claw opened up his cheek but he managed to slam his fist into the Nzambi's face grappling with the monster as it gnashed its teeth at him trying to tear him apart.

"BAM!"  
He managed to get his other arm around and nailed the monster with a vicious hook knocking it away.

Caspian was up, swaying on his feet but still able to mount an offence as he slashed out at Jeremiah forcing him back. The hulking Blooded moved with surprising agility, nimbly dodging Caspian's blows.

"KICK HIS ASS!!!" Inara roared.

The Dawntreaders cheered and the Blooded shouted as Caspian charged forwards with a cry and slashed across Jeremiah's chest. Cloth and skin ripped, blood blossoming but it was merely a superficial wound.

The obese giant roared in fury and swung out with his own sword. There was a deafening clang as Caspian's blade shot up to meet it, vibrations ripping down his arm as he staggered sideways, numbed.

"No!" Susan screamed, "CASPIAN!!!"

Jeremiah stabbed forwards and the blade punched deep into Caspian's shoulder.

"JASON!!!" Susan cried, "HELP HIM!!!"  
But the Seeker was locked in combat with his opponent, the Nzambi herding him away from Jeremiah and Caspian. The monster howled and swung his rusty blade down at Jason, the Seeker snagged the dagger with his own and twisted locking their hilts together.

Grunting both of them began leaning on one another, trying to beat the other down with pure strength as they pushed and strained, feet scrabbling for purchase.

"CASPIAN!!!" her voice scythed through the din of cheers and cries as Susan lurched to her feet.  
The king heard her and his head twisted towards her.

Their eyes met, crystal blues meeting with warm browns.

In that one precious second, there was a moment of utter silence, of utter clarity. Everything else, the screams, the blood, the battle it all bleed away just leaving the two of them behind.

They stared at each other. Susan helpless, Caspian bloodied and battered.

"Susan…" Caspian's mouth formed the words.

He could see it in her eyes, the barriers between them ripped away as Susan reached out to him.

"You promised," she whispered, "You – "

The moment was broken as Jeremiah roared and charged, his sword flying towards Caspian's chest.

* * *

_One day before…_

"Caspian."

The king froze.

"You're talking to me now?"

He knew he sounded like petulant child but he couldn't help himself. He wanted so much to grab her and demand what was wrong so he could go and fix it but he held himself back not wanting to scare her away.

Susan flinched but said nothing as Caspian turned around, his breath catching at the sight of her.

She had only been allowed out of bed just this morning and even pale, rumpled, her hair in utter disarray she was breath-taking. Caspian knew he was staring but he couldn't help it, drinking in the sight of her.

For her part, Susan was staring at him as well, her heart clenching tightly as she took him in. She wanted so much to just melt into his arms but the memory of the anguish she'd suffered because of their love held her back.

"Yes, your majesty?" Caspian said quietly.

The air was charged, fraught with tension and fire. Susan took a breath trying to steady herself but made the mistake of looking into his eyes and seeing the confusion, the pain and the love that blazed there. She tore herself away and looked carefully down at the ground.

"You don't have to you know…" she whispered, "You don't have to fight for me."

Susan flinched as Caspian's warm fingers gripped her chin. Gently he made her look up, his eyes burning into hers.

"I will always fight for you," Caspian vowed, looking deep into her soul, "Never forget that."

"But…" Susan trembled in his grasp, feeling her fears melt away under his gaze, "I'm not worth it."

There was so much left unsaid. She wasn't worthy of this, worthy of his love or his loyalty not when she wasn't willing to open her heart as well. It took her breath away realising that this man was still willing to fight for her, defend her even though she was hurting him with her cowardice. She feel so little, so utterly pathetic and dirty. Caspian was willing to kill for her and she couldn't even broach her own fears and let him in.

"I would die for you," Caspian whispered roughly.

Susan steeled herself and returned his gaze.

"Promise me," she said quietly, "Promise me… you won't do anything stupid. Promise me you won't die for someone who's unworthy of this… unworthy of you."

"You are worth it!" Caspian was stunned to hear such weakness and loathing in her voice, had she so little idea just how precious she was?

Susan shook her head sadly.

"No I am not," she was sickened by her own weakness as she longed to touch her but still she held back, still afraid, "Promise me."

Caspian took in a rough breath. And looked away he could never refuse her, no matter her demands he didn't have it in him to against her.

"I promise," he whispered.

Susan nodded.

"Good," she wrenched herself away from him, unable to look him in the eye, "I… I… I'll see you tomorrow."  
And she hurried away leaving Caspian to stare after her fleeing form in shock. His shoulders slumped in defeat as he whispered the one name that haunted his dreams and taunted his waking moments.

"Susan…"

_

* * *

_

_Present day…_

"CLANG!"

Caspian moved with blistering speed, parrying the jab and before Jeremiah could even react, he charged forwards and buried his sword deep into the Blooded's stomach.

The crowd roared and screamed in equal measures as Caspian stared up at Jeremiah, blood trickling to down the sword and dripping to the ground.

Amongst the Dawntreaders, Zaru suddenly froze as the wind changed bringing fresh scents to him.

"Humans!" he gasped, "There's people here!"

Peter and Inara glanced down at him in surprise.

"Uhhh… remember the giant crowds?" Inara asked, an eyebrow raised.

"No!" Zaru looked up at the ruined skyscrapers that rose all around them, "Up there!"

"Do we have people up there?" Peter demanded of Sabra and Desmond.

"NO!" Sabra looked worried, "All of our people are down here."

A cloud shifted in the sky, the sunlight changing even so subtly as high above framed by one of the skyscrapers broken windows something glinted.

Desmond's eyes widened as he instantly recognised what it was.

"Oh this can't be good. Not good. Not good!" he cried.

"What is it?!" Sabra yelped.

Desmond turned to them, his face deathly pale.

"The Blooded… they have snipers up there!!!"

* * *

Author's notes: how many of you hate me at the moment? I know it seems a bit dramatic what Susan is doing but honestly I think she still has a lot of issues and hurt to work through before she can fall into Caspian's arms again. But don't worry Suspian fans, they will (probably) end up together but I'm trying to make this as un-Disney-esque as possible.

I hope you liked it!!!


	31. City of ruins

So sorry about the long wait but I was on holidays for most of last week enjoying the surf and the beach!!! But I'm back refreshed and ready to write!!!!

Disclaimer: The Pevensies aren't mine but Jason, Inara, Elias and Zaru are all mine!

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 31: City of ruins**

Peter stared at Desmond for half a second, his mind completely blank as he took in this new piece of information. He shook himself, his blue eyes flashing as he squared his shoulder and straightened, command and fire blazing from his face.

"Snipers?" Susan gritted her teeth, "We've got to stop them!"

She made to move but Peter pushed her back down.

"No, Cadfan's got his eyes on you. If you disappear, he's bound to notice something's up," Peter snapped.

"I can't just…" Susan began furiously.

"You have to!" Peter growled harshly, "We'll handle this. Trust me."

Susan was torn but she saw the wisdom of his words and nodded reluctantly, settling back in her seat, trying to maintain a calm façade.

Jason and Killer were grappling together, weaponless as they fought barehanded, blood and spittle flying through the air.

The Seeker was almost black and blue, his face liberally smeared with blood but still he fought on, dark blue eyes blazing as he took blow after blow and powered on, rage and fury filling his limbs with strength.

He drove his fist deep into Killer's face, the monster's disfigured nose crunching under the devastating blow. The Nzambi stumbled back, eyes unfocused as gore exploded from its ruined nose.

"FINISH HIM!!!" the Dawntreaders cried, "FINISH HIM!!!"

"If we let him win, the Blooded are going to gun him down," Sabra said grimly.

"Zaru, how many people?" Peter demanded.

Zaru took a deep breath, his head darting from side to side.

"Three groups. Those buildings," he indicated with his nose, "Top floor on each."

"Teams," Peter said quickly, "Sabra. Desmond."

The two Dawntreaders nodded briskly.

"Inara. David," Peter continued, "Zaru with me. We split up and take care of the snipers. Got it?"

Peter looked at them carefully and for the very first time Inara and Zaru began to see the true king that lurked inside of him, the one that could lead thousands into battle and inspire them to fight even as common sense bade them to flee. With fury simmering in those crystal blue depths, Peter was every inch the warrior king, a man of drive and power and strength, a man not to be messed with.

Together they nodded grimly.

In the ring, Jeremiah roared as Caspian yanked out his bloody sword but the man's bulk had saved his life, the blade having only gone through skin and fat and missing anything vital. The Blooded lashed out and swatted Caspian across the ring, the king stumbling between Killer and Jason forcing the two combatants apart.

Susan grimaced, hating this. Hating that she was sitting on the sideline, helpless as Caspian and Jason fought for her, helpless as Peter and the others left to fight the enemy.

How had she been able to do this back in the Golden Age? Just sit back and let the others fight? She was literally twitching, fighting down the urge to snatch up her bow and sceptre and chase off after the others as they darted through the crowd heading towards their allocated targets.

Susan bit her lip and tasted blood, completely powerless as she sat and prayed.

AAAAAA

Sabra practically leapt through the broken doors, her footsteps echoing through the desolated foyer of the building as she charged towards the stairs. Her eagle eyes quickly picked up signs of recent movements, noting the disturbed debris and dust.

"Always fun with those buggers around right?" Desmond said sourly as both of them darted across the foyers.

"The 'distant travellers'?" Sabra asked, her voice dry.

She had been insulted when they'd told her the obvious lie but she'd held her peace knowing there must be a good reason for their falsehoods. But really. Distant travellers? With a talking cat no less? What kind of idiot did they take her for?

Sabra shook her head, her mane of red hair rippling as she put it out of her mind and concentrated on the task at hand.

"Footprints," Desmond grunted running up beside her.

Both of them could make out neat sets of footprints perfectly preserved in the dust, the prints heading upwards towards the top of the immense skyscraper.

Both of them leapt over broken and shattered concrete steps, trying to keep the noise to a minimum.

They reached a landing and the footprints abruptly stoped. Desmond pointed silently towards a set of broken twisted metal doors.

Sabra nodded and calmly pulled out her gun, loading it with a gentle click. Beside her Desmond pulled out his own weapons, two specially designed nickel-plated revolvers, each easily double the size of Sabra's own weapon.

As always she rolled her eyes at the excessiveness but quickly focused back on their mission.

She held up one hand and began counting down with her fingers.

At three, Desmond pulled back the hammer of his guns.

At two, both of them tensed, muscles bunched and ready to spring.

At one, they burst through the doors and the fight began.

AAAAAA

"So how have you been?" Inara said conversationally as they pounded up the stairs.

David looked at her incredulously.

"You're asking me now?" he demanded.

"Why not?" Inara calmly responded, "Where's Siobhan?"

David winced.

"Siobhan's locked herself up in her rooms. She's not dealing well."

"With the whole destruction of her world thing?" Inara looked at David strangely, "You seem fine."

David looked at her and she blinked as his unruffled façade fell away revealing the raw pain and anguish underneath. He blinked and his mask came back up again.

"I'm not," David said huskily, "But… losing myself in grieving isn't going to solve anything. I have to make best of what I've got… that's the Toran way."

"Inspiring," Inara pointed out, "And yet so creepily indoctrinated."

David laughed.

"So Siobhan's not handling it well?"

The two of them rounded one of the landings and began running up the next flight of stairs, each of them still fresh and unweary.

"I'm afraid not," David looked at her sadly, "I don't know how to help her. She's hurting and she's frightened and she needs help but she's locking everyone out."

Inara looked at him strangely hearing the emotions in his voice as he talked about the Ursine princess. She blinked as her jaws dropped.

"You're…" she looked at him, "You're…"

"INARA!!" David yelled.

A shift of movement on the next landing made Inara look up just in time to see the Blooded pull the trigger.

Her eyes widened as her whole world focused on that one small piece of metal whistling towards her.

"Oh…" she began.

The bullet slammed into her chest and her body instantly went stiff. The force of the shot sent her reeling backwards, crashing down the stairs as David raised his gun and began firing wildly.

AAAAAA

"People coming!" Zaru growled.

Peter instantly raised his arm, sword in hand as shadows began appearing from around the corner. With a cry, he flung the blade forwards with all his might.

The Blooded jumped out from around the corner, gun raised only to be impaled straight through the chest.

Zaru grimaced at the gruesome sight but Peter didn't even blink as he ran up to the body and pulled his sword free, wiping the blade carefully clean.

"How many more?" the oldest Pevensie demanded.

Zaru took a deep breath, scents coming to him from all corners of the floor. It was confusing at first trying to pinpoint their sources as the scents have to waft around corners but Zaru was skilled and easily managed to sort through them.

"There's three men grouped by the window facing the fight," Zaru reported.

"How did you figure all that out?" Peter asked, genuinely surprised.

Zaru growled deep in his throat sick of having to explain himself to these dumb, senseless humans.

"There's a strong breeze coming through the building and I can smell scents from outside. So it must be a window," he explained impatiently, "Three different scents. Men. They're coming from the direction of the wind. So they're near the window. Happy?"

Peter resisted the urge to point the leopard's lack of respect but nodded, hefting his sword.

"Come on," he ordered, "Let's go."

Leopard and king darted towards the direction of the scents as below the Challenge continued.

AAAAAA

The world was spinning wildly around him as Caspian blinked furiously trying to clear his vision. He groaned, nausea rolling through in vicious waves. A fleshy blob flew into his line of vision and he had enough sense to duck.

The crowd roared as Jeremiah's blow sailed clear of Caspian's head.

"Stop fooling around pretty boy!" Jason roared.

He stepped in between Caspian and a charging Killer and managed to kick the Nzambi away.

"Stand up straight and fight already!!" the Seeker snapped, bleeding heavily from a dozen injuries.

Jason longed to just raise his hands and blast both of his opponents away with his power but Caspian had warned him before that the Blooded would not take kindly to seeing any supernatural powers. Chances were they'd capture him and burn him at the stake for being a demon.

Jason swore violently as Jeremiah and Killer both began to circle them, eerily similar looks of predatory glee on their faces.

"Come on boy king!" Jason growled, "Susan needs you to fight for her not keel over and die!"

Caspian blinked, the words having finally pierced the fog. He straightened, shaking himself slightly. His eyes briefly locked with Susan's brilliant blues and a surge of fresh energy and purpose flowed through him. He steeled himself, weariness melting away.

"Let's finish this," he said evenly, raising his sword in steady hands.

Jason smiled wolfishly.

"About time!" he growled.

As one they charged towards Jeremiah and Killer, the two Blooded Champions crashing into them with mighty roars.

But something had changed. The crowds could see it as Caspian and Jason began to gain the upper hand, overpowering their opponents with skill and sheer strength.

Jason punched Killer in the face sending it reeling backwards before spinning on his heels, grabbing Jeremiah's wrist as the giant swung down at him with his club.

Killer recovered and leapt at Jason's unprotected back, rusty blade raised but Caspian was there, parrying the blow.

Killer roared and swiped at him but Caspian's blade snaked forwards, hooking around the Nzambi's dagger. With a quickly flick of the wrist the monster was unarmed, its rusty blade flying through the air.

The Nzambi blinked in shock and Caspian pounced, stabbing forwards.

"ARRGGGHHHH!!!"

Caspian ran Killer straight through, black blood splattering his face as the Nzambi screamed. The Blooded roared in fury and the Dawntreaders cheered as Caspian kicked the mortally wounded monster off his sword.

"They're winning sir!" one of the Blooded yelped.  
Cadfan merely smirked, his watery eyes gleaming with malice.

"Don't trouble yourself with the thinking boy," he sneered, "I've always got a plan."

He sneaked a glance up at the skyscrapers where his men were stationed and smirked.

There's no way Caspian could win this fight. No matter by whose hand that boy was going to die today.

AAAAAA

"BANG!"  
The Blooded fell as David lowered his smoking gun. He turned and gasped in horror seeing Inara's prone body at the bottom of the stairs.

"INARA!!!" he charged down to her.

He knelt down beside her deathly pale body, fighting down the urge to be sick.

"INARA!!!"

He instantly grabbed her arm, jabbing his fingers into her wrist trying to feel her pulse. He began to panic when he couldn't find a thing. Desperately he dug his fingers deeper trying to locate the –

"You know the pulse is below the thumb not the little finger."

Startled, he dropped her arm as Inara sat up, grimacing in pain.

"What…" he pointed dumbly at the hole in her shirt, "You were shot!"

In response Inara pulled up her shirt revealing the thick black vest she was wearing underneath.

"Bullet-proof vest, the latest in post-apocalyptic fashion," she winced at the bruises and scrapes she picked up from falling down the stairs.

Slowly she rose, limping slightly but still grinning, still eager for a fight.

"Come on, we've got some snipers to snipe!"

AAAAAA

"BOOM!"

The shell hit the concrete wall and exploded blowing a huge jagged hole through the solid stone as Desmond calmly fired again, the Blooded sniper ducking and running for his life.

Sabra spun her gun expertly in her hands and pistol-whipped her opponent, the Blooded falling to the ground without a sound.

"How many?" Desmond roared as he fired against.

"Two down!" Sabra shouted back their tally of victims.

The ground in front of the Blooded exploded, Desmond's specially crafted bullets easily pulverising the concrete to the dust. The Blooded recoiled violently and stumbled, tripping over his own feet.

The sniper fell with a cry but managed to fling his arms around, gun in hand but Desmond casually walked up to him and kicked it out his clutches, putting his own gun against the Blooded's head.

"Boo," Desmond taunted as the man blanched.

"DESMOND!" Sabra roared, "Remember – "

Desmond grimaced. Caspian hated them killing for no apparent reason. The senseless murder of anyone, be they innocents or murderers themselves, was expressively banned by their leader.

'_Victory should not come at the costs of our own souls,' _Caspian looked at his men and women with grave eyes, _'Have mercy because without it we would be monsters.'_

Desmond thought the sentiment was honourable, stupid but honourable.

"Spoilsport," he grumbled.

He kicked the Blooded in the face knocking him out as Sabra rushed towards him, scratched and bruised but still fighting.

"That's four," she reported, "Do you think…"  
"BANG!"

Both of them hit the ground as a bullet drilled into one of the walls, punching a hole into the tiles and plaster. They both looked up to see a fifth Blooded standing across the room, his sniper aimed directly at them.

"Surrender!" Sabra's voice snapped out like a whip, "There's no hope of you getting away. Surrender and we'll let you go back to your people!"

The Blooded gave a laugh that was almost a sob.

"Go back?!" he barked hysterically, "Do you have any idea what Cadfan would do to me for failing?"

He gave a crazed laugh and raised the heavy gun once more, the barrel gleaming in the wan light.

"Sabra?" Desmond asked calmly.

"Yeah?" Sabra kept her eyes carefully on the sniper.

"Can I kill him now?"

Sabra nodded subtly and Desmond's arm flew up, bulky gun in hand.

"BANG!"  
"BANG!"

Two shots went off instantaneously, twin bullets flying off in opposite directions. Desmond shouted out in pain as the bullet punched a ragged bloody hole in his shoulder, the man's knees buckling as Sabra rushed to support him. Oh the other side of the room the Blooded jerked, his soul ripped free its earthy confines in that split second of movement before he collapsed, limbs splayed and eyes blank.

In the silence that followed, the only thing that could be heard was Desmond's pained, grasping breaths.

"Idiot," Sabra muttered, her eyes worried.

Desmond smiled up at her painfully, his skin pale and sweat-streaked as blood spurts out from his wound.

"Don't worry," he slurred, "It'll leave a scar. Girls love scars right?"

He fainted dead away as Sabra struggled to hold him up, cursing all the way.

AAAAAA

Zaru pounced on the man and drove him into the ground, the man's head cracking against the concrete. He went limp as Zaru whirled, hissing and spitting as the three other Blooded scrambled to launch a counterattack.

Peter and the leopard had managed to ambush the group of five, Peter's first opponent lying in the corner, bleeding heavily from a stomach wound.

Peter was like the devil, merciless and violent, his sword dealing death with each blow.

Zaru hung back and watched him, eyes wide as the high king ploughed into the group of Blooded, slashing and cutting.

Peter was losing himself to the fight, letting go of all of his fears and nightmares of chains and darkness and vampires. Every single waking moment and every dream they'd been there, he'd only have to close his eyes and he'd back in that jail as the vampires taunted and tortured him, his body searing with phantom pain as he lived through each terrible moment. That had been bad enough but lately, Desiree's face had looped endlessly it inside his head, her mien mocking and jeering, driving him to the end of his tether and nerve.

'_Soon you'll be a useless thing!' _she taunted, smirking at him.

Peter bit back a roar.

"I'll show you useless!" he growled.

He took all of his helpless at being unable to rescue his siblings and Aslan, at being unable to stop the nightmares that visited him, at being afraid of the dark and turned it into pure fire and venom and lashed out, trying to replace hurt with vindictive pleasure.

He parried and fought, barely registering his movements and the cries of his victims as Desiree's face continued to flash through his mind.

He thrust forwards and the final man fell. Peter finally stopped, realising the warmth of blood on his hands and face and slowly looked around.

Zaru was staring at him, stunned as bodies littered the ground, each of their faces frozen at the sheer wrath of the berserker that had killed them.

Peter felt frightened at his lack of control but threw up a cool mask of command, unwilling to show his weakness.

"What?" he demanded, "I had to stop them!"

Zaru merely turned and slinked away as Peter forced himself to follow, sheathing his sword with trembling bloodstained fingers as he walked away without a glance at the destruction he had wrought.

AAAAAA

Killer was mortally wounded but the crazed monster still fought on, his claws and teeth bloodstained as he ripped at anything that dared approach him.

Jeremiah charged forwards with a cry, crashing into Jason and body slamming the Seeker into the ground, pinning the man down with bulk.

"CRUSH HIM!!!" the Blooded howled, "CRUSH HIM JEM!!"

Killer pounced trying to tear the helpless Jason apart but Caspian chopped the Nzambi forcing the monster back. Killer whirled on him, eyes gleaming with bloodlust even as blood continued to gush from the wound in its chest.

"Death throes," Susan whispered, horrified.

Any hunter knew that an animal was at its most dangerous when it was closest to death. It would thrash and rage and foam at the mouth, killing and maiming until life finally left its eyes.

The Nzambi was like that right now, an uncontrollable rage-driven maniac. It grabbed Caspian's sword with its bare hands ignoring the blade biting deep into its palms as it tried to wrench the weapon away from the king. Caspian was almost throw off his feet as the Nzambi tried to throw him about the king dug in his heels and held his ground, the two combatants straining and trying.

Jeremiah tried to punch Jason in the face but the Seeker jerked his head to the right. The Blooded's fist sailed right past and cracked into the concrete, the giant letting out a cry of pain.

Jason wriggled and managed to get one hand free, his remaining dagger clutched between his fingers. Snarling he slashed forwards, the razor edge ripping across Jeremiah's eyes. Blood splattered the Seeker as Jeremiah roared and clutched at his eyes, completely blinded.

Jason buckled and thrashed, throwing the Blooded off him before rolling to his teeth.

"JEM!" one of the Blooded roared, "WATCH OUT!!!"  
Jeremiah's head snapped up but Jason's hand flashed out burying the dagger into his throat.

The giant man instantly collapsed, fingers clutched feebly at hilt sticking out his skin as the Dawntreaders roared their approval.

Jason turned just in time to see Caspian run Killer through again. This time the Nzambi went limp against his blade, eyes glazing over, mouth opened. Panting with exhaustion Caspian pushed the monster off his sword, Killer falling limply to the ground, before straightening.

"The Challenge is over!" Caspian announced amongst the deafening cheers of the Dawntreaders.

Susan was on her feet, screaming her throat raw.

"The Dawntreaders have won!" Caspian called out.  
Cadfan's face was black and stormy as he looked up at the skyscrapers around the ring.

"The bloody fools!" he said savagely, "Why didn't they kill him? I'm going to murder them!"

"ARRRGHHHH!!!"  
Everyone's head snapped up as a dark form plummeted from the top of one of the ruined skyscrapers. The figure screamed and screamed and screamed as ground and death rushed up to meet him and then –

Susan's hands flew to her mouth in horror as even Jason winced.

High above standing near the broken window, Inara turned around, eyes bulging as everyone, David and the Blooded, stared at her in abject terror.

"He slipped!" she protested frantically.

"I think it's time you left," Caspian said coldly.

Cadfan's nose flared as his hands twitched but Susan and the Dawntreaders already had him in their sights, the queen's lone bow a strange sight amongst the bristling metal guns around her.

Like an imperious lord, Cadfan turned contemptuously around and walked slowly away, his cloak flapping around his heels. As one the Blooded turned and followed, the Dawntreaders watching them tersely.

Finally they were gone in a cloud of stirred-up dust.

Caspian finally relaxed, his sword falling from his hands as he gritted his teeth, pain roaring through him. He tried to walk but his broken ribs protested vigorously making his vision swim.

"Caspian."

She was there right in front of him, the looks and scent of a goddess.

"Thank you."

He wanted to say something but he was too tired, too injured to. He managed a small smile instead.

Susan took a deep breath and darted forwards, kissing him gently on the side of the cheeks. Caspian froze as Susan stepped back, a little shocked by her own impulse.

Caspian could only stand and stare as Susan gave him one last look and smile and she was gone, tending to Jason.

The king was still there, staring dumbfounded off into empty space as Peter and the others returned, Blooded prisoners in tow.

AAAAAA

"So we won?" Elias said.

"Damn right," Jason grunted.

The Seeker winced as he tried to move.

"What is this place?" Sabra asked curiously.

Elias smiled at all of them, looking particularly proud. They were standing in a large circular room, bright light glaring overhead, the walls pristine white.

"I've been playing with the technology down here," Elias explained, "And to my surprise, Persephone's power source is still functioning as its maximum capacity. And most of the electronics controlling this city are actually still intact. So I played with a computer I found earlier today and guess what?"

He walked over to the wall and pressed his hand over what looked like a square tile. It instantly lit up.

"CASS," he said in a clear voice, "Activate this room please."

"Yes sir," a disembodied voice replied calmly.

Everyone jumped as panels began to come to life all over the room, sliding away into hidden places as beds and cabinets and strange intricate machineries began to emerge from every single surface.

It took Inara a few seconds they realise what they were look at.

"It's a hospital," she whispered in awe staring across at the alien room before them.

"Yes it is," Elias said smugly, "A little primitive but still a hospital."

He turned to Jason and a barely conscious Caspian.

"Now you two," he beckoned, "Come this way."

He set Jason and Caspian down on separate beds and looked up.

"CASS? Can you…"

"Yes sir," the warm woman's voice replied.  
Caspian and Jason both started as a metal contraception, delicate and multi-pronged, looking for the all the world like a metallic spider descended down from the ceilings. Slowly its arms folded out and gently probed the two men, both of them winced but sat still as the others watched on, fascinated.

"Analysis complete. Subject number one was two broken ribs, a minor concussion, cuts and various bruises. Subject number two has minor internal trauma, torn tendons, lacerations and bruising," the woman's voice reported, "Diagnosis complete. Continue with treatment?"

"Do as you see fit," Elias commanded.

"Yes sir."

The metal arms retracted back into its body before springing out again, bandages, needles and various medical devices now attached to its ends. They instantly darted forwards and began working on the two men, stitching and bandaging away, waves of warm light washing over them.

Caspian found his eyes closing as a warm, contented feeling fell over him. Caught between sleep and wake, he barely felt a thing as the robotic arms continued to stitch him up, injecting him full of medicines.

"What is that thing?" Susan demanded.

"It's the medical robots," Elias explained calmly.

Zaru was staring at the machines, completely stunned into silence.

"Who is that woman?" David asked curiously.

"CASS, Central Automated Support System," Elias explained, "It's the name of the computer that controls the whole city. I woke her up from her dormant state. She's been telling me all sorts of thing about this city."

"And you figured this all out in just a few hours?" Sabra asked incredulously.

Elias shrugged as the robots continued to work on Caspian and Jason. Susan looked at him in a new light, realising for the very first time just how intelligent and gifted the man was.

She shook her head, completely lost for words.

"Now," the scientist looked at the others, his eyes settling on a bandaged Desmond, "I believe there's some other patients for CASS to look at?"

AAAAAA

"Murderous gangs and zombies and forests and spiders and robots…" Jason swallowed his shot of alcohol and grimaced at the taste and the world they had found themselves in, "Bloody hell."

"And ghosts from the past taunting you," Peter was pale and frightened and a little bit tipsy, "That's the worst part."

Jason frowned but the buzzing inside his head stopped any higher levels of thought.

"You're drunk," Susan appeared before him, hands on hips, looking at them with them with the sternness of a strict headmistress, "Both of you."

"Not," Jason retorted, blinking blearily.

"With this music who doesn't want to drink?" Peter muttered disgustedly shooting their surroundings a dirty look.

After they had all been patched up, the Dawntreaders had wanted to celebrate, both Inara and Zaru happily seconding the idea. After asking CASS, Elias had directed them towards an abandoned building deep in the heart of Persephone. To Inara's delight (and everyone else's confusion) it had been an abandoned nightclub, dusty from years of disuse but everything still in working order. CASS had quickly got it back up and running, complete with strobe lights, music and alcohol.

Now the speakers were blaring a terrible deafening din (CASS and Inara had both called it 'dance music') and most people were dancing or drinking.

"I like grog," Jason smirked, "It helps block out this so-called music."

Susan rolled her eyes.

"It's not that…" she winced as the music suddenly descended into a screaming distorted riff.

Jason smirked at her as Peter raised an eyebrow. Susan sighed.

"Okay, it's bad. But you two are not allowed to sit here and get progressively drunk."

"Sure we can," Peter jutted his chin out stubbornly, "What are you going to do about it?"

Susan smirked.

"This," she reached forwards and grabbed both of their arms, dragging them bodily onto the dance floor.

Inara instantly pounced on Peter as Jason desperately fought to get away from Susan. The two men swapped helpless glances as the two girls kept them trapped. Mortified they began to shuffle clumsily as Inara and Susan laughed and danced around them, the stress and fear of the last few days bleeding away into the night.

Across the club, Caspian stood in one corner and watched Susan intently, his heart and mind in an uproar.

He had tried to talk to her after he left the hospital but she was nowhere to be found. He had asked and asked, even going to Elias for help but the scientists had refused to help him if Susan didn't want to be found.

That kiss…

Caspian touched his cheeks, savouring it, remembering the grateful and worried look on her face.  
Did she still care for him? Did she still love him? His heart said yes but…

Susan looked at him and instantly looked away, nervous and scared.

Caspian sighed as his mind whispered back no.

AAAAAA

Susan's eyes snapped open and was surprised to find her face was wet. She frowned, touching her cheeks.

What happened?

An image flashed inside her head and she froze, her thin frame trembling.

She had dreamt, vividly and painfully of an endless night, the stars sprawled across the velvet sky like diamonds in ink. And alone in field, she and Caspian had danced, entranced by a resonating song and each other.

They had twirled and laughed, their bodies and souls moving as one.

Susan blinked back tears as she sat up, disturbing a snoozing Zaru who was at his usual place beside her legs.

All of that could've been hers if she only had the courage to open herself once more. But she just couldn't do it.

"Idiot," she hissed, hating herself.

Zaru gently placed his furry head against her knees, silently offering her comfort. Susan smiled softly as she placed a gentle hand on his head, rubbing at his ears, grateful as ever for his loyalty and love.

Zaru purred contently.

"Don't get too excited," Susan gently pushed Zaru off her legs, "Let's see what crazy adventure today holds."

She got out of bed and dressed before hurrying out of her room, down the stairs and into the kitchen of the house they were staying in.

The back door swung open and Inara walked in, sweat-streaked from her morning exercises.

"Morning," the warrior said lazily.

She pulled the fridge open and grabbed the jug of milk, fresh from the Biodome.

"Where're the others?" Susan asked taking a seat at the table, Zaru by side.

"Doc's still at the computer controls," Inara reported, "He didn't come in at all last night. Petey's still sleeping off last night's booze and Cowboy's awake with a throbbing hangover."

Susan shook her head, a smile on her face.

"Let them recover," she said fondly, "Let's just hope there's no disaster awaiting us today."

Inara opened her mouth to speak but was cut off as frantic knocking rattled their front door.

"What the…" Inara glanced at the clock, it was still early in the morning, "Who the heck could that be?"

"Sabra Johnston," CASS supplied helpfully, the computer's voice coming out of nowhere.

Both girls jumped but Susan recovered, walking to the door and pulling it open. Sabra's grim face greeted her.

"Get dressed," the Dawntreader commanded, "There's trouble."

Susan grimaced as Zaru rolled his eyes.

"Isn't there always?" the leopard muttered.

Susan nodded and turned back just in time to see Inara walked up the stairs, a bucket of water in hand.

"What…" she began.

Inara smirked down at her.

"Going to wake Petey up," she replied easily disappearing around the corner.

A few seconds later, a startled yelp echoed through the whole house.

AAAAAA

"We received this message through our radios just an hour before," Caspian said grimly addressing all of the Dawntreaders.

They were arrayed before their leader, each of them grim-faced and solemn as Caspian pressed play on the small recording device.

CASS instantly amplified it and played it through the room's loudspeakers. There was a short burst of static then a man's panicky voice.

'HELP!'

The amplified electronic voice instantly set Susan's teeth on edge as she shifted in her seat uncomfortably.

'… ARACHNAS… everywhere… city burning… flee. NO ESCAPE! MAYDAY! MAYDAY! HELP!!'

There was a terrifying inhuman screech that drowned out the man's desperate cries and the transmission ended plunging the room into utter silence.

"Elias managed to track down the source of the call with CASS's help," Caspian glanced at the scientist, who nodded.

"The transmission is coming from a small city a hundred kilometres south of Persophone," Elias explained, "Right on the edge of the forest."

"So what's the plan sir?" Sabra asked.

"We ride out at once and rescue any survivors," Caspian's lips twisted bitterly, "Or we salvage what is left and bury the dead."

He looked at all of them, carefully avoiding Susan's eyes. Susan noted his actions and smiled sadly.

"Any questions?"

AAAAAA

"There it is!" Elias pointed to a dark mass appearing over the horizon line.

The five original companions were sitting inside a truck as it rumbled down the broken road, the Dawntreaders arrayed around them on their motorbikes.

The scientist peered at the laptop he had on his lap still in communication with CASS.

"Does that thing have solitaire?" Inara asked innocently.

Elias shook her a disapproving look as the warrior grinned at him. Zaru was leaning forwards, peering through the windshield at the city ahead, his keen eyesight easily piercing the distance.

"Zaru?" Susan asked.

Jason and Peter were clutching their heads, still dealing with their hangovers as the truck jolted violently with each bump.

The leopard turned back to her, eyes bleak.

"It's not good," Zaru reported, "I don't think…"

He trailed off.

"What?" Susan demanded, "What is it?"

Zaru's face was deadly serious.

"I don't think there's any survivors."

"Holy mother of…" Desmond swore violently as they trudged up towards the city's entrance.

"There must be survivors," Sabra said desperately, "No way can a whole city be wiped out. No way!"

"I would've thought all the survivors would've been eaten by now," Siobhan said passively.

Sabra turned and glared at the Ursine princess but Siobhan barely acknowledged her. The city was completely in ruins almost half the buildings completely levelled down into chunks of cracked concrete and twisted metal. Some were blackened, obvious victims of a raging inferno but everywhere, spanning from building to building, from the highest rooftop to the ground, massive spider webs cloistered the destruction.

The webs fluttered gently in the breeze, each silky strand glistening in the sun. They looked deceptively fragile but Caspian knew for a fact they were as tough as steel, designed to snare victims and hold them helpless as the Archnas scurried to feed on their prey.

"How many Arachnas would it take to cause this?" Susan asked.

Desmond shrugged helplessly, his shoulder still bandaged but well on the way to being whole thanks to CASS's administrations.

"Dozens? Hundreds? I've never seen anything like this," the Dawntreader licked his suddenly dry lips, "Oh my…"

"So what's the plan?" Inara said impatiently.

"We spread out and look for survivors," Caspian said quietly.

"How?" Jason grunted, his migraine currently forgotten, "I don't know about you but I seriously do not want to go near that stuff!"

"With these," Elias spoke up.

He held out a small electronic device, twisting one of dials expertly.

"It detects body warmth," the scientist explained, "You can use these to hunt for survivors."

Susan glanced at the web-covered ruinous city and repressed a shudder. She tried to imagine being trapped inside, held fast by webs or buried under debris as the spiders came, clacking their vicious claws and…

Susan coughed, suddenly feeling sick.

"Four groups," Caspian announced, splitting up his men, "Peter? Your majesty?"

Susan flinched at the coldness in his voice. She felt Peter's puzzled eyes on her but ignored it as she drew herself straight.

"We'll manage by ourselves," she said quietly as Zaru, Inara and Jason nodded in agreement.

"I'll go with David and Siobhan's group," Peter offered.

The two Pevensie split up as each group took the offered heat detectors and with one last worried look at each other, they plunged into the silken labyrinth.

The sheer wall of webs instantly swallowed up any outside sound as the groups separated and walked in utter silence. Everyone tensed and twitched at every corner, each innocent shift of shadows became fantastical monsters as terror rose with every second.

"Queenie… what's going on?" Inara said suddenly into the silence, her voice sounding fragile and brittle.

Susan froze.

"What do you mean?" she said quietly, her bow raised.

"With you and Shaggy. I would've thought you two would be in lovey-dovey land by now," Inara looked at her friend and queen carefully.

A look of hurt quickly flashed across Susan's eyes but she suppressed it savagely.

"Now's not the time," she said in her coolest voice, "Focus."

They walked on, Zaru's senses leading the way. Elias looked down at the heat detector in his hands, the machine completely dead.

"Nothing," the scientist said softly, "There's nothing here."  
They rounded the corner and came upon a peculiar sight.

"What?"

A clump of straggly, sickly trees were grown out of the ground, their roots buckling and ripping through the concrete around them. Elias took a step forwards, instantly recognising the trees.

"These are like the ones we found in the forest…" he whispered.

"Where we first ran into the spiders," Zaru remembered.

"This doesn't make sense…" Elias looked at the poisoned, dying trees, "How did they get here?"

"Maybe the Arachnas brought them here?" Susan suggested.

"Yes, because giant monstrous spiders are known for their gardening skills," Jason muttered.

Elias walked closer to the trees, pulling out a scalpel and a small sealable bag from his pockets.

"I've got to get a sample," the scientist whispered, "And get CASS to analyse them. Maybe we can get some answers"

"STOP!" Zaru roared.

Everyone turned and stared at the leopard, the cat's hackles were raised as he growled low in his throat.

"Everyone," he said evenly, "Weapons out."

The webs around and above them began to sway and twitch as the sound of clacking carapace reached their ears.

They all tensed, their weapons coming out.

"We have company," the leopard snarled.

Black glistening forms scurried across the webs, strings of sticky thread flying everywhere as the Arachnas exploded out of the shadows.

"NOW!!!"

Elias raised his crossbow and fired, his fire orb detonating and blowing one of the spiders apart. Smoking remains rained down on them as the spiders screeched and threw themselves at the travellers.

Susan aimed and fired, the arrow tearing into an Arachna's face as the battle began.

AAAAAA

Author's notes: I'm tired so I'll keep this short – I LOVE YOU GUYS!!! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!!! YOU GUYS = GREAT!!!! Done. Now to bed...


	32. Spider town

I'm back! I'm back and on a brand new computer!!! Yaya!!! Sorry about the delays but my stupid computer decided to crash on me!!!

Disclaimer: Blah, blah insert random facts...

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 32: Spider town**

"INARA!" Jason bellowed.

One of the Arachnas went cartwheeling across the street as Jason blasted it with his powers, the spider's legs flailing helpless as it went. The warrior turned, sword flashing as the spider whipped past. The razor edge ripped into its soft underbelly and momentum did the rest, dragging the blade through its whole body. The spider smashed into the side of a building unleashing a spray of cold blood and gore.

"One down!" Inara grunted, "Hundreds more to go!"

One Arachna leapt down from the web above, its powerful legs smashing into the concrete as it landed. It hissed violently, all eight of its vicious eyes trained on its victim.

With a howl, it stampeded forwards, vicious fangs slicing the air.

Susan raised her bow, aimed and waited.

"SUSAN!" Elias yelled seeing her danger.

The queen released the bowstring with a cry. The arrow shot forwards and embedded itself deep into one of the Arachna's eye, the giant spider roaring with pain and rearing up, its legs scrabbling at the shaft.

Susan calmly fired a quick flurry of arrows into the Arachna's exposed belly, the arrows' razor heads tearing deep into its vital organs. The spider thrashed and raged before its head smashed down into the pavement, the life leaving its eyes.

Zaru leapt fearlessly through the air landing straight onto one of the Arachna's back. The spider hissed and thrashed, its legs flailing but Zaru clung on, inching his way towards the monster's face. With a howl the leopard lashed out at the Archna's eyes, his claws ripping through the delicate membranes. The monster was instantly blinded, gore pouring out from its eye sockets as Zaru leapt free of the dying creature. It took only a few short minutes for the Arachna to bleed out leaving behind a twitching husk.

"BOOM!"  
Another fire orb went off, two of Arachnas flying through the air.

"There's too many of them!" Jason barked.

He waved his arm around sending chunks of rubble flying through the air. The barrage of stones forced the spiders back but the Arachnas instantly retaliated with a spray of spider silk, the sticky web narrowly missing the companions as they all hurriedly threw themselves aside.

"Run?" Inara suggested rolling to her feet.

"GO!" Susan barked.

The five companions instantly charged down the street, the Arachnas in close pursuit.

AAAAAA

Caspian's face was closed as he led his group through the torturous streets, backtracking and detouring as they constantly hit walls of pure spider web.

"Sir," Sabra could hold her tongue no more, "What's wrong?"

They passed a clump of straggly, gnarled trees and continued on, passing more collapsed buildings but everywhere they went, everything was covered in the Arachnas' silk.

"It's nothing," Caspian said in a voice that clearly told her she was overstepping her boundaries.

Sabra instantly closed her mouth but Desmond spoke up, his brash voice echoing loud in the silent city.

"Really?" the man snorted, "You might want to come up with a better lie. It's the girl isn't it?"

Caspian stiffed and stopped in his tracks. Sabra froze and glared at Desmond, silently telling him to stop but the man ploughed on.

"Seems to me you need to forget her and get on with your job," Desmond continued, "Because you're a little bit off your game."

"Desmond," Caspian's voice was deadly quiet, "If you want to avoid being shot at, I advice you stop right there."

The two men glared at each other, the air between them frigid and yet crackling with tension.

"Sir," one of the Dawntreaders said hurriedly, "The detector's spotted something!  
Sure enough the small metal device was beeping away frantically.

"Survivors?" Caspian demanded.

"Maybe… whatever it is it's heading towards us," the man reported, "And fast."

They all tensed, guns at the ready as the device began to beep frantically.

"It's closing in. We should be able to see it… NOW!" the man barked.

Caspian's eyes widened in shock as he recognised Susan and her people racing towards them.

"RUN!!!" Susan yelled frantically, "RUN!!!"  
"What?" Sabra frowned.

A flurry of movement answered her question as a swarm of Arachnas burst around the corner, fangs clacking violently.

"Oh…" Desmond cursed violently.

"FIRE!" Caspian ordered.

The Dawntreaders raised their weapons and let out a barrage of bullets, ripping into the monstrous spiders. The Arachnas instantly melted back into the shadowy depths of their webs as Susan stopped running, clutching at her sides as she gasped for breath.

"Hi," Inara said lightly as though she was out on a casual morning stroll, "Got a giant shoe anyone?"

The Dawntreaders frowned at her.

"You know…" Inara mimed smacking something, "To kill the spiders."

"It takes more than a shoe unfortunately," Sabra said grimly.

"What are those things?" Jason demanded.

"Spiders. Giant ones," one of the Dawntreaders said gloomily, "Vicious. I've seen them tear apart a whole village in a matter of seconds."

"Poisonous?" Elias asked.

Everyone shook their heads.

"But their damn web is strong," Desmond growled, "Once you're caught, you may as well shoot yourself and save them the trouble."

"Fantastic," Zaru muttered, "And they come from the forests?"

"They sometimes wander out and do this," Sabra nodded at their surroundings, "Nobody really knows why."  
"I'll tell you why," Desmond snapped, "Because they're vicious, wild animals!"

"There's another thing."

The five companions turned towards Caspian, the king had a closed worried look on his face.'

"A swarm this large…" he paused and sighed, rubbing his temples wearily.

"What?" Jason demanded.

"There has to be a queen nearby."

"Queen?" Susan asked, "What's that?"

"Think Arachna," Sabra replied grimly, "But bigger. Ten times bigger."

"Ten times?!" Elias gasped.

Sabra looked at them grimly.

"At least."

AAAAAA

"Beep!"

David frowned, studying the detector carefully.

"It's picked up something," the Toran announced.

"Survivors?" Peter asked tersely.

Their group was slowly inching their way down the web-festooned street, guns and weapons in hand. Only Siobhan seemed unaffected, the Ursine looking around her with a cool detached eye.

"Maybe, whatever it is it's close," David waved the detector around, the beeps it was emitting getting louder as they walked.

"Those beeps are going to attract unwanted attention," one of the Dawntreaders muttered darkly.

"Let them," Siobhan said idly, coldness in her voice.

David shot the princess a sidelong glance but the Ursine was staring off into the distance, looking at a ghost only she could see.

Inside her head, Myron was talking away, the Ursine King taunting and tempting her in equal turns.

"Do you honestly think you mean anything to these people? You don't belong!" he hissed, "You are an Ursine. Your people are where you belong. Do as I say and you will be home again!"

Siobhan closed her eyes tightly knowing what was coming next.

"Kill them. Kill them all. It's as simple as that," Myron whispered, his words slipping under her skin making it crawl with revulsion.

Siobhan sucked in a breath, trying to control herself.

'_Who are you?' _she screamed inside her head, _'Are you a ghost? A figment of my imagination? What are you? What do you want?!?'_

"I am your father," the Myron inside her head replied haughtily, "And all I want is for you to be happy."

Siobhan gritted her teeth.

'Happy?!? All you wanted was for me to be a warrior! A fighter with no – '

"Siobhan?"

Her eyes snapped open as David peered at her, worried.

"What?" she growled.

"You looked thousands of miles away," David said gently.

"I'm fine," Siobhan said tersely.

"You don't look fine," David said flatly, "Siobhan what's wrong? You don't have to be alone. You can talk to me."

Siobhan wanted to yell at him, screamed at him, tear him apart but the sincerity written all across his face, the utter earnestness of his concern made her hesitate. She was vaguely aware that Myron's voice had disappeared.

"I…" she began, unsure, swaying.

"David!" Peter shouted from the front of the group, "Are we close?"

David looked away and the moment was broken. Siobhan trembled violently.

What had just happened? Had she…

She felt so vulnerable, so very naked. And she hated it. She bit her tongue and tasted blood, the warmth and the coppery taste bringing her back and her walls up once more.

"David?" Peter asked impatiently.

David wanted to shoot the man but pushed down his anger.

"Take the second left," he said emotionlessly.

He turned back to Siobhan but the princess was gone, walking by herself at the side of the group, her face and demeanour forbidding any contact.

The Toran sighed wearily.

They rounded the corner.

"Help me… help…"

The words were like ghosts on the wind, so faint it was barely there.

"Help…" the voice croaked.

"There!" one of the Dawntreaders instantly spotted him, a wretched bundle of cloth and blood, a moaning, shivering wreck, "There!"

They hurried to him and turned him over, the man's face was splattered with blood, his eyes wide and terrified, staring at monsters that were now forever embossed in his mind.

"Help…"

"We're here," Peter said calmly, "We're here now."

He twisted his water vessel open and slowly dribbled several drops into the man's opened mouth. The man swallowed heavily, his breath rattling in his lungs.

"He's dying," David whispered pulling the man's coat open.

Everyone hissed lowly as they said the broken shape of his chest, the ribs inside completely shattered, shards of bone tearing his organs apart.

"They came…"

His words and the despair and horror that thrummed through them instantly drove a spike of fear into their hearts. They were held spellbound, helpless as the man said his final dying words.

"They came…" his head lolled from side to side as the man tried to shake his demons away, "Out of nowhere… the forest…"

"Those damn spiders!" one of the Dawntreaders exploded fiercely, hands twitching on his gun.

But the man didn't seem to hear him as his eyes widened, staring through time and space into his final moments.

"The trees… the Arachnas… they walked," he whispered, awed and terrified, "They _walked_. How we never knew… they came from the forest and walked and killed… everyone."

He began to sob, broken and beyond comfort.

"They're gone…" he looked up at all of them with the pleading look of a confused child, "Why?"

"You can rest now," Peter said the words he had spoken so many times on the battlefield as insanity raged around him, as he held a dying friend or comrade in his arms.

It never stopped hurting. You can numb to it, anaesthetised to the unfairness of it all but it never stopped killing you.

"Just rest," Peter whispered.

The man blinked and with a small sigh, he went limp. A solemn silence fell over them as they stared down at the body.

"Those bloody spiders," the Dawntreader who had spoke before growled.

"Troy," another of the Dawntreaders, Sophie, sighed, "Just leave it."

"NO!!!" Troy howled, "I'm sick of those bloody spiders! They're everywhere and everywhere they go people die! I HATE THOSE THINGS!!!"

"Speaking of large murderous spiders," David muttered looking beyond their shoulders.

Everyone whipped around and there in the middle of the road, an Arachna stood, its eyes gleaming, fangs twitching.

There was a minute of stunned silence as the Dawntreaders stared at the Arachna and the spider stared back at them.

Troy raised his gun.  
"STOP!" Peter roared.

But it was too late as Troy pulled the trigger.

"DIE!!!" the Dawntreader screamed, "DIE YOU STUPID SPIDER!!!"

Bullets ripped through the Arachna as it screeched. The gun jammed and Troy was left standing, gasping for breath as the spider collapsed, legs twitching, its face and eyes an utter mess of black and gore.

"YOU IDIOT!" Sophie howled, "You know about these things! You know…"

"What?" Peter demanded, "What is it?"

Sophie looked at him, eyes haunted.

"There's always more than one of them," she whispered.

Peter's eyes widened.

"ARGH!!!"  
Troy screamed as a thick rope of sticky thread shot down from the canopy of webs above. It slapped onto his chest instantly grabbing him in its clutches.

"TROY!!!" Sophie screamed.

The rope gave one mighty tug and Troy was sent flying up towards the tangle of web above.

"NO!!" David shouted.

But they were all helpless as Troy hit the web above and disappeared amongst its twisted depths. There was the familiar clacking of fangs and claws, a single piercing scream then utter silence.

"No," Sophie was shaking, "No. No. No. No. NOOOO!!!"

A drop of blood fell on Peter's arm and he flinched.

"Move," he spat, "MOVE!!!"

More blood continued to fall from the ceiling of webs like a terrible parody of rain, a shower not of life but of death. The Dawntreaders hurriedly backed away as the web above ripped and heavy form plummeted to the ground.

Sophie looked away as Troy's lifeless body hit the pavement with a splat and a crunch.

"We have to move!" Peter roared.

Dark forms began to press against the web above, their weight making the strands bulge outwards. But the Dawntreaders were paralysed, staring at their fallen companion.

"WE'VE GOT TO MOVE!!!" Peter yelled.

Claws shredded the web apart as the Arachnas emerged, hissing and spitting.

"RUN!!!!!"

The Arachnas fired off threads of silk and swung to the ground as Peter and the others ran for their lives.

AAAAAA

"Is it working?" Caspian demanded.

"No," Sabra shook the radio, "I can't get through to the others. The webs are playing havoc with our communications again."

Caspian grimaced.

"Amazing," Elias shook his head, "The silk must somehow be electrostatically charged or incredibly dense to block out radio waves. And not to mention their ability to escape heat detection. The evolutionary processes that must've taken place to get them to this point!"

Susan smiled softly to herself as Elias continued to mutter under his breath rapidly, nutting out this latest puzzle.

"Zaru?" Susan asked.

The leopard shook his head.

"Can't pick out a single thing," Zaru growled, "Damn spider webs are absorbing all the scents."

Susan blinked, slightly shocked at how unnerved she felt hearing that. She trusted the leopard to lead the way, using his senses to guide them but if he was blind to what was coming.

She shuddered, her grip tightening on her bow.

The group walked in silence, their surroundings never changing as they came upon ruin after ruin, every square inch of the city covered in thick interweaving webs.

The oppressive silence was getting to them, getting under their skin and making them twitch at every sound and movement but still they pressed on, continuing their trek through the web-covered graveyard.

Susan began counting down in her head, her eyes darting towards Inara. Just as she reached one, the warrior opened her mouth.

"This is slightly depressing," Inara muttered.

She was twirling her sword in her hands, fidgeting to hide her nerves.

"We're walking in a former bloodbath girl," Jason growled back, "What did you expect? Puppy dogs and fireworks?"

"Puppy dogs?" Inara raised an eyebrow, "Whoa, hearing those words come from your mouth just downgraded your masculinity."

Jason swung at her but Inara quickly blocked his blow. The Dawntreaders were staring at them in open shock.

Susan merely shrugged at the question in their eyes knowing this was how Inara and Jason dealt with their nerves: Inara by talking as much as possible and Jason by snapping and hiding behind aggression. They would growl and bicker with each other (with Zaru occasionally joining in) but under Susan's eye, it would all be harmless banter (she hoped).

"Too slow," Inara smirked.

"Wasn't trying properly," Jason retorted.

"Of course," Inara batted her eyelids, "Because I'm too pretty. Tell me who doesn't love me?"

Susan snorted as Caspian's eyes darted towards her, drawn by how open and happy she looked. He forced himself to look away, pain in his eyes, a movement noted by Sabra.

Elias merely sighed in exasperation.

"Uhh… how about all those boys back at Buresque?" Zaru said innocently.

Jason smirked as Inara's jaws dropped in shock.

"What?!" she squawked.

"You know… the ones you flirted outrageously with," Zaru said with relish, remembering a time back in the world of the Sisters, "I seem to remember them practically fleeing for their lives."

"They did run pretty fast," Susan reminisced fondly.

Some of the Dawntreaders were sniggering under their breaths, Desmond not even trying to hide his laughter. Even Caspian was amused.

"What?!" Inara whirled on the queen, "Queenie! You're supposed to be backing me up! You know the sisters are doing it for themselves?"

"Doing what?" Jason drawled.

Zaru barked with laughter as Inara and Susan glared at him. The leopard took in a quick breath and froze.

"Zaru?" Elias asked noting his strange behaviour.

"Blood," Zaru muttered, "Lots of it."

Susan glanced at Jason and the Seeker nodded subtly.

"No fighting," Susan ordered, "Just scouting."

Zaru nodded and leopard and Seeker instantly darted forwards breaking away from the group.

"What are they doing?" Caspian demanded, taking a step forwards.

Susan glanced at him and it was easier to meet his eyes and talking to him because now they were talking as leaders, as king and queen not man and woman.

"Scouting ahead," Susan said shortly.

The two quickly returned, Jason's face a grim unreadable mask, Zaru's grey-gold eyes dark.

"You better come," Zaru said shortly.

They led the group to what would've been the city square, like the first city in this world Susan had first herself in, the square was at the centre of a concrete amphitheatre surrounded by layers and layers of stairs. The whole thing was blanketed by a dense layer of web, which spanned across the top set of stairs, covering the amphitheatre like a lid.

"What…" Susan began.

Jason raised his hands and splayed his fingers. The centre of the web parted like curtains revealing what lay below.

"By the Mane!" Caspian gasped, horrified.

"Guess we know what happened to this city then," Inara said grimly.

Susan was silent, staring down at the huge pile of bodies that lay inside the amphitheatre. Hundreds of pairs of accusing eyes stared up at her, their mouths opened wide in a question that could never be answered. Men, women and worst of all, children were twisted and wound together, heaped upon each other in a mountain of decaying death.

Sabra gagged at the stench of blood and bile and things she didn't even want to consider. Desmond placed a steadying hand on her shoulder.

Susan didn't feel terrified or disgusted nor did she want to weep out of sorrow and pity. No, she felt strangely calm.

"Elias," her voice was cool and even.

"Yes?" Elias tore his eyes away from the death before him and looked at her.

"How many fire orbs do you have?" Susan asked.

"A few," Elias frowned.

"Do you have enough to level this whole place?"

Elias stared at her and Susan turned to look at him, her eyes grim and determined.

"We're going to kill those spiders," she vowed, "Every last one of them."

AAAAAA

Peter was sent flying, crashing into a wall and flopping painfully onto his front as the Arachna hissed in triumph. The king pulled himself to his feet, sword raised. The spider lowered its head and charged at him.

Peter stabbed out but the spider's fangs deflected his blow as the spider ploughed into him again. Peter was tossed backwards, crashing through a flimsy wooden door and into the room behind.

He hit the ground, gasping for breath as he struggled to get up.

"Oh look at that," a taunting voice sang out, "Useless."

Peter looked to the side and Desiree smirked at him.

"No… what are you?!" Peter howled, "You're not! You can't be here!"

"Poor little Peter King, soon you'll be a useless thing," Desiree smirked.

"SHUT UP! STOP SAYING THAT! I AM NOT USELESS!" Peter threw at her.

The vampire smiled.

"Oh really?" she drew herself straight, a serious look coming over her face, "Look around Pony. No one needs you. Not your sister, no one. What are you good for anyway?"

She sashayed forwards, her eyes drilling into Peter's as the king lay on the ground, transfixed.

"You used to be the king. The leader. But now Susan's the leader. She's the one the others look to for guidance. Not you," her voice had dropped down to a poisonous whisper, "You used to be the swordsman. The fighter. They have Jason for that. And he's more skilled than you and he has powers you couldn't even begin to imagine. Why do you think Susan chose him to fight for her?"

She stopped right in front of him, grinning down at him.

"Elias has the brains, so no hope of you there," the vampire bared her fangs at him, chuckling at his terror, "Zaru's got the nose and the eyes and the ears. Inara's got magical strength and she's cunning and resourceful. And they mesh. They work together. Where's your place? Where do you fit in?"

She leaned forwards, laughter in her eyes. Peter recoiled and Desiree laughed.

"They don't need you," she whispered, "Your useless. Even now you are completely unneeded. An utter waste of space. What good are you? What good is a boy that's afraid of the dark?"

She pulled away and the dark enchantment she held over Peter broke.

"SHUT UP!!!" Peter roared, "SHUT UP!!! YOU'RE LYING!!! YOU'RE…"

"You know I'm not," Desiree grinned.

Peter leapt to his feet and swung his sword at her but the vampire was already gone. Feral with rage and fear, Peter charged through the ruined doors and back onto the street outside. Completely berserk, the High King charged at one of the Arachnas and before the spider could even react, his sword was already buried in its face.

He ripped the blade free and turned away as the spider writhed in its death throes.

"Peter!" David yelled out as the king charged recklessly into midst of a fight between two Dawntreaders and four Arachnas.

A claw ripped into Peter's shoulder but the king ignored the wound, hacking off one of the spider's legs.

"I am not useless," Peter hissed under his breath, "I am not useless!!!"

Gore sprayed the air as Peter cleaved one of the Arachna's head in half. Drenched in blood, both his and the spiders, Peter whirled and threw himself at his next opponent. The Dawntreaders hanging back and watching him in disbelief.

Across the battlefield, Siobhan was half into her bear-form, firing off blasts of magic that incinerated the Arachnas where they stood.

"Good! Good!" Myron stood before her, "Very good! I am so proud of you!"

"Get away from me!" Siobhan roared, her voice guttural.

Myron stepped fearlessly towards her as Siobhan threw a fistful of fire at him. It simply sailed through Myron as though he was a ghost and punched its way through a wall.

"You don't believe I could help you save our world," Myron smiled humourlessly at her, "You don't believe I have the power."

"I don't want to save our world! And I don't need your power!" Siobhan snarled furiously.

"Really?" Myron reached out with one hand and before Siobhan could react, a spark seemed to jump between the two of them.

Instant a wave of power, thick and potent unlike anything she had ever dreamed of before plunged through her veins making her head spin. Her eyes instantly turned completely black and she let out a bellowing scream.

She raised her clawed hands and the power seemed to explode out of her in an immense crackling stream. It struck one Arachna and instantly jumped to another until five spiders were caught in a crackling net.

They exploded, unable to handle the raw power coursing through them, chunks of burning flesh and carapace flying everywhere.

David's eyes widened in horror more bolts of energy flew out of Siobhan, destroying everything it touched.

"SIOBHAN!" he charged across the battlefield, fearlessly dodging spiders and bullets as he went.

Peter shouted and another spider met its death, four legs missing and a mortal wound through its back.

A final surge of magic exploded out of Siobhan destroying three Arachnas as she staggered backwards, gasping for breath. Her heart and lungs felt like they were about to give way, every muscle in her body almost liquid as Ursine princess fell, David catching her just in time.

"Wha…" David swallowed, "What happened?!"

Siobhan looked up at him wearily.

"Power… so much…" her head lolled to the side as she fell into unconsciousness.

David cursed violently.

Peter threw himself forwards, rolling under one of the spiders as it reared trying to crush him under its bulk. Peter stabbed upwards, sword ripping through the spider's underbelly. Blood sprayed Peter and he rolled away to his feet, panting for breath.

"PETER!" Sophie yelled.

He whipped around as one of the Arachnas lunged at him, fangs outstretched. The High King raised his sword but he knew it was too late, the spider was too close and…

"PWHIP! PWHIP! PWHIP!"

The spider went down, three arrows buried deep in its eyes. Peter whirled around just in time to see Susan and Caspian and the others plunge into the battle.

The five companions were in there usual fighting formations, Susan and Elias at the rear, protected by Zaru as they unleashed arrow and fire orbs onto their enemies. Jason and Inara hacked and slashed away, working between them to bring down the spiders.

Caspian strode fearlessly through the field, a rifle in his hands as he expertly shot Arachna after Arachna down, every shot hitting the spiders in their vulnerable places: their eyes and face and the chinks between them carapace.

The battle was over in a single breath, the spiders fleeing from the sheer brutality of the attack.

"Hiya Petey," Inara smiled at him, "Aren't you glad we saved you?"

Peter glared at her, the deepest loathing in his crystal blue eyes. Inara actually flinched under his glare.

"Who asked for you help?" he snapped, his temper burning through him, "Do I look useless to you?"

Drenched in blood and with fire in his eyes, Peter looked like a demon. Inara was stunned for about two seconds before she recovered, eyes flashing.

"Now that you mention it, yeah, I think you look a little useless," she shot back.

Peter's temper snapped like a taut wire and he stepped forwards dangerously. Inara's eyes widened in shock as he snarled at her, sword raised.

A cold razor edge pressed against his neck.

"Don't even think about it boy," Jason hissed, pressing the dagger down lightly.

Peter glared at him but lowered his sword. He pushed Jason's arm away roughly and stalked away as Seeker and warrior stared at each other.

"What the flipping heck?" Inara demanded.

Zaru was walking up towards David who was still holding an unconscious Siobhan in his arm, the leopard's eyes were wide with shock.

"What happened? She smells…" his nose twitched as the scent coming from the downed princess literally burned at his nostrils.

Zaru knew the scent of a thunderstorm, the heavy potency that hung in the air, the crackling energy that waited to explode and unleash itself. This was what Zaru was sensing from Siobhan, something powerful and primeval waiting to wake.

"I don't know," David said helplessly, "I… she… she just went crazy."

"That seems to be theme around here," Elias said grimly joining them, his eyes on Peter.

"How many wounded?" Caspian asked Sophie tightly.

The Dawntreader looked at her leader and looked away, sorrow written all over her young face.

"We lost Troy sir," she whispered, "But the others… they…"

She let out a choked sob and scrubbed at her eyes furiously, mortified to show such weakness before her leader.  
Caspian gently touched her cheeks making her look up. Caspian's eyes were sorrowful as he too mourned the loss of one of his own.

"It is not weak to cry," he whispered to her, "But there's a job that must be done. We must avenge him and all of the people who once dwelled here and then we can mourn and celebrate. Can you do that?"

Sophie swallowed heavily and mastered herself.

"Yes sir," she whispered.

Caspian smiled at her gently. Susan approached them, her blue eyes flashing.

"Elias thinks he can do it," she reported.

Her voice was business-like, her eyes determined as she looked at Caspian.

"It's going to take some work. But with what he brought with us and what he can salvage, he thinks it will be enough," Susan reported, "There's just one thing…"

"What?" Caspian demanded.

Susan took a deep breath, knowing and anticipating his reaction.

"I will do it. My people and I will do it."

"WHAT?!?" Caspian boomed.

Everyone turned to look at them in surprise but Caspian ignored them, grabbing onto Susan's arm and making her look at him properly.

"No!" he argued, whispering, "It's too dangerous! You cannot be serious!"

His heart clenched at the thought of her in danger and without anyone to protect her. His mind flashed back to the forest in Narnia when he had rode up to her, her knight rescuing her from the Telmarine. That look she had given him, that grateful, thankful look, at the moment Caspian had vowed to do anything to protect her.

Susan's eyes met his own and Caspian's heart sank as he realised that the girl in the woods was long gone replaced with this grim-faced warrior.

"Get your people out of here," Susan said calmly, "Your people are injured and you've just lost one of your own. They need time to recover. And they need their leader. We can do this."

Caspian hated this, hated the fact that she was right. Against every instinct, every voice inside his head and heart, he nodded.

"Alright," he said tensely, "We will go."

And so they left, Caspian reluctantly, Peter furious at the thought of being left out but Susan could see the exhaustion lurking behind the anger and a worried David with an unconscious Siobhan. They left leaving Susan and her companions, her friends, her family behind.

"Alright," she turned to them, grateful as always they were always there, "What's the plan?"

AAAAAA

Elias flipped his laptop open and powered it up, Jason, Susan and Zaru looking at the alien device in complete bewilderment. Inara smirked at their confusion.

"I managed to retrieve this a few days ago," Elias explained, "But I only managed to establish a link with CASS just recently."

"So you can… uhh… talk to CASS using this labtop?" Susan asked unsteadily.

"Laptop," Elias corrected, peering at her in a way that reminded her very much of Professor Kirke.

Susan stifled a grin.

"Yes, luckily even with the advent of the nuclear war that took place here… the Great Fall as it is known there are some geostationary satellites that are still operational. Relaying a signal through that and back to Persephone, I can contact CASS," Elias punched in a few buttons, watching the screen intently.

"So you can Facebook with CASS, great," Inara pointed out sarcastically, "How does that help us?"

"Easy," Elias beamed at her, "I'm getting CASS to pull up schematics of this city from before the Great Fall."

"And?" Susan pressed.

Elias hushed her and pressed another key. Zaru gasped as a series of images flashed up rapidly onto the laptop screen. Elias peered at them, studying the diagrams carefully.

"And here we are," he said pointing at a blueprint of the city, "The gas mains."

Susan studied the blueprints noting the white lines that denoted the layout of the gas pipes, they were like a wheel, ten concentric lines one inside the other all connected by six main spokes.

"CASS seems to think there is still a good amount of gas down there. Locked away," Elias explained, "We get to the main hub which controls the gas and open the pipes…"

"And we strike a match…" Zaru's eyes widened.

"Boom," Jason grinned with feral joy.

Elias nodded.

"Wait!" Susan protested, "How do you know the gas is still working? What happens if nothing happens?"

Elias shrugged.

"We run. Very fast," he paused, "Actually if this does work, we have to run very fast."

"Or we become crispy fried," Inara added helpfully.

They all looked at her waiting for her final approval as Susan bit her lips, turning it over in her mind. She took a deep breath, weighing up what Elias had said, debating it. Susan finally nodded, squaring her shoulders.

"Alright," she said calmly, "Let's do this."

AAAAAA

"BOOM!"  
"BOOM!"

"BOOM!"

One after the other three explosions ripped through the canopy of webs setting the silks ablaze as the whole city shook with the blasts. The Arachnas instantly reacted, swarming towards the site of destruction as Inara lobbed another orb up into the air.

"BOOM!"

Two Arachnas were set ablaze, screeching violently as Inara and Zaru glanced at each other.

"Think we got their attention?" the leopard asked grinning.

Inara smirked back as the spiders howled at them.

"GO!!!" she roared.

Inara and Zaru turned tail and sprinted down the street, running for their lives as the spiders attacked en masse, strands of web flying.

Now came the tricky part, the two of them had to outrun the spiders but still be close enough to ensure the Arachnas wouldn't just give up.

The air was filled with massive screeching spider as the Arachnas swung through the air, hanging on the hanks of silk.

"WATCH OUT!" Zaru roared.

One spider swung close by overhead, fangs outstretched as Inara and Zaru hit the ground. The spider soared by just over them and detached its silk, landing lightly on the road just before them.

It whirled, its legs powering its bulky body as Inara and Zaru were suddenly met with eight furious eyes and two gleaming fangs.

Zaru bounded forwards with a thunderous war cry, sprinting at the spider as it roared back, limbs outstretched.

"ZARU!!!" Inara yelled desperately.

The spider reared, its rear curling forwards. Inara threw herself to the side as a spray of web blasted forwards, coating the ground in sticky silk. Zaru leapt straight over the webs and slammed into the rearing spider, sending it crashing to the ground and pinning it onto its back.

The spider roared and flailed but Zaru's jaws snapped forwards, tearing deep. The Arachna instantly went limp.

The leopard looked up into Inara's astonished face.

"What are you waiting for?" he snarled, "RUN!!"

Leaping off the dead spider, Zaru sprinted down the street, Inara just a step behind as wave after wave of Arachna continued to surge towards them.

AAAAAA

The streets were quiet as Elias, Jason and Susan hurried through them, the distant sounds of explosion and screams drifting towards them.

"Looks like the distraction's working," Elias noted.

Jason snorted.

"Those two loudmouths can drive anyone to distraction," he smirked.

Susan gave him a disapproving look as they continued to run down the street towards the one building Elias had pointed out. The street and spider webs above were completely deserted, their footsteps echoing off the buildings.

"That's the one?" Susan asked.

Elias nodded looking at the small non-descript concrete building.

"That's the one," he replied.

Susan took another step and suddenly everything around her went dark. She blinked in surprise, stopping.

"What the…" she looked around, just metres from her sunlight continued to filter through the webs, shining down onto the road but where she was standing there was complete gloom.

"What…"  
"SUSAN!!!" Jason roared.

The queen's eyes widened as she realised she was standing in something's shadow. Slowly she looked up as eight hungry eyes leered down at her.

It was an Arachna but this one was massive, easily the size of a bus. Its carapace gleamed like polished armour, bristles of dense hair sticking out in all directions. A single drop of clear liquid fell from its fangs and hit the ground. Elias gasped out loud as the liquid bubbled and sizzled, eating away at the concrete.

"I'm thinking…" Jason began.

"The queen?" Susan stuttered, petrified.

"Yeah," the Seeker replied, no expression on his face.

"RUN!!!" Elias screamed, eyes wide.

Susan took off as the queen Arachna plummeted down from the web canopy, flipping in midair. Concrete cracked under its immense weight as it landed, murderous intent burning in its eyes.

"GO!!!" Jason threw his hands outwards throwing all of his power at the spider.

It ploughed into the Arachna head on but the spider merely jolted. It instantly retaliated, fangs raised as a burst of clear liquid gushed out at them.

Susan and Elias threw themselves to the side as the venom splashed against a building's side, the liquid quickly eating a large hole through the brick and mortar.

"By the Mane!" Susan cursed.

She raised her bow and fired off an arrow but the queen spider easily swatted it out of the air, turning on her with a howl.

Elias raised his crossbow and fired. The fire orb slammed into the queen Arachna's face and exploded bathing her in white-hot flames as Jason grabbed Susan by the arm.

"WE HAVE TO GO!!!" he bellowed.

The three of them ran helter-skelter towards the concrete building as the flames died away revealing a slightly charred but infuriated Arachna. The queen sent another burst of acid at them but it missed them splashing across the road and dissolving the asphalt. Howling the queen spider charged forwards, scuttling towards them with startling speed.

Jason swept his hand around, flinging debris at the Arachna with his powers. The queen spider merely lowered her head and charged, the stone bouncing harmlessly off her armoured back.

The concrete building that housed the gas main hub was only metres away but the Arachna was catching up. Another spray of acid and poison forced them to dodge and weave, stone and wood disintegrating under the onslaught.

Jason gritted his teeth.

"You two go ahead," he ordered, "I'll hold her off."

'WHAT?!?" Susan looked at him in disbelief, "JASON! NO!"

"JUST GO!!!" the Seeker roared at them.  
Susan stood and stared at him in shock but Elias nodded and grabbed the queen's arm, dragging her away.

Jason watched them go before turning and smirking at the monstrous arachnid that was bearing down on him.

"Alright," he raised his hands, his mind plunging deep within himself calling up every last drip and dram of power he held, "I've got one thing to say to you…"

His mind continued to fall, reaching deep towards the barriers that held his darkest memories at bay, memories of his daughter and his forgotten past. Jason steeled himself and drew some of the power away from the barrier simultaneously clamping down on the memories forcing them back even as he leeched the strength that held them trapped.

His eyes blazed with power, flickering between searing blue and incandescent white as he directed every drop of power into his hands.

Jason smiled, exhilarated drinking in the power that he held. His memories began to wake, clawing to get up and break into his consciousness but Jason shoved them back, fragments of images washing over him. A blue ribbon fluttered and flapped in his mind but he ignored it focusing on the fight and the fire burning through his veins.

"DIE!!!!" Jason roared.

The power exploded out of him in a wave of white-hot light ploughing into the Arachna queen. The spider was instantly sent flying, careening into a building and smashing through to the other side as Jason let out a victorious cry.

AAAAAA

Susan kicked the door open revealing the complex machinery that lay within. Elias instantly ran up to the labyrinth of rusty contraceptions and grinned.

"This is it," the scientist laughed.

He walked up to a thick metal pipe where a rusty wheel sat. Grunting, he began to turn it, metal screeching on metal. Susan instantly hurried to help him. Between them it took five minutes of straining before the wheel gave way with a deafening screech. Instantly the smell of gas hit Susan and she gagged violently.

She watched as Elias walked up to a squat metal vat and twisted the wheel on top before opening up its lid, the stench of gas increased dramatically as Elias stared down into the darkness of the vat. It went down and down and down, its bottom completely obscured by shadows.

"This used to be a maintenance entrance," Elias explained trying not to breath, "It connects to all the other mains."

He pulled out a fire orb from his bag and looked at Susan. He held up three fingers and Susan tensed.

One.

Two.

Three.

Elias dropped the orb and they sprinted to the door, bursting through it and into the building before charging out onto the street.

Jason was standing there, face grey as he gasped for breath. The only thing that remained of the spider queen was twitching limbs that emerged from beneath a pile of rubble.

"RUN!!!" Susan shrieked.

"BOOM!"

The concrete building behind them exploded as all three of them charged down the street. They rounded the corner as the whole street exploded, flames now travelling far below them streaming through the network of gas mains.

They sprinted down several more streets, explosions rocking the city as the gas below detonated, the pressure blasting through the thick concrete.

"INARA! ZARU!!!!!!" Susan yelled spotting the two.

Inara's eyes widened as the wall of flames that suddenly gushed up from the street beyond. The canopy of webs was now on fire, flames spreading through them as wisps of thread and flames rained down onto the streets triggering fresh blazes.

"GO! GO! GO! GO!" Susan roared.

They ran and ran and ran as gas main after gas main exploded tearing the city apart. Buildings and webs and spiders burned, death shrieks echoing in their ears as they ran.

The city exit beckoned as they continued to run for their lives. There was a second of utter silence, the world holding its breath then…

"BOOM!!!!"

The whole gas main seemed to have reached critical limit, the whole city going up in a world-shaking explosion, smoke and flames and rubble flying everywhere as the concussive blasts sent the five flying. They hit the rough dirt ground, just outside of city limits.

"QUICK!" Caspian's familiar voice roared.

They were dragged to safety as the city burned, the Arachnas shrieking as they died. Susan looked at the inferno behind her as it ate up the whole city.

"So…" Inara was sweaty, soot-streaked and utterly exhausted but still she smiled.

She looked around at Caspian's worried face and Peter's furious one.

"Celebration?"

* * *

Author's notes: Thank you once again for all the lovely and unbelievably supportive reviews. I love you all. So sorry about the last chapter, I posted it up at 3 o'clock in the morning so the comments were somewhat lacking.

First of all for all of those annoyed that the Susan/Caspian mess is not going anywhere, next chapter will see some resolution in that. The next chapter also kicks off the 4-chapter mini-arc that will see everything come to a head in this world and it really shake things up so enjoy!

Just a random note I've had a few queries about the origin of Inara's name. I honestly didn't remember that Inara was the name of a Firefly character. Her name (and this is a bit nerdy...) if you take her name and the first letter of her last name Nixon makes an anagram – Inara N. = Narnia. See? That was how I made up her name... it's so sad. Please don't hurt me!!!


	33. Passion

New chapter! REVIEW! REVIEW!!!

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 33: Passion**

It had been five days since they had blown up a city and killed hundreds of Arachnas with it. The first day had been a time of recovering and healing, of mourning and celebration. The second day had been a day of rest as everyone had retreated to their quarters and slept for most of the day.

The third, fourth and fifth day life had returned to normal… well as normal as life in a post-apocalyptic world could be.

Elias had once again shut himself into Persephone's computer hub upgrading CASS and pursuing his own projects. That left the others to train and spar (verbally and physically) and idle the days away.

Susan had enjoyed this time of peace and quiet. There had been no need to kill or destroy anything, no need to wage war on the darkness, no need to fight or flee for their lives. The yellow ring was still pale white and Susan knew that inevitably they would have to face the darkness but she accepted that, simply content to wait and see. But the others didn't echo her sentiment.

Jason was chafing at the wait, wanting nothing more than to destroy the darkness and move on. Inara was itching for a fight, spending all of her time training and Zaru… well thanks to Elias's latest work with the Biodome Persephone's food quality had improved dramatically which meant for the moment the leopard was happy.

And Peter? Susan sighed, her brother had been acting strange, jumpy and nervous, quick to anger and even quicker to draw blade and challenge anyone who dared insult him. Susan had more than once forced to intervene before a bloodbath broke out. She had tried to talk to him but he had locked her out with a glare and harsh words. She wanted nothing more than to help, to take his troubles away but whatever was plaguing him Peter wanted no one else to know.

She sighed again.

And Caspian?

Susan grimaced.

She and him had not even looked at each, let alone talk, both of them hurting and hating what was happening but still she couldn't give into her heart. It meant risking too much.

She leaned her head against the cool window and forced herself away from those dark thoughts, knowing they brought nothing but sorrow and heartache.

"Queenie!"

Inara threw herself down onto the seat beside her, her shirt drenched in sweat. Susan raised an eyebrow and moved herself slightly further away from her friend.

"I was just wondering…" Inara looked at Susan and the queen was suddenly feeling very uncomfortable, "I know I'm stepping over boundaries I shouldn't but… I think you need someone to talk to."

Susan winced knowing what Inara was talking about. She looked at the door wandering how fast she could get out of there but she knew Inara would be perfectly willing to tackle her to the ground to stop her.

"Caspian," Susan whispered unable to hide the pain in her voice.

"Yeah, him," Inara looked at Susan, "What's going on Su? I thought you couldn't wait to be with him again."  
"I do want to be with him but…" Susan, "I…"

Her voice broke.

"I… just can't."

"Why not?" Inara looked at Susan carefully.

The two of them were close, being the only females they had naturally banded together and with all the trials and tribulations they had faced Susan had begun to see her as almost a sister. She just couldn't lie to her.

"I'm scared," Susan admitted.

"You?" Inara was shocked, "Of what?!"

"Everything," Susan put her face into trembling hands, "I… you know what I was like after I left Narnia right?"

Inara nodded remembering what Susan had told her about losing herself and twisting everything she was to become the perfect 'lady'.

"I did all that because I couldn't live with the pain of not being with him," Susan looked at Inara, her blue eyes pathetically defiant, "I… I can't go through that again."

"So you're putting yourself through hell to avoid a possible hell?" Inara asked flatly.

Susan coughed.

"Well, if you put it that way…"

"Queenie… Susan. Come on! Things don't have to turn out like last time. I mean we're probably going to be travelling with the man for the foreseeable future. What are you going to avoid talking to him whilst you're busy fighting side by side?" Inara demanded.

"I… I'll think of something," Susan blushed.

"Susan. I'm going to enter mushy territory here and my skin is crawling but I'll say this. Every time you dreamt about him and you up alone… you looked so lost," Inara looked Susan deep in the eye, trying to get the queen to understand how serious she was, "Yeah, last time things fell apart and you got hurt. But maybe this time… you know, you'll get your happily ever after. And how would you know unless you go for it?'

Susan looked at her, white-faced and trembling.

"Talk to him," Inara ordered, "You owe him that at least."

AAAAAA

"I need to talk to you," Jason growled, highly uncomfortable with what was about to take place.

Caspian blinked at him, surprised.

"Yes?"

"Susan," Jason said flatly.

Caspian flinched and looked away as Jason sighed, rubbing his eyes with his hands.

"I can't even begin to explain how much I don't want to do this," Jason muttered under his breath, "Damn bet. Damn Inara!"  
He looked squarely at Caspian.

"Remember the first conversation we had about Susan?" the Seeker demanded.

Caspian nodded slowly.

"You told me you would fight for her," Jason reminded roughly, "Seems to me all you do is run."

"She wants nothing to do with me!" Caspian snapped back.

"And you're just willing to leave it at that?" Jason demanded, one brow raised, "Get some spine and guts, boy! Fight for her! Chase her! I don't know… argh… court her?!"

Caspian opened his mouth to protest but Jason cut him off with a vicious glare.

"All I know is that princess is walking around like someone tore out her heart," he hissed, "And I'm pretty sure you're the reason. So you better make things right or you better sleep with one eye open!"

Caspian glared at him, his tanned face flushed.

"She's the one who's running away!" Caspian yelled, "What do you want me to do about it?"

The answer was instant.  
"Catch her," Jason said calmly, "Because that's what she wants you to do."

With that and flushing a spectacular shade of crimson, Jason stormed off, cursing under his breath as Caspian stared after him.

AAAAAA

Elias looked at the latest computer printouts and looked to the thing lying on the table in front of him in disbelief.

"This… doesn't make sense," he whispered.

Before he could dwell on this, there was a violent flurry of knocks at his door.

"CASS, open it," Elias called.

The computer instantly pushed the doors and Inara marched in, a determined look on her face.

"Doc, I need…" she froze seeing what was lying on the table, "WHAT THE?!?"

"I'm doing some research," Elias said casually.

"That's… that's…"

"A dead Arachna, I know," Elias looked down at the dead spider on the table.

The scientist had carefully performed an autopsy on the creature, dissecting it, trying to learn more about it. Various organs were already lying in pans around the lab, each one carefully being catalogued.

"I had the Dawntreaders helped me transport this from the city we burnt down," Elias explained, "Is there something you want?"

"Uhh…" Inara blinked at the dissected spider before turning to Elias, "Yeah. I need your help with something."

Elias took one look at her devilish grin and instantly wished he was thousands of miles away.

AAAAAA

Susan woke up to find that her bed had mysteriously turned rock hard overnight.

"Ow…" the queen moaned rubbing her back where something was poking her, "What on…"

She opened her eyes and blinked in surprise seeing the clear blue sky overhead. She was outside. Last night she had fallen asleep in her room but now she was outside.

Susan instantly shot up in bed and gaped at her surroundings.

"What?!" she squawked.

She was lying on a pallet in the ruined city above Persephone surrounded by the familiar crumbling buildings and shattered debris. Susan looked around wildly and saw a pile of her clothes lying on a rock nearby.

"What?!?" she repeated, looking around frantically trying to orientate herself, trying to figure out what was going on, "Zaru? Jason? Inara?"

The sun was beaming down on her, the wind gentle and sweet smelling. It was a beautiful day but Susan was too busy panicking to notice any of this.

"Hello?" she called.

She looked back at her pile of clothes and this time she noticed a small black device lying on top. Frowning, she crawled over to the rock and picked the object up. It was something Elias had shown them just the day before, another piece of technology he had salvaged.

Clumsily, she pressed a few buttons experimentally. Instantly the thing crackled to life.

"Hello? Anyone there?" she asked into the walkie-talkie.

'_Hey Queenie, you awake?' _Inara's chirpy voice came through the phone.  
Susan saw red.

"Inara? What the hell is going on?!?" she spat furiously, "What the hell are you doing?"

'_Trust me. You'll thank me for this later,' _Inara said smugly, _'Enjoy.'_

"What?" Susan barked.

The sound of doors sliding open made Susan turn around. The elevator leading down into Persephone was opening up revealing…

"Oh, you have got to be kidding," Susan whispered.

Caspian stared at her, just as shocked as she was. In his hands, he held a small basket.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"Inara told me to bring this up here!" Caspian protested stepping out of the elevator.

Susan's eyes widened.

"No! Don't!" she yelled.

Too late. The doors slid close once more as Caspian turned, eyes wide. He frantically began punching in a series of buttons trying to get it open but the doors remained ostensibly closed.

"Inara…" Susan spoke into her phone, her voice was soft and deadly, "What is this?"

'_I think… and the others agree that it's about time you and Shaggy worked out your issues. You are not allowed back into Persephone until everything's sorted out and you're all disgustingly sweet to each other,' _she could practically hear the evil glee in Inara's voice, _'Got it?'_

"I. Am. Going. To. Kill. You," Susan spelt out with deadly slowness.

Inara snorted.

'_Perhaps. Enjoy the picnic!' _

The device went dead as Susan let out a cry of frustration.

"What's happening?" Caspian demanded walking towards her.

She looked at him, her face flushed.

"They're not letting us in unless we talk," she whispered.

Even though Caspian hated being forced into this, inwardly he rejoiced, knowing that this might be his one and only chance to win her back.

"Oh," he said quietly, trying not to smile.

He wasn't very successful as Susan glared at him. Caspian coughed and busy himself studying the basket Inara had handed to him. He peered into it and blinked seeing the food packed inside.

"I'm going to kill her," Susan vowed.

Caspian looked at her and for the very first time saw her attire. Susan was dressed in her sleeping clothes: a loose, almost gossamer shirt that hid very little. He stared for about two seconds, his mind going completely blank before he looked away, blushing furiously.

Susan noticed his behaviour and glanced down at herself, flushing violently.

"Oh my…" she grabbed at the changes of clothes, "Turn! Now!"

Caspian slowly turned around as Susan began to change, cursing under her breath. Finally she was done and Caspian turned back.

Silence hung between them as Susan stared at him and he stared back. Fire and sparks simmered between them drawing them towards each other but still Susan held herself back, scared.

"I…" she began, "I…"

Caspian smiled sadly and with a simple grace and compassions that made Susan want to cry, he brushed her concerns aside.

"Breakfast?" he asked lifting the basket.

AAAAAA

"This doesn't make sense," Elias cursed, "CASS run the program again."

The computer hummed lowly for about two seconds before the screen lit up again.

"All traces eliminated. Bio-conversion running at a hundred percent," CASS stated calmly.

"But this… with the stomach contents…" Elias sat down heavily onto his chair, his mind whirring as he took all of this in, "The only logical assumption is…"

He looked down at the dissected spider, frowning and he quickly made his decision.

"CASS, I'm going to be gone for a few days," he told the computer, "I want you to dispose of the body and fix me a bag of supplies and my usual equipment. Can you do that?"

The reply was instant.

"Certainly sir," CASS replied.

Elias nodded grimly and strode out of his lab. The things he had just discovered, the only theory that made sense… he had to find out the truth. But first, he had a leopard he needed to talk to.

AAAAAA

The bread tasted like wood in her mouth but Susan forced herself to swallow. Caspian had led them into a grassy glade on the fringes of Persephone's over city, a rare patch of natural beauty in this forsaken world. She sat awkwardly on the grass, looking at everything and everywhere but him.

For his part, Caspian was sitting close to her, his eyes looking out towards the desolation that surrounded Persephone, occasionally studying her from the corner of his eyes.

Silence hung between them, tense and potent.

Susan reached out automatically towards the basket, her hands closing around an apple just as Caspian did the same. Their fingers touched, heat flushing through them and Susan instantly snatched her hands away. Caspian stared at her but Susan refused to look his way.

"This is stupid," Caspian growled.

"What?" Susan looked at him.

The king's face was flushed, his face pulled into a fierce scowl.

"This!" he waved his hands around, "This is stupid!! Jason was right. I shouldn't be running away!"

"Jason talked to you?!" Susan exploded, "Is everyone involved with my love life?!"

Caspian ignored her.

"Susan. Do you love me?" he asked, staring at her squarely.

His heart was completely still, his breath caught in his throat as he finally gave voice to the one question that had plagued him for days. He had to know, whether the answer broke his heart or not, he couldn't live with the confusion and endless questions anymore… he just needed to know.

Susan was staring at him, ashen-faced, trembling. She wanted to turn and run, to just flee and forget about him and the pain in her heart. But she swallowed and steeled herself.

"I…" her voice caught, "I don't know."

"Why not?" Caspian asked gently as though she was a frightened animal.

Susan looked away, her hands winding through the grass around her.

"I'm scared," she admitted in a ghostly whisper.

"Of what?" Caspian demanded.

He cupped her chin in his hands and made her look at him, look at the compassion and adoration in his eyes.

"What are you scared of?" he begged.

"Of you, of me, of us, of this thing between us…"

Tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

"Why?" Caspian asked, "Why?"

"When I left…" she swallowed around the lump in her throat, "When we were cut off from each other… I…"

Her voice was fragile, her face broken.

"I got so lost," she admitted in a child's voice.

Caspian sucked in a breath, seeing the pain in her eyes. She looked so hurt, so afraid that Caspian wanted to hold her and never let go. But he held back.

"What happened?" he asked instead.

"There's a hole in me. I was so angry with the world, with Aslan, with you," Susan looked away but the dam had burst and the words spilled from her lips, "I lashed out. I hurt Peter and Lucy and Edmund but inside I was so disgusted. Disgusted with myself for being unable to forget you, being unable to move on. You know what I did?"

She looked at Caspian squarely and his breath fled at the rawness in her eyes.

"I became someone I wasn't. I wanted so much to forget that I became something I hated. I tried to forget you and Narnia and Aslan and… I hated myself," her voice was thick with loathing, "I hated myself for being weak. For falling in love with you. That's why I can't do it again. That's why I can't be in love with you. Because loving you almost killed me."

She finished on a whisper but the words seemed to hang in the air, a rift that neither could cross. Caspian ran one hands over his eyes.

"Susan."

His tone made her look at him.

"I… you weren't the only one hurting," he admitted softly.

Susan stared at her, completely still.

"I couldn't sleep. Cornelius and Trumpkin and Glenstorm all knew what was wrong and they tried to comfort me but nothing worked. I spent so many nights pacing in front of those trees begging Aslan to open them," Caspian's eyes were darkened as he remembered those sleepless nights, "I even blew the horn once or twice but nothing happened."

He laughed bitterly.

"I even cursed Aslan for bringing you to me, for letting me love you then snatching you away," he hung his head, "I tried to forget you and I did things I wasn't proud of me, things beneath me. I… I wasn't strong enough."

A gentle hand on his cheek made him start. He looked up and looked into utterly clear crystal blues. The world around them melted away as they stared at each other, seeing the pain they had each gone through, the anguish and the suffering and for very first time since they've been reunited they finally saw each other, stripped bare and utterly naked.

They had both been hurt, their hearts torn to shreds and only with each other could they heal and be whole again. Susan knew that this might not last, that she might be hurt again but she had to take this one chance because this might be all they could ever have. But she needed it to make her feel alive once more.

Caspian wasn't sure who moved first but somehow their hands were tangled together. He squeezed her hands and a smile came to her face. She closed her eyes and he leaned forwards.

The world seemed to hold its breath as their lips melt. Heat and fire obliterated their senses as shyly Susan opened her lips letting him in. He took her greedily, plundering her mouth as they clung to each other, vowing silently to never let go.

Finally the need to breathe forced them apart and they stared at each other, panting for breath, lips swollen, their hands still tangled.

"I…" Caspian smiled at her dazedly, "Wow."

Susan stared at him, shocked at her daring.

"You don't want to do that," she whispered, "You... I..."

She swallowed thickly.

"People always get hurt around me. People always die," she looked away, "I've done a lot of things wrong. I've failed so many people."

She laughed.

"If you're smart you'd run away from me. I don't deserve this," she closed her eyes, "I've killed and I've hurt and I've let Aslan and so many people die... I don't deserve you."

"Susan."  
She looked at him and saw the love in his eyes.

"Shut up."

And he caught her lips again in a second kiss. When they pulled away Susan was smiling, feeling shy even though just seconds before they had been heatedly and brazenly kissing. A thousand yammering fears and worries flooded into her head but this... this just felt right and that obliterated any hesitation she had.

A sudden shadow fell over them and they both looked up startled. Susan's eyes widened as they stared up in the leering, ravenous deformed force of an Nzambi.

The monster grinned bearing filed fangs.

"Meat," it hissed.

It swung at them and everything went black.

AAAAAA

Inara sat with her legs on the table, munching on a bowl of chips as she watched the flickering screens before her.

"CASS," she called out, "Zoom in please!"

CASS instantly responded, working her external cameras until they focused on the grassy where Susan and Caspian sat, talking. Inara grinned as she leaned forwards watching the screens carefully

"This is perverted you know," Jason grumbled, pretending not to look at the screens.

Inara ignored at him.

"Damn it," she sighed watching the black-and-white pictures, "No sound."

Susan touched Caspian's cheeks and Inara sucked in her breath. Slowly they leaned forwards and they…

"YES!!!" Inara pumped her arms in victory, "IN YOUR FACE COWBOY! TOLD YOU THIS WOULD WORK!!!"  
Jason rolled his eyes as Inara smirked at him.

"Yes, you are the greatest," he drawled, acidic sarcasm dripping from each word, "Can you turn that off now? I don't think princess will appreciate us peeping on her."  
"Spoilsport," Inara grumbled, "CASS? Can you turn…"

"Son of a!" Jason suddenly swore.

Inara swivelled on her chair to stare at him in shock.

"What?" she said frantically, "What is it?"

Jason pointed wordlessly at the screen and Inara whipped around just in time to see an Nzambi swinging at Susan and Caspian, knocking them both out in a single bow. Her jaws dropped as the monster quickly bounded their arms and legs and began to drag them off-screen.

"Oh…" she cursed violently as she leapt to her feet, "Bad. Bad. Bad. Very bad!"

Without another word, Seeker and warrior burst out of the room, sprinting down the hallway, out of the building and onto Persephone's streets.

"What?!"

They almost bowled Peter over as they charged towards one of Persephone's exit.

"Sorry!" Inara yelped.

"What's going on?" Peter demanded running to catch up with them.

"Please don't kill me!" Inara said quickly before Jason could open his mouth.

The oldest Pevensie raised his eyebrow but kept his tongue as they ran towards one of the escalators leading up to the land above.

They made it to the door and Inara instantly slapped the button to go up. She cursed violently as the escalator's buttons flashed indicating that it was slowly lowering itself back down.

"What's going on?" Peter repeated, eyeing them carefully.

"DING!"

The door slid open revealing Desmond and Sabra. They blinked in surprise as Jason practically shoving Inara and Peter in before climbing in himself.

"What's going on?" Sabra, Desmond and Peter demanded with varying degrees of annoyance.

Jason glanced at Inara and the girl sighed, wincing as she opened her mouth. It took a few short minutes for the story to spill out.

There was a minute of stunned silence then…

"BAM!"  
"DESMOND!" Sabra scolded as Inara clutched her bruised shin.

"What? She deserved it!" Desmond protested.

"I know! I know!" Inara hissed, "You can kill me later! We have to rescue Queenie and Shaggy!"

Peter cleared his throat delicately making them all look at him.

"If they die," he pointed at finger warningly at Inara, "You're dead."

Inara gulped as the door opened and they all poured out.

AAAAAA

"I am very uncomfortable with this," Zaru muttered.

Elias ignored him as he stopped the motorbike and dismounted, Zaru leaping to the ground lightly beside him. They were kilometres away from Persephone now having ridden for hours on end.

"Why are we doing this again?"

They were standing on a rocky outcrop, the land below dropping away and sloping down into a dark, ominous forest, the home of the Arachnas.

"Because I need to know the truth," Elias said cryptically.

"Great, why am I here?"

"Because I need your help in tracking the spiders down," Elias smiled, "Also because I bribed you with food."

Zaru growled under his breath, the fur on his neck raised as he stared out to the thick canopy of trees, his skin crawling at the thought of encountering the Arachnas in their own domain. But he knew Elias and knew the scientist was so driven by his need to know and learn that he would go on with or without him. The leopard sighed and nodded.

"Fine," he hissed lowly, "Let's go then."

Slowly both of them descended the incline and plunged straight into the trees, heading towards the heart of the forest as Zaru and his nose led the way.

AAAAAA

Susan could hot breath and the foul stench of rotting meat and bile washing over her face. Inwardly she winced but outwardly she kept her eyes closed, pretending to still be unconscious.

"Sweet smelling," a guttural voice rumbled.

Susan cried out in pain as a jagged edge ripped across her cheek, blooding welling up. She shuddered violently as a rough tongue brushed across the cut, lapping up her blood.

"GET OFF!" Susan yelped shoving the Nzambi away with bound hands.

The cannibal instantly righted itself and cackled at her insanely, its horrifically scarred and deformed face a ghoulish mask of child-like glee.

"Tender," the Nzambi drooled.

"Gross," Susan spat.

She was terrified but hid in beneath false bravado as her blue eyes swept her surroundings. They were in a rough camp set up in a clearing with Nzambis lazing about, some sharpening the rusty blades they seemed to favour, some were gnawing on bones, picking the last strips of bloody flesh away. Susan had to fight down the urge to throw up as she realised they were human remains.

Up close the Nzambis were creatures of pure nightmare, their skin rotting and falling away from blackened wiry muscle, their eyes gleaming with barely restrained bloodlust. Their mouths were lined with filed fangs and bleeding gums, their tongues red and swollen. The rough shifts and togas they wore were patch-worked and leathery and Susan gagged violently as she finally saw they were made from human skins, torn and cured from their victims.

The crazed mutated creatures were watching her, ravenous hunger in their eyes. Susan's throat was completely dry as she slowly twisted her head.

"Caspian!" she gasped.

The king was sprawled out unconscious next to her, a livid bruise spread across his face.

"Caspian!" she roughly kicked him with the toe of her shoe and with a groan, his eyes flickered open.

"Whats 'appenin?" he moaned, he sat up and looked around, freezing as he saw the Nzambis' leering faces, "Oh no."

"Yeah, oh no," Susan said dryly, resisting the urge to panic, "Caspian… what's going to happen to us?"

He looked at her sourly.

"They're going to skin us alive then devour us enjoying every last morsel," he said flatly, "Hopefully we'll die during the skinning process."

Susan blanched and Caspian swore under his breath.

"We've got to get out of here," he hissed.

And since Susan had been around Inara for so very long she couldn't help but take refuge in sarcasm.

"Really?" she muttered, "Because gee, I really want to have these monsters munch on my liver!"

Caspian shot her a withering look and Susan shrugged. They struggled against their bounds as the Nzambis chucked nastily watching their useless attempts. Susan looked at Caspian and he stared back at her, horror dawning on their faces. They were completely trapped and helplessly, at the mercy of these mutated monsters. Caspian swore again as one of the Nzambis stood up, practically dancing with glee.

"The knifes!" the mutant called shrilly, "Let the feast begin!"

Caspian and Susan stared at each other, Susan trembling as Caspian bit back his fury.

'_Not her,' _he begged, _'Not her. Please Aslan… don't let anything happen to her!!'_

The Nzambi stepped forwards, rusty knife in hand as the other monsters began baying for their blood.

AAAAAA

They sprinted down the road, Jason in the lead, his eyes roving the land as he continued to track the Nzambis.

"If we don't get there in time…" Sabra began worriedly.

"We only get the leftovers," Desmond growled glaring at Inara.

"If anything happens to her…" Peter began furiously.

Inara threw up her hands even as she continued running.

"Okay! I get it! Town square stoning and crucifixion later! But for now let's focus on the whole saving-our-dearly-beloved-before-they-die thing okay?!" the warrior cried.

"Smoke!" Jason shouted from the head of the group.

Everyone instantly looked up and instantly saw that off in the distance rising up in the clear blue sky was a ghostly grey smudge.

"Alright boys and girls," Desmond grinned, "Get your weapons ready…"

His oversized revolvers appeared in his hands as they angled towards the source of the smoke.

"Because we're going to have a little bloodbath on our hands!"

AAAAAA

The Nzambi wove her hair around its gnarly fingers and yanked back painfully pulling at her scalp as Susan yelped and flailed, struggling to break free. The cold prick of the rusty blade against her delicate throat instantly made her stop.

The Nzambi chuckled at her fear as it gently drew the blade across her skin, just enough to draw a fine line of blood.

"Sweet," it whispered in her ears as it put the blade to its lips and began licking the blood off, "Tasty meat."

"Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill."

The monotonous chant rumbled through the camp as the Nzambi cackled and pressed the blade deeper. Susan could felt her pulse jump up against the blade as the monster dug deeper.

She looked up into Caspian's stunned face.

"No," the king shook his head as if this was a nightmare he could wake from, "No!"

He lunged forwards, desperation in his voice and face but a Nzambi grabbed him, forcing him back as the king flailed against his captors desperately.

"SUSAN!" he screamed, "NOT HER! NOT HER YOU BASTARDS!!!"  
"BAM!"

One of the Nzambis punched him across the face and even as Caspian spat out blood and spittle, he continued to struggle.

"TAKE ME!!!" he shouted, "TAKE ME!!! LET HER GO!!!"

A filthy wad of cloth was shoved into his mouth and Caspian was dragged onto his knees, still thrashing as the Nzambis made him face Susan. The queen stared at him, tears spilling down her face as the Nzambi holding her laughed.

"Man!" it pointed at Caspian, "Watch girl die!!"

The monster raised the rusty blade and time seemed to slow. Susan and Caspian's eyes met, Caspian's bleak and despairing, Susan's graceful and accepting.

"Caspian," she whispered, "I love you."

The blade swung down and Susan closed her eyes as Caspian let out a muffled scream of pure anguish.

"BANG!"

Hot blood sprayed Susan's face as the Nzambi fell, the dagger falling from its nerveless hands.

"BANG!"

One of the Nzambis holding Caspian was suddenly headless, Desmond's bullets tearing through its skull as its body fell to the ground.

"ATTACKERS!" one of the Nzambis howled, "ATTACKERS!"

The camp descended into complete chaos as the Nzambis jumped to their feet, snatching their weapons. They turned on the invaders, howling and screaming as they charged.

"BAM!"

Susan gasped as a sudden invisible force slammed into the Nzambis, sending them skittling over.

Jason lowered his hands, murderous intent flashing in his dark blue eyes.

"Get princess!" he roared.

Inara leapt through the air as an Nzambi rose, howling in fury. There was a flash of silver and the Nzambi fell, nearly sliced in two. Inara landed right next to Susan and grinned at the queen.

"Hi!" she said ripping through Susan's bonds, "Missed me?"

She pulled Susan to her feet only to have the queen aim a swift kick at her shins.

"OW!" Inara clutched at her injured limb, hopping around as Susan snorted.

"Idiot," she snarled.

Inara winced.

"Sorry!"

A furious roar made them turn just in time to see Peter take on four Nzambis at once. Susan started seeing the almost inhuman rage spread across Peter's face as her brother brutally hacked one of the Nzambis apart in a feral violent move that made even the monsters stare.

A bellowing roar forced both girls to whip around as Nzambi charged at them. Inara stepped in front of Susan, protecting the queen as the monster slashed at them. Inara parried the blow and kicked out, knocking the Nzambi back. The monster snarled at her, recovering and lunging back.

"CLANG!"

Their blades clashed but the mutant's sheer brutal force sent Inara stumbling backwards as the monster hacked at her over and over again, Inara struggling to defend herself.

"POW!"

The Nzambi lashed out, smashing its fist into Inara's the face. The warrior fell, bruised and dazed as the monster towered over her, cackling in glee.

"Blood!" it practically sang, "Blood!!"

It stabbed forwards, Inara's eyes widening in shock as the blade flew towards her neck.

"NOOOO!!!!"

Susan slammed into the Nzambi, tackling the monster to the ground as Inara cried out in shock

"QUEENIE!!!"  
The monster howled in fury and instantly flipped Susan onto her back, straddling the queen as it raised its hands, its dagger clasped in its clutches. Susan cried out as the Nzambi swung down at her, the dagger's rusty tip aiming straight for her heart.

"CRACK!"

Inara's hands grabbed onto either side of the Nzambi's face and with a sickening crunch, she snapped its neck. The monster fell without a sound.

"Thanks," Susan gasped.

"Are you crazy?!?" Inara demanded, staring at her incredulously, "Going after it with no weapons?!"

She helped her up as Susan shrugged. Inara stared at her shaking her head in disbelief but before she could say another word a shrill cry drew their attention to the insanity raging all around them.

Peter was bleeding from a cut across his cheek but he barely noticed the wound as he violently hacked an Nzambi in two, gore spraying him from head to toe. Susan stared at him in open horror, shaken by the demonic rage that seemed to have possessed her brother.

"Peter…" she whispered almost afraid of him.

Jason waved his hand and a spear went flying through the air ripping through an Nzambi. A monster flew out of nowhere, pouncing onto the Seeker's back as Jason roared, trying to buck the mutant off. Inara instantly darted off to help him, Susan half a step behind her.

And punctuated through it all, through the screeches and the screams were the sharp bangs of Sabra's gun and the deep booms of Desmond's revolvers, the two Dawntreaders blasting the Nzambis apart.

A muffled cry made Susan whip around.

"Caspian!" she gasped in horror.

The king fought violently against his bonds, muscles straining, as two Nzambis snatched him up and fled from the losing fight, their captive struggling in their iron grasps.

It took less than a second for Susan to leap into action. She crouched low scooping up a fallen scimitar before she took off after them, dark hair streaming behind her. Behind her the fight continued, neither side noticing the queen dash off in hot pursuit.

AAAAAA

David awoke with hot tears on his face and spilling down his throat. The smell of fire and ash seemed to cling to him as he rose from his bed, stumbling across the room and staring blankly into the mirror.

It had been five days since Susan and the others had blown the Arachna infested city apart and in those five days David had been plagued by endless nightmares. Some small rational part of his brain reasoned it had been the sight and smell of hot flames, of everything disintegrating into cinders that had triggered the nightmares, the burning of the city mirroring the fiery destruction that had ripped his world apart, slaying all that he knew and loved.

He shuddered violently, his nightmares pouring into his mind, poisoning his every thought. He had dreamt of a flame-beast, of a creature of pure fire and malice, dragon-like and powerful beyond imagination. He had watched as the monster violated his world, ripping cities and forests apart, dropping each morsel into its fiery maws. He had dreamt of his father, his comrades and his friends disappearing into those jaws, screaming as they were burnt to blackened bones and charred flesh.

He had watched helpless, transfixed and paralysed as the monster had whirled on him, hunger burning its white-hot eyes. The beast had lunged, flames leaping forwards and David had awoken with the stench of charred flesh burning his nostrils.

Swallowing rapidly to stop the vomit climbing up his throat, David pushed the door open and stumbled into the hallway.

He glanced up at the clock and blinked in surprise seeing how late it was. He swore under his breath having promised the others he would join them for weapons training. He looked up as Siobhan emerged from her own rooms, a dark closed look on her face.

"Siobhan," David said gently, "Do you know where everyone is?"  
Siobhan looked at him, the pained look in her eyes disappearing under a flash of malice and rage.

"Why would I care?" she spat, "They have nothing to do with me!"

David's patience and temper, already fraught from sleepless nights and terrible nightmares, finally snapped and pure rage and hatred welled up in him. He glared at Siobhan, an almost insane urge to hurt and rend flowing through his veins.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" he snapped, "You think you're the only one hurting?! You think you're the only one who lost everything? Maybe instead of acting like some histrionic cow, you might have some compassion!"

Siobhan's jaws dropped as she physically recoiled from him pressing up against the wall as David stalked towards her, his whole body trembling.

"But no! No! Not Princess Siobhan! You stupid bear, all you think about is yourself! All you think about is your own pain!" he snarled, completely out of control, "You want nothing to do with us? FINE! Then go! Go back to your people!"

He stopped, a cruel smile flashing across his face.

"Oh that's right," he barked with laughter, "The Ursines are all dead! And you're just all alone! The princess of nothing! No one! So maybe you should just give up the dramatics!"

He stopped, his face completely drained of colour, his chest heaving. Slowly a horrified look came over his face.

"Oh my…" David gasped, "Siobhan! I'm so sorry!"

"Don't."

Siobhan's voice was low.

"Just don't."

She turned and ran leaving David to stare after her in abject horror.

"What…" he stared at his trembling hands, "What's wrong with me."

Unseen by all, Myron smirked before disappearing with a blink of his eyes.

AAAAAA

Tall grass whipped across her bare legs as she ran, the scimitar heavy and unfamiliar in her hands. Her lungs were on fire, her heart almost about to give way but she pressed on, easily following the battered path the Nzambis had ploughed through the field.

The sounds of the battle behind her died away as she followed the Nzambis, she could just make out their dark forms off in the distance. Growling under her breath, she knelt and snatched up a good-sized rock before putting on an extra spurt of speed. Her muscles protested violently, threatening to cramp up but she held on, her feet barely touching the ground as she practically flew towards her prey.

She raised her hand, narrowing up her shot and with a violent cry, her arm snapped forwards. The rock whistled through the air with deadly precision before its trajectory was rudely stopped by an Nzambi's head.

The mutant dropped, the back of its skull crushed by the blow as Caspian fell from its limp hands, the other Nzambi stumbling, crying out in shock. It whirled as Susan fell on it, scimitar raised.

"MMSAN!" Caspian let out a muffled cry of shock as the Nzambi lunged at her.

Susan back-pedalled as the Nzambi lunged at her, she steadied herself and slashed forwards, her feet perfectly placed as she duelled, her balance shifting with effortless ease. The Nzambi howled in fury as she ripped the scimitar across its chest.

Jason had taught her well, Susan fought like a seasoned warrior, her movements swift and confident as the mutant recovered, its clawed hands snapping around her wrist as she slashed at it again. Without blinking an eye, her own hand shot forwards, nails ripping into the Nzambi's eye, ichor spraying the air. The mutant roared in shock and agony, staggering backwards as Susan kicked it in the gut, wrenching her hand free.

"GARGH!" the monster gagged on its own blood as Susan's blade ripped through its throat.

Her next thrust pierced its heart and it was dead.

Caspian stared up at her, stunned into silence as Susan dropped to her knees, her blue eyes worried.

"Are you okay?" she quickly sliced through his bonds, tearing the gag from his mouth.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" he yelped.

"Jason. Inara… even Zaru chipped in," Susan hid a smile as she remembered those training (read: let's torture our friend and see how much it takes to break her) sessions, "Impressed?"

"Impressed," a playful smirk danced across Caspian's lips, "And slightly arou…"

Susan smacked at him across the arm. She opened her mouth to scold him but a pair of powerful hands suddenly gripped her shoulders and wrenched her aside. Susan hit the ground as a dark form leapt over her, grabbing onto Caspian before she could even react.

She leapt to her feet, scimitar in hand as the Nzambi dragged Caspian up, its blade pressed against the king's throat. Caspian's eyes stared at her, telling her to run but Susan shook her head.

The Nzambi she had stunned with the stone before grinned at her nastily.

"Kill man," it taunted, "You watch!"

Susan remained silent, slowly turning the scimitar in her hands. The Nzambi dug the blade in deeper drawing blood, its wicked grin widening.

"Die," it hissed into Caspian's ear.

Caspian struggled but the blade dug in deeper, the king hissing in pain.

"Susan…" he began, the blade tickling his throat, "GO!!!"  
He roared in pain as the Nzambi's jaws snapped forwards, its fangs burying itself into his shoulder as the dagger sliced down, tearing deep.

Susan lifted her hand and threw the scimitar with all her might, the blade spinning through the air as the Nzambi looked up. The scimitar sliced straight through Caspian's hair, missing his ear by inches before slamming into the Nzambi, the razor blade burying itself deep into the monster's face.

The throw had been an almost impossible one with absolutely no room for error but Susan had made it with expert ease. The Nzambi fell dragging Caspian with it. Wincing Caspian pulled the dagger from his neck, its edge just a whisker from his carotid as he laid on the ground, gasping desperately for breath. The Nzambi's body twitched, the scimitar embedded into its skull before it finally stilled.

Susan stepped forwards, face pale. Slowly she reached out with one hand. Caspian looked up, a grateful awed look spread across his face. The queen smiled down at him and Caspian took her hand.

He was staring at her in awe, astonished as he slowly began to realise just how much she had changed. She was no longer the blushing girl who had stolen his heart, she was a woman, a queen and a warrior, fire and silk intertwined and as strong as steel. He drank in the sight of her, stunned by her strength and courage and he loved her all the more for it.

This was the real Susan, not the Gentle queen so many believed her to be. Legends had spoken of her beauty and her compassion but she had also seemed weak, wringing her hands at bloodshed and refusing to fight but Caspian knew better. He had seen her fight for her people on the fields of the How and he saw the battle-scarred warrior before him now.

Susan had faced hell a thousand times over and it had wrought changes in her that even she couldn't fully understand. She had hardened, become more ruthless and deadly but Caspian still loved her. He had loved the old Susan and he loved this new woman but there was so much to learn, so much to know all over again and he was grateful, incredibly grateful that she was giving him the chance to.

Still grinning, Susan wrenched him to his feet and without word, threw herself at him. He wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. Slowly they pulled apart and stared at each other, sweat-streaked and bloodied. Caspian lowered his head and Susan rose on her toes and slowly their lips met in a soul-searing kiss.

AAAAAA

"Is this it?" Elias asked looking at Zaru, eyebrow raised.

The leopard nodded silently and the Elias took a deep breath before plunging deep into the grove of trees. Huge skeins of spider web hung from tree to tree as instantly both scientist and leopard were aware of thousands of glittering eyes watching them from the shadows.

Fearlessly, Elias stepped into the clearing and raised his arms, showing his bare hands.

"Arachnas!" he called, "I have come to talk to you!"

Zaru and Elias turned as a huge Arachna queen emerged from the shadows, her fierce mien a terrifying thing of the darkest legends. Elias smiled, triumph on his face. He bowed low, humility in his every move.

"Your majesty!"

AAAAAA

"Is this it?" Cadfan asked bluntly.

A trill of laughter sang out from the shadows. A split second later, a dainty figure stepped out in the low light of the lanterns. Cadfan and the Blooded watched the woman wearily as she walked up to the set of immense iron doors set in the wall before them.

"Of course it is," the woman smirked, "Don't you believe me?"

Artema turned back to the door, studying the large warning radioactive symbols that adorned its surface. Rolling her eyes, she waved her hands and instantly the ancient mechanisms that held the door shut rumbled to life. The door opened, sliding in a hidden recess as Artema fearlessly walked into the vault behind.

She flicked her hands imperiously to the ceiling and lights instantly turned on, revealing the contents within. Cadfan's eyes widened as he saw the rows upon rows of racks, each one lined with weapons and explosives crafted at the height of man's might. They were from before the Great Fall, complex and deadly, each one capable of wiping out thousands of innocent lives with bullets and energy blasts, with poisons and flames.

Artema turned back to them, grinning at their stunned faces.

"You know the plan?" she asked haughtily, "The let's grab those weapons and invade Persephone!"

AAAAAA

"Is this it?" Siobhan asked timidly, her dark eyes nervous.

Myron smiled at her fatherly.

"You wanted it remember?" he held out his clawed hands, a small ball of dark energy crackling between his fingertips, "You came and you begged me for it."

"I realise now," Siobhan admitted in a broken voice, "I realise I am alone. I am so alone… I can't stand it. I can't… I need…"

"You need your family back," Myron said gently, "There's no shame in that."

"But… the price…"

"Their lives for the innocent lives of millions of Ursines," Myron said softly, "A handful for a whole race, for a whole world… what's a handful of lives compared to that."

Siobhan nodded, her eyes drawn towards the power as she remembered it flowing through her. The sheer ecstasy of wielding such might, the way she had felt so alive. Slowly she reached out as Myron's smile widened.

"Take it," he whispered, "Take it!"

Her fingers touched the energy and it leapt to her, leaping into her skin and Siobhan was wreathed in a power beyond imagination. She shook as the power poured into her, reaching into her deepest core, feeling her with strength and magic and knowledge.

Finally her eyes snapped open and she stared at her father. He grinned at her victorious as Siobhan stared at him with eyes of pure darkness.

AAAAAA

"Is this it?" the creature snarled disgustedly stepping into the camp, the largest settlement of Nzambis in the land.

The Nzambis stared at him in awe, grovelling before the power that blazed from his every pore. Draken looked at them, his fanged maws stretched into a hideous grin.

"Come!" he commanded in a thundering voice, "I have prepared a feast beyond your imagination!"

Greed and bloodlust leapt into each mutant's eyes as they slowly rose to their feet.

"Call your brethrens!" Draken commanded, "Come! Come!"

The Nzambis lurched forwards, mesmerised as the lord vampire beckoned to them.

"Bring your weapons! Bring all your people!" he commanded, "I have prepared a feast for you! A feast!"

"Feast! Feast! Feast!" the mutants took on the chant, working themselves into a frenzy, "FEAST! FEAST! FEAST!"

"COME!" Draken roared over the din, "COME TO PERSEPHONE!!! COME TO THE ULTIMATE FEAST!!"  
The vampire marched off as chanting and howling, the army of ravenous Nzambis followed his every step.

AAAAAA

"Is this it?" Susan asked, clearly unimpressed.

Caspian rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably, suddenly shy.

"Yes," he winced, "It's not much…"

Susan looked at the Spartan emptiness of his room and looked back at him, eyebrow raised.

"It's needs a woman's touch," she said.

Caspian gently touched her cheeks, a wicked grin on his face.

"So do I," he said huskily.

They had arrived back in Persephone, Caspian immediately taken to the hospital and patched up as Susan had watched on, worried. CASS and the medical robots had quickly bandaged up his wounds and injected him with medicines before giving him the all clear. Well aware of the other's speculating looks, the two have retreated into the privacy of Caspian's chambers.

Susan snorted at his words.

"When did you become such a flirt?" she demanded.

He flinched.

"Like I said," he said roughly, "I did thing I was not proud of."

Susan saw the pain in his eyes and she did the only thing she could think of to take it all away. She kissed him, deeply and passionately before pulling away, smiling at him shyly.

Caspian stared at her, eyes darkening. A low growl rumbled through his chest as Susan flushed.

"Caspian."

"I want you," he said roughly.

It was a demand and a question and slowly, very, very slowly Susan nodded. Caspian grabbed her, his hands wounding through her hair as he kissed her, their lips and tongue clashing.

"Are you…" he began unsurely pulling away.

Feeling brazen, Susan grabbed onto his shirt and fell backwards, Caspian crushing her beneath his weight.

"I want you," she whispered in his ear, "And you want me."

Her hands were beneath his shirt and the fire between them blazed and flared as everything became heat and passion and love.

AAAAAA

Author's notes: And this kicks off the four-chapter arc that will have some massive consequences...


	34. Collision

New chapter! Enjoy! Enjoy!

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 34: Collision **

Susan opened her eyes and the very thing she saw was warm, rich brown. She smiled softly.

"Hi," she whispered.

Caspian grinned at her, unashamedly delirious with joy.

"Hi," he whispered back, his voice rumbling through her.

Susan blushed as memories of the night before rushed back into her mind, the feel of his hands on her bare skin, his hot lips and the wanton she had cried his name as he…

She flushed violently as Caspian chuckled lowly. Susan glared at him and tugged the sheets closer to her naked form.

"Why the hiding?" Caspian teased, "I think I've seen it all before."

His eyes darkened as Susan shivered, desire coursing through her.

"And kissed it and touched it and…" the king's accent grew thicker with each word as he practically growled out the last few syllables.

"Shut. Up," Susan whispered fiercely as she pulled him into a deep, heated kiss.

They broke apart, panting and staring at each other. Susan laughed, a rich note that shouted her joy out to the world. Caspian smiled tenderly and gently brushed her hair away from her face before placing a chaste kiss on her forehead.

"I love you," he said seriously pulling away and staring deeply into her eyes.

The response was instant and just as honest.

"And I love you," she whispered back.

Caspian drew himself up, resting on his elbows as he stared intently at her. He couldn't help but smile and laugh, wanting nothing more than to shout to the world that this amazing woman was his and his alone. After all this time, after so much suffering and heartbreak they were together once more. He knew that the road ahead would not be as easy. He knew of the dangerous path still stretched out before them. He knew about the darkness that besieged them at every turn. But for now they had this one moment, this one glorious stolen moment and he would enjoy whilst it lasted.

"So what you want to do?" he asked.

Susan smiled at him lazily, her eyes fluttering shut.

"Stay here," she said drowsily, "Sleep the day away. Be with you. That sound good?"

"That sounds wonderful," Caspian laughed.

Their hands found each other, fingers tangled as they lay, content to just hold and stare at each other.

Susan never wanted to move from this bed. She wanted time to just freeze, for her to live in this moment forever.

A sad smile unfurled across her lips.

"What is it?" Caspian asked instantly concerned.

Susan sighed.

"It's stupid," she confessed uncomfortably, "Just forget it."

A finger on her lips made her stop.

"No," Caspian said seriously, "Whatever's bothering you it's important to me."

"I just feel sad," Susan started hesitantly.

Catching the startled and hurt look on Caspian's face Susan hurried to explain.

"No!" she said quickly, "I don't regret it! None of this! But I just feel sad that… that this is never going to happen again. There's never going to be a first time again. That we'll never have this first morning together again, never experience this. This newness, this…"

She stopped.

"It's silly isn't?" she asked quietly.

"No, my love," she shivered at his husky voice, "It's not."

Caspian looked at her seriously, brown eyes worried but compassionate.

"We're never going to have that first time again. Never learn each other's bodies and hearts for the first time again but…" a wicked smile came over his face, "I'm willing to bet the second time is just as good."

He captured her lips in a ravenous, devouring kiss that made Susan cling to him, gasping for breath. He pulled back, smirking, adoration in his eyes.

"You want to find out?" he asked playfully.

Susan nodded desperately and his arms wrapped tightly, painfully, wonderfully around her.

. . . . . .

"They're fully doing it," Inara said casually.

Jason raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?" the Seeker asked.

The two of them were sitting at the kitchen table, Inara drinking a glass of juice as Jason wolfed down a plate of eggs.

"Shaggy. Queenie. They probably did it last night," Inara smirked.

Jason winced as his fork punctured one of the yolks releasing a river of gooey orange-yellow.

"I'm trying to eat here," Jason growled back.

"Just saying," Inara said innocently, sipping from her glass.

"Whatever princess does on her own time that's her business," Jason shot back flatly, "None of my mine."

"So I'm mistaken?" Inara asked, raising her eyebrow, "You're not going to threaten Caspian? Warn him about the bloody consequences of hurting Queenie?"

Jason snorted.

"That's a given," he said drinking from his own glass.

They both looked up as the door swung revealing a rumpled Peter. The High King grumbled out a greeting as he walked to the fridge and pulled out an apple. He dropped heavily into his seat as Inara pulled out a cup of coffee and pushed it towards him.  
Peter accepted it with a small grunt.

"Cheery," Inara noted.

Jason was watching Peter carefully. It was obvious the boy had not slept properly for ages, his skin deathly pale, dark smudges hugging the bottom of his bloodshot eyes. His clothes hung loosely off him showing just how much weight he'd lost.

Inara had told them about Peter's fear of the dark and the endless nightmares he suffered but Jason knew there was more. His powers allowed him to glean other's feelings, the stronger the emotion the more powerful the impression he got and Peter's were practically screaming at him.

Fear and fury and hatred welled from the king in a chaotic maelstrom as whatever plagued him ate at him, corrosive and vile, tainting his mind. The boy was tense, his body like a coiled spring, ready to snap and break apart at any moment.

The others were worried about Peter. Afraid of the berserk rage that possessed him whenever he plunged into battle. But as Jason watched him, allowing the king's emotions to sweep over him like a dark tide, the Seeker wondered if the others knew just how close to the edge Peter really was.

"Inara," Jason cleared his throat, "Don't you have to train or something?"

Inara rolled her eyes.

"Yes, sir," she said dryly, standing up, "Care to join? Cowboy? Petey?"

"Don't call me that," Peter snapped.

Inara smirked and strolled out of the room as Jason watched Peter carefully.

"Just say it already," the king said suddenly not looking up as he stared into the black depths of his coffee.

He looked up looking at Jason with burning blue eyes.

"You want to know what's wrong?" Peter laughed, his voice brittle.

Jason nodded silently as Peter shook his head.

"I don't even know myself," Peter rubbed at his eyes, trying to wash up at the ghosts that haunt him.

Desiree's face flashed before him, jeering and taunting.

"Nightmares?" Jason asked casually.

"More than that," Peter said hollowly, "Ghosts."

Jason watched the High King. He and the boy may not be friends, comrades at best but against his will the Seeker respected him. He had heard from Susan and Caspian about Peter's exploits in Narnia, how the king had held a war torn country together and led a vast army into the battle when he was still just a boy. Not only that but he had ruled that country, protecting and defending its people with a passion and drive that had inspired all who saw it. Even though Peter could be arrogant and blind, Jason had seen flashes of that leader inside of him and grudgingly had to admit that Peter was a true king and warrior and worthy of his loyalty.

It had come as a surprise when he began to view Peter as one of his own like Susan, Inara and others. And if there's one thing Jason was good at, it was protecting the people he cared for.

"Ghosts?" Jason echoed.

"They keep talking to me, tormenting me," Peter was staring blankly into space, "Why?"

His voice was a ghost of a whisper.

"What do they say?" Jason asked flatly.

"They…" the words caught in Peter's throat as Desiree's words mocked him.

'_Poor little Peter king, soon you'll be a useless thing!' _the vampire chuckled.

Peter shook himself and seemed to wake up, looking at the Seeker properly for the first time.

"Why do you care?" he asked rudely, biting into his apple.

Jason rolled his eyes but let it go. Inara poked her head through the door.

"Have you seen Doc or Kitty?" she asked worriedly, "I haven't seem them since… well, since yesterday."

Peter and Jason shook their heads. Inara sighed but instantly brightened, a devilish light in her eyes.

"By the way," she said casually, "Once Queenie comes back from her night of passion with Shaggy, tell her I want to talk to her. I need my gossip!"

She disappeared quickly as her words slowly sank into Peter's head. His eyes bulged and he instantly spat out his mouthful of coffee across the table.  
"WHAT?"

. . . . . .

Dark forms flitted through the air, rotors spinning wildly as their pilots controlled them with expert ease. The dark helicopters stopped, hovering in their air, light glinting off their dark metal forms. There were hundreds of them, almost blacking out the sky as they hovered over the city like a swarm of locusts preparing for a feast.

"This is it," Artema laughed.

She turned. A squad of the Blooded sat in the cabin behind her, a troop of grim-faced men, each wielding a deadly weapon from before the Great Fall. Cadfan stood at the head of his men, a wicked delighted look on his face.

"Are you sure?" he demanded.

Artema laughed.

"Yes, the Dawntreaders headquarters are located beneath the earth."

"How do we get at them?" one of the Blooded demanded.

"Easy," Artema smirked, she waved her hands and instantly a series of switches flicked on as the helicopter rumbled, "Watch!"

She clicked her fingers and instantly the helicopter shook as it fired a missile from its underbelly. The rocket blasted through the air, sparks and smoke trailing in its wake as Cadfan's grin widened.

The rocket struck the ground and detonated, blowing rock and concrete apart in a deluge of smoke and flames.

Artema waved her hands again and from every helicopter, missiles jetted forwards. They all struck the same target at the very same time.

There were a pause as the world held its breath and…

"BOOM!"

In a spectacular geyser of smoke and dust, of flames and burning rock, the earth was ripped apart. The ground collapsed, a flaming avalanche disappearing down into the huge chasm opened in the earth as Artema chuckled.

"And there, gentlemen," she cooed, "Is Persephone!"

The Blooded gaped at the city now revealed in the earth as a look of utter greed spread across Cadfan's face.

"Now," he raised his hands, "BLOODED! ATTACK!"

The helicopters swooped down towards the hole, disappearing beneath the earth as the siege of Persephone began.

. . . . . .

"BOOM!"  
The whole city shook as the missiles detonated. There was a stunned second as the rocky cavern teetered, wondering if it should collapse as massive cracks zigzagged through the stone, weakening it as the ceiling began to dip.

People in the street looked up, terrified as a single chip of stone fell from the cavern ceiling. It hit the ground, the sound echoing in the suddenly silent city.

"Mama?" a small boy asked, petrified.

With a deafening roar, the ceiling collapsed, a whole block of buildings disappearing in a fiery avalanche as people screamed and fled from the ruins.

The Blooded helicopters swooped through the sudden opening, rotors spinning wildly as they zipped through the air.

"Pssssshhhhhh!"

A missile whistled through the air, weaving drunkenly between buildings before it decided on its target.

"BOOM!"

The building was torn apart, flaming debris flying everywhere as most of the helicopters landed, Blooded pouring from its cabins.

"MAMA!" the tiny boy screamed as his mother plucked him up and ran for their lives.

One of the Blooded spotted her fleeing and sneered, raising his weapon. It was shaped like a triple-barrelled shotgun, silver and adorned with thousands of tiny lights and switches. He aimed and pulled the trigger.

"ARGH!"

A stream of pure power blasted out from the barrels ripping through the woman and killing her in a single shot. She tumbled to the ground, her screaming child caught in her deathly embrace as the Blooded stalked forwards, a nasty smile on his lips.

The boy squirmed out of his mother's grip and looked up, pale and terrified. The man coldly pointed the gun down at the innocent child and fired.

All throughout the city, insanity raged as the Blooded attack, high on power and bloodlust. People were slaughtered where they stood, helpless against the technological might the thugs now possessed.

"KILL!" Cadfan roared, his eyes crazed, "KILL THEM ALL!"

Standing on a building top overlooking the massacre, Artema smiled in triumph.

. . . . . .

"BOOM!"

"What the hell?" Peter leapt to his feet as the whole city shook.

There was a short silence that a thunderous roar echoed through the whole cavern. Both men dashed out of the house and stared in horror as the ceiling collapsed and the Blooded descended into their helicopters.

Jason swore violently as the Blooded fired, the missiles tearing the city apart.

"Petey! Cowboy!"

Peter whipped around, his hand shooting out automatically as he clumsily caught the sword Inara had thrown at him. The warrior's eyes were staring up at the helicopters, watching them as they began to land.

"What the hell is going on?" Jason demanded.

"Everything's gone FUBAR," Inara said flatly, "Or do you need me to draw you a diagram?"

"Stop."

Both of them looked at Peter. The High King's face was grim, his blue eyes stone hard.

"We've got them to stop them," Peter said calmly even as screams and explosions ripped through the air.

"How?" Inara demanded, "Last time I checked swords kinda lose against helicopters!"

"We need to get to Caspian's quarters. Most of the Dawntreaders are stationed there. We can figure out a strategy from there," Peter snapped, "Or do you want to waste time on needless sarcasm?"

Inara gritted her teeth but nodded. Peter ran into the house and instantly emerged, a small black device in his hands.

He switched it on.

"CASS?" he asked aloud.

The small walkie-talkie instantly crackled to life.

"Yes?" the computer's voice flitted out from the communication device.

"Is there a clear path to Caspian's quarters?"

There was a small pause.

"Yes," the computer replied, "Sectors 7 through to 18 have been breached but Sectors 3 to 6 are still clear."

"Good," Peter looked up, "Ready?"

"Wait!" Inara ran back into the house and quickly returned, a bundle of cloth in her hands.

She ignored the glares Jason and Peter shot at her.

"Ready," she said determinedly.

Jason and Peter nodded and together they plunged into the madness.

. . . . . .

"BOOM!"

Susan's eyes snapped open and she jerked awake as the whole city shook.

"What…" she gaped.

"SIR! SIR!"  
The door burst open as Sabra dashed into the room. The redhead stopped and froze as she saw Susan's naked form. The queen flushed and instantly gathered the blankets around here.

Caspian sat up, shirtless as Sabra whirled around, mortified.

"Sorry!" Sabra gasped, "I didn't… sorry!"

"What is it?" Caspian demanded.

"The Blooded!" Sabra turned to look back at them, her eyes wide, "They've attacked!"

. . . . . .

"Oh this is just great!" Zaru muttered, "Fantastic idea professor! Is getting attacked at every corner not doing it for you anymore? Do you have to walk towards certain death now? Is that how strong your death wish is?"

The leopard snarled furiously, helplessly bound to a tree by thick strands of sticky web. Beside him similarly bound, Elias ignored him, his eyes focused on the Arachnas as they scuttled all around, their eight eyes sometimes darting towards their captive prey.

"You suck," the leopard growled.

When the queen had arrived, her arachnoid subjects had wasted no time in binding Elias and Zaru, leaving them tied to the tree for hours as the queen had disappeared back into the forest. The leopard had not ceased talking for the whole time.

"Excuse me?" Elias called out suddenly, "Hello?"

One of the nearby Arachnas froze but instantly hurried off.

"Yes, please capture the attention of the crazed monstrous spiders," Zaru spat, "Because I really want to be gobbled up!"

"I know you can understand me!" Elias yelled.

Utter silence greeted his words as the Arachnas continued to scurry along the forest floor, their fangs clicking as they communicated with each other.

"I don't get it!" Elias muttered, frustrated, "Why won't they talk to me?"

"What? Did you bump your head!" Zaru hissed back, "Of course they can't talk! Look at them! They're _spiders_!"

"No, they can," Elias shot back, his eyes still focused on the spiders, "When I dissected one of them…"

"Okay… ew," Zaru wrinkled his nose in disgusted.

Elias ignored him.

"When I dissected them, I discovered their brains are highly developed, easily on par with our… my own," he began.

"I'm pretty sure there's an insult in there somewhere," Zaru sniffed but the leopard nodded for him to continue.

"And I discovered they had fully formed larynxes," Elias continued, he noticed Zaru's puzzled look, "Vocal chords… voice boxes. Meaning…"  
"They can talk?" Zaru gasped, finally grasping what Elias was saying, "They can talk?"

"Not only that," Elias explained, "When I looked at their stomach contents… I found… pieces of flesh."

Zaru rolled his eyes.

"Big surprise," he muttered.

"No! Not human flesh. Contaminated flesh. Radiated flesh. Nzambi flesh," Elias's eyes were wide with wonder as he contemplated the implications of his research, "And the enzymes in their stomach… they seemed to be neutralising the radioactive toxins."

Zaru was look at him blankly, not understanding. Elias sighed.

"They eat Nzambis. Not only that… they seemed to have evolved to eat them," Elias frowned, "And if you think about it, every time the Arachnas attacked us it was a response to a threat. We were always the ones to strike the first blow."

"Wait," the leopard looked at him incredulously, "So you're here to find out if the Arachnas are our friends? To find out if all the life and death struggles we had with them were just big mistakes?"

Elias nodded and Zaru deflated.

"Are you crazy?" he barked.

"I need to know," Elias said stubbornly, "If my theories are right, the Arachnas are nothing more than our…"

"So Wise Man, you wish to find out more about us?" a deep gravely voice rumbled out.

Elias and Zaru turned as best as they could, struggling against the sticky web that held them in place. Their eyes widened at the sight of the huge Arachna queen that slowly crept towards them, her eight eyes gleaming.

She stopped in front of them, her vicious claws moving idly.

"Well, here's your chance."

. . . . . .

They ran through hell, leaping over bodies and flaming debris as they sprinted down the stret. Inara fought down the urge to vomit as they ran past body after body, men, women and child slaughtered without thought. The stench of burnt flesh hovered in the air, making all of their stomachs turn violently.

"Monsters," Inara hissed, rage boiling through her.

The power inside of her thrummed, fighting to be unleashed, fuelled by her rage and thirst for justice. Her grip on her sword tightened as she silently promised the power it would get all the fight and blood it wanted. She gritted her teeth, her body literally trembling as the power flowed through her veins, empowering and intoxicating.

The walkie-talkie suddenly crackled into life.

"Sector 4 breached," CASS reported calmly, "Confrontation with enemy imminent."

Peter swore loudly.

"What is it?" Jason demanded.

"Get ready," Peter growled, "We've got a fight on our hands."

Screams punctuated the air as several men and women ran towards them, fleeing for their lives. Their eyes were wide, their faces pale and aghast.

"RUN!" one men screamed, "RUN!"  
Three Blooded bounded around the corner, weapons raised as they howled with laughter.

"Yes, run!" one of the Blooded taunted, "RUN!"

He raised his weapon and fired. A man instantly went down, a burning hole blown in his back. The other two Blooded laughed and raised their weapons, taking careful aim. They pulled the trigger and –

"BAM!"

The trio of Blooded went sent stumbling, their weapons flying out of their hands as Jason lowered his hands. The three men straightened, red and furious as Inara and Peter charged forwards.

"You're going to regret that!" one of the men screamed, demented with fury, "You're… ARGH!"

Peter ran him through, not even blinking as he pushed the dying man off his sword. The other two Blooded gaped in horror and instantly dived for their fallen weapons. One man dropped to his knees, his grasping hands slipping on the smooth metal of his gun.

"CRACK!"  
The man screamed as Inara ruthlessly stamped on his hand, bones breaking under her heel. The warrior's face was iron hard and she kicked the man in the face, breaking his nose. He flopped helplessly onto his back as Inara towered over him, sword raised.

"Please!" he begged desperately, raising his hands, "PLEASE!'

Inara stabbed down.

The final Blooded managed to grab hold of his weapon. Yelling out in victory, he turned, raising his gun and the final thing he saw was Jason's dagger flying towards him.

The man fell without a side as the Seeker walked towards him, coolly yanking his dagger free. He turned and looked at Peter and Inara, both of them blood-splattered and holding bloody weapons.

"Come on," the Seeker growled, "We've got to keep moving!"

His battered coat floated behind him as he ran off, Peter and Inara a step behind.

. . . . . .

"How is this possible?" Desmond demanded furiously, "How could they…"

"Questions can come after we are safe," Caspian snapped back, "Sabra? Sophie?"

"They're everywhere sir," Sophie, one of the Dawntreaders reported grimly, "Two of our Biodomes are burning."

Caspian cursed under his breath. Susan was sitting at a table, watching the king as he paced the room, his mind working furiously trying to figure out a counterattack.

Suddenly there was a commotion at the doorway. Caspian turned just in time to see Jason, Peter and Inara burst into the room.

They were soot-streaked and bloodied, their grim eyes plainly telling him just how bad it was out there.

"Su!" Peter gasped in relief seeing her.

His face darkened as he remembered why she was here.

"You and I are going to have a long talk after this," he vowed.

Susan grimaced as Inara tossed a cloth bundle at her. Susan caught it deftly and gingerly unwrapped it. Her bow and arrows and her sceptre were inside, Susan smiled at Inara gratefully before rising to her feet, readying her weapons.

"We need to drive them out," Caspian growled, "Sophie. Sabra. Desmond. Lead a squad of ten each. We need to limit their movements. Set up defence points at downtown, main square and outside our remaining Biodomes. The rest of you with me. We're going to start moving everyone towards the shelters."

He turned to Susan, his eyes worried.

"Susan…"

"We'll help with the fighting," Susan said evenly.

"Plus there's a helicopter with my name written all over it," Inara grinned.

Caspian looked at Susan and she subtly nodded. There was so much left unsaid between them. She wanted to throw herself into his arms, to make him promise he'll come back to her but they were leaders and leaders did not show weakness. She nodded again, her eyes saying all that need to be said and she turned to her people.

"We'll tackle the –" she began.

"Warning," CASS interrupted suddenly, "Warning. Intruders in Sector 48."

"What?" Caspian demanded, "What intruders?"

Rather than reply, CASS switched on the T.V. screen embedded into the war. They all turned and stared at the screen as flickering black and white images appeared.

Sophie's eyes widened and she took a step back, her face ghostly white.

"No," she whispered, "No…"

Nzambis were pouring into the burning city, appearing from some unknown entrance. They swarmed down the streets, a crazed ravenous horde as survivors of the Blooded attack fled for their lives.

Caspian cursed as one group was caught between the Blooded and the Nzambis, one by one they were torn apart as the mutated monsters ploughed into them. The Blooded instantly turned on the Nzambis, weapons booming as monsters and the men clashed.

"How… how is this possible?" Sabra gasped.

"The darkness," Susan said sourly, "The darkness in this world."

"CASS!" Inara turned to the screen, "Can't you do something?"

"I'm sorry," the computer replied gently, "The defensive programs are offline. Please insert the correct activation code."

"Activation code?" Inara squawked, "PEOPLE ARE DYING! HELP THEM ALREADY!"

There was a short silence.

"Please insert the correct activation code."

Inara hissed in fury and Jason had to hold her back from kicking the screen in.

"Stop wasting time!" Peter snapped, "People are dying out there! We've got to move!"

Susan and Caspian both nodded.

"Sabra. Sophie. Desmond. Good luck," Caspian said calmly, "The others. Come with me."

Caspian led his squad out of the building as Susan watched him go, her blue eyes worried. But when she turned back to the others, she was every inch the warrior queen, her blues flecks of crystal stone.

"Alright," she squared her shoulders, "Kill anything that's not friendly and don't get killed. Got it?"

They all nodded.

"Good," Susan raised her bow and smiled coolly, "Then let the madness begin."

. . . . . .

Siobhan watched indifferently as the city around her burned. Screams floated up from the street towards her as down below a group of people ran into a pack of Nzambis, the crazed monsters tearing them apart as they begged for their lives.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Myron asked appearing beside her.

The ghost of her father chuckled as Siobhan looked at him coldly, her face a blank mask. The princess's eyes were completely black, shimmering with the power that now raged through her.

"I feel nothing for these people," she spat, "They are nothing to me."

"Good," Myron laughed, "Then the next step should be easy."

Siobhan turned and looked back out towards the city, blinking slowly.

"Kill them all," the Ursine king whispered, "And you will be home."

Siobhan nodded and without hesitation, she stepped off the edge of the building, plummeting down seven storeys towards the ground.

"BANG!"

She landed with a deafening bang on bent knees, the ground around her cracking and splitting, chips of concrete flying everywhere. She slowly straightened as the Nzambis whirled on her, hissing and spitting.

"Die," she whispered, raising one hand.

"BOOM!"

A burst of black energy burst from her fingers and the whole street was bathed in hot white light. A split second later sound finally caught up and a deafening explosion rocked the city.

Soot sprinkled down from the skies like snowflakes as Siobhan cocked her head to the side, examining the smoking crater gouged into the earth before her. Not a single thing had survived the attack.

A cold smile curled her lips and she raised her arms. The air around her crackled as she floated above the crater, bursts of power exploding out of her. She was like a thunderstorm, raining destruction on her enemies as everything in her path burned and fried.

. . . . . .

Caspian plunged into battle, guns blazing. All around him Persephone burned. The air was thick with smoke, everyone choking on the acrid fumes. Caspian fired, a Blooded going down as the Telmarine allowed himself a small grim smile. The king turned as the innocents fled from the battle, their fleeing forms little more than silhouettes against the flames that ravaged their homes.

"DOWN!" he roared.

One of the Blooded raised his weapon, a crackling streams of purple electricity jumping between its two metal prongs. He fired and a wave of energy shot forwards, scything through the air.

One of the survivors was hit, she instantly went down, her body twitching and convulsing wildly.

The Blooded cursed and jerked on the trigger but the weapon needed to time to recharge. He looked up horrified as three bullets tore through him, ending his life.

The causalities were piling up, the Blooded falling to the ground as the Dawntreaders beat them back.

The Blooded's weapons were deadly but the Dawntreaders were more co-ordinated, better trained. As powerful as the Blooded's weapons were, they had one fatal flaw: they needed to recharge between each shot. The Dawntreaders ruthlessly used this to their advantage, ducking and dodging as the thugs fired, retaliating with brutal force during the respite that followed.

The Blooded could've easily co-ordinated their attacks, made sure they were constantly barraging their enemies but they were little more than thugs, acting out of instinct and a drive to hurt and rend. And so they were cut down even as they fired at their enemies.

Caspian saw it before it happened.

"NO!" he screamed frantically, "NO!"

Two of the Blooded fired simultaneously, each of them on opposite sides of the street. A blob of blue flames exploded out from one weapon as a wave of green shot out from the other. Everyone stopped and stared in horror as the two blasts collided in mid-air.

"BOOM!"

They immediately exploded on impact. Two of the Dawntreaders were caught in its path, disintegrated before they could even act. The two shooters died as the shockwaves ripped through them. Everyone else was blasted off their feet, skittering across the ground.

Caspian heaved himself onto his feet and stared in horror at the two soot-streaked spots where his two of his people had once stood.

He was now down to eight fighters. And the two he'd lost… he had known them, led them before, befriend them… they had been good, decent people and now…

Caspian saw red. Roaring in fury, he raised his gun and ruthlessly fired.

"BANG! BANG!"

Two Blooded instantly went limp as Caspian's gun blazed, bullets spewing from its end.

"CLICK! CLICK!" his fingers pulled on the trigger but the ammunition had gone dry. Caspian tossed the empty gun aside with a snarl and unsheathed his sword, its mirror-bright surface reflecting the flames around until it too almost became a blade of pure fire. Fearless and crazed, Caspian bellowed and charged straight at his enemies, armed with a single sword.

. . . . . .

"CLANG!"

Sabra blocked the blade with the barrel of her shotgun, the rusty edge bouncing off the metal. Coolly she spun the gun in her hands and fired, the Nzambi's ribcage exploding as metal slugs tore into the monster.

"Back up! Back up!" she roared to her unit.

The Dawntreaders back-pedalled as the Nzambis stalked forwards, their crazed eyes reflecting the fire all around.

"Eric!" Sabra yelled.

The Dawntreaders instantly lobbed a small metal ball at the monsters. It detonated, fire and shrapnel spraying everywhere as the knot of Nzambis were blown apart. Sabra charged forwards, pushing through the smoke, shooting any monster that moved as she led her people down the street.

The next corner brought fresh challenges as Sabra swore. A group of survivors were huddled against the wall, screaming and praying as lone figure defended them from a pack of Nzambis.

"David!" Sabra yelled, instantly noticing the lone fighter.

The Toran whirled in surprise and was almost killed as an Nzambi bounded forwards, stabbing with its spear. David threw himself backwards, missing death by a hair's breadth as Sabra shot his attacker down.

The Nzambis whirled on them, a screaming, manic swarm as the Dawntreaders braced themselves for the fight. Flashes of silver zipped through the air as the Nzambis charged.

"Greta!" Sabra screamed.

The woman went down, clutching at the dart in her throat as the monsters slammed into their line. One Nzambi stabbed at her, Sabra's hand shooting forwards and grabbing onto its wrist, halting the blow. She raised her shotgun and fired, point-blank. The recoil shoved her backwards as the Nzambi fell, faceless and lifeless.

David was by her side, defending her as she got back up.

"Where's Siobhan?" he roared, "Have you seen her?"

"NO!" Sabra screamed back.

David cursed but had little time for anything else as a second pack of Nzambis flew around the corner, joining the fray with hellish laughter.

. . . . . .

"WHOOSH!"

One of few helicopters hovering in their air fired its missile. The rocket zipped across the cavern, a silvery comet amidst the flames and slammed into an undamaged section of the city. It exploded, buildings tumbling to the ground in a cascade of broken concrete. Bones snapped and organs ruptured as the debris crushed all those caught in its path.

Silence fell over the street as the final few bits of concrete tumbled from the pile now dominating the centre of the street.

A burst of dark energy suddenly tore through the rubble as Siobhan rose from the wreckage, dirtied but unharmed. She glared up at the helicopter with pure contempt.

Slowly she raised her hand and clenched it into a tight fist.

There was a terrifying screech of metal on metal as the helicopter crumpled like a can, crushed by invisible giant hands. It fell to the ground, careening of the side of a building before falling to the ground, its rotors snapping as it was reduced to tangle of twisted metal.

Siobhan calmly brushed the dirt off her clothes before she calmly walked away from the destruction.

. . . . . .

Inara danced with her enemy, spinning and pivoting, her movements graceful and seamless as she moved with the feet of a dancer.

She screamed and slashed out, the Nzambi falling as she whirled meeting her new opponent.

The companions had been caught between a pack of Nzambis and a group of Blooded, the three factions clashing together in a titanic fight to the death.

The Blooded's weapons blazed and sizzled, blasts of energy tearing through flesh and concrete as the Nzambis howled and stabbed and slashed, their monstrous visages almost at home at the hell Persephone, their once untainted sanctuary, had become.

One Blooded fell, an arrow in his eyes as Peter defended his sister allowing her to rain death on their enemies.

Jason flung out his hands and an invisible force threw their enemies aside, their bodies smacking into the walls giving them a short precious second of rest.

Susan turned and gaped at the dark figure that had descended amongst the Blooded. It was an Nzambi but it towered over its brethren, its mien more hideous and deformed than the rest. Its teeth jutted out from its mouth, curved like tiny yellowed tusks, its eyes completely white and glimmering with malice. Around its neck and waist, it wore chains of human skulls, ghoulish mockeries of human accessories.

It bellowed and swiped, its cruel hands latching onto a Blooded's neck. The man gave a choked scream and pounded at the fingers that held him in its crushing grip but the Nzambi merely grunted and twisted.

The Blooded went limp, his neck snapped as the Nzambi casually tossed him aside.

"Kill men!" the Nzambi barked, "Stop way and kill!"

Its brethren instantly responded, darting off and blocking the exits as Susan cursed.

"Yes, because things just weren't complicated enough!" she growled, firing another arrow.

It hit its mark, a Blooded stumbling backwards as he clutched at the arrow in his throat.

Peter thrust his sword through one Nzambi and tore it free, kicking the body away as he whirled, blocking a scimitar as it swung down at him. He twisted his sword and the scimitar went flying out of the Nzambi's hand. The mutant's eyes widened in horror a split second before Peter sent its head flying.

Inara hurled herself to the side as a sizzling blast of energy shot towards him, her clothes singeing as the crackling energy missed her by a breath. It slammed into a wall, vaporising brick and mortar as Inara turned her dive into an elegant roll, coming to her feet.

She kicked out, booting a piece of debris straight into the Blooded's face, knocking him out. Power was raging through her, heady and strong like a river of wine. It directed her movements, choreographing her until she moved with the gracefulness of a ballerina. It powered her punches and slashes, making each one a lethal blow. She rejoiced in it, soaking it all up as she twirled and stabbed, spun and sliced.

Dark blood sprayed the air as Jason slammed into the Nzambis, his daggers flashing. The monsters whirled on in a crazed wave of flesh and blade but the Seeker stood fearless, his eyes calm as the Nzambis stormed towards him.

A brutal grin curled his lips and he held up his hand.

"ARGGGHHHHH!" the Nzambis screamed as they were hurled backwards, bound helpless by invisible hands as they were thrown straight into the inferno that raged all around them.

The mutants screeched and howled, fire instantly devouring their demonic forms as they fought desperately to beat them out, throwing themselves to the ground as they rolled, slapping at their own burning flesh.

"WHOOSH!"

The flames flared and the Nzambis disappeared in a blaze of unbearable heat and stench. Jason smiled in victory and turned, daggers raised and –

"JASON!" Susan screamed.

"BAM!"  
The Seeker was sent flying as a huge form barrelled into him. The massive Nzambi, the monstrous king of the mutants, roared in triumph as Jason hit the ground with a sickening crunch. The mutant, massive and terrifying, beat its chest like a gorilla as Jason slowly pulled himself up, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth.

Slowly with trembling hands, he wiped it away.

A Blooded fired a blast of energy straight at the king Nzambi but the skull-wearing monster easily dodged the blast. Snarling, it hurled a spear straight at the man killing him in a single blow.

The rest of the Blooded, ragged remnants of the original band, froze. Their nerves snapped and they fled for their lives, tossing their weapons aside as the Nzambis gave chase, cackling in glee.

One of the few remaining Nzambis darted forwards towards Jason but the king grunted. The Nzambi froze, its eyes darting back towards its leader.

"No! Man mine!" the Nzambi king roared, "I kill!"

The Nzambi nodded and took off, its brethren behind him as they disappeared down the burning streets of Persephone. Susan, Peter and Inara remained as the Nzambi king and Jason glared at each other.

"Cowboy…" Inara began.

"GO!" Jason snapped, "I'll handle Skullboy here! Go protect the city!"

"But…" Inara started.

Susan grabbed her arm, her blue eyes worried but her face steely.

"Let's go," the queen said firmly, "We have work to do."

Peter and Susan practically dragged Inara away as Jason calmly spat a mouthful of blood away. He raised his daggers and cracked his need.

"Okay, Skullboy," his smile was feral, dangerous and slightly unhinged, "Prepare to die!"

. . . . . .

"Before the Great Fall," the queen continued to speak, her words weaving a long tale that had begun thousands of years ago in the past, "There were accidents with the weapons men had wielded. Vast tracts of land became barren blackened wastelands and all who had once dwelled there were dead or Poisoned."

"Poisoned?" Elias asked.

The queen had had her minions free them from their web prison and now Elias and Zaru sat on the ground watching the queen Arachna carefully as she spoke.

"Poisoned. The poisons from the weapons flowed into their blood making them monstrous and uncontrollable and thus we were created," the queen said.

Her Arachnas hung in the trees, watching them all carefully with a sea of glittering eyes. Zaru shuddered and tried to push them away from his thoughts.

"Created?" Elias frowned, "You mean… you were genetically engineered?"

The queen looked at him blankly.

"We were created," she repeated, "Created to deal with the Poisoned. We hunt them down and devour them and if we can't we bind them with our webs which makes them sleep."

"But creating something… to interfere with nature and make something unnatural grow," Elias shook his head, "There are some lines men are not meant to pass. To play Creator and meddle with life and create as he pleases is a boundary which man should not even approach! But to make a whole race… that's… that's just unethical!"

"That's how it began Wise Man," the queen said gently, "Do not rage at what is unchangeable."

She stopped.

"So we thrived on the lands, cleansing the Poisoned… then the Great Fall happened and everything, everything became darkness and death and Poisoned and still we remained, doing our ancient task… cleansing the earth," the queen finished.

"Cleansing… so you hunt Nzambis and stuff?" Zaru asked speaking up.

The queen nodded.

"But what of those people you killed in that city?" the leopard demanded furiously, "Those people were not Poisoned! You're kind slaughtered those innocent people!"

"We did not," the queen said sharply as the Arachnas above stirred, hissing and spitting, "We were too late to save them from the Poisoned. We arrived only to find destruction and death so we did what we could, blanketing the city in webs to bind the Poisoned that slumbered within."

"Poisoned… the Nzambis?" Elias hesitated a guess.

"No," the queen's eyes flashed, "Worse… the Trees."

. . . . . .

Desmond approached the remaining Biodome with his squad of men. They stopped and stared in horror at the destruction that greeted them.

"What the…"

A helicopter laid on its side, ripped open, shattered parts flung far and wide. Blooded littered the ground, their eyes wide and terrified even in death. And all around, the ground was cracked and broken as though some great beasts had torn it apart with their claws.

"What the hell?" Desmond swore.

He took another step forwards and frowned seeing an unfamiliar sight up ahead. He and his men gaped at the grove of sickly, twisted trees, their branches swaying gently in an unseen breeze.

"How did they get here?" one of the Dawntreaders gaped, "Those weren't…"

The man choked on his words as the trees _moved_. They twisted as though turning to face them and slowly as they moved the trees began to warp. Branches and twigs became gnarled limbs and claws, bark warping and shifting until they became demonic faces.

Dark slits in the trees became eyes, cracks opening up to reveal large cavernous maws.

An unfamiliar sound filled the air, cold fear stabbing into Desmond's gut as he realised it was laughter… the trees were laughing.

The sickly, mutated trees laughed as they began moving, their roots having twisted together to form two stumpy legs. They stamped towards the thunderstruck Dawntreaders, crackling, eyes glittering with malice. They were gnarled and spindly, their twisted branches forming dozens of thin razor-tipped arms that jutted out in all directions.

Desmond lifted his gun and fired. A bullet ripped into one of the trees but the monster jerked backwards and instantly recovered as Desmond's eyes widened.

"RETREAT!" he screamed, "NOW! RET – "

The words caught in his throat, the blood in his body freezing as the tree-demons thrust their branchy arms towards the earth. Thousands of thick, thorny vines erupted from their fingertips and buried into the earth like writhing serpents. The earth bulged as the roots zigzagged towards them as Desmond, stood, paralysed by fear.

He shook himself.

"GO! NOW!"  
Chunks of concrete, size of cars, were sent flying into the air as the roots exploded out of the ground, a forest of writhing, thrashing thorny vines as the Dawntreaders were trapped and killed where they stood.

The trees' mouths opened up into wide, monstrous grins as they slowly began to drain their victims' blood, sucking it up into their roots.

. . . . . .

Caspian felt the end of his hair burn as an energy bolt shot past but the king charged on, his sword held high. He leapt as another blast vaporised the ground beneath him. With a roar, he slashed down in mid-air and another Blooded fell. He hit the ground and rolled, leg-sweeping another man down as he leapt to his feet.

"SMACK!"

He smashed the downed man's skull with the pommel of his sword and whirled to his feet as the Blooded collapsed.

"DIE!" one of the Blooded scream, lifting his weapon and aiming it straight at Caspian.

"BANG!"

The man fell, a fine mist of blood spraying as the air as the Blooded finally regrouped, vengeance and hatred etched on their hard faces.

"TSSSEWWW!" the weapons sizzled and hissed, bursts of rainbow-hued energy exploding from the barrels.

"ARGH!"

One Dawntreader fell, her body hurled backwards as the sheer violence of the attack began driving the Dawntreaders back. Caspian ducked and ran for his life as energy zipped past him like angry wasps, the difference between life and death sometimes just mere millimetres of space.

He ducked and scooped up one of the fallen Blooded weapons, the machine bulky and unwieldy in his hands. But he whirled with a roar and pulled the trigger.

"TSSSEWW!"

Another death was added to the growing tally of fallen as the gun battle raged on, the meagre shelter of fallen walls smashed to dust by bullets and energy blasts as the combatants ran and shot for their lives.

"NZAMBIS!" a sudden voice screamed, "RUN!"

There was a choked scream and everyone whirled just in time to see the speaker fall, a Nzambi on his back. The monster plunged down with its rusty dagger as more Blooded ran past it, pale and screaming.

"RUN!"

A swarm of mutants followed in their wake, monstrous and ravenous as the Dawntreaders and Blooded raised their weapons.

For a few bizarre, twisted seconds the mortal enemies worked as one, their fire raking the Nzambis. The monsters hurled daggers and spears at them but the firepower overwhelmed them, the Nzambis dying where they stood as Dawntreaders and Blooded fired with looks of grim satisfaction on their faces. The final mutant fell and the Blooded and Dawntreaders whirled on each other as if nothing had happened.

"CASPIAN!" a familiar voice yelled.

Caspian's head snapped to the side and she was there, bloodstained and battle-worn but still impossibly beautiful.

Susan fired and her arrow flew like a murderous bird, stealing a life before the Blooded even noticed he was under attack.

Inara and Peter were with the queen, their swords bloodied and chipped. Peter looked up and his eyes widened in horror.

"LOOK OUT!" he screamed.

Everyone's head snapped up as a helicopter swooped by, a dark carrion-eater looking for a fest. Its nose angled upwards and –

"DOWN!" Caspian roared.

A missile jetted out from the helicopter and slammed into a nearby skyscraper, the building disappearing in a massive mushroom of fire. The smoke cleared and the skyscraper teetered, a massive burning gouge in its side.

Caspian and Susan stared each other, paled and horrified. They took one step forwards but it was too late.

Metal creaked and bent before, with a terrifying screech, the building snapped neatly in two and thousands of tonnes of concrete, steel and glass rained down on Caspian and Susan, Inara and Peter, burying them all in a thundering deluge.

. . . . . .

**Author's****notes**: So obviously this is called Collision because all of the storylines for this world is now coming together, everyone meeting and fighting at Persephone.

First of all, thank you for all the lovely reviews always appreciated! And for those who asked yes, Su and Caspian did 'it'. So I hope that clears a few things up.

Secondly in times of updating, I'm currently studying medicine and have just started my clinical years so I'm at a hospital from like seven-thirty in the morning to five in the afternoon and then have to study on top of that. I know it's not ideal but please appreciate the fact that I'm really busy and sadly writing has to take second priority to my studies (damn life...)

So what I'm trying to say I love the fact that all of you can't wait for me to update but please keep in mind that I'm doing the best I can and things will update when they update. Thank you for being understanding! ( I hope...)


	35. Destruction

New chapter! Sorry about the delay and please enjoy!!!

Disclaimer: See other chapters

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 35: Destruction**

Persephone was falling, battered by monsters and men and flames. Screams pierced the air as dark forms fled and chased in the hellish light cast by the inferno that tore through half the city. To the north of the city a skyscraper had collapsed, toppled by a missile burying Caspian and Susan in an avalanche of concrete and steel, Peter and Inara trapped with them. To the west, Jason fought for his life, clashing against the Nzambi warrior and king, Skull. To the east towards the Biodomes, trees walked and killed, thorny forests sprouting from barren asphalt roads. To the south, Siobhan's magic flew high and wide, arcing from her in crackling tendrils that reared up high in the air like a many-head beasts, lashing out and destroying in her path.

And in the centre of the city, David and Sabra stood against a horde of the Nzambis.

AAAAAA

"GO! GO!!" Sabra yelled, "RUN!!!"

The panicked civilians streamed past her, running for their lives as the Nzambis gave chase.  
"FIRE!!" Sabra screamed at the Dawntreaders, "FIRE!!!"

Gunfire blazed, spouts of white fire and light streaking through the air as a barrage of bullets cut the screeching mutants down. The first pack fell and the others instantly retreated, snarling and hissing as they took cover.

"How did they get here?" David demanded.

"Hell if I know!" Sabra spat, "But we've got to drive them out!!"

She ducked as a spear lanced the air before her, embedding itself deep into a wall as she straightened, her gun swinging up and going off in a one swift move. The Nzambi screamed and staggered backwards clutching at its bleeding neck. It quickly fell, life leeching from its twisted body in a pool of red.

"Now, now this just won't do," a vicious voice hissed.

The Dawntreader's head turned towards the source of the voice and their eyes bulged at the monster that greeted them.

Draken laughed, his vampiric face filled with pure malice and disdain.

"KILL HIM!!!" Sabra roared.

Guns roared and bullets flew but the metal slugs easily passed through Draken's incorporeal form. The phantom laughed, his face jeering and mocking.

"Ouch, that hurt," he smirked.

Ignoring them, he turned to the cowering Nzambis and rolled his eyes.

"I thought you were supposed to be monsters!" Draken demanded, "And yet here you hide from mere mortals. Pathetic!"

The Nzambis quailed under his voice as the vampire stepped forwards, Sabra and the Dawntreaders watching him in complete bewilderment. The vampire raised his hands and David tensed, his gun coming up.

"Looks like I have to step in… again," Draken shook his head in disbelief, "And this time. Please. Tear them apart."

A surge of black light burst from his fingertips and swept over the Nzambis as David cried out and fired. His bullet tore through Draken's ghostly body without harm as the Nzambis hurled, the black energy spilling into mouths and eyes.

They writhed and flailed, energy burning through their veins. Sabra cried out in horror as the bodies began to warp, their forms widening as muscles bulged and grew. Horns burst from their skulls as their fangs exploded out of their mouths. They became bigger, stronger, twisted and more demonic than ever. The changed Nzambis whirled to face the Dawntreaders, their eyes burning with an eternal hunger for flesh.

Draken smirked.

"And remember," he mocked, his eyes flicking lazily towards the Dawntreaders, "Make sure they die screaming!"

The vampire disappeared, his insubstantial form melting into nothingness as the demon-Nzambis howled their approval. The Dawntreaders stood, paralysed by shock and fear at what had just happened, transfixed by the predatory gazes of the mutants.

"KILL THEM!" Sabra yelled frantically, snapping out of her shock, "KILL THEM!!!"

The Dawntreaders instantly reacted, guns blazing as the Nzambis bounded forwards, roaring.

Bullets tore into them, skin and muscle ripped apart by the onslaught but the Nzambis barely seemed to notice as they continued their crazed charge.

Sabra's eyes widened.

"NO! We can't stop them! RETREAT!!! RETREAT!!!" she screamed at her men, "GO!!! RUN YOU FOOLS!!!"

But it was too late.

The demon-Nzambis slammed into the Dawntreaders, sending them sprawling as they attacked with unrestrained outrage.

"LYLE!!!" Sabra screamed as she backed hurriedly away from the carnage, "ERIC!!!"

Eric looked at her, face white, eyes wide, his mouth opened.

"GO! SABRA!!! RU – "

His words were gut off as an Nzambi bit into his neck. The Dawntreader flailed trying to put the monster off but the horned mutant ripped back his head and –

Sabra looked away, vomit creeping up her throat but everywhere she turned, everywhere she looked all she saw was her men, her women, her comrades and friends disappearing under masses of howling mutants, screaming, limbs flailing before they were still forever.

A hand snapped around her arm and Sabra whirled around, gun raised, a war cry on her lips.

"COME ON!!!" David yelled, "WE HAVE TO GO!!!"  
"BUT… MY…"

Screams stabbed into her ears and heart as tears spilled from her eyes. She raised her gun, ready to do battle…

"COME ON!!!!" David dragged at her, "IT'S HOPELESS!!! WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!!!"

More screams as Sabra cried out. Three demon-Nzambis whirled on them, cackling at their fear and despair. They dropped down to all fours and instantly loped towards them, slobber flying from their fanged maws.

"COME ON!!!"  
Sabra allowed herself to be pulled away as three demon-Nzambis called out to their brethren. A few demon-Nzambis managed to tear away from the feast of fresh flesh and joined them as they raced down the street, hunting their fleeing prey.

AAAAAA

Peter opened his eyes and found himself staring into the scarred and patchwork face of an Nzambi. A cry left his lips as he recoiled violently, scrambling to get away as his hands flailed for his sword.

It took a few heart stopping seconds to realise the mutant was dead, its eyes blank and lifeless. A jagged ended steel girder had ended its life.

A small almost crazed laugh left his lips as Peter breathed an internal sigh of relief. Slowly he looked around, staring wide-eyed at the destruction that lay all around him. One-tonne slab of concrete lay scattered all around him as though some giant child had toppled the skyscraper like a tower of blocks. They laid, some whole, some cracked, some smashed into fine dust that attacked his eyes and nose.

Twisted steel beams skewered the earth, shards of broken glass reflecting the flames that burned throughout the city with burning intensity.

Peter heaved himself onto his feet, his blue eyes darting around frantically.

"SUSAN!" he yelled desperately, "SUSAN!!!"  
The tower had fallen across the road, cutting it off in a giant mountain of debris. Peter paled as he saw hands and limbs sticking out from the rubble, Nzambis, Blooded and Dawntreaders all crushed by the deluge. His heart froze at the thought of his sister trapped in wreckage or…

'_She could be dead,' _his treacherous mind whispered.

"SUSAN!!!"

He literally threw himself at the mountain of debris, grabbing on the concrete trying to pull them away, trying to find his sister.

"It's no use," a quiet voice broke through his madness.

Peter whirled. Inara limped slowly towards him, her sword clutched in her hands. The girl was bleeding from a deep cut across her forehead, her whole face covered in dried red gore.

"I have to find her!" Peter spat, "I have to…"

"She's alive," Inara said suddenly.

"How do you know!" Peter hurled at her.

"I just do," Inara whispered, calm and sure in her belief.

Peter stared at her and Inara looked back at him, her face blank. It was hard to explain why she knew but she just did. Whether some bond had been forged between the five companions after all they had gone through, whether the power inside of her had created a link or whether it was the twin rings the two girls wore, Inara didn't know. But she knew, she felt with every fibre of her being that Susan was still alive.

"We better go," Inara said, "There's still evil afoot and they need their asses kicked!"

Peter grimaced knowing she was right. Slowly he wrenched himself away from the wreckage, feeling sick at the though he might be abandoning his sister but he had to trust in her.

He found his sword and picked it up, staring at his own blue-eyed reflection. He glanced back at the rubble and licked his dry lips.

"Alright," he nodded.

Peter the older brother faded as the king, the warrior and the cool-minded strategist rose.

"Let's go."

AAAAAA

"The trees?" Elias sounded extremely sceptic, "Trees can walk and kill people?"

The Arachna queen's eight eyes turned to him, flashing as she realised the scientist was questioning her. Zaru winced and began subtly jabbing Elias with his paw, telling him to shut up but the professor ignored him.

"The trees?"

When the Queen spoke, her voice held the slightest hint of coldness.

"Before the Great Fall, the trees slumbered, their spirits gentle and quiet only emerging when there was no one around. But when the whiteness filled out the skies and toxins filled the earth, the trees became Poisoned. Their very spirit was infected and they became warped. The Trees are now deranged, filled with a lust for destruction and death that could never be sated. And so they walk and kill, driven by the poisons that flow through them," the Queen said sternly, "If we, the Arachnas, did not stop them they would've wiped out every human in their path."

"Spirit?" Elias snorted, "What nonsense is this?!"

"Dryads," Zaru said, almost awed, "She's talking about the Dryads."

The Queen's eyes swivelled to look at him. Zaru shuddered as all eight of eyes focused both on him and seemed to look through him at the same time. She was still as her eyes studied him carefully, meticulously taking in every detail.

"Well said," the Arachna said, "That's what the Trees call themselves."

"Wait, what do you do to them… the Dryads," Elias stumbled over the unfamiliar word, "When I did an autopsy on one of your Arachnas…"

The Arachna in the trees above immediately hissed violently, their fangs clacking together as Zaru sighed in exasperation.

"Censor yourself!" he snapped at Elias.  
"There were no traces of any vegetable matter in its stomach contents," Elias forged on stubbornly, "You eat the Nzambis… what do you do with the Trees?"

"We bind them with our webs. If the Dryads are caught in our webs, they sleep," the Queen drew herself up to her full imposing height, "That was why we were at the city. To stop the Trees from rampaging further."

Zaru coughed.

"Uhhh… stupid question. Why don't you just tell this to everyone? You know to stop the needless carnage on both sides?" the leopard pointed out.

The Queen glared at him.

"You think we haven't tried? No one will believe us. They believe a monstrous spirit must hide beneath a monstrous mask. They do not realise that ugliness can be found within beauty. That the evilest of hearts lurk beneath the purest faces," the Queen spat out, "That is why they cannot recognise the darkness."

Her words instantly made Elias and Zaru froze.

"Darkness?!?" they both exclaimed loudly.

The Queen clacked her fangs together angrily.

"The Darkness… it's here and they are all too blind to see it!"

AAAAAA

"It's hopeless," Susan looked grimly up at the mountain of debris blocking their way, "We have to go another path."

Inwardly she prayed that Inara and her brother was safe. If they had died…

'_Yeah but both of them are too stubborn to die,' _her mind supplied.

She cracked a small smile and turned back to Caspian.

Caspian's face was pale, the king distraught at losing all of his people in the avalanche that had buried them all. But he pulled himself free from his shock, focusing on the now. His teeth ground together and he promised his fallen men and women there would be bloody vengeance, retribution and repayment for the lives lost.

"We have to go," he growled out, "The Blooded and Nzambis will kill everyone in this city unless we stop them."

A helicopter swooped by overhead, engines roaring as Susan stiffened, watching the machine carefully. Caspian's eyes narrowed and he stalked over to an abandoned Blooded's weapons, its owner crushed somewhere in the wreckage.

He scooped it up and aimed it carefully at the helicopter as it swung by again. His movements caught Susan's eyes and she turned to stare at him.

"Cas – " she began.

The king pulled the trigger.

"TSSSEEWWW!!!"

A brilliant burst of green energy exploded from the muzzle and smacked straight into the helicopter's flank. The energy didn't explode or disperse instead it seemed to linger, clinging to the helicopter as crackling streams of energy ripped through its machinery. The rotor slowed, spluttering and struggling as smoke began to pour from its engines.

Caspian watched dispassionately as the helicopter fell from the sky, crashing to earth with a resounding boom.

Ignoring Susan's stunned look, the king dug through the wreckage arming himself with two handguns, his sword lost in the wreckage. He slung the Blooded's laser weapon over his shoulder and turned to Susan.

"Ready?" he asked.

Susan shook herself free of her shock. Her own bow had been smashed to splinters but her sceptre was still with her. She pulled it free, twirling it in her hands as Caspian stared at the weapon, unnerved by how much it looked like the White Queen's wand. But he held his tongue.

"Where to?" she asked.

A burst of terrified screams tore towards them and Caspian smiled wryly. Susan nodded and both of them darted towards the source of the cries.

AAAAAA

Skull lifted Jason over its head as though he was mere child and hurled him straight across the street. The Seeker's body slammed into a crumbling wall, smashing straight through the bricks and into the burning building beyond. Skull bellowed in triumph, pumping the air with its fists as murderous satisfaction crossed its grotesque face.

"Winner!" the Nzambi king howled, "ALL DEAD!!!!'

It turned to leave, its chest puffed out, a look of dumb satisfaction on its face.

"BAM!"  
It stumbled forwards as a burning brick smashed into the back of its skull drawing out a cry of pain and fury. The Nzambi whirled furious as Jason smirked back at him.

The Seeker stood amongst the raging flames, completely unharmed as tongues of blazing fire lashed violently against an invisible wall that had sprung up around the man. A circle of burning bricks looped lazily in the air in front of him, borne and controlled by Jason's power.

"You know before I was just going to kill you," Jason said conversationally, his blue eyes reflecting the flames that burned all around him, "But now… I'm going to tear you from limb to limb and enjoy every moment of it."

Skull roared and charged at him, arms outstretched ready to tear the Seeker apart. Jason flung his arm out and the burning bricks flew forwards as through shot from a sling.

The brick exploded against the Nzambi as it charged, crumbling to dust as the mutant swatted them out of the air.

Jason's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before his arms came up, daggers in hand. Skull crashed straight through the remnant of the wall and smashed into Jason, the man's booted foot sliding across the ground before he found purchase and shoved the mutant back.

Skull stumbled as the flames flared and surged towards them, Jason's protection vanishing as he and Skull collided with twin roars.

The battle was brutal, Jason's head snapping back as Skull's fist cracked into him, blood instantly pouring into his mouth. The Nzambi yelped as Jason's dagger tore through its thigh, slicing deep. The dagger spun in his hands and Jason slashed upwards catching the Nzambi in the arm.

Clawed fingers snapped around his neck like a pincer as Skull bellowed and held Jason above its head, shaking him violent. Jason's vision began to darken as he struggled against the steel vice grip. Gritting his teeth and gagging violently as he tried to pull in a lungful of smoky air, Jason managed to bury his dagger deep into Skull's arm.

The monster bellowed agony and immediately dropped him, Jason smacking painfully to the burning ground. Tiny burns now peppered his body as sparks and embers flew everywhere but Jason ignored the pain as he kicked out knocking Skull back.

The Nzambi stumbled as Jason lurched to his feet, his throat crushed and bruised, burning from the pain and the fiery air he sucked in with each gasping breath. Skull stared at him, a strange predatory intelligence glimmering in its eyes' dark depths.

Jason grimaced as Skull suddenly grinned, filed fangs beared at him.

The mutant lunged forwards and the fight was on but this time, something had shifted, something had changed. Before Skull had been attacking with the ferocious force of a wild beast, all instincts and hunger but now its moves was that of a hunter's, cold and purposeful.

It lashed out and Jason blocked with his arm, crying out as Skull's fist smashed into him almost breaking bone. Skull roared with laughter and feinted, Jason falling for it only to be punched straight in the face.  
"CRACK!"

Blood gushed down his face as his nose broke and Jason saw red and darkness stab into his vision. He stumbled backwards, dazed, unable to do a thing as Skull swung at him again.

"CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!"

Skull hit him again and again, Jason fighting to stay alive, trying to dodge the blows, trying to stop himself from being knocked into the flames that leapt and pranced all around him.

"DIE!" Skull chortled, "DIE!!!"

Jason's head snapped back and suddenly his body felt very far away from him. His feet tripped over each other and he stumbled, falling backwards, backwards into the fire as Skull laughed. The flames seemed to sing his name in a siren's song, enticing him into their fiery embrace, into death as he fell backwards, time slowing all around him.

'_I have to,' _Jason realised suddenly, _'I have to.'_

He was afraid. So very afraid but as he had done in the face of the Arachna Queen, Jason plunged deep into himself and hovered above the dark barriers that held his most hidden, most venomous memories in place, forgotten and yet still lurking his mind. Closing his eyes, he drew the barrier towards him, corroding the shield, robbing it of its power and pulling it all into himself.

Immediately ghosts, flashes of long forgotten days, faces and laughter he had seen flickered in his mind. Tears stung his eyes as emotions, guilt and love, hatred and utter joy pierced his heart.

Delilah, his daughter's face, appeared before his mind's eyes, laughing and holding out her arms.

"DADDY!" she squealed, "DADDY!!"

Jason's eyes snapped open.

"No," he whispered shoving the feelings away even as pure undiluted power surged in his veins, "No."

White light flared as his blue eyes became windows of pure brightness. Skull screamed in terror as a powerful force ripped through the building, the flames instantly snuffed out as Jason straightened from his fall, invisible hands steadying him.

Delilah continued to laugh at him, taunting him, mocking him as a ghostly figure began to flash in front of his eyes, blinking in and out of existence. Guilt flooded through him, dark and corrosive, eating away at him until he felt sick to his very soul.

"NO!"

Jason knew he was losing the fight. The barrier had to be replaced but not yet, there was still –

Skull threw itself at him and Jason held up his hands, an aura of white light blazing around his body.

Brightness flared and Skull screamed in mid-jump. It happened with shocking suddenness, one minute the Nzambi King was a roaring monster, the next the mutant was torn to shreds, skin and flesh flying everywhere as a powerful force ripped it apart with the speed of a thought.

Smoking, charred bones fell to the ground as Jason clutched at his head, screaming at the top of his lungs. He tried to shove the power back, tried to restore the barriers but the memories were too strong. He flailed as blurry visions smashed into his head, alien emotions flowing through him. Jason fell to his knees, clutching at his head as he tried to force the memories back but it was like trying to dam a whole ocean with a wall of sand.

"NO!!!" he yelled as his power exploded out of him, "NO!!! STOP!!!"

Walls were torn apart and roads were ripped up as Jason's power raked forwards, destroying everything in its path.

Delilah continued to laugh at him and suddenly, with a moment of sickening clarity, a beautiful woman, black-haired and purple eyed smiled at him.

Jason froze.

A third figure appeared before him, smirking and jeering.

Artema laughed and pointed at him.

"Yolanda," she hissed, triumphant.

And Jason knew no more.

AAAAAA

"Run! Run! Run!" the demon-Nzambis taunted, "Run! Run! Run!"

Sabra and David sprinted down the street, their stride long, arms pumping wildly as the horned Nzambis gave chase, cackling and howling with glee.

David twisted and fired wildly at the monsters but he might as well have just thrown the gun at them for all the good it did. The mutants jerked as the bullets slammed into them but they hardly broke their gait as they continued the chase.

"Any ideas?!" David yelled at Sabra.

The redhead was barely thinking, the vicious images of her teammates and friends being slaughtered by the monsters looping endlessly inside her head. She just continued to run almost mechanically, her eyes dull and lifeless.

David was torn between sympathy and wanting to shake her violently. Grief would come later but for now they had to survive.

His lungs were burning, his legs one tight mass of lactic ridden muscles but stumbling and limping, he pressed on practically dragging Sabra along with him.

David twisted, throwing a desperate look behind him. The demon-Nzambis were closing the gap, their long limbs swallowing the distance up with terrifying speed. David swore and turned back, gritting his teeth as he forced his deadened limbs to move. But he was tired, exhausted and at the end of his wits.

A dark shadow fell over and he looked up just in time to see a huge form plummeting towards him. David cried out and back-pedalled stumbling over his own feet and falling to the ground, an almost catatonic Sabra collapsing next to him.

David looked up and blanched as a demon-Nzambi leered at him, pride and hunger in its eyes.

"Trap man," it leered, "Trick. Fell for trick!"

David whipped his gun up and fired point-blank into the demon's stomach. The monster jerked as the bullet ripped through skin and viscera but it barely flinched.

"No!"

The demon-Nzambi swatted the gun out of his hands almost taking fingers with it. David stared stonily up at the monster, refusing to show any weakness. If he was to die, he would die as a Toran, proud and unbending to the last.

"Die," the demon-Nzambi crowed as its hunting-mates caught up at them, forming a half ring around the two helpless humans, "We feed! A feast!"

It swung its arm and David could only watch as death flew at him.

"ARGH!"

Blood splattered his face and he started, staring at the metal blood that seemed to have suddenly grew from the Nzambi's chest. The demon-Nzambi's eyes bulged in horror as the blade was pulled free in a gush of blood.

A swift second later, the beast was headless.

Peter stared down at him, blue eyes cold, bloody sword in hand.

"Get up!" the High King commanded, "NOW!"

The rest of the demon-Nzambis charged at them, a frenzied howling mob. Peter raised his sword, grim-faced and ready to die as David and Sabra crawled to their feet. But before any of them could make a single move a single dark object arced gracefully through the air.

It landed at the feet of the Nzambis and detonated in a flash of searing white light. Blue-white flames washed over the mutants, burning the first line to charred bone as David turned, gaping.

Inara reached into her pocket and pulled out a second small metallic ball.

"Fire orb," she smirked, "Upgraded!"

She hurled the fire orb at the remaining Nzambis as they scattered, fleeing for their lives. The small bomb exploded burning all who was caught in its path.

"Thank god Elias leaves his toys around," Inara muttered.

The remaining demon-Nzambis back them, wary. The corpses of their companions were quickly dragged away and torn apart as they began to feed noisily, their crazed eyes still fixed on the humans.

"Anymore?" Peter demanded.

"All out," Inara said in a soft whisper.

"We better move," David hissed, "Before they figure that out."

The four of them whirled and ran as the demon-Nzambis watched them go, devouring strips of charred bloody flesh in hungry gnashing gulps.

AAAAAA

"Darkness?" Zaru barked.

"It walks among us," the Queen hissed, "Many-faced but each bearing a deceitful front that lures the weak and dark-hearted towards it. It has only just walked on this earth but already it has grown strong."

"I have to warn the others!" Elias jumped to his feet, "And to tell them about you. So much needless fights and death… if they knew."

"And how exactly are you going to talk to them?" Zaru demanded, "Carrier pigeon?"

Elias ignored him as he unhooked the bag from his back and zipped it open. The Arachnas watched, curious as the scientist pulled out a small silver device and flipped it open.

The laptop instantly booted up.

"I managed to upgrade the hardware," Elias told the leopard, "I can now bounce a signal off a satellite above and reach Persephone without a problem."

He hit a button and waited expectantly but the laptop gave a jarring beep and bright red letters flashed across the screen. Elias frowned and typed in something but the same warning symbols appeared.

"What…" Elias muttered, "It's not letting me through. Persephone is not receiving the signal!"

He began typing furiously as Zaru and the Queen glanced at each other confused.

"Wait," Elias stopped, "There's a faint signal…"

He hit a few more buttons and crackling static suddenly filled the air.

"Hello?!" Elias boomed, "Hello?! Can you hear me?!"

There was a long pause then –

"Elias?!"

Elias breathed a sigh of relief.

"PETER!" he said gratefully recognising the voice, "What's going on? Why can't I reach anyone – "

"Persephone," Peter said urgently cutting him off, "WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!!"

AAAAAA

A tree stood in her path, thorny vines lashing the air but Siobhan stood fearless, a look of utter contempt on her face. She raised her hand and a beam of glaring blue light lanced the air, hitting the Poisoned Dryad dead centre.

With a piercing screech, the tree was vaporised from existence, flakes of burning ember falling from the sky like snowflakes as Siobhan snorted in disgust.

"Idiot," she hissed.

Crouching, she punched the ground and her power flared. A split second later, everything around her was obliterated as a column of burning fire exploded from her body.

There was a blinding flash of light and a roaring, earth-shaking boom. As the smoke cleared, Siobhan calmly climbed out of the massive smoking crater she'd created.

She looked at her work and smiled.

"Good job," Myron hissed.

The Ursine King was suddenly behind her.

"You now know your power. Now use it," Myron pointed to the east, "Some of them are there. You know what to do."

Siobhan nodded and walked in a steady controlled pace towards the direction pointed out to her and Myron grinned darkly before winking out of existence.

AAAAAA

Of the giant swarm of invading helicopters that had descended onto Persephone only four remained hovering in the air. Pinpoints of light flared along their underbellies as they fired missiles down all around them in a rain of utter fiery destruction.

Two of the rockets jetted through the air and disappeared amongst a grove of skyscrapers. There was a second of pause then in a flare of light and flames, the buildings were torn apart as the missiles exploded.

A piercing screech ripped through the city as the helicopters seemed to pause, the pilots unnerved by the enraged keening that floated out from the molten destruction they had just wreaked.

Like a monstrous serpent, a single dark thrashing shape exploded out from the flames and wrapped itself around one helicopter. The pilot screamed and flailed on his controls as the dark sinuous form tightened like a snake around its prey.

The vine, for that was what it was, flicked the helicopter casually aside. The machine slammed into the edge of a building, its rotors snapping and flying off in all directions as the disabled helicopter plummeted to the ground disappearing in a mushroom of fire.

The helicopters instantly swung around, missiles firing frantically but a veritable forest of vines sprouted up all around them. They never stood a chance.

All three remaining helicopters were instantly ensnared, crushed and torn apart as burning wreckage fell from the sky.

The vines withdrew as the shattered remains fell to earth and the skies were clear once more.

AAAAAA

They turned the corner and stepped into utter silence.

"What happened here?" Susan gasped.

The road had been torn apart, giant cracks zigzagging between great slabs of shattered asphalt. Every building had been reduced to rubble, the flames that had once ravaged them extinguished but the air was still thick with dust and smoke. Susan and Caspian walked forwards cautiously, their eyes trying to pierce the smog around them.

Caspian froze at the slight sound of rock hitting rock. He instantly whirled, the weapon in his hands coming up.

A dark form lurched out from the smoke, holding up his arms as he coughed wetly, blood leaking from the corners of his mouth.

"Desmond!" Caspian gasped seeing one of his most trusted soldiers.

The man stumbled to his knees, his face pale and feverish. His shirt was wet with blood.

"Desmond!" Caspian instantly ran towards him, helping the man up, "What happened? Where are the others?"

The Dawntreader looked at his leader with wonder in his eyes. A look of fear flashed across his face and he looked away.

"The trees…" he mumbled weakly, "Everyone… they just killed… everyone…"

"Hallucinating. He must be hallucinating from all the blood loss," Susan said grimly joining them.

Caspian cursed, his heart clenching at the thought of losing more of his people but he didn't show it on his face. On the battlefield, leaders never showed their weakness.

"We need to get him some help now," Caspian said desperately, "Or…"

"TSSEEWWWW!!!!"

A violet beam of energy pierced through the smoke and zipped straight towards them. Caspian's eyes widened in horror.  
"SUSAN!!!"  
The queen whirled, her sceptre coming up as the blue gems flashed. She swiped the air just as the energy beam slammed into her. Blue light flares and the attack was instantly dispersed as the sceptre unleashed burst of energy.

Susan staggered backwards, gasping for breath as pins and needles drilled into her arms. She wobbled and almost fell but steadied herself at the last moment.

A tall menacing figure emerged, hatred and lust wound together in a hideous expression on his face.

Cadfan cackled.

"Damn…" he hissed softly, "Missed."

Caspian gritted his teeth.

"Susan. Go," he commanded lowly.

"But…" Susan looked at him, her limbs trembling as a crushing wave of tiredness roiled through her.

"Go! Get Desmond and get out of here!" he roared.

"Don't worry," Cadfan taunted, "When I kill your lover here, I'll come for you and drag you back to my city by your hair!"

Susan looked at Caspian but the man was unmovable. She grabbed him by the neck and pulled him into a deep searing kiss and she was gone, disappearing into the smoke as she supported Desmond against her side.

Caspian touched his lips and closed his eyes, praying she would be fine. He turned back and fire and ice flooded his eyes.

"You have been a burr in my side for too long," Caspian spat.

"And you have been alive for far too long for my taste," Cadfan growled.

Both of them raised the guns at the same time and fired, twin beams of energy raking the air.

They met, colliding together in a burst of light.

AAAAAA

"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" Peter roared into the walkie-talkie.

Through some act of god, the small communication device had managed to survive everything they had gone through. The four of them were huddled around it as Elias's crackling voice came through.

"What?!?" the scientist squawked.

"Laser weapons and Nzambis," Inara said grimly, "They might as well have thrown in a booby-trapped kitchen sink into the mix!"

"How?" Elias demanded, "Persephone is a secure…"  
"Helicopters," David cut in, "They blasted their way through the cavern."

There was a long stunned silence from the other end.

"Oh my – "

AAAAAA

Elias cursed violently.

"Are what they saying is true?" the Queen demanded, "The Poisoned Men have invaded?"

"Poisoned Men?" Elias frowned, "Oh! The Nzambis! Yes, they somehow managed to invade Persephone!"

"The darkness," Zaru hissed violently.

"Hey Doc!" Inara's voice filtered in through the laptop's speakers.

"Yes Inara?"  
A deafening screech pierced the speakers and there were a few shouts and the clang of metal on metal. Harsh breathing could be heard then pounding footsteps. Then a dreaded familiar sound punched through the speakers with deadly force.

"TSSEEWW!!!"

Elias stiffened immediately recognising the shriek of a laser weapon.

"INARA?! PETER?!?" he yelled desperately at the laptop.

There was a short silence.

"Sorry about that," Inara's voice came in, slightly breathless, "Blooded. Took care of them."

A piercing scream blocked out her voice as Elias and Zaru stared at each other, horrified.

"SUSAN! IS HER MAJESTY OKAY!?" the leopard demanded, practically roaring at the laptop.

"Ow! Too loud!" Inara winced, "She – "

"INARA! DOWN!" Peter's voice roared.

"TSSEEWWWW!!!"

The sounds of battle continued to drift in through the speakers. There was a sudden meaty thud, a piercing scream then silence.

"Sorry about that," Inara said, "Doc, listen! I tried to get CASS before to retaliate or help us but she said something about an activation code?"

"Defence… you mean Program Execution File 91?" Elias said thinking quickly, "I only just managed to get that online before I left."

"Yeah about that… why did you leave?" Inara demanded, "Cause seriously we can use you in this bloodbath!"

Elias looked at the Arachna Queen and sighed.

"Trust me, you wouldn't believe me even if I showed you a photo," Elias said dryly.

He shook himself.

"Inara. Get to the main computer hub and enter the code. It's 2-7-5-2-6," Elias ordered.

"2-7-5-2-6," Inara repeated, "Got it! And Doc… get back here. We need you!"

"SIOBHAN?!" David's astonished voice suddenly blared.

Silence came through the speakers and Zaru froze, his stomach clenching as every instinct in his being told him something was wrong. He opened his mouth and –

"DOWN!!!" Peter screamed, rage and fear roiling through his voice.

"BOOM!"

There was a deafening roar and the communication went dead, descending into the soft mindless crackling of static. Elias's eyes widened in shock and he hit a few buttons.

"We lost them," he whispered, "We…"

"We have to go!" Zaru snapped, "NOW!"

"Wait."

Elias and Zaru turned towards the Queen. The Arachna stared at them intently with her eight eyes.

"If the Nzambis are there, we must stop them," she reared up, her fangs clacking together loudly, "Daughters! Our sacred duty is upon us once more! The Poisoned must be stopped! We move at once! SPREAD THE WORD!!!"  
The leaves above rustled violently as several Arachnas zipped off, darting deep into the forest to gather their brethren. The Queen slammed the ground with her legs and the Arachnas above hissed and howled in unison, a vicious thousand-voiced war cry that turned Elias cold.

"NOW!!!" the Queen commanded, "ONWARDS!!!"  
The forest was alive with legs and eyes, with fangs and carapace as the Arachnas marched forwards, Elias and Zaru swept helplessly along in an endless wave of monstrous spiders.

AAAAAA

Thorny vines flew at her, stabbing the air like multi-pointed spears as Susan threw herself to the side, dragging Desmond with her.

"This cannot be happening!" Susan roared furiously, "What are you?"

The crazed Dryads roared in response and roots, thick and steel hard, zigzagged through the ground tearing the concrete apart as Susan leapt back to avoid the danger.

A vine stabbed at her and Susan lashed out. The razor blade end of the sceptre scythed through the vine and the tree screamed, withdrawing its thrashing branches as thick dark sap oozed from the severed end.

Three of the scraggly trees, now replete with demonic snarling faces and a thousand writhing vines dominated the road. Everything else around was in utter ruination, streaks of blood telling Susan that many had already fallen victim to these monstrosities.

She threw a look behind her just as a wall of roots exploded from the ground, cutting her off.

Desmond, barely conscious and heavily bleeding, raised his altered handguns and fired, each bullet slamming into the trees. Bark and chips of wood flew as the bullets hit deep but the Dryads were barely affected, shrieking in murderous fury as more vines lashed at them.

Susan swept her sceptre around, blue energy crackling. The vines were struck, tendrils of paralysing power flowing down the vines like electricity through a wire before it hit the trees, wreathing them in crackling strands of power. The Dryads recoiled violently, their vines wrenched backwards as Susan held her staff aloft, ready for another attack.

The vines swayed above them like cobras, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Susan grimaced as she knew she was trapped and outnumbered, Desmond slumped to the ground hovering over the precipice between life and death and she knew there was no escape. She was about to die.

"Uh oh… however will our plucky heroine escape this?"

Susan's eyes widened as a familiar form appeared before her. Artema smirked at her, enjoying her horror.

"What…" Susan's eyes narrowed, "The darkness!!!"

"No," Artema's grin widened, "Not just the darkness…"

The woman's face boiled and warped, shifting until Susan found herself staring at Shift then a possessed Hu then Draken then Myron all in quick succession. The face returned to Artema's, the leader of the Sisters' eyes now completely black.

"The Great Darkness," Artema hissed.

Susan roared and swung her sceptre at the woman but the staff passed through Artema as though she was never there. The Great Darkness chuckled nastily.

"You honestly think that can beat me?" Artema smirked, "Imbecile."  
"What are you doing here?" Susan snapped, "Why now?!"

"Why else?" Artema snarled, "To gain strength!"

A horrible transformation came over the woman as thousands of blinking eyes, each a different colour from the coolest of blues to the most verdant of emeralds to the bloodiest of reds began appearing all over her body. Each of the eyes swivelled to stare at Susan as an inexorable wave of dark power swept through her.

Rage and hunger and pure, undulating hatred surged through the queen making her cry out as the Darkness laughed.

"I would love to strike you down now with all the might at my disposal," the woman hissed as the thousand eyes on her body continued to stare at Susan, "But of course that blasted cat had to place his powers over you. Protecting you. Cost him his freedom but he still did it."

"Aslan?" Susan gaped, "You have Him! Let Him GO!!!"

Artema cackled and shifted again. Susan cried out as she took on the golden glowing form of the most beloved of Kings, Aslan Himself.

"NO!" Susan yelled in a voice shaking with fury, "You do not have the right! GET OUT!!"

Aslan's form faded and Artema, the Great Darkness, appeared once more.

"Tricked you the first time you got here," the Great Darkness sniggered.

"Show me your true form! Stop hiding!" Susan yelled.

The Dryads were hanging back, recoiling away from the sheer terrifying power of the Great Darkness but Susan barely noticed the trees cringing forms, all her fury and focus was directed at the blasphemous form before her.

The Great Darkness snorted.

"You dare command me?" it snarled, "I who am trying to save you all?!"

Its voice was now guttural, the voice of a murderer and slayer of entire civilisations, utterly remorseless and cold as the highest peaks of the highest mountains. Artema's formed faded and new one appeared.

A young boy, wiry and thin, grey haired and eyed stared at him. He laughed in dulcet, chiming, musical tones and the thousand eyes reappeared all over his slim body.

"I feed," the Darkness hissed.

A small fine line ran through the centre of each eyes and Susan screamed as each eyes opened becoming ravenous, fang-lined mouths. Each mouth opened and closed and from every corner of the city strands of ghostly golden light flew, writhing through the air before they were sucked up into those terrifying gaping maws.

Somehow Susan knew what the light was.

Lives. Souls. Spirits. The essence of all those who had fallen in this battle whether they be innocent or evil, the Great Darkness devoured them, sucking in the released souls, drinking them in.

And as he ate, the Darkness grew becoming a towering giant as he soared above her head, above the highest skyscraper, his incorporeal form rising high into the air.

He leered down at her as the thousand mouths continued to devour the souls that streaked towards him.

The monster stared down at her with her own eyes and leered with its one true mouth.

"Die," it hissed and it disappeared from view.

Susan was left standing in stunned, paralysed horror at the patch of sky the Great Darkness had once dominated. Streaks of gold light continued to flow through the city, disappearing into ether as the Darkness continued to feast on the fallen.

Susan turned, looking around frantically for the Darkness and the Dryads pounced, bloodthirsty vines outstretched, dagger-like thorns ready to tear her apart. She raised her sceptre trying to fight them off but she never got the chance.

A glaring flash of white light incinerated the vines and the Dryads shrieked. Powerful invisible hands gripped the trunks and twisted and the Poisoned trees died torn apart by a deadly force.

Susan turned, looking for her saviour and a heavy fist slammed into the side of her head. She fell without a sound, her sceptre clattering to the ground.

Jason towered over her, his eyes completely blank and dead, not a flicker of intelligence and though in their dark blue depths. Desmond stirred and turned to look at him.

"Jason," the Dawntreader smiled gratefully, "Help…"

Jason's dagger flashed forwards and Desmond's eyes widened. The razor edge pierced skin and muscle, sliding between the ribs before hitting home.

Desmond's heart beat one last time, a final death knell, as blood gushed from the mortal wound. The Seeker ruthlessly pulled the bloody dagger out and stabbed down, again and again, in a frenzied attack performed with the blankest of expressions. Desmond was long dead before the Seeker yanked the dagger out of his chest for the final time.

Jason stepped back, face devoid of all emotions. Desmond laid at his feet, his head lolled to one side as his blood spread across the road like an oil slick, his eyes opened and staring at his murderer in bewildered wonder.

Still expressionless Jason turned to Susan and raised his dagger, ready to deal the final blow.

AAAAAA

Siobhan slowly lowered herself to the ground, dark tendrils of power dancing across her skin as Peter and Inara slowly staggered to their feet. They had just dodged her attack in time, the building that had taken the brunt of the blow now just chunks of smoking concrete.

"Siobhan?" Inara began unsteadily.

The Ursine princess stared at her, her eyes completely black. Behind her the air shimmered and a familiar face appeared.

"MYRON!" David yelped, stunned.

"Hello, little Toran," Myron spat.

Sabra pulled herself up, staring at Siobhan and Myron in bewilderment as Inara and Peter raised their swords, glaring at the ghostly king. The communication device lay on Inara's feet, broken beyond repair.

"What are you?" David yelled.

Siobhan watched them coolly, her hands shifting in and out of her bear form as Mryon laughed.

"You know what I am," he hissed.

"The darkness," Inara whispered.

Mryon cackled.

"Not just any darkness," the king's eyes flashed, "I am the Great Darkness!!"

Inara and Peter's eyes widened.

"You know I've got to thank you," Myron smirked at David, "Well, not you but your precious little daddy. It's all thanks to him I'm here."

"WHAT?!?" David spat, "What are you talking about!?'  
"His wish destroyed a whole world. Millions of lives lost in a blink of an eye. Do you know how many souls I devoured that day? Do you know how great that feast was? Do you know how much power I gained!?" Myron howled with laughter, "Thanks to you and your family I am stronger than ever! It's thanks to him, I can walk in this world and create all this havoc and with every life lost I gain new strength!"

Mryon turned to Siobhan.

"Daughter. Sweet, darling daughter of mine," Myron hissed, "You are a tool. A hand controlled by destiny to do great things. Do this for me and I will restore your world and all those you love. I will give you a place of belonging!"

"Yes," Siobhan whispered.

She raised a hand that was a bear's paw with curved razor claws.

"You know what to do…" Myron's crazed eyes turned to David and Sabra, Inara and Peter, "Kill them all!"

Peter and Inara tensed as light flared and death flew at them in a surging, crackling wave of pure darkness.

AAAAAA

Author's notes: Thank you for being so very understanding about my situation and your well-wishes means a lot to me. Just as a side note, from my shoddy planning and prediction Across the Worlds should hit about 100 chapters before it ends... does that excite you? Or make you groan at the idea that it will drag on for so very long? Please tell me!


	36. Resolution

New chapter! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Not mine, not mine!!!

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 36: Resolution**

Crackling streams of green and purple laser met, twisting sinuously around each other. A sphere of energy was growing where the two attacks met, wobbling dangerously as Caspian and Cadfan's knees buckled, their weapons shaking violently in their hands as steam began to rise from the white-hot barrels.

The sphere began flickering, its instability increasing with each passing second, but neither side was willing to up.

The inevitable happened.

The energy ball hit critical mass, exploding with a loud bang. The very air itself ionised as shockwaves blasted all of the combatants away.

Caspian crashed to the ground, rolling as superheated winds swept across him, searing skin. He crashed into the side of the wall as the explosion finally faded. His breath rattled wetly in his lungs as he staggered to his feet, weapon raised.

Cadfan fired again and Caspian had to throw himself to the side to avoid getting hit. Crackling energy lanced the air and a brick wall was instantly vaporised.

Caspian rolled to his feet and fired. Cadfan ducked and weaved, diving as bursts of laser tore the road around him.

Both combatants fired again, the beams colliding violently, twisting together as Caspian's eyes widened. He dove to the side taking shelter behind some of meagre cover left in the war-torn street. Cadfan did the same as the energy exploded, dazzling bursts of power and concussive waves ripping across the street.

The torn section of wall Caspian was behind bore the full brunt of the onslaught. The bricks ground against each other, the wall threatening to buckle and topple over but it held… barely.

A short moment of sanity fell over the battlefield as everywhere else monsters and fantastical creatures stalked the streets of the once-proud Persephone, civilians fleeing or slaughtered where they stood.

"You can't defeat me boy," Cadfan snarled.

"Why don't we let our guns do the talking?" Caspian snapped back.

"Okay."

The sound of beeps and whirring gears filled the air as Cadfan leapt to his feet, Caspian spun around the edge of the wall, weapon at the ready. He caught one sight of Cadfan's gun and instantly froze.

An array of thin metal spikes jutted out from the tip of Cadfan's gun, polished slivers of what looked to be crystals arrayed around the barrel in an intricate spiral. Cadfan roared and the pulled the trigger.

The crystals instantly flared to life, beams of light bouncing from one to the other, strengthening with each change. In a dizzying, kaleidoscopic whirl the light whipped around the crystals and entered the barrel.

There was a microsecond of silence and Caspian ran for his life.

"BOOM!"  
The weapon roared like a cannon as a huge blast of white energy exploded from the barrel. It tore through the wall, disintegrating it out of existence before slamming into façade of a building. The whole structure was blown apart, flaming bricks raining down as Caspian was caught by the shockwaves and sent skittling down the street.

He crashed to the ground, rolling a few times before coming to a stop. Slowly he dragged himself onto his knees, blood pouring from a cut across his scalp. Cadfan grinned nastily as his weapon whined lowly, wisps of smoke drifting from its white-hot end.

"I'm thinking I'm going to kill you then capture that little slag of yours," the old man drawled.

A nasty grin crossed his face.

"Then I'm going to make her beg before I –"

"SHUT UP!!!" Caspian roared.

The king leapt to his feet, his lips curled back into a vicious snarl. Rage, hot, thick and potent swept through his veins as all logic, all thought was obliterated by ice and murderous intent. A veil of red fell over his eyes as he swung his weapon up.

"TSSEEWWW!!!"

The shot went wild, zipping past Cadfan's face. The Blooded leader smiled coldly as Caspian roared at him, bestial in his rage.

"TSSEWWW!!!"  
Cadfan calmly raised his gun as Caspian's shot goes wide again.

The crystals flared as the gun heated up, whirring loudly. Caspian stood, defiant, as he pulled the trigger again.

"TSSEWW!!!"

The familiar shriek of the laser weapon was instantly drowned out by the deafening boom of Cadfan's answering shot. Green energy exploded from Caspian's gun as it lanced through the air. It punched straight into the sheer wall of power that flew from Cadfan's cannon and was instantly swallowed up.

Caspian cried out in shock and flung his gun up, trying to protect himself.

"BOOM!"

Crackling energy ripped through Caspian as his gun took the brunt of the blast, instantly melting in his hands as he was thrown violently backwards. He smacked into a wall and fell to the ground, choking on the stench of his own burnt flesh. Cadfan smirked as Caspian pulled himself to his feet, wincing with every movement. One of his cheeks was an ugly patch of blister and charred flesh but the fire was still in his eyes.

"You survived," Cadfan sighed, "How very unhelpful."

He raised his gun again and pulled the trigger as Caspian tensed. Sparks flew between the crystals and leapt into the barrel as Cadfan jeered in victory. A fiery light coursed through the barrel and –

"CLICK!"

The light died away as the weapon went dead in his hands. Cadfan blinked in shock as Caspian smiled at him, a ruthless wolf-like grin.

"BANG!"

A bullet zipped through the air, shattering the crystals around the barrel.

"NO!"  
Cadfan roared in fury and pulled the trigger, the laser cannon struggling to build up power as Caspian fired again.

"GARGH!"

The weapon fell from the Blooded's hands as the bullet tore into his shoulder.

"BANG!"  
The laser cannon was torn apart as bullet ripped through the barrel.

"Didn't you know the weapons had to recharge?" Caspian asked innocently.

His face hardened.

"Fool."

And he pulled the trigger.

"CLICK!"

Empty.

Caspian shrugged and tossed the useless gun aside.

"Oh well," he said calmly, "This way is much more satisfying."

With a roar, he charged at Cadfan. The two man crashed into each other like mighty waves on rocks, brutal and unflinching as they swung at each other.

Caspian's head snapped back as Cadfan landed a brutal blow but he quickly retaliated backhanding the Blooded before punching him straight in Cadfan's wounded shoulder.

Cadfan roared in pain and staggered backwards, one arm dangling deadened by his side as Caspian calmly wiped the blood from his lips. He smacked Cadfan in the face with a vicious right hook and the fight continued.

As crafty and skilled a leader Cadfan was, he was no match for the raw strength and fury that fuelled Caspian's blows. The Blooded swayed on his feet, dazed and bloodied as Caspian roared and charged at him.

The Blooded saw his chance and seized it.

He ducked and rammed into Caspian with his shoulder sending the king stumbling backwards. Before Caspian could recover, Cadfan was up, a chunk of debris in his good hand.

"CRACK!"

The chunk of concrete smashed into him as Caspian staggered sideways, his vision greying as blood poured from the side of his head. His knees buckled threatening to give way as vomit exploded into his mouth. He threw up noisily and violently, retching, trying to gain control of himself as slowly the world stopped spinning and he could finally see straight.

He looked around slowly, wincing, still unsteady on his feet as nausea gripped him ruthlessly. His gut convulsed and he swallowed back bile as the truth slowly sunk in.

Cadfan was gone, a bloody lump of concrete and a shattered gun the only remnants of the Blooded.

Caspian clutched at his bleeding head.  
"Bastard!"

AAAAAA

Jason raised the dagger, Desmond's blood dripping from its wicked tip and splattering Susan's soot-streaked cheeks. Still completely emotionless, he stabbed down.

"Stop."

He froze, the dagger hovering over Susan's throat, the queen a mere hair's breadth from death.

The Great Darkness appeared before the Seeker. It was in the form it had revealed to Susan, the blonde-haired boy that was an amalgamation and bastardisation of them all, eerie beauty and false innocence wrapped around a venomous core.

"No," the Darkness hissed, "Not yet. She still has a destiny to fulfil for me."

The young boy looked at Jason's blank, waiting face and laughed, the gleeful chortles of a child at play.

"Leave," it commanded, "Be gone."

It clapped its hands and Jason winked out of existence, disappearing in nothingness as the Darkness stared down at Susan in contemplation. It smiled, revealing even white teeth.

"You and I, Susan Pevensie," it vowed in a prophet's voice, "Are going to achieve a lot together. It should be fun!"

The Great Darkness faded as Susan began to stir. Groaning, she levered herself up and looked around slowly.

"DESMOND!!!" she screamed seeing the man's blood-soaked form.

She crawled towards him, praying and begging to a world that didn't care. Susan reached out with a trembling hand and gently touched his cold, cold cheeks. She looked away, biting back a sob.

"You…" the queen cursed as she climbed to her feet.

She snatched up her sceptre and stared at the blue crystals embedded at its head as light flared and danced within the faceted depths.

"I'm going to kill you," Susan whispered, "In the name of Aslan, I swear it so."

A low rumbling growl made her turn as an Nzambi stalked towards her, eyes glittering at the thought of an easy prey. Susan wordlessly lifted her sceptre and attacked.

"ARGGHHH!!!"  
The monster screamed and screeched as a thousand tendrils of crackling energy stabbed the air, ripping through its body. It buckled and writhed as Susan watched with cold eyes, her whole body tingling as the sceptre reacted to her fury and hate.

"GAH!"

The energy died and the Nzambi slumped to the ground, a smoking blackened husk. Even as the stench of seared flesh roiled towards her, Susan didn't react. Swiftly she turned and after one last glance at Desmond's blank face, the queen marched down the street, stiff-backed and rearing for a fight.

AAAAAA

The first blast missed as the four of them scrambled for cover. Siobhan snorted in disgust and swiped the air with her clawed hands.

"BAM!"

Inara was sent stumbling backwards as four bleeding lines opened across her arm. She cried out, clapping a hand to her wounds as Siobhan pointed at her.

"SIOBHAN! NO!!!" David roared.

A jet of utter darkness shot out from her hand as Inara stood, paralysed by shock as death flew towards her. Sabra lunged across, tackling her out of the way as the magical attack struck the side of a building and promptly exploded, debris spraying everywhere.

"Why?" David demanded, "Why?"

"Because…" Siobhan look at him, anguish in her pure dark eyes, "I'm all alone!! Do you know how hard that is?!? I can't stand it anymore… I'm not strong! I need…"

"She needs her family, she needs her life back," Myron observed from his position at the edge of the road, "And I can give it to her!"

"Don't listen to him!!!" David shrieked, "Don't you remember the Djinn? Our world was wiped out because something lied to us! This… this impostor is going the same thing!"

Myron's face darkened as he snarled at the Toran.

"Siobhan! Kill him!" he snapped.

Siobhan waved her hands and barrage of debris flew at David, shards of metal and glass spinning through the air as David hit the ground. They just missed, bouncing off the asphalt as Siobhan growled in frustration.

"You know… you are really starting to annoy me!" Siobhan roared, all fury of darkness, "Just… DIE!!!"

She roared and a burst of power exploded from her mouth. It caught Peter in the chest, sending him flying as Siobhan whirled.

The air itself burned as purple flames suddenly burst into existence. Inara back-pedalled hurriedly, dragging Sabra with her. Siobhan gestured and the mystical fire twisted in mid-air, it lashed out and snapped at them, warped and moulded into the fantastical shape of a dragon's head.

Inara slashed the air uselessly with her sword as the purple fire roared and hissed, sparks and embers blinding her as she was forced to retreat.

Siobhan laughed, pure delight in her voice as she turned and stared David straight in the eyes.

"What happened to you?" David whispered, gazing into the endless dark abyss of her eyes, "Why?"

For a second, for the briefest moment Siobhan hesitated but she quickly recovered, a taunting smirk quickly dancing across her lips.

"Because you bore me," she said softly.

She clapped her hands together and the air in front of David seemed to suddenly explode. Blood flew from his mouth as an immense force smashed into his chest, blades of pain stabbing deep into his heart and lungs. He staggered backwards, smoking and choking on blood.

Siobhan punched the air and an invisible force slammed into David with all the deadly force of a runaway train. The Toran grunted in pain, eyes bulging as ribs snapped and he fell without a sound.

"One down," she whispered.

She turned just in time to see Peter slowly crawl to his feet.

"Guess you're number two," Siobhan hissed.

Myron smiled in triumph as the possessed princess took a dangerous step forwards. The phantom Ursine king watched as Peter raised his sword, his arms trembling violently.

"Peter!" Inara yelled.

She and Sabra surged forwards but Siobhan flicked her fingers at them lazily and a shimmering wall of light sprung up across the road instantly cut them off. Inara cried out in frustration and slashed at the barrier but her sword merely bounced off the enchanted shield.

Siobhan sashayed towards Peter, swaying from side to side like a venomous serpent as the High King gritted his teeth and tried to steady his shaking arms. His body was on fire, his nerves shrieking in pain as Siobhan's last curse continued to course through him.

His blue eyes darted around, looking for a stronger weapon, an escape but there was none.

Siobhan stopped, a few feet from him and smirking straight into his face, she raised her arm, energy dancing between her fingertips as Inara and Sabra smashed their fists helplessly against the barrier that held them trapped.

"Now would be a good time to make a quote for the ages," Siobhan hissed.

"What I want to say can't really be repeated in public," Peter spat back.

Siobhan's grin widened and power flared gathering in her palm. Peter tensed, ready to charge as Siobhan's eyes mocked him, daring him to make the first move.

"Hey!" a rough voice suddenly boomed, "I found some more!"

Siobhan and Peter turned as a ragtag band of Blooded appeared, whooping and cheering as they descended onto their latest victims. Inara and Sabra tensed, turning as the Blooded charged at them, weapons raised and ready to fire. Siobhan rolled her eyes.

"Fodder," she muttered under her breath.

Impatiently, she jabbed a finger at one of the Blooded. He screamed and fell to his knees as part of his chest, the spot directly over his heart instantly went up in a plume of white-hot flames. He screeched and shouted, slapping at the fire as his comrades cried out in horror. Siobhan flicked her hands and the white flame leapt and spread, tearing through the rest of the Blooded. Peter, Inara and Sabra cried in shock as all of them fell to the ground, dead, burning holes gouged out of their chests.

"Now where were we?" Siobhan tapped her chin thoughtfully, "Oh yes!"

Energy gathered in her hands.

"I was just about to kill you!"

"PETER!" Inara kicked uselessly at the barrier as Sabra let fly with her magic.

The High King was almost take out by the first blast as tendrils of electricity leapt from Siobhan's fingers. Smoking chunks of concrete was gouged from the road as Siobhan laughed, her black eyes glittering with amusement.

But Peter was a warrior, forced in the heat of the battle, well honed and deadly. His footwork was superb as he darted and ducked, dodging the blasts as he kept his blue eyes on Siobhan waiting for a chance to attack.

Siobhan slashed the air with her hands and a crackling wave of energy swept the ground. Peter leapt over it and before Siobhan could blink, he slashed out.

"ARGH!"

Crimson rained to the ground as Siobhan staggered backwards clutching her bleeding arm as Peter slowly circled the princess, his face calm.

"You…" Siobhan hissed at him, her tongue flicking out like a serpent's as her dark eyes flashed.

Peter merely challenges her with a jut of his chin.

On the other side of the barrier, Inara threw herself against the wall only to bounce off painfully.

Siobhan stomped the ground with one boot and the pavement cracked as a powerful seismic wave shook the city. Peter stumbled, struggling to hold his balance and almost fell as a crack zigzagged between his feet, a rift opening as Siobhan surged forwards, her hands wreathed in black flames.

"LOOK OUT!!!" Sabra yelled.

Peter twisted just in time as Siobhan's flaming fist shot past, singeing hair and just missing his face. Gritting his teeth, he spun slamming his elbow into her face knocking her back. He instantly grabbed the advantage and sliced down at her. But the Ursine was quick, her hand shifting into a bear's paw as she parried the blow with her hooked talons.

She batted his sword away from her other hand and screamed at him, a powerful blast of sonic waves sending him flying. Peter hit the ground with a crunch and painfully rolled to his feet.

"Well…" he muttered dryly to himself, "This certainly isn't a hopeless situation…"

The tactician in him knew he couldn't win this battle. Siobhan was too powerful, had too many tricks up her sleeves. But he didn't have a choice, it wasn't like the princess was just going to let him get away just like that. And she had to be stopped. Friend or not, puppet of the darkness or not, she was dangerous and rabid and had to be put down. Others might be squeamish and call him a cold-hearted monster but Peter was a king and that meant protecting his people regardless of what bloody act had to be done. If he had to kill then so be it… plus the stubborn side of him really hated losing.

He raised his sword as Siobhan laughed at him.

"More?" she asked raising an eyebrow, "Why of course, you're majesty!"

"PETER! DON'T!!!" Inara barked.

Siobhan hurled a bolt of power at him and Peter swerved to the side but was a fraction to too slow. He grunted in pain as the power seared his side but even as pure white-hot agony ripped through his body, he kicked out.

A plume of dust, concrete crushed from Siobhan's earlier spell, hit the princess in the face, blinding and choking her

Peter rammed into her, biting back a scream as power zapped his body. Siobhan fell and Peter stabbed down but the princess rolled, the blade glancing off the asphalt as she kicked out, knocking him back.

Siobhan rose to her feet, borne by her magic as she glared at the king, her eyes bloodshot and blinking furiously.

"I will rip the flesh from your bones," she vowed in a low dangerous voice.

Peter raised his sword.

"Do it," a new voice whispered.

Peter froze, icy fear gripping his heart as a familiar, ghostly figure stepped into his line of view.

"Do it," Desiree taunted, "Do it… poor little Peter king… soon he'll be a useless thing…"  
"SHUT UP!!!" Peter roared at her.

White pain stabbed his eyes as images, fragments, memories of his torture at her hands slammed into his head. He clutched as his temples, screaming as Desiree laughed.

"USELESS!!" she jeered, "Little pony couldn't stop me from riding him! What makes you think you can defeat her?! You're useless!!!"  
"SHUT UP!!!"

Peter charged at her, bloodlust and fury, hatred and fear, roaring through him.

"NOOO!!!" Sabra and Inara screamed as one.

Desiree disappeared as Peter charged through him, slashing wildly as Siobhan. She sent his sword flying with a blast of power but Peter just fell on her, screaming, completely berserk as he swung at her with his bare hands.

Cold burning hands grabbed his wrists, claws digging sharply into his flesh. Siobhan smiled victoriously into Peter's flushed and furious face.  
"LET GO OF ME!!!" he screamed, trying to pull himself free.

He headbutted her and she headbutted him right back, his head snapping back as everything became hazy and unfocused.

"Useless huh?" Siobhan echoed looking at him curiously.

A cruel smirk crossed her lips.

"I can do that."

Black light flared into her clawed hands as Peter screamed. Tendrils of black power clawed up his hands, sinking deep into his flesh as he fell to his knees, his cries of agony echoing through the city.

AAAAAA

"They move fast don't they?" Elias said conversationally.

Zaru shot him a look of pure loathing.

"Don't speak to me!" he snapped.

The two of them were cocooned in web, their heads poking out of their prison. They were slung over one of the Arachnas back as a veritable army of spiders stampeded down the road in an endless wave of fangs, eyes and carapace.

Zaru growled deep in his throat, his skin crawling as the sensation of sticky web but most of all, deep down he was terrified. Susan was by herself and he wasn't there to protect her. The leopard narrowed his eyes, yelling at himself for leaving her alone.

If anything happened…

The leopard hissed violently, hackles raises as the spiders continued to make their way towards Persephone.

AAAAAA

The vines recoiled as the Dryad shrieked, blue power surging down its branches and striking the mutated nymph. Susan fearlessly charged straight into the forest of writhing vines, hacking her way through. The Dryad bellowed in pain, thick sap oozing from its wounds as Susan leapt forwards and plunged the bladed end of her sceptre deep into the centre of its wooden body.

The Dryad shrieked, vines writhing and was suddenly silent, its branches falling limp to the ground as Susan pulled the blade free and with a vicious swipe, decapitated the Dryad.

The Poisoned nymph fell to the ground as whimpers caught Susan's attention. She turned and started at the sight of people.

"Are you okay?" she asked running up to them.

It was a small group, seven of them, battered and bloodied, their eyes wide and haunted by the horror that had visited them today.

"Please…" one of them begged, "Help us."

"Susan."

Susan turned and looked into grey-blue eyes of Layla, one of the slave girls she'd rescued from Cutter.

"Where's Hari?" Susan demanded.

Layla's grim look said it all. Susan's face fell.

"We need to get out of here," Layla said, the shakiness in her voice not reflected by the determined look in her eyes.

Susan nodded.

"We'll get you to an exit," she began to lead the way, hoping her memory of the city's layout was right, "It's…"

She froze in her tracks as she spotted a familiar-looking figure on the ground.

"JASON!!" she cried out, dashing to the Seeker.

The man stirred and groaned as Susan fell to her knees beside him. Carefully she helped him up as Jason clutched at his temples.

"My head…" he muttered, "Damn it! It's like a hangover without the joy beforehand!"

Susan laughed, more out of relief than his words as she pulled him to his feet.

"What happened?" she demanded, "Skull?"

"Dead… but…" Jason winced as his head throbbed, "Not without wounds."

"As long as you're alive," Susan whispered gratefully.

Jason snorted and spotted his fedora nearby, picking it up he briskly brushes the ashes of it and placed it jauntily on his head.

"What? Didn't think I'd win?" he said haughtily, "Against that?!"

"I really hate to break up your fun time but monsters on the loose?" Layla said forcefully, cutting in.

Susan winced, berating herself.

"Of course," she beckoned them forwards, "Come on. I think it's the next right and then a left…"

She took a step forwards as a piercing scream filled the air. Susan froze, her sceptre falling from her numb fingers as her head instantly swivelled towards the source of the sound.  
"PETER!!" she cried, fear in her voice and heart.

She scooped up her sceptre.

"Susan! NO!" Jason barked.

"Get them to safety!!" Susan yelled over her shoulders.

The Seeker took one step forwards but Susan was already gone.

"DAMN IT!" Jason roared after her, "SUSAN!!"

AAAAAA

Siobhan kicked Peter's limp body aside and she turned, her dark eyes dancing with glee.

"You…" Inara screamed, "I'm going to kill you!!"  
"Oh really?" Siobhan casually waved her hands and the magical barrier dissolved, "Let's see you try."

"INARA!!" Sabra flung out a hand trying to stop the girl but the warrior was already in motion.

Power shot out from Siobhan's hand but Inara easily leapt over the magic, hurling her sword straight at the Ursine. Siobhan threw up her hands, power sparking between her fingers as she just managed to deflect the blade away. Siobhan lowered her arm only to be sucker-punched straight in the face.

Inara lashed out with vicious blows putting Siobhan on the defence. The Ursine tried to blast the warrior away but Inara batted her arm away, cracking Siobhan across the face with a vicious right hook.

The Ursine roared in fury, shifting into her bear form but Inara roundhouse kicked her, knocking her to the ground. Siobhan screamed out in pain and raised an arm, crimson light gathering in her hands but Inara kicked her hand away before stomping on her other hand.

Siobhan roared in pain as Inara kicked her straight in the gut. As long as Inara kept Siobhan off-balance, kept her from using her magic the warrior had the upper hand. But that was the problem, the she couldn't afford to slip up, couldn't afford to slow down because one slip, one single lapse of concentration and –

Inara's foot landed on a small pebble and she slipped, her balance thrown off for a split second and Siobhan lashed out like a coiled cobra.

A ball of white light slammed into Inara's chest sending her crashing to the ground and Siobhan was up, her body wreathed in a halo of crackling energy.

"Ouch!" the princess snarled, furious, "That was incredibly annoying!!!"  
She lashed out at Inara with a clawed hand and the warrior just missed being impaled in the face as she jerked to the side. Inara grunted as her cheek was torn upon.

Siobhan jabbed a claw at her and Inara cried out as a rough hole was torn into her arm.

"You think you can beat me?!" Siobhan hissed, enraged and demented, the darkness within eating at her mind, "You think you have the power?!"

She pointed at Inara and the girl was wrenched to her feet by an invisible force, a tight band snapping around her neck. Inara gagged and choked, tearing desperately at the ghostly hand around her throat, turning redder with each second.

"You have nothing!!!" Siobhan howled.

Inara's eyes bulged as Siobhan clapped a hand to her chest. Blinding white light flared and Inara screamed in pain as pure agony stabbed her in the chest, burrowing deeper and deeper until every part of her body was howling in pain. She struggled, writhing and bucking, trying to fight Siobhan off but a bolt of power slammed into her head, tearing her mind apart and she instantly went limp.

The light died away and Inara's body, smoking and utterly still, dropped to the ground. Siobhan snorted, flicking the hair from her eyes.

"Now… please be a good girl and just die," she pointed at Inara's prone form, energy building at her fingertips.

"Siobhan…"

The Ursine princess turned and Sabra snarled at her, one of the fallen Blooded's weapon in her hands.

"Shut up."

"TSSSEEWWW!!!!"  
Sabra pulled the trigger and Siobhan screamed as a single beam of white-hot laser lanced straight towards her. She threw up a shield but the laser tore through it like paper but slamming straight into her gut. The stench of flesh instantly hit the air as Siobhan screamed and screamed in pure agony, clutching desperately at the burning hole in her body.

"NOOOOOOOO!!!!"

Her head snapped towards the heaven and a geyser of pure dark energy exploded out of her like a volcano woken from its dormant sleep. Sabra took a step back, eyes wide in shock as Siobhan shrieked to the heavens, power exploding out of her and spraying far and wild in a wild falling tempest of devastating power.

AAAAAA

Cadfan staggered down the road, clutching at his bleeding wounds as he struggled on.

"Help me!" he hissed to the world around him, "HELP ME!!!"  
"Why?"

Artema appeared before him, her cool eyes studying him carefully.

"You're of no use anymore," she said flatly, "You time is over."

Cadfan's eyes bulged.

"You treacherous snake!!" he howled, "You led me here! You led me to my death! This is your fault! Fix it!"

The Great Darkness, hiding behind the form of the Sister, laughed, pure spite in its eyes.

"Sorry, but that sounds more like a personal problem to me," she shrugged delicately, "And you know… I don't want to go treading on people's feet. It's very bad for the character building."

Cadfan lunged at her but the Great Darkness was already gone. The Blooded leader roared and swiped at the air, roaring at the top of his lungs.

A sound of a gun hammer being cocked back made him turn. He found himself staring at the business end of a gun, a pair of dark brown eyes drilling into his own.

"You are a very easy man to track," the king said calmly, "You leave a trail that even a child could follow."

Cadfan whirled at him, holding up his hands to show that he was weaponless, defenceless, helpless.

"Do it!" the Blooded snarled, "Go on! Kill me in cold blood! Kill a defenceless old man! Let's see what kind of leader you really are!"

Caspian's eyes flared as the fury percolating in them became a full blown inferno.

"You think I won't!?!" Caspian roared, "After all you did?! After all the innocent lives lost!? You will die and by my hands!"

"Then stop talking!" Cadfan challenged, "DO IT!!!"  
Caspian aimed the gun straight at Cadfan's heart and the Blooded closed his eyes, an arrogant smirk on his face.

The gun trembled, wavering as Caspian gritted his teeth, his finger twitching on the trigger.

The smirk grew wider.

"DAMN IT!!" Caspian pointed at the ground and fired, hating himself.

"See," Cadfan hissed, "You just can't do it. You're not man enough. Not man enough to beat me. Not man enough to win this war!"

Caspian sent him a look of pure loathing, opening his mouth but was cut off as the air was suddenly alive. Caspian's head snapped up, his jaws dropping as a column of dark power shot up into the sky.

"What in the name of Aslan?!" he yelped.

Huge globs of dark energy began to fall, buildings and roads destroyed under the deluge. A dark shadow fell over them and Cadfan and Caspian both yelled out.

A ball of dark energy hurtled through the air, a dark malevolent comet hell-bent on destruction. Before either of them could even think, the energy struck.

"BOOM!"  
A massive hole was punched into the earth, a dark crevasse opening, the earth itself screeching in agony as Caspian was knocked to the ground.

The ground beneath Cadfan's feet, crumbled and he fell into the ravine below. At the last possible second, he threw up his arm and snagged onto the edge of the road, dangling precariously over certain death.

Caspian pulled himself up, groaning and he instantly spotted Cadfan. Without thinking, the king lunged forwards and grabbed onto the Blooded's hand dragging him back.

"NO!!" Cadfan roared, "Don't you dare!!"

Caspian froze, wavering.

"You wanted to kill me?!" Cadfan's eyes bore into him, "Let me go!"

"Are you crazy?!?" Caspian shouted back, "You want to die?"

"Oh, either way my life is over. Either I fall or I live and become your prisoner," Cadfan hissed, "I will not give your that satisfaction!"

"Anything is better than death!!!" Caspian snapped, muscles bulging as he tried to heave Cadfan back onto safe land.  
"I SAID…" Cadfan's other hand flashed down a small dagger clutched between his fingers, "LET GO!!!"  
Caspian screamed as the small knife bit into his hand. Cadfan laughed aloud as Caspian slipped. The king cried out in shock and lunged forwards trying to grab the Blooded but he was already falling.

"I WIN!!!" Cadfan roared back at him as he fell into the darkness, "I…"

His voice echoed up the pit towards the stunned Caspian as the Blooded was swallowed up by oblivion. Silence fell over the road as Caspian stared down into the darkness.

"I…" he sat down heavily onto the road, "Why?"

Nearby a building crumpled as darkness fell on it and the resounding boom snapped Caspian back to the current crisis. The king shook himself and his grim eyes were instantly drawn to the towering column of crackling power that clawed its way up to the sky.

Grabbing his gun off the ground, Caspian skirted the chasm in the centre of the road and dashed towards the source of the darkness.

AAAAAA

Siobhan lowered her head and Sabra stood, petrified at the insanity in her dark eyes.

"You!" Siobhan howled and beam of dark power tore its way through the air towards the Dawntreader.

Siobhan's eyes bulged as the power swallowed up her world, filling up her field of vision as she stood, paralysed, only able to watch as her death flew at her.

"NO!"

Streams of blue power ripped through the darkness, tearing the beam apart as Sabra's heart stopped.

Siobhan glared at the intruder as Sabra turned slowly, her heart struggling to restart itself.

"Thanks!" she choked out.

Susan stood before her, sceptre raised, the flash of its blue crystals reflected in the fire in her sapphire eyes.

Siobhan grunted and the smoking hole in her gut slowly sealed itself shut, dark energy dancing along the edges of the wound. The column of power erupting out of her faded as the princess once again took control.

Susan's eyes took in the sight of the fallen, David, Peter and Inara's body littering the ground and she didn't even blink, all fear and hesitancy gone, the true fighter within seizing control.

"This ends," Susan gritted out, "Now!"

She thrust the sceptre at her and Siobhan was thrown backwards as streams of blue energy slammed into her.

"SABRA!" Susan roared, "Take care of the others!!"

A devastating wall of fire rippled out from Siobhan's body, searing the ground but Susan swiped the air and blades of blue energy sliced towards, ripping the magical flames apart.

Power, pure raw power raged through Susan's veins from somewhere deep inside her, a hidden well that had only just been discovered, the barriers that had blocked it before torn apart by need and rage.

Sabra darted forwards dragging David, Peter then Inara out of the way as Susan and Siobhan, power exploding out of them and colliding with deadly force.

A resounding boom rocked the street and Inara's eyes suddenly snapped open. Sabra gasped in shock and jumped back as the warrior sat up, wincing as every muscle in her body shrieked in pain.

"Su!" Inara's eyes widened as she caught sight of Susan as blue energy danced around her.

"You have to stay still!" Sabra yelled, "You've been…"

"No!" Inara slowly pulled herself to her feet, swaying on the spot, "There's something…"

She spotted her sword and picked it up, wincing with every movement.

"I've got to go! I need to get to the computer hub!"

"NO! INARA! WAIT!!!" Sabra shrieked.

But the warrior was already gone, running clumsily down the street as Sabra shouted after her departing form. A cry of pain made Sabra whirl around as Susan staggered backwards, blood oozing from a cut across her ribs.

Siobhan hissed in victory and lunged forwards, claws outstretched as Susan looked up, woozily, too slow to do anything.

"BANG!"  
Siobhan cried out and fell back, a bullet hole in her shoulder. Caspian stalked forwards, smoking gun in hand.

"Get away from her!" he barked.

Susan turned, a grin on her face as Caspian stood beside her, his eyes glaring at Siobhan. The Ursine princess straightened, her wounds already healing as a nasty grin curved her lips.

"Well now… now that the sweethearts are here," she held out both hands, light blazing in her palms, "Which one wants to die first?!"

She flung her hands forwards and twin orbs of pure power instantly rocketed towards the pair.

AAAAAA

Inara skidded to a halt.

"Okay, I'm in a bit of a rush here," she snapped, "So please… GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY!!!"  
The Nzambi, horned and mutated by the Great Darkness's power, merely leered at her. Inara sighed and slid smoothly into a fighter's stance, sword raised.

"Alright," she growled, "Let's…"

Suddenly a strange look came over her face and Inara froze. She stared at the sword in her hands, a look of utter bewilderment entering her eyes.

"Wha…" she looked at her hands.

They were trembling. She frowned, confused.

"Wait, hang on…" her eyes widened in horror as numbing fear roiled through her, "NO!!! HOW?!?"  
The demon-Nzambi howled and flung the bloody bone it was chewing away before it leapt at her. Inara looked up, fear in her eyes, her mouth opening into a scream as the Nzambi rammed into her, knocking her to the ground.

The sword flew from her hands as Inara flung her arms up, trying to shield herself. All bravery and fire was gone, her face whey pale, her breaths coming up harsh and uneven.

"HELP!!" her voice was shrill and utterly terrified, "SOMEONE!!! HELP!!!!"

The demon-Nzambi howled and swung at her as Inara screamed at the top of her lungs.

AAAAAA

"SIOBHAN! STOP!!!" Susan roared.

Caspian pulled her to her feet as behind them, the building that had taken the brunt of Siobhan's magic continued to burn with purple flames.

"Why are you doing this?" Susan demanded.

The Ursine princess looked at her coldly.

"The same reason why you fight," she spat, "To get back those I loved."

"By killing everyone?" Caspian growled.

"Like you wouldn't kill for her," Siobhan snapped.

The combatants circled each other warily, watching each movement carefully. Fingers and eyes twitched but for now neither side made a move.

"Siobhan, they're dead," Susan said softly, "You can't bring them back."

Siobhan blanched and for the very first time Susan could see the scared girl underneath the magic and the pain.

"I can't," the princess admitted, "But my father can."

But Susan was shaking her head.

"That's not your father… that's the same darkness that destroyed your world," Susan looked deep into Siobhan's dark eyes trying to make her see sense, "And it's just using you."

Siobhan's eyes flashed, her lips peeled back into a vicious snarl.

"LIAR!!!"

Siobhan hurled a bolt of power at her but Susan easily ducked the blast. Sabra gasped in horror as she watched on, guarding over Peter and David.

Caspian roared and moved to fire his gun but Susan cut him off with a sweep of her arm. She straightened and looked at Siobhan squarely in the eye.

"Siobhan. It doesn't have to be this way," Susan said gently, "You… you don't have to do this."

Siobhan trembled, her black eyes flickering as the darkness bleed away. The energy crackling around her body faded as the princess seemed to hesitate.

"But… I don't want to be alone."

It was said in a quiet voice, hurt and so very vulnerable.

"You don't have to be," Susan said, edging closer to her.

Caspian growled lowly, a warning note in his voice but Susan ignored him.

"Siobhan, don't listen to him. It's just lies," Susan whispered, "You don't have to be alone. We can help you. You've lost everything… and I can't even imagine what that's like. But you have two choices here. Continue on this path and lose yourself to the darkness, become the very thing that destroyed your world or you can rebuild and try to heal."

Susan stopped, her face calm, an arms length from Siobhan.

"You have a choice. Make the right one," she finished.

Siobhan stared at her for the longest time but then a flash of anger crossed her face.

"You don't know what it's like!!" she screamed at Susan, "You don't know… I… every time I sleep… I dream of what I have! Of what I lost! I can't go on like this! I need my world back! I need my life back!"

"You think I don't know?" Susan rebutted gently, "You think… I was ripped out of my world. I was ripped out of Narnia twice and both times I had to leave all that I loved behind. I lost… I lost so much and I got so lost."

"We both were lost," Caspian walked up to Susan and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, "We suffered so much."

"I lost everything. I should've tried to move on, I should've tried to be stronger but I wasn't," Susan confessed to Siobhan, "I became something I hated… do you know the self-loathing that comes with that? The guilt? I know what choice is facing you now. And trust me… you don't want to go down the path I did."

"Or what I did," Caspian said gently, "You try to lose yourself and when you succeed… you realise just how lost you really are."

Siobhan stared at both of them, pole-axed, her mind whirring furiously. For a second, a brief breath-stopping moment Susan thought she had gotten through to the princess. Siobhan continued to stare at both of them as her breaths became fast and short, her eyes suddenly widened and she staggered backwards. She cried out and flung out her hands flung, clawing at the air.

"NO!!!" she roared, "You're lying!! You're just trying to trick me! I won't fall for it!"

"Siobhan – " Caspian began.

"NO!!!" Siobhan screamed at him, "Both of you!!! I want my life back! You're just trying to stop me!! Father warned me about this. You are all liars! Poisoners! I – "

"SIOBHAN! DON'T!!!" Susan cried desperately, "Don't cut us off!! You have no idea how lonely it really is when you choose the – "

But Siobhan was like a cornered beast, in pain and lashing out without thought, all instinct and fear.

"LONELINESS?!? You?! You had your family! You chose to turn you back on them! I have no one!! You have no idea about loneliness!"

Siobhan suddenly froze and all out of the rage, all of desperation fled her body as a cold, calculating smile crossed her lips.

"You want to feel loneliness? Utter loneliness?" she hissed, "Here's your chance to find out!"

Before Susan could even react, Siobhan jabbed a finger into the air and a beam of shimmering power slammed into Caspian's temple knocking him to the ground and out. Susan whirled, her jaws dropping as she watched him fall. A scream of fury left her throat and the queen whirled.

"YOU!!!"

Without thinking, without hesitation Susan screamed and unleashed the full power of the sceptre in a deluge of burning blue power.

AAAAAA

"HELP!!!" Inara screamed.

The demon-Nzambi laughed as Inara grappled at it, trying to throw if off.

"HELP!!"  
"SHINK!"

Silver flashed through the air and the Nzambi grunted, its eyes widening in disbelief. Inara looked up, almost sobbing with relief as the Nzambi fell to the side, a dagger embedded deep into its skull.

Jason leaned down and yanked the dagger out, cleaning it on the monster's ragged clothing before turning to Inara.

"What was that about?" he demanded, "Why did you just behead the thing?"

Inara was sitting up, staring at her hands with wide, disbelieving eyes. She began trembling violently, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Jason frowned, now truly worried.

"Nara?" he asked gruffly.

Inara's head snapped up, her eyes wild with fear. But she visibly composed herself, a mask falling over her feelings.

"Thanks," Inara said dispassionately.

She got up and picked up her sword, holding it away from her as if the blade somehow repulsed her. Carefully she slid it into the sheath strapped across her back.

"What you doing here?" she demanded.

The Seeker was still looking at her suspiciously but answered her as Inara refused to meet his eyes.

"I got some of the survivors to one of the few exits out of this hell hole. I was looking for Susan," Jason explained roughly.

"I need your help," Inara said quickly, "Elias gave me the codes to activate CASS's defensive mechanisms."

"Why do you need me?" Jason asked, genuinely confused.

He knew Inara rarely asked for help, only when it was absolutely necessary and that was rare, stubborn and confident in her abilities Inara was always more than ready to leap into danger without forethought or planning and rarely with back-up.

Inara twitched at his words.

"I just do okay!?" she snapped.

The Seeker raised his eyebrow but nodded his assent. Inara set her chin and instantly sprinted down the road, Jason shadowing her every move. Through hell they ran, flames still devouring the city, destroying anything that burned. Smoke and death and screams lingered in the air, choking their senses and lungs as they neared their destination.

"The hub is that way!" Inara pointed, "It should just be around the corn…"

She rounded the bend and stopped, her eyes widening in horror. Jason grunted in surprise.

They could see the computer hub, the tall white building still standing proud and strong, completely unmarred but before it, dark and dense, a jungle had sprung up, its vines and trees armed with thousands of long poisonous-looking thorns.

Inara looked a deep shuddering breath and slowly pulled her sword free.

"We have to hack our way through," she said in a flat, colourless voice.

"I don't think brute strength's the answer," Jason grunted back.

Inara shot him a sidelong glance, surprised by his answers.

"I thought brute strength was always the answer!" she said sarcastically, quoting him from one of her numerous training sessions with the Seeker.

"I think this required a bit more of a… mystical touch," Jason closed his eyes.

"Uhh… Cowboy?" Inara asked confused.

His eyes snapped open and Inara jumped seeing the searing white light that burnt in his eyes.

"Go," Jason's voice was guttural and low, rumbling out from his chest, "RUN!!!"

He pointed his arms at the jungle and his power exploded out of him, white and hot. It careened into the trees, shearing through vines and trunks as the jungle screamed, thick dark sap gushing through the air.

"GO!!!" Jason snarled.

Inara instantly ducked and took off, sprinting as Jason focused every ounce of his power onto the mutated Dyrads. The poisoned nymphs began appearing, emerging from the trees, their faces ferocious and utterly hideous. Vines flew at Inara like spears but invisible shields slammed into place, deflecting them away as Inara ran.

Praying, she plunged deep into the jungle as white fire streamed through the air around her. Shrieking Dyrads exploded out from the dense forest, branches and vines stabbing the air but Jason was protecting her, the attacks always stopping inches from her body.

"BOOM!"

One of the Poisoned trees exploded as white fire sheared through it and Inara was free. With a cry, she slammed into the door of the computer hub and it instantly swung open dumping her into the building. She crawled through and kicked the door shut behind her, instantly sealing off the insane battle between trees and Seeker.

Slowly and groaning, she pulled herself to her feet.

She quickly limped to the main control room and up to one of the many monitors. She tapped it on and a keyboard instantly sprung free from the board.

"What would you like to do?" CASS's cool voice asked her.

"I would like to enter a code," Inara whispered.

The screen flickered and five dashed lines appeared. Taking a deep breath, Inara began to punch in the code.

AAAAAA

Siobhan staggered backwards screaming as power tore at her, searing her skin. Susan stomped towards her, blue eyes furious.

"YOU… COW!!!!" Susan roared.

A burst of darkness tore through the blue energy and struck Susan in the chest slamming her into the wall.

"That was not nice," Siobhan hissed, energy boiling through her veins as the burns on her body began to knit themselves together, "I think I'm going to have to kill you."

Siobhan raised her hand, power building between her fingers. Groaning, Susan tried to get up but her knees gave way sending her crashing back to the ground.

"See you in – " Siobhan began, power flaring.  
"TSSSEEWW!!!"  
"ARGH!!  
Siobhan staggered to the side, the energy at her fingertips winking out of existence as a laser beam tore through her side.

"GAH!!" she whirled on Sabra and backhanded the air.

Sabra was sent flying as an invisible force struck her, the weapon falling from her fingers as the Dawntreader hit the ground and stayed still. Susan took advantage of the distraction to thrust her sceptre at Siobhan's direction blasting the possessed Princess back.

Siobhan skidded backwards but steadied her. She swiped the air and the sceptre was knocked from Susan's hands.

"TO ME!!!" Siobhan roared.

Susan cried out as invisible hands grabbed her hair and wrenched her across the road, her knees scraped until they were bloody as she drawn inexorably to Siobhan. The Ursine grabbed Susan's hair and yanked her painfully up until they were staring eye to eye, a breath from one another.

"Now that I have your attention…" Siobhan hissed.

Susan struggled but Siobhan pulled painfully back on her hair forcing her to stop. Siobhan's free hand came up, fingers shifting into murderous claws.

"I think I will gouge your eyes out first," Siobhan hissed, "Then I will rip out your ears and nose but I'll leave you lips till last so I can hear you scream every bloody inch of the way."

Susan spat in her face, eyes burning, completely defiant.

"Kill me. It still won't bring your world back!" she snarled.

"We'll see," Siobhan paused, "Well, I'll see. You won't because you won't have these anymore!!"

Susan's eyes widened in horror as Siobhan stabbed forwards, black claws flying towards the delicate membrane of her eyes. She screamed, loudly and endlessly.

"Code confirmed," CASS's soft voice suddenly announced to the whole city of Persephone, "Defensive mechanisms activated."

Siobhan froze, surprised, her claws almost tickling Susan's irises.

"What?"

AAAAAA

Inara smiled.

"Targets?" CASS asked her as images flickered on the monitors around her.

"The trees," Inara commanded, "Kill them all. And…"  
Inara turned and fury and fire came into her eyes and heart as she saw Siobhan, Susan helpless in her grips.

"Kill her."

AAAAAA

Jason screamed as thorns tore into him, the vine arcing overhead like a serpent as it got ready to strike again.

"Command confirmed," CASS announced, "Commencing retaliation sequence."

"TSSEEW!!! TSEEWWW!!!"

The vine fell to the ground, twitching as laser fire tore through it. Panels slide away from the side of buildings and the roads as weapons unfurled and began firing heavily. The Dryads shrieked and whirled on the new enemies, roots ripping up the earth as vines lashed out. Several weapons were torn apart as the jungle fought back, the two sides locked into a stalemate as Jason watched on, jaws completely agape.

AAAAAA

"TSSEWW!!"

Siobhan shrieked, staggering back, clutching a smoking stump of an arm as Susan rolled away, gasping in shock and relief.

The Ursine princess stared down at her injured limb and stared up at Susan in shock.

"What?"

"TSSEWW!!!"

Weapons began appearing now, guns and cannons that lit up Persephone with rainbow hues as they began retaliating against the invaders that had sullied the sanctuary. Nzambis screamed and fled, Blooded cut down where they stood as the Poisoned Dyrads, fought back, the only invaders that could withstand the onslaught.

A building fell, the weapons attached it crumpling as one of the Dryads tore it apart.

Siobhan screamed as her thigh was torn open by another blast. The princess fell to the ground, shrieking in pain.

"HELP!!! HELP!! FATHER!!!"  
Myron appeared before her, a cruel and mocking smile on his face.

"HELP!!! PLEASE!!" Siobhan begged.

"Why should I?" her father, the Great Darkness, hissed, "You…"  
"But my hand!!! My leg!!!" Siobhan begged wildly.

Myron chuckled nastily, a cold, cold look on his face.

"Sorry, I don't see how that concerns me," he shrugged, "That sounds like a personal problem."  
He held out his arm.

"You're finished, Siobhan. I'm done with you."  
Siobhan's face collapsed in on itself as she began crying, great choking seizures of tears that wracked her thin body.

"NO!!!" she screamed, "FATHER!!!"  
"I am not your father," the visage bled away as the Great Darkness revealed himself, a slim young angelic body with hundreds of blinking eyes all of his body.

He pointed at Siobhan and wisp of smoke coiled out from her chest like a snake and fled back into the Great Darkness. Siobhan's eyes instantly went back to normal, the obsidians pools of darkness drained away.

"PLEASE!!!" Siobhan begged.  
The Great Darkness rolled his eyes and disappeared into nothing as Siobhan screamed after it, begging and pleading, punching the ground with her good hand until it bled and bones broke.

"PLEASE!!! PLEASE!!!"  
Susan staggered over to her and Siobhan looked up.

"Please…" she whispered.

Susan cocked back her fist and knocked her out with one massive punch.

AAAAAA

Elias gaped at the exposed Persephone and all destruction and death that had been visited on it, "My god…"

"We are here!" the Arachna queen announced, "Do your duties!!"  
The Arachnas hissed and clacked their jaws before bounding down into the burning chasms of Persephone. Laser weapons whirled on them but sprays of web instantly immobilised the guns as the massive spiders swept through the city.

Survivors screamed and fled until they began to realise the Arachnas were not targeting them.

Nzambis screamed as they were snatched up between massive jaws and eaten alive, the mutated cannibals devoured without mercy.

The Dryads shrieked and hurled vines at the Arachnas, impaling a few of them but they were quickly overwhelmed, sticky webs flying through the air and ensnarling the trees.

Elias and Zaru watched on in amazement as the Dyrads wilted under the webs, vines withering into nothing as they were quickly cocooned up.

The Arachna queen roared as a dozen Dyrads swarmed towards, a marching forest of deadly thorns. She opened her mouth and acid gushed out, eating through the Poisoned trees as they shrieked in agony. Vines darted at her but her thick carapace turned the attacks away.

She vomited out another gush of acid and every last Dryad was instantly dissolved into nothing.

All throughout Persephone, CASS's defence artillery and the Dryads picked off the remaining Nzambis and Dryads, the trees quickly entombed in thick blankets of web, trapped as they were forced to slumber under the silk.

The surviving invaders fled only to be caught up by the Persephone dwellers that had made it out from the original invasions. Blooded and Nzambis fell, screaming as the furious civilians turned on them, using whatever weapon they could find.

In the space of breath-taking, delirious, unbelievable hour it was all over. The invaders were dead, the Dryads ensnared and the great fires having finally exhausted themselves into mere embers amongst a sea of ashes.

Squatting on the street, Elias hit the final key in a long sequence of coding.

"Defence mechanisms online. Mode… set to permanent," the laptop confirmed.

Elias closed his eyes, cursing his own stupidity. If only he'd realised the danger they'd been in, if only he wasn't so blind, if he'd only set CASS's defence before he left… so many people would still be alive.

"Idiot," he whispered, loathing in his voice.

In the computer hub, Inara fell to the ground, clutching her knees to her chest as she wept, bitter tears burning her throat as she screamed to the world.

Amongst the debris, Jason waved his hands and looked away as debris was sent flying revealing the crushed bodies of innocent villains. Grimly he raised his hands and began pulling the bodies out of the wreckage lying down them in a never-ceasing row down the street.

With Siobhan, Sabra, Peter and Caspian all sprawled unconscious around her, Susan stared bleakly at the destruction that dominated her surroundings.

Zaru emerged from the smoke, loping to his queen's side as Susan began to cry. The leopard whined low in his throat and rubbed himself against her, trying to comfort her as the queen continued to weep heavily.

They had won but at what terrible cost?

AAAAAA

And here ends the 4 chapter arc; the next one is about the aftermath... enjoy!

Author's notes (edited, added in later) - sorry about the lack of notes beforehad, I'm exhausted from the hospital. First of all, I've noticed that there's been a significant drop in reviews - am I doing something wrong?!? Is there something you really didn't like in this chapter?! If there is please review and voice your opinions and I'll try to accomodate them! And please, please REVIEW = after a long, hard day at the hospital reading wonderful reviews really picks up my spirit and makes my day that much brighter!!

Anywho I just wanted to say thank you very much to all of my faithful reviews and faithful readers - I love you guys. I also love how much you responded to the 100 chapters thing - it's by far the longest thing I've ever written... A lot of you mention that there's sooooo much to keep track of in this fic. So here's my plan - would you like it if I wrote a world by world re-cap pointing out important plot points and little behind the scene details... you know kind of like a clip-show to make things clears? Does that sound like a good idea?


	37. Picking up the pieces

New chapter!!! And I hate to do this but there was a significant drop in reviews for the last chapter. So I will not even think of updating unless I have at least 12 new reviews (from different reviewers)!!! I know this sounds evil but I really would appreciate reviews to remind me this is worth spending on – so please review!!!

Disclaimer: blah, blah, blah

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 37: Picking up the pieces**

"Peter…"

He woke and slept in fitful turns, caught between consciousness and a feverish world of lucid nightmares and shifting half-seen forms. Sometimes he could see, feel others around him as machines whirred and clicked, cold metal forceps and probes working on him as bitter medicines and stinging solutions were pumped and injected into his battered body. Peter fought to open his eyes and claws his way back into the waking world but every time he would slip and fall, down, down, down into a darkness that roared up at him, screaming and bellowing, capturing him and tormenting him with dreams that screamed and bleed. And so the High King of Narnia was trapped, his body writhing and bucking against thick leather straps that held him in his bed as he fought to cling onto his sanity.

AAAAAA

It had been a week, a week of ash and tears and death, endless and numbing. They had pulled body after body from the debris of the once might Persephone, digging and scrabbling amongst the ruins until all had been sickened then anaesthetised to it all, each second, each motion done in a mechanical trance.

Survivors had walked the streets as though they were ghosts, shuffling ahead with leaden moments and dead eyes, caught between memory and fantastical, twisted nightmares. Jason and Elias had worked almost obsessively, forgoing food and rest as they combined power and technology to clear up the wreckage and start the long rebuilding process.

Susan had tried to help, driving herself to exhaustion until her battered body simply gave out, the queen fainting and hitting the ground as Jason, Elias and Zaru rushed towards her. After that Jason had threatened to knock her out just so she could rest. The queen had grumbled but eventually agreed, spending her time in the inundated infirmary, helping in whatever way she could as Zaru kept a careful eye on her when he wasn't using his nose to scent out survivors in the ruins.

Susan had spent a lot of her time watching over her brother and Caspian silently praying that they would recover as she was forced to watch them fight against invisible demons in their tortured sleep. It had taken three days for Caspian to open his eyes. Susan had almost wept with joy but the reunion was short-lived, Caspian forced to once more take up the burden of leadership as he guided the restoration and recovery of Persephone, all his time spent on helping his people rebuild their shattered lives and heal gaping physical and emotional wounds.

In those horrifying, bitter seven days Susan and Caspian had seen each other only for a few short sparing seconds, no time to talk let alone comfort or even hold each other.

Zaru had been there for one of those brief moments and when Susan wasn't looking, the leopard had seen Caspian give her an alien, almost appraising look, a look of confusion, fear and repulsion all roiled together in a whirling maelstrom inside the man's dark eyes. He had no idea what it meant but it had set his fur on end and his hackles raised. But the moment passed in a blink of an eye and the king had disappeared back to his people leaving Susan once more to comfort the injured and dying, lost in a sea of suffering and pain.

In those seven days, Inara would sometimes appear a brittle smile on her pale face then she would be gone, hidden away all by herself on hours on end, no one not even Zaru being able to find her.

Sabra was up, pushing her own grief and mourning aside as she helped her people.

David was up, either out and helping or standing over Siobhan's bedside, the princess swathed in blood-soaked bandages as the wounds in her body festered and struggled to heal. Susan shuddered every past she passed the Ursine's body, her fingers twitching as memories flashed in her head and the urge for vengeance poured through her veins.

Seven arduous days passed tortuously slow and tortuously painful, each day grave and unbroken in its dreariness. And on the seventh night, Peter's blue eyes snapped open and stayed open.

He was back

And the first thing he saw was his sister as she wept. She looked up at him, red-eyed, her blue eyes so utterly desolate.

"Oh Peter," she whispered wretchedly, "I am so sorry…"

And fear stabbed him straight through the heart.

AAAAAA

Jason slapped a hand to his temple, wincing as a bolt of pain ran through his head.

"You okay?" Elias said instantly looking at him in concern.

The Seeker grunted under his breath and waved the scientist away.

"I'm fine," Jason muttered.

He turned back to what had been once a Biodome, a steel and glass masterpiece of human engineering that had housed a whole sweeping field of thriving crops. Now it was nothing more then a burnt out husk, collapsed in on itself.

"Is this hunk of junk even worth saving?" the Seeker demanded, "We should just torch the thing and finish it off!"

"No! CASS said the machinery is actually still functional," Elias protested quickly, "It can still be salvaged!"

Jason raised an eyebrow but held his tongue as he raised his hands, frowning in concentration. Elias watched him, still fascinated by the evolution in his powers as wisps of white power began to crawl along the Seeker's skin as Jason pointed at the wreckage.

Cinderblocks flew through the air, metal reversing itself out of the debris as Jason seized control with his power and pull, clearing away the destruction.

Elias's eyes widened as he spotted something horrifically familiar amongst the debris.

"STOP!!!" the scientist roared.

"KREEE!!!"

Huge chunks of concrete, the size of cars flew through the air as something massive exploded out from the wreckage.

A metal crossbow, hanging from the professor's side instantly swung up as he pulled the trigger. A small silver orb sailed through the air and was instantly swallowed up in the tentacular mass of writhing vines as the crazed Dryad shrieked and howled, lashing out in all directions.

"BOOM!!"  
Chunks of burning wood rained down to the ground as the fire orb exploded tearing through the Poisoned tree. Wreathed in blue-white flames the Dryad continued to thrash, screeching violently as it tried to free itself from the wreckage.

Jason cursed and jabbed his finger at the monster. A steel girder lanced forwards impaling itself through the tree's trunk but the Dryad refused to die, howling as red-black sap gushed from its wounds.

"MOVE!!!" a shrill voice cried.

The flames were instantly smothered as a thick skein of white silk fell over the tree, binding it tight. Its movements slowed as it struggled against its webby prison. More Arachnas appeared, chattering loudly as they shot more hanks of web at the tree. The vines began to wither and die as the rampaging beast was reduced to a single withered tree covered in silk.

"Thank you," Elias breathed.

The Arachnas nodded at him and disappeared off as they continued to patrol the city protecting its inhabitants. In the seven short days since the humans within had learnt the truth about the Arachnas an alliance had been forged, born out of need and desperation but still fiercely strong and true.

In fact Elias had been a little surprised about how quickly everyone had come to accept the revelation but with their lives shattered and so many dead, the dwellers of Persephone were more then ready to accept any help they could.

"Well," Elias looked at the trapped tree, clearly disgruntled, the Biodome was now beyond saving, "There goes that plan!"

Jason merely sighed wearily as the two comrades trudged through the ruins to their next project.

AAAAAA

The sword fell from his fingers with a clang and Peter swore violently kicking the blade away.

"This… this… NO!" he screamed, "This…"

'_Useless…' _Desiree's taunting words echoed in his head, _'Soon you'll be a useless thing!'_

"NO!!!"  
His arms convulsed wildly even as Peter screamed himself hoarse, begging Aslan, the world, anyone who would listen to take this away. For a few terrifying seconds he stood there swaying as his arms continued to seize and shake completely out of his control as white hot pain roared up his limbs, taking his breath away.

Peter fell to his knees, tears drying on his cheeks.

"No…" he whispered brokenly, "No…"

A shadow fell over him and Peter looked up into Susan's terrified, worried face.

"This…" he was shaking his head, trying to wake from reality, "This can't be happening…"

He stared down at his hands, his wrists, his forearms where Siobhan had grabbed him and worked her dark magic. Thick black veins, prominent and evil looking snaked up his arm, marring the skin. The patches of skin that did show through the veins were mottled and reddened, flaking and bleeding as though ravaged by infection. Another violent tremor ran through his arms as Peter clutched his arm to his chest trying to stop the twitching.

Susan had told him how they did all they could. CASS had injected medicine after medicine into him, performing surgery after surgery, test after test yet nothing had changed. Jason had even try pouring his power through the wound trying to burn the curse away but the Seeker's power had been deflected by a darkness far stronger than his strength.

Peter felt sick, his arms and hands, once so strong and capable, able to deftly wield a sword and lunge into combat without a thought was now weakened and almost dead, unable to bear anything remotely the weight of a blade. And seizures tormented him endless, his deadened muscles jerking wildly, thwarting any attempt at co-ordination. The High King, the warrior and knight, veteran of a hundred battles was no more and he was just a boy, defenceless, helpless… _useless_.

Susan wrapped her arms around him and held him as Peter wept brokenly, completely lost.

AAAAAA

Inara dropped her sword to the ground and stared bleakly at the mirror in front of her, forcing herself to see the truth that she had tried to flee from for days.

A tear rolled down her face and she fell to the ground, curling up into a ball as she rocked back and forth, weeping tempestuously.

AAAAAA

Siobhan's eyes fluttered open and a deep wrenching sorrow and guilt threatened to swallow her alive. She tried to shoot up in bed but found herself strained, she began to thrash, her mouth opened wide in a silent scream as tears fell from her eyes.

"Siobhan."

The Ursine princess froze and turned her head slowly to the side. Zaru stared at her, his grey-blue eyes showing none of his emotions.

"You know what you did."

"I know…" Siobhan's voice was a raspy whisper, "I'm… I was so stupid… how could I… I…"

"What's done is done," the leopard said firmly, "I'm not going to lie to you. Half the people in this city want to tear you apart."

Siobhan closed her eyes, guilt welling up in her but she refused to wallow in it. This was her fault, to say otherwise would be to be a coward and a liar. The devil himself had tempted her but she had been the one to take the apple. It was her work, her fault, no one else's.

"I… I'm sorry."

"Words aren't going to cut it," the leopard said flatly, "You want to prove you're sorry. You need to work for it."

"I will!" Siobhan promised desperately, "I will! I will!"

Zaru merely twitched his tail and the leopard was gone. Footsteps drifted towards her and Siobhan looked up. David looked down at her, relief and something strange and almost overwhelming in his eyes.

"You're awake," he croaked weakly.

"David…"

She knew what was in his eyes and it made her feel so dirty, so loathsome. She didn't deserve this… she didn't deserve anything, not the air she was breathing, not the light on her face… nothing.

She deserved to be locked up and left to rot in the darkness forever.

"Are you…" David began.

Siobhan stared up at the love and worry in his eyes and against her will she smiled back.

"Yes…" she whispered, drinking it all in greedily, "I am."

AAAAAA

"What?" Sabra gaped at him, "You… you're joking!!!"

Caspian looked at her seriously.

"I'm not. You are ready for this."

"But why now?! Why so soon? You can't just leave us!!" the Dawntreader protested, "Look around you! Half of us are dead! And the city…"

"Do you know what happened here?" Caspian said softly, "Do I need to remind you?"

Sabra froze, her words dying in her throat as she remembered the insanity and the monsters she'd seen.

"A darkness came to destroy us and it grew stronger here," Caspian continued quietly, "We can't afford to stay here. It might come back and try to finish what it started or it will move on to its next target… and we… I need to be there to stop it."

Sabra looked at him carefully and winced, looking away. Tears spilled from her eyes as the burden of what her leader had just done to her began to press down on her narrow shoulders.

It was too much, too soon.

"And I failed as your leader," the king continued, "Our city is ruined, a great number of our people dead because… I… I couldn't stop the darkness."  
"Sir, it's not your fault!" Sabra protested, "You…"

"When a leader stumbles, he should step aside," Caspian said softly, quoting a Telmarine proverb, "My time is over. It's time for a change."  
Sabra took a step back, shaking violently.

"Lead them well Sabra," Caspian looked at her squarely in the eyes, "I have faith in you."

Sabra nodded numbly and trusted him if not herself.

"I promise I will look after our people… sir," her voice broke on the last word.

Caspian nodded and rose from his chair and swept out of his room as Sabra looked out the window at the ruined city she was now in control of.

Never before had she felt so scared, so terribly lonely. So many lives in her hands, so many decisions…

Sabra squared her shoulders and shook her head, tossing her fears away.

"Alright, city," she smiled, "Let's get you back up on your feet!"

AAAAAA

"So you will stay?" Susan looked at David.

The Toran nodded.

"Siobhan needs to stay… to heal and rewrite the wrongs she did. And I will stay with her," David vowed.

Susan nodded and turned towards her friends, her family.

"Ready when you are," Inara smirked even though her face was wan pale.

Peter sat in a corner of the room, his arms heavily bandaged up, dangling uselessly from twin slings. He was far away from here, lost in his own dark thoughts, grappling with the sudden demons life had thrust upon him. Susan's eyes lingered on him worryingly before turning to the second king in the room.

Caspian instantly looked away but he needed as Susan flinched, stung. Desperately she tried to catch his eyes but the Telmarine resolutely kept his eyes on the ground, ignoring her.

Zaru and Elias glanced at each other, confused as Susan drew herself to her full height, her pain suppressed behind a mask as the leader appeared, calm and collected.

"Alright," she saw in a clear high voice, "We leave in the morning then."

AAAAAA

"Murderer… Murderer…"

Desmond reached up towards him, a blood-splattered ghost. He ran through the darkness, stumbling and tripping over his own feet as Desmond continued to walk towards him, never ceasing. And no matter how far he ran, how fast he moved, Desmond was still behind him, accusing and demanding bloody vengeance.

"Murderer…"

He whirled ready to face the ghost head on and cold fingers instantly slipped around his neck, choking him.

He coughed, trying to pry the ghostly hands off him but it was useless. Desmond face surged through the darkness until it consumed his whole world, eyes bulging, mouth contorted into a vicious snarl.

"MURDERER!!!"

Jason shot up in bed, gasping for breath as he flailed, the blanket caught around his legs. The Seeker clutched at his chest, panting as he stared bewildered into the darkness around him.

"What the…"

AAAAAA

"Peter."

"Get the hell away from me," Peter spat.

Siobhan looked at him helplessly as Peter glared at her, his eyes filled with loathing and rage. The Ursine raised her hands up, one arm a mere bandaged stump as Peter shuddered not wanting to be reminded of the damage to his own limbs.

"Peter… I'm sorry," Siobhan whispered.

"Then undo this!!" the High King raged shoving his bandaged arms at her, "Make me whole again!!"

But Siobhan was shaking her head, tears in her eyes. It only fuelled Peter's fury.

"You don't get to cry!! You did this to me!!" he screamed, "You don't get to cry!!"

"I can't help you. I don't have the power anymore," Siobhan whispered in a ghost's voice.

"You still have magic! You can heal me!!" Peter screamed at her.

"I CAN'T!!!" Siobhan screamed at him, "I CAN'T!!!"

They stared at each other, chests heaving, Peter red and furious, desperate and so utterly exhausted.

"Please…" he begged in a broken voice, "Make me whole… don't leave me like this… I'm not… I don't want to be useless… I can't be."

"You won't."

Peter looked up. Siobhan's voice was firm and sure, she even seemed to stand taller, almost regal in her bearing.

"How do you know?" Peter wanted to much to hope, all the anger leeching out of him as he scrabbled for something, anything to hold onto.

"I dreamt last night… and a Lion came to me. It… He was to great and powerful and He told me many things," Siobhan's eyes were soft, lost in her own memories, "He told me this. Have faith. You will be remade."

"What?! Why didn't He come to me! Tell me this!!!" Peter demanded.

"I don't know. But He told me one other thing. He bade me to do this."

Siobhan reached slowly forwards with her one good hand and Peter jumped as a brilliant diamond-bright spark of light jumped between them. The light seemed to seep into his skin, spreading through his body with breath-taking coldness and clarity before seeping deep into his bones, nestling and sleeping inside the very fibre of his being.

"What…" Peter struggled to regain his breath, it was as though he'd been dunked into the coldest pool of the highest snow-drenched mountain, "What…"

"One day you'll know," Siobhan promised, "And one day… I hope you can forgive me."

And the princess slowly limped away into the darkness as Peter stared after her, the tiniest seed of hope beginning to grow inside his chest.

AAAAAA

"Why are you avoiding me?" Susan asked, "Was it… was it something I did?"

Caspian looked away from her, his teeth clenching together as a muscle worked in his forehead.

"I… not now your majesty. Not now."

"Majesty?" Susan echoed, "Caspian… what's going on?"

She reached out to touch him but he flinched away, a tremor running through his body as he swallowed thickly.

"I… I can't," he breathed heavily, "I…"

Before Susan could stop him, he turned and fled into the night. The queen clapped a hand to her mouth and choked back a sob as she fell to the ground, crying and not even knowing why.

A furry warmth nestled against her and Susan clung to her dearest friend, burying herself into the silent comfort offered as she cried out her heart.

"I don't know what's wrong…" Susan sobbed, "I can't fix it if I don't know what's wrong! I need to fix it! I…"  
Zaru stared grimly after the king, his sharp eyesight picking up Caspian's departing form.

"I don't think he even knows what's wrong," the leopard said quietly, nuzzling her, "Come. You need to rest. Tomorrow…"

"Tomorrow's going to be the same," Susan said brokenly all the strength leeched out of her.

It was too much. The Great Darkness… the death, the destruction and now this. She knew it was stupid but somehow everything would've seemed slightly less dark, slightly less hopeless if she just had his arms around her.

She took a deep shuddering breath and mastered herself, her arms tightening around the leopard.

"It's not," Zaru vowed, "Tomorrow's not going to be the same. It'll be different. Everyday we take another step forwards. Everyday we get stronger."

Susan looked at him, blinking in surprise.

"Deep," she whispered, "When did you get so philosophical?"

Zaru snorted.

"I'm just not a pretty face you know!"

"Or a big stomach," Susan teased, her sorrows temporarily forgotten.

"HEY!"

Laughing the leopard led his queen away as time continue to bleed into oblivion slowly bringing on the new day.

AAAAAA

"Look after them. They will look up to you now and it'll be hard but don't ever take it for granted," Caspian said firmly, "I know you can this. Just remember that."

Sabra nodded to him, grim-faced and fiery-eyed and Caspian turned away, a small smile on his face as he saw the answer: she would protect his people and lead them well, a true leader had been born.

"CASS, look after them," Elias said to the air.

"Yes, professor," the computer promised, her voice filtering through from hidden speakers.

"And work with David. Teach him about you and he'll help you," the professor continued.

"Yes, professor," CASS replied smoothly.

David and Siobhan stood a little away from the main group, an obvious ring of clear space around them. Dark looks and low mutters were directed at the Ursine princess, every face wary, hands closing around weapons every time shifted. Siobhan endured it stonily, her emotions locked behind blank eyes and face as David gritted his teeth and tried to ignore as much of it as possible.

Inara stepped up before them, her face tense, fingers twitching. She opened her mouth and Siobhan shook her head sadly.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

David stared between the two of them in confusion as Inara seemed to wilt, her shoulders slumping.

"Are you…" she croaked.

Siobhan swallowed heavily and nodded again. Inara bit her lip, looking away before taking a deep shuddering breath and steadying herself. When she looked back at them, her eyes were hard, her lips stiff.

"Look after yourselves," the warrior said, "Watch your backs. And Siobhan…"

"I know. There's a lot I have to do," the princess said quietly.

Inara nodded at her and walked away slowly as David turned and stared at Siobhan in open confusion.

"What was that about?" the Toran asked.

The Ursine was quiet, her eyes resting on Inara. David watched as Caspian walked into her line of view and the princess instantly froze, a look of utter guilt and misery spreading across her face.

She looked away as David frowned.

"Siobhan?"

But she refused to look at him.

"Are you –" Susan began.

"Su. Stop it. Stop mothering me," Peter said wearily, "I'm alive. Not fine but alive."

His face was pale and feverish, dull aches of pain throbbing up from his useless hands but he stubbornly refused to let it show, gritting his teeth and trying to force it all away. Susan raised an eyebrow, her blue eyes silently accusing him of lying but she let it go.

"How does this work?" Caspian asked stopping in front of them.

He refused to meet her eyes as Susan looked up at him.

"Normally we just cling to Susan and she does the rest," Inara supplied helpfully as she joined them.

The Seeker was studying Caspian in a way that suggested he was calculating the most painful place to bury his daggers but a warning glare from Elias made Jason stop. The Seeker grumbled under his breath as Zaru smirked.

Susan looped the leather pouch from around her neck and pulled the strings open revealing the yellow ring within.

"Okay," she breathed, "It's time."

"Yay," Zaru muttered, "Let's see what death trap we fall into this time!"

"Coward," Jason growled.

The leopard shot him an annoyed look as everyone placed a hand (or a paw) on Susan's body.

"The darkness continues to grow," a raspy voice spoke up suddenly.

Susan twisted her head and looked into the dark eight eyes of the Arachna queen. She was flanked by her brethren, all of the spiders bowing their heads to Susan in respect.

"But you are a star that will continue to shine even in the darkest of skies," the queen said, "Go forth with our blessing and our wishes. And never forget… us queens are very hard to kill."

Susan gave a small laugh and slipped the ring onto her finger. Sabra and many of the Persephone's dwellers gasped in surprise as there was a violent swirl of wind, a flash and a bang and they were gone.

Siobhan watched them go silently, her face carefully blank as inside she wept at the miseries she had visited upon them. But it was too late for tears and words, she had a lot to do to make up for her betrayal… starting now.

"Alright," Sabra cleared her throat, shaking herself, "Come on! We've still got a city to rebuild! Your majesty? If your people are willing?"

The Arachna queen nodded and humans and spiders walked together as one, and began to rebuild their lives, their city, their world.

AAAAAA

"The trees are dying," Elias said almost unnecessarily.

"And the freakiness just keeps on coming," Inara muttered leading the way.

The emerald ring on her finger glowed lightly as a powerful compulsion drew the girl towards their next destination. Their troupe was quiet as they trekked through the Woods between the Worlds, oppressed by a deep unease that seemed to permeate the very air itself.

Dried leafs, veined and dead, crunched noisily underfoot as they walked only Zaru managing to pick his way stealthily through the undergrowth as he ranged ahead, scouting the way.

Susan gripped her bow tighter, blue eyes scanning through the dying trees. Jason was beside her, the Seeker's face an expressionless mask as his hands rested uneasily on the hilts of his daggers.

Their boots stirred up dense mounds of rotting leafs unleashing plumes of sweet-tasting rot that made them all gag violently. Susan turned her head to see how they were all faring and instantly felt a stab of hurt and fear as Caspian instantly turned away, dark eyes fleeing from her gaze.

She caught Elias's sympathetic look and it was all she could do to refrain from breaking down. Susan's throat closed tightly as her eyes watered but the queen gritted her teeth and kept her eyes trained on their terrain allowing no emotions, no weakness to show on her face.

It swept through the forest at them, roaring silently, just a mere strong breeze of wind that rustled the trees and brought more gold and red spiralling to the ground. But it was no mere wind, it brought with it a coldness that stung them deep. The wind whipped around them as Zaru raced back to them, his face contorted in a furious snarl.

"GET BACK!!!" the leopard roared, "GET BACK!!!"

The wind seemed almost sentinel swerving around and sending them stumbling with a gusty blast as they tried to take a step forwards. Zaru roared and threw himself at the wind but he merely passed through it landing clumsily at Inara's feet. They scrambled up as a deep dark feeling entered their hearts and froze their blood.

"Do you feel it?" Elias asked with clattering teeth.

"SHINK!"

His reply was the unsheathing of swords and daggers. Jason was instantly in front of Susan, protecting her as his eyes darted from side to side, blades in hand but there was nothing to stab at, nothing to attack except for wind.

Caspian's eyes were murderous, his lips pulled back into a nasty grimace as he shifted his weight, every muscle in his body ready to spring and launch the first attack.

Inara shifted back keeping Elias at her back as her sword trembled in her hands.

"JASON!!!" Susan barked over the howl of the wind as it began to grow in strength and fury.

Jason shoved one hand at the dark funnel that began to form in front of them, tearing at the trees and earth as its spinning tip hit the ground. There was a soundless roar and a flash of white and suddenly Jason was sent flying backwards almost bowling Peter over as the High King skipped neatly out of the way.

Susan instantly let loose firing an arrow into the whirling maelstrom but the winds easily tore her arrow apart.

"Get back!" she snapped, "Get back!!"

Something was emerging from the vortex now pushing up against the sheer wall of whirling wind like a babe at a womb. First it was just a shadow, a mere flickering shape then a claw that emerged from the winds. Before their eyes the claw hooked itself around the winds as though it was cloth and tore it asunder.

Dark cloth, almost ephemeral, like shadows given form wreathed itself around the monster that hovered before them. It was one of the smoke-demons that had tormented them before in the woods, the very same ones that had kidnapped Peter from London.

But this one was different… it had _changed_.

The skeletal like arms were there, tipped with scythe-like claws but its chest… a rip had been opened up in the cloak revealing the monster's chest. Ribs, stark-white and dripping with blood and mucus laid bare open but they were multi-jointed and writhing like snakes, snapping open and close around a great big empty red maw. Instead of the twin red eyes that had glared out from the cowl there was now a single orb of blood-red ruby, glittering with calculating menace.

"The Ill-Wind!" Caspian gasped.

"What?!" Peter's eyes snapped towards him.

"It's a Telmarine tale. One mothers tell their child to keep them in line. The Ill-Wind, demons of darkness and storms. According to legends they serve a powerful darkness," Caspian gritted out, dark eyes flashing.

Susan instantly made her decision.

"ELIAS!" Susan snapped.

Caspian blinked in surprise, slightly shocked at the commanding ring in her voice. Elias instantly aimed and fired his crossbow, a small silver metal ball, upgraded versions of Elias's original ceramic orbs flew at the Ill-Wind.

The demon raised its arms and everyone gaped at two twin mouths, fang-lined and hungry that sprouted from its palms. The Ill-Wind shoved its hands at the incoming orb and an instant storm sprung to life. A powerful blast of wind sent the orb flying into a grove of trees.

"BOOM!"

The concussive waves swept the travellers aside as flames clawed up into the sky in a fiery cloud. The Ill-Wind reached towards them, the mouths on its hands and the strange rib-maw on its chest howling in fury.

"GO!!" Susan's hands reached behind her and the sceptre came smoothly out its rough sheath.

"Your majesty!" Zaru growled, refusing to leave her side.

"GO!!!" Susan screamed.

Peter took a step forwards as Susan thrust the crystal-end of the sceptre at the swooping demon. Pins and needles shot up her arm as she let out a defiant scream. Paralysis instantly rolled through her body as blue light flared swallowing the shrieking Ill-Wind up in a crackling cage of energy. The demon howled and cursed, slamming itself again and again into a barrier that brunt and stung as Susan stood, rooted to the ground, unable to move or even blink as white-hot energy roared through her.

"Su!" Peter stepped forwards but Caspian yanked him.

"NO! You'll be devoured if you draw near!"

Elias and Zaru watched helplessly, the leopard almost demented with the need to help as the scientist though desperately of a way to save her.

Blood dribbled from Susan's mouth and nose as power continued to surge through her paralysed body, the Ill-Wind still caught in the blue power in helpless rage.

"COWBOY!!!" Inara screamed.

Jason was already lunging at Susan, white power blazing from his hands. He grabbed hold of the stunned queen and physically wrenched her away from the spot she was frozen on as power blazed from his body.

There was a deafening boom, a crackle and a pop that made them all go deaf as Susan stumbled to the ground, gasping desperately for breath as blood poured from her nose.

The sceptre fell from her fingers, smoking as everyone looked up at the Ill-Wind only to discover a small wisp of oily smoke that drifted away to nothing.

"My…" Caspian swore violently.

"Idiot!" Jason railed at Susan, "Have you no control?!?"

"Yell at me later," Susan said groggily, blearily looking at him, "We need to get away…"

Jason sighed and scooped her up as wild winds began to sweep through the woods once more.

"INARA!" he roared at the girl.

The warrior was already taking off through the trees drawn by the power of the green ring as the others followed up, helter-skelter as Ill-Winds swept through the woods behind them.

"THERE!!" Zaru spotted the familiar shimmer of a pool up ahead, "MOVE IT!!!"

Elias fired a fire-orb behind them blowing trees apart as Caspian pulled his gun free from his holster, growling in frustration as he found he had nothing to aim at.

"GRAB ONTO ME!!" Inara yelled as they burst through the trees in a small clearing with five pools of water.

Inara was taken aback as she realised some of the pools were not full of crystal clear waters but were pits of pitch-black obsidian, oily and tainted. She frowned but had no time to dwell on this as distant roars reached them.

An Ill-Wind tore a tree apart in its insane charge to get to them but Caspian fired quickly, the bullets slamming in the demon's chest. The monster jerked with the blow and seemed to stagger back, halting its movements.

"NOW!!!" Inara screamed.

Hands closed around her arms and pulled at her clothing, Inara hissed as something yanked at her hair but she pushed the pain aside as she dived at the pool of shimmering water.

She hit the surface and fell through into a long tunnel of light and nothing as behind her she dimly registered the furious howl of a frustrated predator and a rush of icy wind.

AAAAAA

The ground rushed up at them and punched them with murderous force.

"OUCH!"

"What on earth?!?"

"What the?!"

A terrified gasp.

"A circus animal! An escaped beast! Kill it! KILL IT!!!"

Caspian heaved himself onto his feet and looked around, clutching at his bruised ribs. An array of faces, bewildered, curious, terrified stared back at him. Each of them were wearing clothing he was not familiar with, the women with hats and bonnets over long roughly made dresses, the men in dark coats and pants over coarse shirts, round hats on their heads.

"Who are you!?" one of the man screamed at him waving a briefcase at them like a weapon, "Are you Nazis?!"

Before Caspian could answer the shrill cry of rushing winds filled the cabin. The king looked around desperately and gaped seeing sceneries of densely-built cities whizzing past along panes of clear glass. Now and then amongst the buildings were burnt out husks, arrayed in scaffolding, people scurrying along the criss-cross of beams like diligent ants.

"What's going on up there?" a booming voice cried from a set of stairs set near the side.

Peter stared around in astonishment as an apprehensive look appeared across his face. He glanced at Caspian.

"It's a bus," the High King said stunned, "A double-decker bus!"

"This is crazy!" Inara yelped as she fended off a handbag.

The old lady glared at her and swung at her again. The wind roared and glass shattered, spraying everyone with razor shards as a dark ominous form swept into the upper deck of the bus.

A storm suddenly sprung to life inside the small confines of the cabin. People screamed as everything was swept up in a demented maelstrom. Jason roared and heaved Susan out of the way as a stampede broke out, people falling, bones breaking as they trampled over one another in their crazed charge for safety.

The bus swung violently, horns blaring behind it as the whole vehicle shook. A hand emerged from the winds, dark and scaly.

"Another one?!?" Inara roared, "Oh come on!!!"

Susan tried to stand up but Jason snatched her back.

"You're injured!" he bellowed over the wind.

The queen stubbornly ignored him and reached for her sceptre. The Seeker sighed and roughly shoved her into a chair pinning her down with his power.

"Jason!!" Susan screamed furiously, "LET GO!!"  
The Seeker ignored her as he whirled, daggers out to face the Ill-Wind that hovered in the air before them.

Peter took a step forwards but Caspian pulled him back.

"What are you crazy?!?" the Telmarine bellowed, "You're injured!"

Hot rage and black hate roiled through the High King.  
"I can still fight!" Peter snarled back.

"With what?" Caspian snapped cruelly, ruthlessly trying to make Peter see sense, "Your feet?!"

Peter paled, red spots of anger on his cheeks but he let himself be pulled away. He shuffled awkwardly back, a look of defeat in his eyes and a slump in his shoulders.

"BANG! BANG! BANG!"

Light flared in the cabin as Caspian fired his gun, bullets slamming into monstrous elemental before him. The creature roared and howled, sizzling holes drilled through its body but still it reached out with one hand, the mouth in its palm open and screeching.

The Ill-Wind lunged forwards with blinding speed but Zaru was quicker, roaring and slashing back, the leopard's lithe form gracefully bending around the demon as it sliced at him.

The Ill-Wind howled and floated backwards as Zaru flicked icy blood from his claws.

"NOW!!!" Jason roared.

Inara hung back watching with wide eyes as Elias and Jason attacked at the same time. White-hot power boiled forwards as a fire orb was launched. The Ill-Wind stabbed both arms at them, a storm exploding from its hands but Jason's power lashed out like a whip, slicing through the winds, dispelling them as Elias's fire orb hit home.

Dim screams could be heard from below along with shouts of anger as the orb exploded, the Ill-Wind instantly devoured by blue flames. The demon screamed, thrashing as wisps of darkness drifted to the ground, burning away into nothing. The Ill-Wind's single red eyes glared at its enemies with the deepest loathing and still on fire it raised its arm once more.

Caspian narrowed his eyes and fired.

"BANG!"  
A single bullet tore through the red eyes, tearing through delicate membranes and unleashing a spray of blood-red ichor. The Ill-Wind screamed, a terrifying, blood-chilling note as blood continued to explode out of its ruined eye. Everyone watched, stunned as the demon seemed to collapse it on itself, the ruined eye the centre of a black hole as everything else was sucked in into it.

The Ill-Wind shrieked and shrieked, screaming, still aflame until it was a dot of darkness then nothing at all, only a wisp of oily smoke and that drifted away. The winds died down and they were left standing amongst an empty war zone, glass shards and belongings scattered everywhere, chairs torn up and ripped apart.

The bus screeched to halt.

"POLICE!!!" someone was screaming from downstairs, "POLICE!!!"

The travellers stared at each other, panicky and confused as more cries for police echoed up the stairwell up towards them.  
"Scram!!" Inara yelled suddenly.

Jason grabbed Susan and all of them tore down the stairs. The Seeker shoved out with his power and pushed everyone out of the way as they all sprinted down the stairs and leapt out of the bus. They ran and ran and ran, shoving past bystanders in a crazed charge.

They ran across roads, weaving between cars that screeched to a halt, swerved around them, horns blaring. They pelted through crowds and swung around the corner before bursting through a gate and finally stumbled to a halt on a patch of grass framed by a thicket of trees that hid them from view.

Elias was on his knees clutching at his sides as he heaved for breath.

"Put me down!" Susan yelped.

Startled, Jason almost dropped the queen but recovered as Zaru snarled at him. The Seeker put Susan down and she slowly crawled to her feet.

"Well… that was bracing," Inara said dryly.

But Susan was listening to her or the others as they added their own comments. She was looking around, a confused look on her face.

The trees. The grass… this park…

She lifted her head and sniffed the air. The sky was a steely grey, plump clouds crawling across the horizon, the air ripe with the smell of a storm yet to come.

She smelt the exhaust of cars and a hint of smoke that still clung in the air from the age of chaos that had only recently visited this world.

She closed her eyes and listened to the bells and whistled of cars, to the clattering of a thousand feet and the chattering of a thousand voices. The screech of tires, the roar of engines and underneath it all, a sweeter note, the chirping of birds, the cry of insects in the leafs around them.

A brilliant, thankful smile curled her lips and her eyes snapped open.

"Peter!" she gasped out loud, pure joy in her voice.

Her brother looked at her, surprised as Susan beamed at him.

"Can't you feel it?" she asked as everyone else stared at the two.

Peter frowned and closed his eyes as well, listening and smelling, tasting and feeling. The air, the temperature, the sounds… he smiled.

But there was more… it flittered through his mind, memories rather then senses. The feel of a starched collar around his neck. The smell and the crinkle of pen and paper, of musty books on dusty shelves. The taste of sugar and honey, of milk and bread and meats. The comfort of a warm hug, the tenderness of a kiss on his forehead, soft blankets on clean sheets and most of all, the indescribable, incredible feeling of…

Home.

They were home.

Peter and Susan looked at each other, their joys reflected in one another's eyes. Susan laughed and threw herself at her brother, hugging him tightly as he gently placed his deadened arms around her.

They laughed, they cried, they rejoiced.

"Okay, this isn't slightly crazy," Inara muttered.

"We're home," Susan breathed, all the pain and darkness that had burdened her all swept away.

"Home?" Caspian looked around, startled, "Is this the Land of Spare Oom?"

Peter and Susan laughed, deep belly laughs that made them breathless.

"No, this is London…" Susan glanced at Inara, "In the year 1949."

"Alright!" Inara cheered, "Now to change the course of history so I become a millionaire!"

Elias stared at her disapprovingly as Inara smirked.

"Time travel is a very delicate thing," the scientist lectured, "To change even one thing could irreparably damage the very fabric of…"

"Kidding!" Inara protested, "I was kidding!"

"Jokes of this nature should not be made," Elias said severely, "It is unimaginable to even consider…"

Zaru barked with laughter as Inara wilted.

Susan breathed in the sweet air of home and turned to Peter. Memories of dreams flooded her mind and she froze in horror. Pictures of their weeping mother broken-hearted and weak, of their father frozen by guilt and tortured by his perceived failures slammed into her head. She physically staggered with the memories of them.

"Mother! Father!" Susan gasped turning to her brother, "Peter we have to… we need to… when they see us!"

A brilliant smile cross her face as she though of relieving the anguish her parents must be going through, to let them know they were alive, to let them know what was happening.

"We can't."

The answer was flat and spoken with sympathetic command. Susan gaped at him.

"What?!?" she demanded, "Why not?"

"There'll be too many questions. Ones we can't answer… not yet. What do we tell them? And what about Lu or Edmund?" Peter looked at her squarely, "Susan…"

Susan looked away, an ugly grimace on face as she realised he was right. Her shoulders slumped as the smile crumbled away.

"I know," she said softly, "You're right."

Peter looked at her sadly and gently clasped her to him. Susan took in the support he was giving and she could feel a fine tremor running through his body. This decision was just as hard for him. She pulled back and let him see the acceptance and the determination on her face, the resolve to not fall apart.

Peter smiled sadly as he saw once again how much the little sister who always needed him had grown up.

"Okay, what now?" Jason growled, his gruff voice breaking into their sibling moment.

"We need a place to go," Inara pointed out, "And yeah my history sucks but I don't think you see that many leopards running around London."

Peter glanced at Susan, a suggestion in his eyes and she nodded silently.

"I know a place we can go," the High King told them.

Caspian frowned.

"Where?"

AAAAAA

The door swung open and he nearly had a heart attack. He stumbled backwards, face completely white, one hand clutched to his chest as the other flailed for purchase knocking a small table over.

"Who is it?" a voice called out.

A woman appeared at the doorway. She took one look at the people standing before her and promptly dropped the tray she was holding. Ceramic shattered as hot tea spilt across the floorboards, sugar cascading down and dissolving into a sticky mess.

Susan cleared her throat nervously.

"Hello," her voice caught.

Peter forced a smile onto his face.

"Surprised to see me?" he asked in a light tone.

Professor Kirk and Polly Plummer just stared at them in utter disbelief.

AAAAAA

Professor Kirk paced the room, muttering frantically to himself as Polly sipped sedately from a cup of very strong tea.

"So, that's what's happening?" the old woman echoed faintly.

Her face was troubled as she turned over everything in her mind. It didn't bode well, a darkness that could defeat Aslan Himself and one spreading across the worlds. Polly sipped at her tea trying to soothe her suddenly very dry throat.

Elias was standing in front of Professor Kirk's expansive book collections peering at the titles interestedly, itching to pull some out and starting absorbing new knowledge.

Caspian was sitting by the window, propped up on the ledge as he stared moodily out into the gloom of London's night.

Jason and Inara were crammed together in a small couch, both of them grumbling as Zaru laid lazily at their feet.

Susan was sitting in a chair, Peter perched on the arm as both Pevensies watched Professor Kirk paced to and fro, the old scholar shaking his head frantically as he continued to talk to himself.

"Ms. Plummer," Susan said gently.

The old woman turned to her and Susan flinched, a flush going through her as she remembered the last time she'd seen the woman and how unbearably rude and childish she'd been to her. Polly nodded slightly and Susan pressed on.

"Our parents… how are they?" Susan asked scratchily, voicing the burning question in her mind.

"As well as they can be given the circumstances," Polly sighed.

Professor Kirk shook his head, a disgusted look on his face.

"After all four of you disappeared… there were investigations. It was a media stampede. Four siblings going missing all at once from different places? Foul play was immediately suspected…" the Professor trailed off, "I don't know how but someone came up with a ridiculous theory that there was some massive conspiracy cooked up between your parents, your aunt and me to do away with you all."

"WHAT?!?"

Susan and Peter gaped at them.

"It was stupid," Polly cut in tartly, "But somehow people believed it. Thank Aslan the police were smart and dismissed it straight away."

Peter and Susan breathed a sigh of relief and a great weight seemed to have been lifted from their shoulders.

"But…" Professor Kirk stopped, "There's something else…"

'What?" Susan demanded.

"There was a witness to one of the… uh… kidnappings," Professor Kirk explained.

"Witness?" Peter frowned.  
"Eustace Scrub," Polly said, "He was there when Lucy and Edmund was taken."  
"Eustace!!" Susan gasped, "What happened? Is he…"

Polly cleared her throat uncomfortably.

AAAAAA

"Any change in the patient?" the doctor asked.

The nurse shrugged uncaringly.

"Nothing," the nurse said briskly as he moved to bustle away, "Still just lying there."

The doctor glanced down at the bed and the catatonic form that lay there. Sighing, he pulled the patient's chart free from its attachment at the end of the bed and began scribbling in it.

"14th of October," he muttered under his breath as he wrote, "Patient, Eustace Scrub, no change. Patient still unresponsive."

He scrawled his signature down and placed the chart back before moving away to his next patient.

Eustace laid in the bed, his eyes staring unseeingly up at the blemished ceiling. His hair was fanned out around him, the once dark strands now limp with streaks of grey and white way too premature for his age. His skin was pale and icy, his body utterly devoid of strength.

Peter and Susan's cousin no longer lived, he simply existed, a prisoner of the crushing memories that looped in his mind, utterly dead to the real world and utterly uncaring of what went on around him as he laid and waited to die.

AAAAAA

"This is crazy!" Peter exploded, outraged, "They just can't do that!!"

Professor Kirk sighed.

"He's under observation all the time but still… nothing's changed," the professor explained.

"We have to help him," Susan said quietly.

She grimaced.

"I can't believe I'm saying this… I don't even like him but… the Great Darkness did this to him and it's all our fault. We have to undo it. We have to help him!"

"How?" Polly demanded, "You can't just waltz in and…"

The old woman trailed off as she saw Susan's face and realised that's exactly what the queen had in mind. Susan looked at her, fire in her eyes.

"What else can we do?" she spat, "We're breaking him out!"

Jason smiled coldly, his hands going to his daggers.

"Point out the place and I'll have out in under a day," the Seeker smirked.

"There's are innocent people working there," Elias pointed out, "We can't just charge in and kill them!"

"Watch me," Jason said flatly.

Susan turned on him.

"No, we're not going to slaughter everyone there," Susan smiled, eyes glittering, "We're going to trick our way in."

AAAAAA

Author's notes: once again thank you very much for all the people who reviewed! But seriously for the people who didn't, I know you're still reading this but please, please, please review!!! Like I said before I'm spending a lot of time on this fic and I would love to hear your thoughts and what you like or don't like.

As for what I mention last week about re-capping the whole Across the World fic and to keep you up-to-date on what's happened – I've decided making it part of the fic because I think a clip-show-esque chapter would slow things down. So I've decided to make a behind-the-scenes kind of thing in break-the-wall kind of special; basically it'll be like a DVD special style presentation. But of course this takes a backseat to the actual fic itself so when it'll come out... uhh... hang in there?

But a list of things and questions you may want to keep in your head for now...

What is the Great Darkness's agenda? What does it actually want? What did it mean what it said it was trying to heal the worlds? How does Narnia/Aslan fit with all this?

Jason being forced to kill Desmond – what does it all mean?

Susan and the White Witch-esque sceptre – is the queen playing with fire? Where is it going to lead?

And Zaru's past – why was he chosen to protect the queen?

Poor little Peter King, soon he'll be a useless thing! - so all of this was going somewhere; but what now? And what was Siobhan's 'gift' for him?


	38. Where it hurts

NEW CHAPTER! NEW CHAPTER! To celebrate the coming Easter (and my holidays!) here's a new chapter! So sorry about this but like last time – at least 12 new reviews before I start thinking about updating!

There's an important information in the Author's note section so be sure to read that!

Disclaimer – Blah, blah – do you have to make me say it?

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 38: Where it hurts**

"Peter, you can't," Susan said gently but with all the firmness of an unmoveable mountain.

"But…" the High King looked around desperately for support but he was backed into a corner all by himself, "You…"

"You're injured boy," Jason rumbled, "That makes you a liability."

"JASON!" Susan snapped furious.

The Seeker grunted and fell silent as Peter flinched, stung. Susan watched with bated breath waiting for him to explode, for him to yell and scream but his next move scared her more than anything else he could've possibly done.

"Oh."

An anguished look came over his face and the High King turned and walked slowly out of the room, shoulders slumped. His exit left a dead silence in the air. Susan watched him go, mouth agape as Zaru and Inara glared daggers at the Seeker.

"Remind me to never get you involved in any sort of hostage negotiation," the leopard spat.

"What? It's the truth!" Jason rumbled, "He's injured. He can't hold a sword or fight? What good is he to us?"

"Is that it huh?" Inara spat, "As soon as someone can't fight we just dump them on the curb?"

Jason blinked surprised at the vehemence in her words.

"No! That's not what I'm saying!" he protested.

"Well, what are you saying?" Inara snarled venomously, "That we all have to pull our fighting weight around here or it's bye, bye?"

Jason flushed and opened his mouth, an insult at tip of his tongue but Susan stepped in hurriedly.

"Not helping!" she snapped.

She threw one last worried glance at the open door and resolved to talk to her brother as soon as possible but first she had to be the leader.

"We need a plan and fast," Susan snapped," Bickering is not going to solve our problems!"

She glared at Jason and Inara until both of them closed their mouths and sat back down.

"Okay, we need a way to get in," Susan said quickly," Inara. How good are you at acting like a crazy person?"

Zaru laughed as Jason and Elias hid a snigger. Inara glared at them all as she jabbed Zaru in the side with her toe. She turned to Susan.

"I'm your girl," Inara promised.

"Okay, Jason you'll go with Inara… pretend you're a policeman or someone who's taking her into the asylum. That's our way in," Susan continued, "Professor?"

Professor Kirk looked at her.

"Can you write some sort of formal letter pretending to be a doctor admitting her?" she asked.

Professor Kirk nodded eagerly, a devilish grin on his face. Polly Plummer watched, fascinated and somewhat surprised to see Susan dealing with her people. The selfish brat that she gotten so used to was gone and a true Queen of Narnia had taken place in this self-assured woman with sparking blue eyes and firm voice. Polly smiled grateful that Susan had pulled herself out the dark hole she had been in before.

She had heard from Peter and Edmund and Lucy about Susan's second stay in Narnia and her… uhh… cavorting with a certain Prince. It didn't take a lot of brains or intuition to see that had been the source of all of Susan's troubles. And as Polly's eyes now settled on the handsome young man sitting across from her, the old woman felt a deep sense of unease at the brooding look in Caspian's eyes as he gazed upon the supposed love of his life.

"So, me and Cowboy huh?" Inara shot Jason a dirty look, "Think that's going to do it? I can't bring in a weapon and Cowboy can only carry so many daggers."

"I can join you…" Susan began.

"No, you're not," Elias cut in firmly, "There's a possibility the people going in might not get out. And we need you, you're staying here."

"I will go then," Caspian said quickly.

Susan looked to him surprised but Caspian looked squarely back at her, dark eyes unreadable.

"If you are to stay, I will go," he said bluntly.

Polly felt her breath left her lungs at the implication in those words. Susan started, a pain look crossing her face but she quickly covered it up, nodding, hiding behind her role as leader.

"If you want," Susan glanced at the trio, "I'll leave you three to sort out the finer details?"

They nodded as Susan carefully avoided Caspian's eyes, her heart clenching as she tried desperately to work out what was so very wrong between them. Tears threatened to fall but she did not let them spill, there was no time or luxury for crying that would come later in the privacy of her room and the night.

"Good," Susan said in a barely steady voice, "Now if you'll excuse me I have something I need to attend to."

AAAAAA

She found him in the tiny garden sitting on the damp grass and staring blankly at the rotting fence before him.

"Maybe he's right," Peter said in a voice that sounded alien to him.

Susan stopped, suddenly feeling very cold. During the golden years of their reign she had seen her brother at the height of his magnificence and at the darkest of his despairs. She had seen him after skirmishes and walls where many of his men had fallen, she had seen him after fires and disasters had laid waste to their people's homes and bodies littered the ground but never, even after the greatest of tragedies had she ever heard him sound so very defeated.

Her heart broke for him.

"He's not," Susan said softly.

Peter laughed bitterly.

"I think he is."

She noticed that he was gingerly massaging his arms, his useless almost-dead arms.

"Peter…"

"Don't say it Su," he said roughly still refusing to look at her, "Don't say it."

She said it anyway.

"It's going to be alright, you know that right?"

"How?"

He turned to her, eyes blazing.

"How?!" he barked.

He shoved her blackened, infected hands and arms towards her.

"Look at these!" he yelled, "Look at them! How can things be alright? I can't pick up a sword, I can't fight… by the Mane! Su I can barely pick up a cup of water without shrieking in agony!"

He slumped back, chest heaving, broken and lost.

"Su I used to be a warrior. I led men into wars and fought my way to victory. I was a knight… now I'm nothing."

A spark of fury leapt into Susan's chest and all her fears and doubts poured into it, feeding it as it sprung from a candle flame into an inferno. It leapt into her eyes and she screamed wordlessly to the world. If her brother the most strongest, stalwart, stubborn person she knew gave up hope… she just couldn't bear it.

"Stop it!" she screamed at her, "STOP IT! You think we followed you, we looked up to you as High King because you could swing a sword? Any brute could do that! We followed you because you were a leader! You never gave up! Even when everyone else was willing to throw their hands up in defeat you pressed on! That's why you were king because you made the rest of us strong!"

She grabbed him, shaking him, angry tears spilling down her face.

"Peter! Please…" she begged, "I need you."

He pushed her hands away and turned around staring at the wall.

"I… I don't know if I'm strong enough. Not for this," he looked down at his hands once more as they convulsed wildly beyond his control, "Not this."

"Peter… there's thousands of worlds. Surely one of them… we find a way. We will find a cure," Susan said desperately trying to break through to him.

His laugh was sad.

"Su. The Great Darkness did this. The one that's taking over all the worlds. I don't think there's anything strong enough to break the curse," he said flatly.

"Peter. Please don't give up," Susan begged, she needed her pillar, her rock.

He fell silent refusing to acknowledge her, still absently rubbing his arms.

"Peter…"

"Go. Just go," he said softly, "Please?"

She bit her lip drawing blood, torn, not sure if she should push or retreat, not sure if she could make him stronger or break him altogether.

"Okay," she whispered, "I'll –"

Her voice broke and she turned and ran just as lightning split the sky and rain began to fall. She dashed inside, tears and rain mixing on her face as Peter sat outside, drenched to the bone yet too numb to move.

Upstairs Inara stood at the window looking down at the broken High King with a terrified look on her face.

AAAAAA

Lucy danced around her, her face wild with joy.

"Ring around the rosies," Lucy sang, echoing countless childhood moments when Susan had danced with her singing the same nonsense song, "A pocket full of posies."

She was standing in an open field, surrounded by frolicking satyrs and fauns, ribbons streaming in their wake in an ecstasy of colour.

"A ti-shoo!" Lucy laughed, boisterous and unrestrained, "A ti-shoo!"

The tableau froze and everyone seemed to swivel towards her, staring at her with wild open, terrified eyes.

"We all fall down."

Susan turned to look at her sister and screamed as she stared at the rotting face, maggot-ridden, black oozing dripping from empty eye sockets. Lucy reached towards her with a skeletal hand, her mouth opened as dirt and worms dribbled from her shrivelled lips. The voice that came from her was deep and guttural and shook the world.

"We all fall DOWN!!"

Susan shot up in bed, a cry on her lips.

"ENEMIES!?!" Zaru was on his feet and hissing violently, hackles raised, "WHERE?!"

"SHINK!"

Susan turned and Inara's sword was out, glistening in the gloomy light of dawn. The girl was trembling but her eyes blazed like embers in the darkness.

"Susan!?" Elias's concerned voice was at the closed door echoed closely by Professor Kirk's.

Susan flushed, embarrassed.

"Nothing!" she called, "Just a dream!"

She shuddered at the memory of her sister's rotting face and shoved it from her mind, warding it off with a quick whispered prayer to Aslan. Inara and Zaru watched her carefully like scientists peering at an experiment.

"What?" she asked uncomfortable.

"Is it… uh…" Zaru coughed delicately, "One of _those _dreams?"

"What does that mean?" Susan demanded.

"It means before we found Petey you were mumbling his name a lot in your sleep. And before we got Shaggy you kept waking up calling him," Inara said bluntly, "Those dreams."

"Oh," Susan swallowed thickly, "I don't know where they come from… but I see things."

A short silence descended onto the room as Susan carefully avoided their eyes, afraid of what they might say.

"So can you tell what we're having for lunch?" Zaru asked suddenly.

Susan stared at him.

"Idiot!" Inara scolded, "Don't waste her powers like that."

She turned to Susan smirking.

"So Queenie… what're the lottery numbers?" Inara asked.

Susan rolled her eyes as Inara and Zaru sniggered.

"Fools," Susan huffed as she laid back down throwing her blankets over her face.

She fell asleep to the sounds of laughter and with a smile on her face.

AAAAAA

"Wait! So if an atom was to split in the proper conditions…" Professor Kirk said excitedly.

"The energy released would be sufficient to power an entire city for a year," Elias nodded, "But the conditions at which it takes place must be incredibly precise. For example the element neptunium…"

"Nerds," Inara muttered disgusted.

"Oh hush!" Polly scolded.

Briskly she applied the make-up brush to Inara's face deliberately making her pale, streaks of darkness under her eyes to make her look haggard. Her hair was in a mess, a wild tangle that suited the derelict state of her clothes.

Susan watched Polly dab more white onto Inara's cheeks and couldn't help but shudder. Once she had lived and died by the make-up brush but now the very sight of it made her feel very small and ashamed.

She glanced across the room and hid a smile as Jason tugged uncomfortably at the rough white shirt he had on, a scowl firmly on his face. Out of his usual fedora and battered coat, the Seeker looked almost vulnerable in his new outfit. The fierce glare he sent her way as Susan smirked at him quickly reminded her he was as deadly and as gruff as ever.

Her eyes drifted to Caspian and even with all the confusion and hurt that swamped her every time she looked at him she couldn't help but admire the way he looked in clothes from her world. A hand swept through his wavy hair (a duel had almost sprung forth when Polly suggested cutting his hair to help him blend in) and Susan felt a rush of heat surge through her as she remembered the feeling of those rough palms on her bare skin. The hungry, adoring look in his eyes and the feel of his lips and teeth on her…

Susan shuddered as Zaru sneezed picking up on the complex bouquet of smells that flowed from her.

Caspian's eyes caught her own and a shutter fell over them. Ice pierced her and a wave of… wrongness swept through her. It was like an oil slick, dark and infectious. Susan felt like she was drowning, falling into a hole of utter darkness as she screamed silently for help but none would hear, none would come. Caspian sucked in a breath and turned away and the moment passed. Susan collapsed back into her chair, one hand over her racing heart as she gasped for breath frantically trying to figure out what had just happened.

A wet warmth touched her other hand and Susan looked down to see Zaru gently licking her finger. Susan smiled, love for the leopard surging through her.

"Zaru…" she whispered.

"It's okay," the leopard whispered back, "It's my duty… and pleasure."

Susan laughed and gently scratched his ears as the leopard purred.

"Where's Peter?" she asked.

Zaru opened one eye and sniffed the air.

"Upstairs… and he hasn't changed."

"I don't know how to pull him out," Susan confessed quietly as Elias and the Professor continued to natter at each other about equations and theories, "I don't know how to help him."

"I don't think you can," Zaru said gravely, "It's up to him now. He'll break or he'll strengthen and it'll be up to him."

Susan sighed sadly.

"Done!" Polly announced.

Elias and Professor Kirk ignored her.

"So the grand unification of all four forces that govern our physical world…" Kirk began.

"Cannot be completed until the fifth force has been uncovered and that cannot be done until the birth of particle accelerators. From the destruction of a single nucleus of…" Elias explained, his eyes ablaze as he found a kindred spirit in his search for knowledge.

"So have you simpletons got it?" Polly demanded.

Inara, Jason and Caspian all bobbed their head quickly. Susan watched, amused as Polly made them all repeat their instructions. The old woman with her prim hair and clothes was the image of a motherly matron but the look she bent upon the trio was almost draconian in nature, the fierce look on her face daring any of them to cross her. She even managed to keep Inara and Jason's mouths shut which was, Susan noted wryly, a Herculean task that almost deserved sainthood.

"So you two will lead her to the fronts door and announce you are transferring her from another institution," Polly continued, "Inara will be hand-cuffed…"

"WHAT?!?" Inara squawked.

Jason barked with laughter as Inara glared at him.

"Pervert!" she snapped.

"You're a bit too young for my taste," Jason shot back, "And skinny."

"HEY!"

Caspian roared with laughter as Inara and Jason continued to bicker, the scowl on Polly's face deepening as her fingers twitched, ready to smack some sense into the two of them.

Watching Caspian's open, unburdened guffaws as he struggled with his laughter, Susan again felt a stab of fear and panic. She needed to know what was happening to him. She needed to know the truth… no matter what.

AAAAAA

The door opened and Inara slipped into the room.

"Hi," she said lightly.

Peter was lying in his bed, turned resolutely away from the door.

"Go away," he barked.

Inara ignored him and crossed the room, rounding the bed until she stood over him. Her face was strange, all her usual laugher and bluster gone revealing a nakedness that made her seem very young.

"What do you want?" Peter spat glaring venomously up at her, "Don't you have some world-saving mission to carry out?"

"Why are you acting like such an ass?" Inara demanded instead.

"Oh, I don't know," Peter growled up sarcastically, "I think I have two damn good reasons right here!"

He shoved his infected and deadened hands and arms at her. Inara rolled her eyes.

"Oh please, the whole sob, boo-hoo, poor me act is really wearing thin," Inara shot back, "Now Queenie and co might be slightly more sensitive to your whinging but I'm telling you to get your lazy behind out of bed and start getting over yourself!"

Peter stared at her for a few seconds genuinely taken aback. Then he flushed, anger seeping into his eyes.

"What the hell would you know about this?!" Peter growled, "Do you know what it feels like for me?"

All the hatred and fear burst out of him in a molten wave as words spilled from his lips, words that were designed to tear and hurt. He was shaken, shaken by his lack of control but he couldn't help it. Never in his life had he felt so helpless, nothing compared to this not even that sickening moment he had realised his brother had been taken by the White Witch or the powerless rage he had felt as he watched his people slaughtered as he rode for his life. He felt like a child and a beast, powerless and defenceless but filled with a rage that made him want to rend and break, to scream his pain to the world.

"I was a king! I was a knight! And now I'm nothing! Powerless! Useless!!' Peter spat, "Do you know how it feels to have fallen so far? I can't help my sister! I can't help my family or my kingdom or my friends! Do you know how that feels?! Do you? How dare you judge me!"

He glared at her, sitting up in bed as his face contorted in a demonic mien of utter helpless hatred.

"You have no idea," his voice dropped to a deadly whisper, "You have no idea who helpless I feel. How broken I feel. I was a king… and now I'm just broken."

"SMACK!"

Peter's head snapped to the side, his eyes widening in shock as Inara slowly lowered her trembling hand.

"No idea?" she hissed, "No idea?!?"

Peter turned and looked at her as Inara pulled her sword from her sheath. He watched, eyes bulging as Inara stepped deliberately towards him. With a cry, she sliced the air with her sword moving into a battle-dance, a series of movements designed to train her balance and flow of movements.

Peter watched her with an expert eye as she slashed and parried. Inara stumbled and the sword fell from her exhausted arms and she looked up at Peter. He stared at her, horrified.

"Now do you understand?" she demanded fiercely, hissing between her teeth, "Now do you see?"

Peter tried to speak but no words would spring forth. He licked his dry lips and tried again.

"How?" he asked faintly.

"How else?" Inara said bitterly as she sheathed her sword.

"Why –"  
"Because they don't need to know," Inara said quietly, "I can still handle myself."

Peter looked at her, compassion in his eyes.

"Inara… I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Do you know why she went after you? Why the Great Darkness did this to you?" Inara said instead ignoring his words.

Peter looked at her silently as Inara continued.

"Because it was afraid of you. It knew how great a threat you really were and it deliberately disabled you. It hit you right where it would hurt," Inara looked at him squarely, "Think about that. The Darkness feared you."

Peter was speechless as Inara pressed on.

"Queenie was right. You're not just a fighter," Inara continued, "You have other skills. You are a veteran, you have experience and you have the knowledge and the tactics. Don't hide away. Don't falter because we need you, we need what you know."

She looked at him, tears in her eyes.

"And you're not alone."

"Ina–"

Before Peter could even get the words out of his dry mouth Inara was gone, the door closing behind her as Peter stared at the polished wood in utter disbelief.

AAAAAA

Caspian turned and instantly looked away.

"You don't get to turn away from me. Look at me," Susan said calmly, a sea of emotions boiling under her bravado, "You owe me that at least."

Caspian sighed, his shoulders falling. Susan felt sick. She wanted to turn and run because she knew that at this moment something would change forever that something indescribably precious to her would be shattered and she would be left to hold the pieces.

"What is it, your majesty?" he said politely, his face disinterested as though he was talking to a stranger.

Needles stabbed her heart.

"Do you love me?" Susan asked in a broken, trembling voice.

She sucked in a breath, hating herself. She had rehearsed this so many times, the cool dry voice she'd used, the cold impersonal questions. She would try to distance herself, make herself stone and now… this… she was baring herself to him, opening herself up for more pain.

Oh how she hated herself at that very moment.

Caspian looked at her, eyes bleak.

"No."

That single word tore her apart.

"How?"

"You don't want to know," Caspian said.

"Was it…" she hated this, hated sounding so weak, "Was it something I did? Is it me?"

She remembered their one night together, the passion and the heat but most of all the love, the enduring unbroken love that had bound them together in body and heart and mind. She could hear his whispers and cries, the vows and promises he had made to her.

"You… you said you would love me forever," Susan repeated in a whisper.

"And I meant it…" Caspian trailed off, "Once."

"What happened? What?!" Susan became frantic.

She wanted to grab him, she wanted to shake him, she wanted to stab him and shot him full of arrows but most of all she wanted him just to hold her and tell her everything would be alright.

"How? You just can't wake up and decide you'd stop loving someone! WHAT HAPPENED?!?"  
She was trembling, pale, weeping and she knew her voice had woken the others but she didn't care, she needed to know. Needed to know what had gone so terribly wrong.

Caspian touched her tear-streaked face and the softness and warmth in his hands just made her weep harder.

"It was Siobhan."

"What?!"

"She did something to me. That spell that hit me," Caspian said speaking brokenly, in bits and pieces, his chest heaving as he fought to control himself, "It did something to me. It crawled inside of me."

He looked at her and she physically recoiled from the loathing and disgust that quavered in his dark eyes.

"It crawled inside of me and it violated me and it took something away," Caspian swallowed, "Everything I felt for you. All the love and adoration. It's all gone. There's nothing left."

"No," Susan begged to him, to Aslan, to the world, "No… please… you're lying. No."

"I don't know what love is anymore. The love I felt for you… it was glorious and unbreakable and it would've hold for all eternity. But now there's nothing, there's only a hole. A darkness," Caspian looked at her pain as if seeing it from long, long distance, as though it was something he could not truly understand, "And it's more than that. Every time I look at you…"

He touched the skin beneath her eyes and Susan let out a voiceless cry as that feeling of wrongness returned, sweeping through her and drowning her in utter darkness. He tore his hands away and Susan gasped for breath as though she'd been plunged underwater.

"Every time?" she whispered.

Caspian nodded.

"Sometimes I hate you and I don't even know why," Caspian continued in a flat toneless voice, "But mostly I just feel numb. I feel nothing."

Susan looked away, crying, wanting to stop and hold it all in but she couldn't.

"I've pained you," Caspian noted almost with clinical coldness, "I'm sorry your majesty but…"  
"It's not your fault," Susan whispered, "It's not… I forgive you."

He bowed, a formal gesture that held nothing, meant nothing but a courtesy.

"Thank you."

They stared at each other, once lovers now nothing more than strangers. A car horn shattered their silence.

"I must go," Caspian said formally, "I…"  
"Go," Susan whispered, "Just… go."

He nodded at her as though nothing more than a business transaction had passed between them and he left, left her alone in the hallway, wet and utterly alone.

"Susan…"

Polly stepped out of her room, aching for her. Susan turned to her, face crumpled and as Polly watched, a bleak serenity fell over the queen's face.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Plummer," Susan whispered, "But I must take leave."

Polly wanted to grab her, hold her and tell her that it was reasonable to break down and cry but she gave the queen her dignity.

"Be careful," Polly said instead.

Susan turned and ran out of the house, slamming the door behind her as she fled into the rain and the night, running from the house and from all the hurt that besieged her.

AAAAAA

Caspian stepped into Professor Kirk's old and noisy car ignoring the light rain that fell over him in shimmering sheets. A frigid silence surrounded him as the king sat stiff in his seat staring resolutely ahead.

"Well, this is all buggered up to hell," Inara muttered.

Caspian refused to look at any of them.

"I guess you heard?" he asked quietly.

"Hard not to," Professor Kirk said almost apologetically looking at the young Telmarine with the most tragic of sympathies, "I'm…"

"So am I," Caspian said in the same soft, toneless voice.

He turned to Jason who was staring at the man belligerently, his hands tightened into white-knuckled fists.

"Do I need to sleep with one eye open?" Caspian asked wearily.

Jason grinded his teeth together, logic warring with passion. Finally he let out a long breath and his fists opened.

"It's not your fault," the Seeker growled out uncomfortably.

Jason practically squirmed in his chair as Caspian turned to Inara. The young king knew the Seeker would not kill him for hurting his queen but nor would he forgive him either. There was a rift between them now. Inara was looking at him with not sympathy in her eyes but sad empathy. She nodded slightly and it was enough.

"Thank you," Caspian said quietly.

"Save it," Jason growled, "We've got a boy to rescue."

Caspian smiled slightly as Jason glanced at Kirk. The venerated professor instantly got the message and started up his car. Inara stared out the window, a strange look in her eyes as she fidgeted anxiously, a sweat rolling down her face. The ride was completely silent as they meandered through the dark streets of London heading towards their destination.

AAAAAA

Susan wandered the streets in a daze, uncaring of the rain that soaking her, uncaring of the shouts and cries as she pushed past bystanders and crossed roads without a care.

"He… he no longer…" the words choked in her throat.

She pressed on, chilled by the wind but still she walked on barely aware of where she was going. She just needed to get away from it all, get away from him.

A part of her, the detached side that viewed off all this with a clinical eye noted the delicious irony of it all. She had only just broken down the barriers and fears that had held them apart. She had given herself to him, wholly, completely and now this…

The other part of her wanted to howl and curl up into a corner and never wake again.

A shadow fell over her and rough hands grabbed arms. Susan instantly reacted, instincts and training coursing through her as she stomped on the foot of her attacker. The man yelped in pain as Susan twisted away and ripping her arms free from his grip.

Her hands instantly went for the dagger at her side and she cursed violently as she realised it wasn't there.

'_Idiot!' _she berated herself, wincing as she imagined what Jason would have to say at her walking around weapon-less.

Recovering quickly she dropped into a fighter's crouch, teeth bared daring a counter-attack.

"Susan… Butterfly?"

Susan's eyes bulged and her jaws dropped. She looked up and instantly ice froze her muscles.

"Da… dad?" she whispered.

Daniel Pevensie stared down at his oldest daughter, an astonished look on his face. For her part, Susan stared back at him, horrified at the haggard look on his face. Out of all the Pevensie siblings, Peter resembled their father the most. The same golden hair, the same crystal blue eyes, the same stubborn set of the chin and the same firmness of shoulder and character, it was all there mirrored in father and son.

But he had changed, he had (Susan's throat tightened painfully) _aged_. Lines streaked across his face, carving pits and gulches that stood out starkly in the wan light. Grey tainted his golden hair and he seemed just… less. Less tall, less strong, less like the overprotective father Susan had known all her life, the father who had spent hours reading to her, who had held her as she cried after nightmares and who had warned her time after time about the dangers of the opposite sex. In that single moment Susan felt very, very old.

"Butterfly?" Daniel asked, repeating the childhood nickname.

Tears came to his eyes, streaking down his face.

"What happened?" he asked throatily, "What happened to you? Are you okay? Where are your brothers and sister? What…"  
It was too much. After all she had endured this night it was just too much. She did the only thing she could think of. She became a coward.

She whirled and ran, ran as fast as her legs could carry her as her heart burst inside her chest.

"SUSAN!!!" her father screamed after her, "WAIT! NO!!! SUSAN!!"

He charged after her but the wounds he suffered in the Great War held him back, hampering his legs. He stumbled and fell, still screaming for her.

"SUSAN!!! BUTTERFLY!!!"  
With his voice and words echoing in her ears, Susan ran pushing past crowds as she cried, great hiccoughing gulps that threatened to suffocate her. A wall of people barred her but she fought them, kicking and lashing out blindly before she was through. Blinded by tears, she stumbled over her own feet and pitched forwards. Sodden earth slammed into her face as she fell.

For a few seconds she laid there weakly, dirt and tears and rain on her face, her body heaving as sobs fought their way out of her. She quietened and stilled, bystanders walking past her without a glance. Slowly Susan pulled herself up and looked ahead, blinking at the sight that greeted her.

Cheery light winked at her, enticing her to enter the huge glade as laughter and the smell of sugar hung cloyingly in the air. Despite the rain Susan could see families, usually led by impatient children, weave amongst the stalls and tents. The powerfully loud trumpeting of an elephant boomed out of the largest tent at the centre of the sprawl as Susan climbed wearily to her feet.

Her front was soaked, streaked with dark mud, her hair a mess. She glanced at the street behind her, wondering if she should head back to Professor Kirk's house but the laughter and the lights lured her back. It called to her like a siren's song, the cheer and the sheer delight that showed on the people's face a panacea to all that she had endured.

Hesitantly she limped across the grass and towards the fairgrounds leaving the night behind.

AAAAAA

"And people come here to get better?" Inara demanded staring up at the forbidding building that sat squatly in front of them like a toad.

"It's more of a way-house to move them out of the way of the more gentile sectors of society," Professor Kirk said with rare venom, "It also does a stupendous job of crushing spirits so there is no trouble."

Inara shuddered.

"I'll bet," she muttered.

She turned to Jason and Caspian. Everything that had happened so far tonight. Everything that had been exposed, every ugly truth. It all faded away. This was no time for emotions and grudges and blame, they had to work together.

Jason and Caspian stepped out of the car, Jason slightly unsteady on his legs. They both turned to Inara who stared up at them, a defeated look on her face. The Seeker held out the crude handcuffs and grinned a wolfish smile at her.

Inara looked back at him and Jason blinked as he thought he saw a look of fear flash across her face. He started and the moment was gone as Inara sighed and held out her hands.

"Click. Click."

Thirty seconds later the two men were dragging a kicking and screaming girl up the front steps of the asylum house as Professor Kirk's car slid away into the night to wait for what would come.

AAAAAA

She meandered aimlessly just letting it all wash over her. Children rushed past her, laughing in open glee and it brought a smile to her face. Vendors called from their stalls tempting her with food and wares.

Susan walked, her mind numb, simply opening herself to the fair like flowers to the sun, simply taking it all in. But she couldn't help but feel angry. How dare they be happy? How dare people enjoy themselves while she was dying on the inside? Was the world so cruel as to mock her?

"My dear child."

Susan started. A tall woman bedecked with a bizarre assortment of shawls and scarfs was smiling serenely down at her. She was tall and so graceful that Susan felt like a clumsy child before hers. Skeins of dark hair, soft and silky hung from the woman's head, woven and braided into intricate patterns that seemed to squirm against the pins that bound them tight. Gold and gems winked at her from around fingers and neck, the brilliance of their glow matched by the mischievous twinkle in her eye. And strange eyes they were, shaped and aslant like that off a cat's.

"You look troubled," the woman said gently as though speaking to a frightened beast, "Would you like some help?"

Her skin was golden, her features Asiatic and there was something mesmerising about her, a power and a pull. The woman gestured and Susan followed her fingers to a damp-looking purple tent with a stylised sign at the front that proclaimed it was the lair of the Mysterious Lady Viola, Mistress of the Crystal Ball.

Susan smiled politely, wanting nothing more than to be alone.

"No thanks, mam," she said primly, her voice a veritable blizzard, "Now if you'll excuse – "

"I think you would want to talk to me," Viola's voice was deceptively soft but the tone made Susan shiver, "I think we should talk. The forces have ordained it."

"The forces?" Susan asked sceptically.

The woman nodded. Susan noticed for the first time that everything the woman wore was purple, the lightest lavenders darkening to the most royal of purples adorned the woman's frail form. It should've made her look comical but somehow it seemed to suit this mysterious figure making her seem regal and infinitely wise.

"The forces that control us and moves us like pawns on a chessboard," Viola clucked, "Come child. There is much to talk about and little time. This way! This way!"

Helplessly Susan allowed herself to be dragged towards the tent as the woman pulled at her with surprising strength that belied her slender form..

Susan was thrust through the tent flap and immediately assaulted by incense that burnt inside. A single table and two chairs stood inside, a round crystal small sitting in an iron-wrought holder at the centre of the table.

"I… I don't have any money!" Susan protested, "I can't…"

"Hush!" Viola shushed her as she pushed Susan into one of the chairs.

Susan watched, stunned and a little unnerved as the purple lady turned to the tent flap and closed it, weaving her hands around in the air in a complicated design before turning back to her.

"Tea?" Viola asked, head cocked to the side.

"No! I'm sorry mam but I've really got to be…" Susan tried again.

Viola ignored her and walked across the tent, taking her seat. She sat silently studying Susan with eyes that were coloured and glowed like polished amethysts.

"Hmm… interesting choice," the woman noted aloud.

She reached into her voluminous skirts and pulled out a deck of cards. She shuffled it briskly and held it up to Susan.

"Draw six cards," she demanded.

Susan opened her mouth to protested but the fiery look the woman sent her quickly made her reconsider. Sighing, Susan pulled out six cards and Viola took them off her.

"Letting the reading begin!" the woman announced dramatically as Susan rolled her eyes at the obvious melodramatics.

The amusement built as the woman made complex hand gestured over the first card before beginning to flip it over and show it to her. She had seen things like these before, Tarot cards, some of the girls at her old school had loved to dabble with them, giggling emptily as they grandly prophesised the coming of rich husbands and handsome princes.

Susan smiled wryly as she realised that for her had at least come true. The smile fled her face and she turned cold as she remembered what that situation was like now.

"Have no fear child," Viola remarked absently, "All things must end."

Susan blinked, staring at her in confusion and apprehension.

The first card was unlike any Tarot she had ever seen before. This was vivid and almost terrifying in its imagery. It showed a single bleeding heart wreathed in dark thorns and impaled on a single dark sword, ravens with eyes that seemed to glitter hovering ominously over the hideous tableau.

"Heartache," Viola looked at her shrewdly.

Her eyes glittered in the light and Susan suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Her gaze was intense and seemed to burn through air and flesh, revealing her heart for all the world to see.

"Oh yes, a crying young woman it doesn't take any gifts except for eyes and brains to see that it might be affairs of the heart," Susan shot back waspishly, taking refuge in anger.

Viola rolled her eyes and looked at her as though she was a simple child.

"More than simple heartache girl," Viola scolded, "More than that. A kindred spirit. A true soul-link. The serpents-that-intertwine. What you've lost isn't some paramour, it's true love."

Susan went white as a sheet, the hand she rested on the table trembling violently as Viola's words echoed in her ears.

"And it wasn't lost. It was taken," Viola was looking squarely at her, "By…"

The mysterious fortune-teller took the second card and flipped it over. Susan recoiled at the image that greeted her. A woman, a horrible abomination, a mix of both beast and human, glared up at her pure venom in her dark eyes. Behind her was utter darkness except for the thousands of tiny hungry eyes that seemed to pierce her soul.

"Enough said," Viola said gently, shuffling the card back into her deck.

Susan sat, statue still, her face completely devoid of colour.

"What are you?" she demanded of the woman.

Viola shrugged.

"A simple woman trying to make her way in this big strange world," she replied impishly already moving onto the third card.

Susan didn't know why but Aslan help her, she trusted this strange woman. She leaned forwards staring into the woman's purple eyes.

"Is… is there a way to… fix all this? Fix everything?" Susan begged, hating the weakness in her voice.

Viola looked at her shrewdly seemingly weighing up her next words carefully.

"Yes."

Hope blazed through Susan and a wide smile crossed her face as an exulted light entered her eyes.

"How?"

"Patience," Viola said mildly ignoring her question.

Susan was practically trembling, torn between frustration and anticipation as the third card was turned over. Susan sucked in an astonished breath at the woman in the picture. It had the same blue eyes and dark hair that greeted her every time she looked into a mirror or a crystal clear pool. Susan the Gentle, Queen of Narnia, stared back at her from the card, a golden lion by her side, guarding and watching over her. But behind the majestic two were three rings of light, intertwined and interlinked.

"The rings… what do they mean?"

Viola looked at her carefully.

"They're a gift and a curse," the woman said quietly.

"What?!"

When the woman spoke her voice was soft and toneless but yet it was filled with such power that it set Susan's teeth on edge.

"You have travelled far and there are still many leagues to go," Viola said, "And on your journeying you will meet three gods and be anointed by them. You my darling will be something that has no existed before, you will be thrice-blessed."

"Gods?" Susan looked faint, "Gods?!"

Relentlessly Viola took the last three cards and flipped them over briskly one by one.

"Three gifts you will receive," Viola's voice was so seductive, so utterly terrifying.

The first card was simple, stylised wisps of smoke wound themselves around pillars that framed a set of eyes so life-like that Susan wanted to flee from their intense gaze.

"The Sight."

The second card depicted an emerald clearing in a dark forest. Moonlight lay reflected in a pool of clear water as a stag, magnificent and filled with a wild nobility, drank delicately from it. Susan blinked as she realised its horns and its hooves glowered as though they were polished metals.

"The Hunt."

The third card made Susan recoil. The empty eyes of a bleached skull stared out at her, its mouth opened in a silent, endless scream. A dark bird, a devourer of carrion, perched on its ribs picking at the rotting flesh that still lingered there. Susan felt a malevolence peering out from the card, reaching out with invisible fingers to hold her and bind her.

"And Death."

Viola's eyes bore into Susan as the queen stared at her, breathless, captivated by the power that shone in the woman's gaze.

"And know this. When all three gifts are bestowed and you become thrice-blessed, a making that will shake the very foundations of reality itself, the curse that holds your lover will break."

"And…" Susan didn't want to finish the unspoken statement.

"And you will have him back once more."

AAAAAA

"She will be kept in here," the carer, a bored-looking you man said as he unlocked a door, "Until the doctors can assess her."

Caspian and Jason trailed after him, a writhing Inara held between the two men. She glared around at them all, Polly's make-up helping her look pale and frenetic.

"They're watching me!" Inara shrieked passionately at the man, "Their eyes. Always on me… they tell me things. They – OW!"

The carer reached out and with almost casual cruelly grabbed Inara by the hair and yanked her into the room, shoving her none too gently towards the hard pallet that served as a bed.

Inara hit the bed hard, wincing in pain as the carer studied her.

"She's nice looking," the carer noted, a hungry smile on his face, "Might brighten up the place a bit. The others aren't exactly works of arts."

He guffawed loudly as though it was the funniest joke ever told. Caspian and Jason's eyes flashed angrily, both of them longing to lunge at the man as Inara glared at him, hands twitching in their cuffs. The carer stopped and cocked his head at Jason and Caspian.

"By the way which nuthouse do you two work at?" he asked.

Caspian and Jason glanced at each other and turned back to the man, twin wicked smiles on their face.

The man blinked.

"BAM!"

He instantly crumpled as both men ploughed their fists into his face.

"Yeah, take that!" Inara muttered rubbing at her sore scalp.

Jason pulled out the keys to the handcuffs and freed her. Caspian relieved the carer of the loops of keys at his belt and the trio scurried out of the small cell. Caspian carefully locked the heavy metal door behind them, sealing the man in and turned to the others.

"What now?" Inara demanded.

"We find this Eustace fellow," Caspian said quickly, "Quietly."

They turned and stared at the labyrinth of twisting corridors and cell-lined walls that sprawled all around them.

"We'll split up," Jason said firmly, "Inara, you go with Pretty Boy. If anyone stumbles upon you pretend you're taking her to another cell. I'll go this way."

"Pretty Boy?" the king scowled, insulted.

"It's a nickname. It means we like you," Inara smirked.

Caspian raised an eyebrow but was mollified.

"If you found him get back to Kirk straight away," Jason ordered, "I'll make my own way out. Got it?"

Inara and Caspian nodded and hurried off to the left as Jason took the right, treading lightly down the corridor, his senses on high alert. Steadily he darted from hiding place to hiding place, moving in the dim lit with cat-like grace. Every time he passed a cell he peered into the pane of dirty glass set inside the heavy metal doors trying to make out the occupants within.

Some of them were sleeping, held helpless in drug-induced sleeps. Others paced their cells, eyes wide and haunted by the afflictions that tormented them. Jason kept a tight leash on his powers. With so many deranged thoughts and twisted minds around if he opened himself up they would flow into him with all the force of a tidal wave, sweeping his own mind aside before pitching him into dark pit of insanity. Even now with his barriers up the Seeker could feel some of the more darker and insane thoughts raving at him like beasts in a cage demanding entrance with a ferocity that deeply unnerved him.

Still he pressed on, eyes roving the bleached white surroundings. He was peering into another of the cells trying to make out the figure within when he suddenly froze.

"I know you're there," Jason called out fearlessly, straightening, "No point in hiding."

He turned and stared straight in the face of the carer they had knocked out before. The man's nose was broken, rivulets of blood streaming down his face. The carer glared at him, fury in his eyes.

"You shouldn't have done that," he growled pointing at his ruined nose.

Jason shrugged.

"Meh, there's a lot of things I shouldn't have done," the Seeker replied easily.

"You have no idea what you're messing with," the carer snarled.

The Seeker's hands dropped to the back of his belt.

"Really?" Jason raised his eyebrows, "Care to share?"

The carer blinked and the Seeker recoiled as twin pools of utter darkness stared back at him. The black-eyed carer smiled, a cool reptilian grin on his pale face as the white disappeared from his eyes inky darkness taking their place.

"You have no idea," the possessed man hissed.

"Son of a!" Jason swore violently.

His hand whipped up hurling the dagger he had retrieved. The blade spun through the air and the carer made no move to dodge it. It slammed into his shoulder knocking him back but the carer quickly straightened. Grinning, malicious joy in his completely black eyes the carer pulled the dagger free from his own flesh and hurled it aside.

"Anything else you want to throw at me?" the carer snarled.

The Seeker sighed and held out his hands.

"Oh nothing… just this."

"BAM!"

The carer slammed into the wall, crushed against the brick with deadly force as Jason staggered with groan. The miasma of madness hanging in the air instantly surged towards him like serpents to a mouse. Horrific images and disconnected chaotic thoughts slammed into his head almost frying his mind as Jason fought to throw his barriers back up.

The carer roared and fought, bucking against the invisible hands that held him prisoner as Jason slowly began to regain control. With a cry, the carer sprung free from Jason's power and flew at the Seeker. Jason slammed into the wall as the carer tackled him, brutally punishing him with a punch on the face.

Jason slid to the ground dazed as the carer lurched back, black eyes flashing.

"INTRUDERS!!!" he screamed, "INTRUDERS!!!"  
He turned back to Jason and chuckled.

"As for you…" he began menacingly lacing his fingers into a single fist and raising it high above his head.

Jason glared up at him, still seeing double.

"Go to hell," the Seeker spat.

The fallen dagger flew into his hands, snatched by his power, and Jason instantly surged forwards, stabbing up. The carer screamed as blood splattered the walls. Jason ruthlessly ripped his dagger to the side, slicing skin, flesh and viscera apart.

The carer fell, screaming as he clutched at his stomach, organs threatening to spill out from the gaping wound in his gut. Almost as an act of mercy, Jason slit his throat ending it quickly.

The Seeker lurched to his foot, kicking the body aside as cries of alarm echoed throughout the asylum. Jason swore violently and rushed off ready to face the new crisis.

AAAAAA

Inara's stared at the back of Caspian's head at they ran down the hallway, looking into each cell that passed.

She was conflicted. Torn between loyalty and sensibility. This man had hurt her friend, put his hands into her chest and tore out her heart and every instinct in her told her to hate him, to hurt him as bad as he had hurt Susan. But it wasn't his fault.

Inara stared at Caspian, remembering his tortured words to Susan and pity flooded through her. To live like that, to remember a love that once was and feel absolutely nothing? To live a life half-lived because something infinitely precious had been torn away? She couldn't even begin to imagine the hell that must be.

She had been the one to bring Susan and Caspian back together (and even though that scheme had gone to hell… hey, at least it had worked!) and guilt tore through her as she realised how much it must kill Susan, to have had him back, to have had loved him again and then have it all cruelly taken away once more.

She wanted to like Caspian, she really did but the pain in her friend's voice… that she could not forget. She trusted this man, would place her life in his hands but she couldn't bring herself to like him.

Both of them froze as the sound of conversation drifted around the corner. They instantly ducked into the shadows, watching with bated breath.

"Is it about to begin Keller?" one of the guards asked as they passed the hallway.

The man who answered was a head taller than the rest and had an arrogant bearing that immediately marked him out as leader. His head was shaved, his eyes burning with fanatical light.

"Almost," Keller growled back, "The timing has to be perfect. If we don't then the rit–"

"INTRUDERS!!!" a scream echoed down the hall, "INTRUDERS!!!"  
Inara and Caspian stared at each other, white-faced.

"Jason!" Inara growled, "Moron!"

They tossed nervous looks over their shoulders but waited to see what the guards would do.

"Intruders!" one of the guards turned to Keller, obviously terrified, "If someone found out – "

Keller backhanded him, blood and teeth sprayed across the walls as the guard staggered. Keller icily glared at him, completely unfazed.

"Go the chamber," he ordered coolly, "I'll handle the rest."

The two guards instantly sprinted off down the hall as Keller turned and rubbed his hands together. Caspian and Inara quickly swallowed gasps as his eyes instantly went completely black. Ice swept down Caspian's spine as he slowly began to realise they were in for a whole world of trouble.

"Intruders huh?" Keller smiled cruelly and held out his hands.

He began chanting in a guttural voice, the foreign words harsh and cruel. They seemed to stab the ears and rend at the heart as a wild wind swept down the corridor.

The lights flickered and died plunging the room into utter darkness before they were suddenly ablaze again revealing two cloaked figures that now hovered before Keller.

Inara's eyes as she gasped but Caspian's instincts kicked in, overriding his own panic. All fear and alarm were neatly shunted aside as the keen-minded tactician and iron-willed warrior within took control. He grabbed onto Inara's arm. The girl whirled to look at him, eyes wild.

"Move!!" Caspian hissed lowly, "We've got to go!"

Dragging Inara behind him, the two dashed down the hall as Keller, the dark-eyed guard grinned viciously.

"Ill-Winds," he commanded the ruby-eyed demons, "Find them and tear them apart."

The demonic elementals nodded and swept down the hall as Keller chuckled before casually continuing down the hall. All around him the inmates of the asylum seemed to sense something was wrong. They howled and pounded at the doors creating a primitive cacophony that drowned out the howl of the Ill-Winds.

AAAAAA

"GO!!!" Caspian roared as a vortex roared into life behind them, "RUN!!!"  
An Ill-Wind sprung forth from the storm and lunged at them, talons outstretched. Caspian shoved Inara forwards and twisted himself, dodging the deadly claws.

"GO!! I'll handle this thing!" he roared at Inara.

"But…" the girl began.

"GO!!! FIND EUSTACE!!"

Inara nodded and darted off as Caspian turned to the Ill-Wind who watched him belligerently. Weapon-less, Caspian stilled grinned.

"Alright, before we fight I think its only fair to warn you I am one of the strongest warriors to have ever – "

Before he could even finish his sentence a powerful blast of wind slammed him into the wall engulfing him inside a broiling tempest.

AAAAAA

Inara ran, peering desperately into each cell she passed.

"Come on," she hissed, "Come on! Come on!"

She turned the corner.

"THERE!!!" a guard roared, "THERE!"

"DAMN IT!!" Inara hissed as she whirled around and ran back the way she'd come.

She turned the corner and…

"CRACK!"  
Keller lowered his fists and Inara hit the ground, a bruise blossoming on her cheek. She was out cold.

"Sir?" the guard turned the corner and instantly bowed submissively to the dark-eyed man.

"She'll do nicely," Keller looked at the guard, "Take her to the chamber. We'll use her as part of the sacrifice."

The guard nodded and dragged Inara's prone body away as Keller smiled, triumph in his cold dark eyes.

_Author's notes_: First of all... I love you guys! Your reviews were very much welcomed! I love them all even if you have negative things to say as it points out weaknesses in my writing so I can work to improve them!

Anywho... for the people who were confused about Caspian's behaviour from last chapter, he's not acting strange because he was scared of Susan's powers... his feelings were ripped from him. And the name of this chapter explains it all, the Great Darkness is hitting them where it hurts – denying Peter his ability to fight, stripping Caspian and Susan of their love. As for why and what exactly the Darkness is up to... there's a world coming up where we explore the history of the Darkness and hopefully it'll fill in some gaps.

And I had a comment about how some characters are placed into the background and yes I've noted that and yes I'm so sorry for that but trying to juggle so many characters, so many storylines inevitably some would receive more attention in some worlds over others but I'm trying to keep them as balanced as possible. Hopefully it doesn't get too skewed.

So what new twists have we learned from this chapter? First of all Susan and the mysterious fortune teller and the so-called blessings she's to receive. What does it all mean? Siobhan's spell on Caspian and Peter – how is it going to affect all of them? And finally of course Jason and his enigmatic past and the spell that took him in Persephone – why?

Finally and here's the important bit – just to clear things up the whole summing up, flash-back look thing at this fic so far is going to be like a DVD special entitled 'ACROSS THE WORLDS – BETWEEN THE WORLDS' – it will be like any DVD extra with the director/writer (me!), the actors (Anna Popplewell, Gerard Butler – Jason, Ron Glass – Elias, Emily Browning – Inara, William Moseley, Ben Barnes and some other guest actors) looking at what's happened and commenting on it and their own (imagined) thoughts on playing these characters - what makes them tick, what makes them work as characters. There will be behind-the-scenes look at some worlds, writer/actor thoughts, some deleted scenes etc.

So what can you do to help? (Cause I need some help on this!)

First of all, I NEED A VOICE ACTOR FOR ZARU (I can't for the life of me think of a decent voice actor – I envision Zaru as sounding like a young teenager who's a bit comedic, a bit dorky, a softie at heart but a bit snarky all at the same time – any suggestions would help! But please, please stay away from any Harry Potter actors or god forbid anything like HSM or Twilight – you say Zac Efron or Robert Pattison and innocent puppies would get hurt! A friendly warning - :) )

Second, I NEED YOU – MY BELOVED FANS TO ASK QUESTIONS!!! Obviously how is this story going to end, spoiler-related questions will be largely ignored but I could provide cryptic clues for future happenings. But any questions – such as clarification, behind-the-scene questions or anything like that I'll be more than happy to answer!

Wow, this makes this project seem so immense and important but I'm really glad you love my fic – that makes me love you!

Cheers!


	39. A tear in the world

New chapter! Sorry but same drill as last time – 12 new reviews or no update! Sorry!

Disclaimer: Aside from my OCs and the worlds – everything else is C.S. Lewis's

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 39: A tear in the world**

The Ill-Wind howled as gale-force blasts continued to explode from the mouths grotesquely etched into its palms. The huge mouth it is chest slobbered and drooled as the strange writhing appendages around its edges whipped the air frantically.

The demon roared, ruby eye flashing and –

"BANG!"

Thick ichor splattered the walls as a bullet ripped through its single eye. The demon screamed, a piercing discordant note echoed by the inmates as they went berserk inside their cells. The winds died and Caspian staggered forwards, his body bleeding from multiple small cuts as he lowered his smoking gun.

The Ill-Wind clutched at its ruined eye and let out one final screech before it rolled in on itself and collapsed out of existence.

"Warned you," Caspian growled.

He turned as the sounds of pounding footsteps echoed down the hall towards him.

"I heard a gunshot! It came from over there!" one voice yelled to another.

Caspian grimaced and turned to run but a loud bang from one of the cells made him glance over. The inmate within was throwing himself over and over again at the metal door, howling on the top of his lungs as he bruised him against the steel.

"They come!!!" the man shrieked at him through the small pane of dirty glass in the door, "Dark eyes… millions of them. Hungry. So hungry! Devourer of worlds! Devour us all!"

Caspian suddenly blinked and a smile curved his lips. He pulled out the ring of keys he had stolen from the carer and instantly darted towards the cell doors as the guards neared, the screams of the inmates getting louder with each passing second.

AAAAAA

"No. No. No."

Jason cursed as he glanced into cell after cell and still couldn't find Eustace. He recoiled as a woman threw herself at the door, slamming her face into the small viewing window. Blood splattered against glass but she barely seemed to notice. She stared at the Seeker, her lips pulled back in an anguish scream.

"Let us go!!!" she begged, "Let us go! Branded! Sheep to the slaughter! Let us go!!"

Jason hurriedly backed away from the door as the emaciated woman within continued to scream at him.

"LET US GO! LET US GO!!"  
The other inmates quickly picked up the chant until the whole asylum roared with the mantra.  
LET US GO! LET US GO!"  
"Oh bloody hell," Jason roared, "SHUT UP!!"

Frustrated he kicked the door.

"That's not going to help."

Jason whirled and a trio of guards were behind him, black-eyed and grinning nastily.

"Okay, what the hell is wrong with you people?" the Seeker spat.

One of the guards, lank blonde-hair flopping over his eyes, smirked.

"There's nothing _wrong _with us," he sneered, "We're feeling better than ever!"

Jason rolled his eyes.

"Let me guess, Great Darkness came to you, endowed you with powers beyond mortal imagination but now you have to do something dastardly for it," Jason smirked as the guards froze, "Am I getting warm?"

The guards gaped at him as Jason gave a mock sigh.

"Getting really predictable," Jason muttered, "You would've thought being the evil of all evils would've given you imagination."

The guards gritted their teeth and snarled at him, their faces contorted into bestial masks of rage.

"GET HIM!" one of the guards, a redhead, snarled.

All three of the possessed men leapt at the Seeker, baying on top of their voices. Jason smiled viciously and rushed to meet them. Bodies collided as Jason lashed out throwing the men aside before punishing them with brutal blows.

"CRACK!"

One of the guards howled in pure agony as Jason landed a brutal kick on the side of his knee. There was a sickening crunch and the bones popped from its joint. The guard fell to the ground, grabbing at his ruined knee as he whimpered, face pale with pain.

"Powers huh?" Jason spat contemptuously on the ground, "Looks to me you got the short end of the deal."

The blonde and redhead guard glared at him and lashed out. Metal crumpled as Jason ducked, the fists slamming into one of the cell doors and knocking a good-sized dent into the solid steel. Jason charged, head down and slammed straight into the blonde guard driving the air from his body. The redhead roared and charged at him but Jason simply gestured and the guard was sent flying.

Jason grunted as a bolt of madness and pain slammed into his mind. Frantically he slammed a barrier into place driving off the dissonance of crazed thoughts as he straightened.

The two guards slowly crawled to their feet as Jason casually kicked the downed guard in the face taking him out of the fight. The Seeker twirled his two daggers between his fingers, dark blue eyes carefully trained on the two men as they advanced slowly.

"You can't beat us," the redhead snarled, "There's more of us in here. One of us will get you!"

"Maybe," Jason growled, "But it won't be you two."

Jason twisted as two fists whooshed past him. The men might have been almost unnaturally strong but they lacked technique and finesse, it was an almost laughable feat to avoid their clumsy blows.

Jason smashed his elbow into the blonde's face and whirled only to be caught by a kick from the redhead. The Seeker was sent flying, slamming into a wall and crashing to the ground as the redhead cheered.

"Kill him!" the blonde snarled as blood drenched his face, "KILL HIM!!!"

The two men charged as Jason got his knees and lashed out, spinning on one knee as he leg-swept the two guards, dumping the two men onto the ground. The guard's head cracked against the floor as Jason leapt to his feet. The guards groaned, twitching feebly as Jason scooped up his daggers.

The redhead eyes bulged as he stared blearily up into the mercilessly face of the Seeker.

"WAIT!" he screamed, "I can…"

Jason stomped on his throat and the man instantly went still. The blonde stared defiantly up at him, steel and fire in his eyes as Jason towered over him.

"Kill me but know this. My – "

"Gladly," Jason growled cutting in, figuratively and literally.

He was cleaning the blood from his daggers when a blood-chilling howl boomed down the hallway. Jason turned as the Ill-Wind swept towards him, hands outstretched. Grimly he flipped one of the daggers around and raised his arm ready to throw it straight at the incoming demon.

"BANG!"

The Ill-Wind flew backwards as metal tore through its eye and skull spraying the wall behind with shards of twisted shrapnel. The creature roared and winked out of existence as Jason turned.

Caspian lowered his gun.

"I had it you know," Jason grunted.

"Of course," Caspian said, amusement in his eyes.

The Telmarine glanced at the three prone forms on the ground and raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He looked back at Jason.

"The Great Darkness has been here."

"I know," Jason muttered, "Where's Inara?"

"We were separated," Caspian said quickly, "Eustace?"

"Haven't seen him."

Caspian sighed and glanced down the way he'd walked.

"We have to keep searching then," the king sighed.

"Might be tricky with guards and Ill-Winds running around," Jason noted.

Caspian turned back to him and grinned.

"Don't worry," he smirked, "The guards have something else to deal with."

AAAAAA

"What do you mean some of the inmates are free?" Keller said icily.

The guards before him trembled.

"I… one of the intruders must've done it…" he coughed and stumbled over his words.

Keller snarled, furious.

"Don't worry boss," one of the guards before him said confidently, "We'll hunt them down and slaughter them."

"BANG!"

The guard fell, a bullet hole in his chest as his comrades let out cries of shock. Keller calmly lowered his gun.

"You will gather those inmates up and put them back into their cells," Keller said coolly, "You must not harm them because they're needed for the ritual. Got it?"

His men stared at him, pale and stunned.

"GOT IT?!" Keller barked.

"Yes!" the guards managed to choke out.

They instantly whirled and fled from the man's black-eyed sight as Keller turned back to the room.

"Not going too well is it?" Inara noted.

She was bound to the wall, her arms and legs shackled and chained to iron loops. Arrayed around the room were two more prisoners held in mirror positions. Two of them were inmates of the asylum, slumped against their chains, gripped helplessly in drugged sleep.

"Shut up!" Keller barked.

A mysterious symbol had been drawn on the floor of the room, three concentric black circles, arcane symbols bound within the three rings. Set at regular intervals was small bronze pots, smoking and bubbling with strange liquids that seemed to burn with their own internal light. Keller knelt before one of the pots and reverently dipped his hand into the foul ooze. His palms came out blood red.

He walked to one of the prisoner, an old woman and slowly pressed his stained hands against her cheeks, muttering under his breath. He pulled away as the woman remained locked within her sleep, now marked with two hand-shaped prints on either cheek. Keller smiled in satisfaction and did the same to the other prisoner, a young boy.

Inara glared at him as Keller stopped in front of her. She was trembling and sweat-streaked, terrified but still defiant.

"I warn you," Inara spat, "I only use organics on my skin."

Keller ignored her and pressed his hand against her cheek. She yelped as heat seared her face, burning deep as tears pricked her eyes. He pulled his hand away and Inara was left gasping. Cruelly he allowed her to catch her breath before repeating the move on her other side.

He pressed down deep, pain stabbing into her face as Inara jerked against her bonds, biting her lips to quench her screams. Keller stepped back, studying her carefully.

"You look lovely," he whispered, lust and hate dancing in his eyes.

"Remind me when I'm out of these chains to inflict pain on you," Inara gasped as her cheeks throbbed.

Keller cocked his head to the side, a curious look on his face.

"Who are you?" he whispered, "Why did you break into here? What for?"

He stopped, his head cocking to the side as though he was listening to something and his eyes widened.

"Of course! That mangy lion! You're one of his precious champions!" Keller laughed, a dark thread of insanity wounding its way through his voice, "Are your companions here as well?"

"Yeah, because I'm really going to answer that!" Inara managed to spit out.

Keller casually pressed his still red-stained hands against her arm and Inara screamed as welts appeared on her skin, pain ripping through her.

"Quiet," Keller hissed.

He turned away from her and raised his hands, chanting. Inara watched with horrified eyes as a sphere of whirling black wind was conjured before him. Eyes, round and red, glared out from the twisting winds as Keller smiled.

"The Champions. Find them all and kill them," he commanded.

The eyes all blinked as one and the ball dissipated, wisps of black smoke streaming through the open doorway as Keller turned back to Inara.

"Now… where were we?"

"What have you done?!" Inara demanded desperately, "What was that?"

"A gift to your friends. Now let me say this…" Keller licked his lips, "As powerful as your pathetic cat is… it is no match for the power that runs through me and the might of mein Fuhrer."

"Fuhrer?" Inara stared at him, slack-jawed, realisation dawning in her eyes as fear coursed through her, "Nazis!"

Keller's grin was pure malice and burning fanaticism.

"What? Why?" Inara gasped out, "What the hell are you doing?"

Keller looked at her and a dreamy look came over his face.

"We were lost. Scattered to the four winds, our great empire broken. Just when I thought I was losing hope mein Fuhrer came to me in a dream and told me what I had to do to restore the might of the Aryan race," Keller smiled in utter ecstasy, "Can you imagine the fire that lit in me? By my hands, this world will be cleansed and the proper order will be restored! This night I will save the world!"

Inara felt ice creep under her skin as she heard the conviction in his voice. This was a man willing to die for his beliefs, willing to kill and maim and do every monstrosity imaginable and have no regrets because he believed he was right, he believed he was saving the world. This man was the most dangerous monster of all, a fanatic guided by wrong good intentions.

"Now," Keller smirked at her, "Let us cleanse you for the ritual."

He pressed his hand against her thigh and Inara screamed as Keller's eyes glittered with dark humour.

AAAAAA

Susan stumbled out of Viola's tent and a dark form instantly collided with her. The queen staggered and almost fell as claws dug into her thighs.

"Idiot!" the form hissed at her, "Why did you run away like that?"

Susan blinked down at him.

"Zaru?!" she gasped, "How the hell did you get here?"

Zaru sniffed, still unhappy with her.

"It wasn't easy but humans are so blind and stupid I managed it," he said haughtily.

Susan laughed and threw her arms around him, joy in her laughter. Zaru blinked in surprise as Susan pulled away. The leopard looked carefully into her eyes and he was puzzled at what he saw there. Before, when she had learnt the truth about Caspian her eyes had been bleak, her spirit crushed but now for some enigmatic reason there was a now fire, a delicate spark of hope.

"Your majesty?" Zaru asked curiously, "Are you –"

"Fine. Better than fine," Susan looked back at Viola's tent and shuddered, "Come on, let's go ba –"

She stopped and looked all around her, looked at the fair and the light and heard the infectious strains of laughter that plucked at her own heart. Susan smiled, feeling elated and almost ephemerally light. She knew when she saw Caspian again, saw the coldness that now drove a rift between them her heart would ache and despair would once against besiege her. But for now she had something, something to hold her together and ward off the darkness. She clutched Viola's words to her though it was a talisman, a transcendent symbol of hope, a reason to dream and believe.

'When all three gifts are bestowed and you become thrice-blessed, a making that will shake the very foundations of reality itself, the curse that holds your lover will break. And you will have him back once more.'

Susan's grin widened.

"Let's stay out here," she suggested instead, "Everyone will just think we're part of the fair. Come on."

Zaru watched her suspiciously but Susan laughed again and the clear joy in her voice relaxed him. The leopard nodded eagerly and queen and subject quickly lost themselves into the sight and sounds of the fairgrounds.

AAAAAA

Guards and inmates clashed with deadly consequences. The guards were all black-eyed and furious, their blows crushing bones and cracking teeth as the inmates howled and threw themselves at their enemies, overwhelming them with sheer brutality and numbers.

"Thousand-eyes!" one man screamed as four inmates pinned one guard down as he screamed and writhed in their iron-hard grip, "Thousand-eyes! Watching! Always watching!"

The guard let out a piercing scream as the man jammed his fingers into his completely black eyes.

An inmate fell to the ground, blood dribbling from her mouth as a guard roared with fury and kicked her in the gut over and over again.

The guards whirled as a second wave of inmates streamed down the hallway, barking and howling as they threw themselves at the guards.

"GET THEM!!!" one of the guards roared.

One of the inmates charged at him, screaming and howling and the guard kicked him squarely in the chest. The screaming man simply crumpled to the ground as the guards waded into the new inmates, the fight growing fiercer and bloodier with each passing second.

Jason and Caspian swept into the fray, their faces cool masks of determination as they punched and kicked their way through the madness.

A guard stomped into their path, black eyes blazing with hatred and Jason leapt at him. The Seeker spun away as the guard lashed out, the iron-hard fist missing the man by inches. The guard stumbled and Jason sent him crashing to the ground with a roundhouse kick.

Caspian winced as a guard screamed, dragged beneath a surging wave of inmates.

"Branded!" an old decrepit woman was huddled in the corner, rocking to and fro, "Branded!!"

She pulled back the sleeves of her gown and began scratching furiously at something on her arm. A guard bellowed and charged at her but Caspian slammed into him, knocking him to the ground.

The guard looked up, roaring in fury but the king pistol-whipped him across the face, knocking him out.

"Branded!!" the old woman screamed at him.

Caspian recoiled as the woman thrust her reddened arm into his face. There was a scar on her arm, white and puckered, angry looking despite its age. Caspian blinked as he realised someone had carved a symbol into her arm. It was a strange design a stylised eye with a second smaller eye drawn inside the iris. The woman screeched and scratched at it, nails digging into skin as she tried to dare the eye-in-an-eye symbol away.

"Branded…" she hissed, "Lambs to the slaughter… branded!"

"PRETTY BOY!!" Jason bellowed.  
Caspian whirled only to be punched in the face. The king staggered sideways, blood flooding his mouth as his brain bounced painfully inside his skull. The guard smirked and lunged forwards, arm cocked back for a second blow.

"SHINK!"

The guard flopped wetly to the ground, a dagger's hilt protruding out of his back as Caspian clutched at the wall, regaining his senses. Jason grunted as he yanked the dagger free.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Jason growled, "We're in a war here! Look at the pretty ladies later!"

"I wasn't…" Caspian began exasperated.

He shook his head and instantly regretted the move as nausea hit him.

"Never mind," he muttered.

"Come on," Jason barked.

Caspian watched the battle around him as though from a great distance as Jason dragged him through the bloody melee. The Telmarine grimaced, a sour taste in his mouth as he saw the bodies littering the ground. Releasing the inmates had been his idea and all of this madness, all of this damage and death… it was his fault. He felt nothing for the guards because they had sold their souls to darkness but the inmates… Part of him felt sick at this thought but the Telmarine side of him only noted the necessity and that was enough. It always did at times like these. Every time he was faced with depravity or bloodshed wrought by his hands the Telmarine in him always came to the fore, ice-cold logic shielding him from the need to feel.

"Which way?" Jason muttered, barrelling his way through a wall of inmates.

Still slightly dazed, Caspian managed to raise his gun and fire. The gunshot boomed through the screams and cries and a guard went down, blood streaming down his leg. Caspian fought his way to him and coolly placed the barrel against his head.

"Where's Keller?" the king demanded, "Where's your leader?"

The guard's black eyes bulged.

"I…"

Caspian twisted the barrel reminding him of the consequences of lying.

"Where's Keller?" Caspian repeated slowly, a promise of death in each syllable.

"The chamber!" the guard cried out, "The chamber! It's down the hall to the left! Please! I beg you! Don't –"

Caspian punched him and the guard crumpled. He turned to Jason who watched him with narrowed eyes.

"Bleeding heart," the Seeker snorted, "You should've shot him. He'll just get back up later."

"Barbarian," Caspian retorted.

The king checked his gun, slamming a fresh clip of bullets into the weapon. He turned to Jason.

"You heard the man. To the chamber!"

AAAAAA

"You should get some rest you know," Elias said without looking up.

Polly turned away from the window and a smile curved her lips as she saw the scientist bent over a book, studying it meticulously. How many times had she found Diggory like this in exactly the same position? She glanced at the clock and sighed as she realised it was nearing midnight.

"I can't sleep," she said, "No without knowing how it went."

"They'll sort it out," Elias said serenely, knowing that Inara and Jason could handle anything between them "They are more than equipped to deal with whatever situation arises."

"What about Susan?" Polly demanded.

Elias stopped. His heart broke for the queen but he had faith in her. He had seen Susan stand strong and unbroken in the darkest of times, unflinching as she faced death and monsters and treachery. The curse on Caspian was no doubt a dagger in her heart but Elias knew with a father's intuition that Susan would get through it, unbroken and stronger than ever.

"She'll be fine," Elias said with absolute conviction, "And Zaru's with her. They'll look at each other."

"Easy for you to say," Polly muttered under her breath.

There was silence in the room as Elias pored over the book. Suddenly he snorted.

"Antiquated ideas," he muttered, "Seriously it's like you people just emerged from the caves."

Polly rolled her eyes and turned back to the window, her breath misting up the glass as her failing eyes peered into the darkness trying to spot Diggory's car coming back.

"Where are you, you old fool?" Polly muttered, jittery despite Elias's words.

She blinked as she saw something sweeping down the street.

"Elias."

Her voice was barely above a whisper. Elias didn't hear her as he continued to mutter himself, writing corrections into the margins of the no doubt valuable book.

"Elias," her voice was louder.

The scientist finally looked up.

"What is it?" he asked curiously.

"There's a ghost coming down the street," Polly said faintly.

Elias's eyes widened.

"PETER!!" he screamed.

He snatched up his metal crossbow and the small bag beside it as he leapt to his feet. He ran to the window and grabbed Polly, dragging her away as he stared out into the night. A single ruby orb burnt in the darkness as the Ill-Wind shrieked loudly, claws outstretched, cloak fluttering wildly behind it as it flew down the street.

"PETER!!!" Elias roared.

The scientist smashed the window with his crossbow ignoring Polly's cry of protest as he jammed a fire orb into the crossbow's holder.

"PETER!!!" Elias yelled again.

He swore as there was no reply.

"Get up there!" Elias commanded, "Go with Peter. That stupid lad should protect you!"

"But…"

"GO!"

Polly picked up her skirts and ran up the stairs as Elias took aimed and fired. The orb zipped through the air and slammed into the Ill-Wind, detonating and spraying it with white-hot flames. The elemental screamed and flung out its arms, a wild gust sweeping the flames away before it recovered and charged on.

Grimly Elias slotted in another fire orb and fired again. The Ill-Wind swept to the side, the fire orb hitting the street and exploding as sweat rolled down Elias's face.

He reached into his bag and pulled out a third orb, studying it carefully before placing it into the crossbow.

"Hope my research pays off," Elias prayed as he fired again.

The Ill-Wind howled and slashed at the orb in midair. The small metal ball exploded but instead of unleashing flames thousands of shards of tiny metal flew out, flying out in all directions. The Ill-Wind shrieked as the metal sprayed its face tearing its eye to pieces. It screamed and bucked clutching at its eye before it shrivelled up and vanished from existence.

Elias lowered his crossbow with a sigh, wiping the sweat from his face with a shaking hand.

He turned away from the window.

"Polly, you can – "

"ROOOWRRR!!!"  
Elias whirled as the door was blasted off its hinge. A wild storm swept into the room as two Ill-Winds appeared, shrieking and howling. Elias raised his crossbow only to a have a stream of powerful wind hit him in the chest sending him sprawling across the room.

Shrieking the Ill-Winds fell on him, claws outstretched.

AAAAAA

"BANG! BANG!"

The crowds cheered and sighed in admiration as the fireworks lit up the sky, the pyrokinetic spraying rainbow hues against the velvet night. On a grass knoll slightly away from the crowd Susan sat, Zaru resting against her knees as they both stared up into the fireworks in companionable silence.

"Pretty," Zaru noted.

"Poet with words huh?" Susan teased as emerald and ruby fell from the sky in sparkling twirls.

Zaru turned and licked her across the face as Susan grimaced. The leopard barked with laughter as Susan glared at him.

"There will be revenge for this!" she warned, scrubbing at her slimy cheeks.

"I'll sleep with one eye open," Zaru smirked.

Susan laughed but a sombre cloud suddenly fell over her, the queen looking at Zaru curiously.

"Zaru?" the question rose to her lips, the queen considering it for the first time, "Why do you do this? Why do you risk everything in protecting me?"

Zaru looked at her carefully, his eyes serious.

"Because..." the leopard smiled crookedly, "You saved me."  
Susan stared at him, startled.

"What? How? When?" she babbled as Zaru smiled sadly.

Suddenly he looked to the side, ears twitching. The leopard's eyes widened, ears pinned back as low growl percolated in his throat.

"Zaru?" Susan asked urgently.

"Your majesty…" Zaru said very slowly, "Run."

"ROOOOOOWWRRR!!!"

The crowds below them screamed and a veritable stampede broke out as they fled from something still unseen. Susan leapt to her feet, crying out as she spotted three familiar darkly hooded figures sweeping through the crowd. Her jaws dropped and vomit rose to her throat as she saw one man snatched up by an Ill-Wind and jammed unceremoniously into the huge gaping mouth in its chest. The strange whipping appendages around its jaws gripped the man as he screamed and struggled. The teeth crunched together and…

Susan looked away, swallowing heavily to stop herself from throwing up.

"Do you have a weapon?" Zaru growled.

"No.." Susan said numbly.

"I was afraid of that," Zaru sighed.

He turned to his queen, eyes blazing.  
"RUN!!! I'll handle them!"

"But…"  
"RUN!!!"  
"ZARU!!!" Susan screamed, fear for her beloved guardian in her voice as the leopard bounded down the knoll and into the crowd, "ZARU!!!"  
"RUN!!!" the leopard screamed over his shoulder, fearless as he leapt into battle.

Weapon-less and helpless, Susan did the only thing she could. She whirled and ran for her life as the shrieks of the Ill-Winds mingled with the screams of the crowds and the mighty bellowing roar of a furious leopard protecting the woman he loved.

AAAAAA

Fiery pain and icy numbness coursed through her body in alternating beats as Inara glared at her captor. Keller merely chuckled at the promise of vengeance in her eyes.

"I will…" she began, ignoring the burning welts on her face, legs and arms.

"Bit hard to dearie," Keller said in a lover's whisper, "Because you'll be dead in…"

The Nazi made a big production of looking at his pocket watch.

"In about three minutes," he finished nastily.

The leader of the guards turned. Six of his men, all Nazis, stood at the doorway of the chamber, guarding it.

"Let no one disturb us," Keller commanded.

The guards all nodded, eyes black, faces set into grim masks.

"If all goes well, we shall dine tomorrow night in palaces of marble and upon thrones of gold!" Keller said grandly.

Inara looked, blood oozing from the corner of her mouth, her bodies covered in angry red welts but the hatred and the fire in her eyes told the world she was far from broken.

"You know the whole villain routine generally works better without the melodramatic gloating," Inara pointed out helpfully, grimacing with each word, "It actually reduces the probability of your victims quivering in their boots."

"If you keep talking I will gouge your eyes out," Keller said casually, turning away from her.

He snapped his fingers imperiously at one of the guards, barking out a few words in German. The man instantly darted forwards, a slim wooden case clutched in his shaking hands. Keller flipped it open and reverently took out the dagger within. It was a crude weapon, carved from stone, dark and brutal, its edges chipped and jagged but still as deadly as steel.

"Let the ceremony begin," Keller kissed the knife, "Let us tear the walls of the world!"

The six Nazis watched silently as Keller walked to the woman chained to the wall, Inara's eyes darting to the doorway as she prayed for Jason and Caspian to come to he rescue. Keller knelt beside one of the bronze pots on the ground and slowly dipped the dagger into the blood-red fluid, intoning a chant below his breath as he straightened.

The words though foreign to Inara, she knew instinctively with the basest of instincts that they were obscene and an affront to all that was pure and right. They seemed to hang in the air, heavy and oppressive, making Inara's skin crawl as terror gripped her heart. She watched, helpless, as Keller stopped in front of the woman.

She was slowly coming out of her drugged sleep, groaning lightly as she twitched in her chains.

"The eye within the eye shall be sated and you will be the first," Keller said, finality and triumph in his voice.

Inara's eyes widened.

"NO!!!" she screamed, throwing her against her chains.

With insanity in his eyes Keller stabbed forwards. The woman's eyes bulged and she gasped in pain as the dagger slid between her ribs and into her heart. She stared into Keller's black eyes, stunned, disbelieving as the Nazi twisted the knife.

"Wha…"

Blood dribbled from her mouth. Keller ripped the dagger free.

"STOP!!!" Inara's cries wrenched itself from her throat, flying towards the woman trying to save her but Keller ignored her scream.

He swiped the dagger across the woman's throat and she was dead, eyes wide open as a blood frothy bubbled out from the obscene gash across her throat. Keller turned and still chanting, flicked some of the blood to the ground.

The symbols instantly blazed with a sickly green light as the crystals flared, pulsing with life as the bronze pots shook in their stands. The red liquid within began to boil and froth, spilling out of the pots and across the floor as thunder cracked outside.

"The first has been received!" Keller thrust the knife into the air, "Let the second be given."

He walked over to the second prisoner, the boy.

"YOU…" Inara kicked and cursed but there was nothing she could do to stop Keller from raising his bloodstained hands and knife once more, "STOP!!! STOP!!!"

"BANG!"

One of the guards dropped, a bullet hole in his head as two very familiar forms slammed into the pack of the guards.

Silver flashed and a second guard went down, clutching at his gut as blood gushed from between his fingers.

"COWBOY! SHAGGY!" Inara almost wept with relief.

She suddenly frowned.

"What took you so long!?!" she demanded.

"KILL THEM!!!" Keller roared as he whirled back to the boy and raised his daggers, "The eye within the eye shall be sated and you will be the sec…"  
"BANG!"

Keller screamed as the dagger fell from his twitching hands. The Nazi staggered scrabbling at the bullet wound in his shoulder as Caspian wrestled with a possessed guard that threw himself at the king.

Jason and Caspian drove the guards back with the sheer ferocity of their attack as Keller climbed unsteadily onto his feet.

"Uhh… Cowboy?" Inara called out as Keller's hate-filled eyes turned to her, "Shaggy? HELP!!"

"You!" Keller scooped up the stone knife with his good hand and roaring, he charged at her.

AAAAAA

"ELIAS!!"

The scientist stirred in the wreckage of the dining table as the Ill-Winds howled. Polly screamed as one of the demons jammed its hand at her, a powerful blast of wind ripping the wall apart as she ducked hurriedly on the stairs.

"ELIAS!!!" the old woman screamed down at the professor as he blinked blearily and slowly began to heave himself up.

The Ill-Winds screeched and instantly charged at the man as Polly screamed frantically at him.

"ELIAS!!!"

A form blurred past her and leapt down the last few stairs, landing squarely in front of the Ill-Winds. The elementals stopped, surprised as Peter glared up at them.

Pale faced, hair in utter disarray, the High King looked like he was moments from collapsing to the ground but the fierce look in his eyes said otherwise. In one hand he clutched the slender wooden shaft of one of Susan's arrows.

"I seriously suggest you turn around and leave," Peter said in a cold deadly voice.

The Ill-Winds seemed to consider him, hovering in the air. Malice glittered in their eyes and the mouths on their hands and chest instantly began snapping hungrily at him.

"PETER!?! Are you crazy?!" Polly roared.

Peter was defiant and unwavering, his knuckles white on the arrow shaft.

"Ms. Plummer," he said, his voice completely steady, "Stand back."

The Ill-Winds howled and charged at him. Peter grunted as one of them slammed into him, smashing him into the wall. Ribs cracked and agony ripped through him but clutching the arrow in his wildly convulsing hands Peter stabbed forwards.

The Ill-Wind shrieked as the arrow stabbed through its eye. Peter was immediately dumped to the ground as the Ill-Wind let out one last terrifying cry before winking out of existence.

Peter screamed, his scarred and cursed arms convulsing again as the second Ill-Wind lunged at him, screaming. Peter looked up, blood draining from his face as death flew at him in a rush of black and claws.

"PETER!" Elias roared, lurching to his feet but he was too far away.

"SMACK!"

The Ill-Wind recoiled screeching as a boot slammed into its face knocking it back. Taking advantage of its distraction Elias snatched his crossbow from the ground and fired. The Ill-Wind died, burning and screaming as the scientist whirled on Peter. The High King stared at him, his eyes dull.

"I... I couldn't do it," he whispered numbed, "I couldn't destroy all of them."  
"You did fine," Elias said gently, "You managed to save us."

"I..." the High King smiled bitterly, "I failed."

The scientist shook his head, annoyance rising.

"Stop it!" he said severely, "Look at you! You're injured, cursed and yet you still manage to fight! You still managed to save people! Yes, you can't do all you did before but look! Look at you! You're still a hero, you're still our hero... Peter, you're not useless."

Peter looked at him and slowly a smile crept across his face.

"I... I saved you..."

"PETER!"  
Polly, one foot bare was instantly by the boy's side as he slumped, out cold as Elias looked down at Peter, a small hopeful smile on his face.

AAAAAA

The familiar shriek raised the hair on the back on her neck as Susan ran.

"Idiot," she berated herself, "Leaving without a weapon? Do you want to get yourself killed?!"

She turned into an empty alleyway trying to lead the Ill-Wind away from the crowded streets. She tossed a look over her shoulders and gulped as single glowing red orb pursued her through the darkness. Susan turned and ignoring the burning in her legs and lungs, she put on a spurt of speed whipping around the corner.

The demon's howls faded away as she took a dizzying number of turns, darting from one dark alley to another. The queen slowed to a job as she threw nervous looks over her shoulder. She bit her lip wondering where Zaru was as she began looking around, trying to re-orientate herself.

She passed a small wooden fence and kept going, straining her eyes through the darkness as she tried to pick out where she was.

"I'm lost," she suddenly realised, "Oh great! A creature of darkness after me and I'm lost!! Fantastic!"

She turned back around, torn, wondering if she should retrace her steps when –

"ROOOWRR!!!"

The wooden fence was torn to splinters as the Ill-Wind burst through it, shrieking and howling. Susan cried out, back-pedalling hurriedly as the Ill-Wind whipped towards her.

The queen turned to run but tripped over her own feet, tumbling to the ground as the demon swooped towards her, claws outstretched.

"SUSAN!!" a voice echoed down the alleyway.

Susan looked up, a shadowy form running towards her as the Ill-Wind whirled.

"BANG!"

Gunfire blazed through the darkness as the demon shrieked, the bullet slamming into its chest. It raised its arms and a gale swept down the alleyway almost sending the stranger flying. A second shot rang out and the Ill-Wind shrieked in pain, the bullet tearing through one hand.

"The eye!" Susan barked, "Go for the eye!"  
"BANG!"

The Ill-Wind's head snapped back and it gave one last piercing cry before disappearing.

"SUSAN!!"

A tall form dropped beside her as Susan groaned trying to get up.

"Susan… are you alright? What was that thing?"

Susan turned to look at her rescuer and instantly blanched. Daniel Pevensie stared at her, blue eyes wild, his craggy face twisted into a look of utter disbelief. Susan managed a very weak smile.

"Hey dad."

AAAAAA

"GUYS!!!" Inara screamed frantically as Keller charged at her, "GUYS!!!"

"GET AWAY FROM HER!!"

A heavy body slammed into Keller sending skittling across the red-drenched floor. Jason whirled and stabbed a guard as he charged towards the Seeker.

"Bout damn time," Inara muttered.

"Do you want to be left behind?" Jason shot back, flicking the blood from his dagger.

Inara snorted.

"As if you would. You love me too much."

Caspian appeared by his side as the Seeker closed his eyes, sucking in a deep breath and waving his hands around. White light blazed and Inara let out cry of relief as the shackles opened dumping her to the ground. She grimaced as the red fluid spilt across the floor instantly soaked through her clothes. To her right the boy was also released. Caspian quickly dragged him to them before turning to Inara.

"Are you okay?" Caspian asked gently helping her up.

He hissed as he noticed the welts along over her body. A flinty look came over his face as Caspian looked into Inara's eyes.

"Did he…" his words trailed off into a lethal whisper.

Inara blinked.

"Whoa! No! He didn't go that far. He just hurt me," Inara grimaced as her wounds throbbed with pain.

Caspian cursed and whirled around, gun raised. Keller was back on his feet. The king pulled the trigger but the gun clicked empty. Caspian scowled and tossed the gun aside.

Jason was staggering to the side trying to push the crazed thoughts of the inmates out of his head as Keller's eyes took in the scene around him.

"No! The ritual – "

The Nazi stopped, a look of cool purpose entering his eyes.

"Well then," Keller looked at them all, blank-faced, "I guess my reward must come in the afterlife."

"What…" Caspian began, stepping forwards.

Keller lunged and grabbed one of his downed guards from the ground. The black-eyed man was barely conscious, an ugly bruise splayed across his face, his gaze unfocused. Quickly Keller slapped his hand across the man's cheek, the red fluid staining his fingers burning into the guard's flesh as the possessed man whimpered and writhed weakly in Keller's cruel grip.

"The eye within the eye shall be sated and you will be the second," Keller crowed.

"NO!" Inara cried.

She and Caspian surged forwards but Keller gestured at them. An invisible force instantly hit them, sending them crashing into the wall. Helpless they watched as the insane black-eyed Nazi stabbed his own guard in the chest, tearing into his heart as the green light around the symbols flared blinding Jason, Inara and Caspian.

"The second has been received!" Keller screamed, his voice soaring over the crashing of thunder outside, "Let the third be received!"

All of his guards were dead but Keller would not be stopped.

"The eye within the eye shall be sated and you will be the third!"

He pressed his own hands against his cheeks, branding himself.

"The third has been received!" the man screamed.

Jason, Caspian and Inara all leapt forwards but Keller had already stabbed himself in the heart. A look of utter bliss came over his face as he fell to his knees, blood spurting from the ghastly wound in his chest.

"You fool!" Caspian yelled, "Why would you do that? WHY?!"

"Because mein Fuhrer will welcome me with a grand feast in his hallowed halls," Keller spat out, eyes dimming. He spoke again, completing the ritual, "Let the tears in the world be opened and the one true race triumph."

The man fell forwards as light built over the symbols, throbbing like a heart beat. For a second they all stood there, staring at disbelief in a man still horribly corrupted by his own beliefs.

"I think…" Inara licked her dry lips, "We should get out of here."

Caspian scooped up the unconscious boy in his arms and they ran from the room as the crystals and bronze pots exploded, power surging out of them and entering the arcane runes on the ground. The light flared again, spilling out into the doorway and creeping along the walls and floors, similar symbols lighting up on the bland walls.

"GO!" Jason roared, "GO!"

They burst through the doorway and into the battle that still raged between inmates and guards. They were only mere steps before the light as it seeped into the room. It touched the first batch of inmates and they immediately screamed, falling to the grounds and clawing at their arms.

The green light swept forwards touching the old woman Caspian had seen before. Her eyes bulged.

"Branded! No!!! Slaughter!! Sacrifice!"

The strange eye in an eye symbol carved in her arm suddenly flared with the same sickly green light all around her and she let out a piercing scream, a death cry echoed by all the inmates around her.

The guards stepped backwards, confused and afraid as the symbols continued to burn with light.

"NO!!" the woman screamed.

She was suddenly ablaze, wreathed in white-hot flames that instantly swallowed her up. The rest of the inmates went up like candles, melting to the ground as fire burst from their glowing symbols and devoured them whole.

The stench of burning flesh slithered into Inara's nose and she gagged violently, retching as she ran, people screaming and burning and dying behind her.

Caspian's face was set into a grim mask as they fled, the green light overtaking the last few inmates and they too fell as their symbols glowed then burned, bodies quickly becoming living pyres.

Jason swept his hands around and the front door of the asylum burst open as all four of them rushed into the cool night, smoke and burning flesh pursuing them into the night's sweet dewy air.

They turned as green light reached the open doorway and stopped as though it had hit a barrier.

"My god…" Inara whispered, her eyes wide at the horrors she just witness, "All of them… just…"

"CRACK!"

The walls crumpled, pulled-inwards by an incredible irresistible force as green light and white flames blazed in every window and door. The roof buckled unsteadily as chunks of concrete was pulled into the centre of burning light.

In a split second the whole asylum was gone, collapsed into a heart of utter light that throbbed with unnatural life. The sphere of energy flickered unsteadily, metal and stone sucked into its blazing surface and ripped apart into nothing as the three of them with the unconscious boy in Caspian's arms back-stepped hurriedly, their eyes drawn to the magic before them.

"What the hell is that th–"

The rest of Jason's words were lost as the whole world roared. The sphere exploded, the ground beneath it cracking, shockwaves radiating out from the epicentre and rippling out in all directions as the earth heaved and shook, trees bending then breaking as all of them were hurled off their feet, into the air, against walls and to the ground in a second of utter chaos.

Thunder boomed, lightning seared as the earthquake ripped through London, surging beneath the earth as roads cracked, buildings collapsed and debris rained from the sky.

It took a full five minutes for the quake to die and when the earth let out a final rumble then stilled the asylum and the ground it once stood upon was simply gone. All that was left was a smoking crater, pinpoints of light showing where metal had melted into slag, where sand had fused into glass. A heavy silence fell over the devastation.

A car screeched to a halt in front of them.

"What happened?" Professor Kirk burst from the driver's door, wild with panic, "What was that?! What happened?!"  
Jason pulled himself to his feet, his ears popping, his vision spinning wildly.

"I…" he coughed violently expelling dust from his lungs, "I think we have a bit of a problem."

Professor Kirk stared at them in pure disbelief.

"Are you… are you hurt?" he demanded, eyes falling over all of them.

He blinked as he saw the unconscious boy in Caspian's arms.

"My god! You did it!" he gasped.

"What?!" Inara spluttered.

"Him!" Kirk pointed at the boy, "You rescued Eustace!"

Three pairs of shocked eyes stared back at him.

AAAAAA

Daniel stared at her, white-faced and trembling.

"What…" the words died in his throat, "How…"

Susan shifted uncomfortably under his intense gaze and for all her experiences and confidence she suddenly felt like a mere child. The two of them were sitting in a small restaurant, cups of strong milky tea before them. The owners hurried around in the background, sweeping the debris from the ground as they tried frantically to repair the damages from the earthquake hours before.

Avoiding her father's gaze, Susan took another sip of the too-sweet tea willing stillness into her.

"Are you… is this some kind of joke?" Daniel demanded.

The look that Susan gave him was calm and level and that convinced him more than words ever could. He saw wisdom and assurance in those wide blue eyes, eyes that he had stared into when she was still a mewling babe. But now those innocent blues were old and a part of Daniel wanted to weep seeing such suffering and tragedy in his daughter's eyes.

"No… you're… you're sick or something. You must be confused," he blustered.

He was like a drowning man clutching at anything that would help him in the maelstrom that had just swept through his world. He clung to the stubbornness that had served him so well in the war.

"I refuse to believe this," he thundered, voice strong, "It can't be true."

Susan let out a long breath. She felt alien and detached, so confused at what she was meant to do that she took refuge in cold, un-hurtful logic.

"Okay," she said softly, "I'll prove it to you."

She stood up and her father stared at her, still sickly pale.

"There's someone I would like you to see," Susan continued as she made the door.

Daniel stared after her for a few shocked seconds before leaping to his feet and hurrying after his eldest daughter.

AAAAAA

"So this earthquake was created?" Elias demanded, "Impossible!"

"After all the things we've seen you think this is impossible?" Inara raised an eyebrow.

She looked terrible, salves and creams slathered across her many wounds, her limbs heavily bandaged but her tone was the same as always, cuttingly dry. But she was trembling violently, keeping her hands carefully tucked in the crook of her arms to hide it.

"How?" Elias cried.

"How else?" Jason muttered.

"The darkness," Elias realised.

"Oh yeah, it's found a sandpit here and it's playing," Inara's voice was light but inside she was quavering.

The chaos and death of Persephone still haunted her dreams, the shrieks of the dead and dying and the triumphant howls of the demons that had run rampant… that was the lullaby that greeted her every time she closed her eyes. Siobhan… the Dryads… it was all there locked inside her head and springing open every time she slept, their poisons tainting her dreams.

"What for?" Professor Kirk wondered aloud, "Why?"

"It was a spell," Caspian said grimly.

"To open the tears in the world," Inara repeated, shuddering as she remembered Keller's crazed words.

Spikes of pain stabbed her wounds as memories of the Nazi flittered through her mind and the smile on his face as he tortured her… Inara bit her lip, her teeth coming away bloody.

"And it was done by Nazis," Inara finished bleakly.

Professor Kirk sucked in a shocked breath, his eyes bulging as the scientist beside him frowned.

"Tears in the world? Is that what he said? Word for word?" Elias blanched.

Caspian nodded and opened his mouth.

"Hey! Aren't we forgetting something?!" Zaru spat.

The leopard was looking battered, his sides bandaged from his fight with the Ill-Winds.

"Her majesty is still out there! We need to find her now!" Zaru growled, his eyes burning, "I'm sorry it disrupts your little important plans but Susan is more important in case you've all forgotten! "

The Seeker glared at him, flaring at the implications in the cat's words. Inara and Elias winced, waiting for the explosion. They both knew Jason's loyalty and devotion to the queen, like Zaru the Seeker would die for her. But Jason was also practical and he knew what the queen would want them to do.

"I know that!" Jason snarled "But we have – "

"What happened to the door?" a very familiar voice called out.

Zaru shot up, eyes blazing.

"Your majesty!!" the leopard whipped around the corner as the others heaved themselves up to their feet.

Susan swept into the room, Zaru practically bouncing by her side as the queen frowned.

"What happened?" she demanded seeing Inara, Jason and Caspian.

The king looked away, his face blank. Susan's heart clenched but Viola's words and the hope they brought drove the despair away. Carefully she hid it all behind her duties as their leader.

"What happened?"

"You know. The same," Jason grunted, "Darkness. Death. Big evil spell."

"Spell?" Susan's eyes widened, "For what?"

"We're working on that," Elias said quickly.

"What happened to you?" Inara demanded.

"I was waylaid," Susan said evasively.

There was a clatter at the stairs as Polly walked down, supporting a very pale Peter on her shoulders. She had gone up to put Eustace to bed, furious at the sight of how emaciated the boy had been.

"Peter!" Susan gasped up at him, "What happ – "

Peter smiled wearily at her and Susan's lips curled as she saw the defiant fire in his grin. She didn't why and how but some of the old Peter was back.

"Ill-Winds," he croaked, "Killed them both."

"And almost killed himself doing it," Polly fussed, "Idiot."

Susan stopped, raising a hand for silence as everyone looked at her, surprised. She cleared her throat nervously.

"Well, now that we're all here… there's someone I would like you to meet…"

Nervously she gestured at the door and a tall form emerged from the morning light. Peter's eyes widened.

"Dad!"

Everyone else gaped at the very uncomfortable and suspicious man.

"And this was who I wanted you to meet," Susan said carefully avoiding everyone's eyes, "Zaru?"

The leopard blinked staring at his queen in complete confusion.

"Say something," Susan commanded.

"Uhh… hi?"

And Daniel promptly fainted dead away.

AAAAAA

Susan looked at Zaru.

"Are you sure?"

The leopard nodded and Susan cursed under her breath, nodding before stepping into the room.

"It doesn't look good," Elias said seeing her.

"What was that spell for?" Peter demanded, his eyes hardening at the thought of the cursed Nazis waging war once more on England.

Professor Kirk sighed, looking older and more tired than he'd eve been..

"We're not sure but our best guess…" he pointed at a map of England, "From the news reports we picked up the earthquake reached here."

He seemed to be pointing at a random insignificant point.

"What's there?" Susan asked.

She too was pale as the old nightmares of everyone and everything she loved burning to ashes as Germans rained bombs down on London seeped into her thoughts.

"My old estate," Professor Kirk sighed wistfully.

"And that was our clue," Elias explained, "It seemed strange that the earthquake would reach this very specific point and then die out. There must be some reason."  
"There is… the wardrobe," Professor Kirk whispered.

"What?!" Peter and Susan gaped at him.

"From the words that were apparently spoke with the spell… the ritual was designed to open tears in the world. Opening up the walls that exists between the worlds… the walls that keep them separated," Elias frowned, "According to string theory all worlds are separated by a kind of membrane. These are impenetrable, unbreakable, a wall that is almost incom…"

"Point?" Jason cut in aggressively.

Elias sighed, suddenly looking and feeling very old.

"There shouldn't be a way to forcefully open ways between the worlds. Not on this scale," Elias paused, "However what if they were just re-opening up old ways?"

"Wha…" Susan blinked, "The wardrobe!"

Peter's eyes bulged.

"The train station!"

Professor Kirk nodded.

"Yes… that's what we think the spell was for. The Great Darkness is trying to re-open the pathways that Aslan once made between this world and Narnia. And its used the Nazis to make it happen," Kirk pursed his lips, "It doesn't take a genius to work out what they get out of this… or think they're going to get. That means our enemies are fanatical and would die to the very last man for their cause."

"Great, kamikazes," Inara grunted, "This should be fun."

"And the Great Darkness is in Narnia with its armies…" Caspian blanched at the implications.

Elias nodded gravely.

"If the ways are opened all the forces the Great Darkness has summoned to Narnia will spill out into this world."

"And when that happens…" Susan was horrified.

"And this world would be lost," Kirk finished grimly.

AAAAAA

_Author's notes: _First of all I love you all my faithful readers and reviewers – khajit, Emmaplease, , hisanachan, lilbanili, MyLuckyWhistle, Autumnia, JaggerK, Motherofryan, Holly-Batali – and anyone else I missed I'm so, so, so, sorry! I love each and every one of your reviews – so from the bottom of my heart – thank you!!!

Okay, first of all I was terrified after the Caspian-Susan stunt from last chapter everyone would flee but I'm so relieved that the storyline was received so well. I did it because I didn't want to make this fic a Caspian/Susan love-fest. I can't remember who said it (sorry!) but Queenie and Shaggy need to have time apart, to grow as different people. I always found it slightly annoying when in fics Susan spends half the time pining after Caspian so I'm avoiding that scenario like a plague. Yes she's hurting and will continue to hurt but she's stronger than she was – she'll get through it.

Also again I'm glad Viola was also well-received (I think...) she's going to play a semi-major row in the next few arcs so keep an eye out for her!

And some of you quite rightly brought up concerns about Zaru and Elias and their fading roles in this fic. I noticed the same thing but trying to juggle seven main characters is doing my head in a bit... I'm trying to rectify this as soon as possible so bear with me!

Also khajit - don't worry the DVD special thing will have the actors acting like the actors - no weird real person fic/shipping allowed!


	40. Ghosts

New chapter! New chapter – please read author's notes! As before 12 new reviews means new updates!!

Disclaimer: C.S. Lewis created Narnia, I just created the crazy people who hangs around Susan all the time!

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 40: Ghosts**

"So."

Susan turned and blinked as Inara, Jason and Zaru stared down at them from their position on the stairs.

"Do you want us to gut him?" Jason asked casually.

"What?!" Susan spluttered, "Who?"

"The king," Zaru said, his tail flicking angrily.

Susan blinked at them, finally getting what they were saying. Caspian. Susan flinched, hurt and despair clawing at her heart.

"It's not his fault," she said quietly.

"So?" Inara asked flatly, "If you hate him, we'll hate him too. If you want us to hate him for you, we can also do that."

Susan couldn't help but smile. It was ridiculous to feel emotional over their heavy-handed way of protecting her but somehow knowing that these people, her family in all but blood, would always be there to support her and watch her back was an unimaginable comfort.

"I don't hate him," Susan whispered, "I'm just sad."

"If you want we'll figure out a way to get back to Persephone and gut Siobhan," Jason offered.

Susan laughed at the Seeker's bluntness.

"If you want to gut someone it'll be the Darkness," Susan said, eyes flashing, "I'm fine."

They all raised a knowing brow as Susan flushed. It still hurt like hell every time she even looked at Caspian but she wasn't going to breakdown or cry either. She didn't have the luxury of being to able crawling in a corner and mourn for weeks, they were still at war and she was still their leader and that meant she still had a role to play, any weeping would be done in private.

"I'm dealing," she corrected, trying hard to sound strong but there was a tremor in her voice, "It hurts like hell but I'm dealing. Just don't hate him, it's not his fault. It's not any of our fault."

"I told you she wouldn't have stood for bloodshed," Elias's amused voice came from behind Susan.

The queen turned and the scientist looked at her, his dark eyes compassionate. She gave him a watery smile before turning back to the others. Again love for them flowed through her as she smiled, silently thanking them.

"Now if all of you will sheathe your daggers and swords, I've got a father to talk to," Susan said, squaring her shoulders as she began to climb the stairs.

**AAAAAA**

They came in a rush of heavy green coats, stomping boots and blazing guns. The first barrage was deadly – men, women and children slaughtered without hesitation as the blood-splattered survivors screamed and stampeded for the exits.

It was madness, people crushed against walls as everyone fought for themselves, punching and kicking to get up the narrow stairs.

The second volley cut into the panicking crowds and killed them down where they stood. Some instantly dropped to the knees begging and praying for clemency. They were all summarily executed with ruthless efficiency.

When the smoke cleared and blood began to congeal on the grounds, the invading army finally lowered their guns.

"Secure the area!" one man barked in German.

The speaker, a tall hard-looking man, one side of his face a mess of angry scars cast a cold eye over the massacre in the train station, completely indifferent to the dozens of blank eyes staring accusingly at him.

"Now we wait gentlemen," the man said in a steady calm voice, "For the doors to open."

**AAAAAA**

Peter and Susan glanced at each other, apprehension clear on their faces.

"You know you are the oldest. This should be your responsibility," Susan pointed out hopefully.

Peter shot her an unamused look and the queen sighed.

"Alright, let's do this."

They pushed the door open and Daniel instantly looked up, a smile on his haggard face. In the bed, Eustace slept in a dreamless sleep.

It had come as a shock to Jason, Caspian and Inara to realise the young boy they had rescued from the asylum had in fact been the Pevensie's cousin. Susan had been surprised as well but compared with all the coincidences and bizarre events that had befallen them already this was a minor matter. Plus they could really do with some good luck in the midst of this latest disaster.

"Hey dad," Peter said gently, unsure of how to proceed.

Both of them started as Daniel literally threw himself at them and pulled them into a crushing hug. Susan stiffened, feeling almost alien in her father's once-familiar grasp but slowly her face softened and she returned the hug with the same fierce force, burying her face into his jacket as she breathed in the familiar scents of cigarettes and tweed. And for that brief moment Susan allowed herself to be the child she still was and let herself believe that her father could and would fix everything.

"Dad…" she whispered.

Daniel pulled away, looking at them both critically.

"What… what happened to you two? Where's Lucy? Where's Edmund?" Daniel demanded, "Who did this to you? I swear to god, I will hunt them down and – "

"Didn't Su tell you?" Peter asked puzzled shooting his sister a confused look.

His father let out a forced, choked laugh.

"That fairytale? Lions and monsters? No, really… what happened?"

The look on his face was desperate as his eyes begged Peter to tell something else, anything that would disprove Susan's tale.

Peter winced.

"Dad… it's true. All of it."

"No."

Daniel's voice was brittle.

"I don't believe it. I won't believe it," he whispered frantically, "It can't…"

"You want the talking leopard to come back?" Peter asked wryly, a hint of steel in his voice.

Daniel's face crumbled and he suddenly looked both very old and very young.

"It can't be true," he croaked, looking between his two children helplessly.

"It is," Susan said gently.

Eustace stirred in his sleep, muttering under his breath. But he quickly settled back into a deep sleep.

"How?" Daniel demanded, "When?"

Susan and Peter exchanged awkward glances.

"It's bit a long story really…" Peter cleared his throat, "See there's this place called Narnia. And me and Su… we're king and queen over there."

Daniel blanched and visibly swayed on his feet as Susan swatted her brother on the shoulder, sending him a dark glare.

"Maybe we should take you back to the beginning," Susan cleared her throat, "See there was this wardrobe…"

"Actually the beginning would be why we went to Professor Kirk's in the first place," Peter noted.

Susan very deliberately stepped on his toes as Daniel clutched at the wall for support. Susan looked helplessly at her brother, unsure of how to proceed as Peter shrugged, a panicked look on his face, obviously out of ideas.

"Guys!" Inara appeared at the doorway, a grave look on her face, "There's something you should hear."

Susan frowned, inwardly thanking her friend profusely for the distraction.

"What…"

Inara looked up and the bleakness in her eyes sent a chill down Susan's spine. The queen swept out of the room, Peter and Daniel behind her. Downstairs everyone was crowded around the radio as some news report blared over the speakers.

'… _the train station has now be sealed off. Eyes witnesses say…' _the reporter hesitated, _'… they say the men are Nazis.'_

"What?!" Susan yelped, "What the hell?!"

"Butterfly!" Daniel barked as Susan flushed, "Language!"

"Butterfly?" Zaru asked, eyes very wide.

Susan flushed as Jason and Inara smirked at her.

"Oh, be quiet," Susan huffed, "Elias. What's going on?"

It was Professor Kirk who answered.

"The train station," the way he said those words left no question which train station he was referring to, "Has just been seized by Nazis."

"All they have to do is wait for the tear to open," Elias slammed his fist into the table, "Damn it! This is moving way too fast for us!"

"No, it's not," Caspian growled, "We can still stop them."

"Elias, how do we stop the tear from opening?" Susan asked, blue eyes trained on the scientist.

Daniel was watching them all helplessly, most of their words flying over the top of his head as he tried desperately to make sense of what was going on.

"We destroy it," Elias said firmly, "That means destroying the whole train station. That should remove the tear before it opens. But if it opens before we do that…"

He trailed off. Susan grimaced.

"Okay, we'll deal with the station then."

"We'll also have to deal with the wardrobe," Professor Kirk pointed out, "And chances are the Nazis are already there."

"Argh! Fine!" Susan glanced around the table, "Jason. Elias. Caspian. Can you deal with the station?"

They all nodded, a very cold smile on Jason's face.

"Alright, I'll go with Professor Kirk to his estate and we'll handle the wardrobe."

Zaru opened his mouth, his eyes glittering and Susan nodded.

"Zaru, stay," she said carefully, "Watch over Polly and Inara..."

"Hey! I'm not st – " Inara began.  
"You're too injured to fight," Susan said brutally, "P –"

"I'm going with you," Peter said stubbornly.

"But…" Susan began.

"I'm going with you," Peter repeated steely.

Susan nodded, part of her exasperated at his obstinacy, the other part rejoicing in the fact that he had pulled himself out of his despair.

"We need to act now," Susan said quickly, "Time is of the essence here. We fail the Darkness takes this world and I am not going to let that happen."

She stared at all of them, eyes blazing, and they nodded back resolutely.

"Okay, let's go," Susan turned to the door but a hand on her arm stopped her.

Daniel stared into her eyes.

"I'm going with you," he said.

"But dad," Susan said befuddled, "This… you're going to see things…"

Daniel snorted, even in the midst all of this it was still amusing to see his daughter trying to boss him around.

"I've been to the war and I've dealt with Nazis before."

A very, very familiar look, the one that Inara had already begun dubbing as the patented Pevensie look of blockheaded stubbornness came over Daniel's face. Susan winced as she realised she couldn't win no matter what she said or did.

"Fine," Susan said, her blue eyes worried, "But we have to hurry. There's no time left."

**AAAAAA**

"The station is secure," the soldier reported crisply as Klaus nodded.

Klaus, the leader of this ragtag band, dismissed the soldier and turned to the wall that was of special interest to them. The scientists in their group had already set up their equipment, bizarre machines with coils of copper wire and glass plugs arranged in a semi-ring around the tiled wall.

"How long?" he barked.

One of the scientists quickly snapped to attention, panic on his face as Klaus's blue eyes drilled into his.

"Our calculations are at least a few more hours," the man reported.

All around them the rest of the soldiers were dragging the dead bodies into a pile at the corner of the station leaving wide streaks of blood that crisscrossed the concrete floor but they all seemed immune to the grotesqueness of it all.

"So we need more time?" Klaus said calmly.

"Yes sir," the scientist nodded.

Klaus turned and instantly a lanky man stepped forwards, his uniform subtly different to the ones worn by the soldiers. It was longer at the hems, the sleeves looser and hanging off his wrists.

"Prepare the defences," Klaus said mildly.

The Nazi man before him nodded and instantly knelt on the ground. A small wooden box came out from his pockets and he flipped it open revealing a polished oval of hard black stone.

The Nazi reverently lifted the smooth obsidian from its velvet recess and held it aloft. The scientists watched nervously as the man began chanting under his breath. A wild wind swept through the station as the expression on Klaus's face remained unchanged.

The chanting continued, building in volume as the obsidian began to glow, pulsing with light. The man let out a soundless roar and thrust the stone up into the air barking two German words to the world.

"They walk!"

The obsidian flared and a cold smile finally curled Klaus's lips.

**AAAAAA**

Professor Kirk's hand touched the handle of his car door and he suddenly froze. They all felt it.

"What… what is that?" Caspian gasped.

It was like the air was suddenly charged, crackling with some unseen energy. It seemed to flow into them making their skin crawl and their teeth chatter as dark clouds suddenly swept across the sky plunging them into gloominess.

"Power," Jason hissed as Zaru snapped at the air, "Something's happened."

"What?" Susan demanded.

Jason looked at her, eyes flashing and trepidation gripped the queen.

"Move!" Peter said harshly, "It doesn't matter what it is. We've still got to keep –"

His words were lost as a blaring siren pierced the air like a knife. Susan's heart leapt into her throat as she whirled on the spot.

"PETER!!" she cried out.

Polly was pale, clutching at the doorframe as she looked around wildly.

"No," she whispered, "No. No. No. No. No."

"What is it?" Daniel demanded, looking around frantically.

The siren blared on as the gloomy sky above suddenly came to life. Like a swarm of locusts they came, engines roaring as Peter stared up at them, dazed.

"Impossible," he said, almost paralysed with fear.

But somewhere they were there: a never-ending fleet of planes, rotors spinning as they zipped through the sky with eerie co-ordination. Susan's brows came together as she stared up at the planes and slowly realised that she could see through them. As they flew through the air, she could still see the dark clouds beyond. She clasped a hand to her mouth as she slowly began to realise she was looking at a squadron of spectral planes.

"The blitz," fury shook Peter's voice, "No! They can't do this!"

The sirens, the ones which Susan now realised could not possibly exist, continued to scream their alarm as the first rank of planes swooped low.

"NO!" Susan screamed, a cry echoed by Polly and her brother.

Buildings went up in columns of flames as the ghostly planes dropped their deadly load. Transparent and almost ethereal though they were, their bombs were still as destructive as the real thing.

"By the Mane!" Caspian watched, eyes wide as bombs continued to fall, explosions tearing London apart.

The illusions were becoming more complex, more life-like. Spotlights lit up the gloomy air, darting through the endless fleet of planes as ghostly gunfire blazed out. One ghostly plane was hit, it let out a pitiful drone as it spiralled through the air before exploding, disappearing into nothing.

Susan clutched at her brother as she stared at London burning, history repeating itself as the blitz of London impossibly took place once more. Despair gripped her but she clutched her memories of Aslan to her like a talisman, driving the terror away.

"What's going on? Are they back?" the neighbours were out of their houses, staring up at the sky and at a terror that was all too fresh in memory.

One woman fell to the ground, crying brokenly as more wraithlike planes appeared from the clouds and swooped on London, bombs falling. Buildings, just rebuilt after the war, tumbled as explosions and flying debris tore them apart. Everywhere, people were dying, caught completely unaware as the ghosts above rained death down below.

"This is a distraction!" Jason roared, "We can't afford to waste more time!"

His words seemed to shake all of them out of their stunned horror. Professor Kirk jerked his door open and leapt in.

"Come on!" the old man urged, "Hurry!"

"Caspian!" Susan turned to the king.

Their eyes met and even with all that was wrong between them, it was forgotten as they faced this latest crisis.

"Stop them," Susan hissed, furious.

Caspian's mind was back on Persephone, back on a time when an army had invaded his home and he had utterly failed in pushing them back. He nodded to her, promising her he would destroy the darkness at all costs including his life if need be before he, Jason and Elias darted off. The rest of them jammed themselves into the professor's car.

"Zaru, watch the others," Susan ordered, an edge in her voice as the leopard nodded.

Daniel looked at her surprised to see the command in her face and voice and the respect she commanded. After the war he had been surprised and a little shocked to return home and see how much his children had grown up. All of them… they had been so much more mature and worldly that he ever imagined them to be. They had spoken with courage and conviction and held themselves with a gravity and gracefulness that put royalty to shame. This he had always attributed to the harshness of life in the war, to having grown up much too fast but now he slowly begun to realise it might have been something else entirely.

The leopard nodded and the Professor took off with a screech, rubber burning as more planes descended from the skies, the sirens still screaming their endless cry.

**AAAAAA**

"Where is this station?" Caspian bellowed over the screams of the siren.

"That way!" Elias jabbed with his finger as they pushed their way through the panicking crowds.

"BOOM!"

A building to their left instantly disintegrated into flames and cinders as another bomb struck home. Elias watched, sickened as a chunk of burning debris blasted out of the ruin and killed a man where he stood.

"This is like Persephone all over again!" Jason roared furiously.

Caspian's face was a grim mask as he silently vowed he would not allow this city to fall like his previous home.

"How is this happening?" a man nearby them screamed, "How?! The war is over!"

The sirens let out another piercing screech, hiding the sound of engines droning on as the ghostly planes descended onto the city.

Alarms broke, discordant and jarring the monotony of the sirens as fire trucks emerged. They stopped and fire fighters spilled out swarming the streets as they began fighting the blazes that hungrily devoured the hit buildings.

"Shelter!" a policeman blew on his whistle, "SHELTER! SHELTER THIS WAY!!"  
The crowd instantly turned like a mighty river changing its course. They spilled down the street rushing the man as he fought to keep on his feet.

"SHELTER! SHEL – "

He tripped and was instantly lost under a stampede, people screaming and battering at each other to get there first.

"Insanity," Elias whispered, "Pure insanity…"

An ominous whistle made them look overhead.

"RUN!" Caspian bellowed, a command echoed by dozens all around him.

The bomb fell like a stone, air whistling around its slipstream form as the crowd rippled out, struggling and tripping over each other as the missile neared the earth.

"Damn it!" Jason hissed.

He shoved his hand forwards sending everyone before them sprawling as he grabbed the scientist and ruthlessly kicked his way through, Caspian a step behind them.

The downed people cried out, struggling to their feet as the bomb finally hit its target.

A sheet of fire flashed through the area incinerating everything in its path as the trio lunged into an alleyway, the flames whooshing past the entrance followed a brief second later by a plume of choking dust.

"Those people…" Elias stared at Jason in horror, "You killed them."

Caspian's face was unreadable as he looked at the Seeker. A part of him applauded him, the man was almost a perfect Telmarine, ruthless and direct to an almost inhuman degree. But the Narnian in him, the one that valued life and goodness in life was aghast.

But Persephone had hardened him, the darkness had to be destroyed. Regardless of he sacrifices.

"If I didn't do something we would've joined them," Jason said coldly, "Come on."

This was no time for emotions or petty ethical squabbling. They had a war to deal with, darkness was reaching across the worlds to get to them and if some innocents were caught in the crossfire then that was just the way it was. Susan had given him a task to complete and Jason would not fail her.

The bombs continued to fall as the three of them threaded their way through the mayhem slowly inching their way towards the destination.

**AAAAAA**

A car blared its horn and careened into another in smash of glass and metal. The wreckage, the two cars twisted together, spun off the road and smashed into a shopfront as Professor Kirk slammed on the brakes, their car missing the smash by mere inches. The other cars that trailed behind them in a panicking, fleeing stream screeched to a halt, horns blaring.

"This is going to take forever," Peter swore.

All around them chaos had broken out. It was post-war everyone was just beginning to knit their lives back together, scars healing, losses slowly accepted but now this. The appearance of the ghostly fleet had triggered all those terrifying memories again, nights when people had huddled in homes and shelters not knowing when the next bomb would fall, where the next lives would be lost. In those dark days of the war, each night had been a gamble with death, lives chanced and lost by utter unpredictability.

This, this attack was like a dagger to her heart. Susan blinked back tears as she remembered those nights where she had clung desperately to her family, praying the next bomb would take anyone but them. And the mornings when they emerged, not knowing who had lived or died… Susan shuddered. It was too much, too close to home.

It was no wonder everyone was reacting on pure instincts. They fled the streets, throwing themselves into whatever shelter was available as towers of fire told everyone where the bombs had fallen.

"KIRK DRIVE!!" Daniel suddenly bellowed as a familiar high-pitched whine hummed through the air.

Nightmares of blood and shattered limbs ran through Daniel's head. The professor stomped on the gas and the car shot forwards as he fought wildly with the wheel trying to swerve around the crash. A shadow suddenly fell onto the street growing bigger by the second.

"NO!" Daniel bellowed.

The bomb hit the ground and everyone braced themselves. But the explosion never came, the heavy metal canister hit the ground and bounced as everyone flinched.

A silence fell over the street as the bomb rolled once and clattered nosily with the curb.

It was a dud.

"Oh thank god," Professor Kirk sighed.

"BOOM!"

The dud suddenly decided to explode and the car was hit with the full brunt of the blast. Glass shattered as intense heat swept through the small cabin.

"DAD!!" Susan screamed as a titanical force sledgehammered into the car, sending it flipping through the air as everything became dark.

**AAAAAA**

The window rattled in its pane as Inara stepped back, genuinely scared.

"Get away from there!" Polly barked.

The woman was hiding under the table, the only meagre shelter in the whole house as an explosion rocked the street.

"I read about this in class," Inara babbled incoherently, "But… this is… I can't believe I'm living through it!"

"I can't believe I'm living through it again," Polly muttered darkly.

"Hello?" a frail and unfamiliar voice called out.

Inara whirled, sword in hand. Eustace was at the stairs, his face pale, eyes wide.

"What's happening?" he asked.

Polly followed Inara's gaze and started seeing the boy out of bed.

"Eustace!" the old woman wormed out from under the table and climbed to her feet, "Are you – "

"What's happening?" Eustace demanded.

Inara and Polly glanced at each other, unsure of what to say.

"Is it the Great Darkness?" Eustace asked, the blood draining from his pinched face.

"Yes!" Inara blinked, "Wait. What?!?"  
Eustace stared down at them, a haunted look on his face.

"When it took Lucy and Edmund. It took me too but it didn't want me," Eustace said in a very small, shaking voice, "It hurt me. It did things to me. Then it spat me back out."

Inara stared at him in horror as the boy clung to the stair railings.

"It hurt me," he said in a horrified whisper.

"It's okay," Polly soothed, "You're safe now."

"I heard things… in my sleep… talking. The tears in the world?" Eustace repeated shakily.

"Yeah, don't worry we worked it out. The train station and the wardrobe," Inara said gently.

"No, that's just it," Eustace look at her, "There's another one."

Inara's eyes widened and she took a step back, mouth agape.

"What?!?" Inara spluttered, "How?"

"When it took Edmund and Lucy. It used… it came through a portrait in my house," Eustace looked at her frantically, "It can use that!"

"Damn it!" Inara spat.

She looked down at her sword then up at Eustace. Polly watched as a battle flashed across the girl's face, determination warring with something that she could not read. Finally Inara looked up, a fierce scowl on her face.

"Take me to your house," she commanded.

"What? Inara! NO!" Polly protested.

Inara glanced at Polly and smiled, a world of confidence in her grin.

"Sorry, but we have to," Inara looked up at Eustace again, "Can you walk?"

The boy nodded, his face terrified but determined

"Okay then," Inara swallowed heavily, turning around, "ZARU!!! ZARU!?!?"

She waited, expecting the leopard to appear but her only answer was a muffled explosion as the ghostly blitz continued. Inara frowned, confused as Polly's jaw dropped.

"Where is he?" the older woman demanded

"We don't have time," Eustace said quickly, "We have to go!"

Inara frowned, worried but nodded and turned to the open door, taking a deep breath and squaring her shoulders, squashing her fears down.

"Alright... let's go then."

And they walked through the doors and into hell itself.

**AAAAAA**

The transparent plane swooped, a trail of bombs falling from its rear and suddenly the whole street was obliterated. Invisible machine guns roared in retaliation manned by phantoms and three planes went down, spiralling before exploding in mid-air. Debris, gossamer in their wan light fell from these explosions but as they touched the ground they disappeared into nothing.

"How far?" Caspian yelled as they fought against the flow of the crowd.

"Almost there!" Elias roared back.

All three of them were soot-streaked and blistered, spotting bruises and cuts from flying debris and the crushing crowds. The panicked public were now fleeing an explosion that had occurred near the station but as more bombs fell and another section of London fell, the crowds swerved fleeing from the latest destruction.

"I wonder how many lives have been lost," Elias said hoarsely.

"Just keep them in mind when we're giving these Nazis the bill," Jason replied grimly shoving his way through the crowd.

A plane fell over them lighter flittering through its ghostly form and the screams immediately punctuated the air. People were trampled under foot, screaming as they were swallowed up by the frenzied mob. Windows shattered and doors were broken down as the crowds boiled into the nearby buildings, desperate for whatever shelter possible. And everywhere, there was death. Twitching limbs and pale forms, unseeing opens and opened silent mouths. Some were maimed, some burnt, others completely undamaged as though they had gone to sleep. Elias felt sick.

The plane's nose went up and it climbed in the air, rotors beating as bombs spilled from its underbelly.

"NO!!! PLEASE!!"

Screams were swallowed up by a thunderous roar as the bombs detonated. Everyone in the vicinity was hurled backwards by the shockwaves as two buildings, weakened by fire, collapsed, the people inside entombed as the blitz continued, fresh squadrons of ghost planes emerging from the clouds.

Jason coughed, shaking the dust and pieces of debris off him as he climbed to his feet. He scavenged through the wreckage for his fedora and jammed it back on.

Elias and Caspian rose unsteadily from the rubble-strewn ground, completely covered in grey-white dust that made them look like ghosts emerging from a grave.

Jason looked down the street at the burning craters where the bombs had hit and beyond. With grotesque luck, the latest explosion had gotten rid of the crowd, bodies both unconscious and dead littering the streets.

"Come on," Jason croaked, shaken despite his best efforts.

Sirens blared and explosions rocked the city but the street was completely desolate as they stumbled through the wreckage and bodies, the thick dust hanging in the air like mist.

"The station," Elias wheezed, "Should be there…"

First they could only see a dark unclear form emerging from the dust. Their boots pounded the pavement as groans and desperate whimpers rose all around them. Bloody hands clutched at them, voices croaking and breaking as they begged for help but still they pressed on grimly, bile rising in their throats. The scientist was weeping, Caspian's lips bleeding as he bit through his own flesh, trying to turn himself to stone.

The king blinked in surprise as the dark form suddenly came into sharp focus. A stone lion, proud and stern, a look of sadness etched on its regal face stared out into the distance, a fountain at its. The grave sorrow on its face made it seem as if the lion was mourning the lives lost this very day.

"What…" Caspian began, staring at the lion, feeling suddenly buoyant as hope flooded him.

He felt safe, sheltered despite all the death raining on London. Was this a sign? An omen? And for what?

"There!" Elias pointed.

The burning remains of a car stood at the entrance of the train station. The police had long since fled, trying to stop the madness breaking out amongst the survivors and the looters that inevitably took advantage of destruction, picking through the wreckage like vultures to carrion.

Jason grunted and unsheathed his daggers. Elias had his crossbow out and Caspian readied his guns, his sword strapped across his back to give him as much movement as possible.

Without a word the three advanced towards the stairs and walked down into the darkness below.

**AAAAAA**

Susan was floating. She was a ghost, a spirit without a form as she hovered over a very strange tableau.

A group of men grunted and strained as they dragged a heavy wardrobe by long ropes across a road. An explosion rocked the street and the men froze, looking up at the sky with terrified eyes. Fire clawed the air, oily smoke belching up in sky-tainting waves as more ghostly planes flew through the air, twisting as they avoided gunfire that didn't exist.

The men barked at each other in a strange foreign language, their faces frantic and pale with terror. Immediately they began heaving on the wardrobe once more with renewed frenzied strength as bombs continued to fall all around them.

Susan watched it all, emotionless, seeing it with a strange detachment as the men continued to struggle with their burden. The screams of the dying, the whining of the planes, it was all irrelevant to her, a mere note of interest.

"Susan?"

The queen frowned, wondering idly who was ruining her dreams.

"Susan?"

Her world shook violently.

"SUSAN!!"

**AAAAAA**

She shot up as Daniel shook her shoulders, peering worriedly into her eyes.

"Susan? Are you – "

"I know where the wardrobe is," Susan croaked.

"What?!" Peter gasped, "How?"

"I saw it. In a dream," Susan explained as though it was all very clear.

Daniel and Peter stared at her. Daniel sighed, having seen delusions such as these in the war.

"Did you hit your head?" Daniel asked examining her carefully, brushing her hair with his fingers as he poked and prodded her skull for any signs of injury, "Susan. Can you hear me?"

Susan hissed and shoved his arms away, frustrated.

"I can't explain it but I saw it!! The wardrobe its here! In London! It's close by. I recognised the street," Susan leapt to her feet and instantly froze as she took in the destruction all around her.

The car was a twisted wreck, Professor Kirk through it as all around her people fled or worked frantically to stop the fires spreading through their homes. Susan felt ill as she saw a child huddle up against a mother that would never wake, she saw a man cradling a bloody form screaming to the a world that didn't care and a sky full of phantoms. Dark memories of the war came back to her, drowning her. Buildings crumbling, bodies pulled from wreckages, sleepless nights with rooms that shook and fires that lit up the sky and the underbelly of planes that zipped through the chaos like winged demons. Her breath caught as fear choked her, demanding submission but Susan forced it all away as purpose filled her.

She didn't know why she trusted a dream so much but Aslan help her, she did. She believed it with every fibre of her being and that was enough. It was faith; pure, stupid, foolish faith. It was almost laughable. If she was wrong –

Susan gulped.

"Come on!" she urged forcing confidence into her voice.

And forcing her eyes away from the destruction and death all around her, she took off.

"SUSAN!" Daniel and Peter yelled after her as she disappeared down the street.

Daniel cursed savagely before sprinting after his daughter. Professor Kirk sighed and threw up his hands, knowing he couldn't even hope to catch up as Peter ran off leaving the old man all alone.

**AAAAAA**

"It's upstairs," Eustace wheezed, leaning weakly against the wall as Inara nodded. She pressed passed him as the sirens continued to scream, the ghostly blitz still pounding London apart.

It had been a nightmare and a war in itself trying to get to Eustace's house. The crowds, the fires, the explosions… it was all too soon after Persephone. Inara felt sick and tired to her very soul.

All this death… why? Inara silently asked the almost always unanswerable question that came at times like these. Why?

But her face betrayed none of her anguish as she darted up the stairs and followed Eustace's instructions turning left and stepping into the guest room. The portrait was there, hanging innocently on the wall, the picture of the Narnian ship on top of a rolling wave still intact.

Inara took in a deep breath and raised her sword in trembling hands.

"Alright, destroy it and the tear's gone right?" Inara muttered, "No probs. Easy does it. Shouldn't be a problem."

She took a step towards the painting and stopped, hardly daring to breathe. The room shook as another bomb hit London, the painting jerked on its hanging but quickly settled back into place. A few seconds ticked by and nothing happened.

"So not retaliation? No big monsters to stop me?" Inara asked the painting, "Alrighty then. Time to di– "

The words died on her lips as the sickeningly familiar stench of blood her in the nose.

"What?"

She turned her head. The smell seemed to be wafting out from the nearby closet. Sword in hand, Inara cautiously stepped forwards, eyes wide. Gingerly she reached out with one hand and placed it on the door handle.

Heart pounding, she pulled the door open and instantly leapt back, cursing as two bodies spilled out. She stumbled back, a cry on her lips as two pairs of eye stared up at her. The man and woman's throat had been slit, the deathly wounds curved like red grins on their pale skin.

"Who…" Inara began, staring down at the corpses as a sinking feeling simmered in her gut.

The floorboard behind her creaked and Inara instantly dropped to the ground. A blade whooshed by overhead, clipping her hair before embedding itself into the wall. Inara threw herself away, almost stumbling over the bodies as she whirled to face her enemy.

Eustace smirked at her, eyes completely black, an axe clutched in his hands.

"Damn," he said easily, "Missed."

And he swung at Inara, the girl's eyes widening in horror as the blade flew at her neck, too close to miss.

"ROOOWWWRRRR!!!"  
Eustace screamed, falling away, the axe falling from his hands as Inara wilted, her body shaking at the near miss.

Zaru glared down at the boy, Eustace scrambling away, clutching at his bleeding hand.

"What?!" the boy yelped, "HOW?!?"  
Zaru smiled coldly.

"What? You think I can't smell the darkness on you?"

**AAAAAA**

Gunfire blazed as Elias aimed and fired his crossbow. The orb smacked into the wall and exploded, shards of tiny metal spraying out in all directions as cries of pain filled the air.

The scientist quickly whipped back behind the protection of the wall as Jason raised an eyebrow.

"New invention?" he asked.

"Shrapnel bomb," Elias smiled shakily, "Primitive but effective."

The underground station shook, the explosion in the city above muffled by the thick layer of dirt and concrete that overlaid the tunnel but still chips of concrete fell from the ceiling, dislodged by the blast.

Caspian eyed it wearily hoping the roof won't just give away over them. They had descended down the stairs and had immediately been met with gunfire. Bullets had torn into the floors and walls, concrete pounded into dust as the Nazis ambushed them in a frenzied swarm. It had only been thanks to Jason's quick reflexes and powers that they had survived.

"We need to charge them," Caspian growled, "We can't stay in this stalemate."

"Otherwise the big bad darkness kills us all," Jason muttered as a fresh barrage of bullets hammered the wall they were sheltering behind, "Look, I have a plan…"

Caspian glanced at the Seeker and a wry smile crossed the king's lips.

"One that doesn't involve almost insanity and needless loss of lives?" Caspian asked mildly.

The replying grin was savage.

"You say needless, I say necessary."

Caspian laughed lightly as Jason studied him with narrowed eyes. Despite all the hurt he had afflicted on Susan, Jason couldn't help but like him. The boy was certainly a warrior and a leader, one that instantly commanded the loyalty of those he led. Jason had already seen that in Persephone but as a man, there was a humour to him, a sense of his own limitations that softened his harshness. But there was also a darker side that lurked beneath the surface, a cold ruthlessness that did not flinch or hesitate even if he was to plunge his sword through his enemies and stare in their dimming eyes. And Jason could appreciate that.

The Seeker grunted. As always he listened to his gut and his instincts were telling him this was a man he could rely on even in the bloodiest of battles.

"Elias. Smoke orb," the Seeker said softly, "We charge. I'll handle the guns."

"Are you sure?" Caspian asked, his hands already on the holsters of his guns.

"Well if I'm wrong Pretty Boy you can say I told you say before we get hit from a hundred different directions," Jason smirked.

It was to Caspian's credit that he did not flinch but nodded steely. Jason smiled in satisfaction knowing that he had found a worthy ally.

"Doc?" Jason growled.

Elias raised his crossbow and nodded.

"Go."

"TING!"

The metallic ball hit the wall and bounced off before detonating, thick black smoke spilling through the narrow tunnel as the Nazis cried out, firing wildly into the choking darkness as they coughed violently, the smoke attacking their lungs. Jason and Caspian burst out of their hiding place, the Seeker's hands already sweeping forwards.

The Nazis cried out as their guns were jerked from their grips by ghostly hands and hurled against the far wall. A shot rang out in the tunnel, the sharp noise bouncing off the walls as a Nazi fell hitting the ground in a splatter of crimson.

Bullets hummed through the air like angry wasps as the Nazis retaliated, snatching their back-up weapons from holsters around their hips. Caspian dived forwards tackling Jason to the ground as the barrage of hot metal shot past overhead.

The Seeker reached out with one hand and concentrated, drawing once more from the power that welled in the barrier around his crystallised memories. The shields began to dissolve, the energy redistributing itself as the memories awoke from their slumber, hammering at his minds, demanding to be seen and heard. Jason grunted, biting deep into his lips as he grabbed every drop of that hot exhilarating power and threw it forwards.

Skeins of white energy shot forwards and they sliced through the air like blades. One Nazi stumbled back, terrified as the gun in his hand fell apart, nearly sliced in two. Sweat drenched Jason's body as he drew more and more power and sent it surging forwards. More weapons were rendered useless, torn apart by the force of Jason's attack.

'_Papa!' _Delilah's voice echoed in his head as Jason's eyes dilated.

More power spilled from his fingers.

'My love.'

The words seemed to resonate in his head, thrumming his heat strings and pulling at his soul.

It tore him apart.

"NOOOO!!!" Jason roared, clutching at his head.

Frantically he slammed the barriers back into the place, the power spilling out of him instantly vanishing as they swerved and dived back into the recesses of his mind sealing his memories off once more. The Seeker was reeling, flashes of a tall beautiful woman hammering at his consciousness.

"Jason?!" Caspian's voice sounded very far away.

"Caspian!" Elias's voice roared.

The king's head snapped up as the few armed Nazis surged towards him, guns raised, barking orders in a strange tongue. One of them pointed straight at him and began to pull the trigger.

"BOOM!"

The man was instantly devoured by fire as Caspian's mind quickly snapped back to the present. Ruthlessly he whipped his gun around and began firing back. Bullets flew, sometimes missing the king by a mere hair but the smoke and the fire was playing havoc with the Nazi's aim.

Pain seared through Caspian's arm as one luck shot grazed him but gritting his teeth, Caspian fired back, his shots lethally accurate.

The weapon-less Nazis stared in horror as more of their men fell and slowly they began to retreat, inching back. Elias sent another fire orb into their midst and they cried out, turning tail and run. The tunnel rocked as the orb exploded and when the fire and smoke cleared the trio was all alone.

"What happened?" Caspian demanded staring down at Jason in shock.

"Watch it Pretty Boy," Jason managed to growl out, pale under his tanned complexion, "To a stranger it might sound like you actually care."

The Seeker heaved himself up, swaying on his feet. Elias looked at him severely, his brows drawn together.

"You know better than to overstrain yourself," the scientist scolded.

"Can we save the talking to?" Jason clutched at his throbbing head, "We've still got a crisis to avert."

Caspian was still watching Jason with narrowed eyes but he nodded. Blood was trickling down his arm staining his shirt but the Telmarine barely noticed it.

"Come on," he said shortly, checking the ammunition in his guns.

His dark eyes flicked to Jason.

"Keep up."

And with that he turned and walked towards the heart of the train station.

**AAAAAA**

"There!" Susan yelled over the earth-shaking boom of another explosion.

Daniel's jaws dropped as he saw what his daughter was pointing out. Wood scrapped against concrete as a group of men struggled with a heavy wardrobe trying to drag it across the road even as houses around them burned. Curses, German ones Daniel quickly realised, punctuated the air as the men heaved at ropes pulling the obstinate furniture along.

They were all unremarkable looking, dressed in non-descript brown clothing and that more than anything looked suspicious, the men were obviously trying too hard to blend in that it actually stuck out.

"This doesn't make sense," Susan muttered, "Why would they bring it here?"

"For protection," Peter said softly, trying to piece it all together in his head, "Think about it. There can't be that many fanatics willing to go along with this crazy scheme. The bulk of them must be here in London so they're bringing this here to protect it with the majority of their forces."

Daniel shot Peter a surprised look, unnerved to hear such cool calculation from his usually passionate son. Peter was grinding his teeth together. The wardrobe held so much meaning for him and his siblings that it was an almost sacred item. For these Nazis to have stolen it and to use it for such evil… it was an outrage.

"They must've made a mistake with the timing," Daniel pointed out, "They're late. If they're smart they would've tried to get that thing into the train station before all this happened. They must've had a car but in this…"

Daniel trailed off as he looked at the devastation all around them at the fire and smoke that tainted the skies.

"Their misfortune," Susan said grimly, "Our boon."

She stepped out onto the empty street, defiant. Daniel cursed and instantly followed her.

"What are you doing?" he bellowed, "These are trained soldiers!"

"So I am," Susan replied flinty.  
She le tout a bellowing war cry as the Nazis turned, dropping their ropes in astonishment. Her first arrow struck flesh and one Nazi was down.

Peter stepped forwards and stopped suddenly feeling very cold. He looked down at his useless hands and looked back up as Daniel and Susan leapt into the fray.

"I…" the words were bitter, the truth almost impossible to swallow, "I… I can't help."

The High King sat down heavily on the road as he suddenly saw how utterly helpless and useless he really was.

Susan aimed and with expert ease, put two arrows into flight. They zipped through the air, slamming into flesh before the Nazis could even blink. Two men fell as Susan fired her third. One man charged at Daniel but the soldier twisted out of the way and cracked his elbow in the man's face knocking the Nazi out. Ambushed the Nazis had no time to draw their weapons and in such close quarters everything was a blur, faces and fists blurred and contorted as bodies fell and blows were struck without anyone really knowing who was winning.

Regardless of the chaos, the fight was bloody and swiftly over, the Nazis' body cooling on the ground. Ignoring the death she had wrought Susan turned to the wardrobe, bow in her hand. It had been such a long time since she'd laid eyes on it but even now in this most bleakest of surroundings the wardrobe looked majestic, emanating a sense of power that drew a replying call from own her heart. The intricate cravings, the polished panels… Susan's lips curved as she remembered her journey through those very doors.

Her eyes hardened as she realised she now had to destroy it.

"Susan?" Daniel said uncertainly.

Susan took out her sceptre, the blue crystals flashing.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

But before she could make another move the doors to the wardrobe burst open and darkness spilled out.

**AAAAAA**

"Ting! Ting! Ting!"

Klaus turned, puzzled as the sharp shot sound echoed off the walls.

"What?" he frowned as a small metal ball bounced off the final stairs and rolled innocently to a stop, "What is thi–"

"BOOM!"

The orb exploded in a brilliant flash of white light blinding everyone as war cries echoed down the stairs.

Disorientated the guards fell as Jason and Caspian slammed into them, their fists making bloody short work of the men. Elias followed them, crossbow raised, frowning as he saw the bizarre instruments arrayed before the wall.

"GET THEM!!" Klaus screamed, his vision still filled with bursts of light, "GET THEM!!!"  
Caspian whirled and he instantly saw a strangely robed Nazi sitting cross-legged on the ground, his face a study in serenity as a strange polished piece of obsidian hovered before him, throbbing with light.

His gun instantly came up and without hesitating he fired.

The meditating Nazi's eyes snapped open and he let out a cry of anguish as the black stone before him shattered into thousands of little shards as Caspian's bullet slammed into its smooth surface.

Caspian's second shot hit the Nazi straight in the chest.

Klaus cursed as more of his men. The scientists were huddled behind their machines, quaking as Jason dealt savagely with the men that dared attack him. Klaus stopped, the emotions draining from his face as he stepped forwards.

Caspian whirled on him but Klaus's hand shot out, knocking the guns from his hands. The Nazi instantly split Caspian's lip open with a deadly blow, the king's head snapping back. Caspian quickly recovered, blocking Klaus's next blow and drilling a fist straight into his face.

Telmarine and Nazi circled each other, arms up in a boxer's stance. Klaus was swift and strong, his fists lashing out with blistering speed as Caspian relied on lightning-fast reflexes to avoid the deadly blows. They continued to pound each other, bloodied, bruised and battered, yet neither side even remotely considering giving up.

Suddenly the machines already the station wall began to light up, alarms screeching. The scientists leapt up, chattering loudly as everyone stopped, turning to stare in horror at the wall.

Lines of light began to blaze along the mortar between the tiles as whole station shook. A soundless roar filled the air as the tiles began to warp, pulled upwards by a fantastical force as the light's strength grew.

Clarity gripped Elias and he saw what he had to do. Quickly he tossed his crossbow aside and unlooping his bag from his shoulders, he threw the whole sack of orbs and explosives straight at the wall just as it disappeared and darkness rushed out.

There was a second of utter silence then…

"BOOM!!!"

The whole world rocked wildly on its axis and Elias hit the ground unmoving.

**AAAAAA**

"You want to kill him or do you want me to?" Zaru asked glaring at Eustace.

Inara stared at the leopard shocked, her hands trembling as Eustace let out a barking laughing.

"She can't!" the boy smirked.

Zaru glared at him as Inara blanched.

"No..." she whispered, hands outstretched as if trying to gag him.  
"And you want to know why?" Eustace smirked, "She has no powers!"  
Zaru's eyes widened and he stared at the girl as she looked away, ashamed.

"Did you know? Siobhan took it from her?" Eustace's sneer grew as Inara trembled, her breath choking, "I know all about it"

He laughed.

"I've heard how you've been… neutered."

Inara felt sick as Eustace laughed, jeering at her.

It was true. Her powers were gone. Before she had always felt them simmering beneath the surface only springing to the fore at the thought of a fight… but now nothing. The strength, the speed, the gracefulness… everything that she had fought so hard to gain had been stolen from her.

It had been Siobhan's doing. The princess had pressed her hands on her chest and with a single spell everything had been torn away. She had tried so hard to hide it, not wanting to believe, hoping against all logic that it was temporary, that it would fade, that her powers would come back.

But now…

"ARGH!"

Eustace suddenly kicked out taking Zaru by surprise. The leopard took the blow in the head, staggering back, dazed as Eustace lurched to his feet, snatching his axe from the ground.

"DIE!!" he screamed, eyes bulging from their sockets.

"NO!!  
He swung down at the stunned leopard as Inara launched herself forwards, grabbing the crazed boy around the waist and jerking him away. Unbalanced they staggered, lurching out the room and into the hall, their combined weight smacking into the wooden banister. Inara's eyes widened as wood splintered and cracked, the railing giving way and pitching them down the stairs as Eustace's scream of fury boomed in her ears.

**AAAAAA**

The first thing Daniel was aware of was the sunlight. The grey clouds overhead had disappeared as the sun shone through once more. The drones of the planes, the cry of the phantom sirens… it was all gone. The bombs had stopped fallen, the machines guns had gone silent. The ghostly blitz, the impossible turning back of time and history taking place once more had stopped.

He should be happy but staring at the monstrosity before he, joy was the very last thing he felt.

Strands of darkness, thick and syrupy surged out of the wardrobe door, arching overhead as they twisted together, forming threads then branches then finally writhing tentacles, throbbing with malevolent life.

"What on earth?" Daniel breathed.

The tentacles snapped towards him at the sound of his voice, swaying like cobras as Susan gripped her sceptre in suddenly shaking hands.

"Destroy the wardrobe," she whispered, "It's the only way."

The tentacles screeched and lunged forwards as Daniel trembled. They tore into the earth, ripping through concrete as though it was mud and the wardrobe began to rise in the air as some of the tentacles became long spindly legs.

"How do we stop that thing?" Daniel barked.

"I don't know!" Susan cried.

The legs began moving as the wardrobe vomited out more darkness. They cascaded to the ground like a waterfall of thick ink, splashing everywhere as fresh tentacles exploded from the pools. Screeching the monster the wardrobe had become lumbered forwards, darkness exploding from its depths.

The wardrobe squatted over a building and a gush of darkness surged down and swallowed the structure entirely. Concrete and metal was instantly torn apart as shadowy threads exploded outwards, whipping the air.

Daniel fired at the shadows as Susan lashed out with her sceptre. The bullet tore through the tentacles exploding out of the other side with no effect. Blue energy touched the darkness and was instantly swallowed up, completely ineffective. Fear clawed at Susan as sheer panic dripped her senses.

"Retreat!" Susan barked at her father, "Get back!"

Helpless they all backed away as the wardrobe-and-shadow monster roared into the air and continued to stumble awkwardly onwards. The darkness lashed out, slicing through buildings and roads as though they were paper, utterly unstoppable. The wardrobe-beast roared and ploughed through a whole block of buildings, walls and roofs collapsing as more darkness gushed out from the wardrobe.

"It's hopeless," Peter mumbled as they reached him, he was staring up at the monster in a daze, "There's nothing we can do against that."

"There must be something!" Susan screamed at him, "Anything!"

A group of people screamed as tentacles grabbed them and they were thrust into the wardrobe, their kicking legs the last thing visible before they were swallowed up. The darkness howled as thousands of writhing dark threads wrapped around a building and tore it apart. The threads raided the carcass of the building, snatching people where they stood.

"What?" Peter asked helplessly, "What can we do?"

Susan looked at them defeated faces and whirled back as more darkness entered this world through the portal in the wardrobe. The shadows surged forwards in thick, syrupy waves as people fled, screaming. They were caught in the muck, pulled down into the darkness as though it was quicksand, their screams choked off as they vanished. The behemoth howled and another section of burning London fell as it blundered further into the city.

It was hopeless, Susan held up her sceptre but let her arms dropped as she stared at the monstrosity that was pulling her world apart. The crashing of buildings, the desperate final screams of helpless victims, they pierced her as her own heartbeat throbbed loudly in her ears.

"Please! Aslan!" Susan screamed, desperately, clutching for anything, "HELP US!!"

From the corner of her eyes Susan caught a glimpse of purple and she instantly looked up at the building, her blue eyes straining to see the rooftop where she'd seen the flash of colour but there was nothing.

She frowned.

'_My child…'_

That voice! Susan reeled backwards as Viola's voice entered her head, whispering to her alone as Daniel and Peter looked at her in concern.

The wardrobe-beast shrieked and a wave of darkness gushed out and swept through a street, cars and people devoured by shadows. The monster continued to grow, fresh tentacles descending down from the wardrobe's mouth and to the ground, wrapping themselves around buildings and cars, crushing them all with ease.

'_It's time.'_

"Viola?" Susan whispered, stunned.

'_I am the first,' _Viola said calmly, _'And I bless thee.'_

Soft lips brushed Susan's cheek and the queen stiffened. She gasped as every nerve in her body was suddenly electrified. Power coursed through her as strong and as heady as wine and it made her swoon. Her grip on the sceptre tightened as she struggled with the power that now boiled inside of her. It seemed to push against her skin, longing to rip her apart. The power shrieked and screamed, demanding to be unleashed.

Unleashed…

Susan looked up and she knew what to do.

"Butterfly?" Daniel asked as Susan stepped away from them, her eyes trained at the wardrobe-beast.

"No more," Susan whispered, "No more darkness."

She raised her sceptre and harnessing all the power that now raged inside of her like a thunderstorm she threw every drop of it forwards. The crystals on the end of the sceptre blazed with light and the power rushed out her body leaving her empty like a dried-up water skin.

Daniel and Peter cried out in shock as a single devastating beam of burning blue energy lanced from the sceptre and into the darkness.

The wardrobe-beast's legs were sheared where they stood as the energy punched through the darkness. The shadows screeched and howled in pain, tentacles surging forwards to deal with the new threat but the light simply touched them and they vanished.

The energy struck the wardrobe and Susan was thrown backwards, hitting the ground as gravel shredded her skin. She looked up, dazed and faint as the darkness inside the wardrobe let out one earth-shattering shriek before vanishing into nothing.

The wardrobe plummeted from the sky, a smoking hole burnt through its back before it struck the ground and promptly shattered into a thousand splinters. Daniel was instantly by Susan's side, shoving his shock aside as he clutched his daughter trying to make sure she was fine. As Susan hovered between waking and darkness, a whisper came into her mind.

'_I think the words you're looking for are…' _Viola's mischievous voice cooed, _'Thank you.'_

**AAAAAA**

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!!" Eustace screamed, stomping down at her.

Inara rolled, bruised and battered, dazed and bleeding from her mouth and head as Eustace roared, kicking her across the room. Inara crashed into the wall, coughing up blood.

"Damn it!' she groaned, "Why the hell am I this world's punching bag?!"

But she had no time to recover, Eustace screaming as he charged straight at her, a second kicking knocking the air from her lungs.

"Are you a screamer?" he asked, stalking over to her, "Because it's no fun unless they scream. Harold was a bit of a disappointment in that but Alberta… she sang."

He saw the last two words with relish.

"Harold? Alberta?" Inara spat.

"The two upstairs. My parents. I killed them," Eustace said simply.

He inched towards her, feeding off her fear as Inara back-pedalled away.

"What happened to you?" Inara spat.

A dark look flashed across Eustace's face and a tremor ran through his body. It was so quick that Inara was barely sure she'd seen it. The boy's sneer fell back into place as his black eyes flashed.

"The Great Darkness took me. It showed me things… about the world, about myself. It showed me the glory I could have and all that I could be," a look of ecstasy came over his face, "It came to me with a gift. I took it, took one bite of it and I was reborn."

"So basically you sold your soul," Inara said flatly.

"I think it was a fair exchange," Eustace said calmly.

"You do realise you're going to hell right?" Inara demanded.

Eustace simply smiled and turned the axe in his hands.

"I don't think it matters when I'm the one ruling it," he said mildly, "Now. Enough talk. You die."

He stopped and raised his axe, slashing it down at her as Inara screamed, flinging her arms up desperately.

"ROWWWWRRR!!!"

Gold fur slammed into the boy sending him skittling across the polished floorboards. Zaru flipped and landed expertly, hissing, bleeding from a cut on his head as his tail flicked the air angrily.

"Inara. Get out of here."  
"But – "

"You can't fight. Leave him to me," the leopard snarled.

Inara winced but nodded, limping hurriedly out of the room as Zaru watched the injured Eustace rise to his feet, the boy's face maniacal with rage.

"I'll kill you!" he spat, voice low and hard "I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"

Zaru raised a brow, dropping into a crouch. Eustace scooped up his axe, raising it above his head.

"You can't kill me!" he laughed dementedly, "You don't have hands!"

"No..." Zaru grinned, "But that just makes it more interesting!!"  
He roared, surging forwards as Eustace slashed out. The leopard was speed and fury combined, gold fur flashing as he darted and pivoted around Eustace's wild slashes. Grey-blue eyes flashed and Zaru snapped forwards, Eustace screaming as fangs sank deep into his leg.

"NO!!!"

He lashed out the flat of the axe blade knocking Zaru aside as the leopard rolled easily to his feet, gasping for breath but ready for more. Eustace glared at him before hurling his axe straight at the cat, Zaru easily dodging the spinning blade.

"You honestly think that can – " the leopard began haughtily.

"QUIET!!!"  
"BANG!"  
Zaru threw himself backwards as a bullet drilled into the floorboards, Eustace limping forwards, a gun in his hands. Zaru instantly whipped around, tail whipping as Eustace fired again, the bullet zipping past the leopard's ears. Zaru threw himself at the nearest door, barrelling through to the kitchen as bullets tore through the door. The leopard threw himself onto the table as Eustace fired again, bullet smashing a window into a thousand glittering shards, the leopard landed, glaring at the weeping, screaming boy.

"You think you can stop me?! I work for the Great Darkness!!!" the boy screamed, "And he's more than life! More than death! More than a god!!! He's unstoppable!!"  
Zaru snorted.

"I seriously, seriously doubt that!" he yowled.

Eustace roared and fired again, sparks and smoke flying as a bullet drilled through the air. The first bullet struck the stove, the second slamming into the wall beside it as Zaru lunged to the side. He gagged violently a sweet-sick smell flooding his nose as Eustace charged forwards, brandishing his gun.

"EUSTACE!!" Zaru screamed, "NO!!"  
But the boy had already fired, the severed pipe in the wall spewing clouds of invisible gas as bullet struck stove top and a spark was born. Zaru ran for his life.

"BOOM!"

The pipe flew outwards hurling the burning stove through the air. Eustace was knocked down, flames lunging out from the gaping hole in the wall, the whole kitchen burning as Zaru ran, smoke and heat chasing him, flames sucking back up into the wall and into the gas line and –

"BOOM!"  
The whole kitchen was torn apart, windows blowing out as burning wood and hot metal flew wildly through the air.

In the living room Zaru was thrown forwards by the blast, crashing through a window and stumbling onto the front lawn as fire began to consume the whole house. Dazed, his ears ringing, Zaru could only sit there and stare as Inara limped to him, her eyes wide and amazed.

**AAAAAA**

Elias's eyes fluttered open.

"Wha… what happened?" he asked thickly.

"You're a very dangerous man," Caspian said with a small grin, "Remind me never to get on your bad side."

"What?" Elias said stupidly.

Caspian helped him sit up and the scientist stared dumbly at the destruction all around them. The scientist's machines were nothing more than twisted metal and exposed, the actual men themselves slumped across them, dead.

Elias felt a stab of grief and guilt at that but his eyes were immediately drawn to the station wall. The last thing he remembered was the light then the darkness breaking through the tear but now the wall was gone and all that was left was blackened crater, a terrible gouge that tore through the concrete and showed the hard rock on the other side.

"What…"

"You destroyed the tear," Jason grunted, "Damn near killed us all as well."

Klaus was on his back, his unseeing eyes staring up at the ceiling, a twisted piece of metal impaled through his chest.

"Uhh… sorry?" Elias said, still shell-shocked.

"Well," Caspian looked pensively at where the wall once stood, "At least it's all over."

Jason shook his head.

"Trust me Pretty Boy. It's never over," he looked at the wall as well, "The Great Darkness might be defeated here but there're other worlds. Other monsters we need to face."

He turned back to Caspian and Elias as the two men stared up at him, gaunt with exhaustion. The Seeker shrugged his shoulders.

"But that's for later. For now…" he gagged, coughing up inhaled dust, "Anybody up for a drink?"

**AAAAAA**

Author's notes: Longest chapter yet but hopefully it wasn't too boring!

Anyhow – remember I'm still looking for more and more questions to put into the Across the Worlds special – don't be shy! Ask! Ask! Ask!

And a question of mine own to your guys – is there any song/music that makes you think of Across the Worlds or any of the characters or vice-versa? It'll be interesting to see what you think!

And for the people confused over Inara's behaviour - here's your answer!


	41. Walk away

Sorry! Sorry it took so long to update but study is seriously killing me – SORRY!

Disclaimer: Too tired... read former...

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 41: Walk away**

It was a mess of a meal, plates of greasy bacon and eggs jostling for space with platters of sliced fruit and cheese sandwiches. Cakes sat beside meats, pudding resting next to kippers as cold milk tried to push bottles of beer and wine off the table. The room was rowdy, the conversations loud and it was exactly the way Susan wanted it to be.

"So Eustace…" the queen let out a long breath, "By the Mane… I didn't want Zaru to be right... I really didn't..."

"Oh yeah, he's got to the dark side," Inara said around a mouthful of chicken, "And he murdered his parents just to prove it."

Susan closed her eyes, she might not have liked her aunt and uncle but to be murdered with such brutality and by their own son… nobody deserved that. She knew she should've felt more, been more emotional but she was just too tired to even try.

All of them had stumbled back to Professor Kirk's house in drips and dregs, each group battered and weary to the bone. But none of them could sleep, the horrors and the adrenaline still pumping through mind and veins, keeping them awake. Polly had briskly taken control, rustling up a veritable feast and now they sat around the rough wood table, eating hungrily as conversation and banter (and alcohol) flowed freely.

It might have seemed callous to celebrate after so much had been lost. Sections of London were still burning, bodies were still being pulled from the wreckage and the lives lost to the darkness in the wardrobe… Susan didn't even want to think about what had happened to them. But as a queen she had lived through all this hundreds of times before. The aftermath of a battle was always bleak but to always dwell on the darkness and the loss, it would crush the strongest of souls.

They needed this. Needed some small glimmer of light amongst so much darkness and death. They needed something to cling onto, something to make them hope, to ease the long path ahead.

Susan was momentarily distracted as Zaru noisily crunched his way through a whole chicken, a look of utter ecstasy on his face.

"So you blew him up?" Susan stared at the leopard.

"He did it himself," Zaru said indignantly around a mouthful of food, "I barely got out alive!"

He stopped.

"Oh and Inara's got something to tell you," he added almost as an afterthought.

Susan blinked as a look of discomfort and fear flashed across Inara's face. The queen frowned, laser blue eyes penetrating her friend as Inara squirmed.

"Well… uhh…" the girl hedged, "Here's the thing… my powers? They're kinda… you know… gone."

She cringed.

"WHAT?!?"

Everyone turned and looked at Susan as she stared at Inara, flabbergasted. Zaru continued to feast, ignoring them.

"GONE? How?" she barked.

Inara shot her a withering look.

"Siobhan."

Susan stared at Inara in horror, thousands of thoughts racing through her head. Almost hesitantly she reached out and touched Inara's arm.

"Are… are you… are you okay?" Susan asked gently.

She could only imagine how much this must be hurting Inara. Ever since the world of Jin ShiZi and the Temple, ever since Inara had faced the darkness of the chamber and defeated the demons in her own life, she had welcomed her newfound powers with open arms and heart. It had strengthened her, given her a place in the world and a meaning to her existence. She had been a warrior – chosen, special and Inara had come to define herself as such, living by the code of the sword and the thrill of the fight. And to have all that ripped away… Susan shuddered as she thought how lost Peter had been and still was. She looked at her friend worry darkening her eyes.

Inara smiled gently.

"I'm fine," Inara was looking at the whole tableau of goggling faces, "Really!"

Elias's heart broke for her as he saw the fear and pain that lurked beneath her bravado. But he didn't call her out on it letting her keep her dignity. She didn't want to cry, didn't want to scream, she just wanted things to be as normal as possible.

"But… your powers," Elias said hesitantly, "What are you going to do without them?"

Inara shrugged with forced casualness. Jason watched her carefully, his teeth grinding together as his fingers twitched, longing to get his hands around Siobhan's neck.

"Train. Get some semblance of them back somehow," she saw Jason frowned, "Trust me! I am far from helpless. I mean come on! Me, all powerless and defenceless went up against some darkness-possessed, parent-killing, axe-wielding whack job! And who came out on top?"

"And who did all the work?" Zaru pointed out as Inara ignored him.

Inara looked at Peter and her next words seem directed at him only.

"Even without my powers… I am far from helpless."

And this was the Inara that Susan had come to admire. Defiant and strong, bull-headed and reckless, unwilling to break no matter what hardship came her way. And with sarcasm still intact. Susan felt somehow lighter, more buoyed at hearing the determination in her friend's voice. Inara did not let her loss drown her nor did she let it dominate her life and as Susan's eyes drifted to Caspian, she vowed to do exactly the same.

"Now tell me about this crazy superpower you pulled out," Inara said quickly eager to get all the attention away from her.

Peter was still looking at her, a new light in his once bleak eyes. She flashed him a smile and was relieved to a wan grin in reply.

Susan took a bite of apple and munched on it slowly, stalling for time as she herself tried to make sense of what had happened.

Viola had helped her no doubt… no, not only that she had _blessed _her. The mysterious woman's cryptic words came in to her head once more.

'_You shall meet three gods on your journeys and you will be blessed… thrice-blessed.'_

Was Viola a god? But how? And why would she help her? Whatever the reason, Susan couldn't help but feel comforted that there was someone on their side, someone who wanted to help them defeat the darkness that stretched across the worlds.

"It's complicated," Susan began.

"Complicated," Daniel said in a clipped voice, "Of course."

Now that the danger had passed Daniel Pevensie had seemed to recover his equilibrium somewhat. From the veiled hints he had dropped before, he wanted his two children to stop the insanity and just return home. Susan eyed the determination on his face and felt a deep sense of unease as she realised a confrontation was brewing.

"I…" Susan took a deep breath and in a fast hushed voice, she told them about her meeting with Viola at the fair and the fortune-telling she had done, carefully omitting and editing the parts about Caspian's curse and her being thrice-blessed. Lying with an ease that made her realise just how much she had absorbed from Inara, Susan finished her tale.

"WHAT?!?" Zaru snarled furious, "AND YOU TRUSTED HER?!?"

"She helped us destroy the darkness," Susan pointed out.

"Lulling us into false sense of security," Jason shot back, his protective streak flaring.

Susan sighed, knowing there was no way she could win. She held up her hand as Jason and Zaru heatedly opened their mouths again.

"Look, we just don't know. She helped us but I'm not stupid enough to believe we can trust her entirely. So if we meet her again, we'll be on guard okay?" she asked, her last word very sharp.

Jason and Zaru glowered but fell silent. Polly Plummer couldn't help but admire the delicate but firm way that Susan dealt with her troops.

"Fascinating," Elias breathed, "Gods. As in multiple of them. A whole pantheon. I wonder if they only exist in their own individual worlds or they somehow have a co-existence that stretches across the multi-verse."

Professor Kirk and Elias exchanged wild-eyed, excited glances as though they were children at Christmas as everyone hid smiles or shook their head in exasperation.

AAAAAA

Unbeknownst to Susan, Caspian was occasionally glancing at her from the corner of his eyes as he had done every time he'd been around her.

'_Why do you torture yourself?' _he silently cursed.

He felt alien. Some thing infinitely precious had died in him, scooped out and removed with surgical precision. Looking at Susan, Caspian was acutely aware that something was horribly wrong. He felt hollow, only half-living and so very numb. He knew logically and clinically that he should love her, long for her touch and worship her but emotionally there was nothing there, he didn't love her, he didn't hate her… he simply felt nothing. She was like a stranger, irrelevant.

But there were other times, times when his skin would crawl with revulsion. When looking at her was the worst torture imaginable. He would feel vomit crawl up his throat as his stomach clenched, cold sweat would drip on fevered skin and he would do anything, give up anything to tear her away from him.

He hated those times, hated feeling physically ill from just being around her. So usually he just prayed for the numbness, prayed for the hole in his heart and soul.

Caspian clenched his fists as he remembered with sickening clarity when Siobhan's curse had struck him and rendered him into this half-man he now was. All the fire and passion that had raged inside of him for Susan had been quenched in that horrific second. Black hate flowed through him as Caspian's eyes flashed. He wanted to scream and rage sometimes, especially as he hurt his once-lover and felt nothing even as he could see her heart break. He wanted it all back. But Caspian was scared, deathly afraid of that deeper part of him that honestly didn't care.

Was he doomed to live like this forever? Caught between memories and a curse? Longing yet hating? Indifferent yet still caring? Caspian wasn't sure he wanted the answer.

And there was something else as well, something that lurked deep beneath him, curled at the very darkest base of his soul like a venomous serpent. There was a monster inside of him, a beast that wanted to lunge out and tear Susan apart. Every time he was around her, Caspian was acutely aware of his loss and the pain and the guilt that came with it. That hideous part of him hated her for it, loathed her with an intensity that shook him to his very core. He literally had to bite on his tongue sometimes to stop barbs being flung from his mouth.

He was torn, torn between indifference, guilt, revulsion and hatred, unable to sleep, unable to think. And as if it was a cruel joke from Tash himself, he still had the memories. Memories of a time he loved her, memories of a time he would die for her and all that they shared. Memories of that one night in Persephone when her lips was on his bare skin, the beauty of her body, the heat and the friction and the –

Caspian stopped, suddenly aware that his hand was wrapped white-knuckled around a knife. Slowly, very slowly he put it down and willed the coldness and the indifference to come and save him.

He laughed at the bitter irony of those words.

"So now what?" Polly was saying as Caspian snapped back to reality.

Susan reached for the pouch around her neck and pulled it open. The ring inside was glowing, pulsing with yellow light.

"We leave," Susan said softly, "And go onto the next world and the world after that. As many as it takes."

Daniel's eyes flashed at that but he held his tongue.

"But after a good nights sleep right?" Zaru asked hopefully, "Plllleeeeasseee?"

He easily stretched the word into at least eight syllables. Susan laughed.

"After some rest," she promised as Zaru brightened.

She looked around at her family and friends and couldn't help the smile that crept across her face.

"I think we could all do with some sleep."

AAAAAA

"SHINK!"

Jason's dagger sliced through the air, a flash of silver in the darkness as the Seeker shot up in his bed, a cry on his lips.

"Silence."

His jaws snapped shut, glued together as Jason's eyes bulged. The Seeker instantly shoved one hand forwards, power spilling from his fingers but it passed harmlessly through the figure before him.

"Stop that," the young boy growled.

Jason's body instantly froze, every nerve and muscle paralysed, held spellbound by a power that was tore through his defences like a blade through paper. The boy leaned forwards and Jason found himself staring into a pair of eyes that burned into his soul. The boy, grey haired and grey eyes, laughed and Jason's skin crawled, revulsion rising in his throat, as he found himself staring into a pair of eyes that impossibly seemed to hold a thousand smaller eyes, each of them fixing him with their intense eerie gaze.

The boy smiled, bearing even white teeth, and said one word.

"Yolanda."

And Jason's face and eyes were instantly drained off all emotions. Jerkily he pulled the sheets from his body and slowly got up, his movements wooden and clumsy. The boy watched, smirking as Jason pulled on his jacket and hat and walked out of the door. Elias and Caspian, fast asleep on their pallets, unaware of his exit.

Guided by the dim light in the hallways and by the dark force that now gripped him, Jason walked down the stairs, padding silently across the hallway. The light was on in the kitchen, harsh voices and heated words drifting through the door but Jason ignored them, his eyes staring blankly ahead as the boy sat on the landing of the stairs, knee to chest, watching him go.

Stiffly and awkwardly like a marionette pulled by a child, Jason opened the front door and stepped into the night. A satisfied smirk spread across the boy's pink lips and he faded into nothing as the door closed silently behind the Seeker, everybody in the house still unaware he had even left.

Outside Jason stumbled through the night, his eyes and mind blank except for the one thought looping endlessly inside his head.

"Viola… kill… kill Viola…"

AAAAAA

Susan saw the bags under Peter's eyes and felt exhausted as he looked. Sighing, she ran a hand through her ragged, knotted hair and turned to face her father once more.

"Why not?" Daniel demanded, "Why can't you come home?"

"Because…" Susan threw up her hands in disgust, "PETER!"

"Because there's things we still have to do. Ed and Lu are still out there and Aslan and Narn – " Peter began wearily, his voice hoarse from the marathon screaming match they were having with their father.

"I will go then," Daniel cut in, eyes flashing, every inch the army lieutenant that demanded obedience from his men, "You two are children. This Aslan… thing can't seriously expect you to deal with all of this."

"We have been dealing with all of this for a long time now," Susan snapped, "And who destroyed the darkness from the wardrobe? That's right. Me."

She fixed her father with an icy gaze and Daniel visibly flinched. He looked at the two before him and with a sinking feeling, he began to realise he was no longer dealing with two children.

He had seen flashes before. After the war when he had returned home, he had been surprised to see how much his children had grown up. They moved through life and the restoration of a broken nation with a grace and dignity and strength that put some of the men he served with to shame. And yesterday in the face of the destruction of their world, he'd seen his oldest daughter, who before her disappearance he had despaired of her making anything of her life having watched her flit mindlessly between boys and clothes, take control of the whole situation with a calmness and authority befitting of a general.

Now they faced him, offspring to father, flinty and unyielding, demanding their own way, not out of the pettiness or the misguided self-righteousness of youth but with the finality and assurance of adults.

Daniel felt a bittersweet sense of loss as he suddenly realised his children no longer needed him and probably haven't for a very long time.

"Dad, we need to do this. We were chosen," Peter said softly.

Daniel felt a reckless desperation seize his thoughts.

"But what about you?" he demanded whirling on Peter, "You're injured! You can't go on! You're helpless like this!"

Peter flinched, hurt splashing across his face as his father spoke the very words that haunted his every waking moment and sleep. The familiar feeling of despair swamped him but the fire in Inara's eyes and the words she had spoken flashed in his mind and his resolve strengthened. He straightened in his chair, eyes burning.

"It doesn't matter," he said, heat in his hushed voice, "I can't give up. If I do… the darkness would've won."

Daniel looked at him and the words died in his mouth as a deep sense of pride and loss shook his world. He looked at his daughter, saw the unflinching look on her face and Daniel knew he had already lost.

So he did what any parent would do. He let them go.

"Please," he said hoarsely, "Promise me one thing… you'll come back."

Peter and Susan glanced at each other, a silent message passing between the two. It was Peter who spoke, his face grim and sad.

"We'll try."

AAAAAA

"And who comes at this late hour for a reading?" Viola looked up from her crystal ball as Jason stepped into her tent.

His eyes glazed, his motions still jerky and wooden, the Seeker pointed at her. His mouth opened and the voice that spilled from his lips were not his own.

"You die," the voice rumbled, low and horrible.

White fire lashed out, the crystal splitting in two as the power sliced neatly through it. Viola rolled her eyes and held up her hands even as death flew at her. The power stopped in mid-air, burning and quivering, frozen in time and place as the fortune-teller stood up, purple cat-like eyes flashing.

"You overstep yourself, little one," she hissed, the first trace of anger entering her voice as a wild wind swept the inside of the tent.

She swiped the air with her hands and the power faded into nothing as Jason blinked and stared at her, expressionless.

"Why do you meddle in my affairs?" the voice hissed, low and dangerous, rage trembling in each word.

Darkness seemed to seep into the room like smoke, slow and insidious until it had swallowed up the whole tent, leaving only the two of them standing on an infinite plane of oblivion.

"You destroyed my world and displaced me from my home and you dare ask such questions?" Viola demanded haughtily, her voice echoing in the darkness, "Stupidity is very unbecoming."

"You know better than to cross me!!" the voice hurled at her.

Jason's jaws moved up and down, out of synch with the words spilling from his lips like a very poor puppet. From out of the darkness, threads of shadows like the ones that had spewed from the wardrobe shot forwards, shrieking as they stabbed at the woman before them. Viola blinked and a wall of shimmering purple fire erupted at her feet, searing the threads into cinders. Viola's lips curled as the thing inside Jason howled with rage.

"I am a goddess," Viola said, magnificently contemptuous, "What are you?"

"I AM GOD!!!" the voice roared as the darkness quaked with the force of its fury.

Viola laughed, high and taunting. Darkness flew at her like bats from a cave but the woman merely blinked, purple eyes flashing and they vanished from her, wiped out of existence.

"You are a fraud," she spat, "I know what you are, Great Darkness. I have seen your origins. You were nothing but a boy once and at heart you are still nothing but a boy."

"Of course, your famous 'sight'," the voice cursed as Jason's mouth moved awkwardly, "Do they see your final doom?!"

The last words were hurled at her, a weapon and a threat as the darkness seemed to thicken, pressing down on them with crushing force. But Viola remained unbroken.

"Of course," Viola casually flicked a lock of dark hair from her face, displaying her utter lack of fear, "All things have a beginning and all things have an end, even an abomination like you. That I have foreseen."

Jason's hand swung up, power dancing dangerously between his fingertips.

"You say dangerous words," the voice hissed.

"And you play dangerous games," Viola countered.

Her voice took on the lecturing tone of a teacher to a student.

"There are rules. We can only interfere with the lives of mortals when there is a need and when it is pre-ordained. Your schemes fly in the face of all that. Even we must bow down to forces beyond our imagination and they suffer no treachery. Do not think your games and your ploys have not gone unnoticed, even as we speak the worlds are moving to correct all that you have wrought."

"I am saving the worlds!" the darkness growled, the world trembling with its words, "HOW DARE YOU QUESTION ME!?!"

Viola's lips curled in a very cold smile.

"That's what you say."

She gathered her shawls around her before pointing a warning finger at Jason and the darkness that filled him.

"Beware," she smirked, "The dangerous game you play have great rewards but just as many painful deaths."

The darkness roared and power leapt from Jason's hand in a hot, overwhelming wave. The power sliced through the darkness and through Viola's defence, cutting her neatly in two as the thing inside Jason cackled in glee.

Its laughter abruptly stopped as Viola's body continued to stand before it, a gashing wound through her gut but there was no blood and no pain on her face. She merely smiled and waved and like a paper being scrunched up, her body folded and winked out existence.

"I have already moved on," Viola's voice whispered into the darkness, "See you in another world little one."

There was a pinprick of light where she had stood, unblinking and unwavering. Jason's eyes widened as the light flared and like the explosion that gives birth to the stars, the infinitely small ball of light went nova, light in brilliant skeins of glaringly bright lavender and the deepest of mauves ripping through the shadows. The black world shook and was ruptured in two as the shadows faded and the tent returned once more. But Jason was now standing alone, the chair and table in front of him empty except for the smoking shattered remains of a crystal ball. The darkness roared in fury, lashing out, power shooting out of Jason's hands. The tent was set alight, blazing as the Great Darkness's vengeful screams echoed far and wide into the night.

AAAAAA

Peter stood at the window, watching as dark smoke billowed into the sky as sections of London still smouldered. The news reports had been frantic, experts and military authorities desperately trying to explain what had happened even as they themselves tried to puzzle it all out. Peter smiled bitterly as he wondered what they would say if he told them the truth.

His forearms and hands, a patchwork of pale, reddened and blackening skin, prominent black veins bulging under the skin convulsed, pulses of pain shooting through him as Peter gritted his teeth, biting back a cry as he turned away from the window.

"So do you know what world you'll end up in?" Professor Kirk asked interested.

He and Polly shared a knowing look and a smile as they remembered their own adventure with the rings and the Woods between the Worlds.

Elias shook his head.

Footsteps resounded on the stairs as Jason descended, his hair a mess, his eyes still foggy with sleep. He let out a loud yawn and absently scratched his stomach as he reached the final step.

"Sleep well?" Caspian asked mockingly.

"Quiet, Pretty Boy," Jason muttered.

"Aww… who's a grumpy boy? Who's a grumpy boy?" Inara cooed like a child to a puppy.

Jason shot her a glare that promised slow bloody death but Inara merely smirked as she lavishly buttered her toast. Zaru grinned from around a mouthful of kippers as Susan rolled her eyes at his atrocious table manners.

Daniel was quiet, silently sipping his tea as his eyes flickered between his two children, his guts clenching as he realised he had to say goodbye to them and let them walking into danger as he stood helplessly aside. The tea tasted like acid in his mouth and he quickly spat it back out.

"Peter. Eat," Susan commanded, her eyes darting to her brother.

Peter sighed and sat down, reaching for a slice of toast as Susan watched him, hawk-eyed.

"Are you going to keep doing that?" Peter asked, annoyed, "I can feed my –"

"INARA!!"

Glass shattered as Caspian threw himself at Inara, tackling her to the ground as everyone jumped back. An arrow thudded into the wall, embedding itself into the spot where Inara's head had just been, feathers quivering. The girl and the king tumbled to the ground as Zaru and Jason were already in motion, charging for the front door. They burst out into the misty morning light and the leopard sniffed the air, eyes darting from place to place.

He stopped, hackles raised.

"Gone," Zaru spat as Jason cursed and sheathed his daggers.

Slowly they turned and went back into the house.

Susan was walking cautiously up to the arrow, her sharp eye picking out something unusual with the shaft. She sucked in a sharp breath as she realised there was a piece of paper wrapped and tied around the arrow.

Gingerly she picked the knot apart as Inara and Caspian slowly climbed to their feet, Inara shaky and pale.

"Damn," she tried a smile, "That was close."

"It was," Caspian's dark eyes were trained on the arrow.

"Remind me to save your life some other time," Inara breathed.

Caspian laughed and nodded as Susan unrolled the parchment. She took one look at it and instantly let out a cry of shock, the thin slip fluttering from her fingers to the ground.

She staggered back, face pale as Elias instantly surged towards her.

"What is it?" the scientist asked.

Susan gestured wordlessly to the paper, trembling. Frowning Elias picked it up and read it, his eyes instantly widened as the breath voided his lungs.

"Doc? You wanna inform everyone?" Inara asked.

Elias looked up at her, his face very grim.

"I have your mother," he read, "Go home. Bring the rings."

A stunned silence fell over the room as everyone gaped at Elias. It was Daniel who finally spoke, his hushed words promising blood and vengeance.

"Helen."

And it was Zaru who made it much, much worse, sniffing the note gently.

"Eustace."

And Susan's eyes flared.

AAAAAA

It was a ragtag group that swept up one of the streets of East Finchley. Metal gleamed in the sun as they marched up the asphalt, buildings lying broken and burning on either side of the road. Most astonishing of all, a leopard loped tirelessly ahead of the band, ears twitching as he surveyed the scene.

"Clear," he growled back lowly.

Thoughts ran through his head, memories of his battle with Eustace. How had he survived the fire?! But there were other thoughts as well, Zaru remembering the jumbled scents the boy had emitted – anger and hate and lust mingling with pain and hurt and disgust. It was like two people had inhabited Eustace's skin – murderer and prey, both impossible to separate from the other.

Who was Eustace? Who was he really? Monster or victim?

Zaru sighed and continued to scout the way, leading them onwards.

With her hair plaited, coiled and pinned to her head, bow in hand and a fat quiver of arrows slung across her back, Susan was every inch the warrior queen, an image made all the more real by the grim look on her face. Her sceptre was also thrust through a sheath on her back, the blue crystals flickering with light.

Her blue eyes, hard and unforgiving, was fixed on a house in front of them, her heart clenching as she saw the brick and mortar building that had been her home for so many years. And now it would be a battlefield.

As always Jason, Inara, Elias and Zaru were around her and Susan smiled as she realised how much she had come to trust and rely on them. They were more then just comrades in battle or even just friends, to Susan they were as close as blood and she would do anything for them just as she instinctively knew they were do anything for her.

Jason was clad in his usual non-descript brown pants, his jacket flapping at his feet as his fedora shaded his battered face. His dagger hilts jutted out from the sheaths at his hips and even though the Seeker seemed relaxed, Susan could still tell the telltale tension in his body and eyes.

Elias had his bag at his side, bulging with fire orbs and smoke bombs and other contraceptions he had cooked up in Persephone with the help of CASS. The man was still a scientist at heart and fighting was still a shock to him but for the sake of those he cared for and loved, Elias would do whatever was necessary and for that Susan was eternally grateful.

Inara's stride was long and even, her face and body betraying no fear or anxiousness even though she was powerless and completely unarmed. The green ring sparkled on her finger. Inara glanced at her and they both nodded at each other, grimly accepting what had to be done. They were close, bonded in the heat of battle and the numerous cool nights in strange worlds where they'll stay up, gossiping and giggling like schoolgirls as Zaru snored noisily in the corner. Susan just prayed they would all get through this alive.

"Susan," Caspian's words were crisp and professional, impersonal, betraying no feelings.

They were there, standing right in the front of the house as the front door swung open and Eustace stepped out, a twisted hateful look on his face, an expression that Susan had sadly seen thousands of times before..

"Eustace," Peter spat as his father bristled beside him.

"Hello, cousin," Eustace's grin was like a viper's, "Or should I say Useless One? Isn't it ironic? Golden Boy Peter, the best at everything now nothing more than a cripp –"

"Where's my mother?" Peter cut in, unflinching.

Eustace's smile fell but he quickly recovered, his completely black eyes flashing.

"Inside," he passed an eye over all of their weapons and sneered, "Guarded. You make one move and she'll bleed all over the new carpet."

"Bastard!" Daniel spat, furiously at him.

Zaru was quiet, tasting the air and once again sensing the jarring clash of hate and fear, of arrogance and shame, exhilaration and guilt. His eyes narrowed as Eustace sneered, the edges of his lips dropping every so slightly.

"Uncle," Eustace merely nodded, he looked to Susan, "So, you have the rings?"

Wordlessly Inara showed him the green ring, which was now adorning her middle finger. Susan merely touched the pouch around her neck.

"Good," Eustace stepped aside, "Ladies first then."

"WHAT?!" Zaru thundered, rage flashing across his golden face.

Hate flared in Eustace's eyes as he saw the leopard but one glance at the rings made his eyes freeze. A haughty look came over his face.

"Look, we can skip the unnecessary screaming. You are doing what I say or Aunt Helen loses a head," Eustace snapped, "By the way Susan I'd appreciate it if you lose your weapons."

"Susan, you can't – " Daniel began.

Wordlessly Susan passed her bow and arrows and her sceptre to Jason before with Inara at her side, the two of them mounted the stairs and entered the house. Zaru hissed violently, his tail twitching but he let them go. Eustace turned and smirked at the men left standing outside, their faces contorted into stony scowls.

"See you in a bit," Eustace jeered as he turned and walked into the house, slamming the door shut behind him, "By the way... kill the cat!"

The men stepped forwards and stopped as a wild wind whipped down the street. Ill-Winds emerged, darkness surfacing from light. They braced themselves, eyes flashing as the demons whirled and charged at them as one.

AAAAAA

Susan stepped into the kitchen and sucked in her breath as she saw her mother strapped helplessly down into a chair. Helen Pevensie gaped in horror as she saw her oldest daughter step into the room.

"Susan!" Helen breathed, one side of her face a giant livid bruise, "Get away from here! Eustace… he's a madman!"

"Oh shucks, Auntie," Eustace said blithely emerging behind Inara and Susan, "You flatter me."

He turned to his cousin and Susan, his smile satisfied, eyes glittering with malice. Susan's fists clenched as she longed to sink her fist into his face and break his toothy grin into shattered stumps. He was a vindictive little twerp, nasty and spiteful and now he with all the powers of the Great Darkness had her family in his sights, He held a grudge against her and Inara, against Peter for petty childhood offences and against Zaru. A stab of fear ran through her as she thought of her family fighting for their lives just outside but the knowledge they could handle it allowed her to keep her calm.

"Sit," he commanded imperiously nodding to the other chairs in the kitchen.

With dignified grace, Susan crossed the kitchen and sat carefully into one of the chairs as Helen stared at her.

"Susan… what are you doing? Run! Run!" she screamed at her daughter.

Susan tried to be cold but her words tore her apart. She tried to smile at her mother.

"Don't worry mum," Susan said quietly, "I'll handle this."

Inara pulled up a chair across from Susan as Eustace took a seat as well.  
"Now isn't this nice and cosy?" Eustace sneered looking around the table, "We'll need some drinks."

He snapped his fingers and Inara gasped as an Ill-Wind flittered through the kitchen door. Helen merely whimpered, shrinking away from the demon. Eustace's smile widened as the Ill-Wind floated towards him and waited.

"Get us some cups," he commanded with careful casualness.

The Ill-Wind seemed to bow towards him before floating off, its long cold fingers deftly opening up a cupboard and extracting the cups from them as a kettle on the stove began to whistle noisily. The Ill-Wind deposited the cups onto the table, its lone red eye gazing hungrily at Susan before it turned and went to attend to the whistling kettle.

"A domesticated demon," Inara said blithely, "Now I have seen it all."

"Well, we can't have a negotiation without food can we?" Eustace asked, smirking.

"Oh, is that what you call a hostage situation?" Susan snapped.

Helen was staring at all three of them, her eyes bulging as she realised her daughter had walked willingly into the lion's den.

"Susan…" she began.

Susan glanced at her, blue eyes warning her not to speak.

"The rings," Eustace said as the Ill-Wind deposited a steaming teapot onto the table, "Now…"

"Just out of curiosity how did you survive the explosion?" Susan asked ignoring him.

Eustace's smile was a cruel lift of his lips. He deftly poured out cups of tea for everyone, even the bound up Helen and slid them across the table.

"The Great Darkness has given me powers beyond your imagination," he boasted.

"Oh and did it also give you that incredibly bad Bond villain impersonation?" Inara asked politely, sipping her tea.

Eustace flushed as Helen flinched, having faced the brunt of his anger before.

"I can have you killed on the spot," he growled, his dark eyes darting towards the Ill-Wind.

"I think not," Inara said enunciating each word with relish.

She leaned back into her chair, a smirk dancing across her lips, daring Eustace to question her. Susan couldn't help but admire Inara's ability to remain completely calm even though she knew deep down inside the once warrior was terrified.

"What makes you so sure?" Eustace hissed.

"Is it hot in here?" Inara asked casually, shrugging her jacket off, "Or is it the crazy amount of explosives I'm wearing?"

Eustace recoiled, his eyes wide as Inara pulled off her jacket revealing the complex vest she wore beneath. Blinking lights and brightly coloured wires was pinned to the girl's clothing, small metal orbs dangling from the vest. Inara's smile was victorious and as cold as tundra.

"Doc fixed this up. And let me say this, that man knows his deadly explosives," Inara smirked, "You make one move I don't like, I'm blowing us all up to kingdom come."

Eustace's face was white, green tinging the edges of his lips. Helen blanched, her body trembling as Susan watched the confrontation completely expressionless.

"You wouldn't dare!" Eustace breathed.

Susan could Inara was terrified but the girl was an expert at hiding her true feelings.

"And miss the chance to wipe that arrogant smirk off your face?" Inara smiled, "Try me."

"This is what's going to happen," Susan said calmly, cutting in as Eustace sat, stunned.

The Ill-Wind hovered in the corner, red eye staring blankly ahead as Eustace turned to face the queen, still completely flabbergasted.

"You're letting us go. We're going to walk out of here with my mum. Once she's safe, we're going to come back here. You want a fight?" Susan hissed, allowing her true hatred leak into hervoice, "I'll give you a fight."

Eustace's fist slammed into the table, wood cracking under his blow. The boy flushed, his lips curled back into a snarl as his scheme crumbled all around him.

"No. No. No," Eustace was shaking his head violently, "NO! How?! How did this –"

"You always hated girls," Susan said flatly, "You always loved to tease me and Lu. We knew you'd single out Inara and I. We also knew you'd under-estimate Inara because she's powerless. You're too arrogant and stupid to think we'd outsmart you."

She smiled coldly as Eustace stared at her, face white.

"You will not leave this room alive," he hissed finally.

"You're too much of a coward to test me," Inara taunted as lights continued to blink on her explosive vest, "You are going to let us go."

"You wouldn't kill yourself!" Eustace snarled, eyes flashing, "The rings would be destroyed with you! My master would win!"

He smiled triumphantly at them but Inara merely chuckled. Helen was looking at the three of them, completely confused. Susan ignored the fear in her eyes, the questions and froze her emotions, she needed steady nerves to get through this.  
"If you honestly think we have the rings with us. You're an idiot," Susan snapped.

Inara wriggled her finger at him.

"It's a fake," she said helpfully, "Even if we die, there are people outside ready to take up the fight. So, let me repeat myself. You are going to let us go."

Eustace's eyes bulged as he looked between the two women, their eyes stone hard and utterly cold.

"NO! NEVER!!!" Eustace screamed whirling on Susan, "You bitch! You did this to me! You and your stupid family!"

The boy shot up in his chair, demented with rage as Helen recoiled, a look of terror stretched across her face as Eustace screamed wordlessly at them.

"I was taken because of your stupid brother and sister! I was tortured and humiliated and…" Eustace stopped himself, his face red, "Everything I went through! It was your family's fault. I swore revenge! I will get my revenge!"

Susan wept for him. She never meant for this to happen. She didn't want to fight her own family regardless of how much she disliked him. But again fate couldn't care less about her feelings. She forced fire into her voice.

"By working for the darkness that tortured you?" Susan demanded scornfully.

"It made me stronger. Stronger than everyone! Stronger so I never have to hurt again!" Eustace screamed, completely hysterical, "Strong enough to carry out my justice! Your family must pay! You must DIE!!!"

Throwing himself across the table, he lunged at Susan, hands outstretched.

"SUSAN!!!" Helen screamed desperately.

Susan instantly threw herself back, her chair leaning back on two legs before crashing to the ground as she went down with it. Eustace hit the table's edge and stumbled, smacking onto the tabletop as Susan rolled to her feet.

"ILL-WIND!!!" Eustace roared.

A wild wind blasted the kitchen, the door and the shutters over the windows slamming shut, sealed into place by the veritable tornado that tore around the edges of the room.

"Get my mum!!" Susan yelled at Inara.

Inara was instantly by Helen's side pulling at the knots as Eustace heaved himself off the table and landed lightly on his feet, facing Susan.

The Ill-Wind swept forwards, howling as the hurricane force winds continued to whirl around the room, all of them standing in the eye of a crazed storm.

"No! Stay back!" Eustace roared at the demon, "She's mine!"

He charged at Susan as Helen screamed but the queen was quicker, her hand shooting out. Viciously she drove the palm of her hand into Eustace's nose, bone and cartilage crunching violently together as Eustace screamed. He staggered to the side, blood gushing from his broken nose as Susan reached pulled up the leg of her trousers and from a hidden sheath, pulled out a silvery dagger.

"Not checking for weapons Eustace," Susan snarled, "Very sloppy."

Eustace slammed his fist into the stove, making a good size dent into the solid metal.

"Kill the other two!" Eustace barked at the Ill-Wind, one hand clapped to his bloody nose, "She's mine!"

The Ill-Wind's three mouths slobbered as it whirled on Helen and Inara. Inara cursed and with a vicious tug, undid the very last knot. Helen slid boneless to the ground as Inara faced the demon alone. It howled at her, claws slashing the air.

"I hope this works!" Inara yelled over the piercing wail of the winds.

She reached for her vest and yanked one of the orbs from its wirings. The silver ball sparked, turning red-hot in Inara's hand as fighting the urge to close her eyes, she hurled it straight at the incoming demon.

"DOWN!"  
She literally threw herself on top of Helen, knocking her down and the tipping the table on its side, a fragile shield as demon and orb collided. The table was blown to smithereens as across the kitchen Susan and Eustace were slammed into the wall by exploding orb, fire devouring the Ill-Wind. The demon shrieked, flames tearing through its ghostly body as Inara and Helen stirred in the smoking wreckage of the dining table.

With a final angry howl, the Ill-Wind was torn apart into thousands of smoky wisps as the storm in the room faded away.

"GO!" Susan yelled at Inara at she whirled back to Eustace.

Inara instantly obeyed, grabbing an unsteady Helen off the floor and physically dragging her across the kitchen before shouldering her way through the door and into a war zone.

Inara stopped, gaping as Caspian charged past her, sword raised. An Ill-Wind screeched in agony as the king neatly severed its arm, black smoke belching from the wound.

White fire flashed and an Ill-Wind was sent flying backwards as Zaru sailed through the air, caught helpless in the vortex of a storm.

Gunfire blazed, orbs exploded and from everywhere, stabbing her in the ears, came the screech of the Ill-Winds.

"What is all this?" Helen whimpered, "What's going on!?"

"Trust me, you really don't want to know," Inara muttered, "COWBOY!! SHAGGY!"

Caspian and Jason whirled from their battles, their eyes widening as they saw Inara with a shaky Helen leaning on her shoulders. The Ill-Winds whirled, eyes blazing at a new target and with a synchronised howl they rushed forwards.

Inara screamed as Helen clung to her, almost fainting as Jason and Caspian both leapt forwards. The Seeker's hand flew out and white-hot power lashed out slicing through the pack of Ill-Winds as Caspian charged fearlessly into the chaos and dragged Inara and Helen free.

"DANIEL!" Helen breathed as her husband appeared at her side, his eyes wild, "Susan… she's…"

Daniel crushed his lips to hers, his arms wrapping tightly around her as Peter hung back, a relieved look on his face.

"Guys!!" Zaru barked, leaping through the air as an Ill-Wind sliced at him.

"Where's princess?!" Jason roared, stabbing an Ill-Wind in the eye.

"In there!" Inara jabbed at finger at the kitchen door, "With Eustace!"

Zaru was already off, dodging winds and claws as he slid into the kitchen. Elias fired an orb, the explosion blowing one of the walls apart as two Ill-Winds died in a blaze of blue.

"Hey!" Daniel barked.

"Sorry!" Elias yelped.

Elias, Jason, Caspian and Daniel formed a tight ring around Inara, Peter and Helen as the Ill-Winds swooped at them, shrieking as the battle raged on.

AAAAAA

Susan crashed into a chair, the furniture splintering under her weight as Eustace cracked his knuckles dangerously. The queen heaved herself to her feet, battered and bloodied as Eustace laughed wildly before lunging at her.

Susan ducked his swings and slashed with her dagger, slicing into his belly before firing another open-palm blow into his chest knocking him back. Roaring with rage and fury, Eustace hurled one of the chairs at her forcing her to duck for cover.

"I will kill you," Eustace vowed, eyes glittering dangerously.

"Yes, I got the message the first few times you said it," Susan spat back.

Eustace took a dangerous step towards her but the kitchen door burst open as a roaring blur of golden and ochre fur slammed into the boy. Eustace went down, screaming as Zaru slashed and bit at him, curved claws ripping bloody furrows into the boy.

Eustace kicked the leopard off him and staggered to his feet, blood dripping down his face and arms as Zaru landed on his feet, hissing and spitting.

Eustace glared at him, his face a mask of manic rage. He lunged, swatting the leopard out of the way. Susan was taken completely by surprise as Eustace surged forwards, knocking her dagger from her hands and grabbing her by the head.

"STOP!!" Eustace screamed at Zaru as the cat struggled to his feet.

The leopard froze, his eyes wide as Eustace grinned at him,

"Watch her die!" he snarled, readying to twist and snap her neck like a twig.

"Why are you doing this?" Zaru asked, voice low and soothing, "I can tell you don't really want to do this. You're scared. You're terrified. You're not a murderer."

Susan's eyes widened as Eustace trembled.

"What are you talking about?!" the boy demanded, eyes bulging, "I am a monster! I murdered my parents! And I'm going to murder Susan right before your e–"

"You're scared of the Great Darkness," Zaru continued lowly, completely unafraid, "You're not a monster... you're just a boy."

Zaru padded forwards, Eustace watching him, his eyes wide and scared.

"We can help you," the leopard said gently as Susan hardly dared to breath, caught in Eustace's grip, slowly one of her hands crept down, the queen moving ever so slowly.

"How?" Eustace's voice came out like a sob, "HOW?!"

"We can protect you. We can get you away from the Great Darkness," Zaru smiled, "All you have to do is let us in. Let us help you."

Eustace stared at him for the longest time, every muscle in him paralysed. Suddenly he laughed, madness tainting every sound.

"You think you can help me?!" Eustace wept and shrieked with laughter all at the same time, "You have no idea who you're fighting against! The Great Darkness is more powerful than anything you can possibly imagine!!"

The thin veneer of control cracked and madness boiled to the surface, Eustace's face twitching wildly as his eyes became unfocused, the boy completely unstuck.

"He's greater than GOD!!!" he shrieked, "GREATER THAN DEATH AND LIFE!!! HE SEES ALL! HE KNOWS ALL!!!"

Susan yelped as he tightened his grip, Zaru roaring as nails bit into flesh.

"I'm a good servant," Eustace babbled, "Good servant! I will not fail you master!! Look master!!! I WILL NOT FAIL YOU!!!"  
"NOOOOOO!!!"  
Zaru surged forwards as Eustace made to snap Susan's neck in two.

"BOOM!"  
An explosion rang out, hammering through the walls and Eustace stumbled. In that split second of distraction Susan ripped herself out of his grasp, spinning around, her dagger flashing out.

Eustace's eyes bulged, Susan's hands slick with his blood as she stared into his eyes. He fell, Susan's dagger in his chest as the queen trembled.

Zaru was instantly by her side, grey-blue eyes scanning her battered form as Susan smiled wearily at him.

"I'm fine," she murmured.

She limped over to Eustace's body and very gently closed his still-opened eyes. Then noisily she began to pull the dagger from his chest, grimacing as with a wet squelch she finally yanked it free. Zaru winced, his eyes sorrowful as he looked at the boy's tiny body, young and vulnerable and pitiable in death. Fury flowed through him as he stared at another of the Great Darkness's puppet, twisted and mangled, used up and broken.

Zaru gritted his teeth and vowed bloody revenge.

"Eustace..."

Gingerly she reached forwards and with the tenderness of a mother, she smoothed the hair from his bloody serene face, tears in her eyes.

"I forgive you."

AAAAAA

Caspian's back slammed into the wall and a great crack zigzagged through the plaster, reaching the ceiling and zipping across as the king steadied himself before pushing off, slicing the Ill-Wind in half before plunging his sword from its lone eye.

The whole house swayed dangerously, whole walls rendered to mere lumps of bricks as the Ill-Winds threw themselves at their enemy once more.

"We need to get out of here!" Peter yelled, "The house can't take much more!"

"We have to wait for Susan!" Inara snapped back, "She's still – "

She stopped as the kitchen door swung open as Susan limped out, Zaru by her side. Peter saw her as well as Helen let out a cry of relief.

"CASPIAN! DAD!" Peter roared, "We need to leave!"

As if to prove the point, a chunk of plaster fell from the ceiling as more cracks appeared, pulling the remaining walls apart.

Daniel's eyes widened.

"RUN!!" he bellowed with a voice honed on a battlefield that resounded with the world-shaking explosions of bombs, "THE WHOLE HOUSE IS GOING TO FALL DOWN!"

Jason threw out his hands throwing the Ill-Winds back as one of the inner walls crumbled, sparks flying through the air as wiring was sheared apart.

The nauseating stench of gas rolled into the living room from the kitchen as Elias hastily stowed his crossbow away.

"Come on!" the scientist urged.

Zaru herded Susan towards the front door as Inara and Daniel heaved Helen to her feet.

The Ill-Winds howled, powerful gusts of winds punching holes in ceiling and walls as their enemies began to flee. The house shook as the Ill-Winds shrieked as one.

"GO!" Peter yelled.

Susan was literally shoved through the front door as Zaru rammed into her.

"BOOM!"

A section of the ceiling gave way as part of the second floor tumbled down, wood, plaster and metal avalanching into the living room. Dust choked the house, blinding everyone as they stumbled towards the front door.

The Ill-Winds screamed, their conjured storms accelerating the collapse of the building.

"GO!" Jason's voice boomed through the thick plumes of dust.

Inara stumbled through the front door, blinded as she felt warm fingers on her arms. Peter staggered out beside her, coughing violently as they almost fell down the stairs. Susan dragged them away from the house.

"GET OUT!!" she screamed to the people still inside.

Another section of the ceiling gave way, dust and debris gushing out of the front door in a choking geyser.

"HURRY!!" Susan bellowed.

Elias lurched out, his eyes unfocused as blood gushed from a cut on his head. Caspian was supporting him, the king limping, a jagged chunk of metal jutting out from his thigh.

"DAD! MUM! JASON!!!"  
White power ripped the front door apart as the Seeker leapt through the destruction, his fedora still firmly on his head. Jason landed deftly, his power pushing the Ill-Winds back as Susan's eyes widened in horror.

"Where's mum and dad?" she screamed at the Seeker.

Jason's eyes widened.

"What!? I thought – " he whirled back towards the house as Susan charged forwards.

"NO! SU!" Peter screamed, leaping to stop her.

She shoved him aside.

"SUSAN!!" Elias roared.

Susan was almost at the stairs.

"SUSAN!"

Strong hands grabbed her shoulders wrenching her back.

"NO!!!" she screamed, fighting back, lashing out, kicking and punching.

But Caspian's grip did not falter.

"LET ME G –"

The rest of her words were swallowed up as the roof caved in, tiles tumbling in through the gaping whole as the cracks tore through the walls. The walls folded in, crumpling as the whole house imploded.

"MUM!!! DAD!!!"

Brick and concrete, tile and wood crashed to the ground in a crushing avalanche, burying her parents as Susan let out final piercing cry.

AAAAAA

"Good luck," Polly said gently.

"Thank you," Elias said politely, "For everything."

"Thank you for saving our world," Polly countered.

Elias smiled, pulling the old woman into a hug as she started, crying out in shock.

"Where's Peter and Susan?" Professor Kirk asked looking around.

"Where else?" Jason rumbled.

The professor winced.

"Of course, I didn't think," he flushed.

"Watch out for them okay?" Inara begged.

Polly and Professor Kirk instantly nodded.

"Of course," Professor Kirk vowed.

Polly looked at all of them and her heart broke for them, knowing they had to leave all this behind and travel far to face more darkness, more dangerous and more death. But she knew they would not bend, they could afford to

"You will defeat the darkness," Polly said firmly, "I believe in you."

"And that's enough?" Caspian asked darkly.

Polly looked at him squarely and her face was deadly serious.

"That's always what it comes down to," the old woman said, fire blazing in her eyes, "Determination and belief. You cannot give up. You cannot stop until all this is over. You must win. For the sake of us all."

Caspian nodded, his dark eyes sparkling as Professor Kirk shook their hands one last time.

Shouldering their packs, Inara, Elias, Jason and Caspian took one last look at Professor Diggory Kirk and Ms. Polly Plummer and walked out of the house for the last time. Polly rested her head on Kirk's shoulder, weeping quietly as the professor comforted his oldest friend, watching the four companions walk away with a grim look on his face.

"Do you think they can do it?" he asked aloud.

Polly smiled against his shoulder and that was enough.

AAAAAA

"I love you," Helen whispered fiercely hugging both her children.

Daniel sat by the bed, happiness on his battered face as he saw his two oldest children reunite with their mother.

Susan pulled away from her mother and looked at her, fighting down the urge to just breakdown and cry. Helen was ghostly pale, her beautiful face scraped and bruises as bandages swathed her head. She was weak, her limbs frail and trembling as she fought to recover from the beating she had received from Eustace's hands and the collapsing of the house.

"It's too bad the house is gone," Helen smiled, "But we can make a fresh start right?"

She looked hopefully at them and Peter swallowed, hating the very next words he had to say.

"Mum… dad… we… we can't stay here."

Susan's head snapped towards him and she glared at him as Peter stared resolutely back. Helen blanched.

"What?" she demanded.

"There's… there's things we have to do," Peter's voice dropped into a whisper.

He stared back at Susan, unbreakable will in his eyes as Susan faltered, her breath catching.

Daniel was silent, his face stony as he watched the confusion and torment flash across his wife's face. The man had not escaped uninjured from the collapse, his arm was in a sling, cuts and bruises all over his body.

This was a nightmare. One that had started long ago when all four of his children had gone missing. That had been terrible: the days and the nights of hopeless searching desperately, enduring humiliating interrogations as suspicion fell on him and the not knowing, the questions… they had tormented Daniel driving him to the brink of despair.

And then Susan and Peter had returned and for one brilliant moment, Daniel believed everything would have a happy ending. But all that had been crushed when he had discovered the truth. Narnia and Aslan and the Great Darkness, the bottom had fell out of his world and the army lieutenant had been left scrabbling to find purchase again in a world that suddenly didn't make sense.

And whilst he'd still been reeling, the ghostly blitz, the Nazis and now this…

Why did god hate his family so much?

Two of his children were still missing, possibly dead and now his oldest two…

Daniel looked up and despair fled as fire entered his eyes and voice.

"You have a duty," Daniel said calmly, "Go."

"Daniel!" Helen shrieked.

She turned to them.

"No, your father… he's confused! Daniel stop it! Stay! You have to!"

"But dad!" Susan protested, echoing her mother's words

Daniel looked at her.

"You said you were a queen once. A queen puts her duty to her people before all else," Daniel said with steely determination, "So go. You have to."

"Daniel? Queen? What is this nonsense?" Helen demanded, "We got them back! Edmund and Lucy are still missing but we have Peter and Susan! And you asking them to go? NO! They MUST STAY!!"

"Mum…" Peter touched her arm, "Please you have to understand…"

"Understand what?" Helen demanded furiously, "There is no question here. No argument. You too are stopping whatever madness you're up. You two are returning home and that's that!"

"No, they're not," Daniel said bluntly as his wife stared at him in horror.

"But you and mum!" Susan protested, "And the house…"

"We'll heal whether or not you're here. You can't do anything to help us," Daniel said bluntly, "But there is something you and only you can do. Something you must do. So do it. Go face the darkness. And when you finally meet the beast, I want you to tear out its heart."

Susan looked helplessly at her father then to her bewildered mother and tears came to her eyes. Quaking and weeping, Susan knew he was right.

She looked up at Peter, saw the torment on his face but also saw the resolve shining through.

Susan looked at her mum again. She had only just been re-united with her, seen her for a few brief glorious moments and now she had to go. Susan's throat tightened as she began to wonder if it was her curse to see all the ones she love suffer.

Helen stared at her daughter and Susan saw past her and into the memories they shared. Nights when comforting arms and hushed songs had lured her to sleep. Mornings when brilliant smiles and warm hugs had greeted her into the new day. Days of loneliness and pain when words and kisses and hugs had made the world seem bright once more. Days of joy when proud looks and smiles had made it that much sweeter.

It flowed through Susan like a tidal wave and she closed her eyes, tears spilling down her face and through it all, Susan knew one thing.

"Others before self," Susan whispered.

Helen flinched. Of all the things she'd taught her daughter, the most important lesson had been this. She had always taught Susan to do the right thing, to better the world and help people no matter the personal sacrifice or pain. Others before self, it had been the code that Helen had tired to live by all her life.

"I don't… I don't understand…" Helen whispered.

"I'll explain later," Daniel said softly.

"Okay," Susan whispered, "We'll…"

The words died in her throat and she could only nod as Daniel smiled sadly.

"I love you. Both. Very much. More than you can ever know," Daniel jutted his chin out determinedly, "Show them what a Pevensie can do."

"I love you dad," Susan wept as she hugged her father one last time.

Peter and Daniel looked at each other as father nodded to son, recognising him as a man for the first time. They clasped hands before hugging.

"Be careful," Daniel whispered, "Keep your friends close. They're trustworthy people. They'll protect you."

"I know," Susan whispered.

"Peter, watch your sister," Daniel ordered.

"I will dad," Peter said with a small smile.

"I am so proud of both of you," Daniel whispered, "You put this old man to shame."

Susan let out a watery laugh and she knew it was time to go.

"Mum…" she turned to her mother as Helen continued to stare at them, "We… we have to go…"

"Why?"

"Others before self," Susan repeated, "There's something we have to do. Please… trust us."

Helen smiled sadly and seeing the very adult look on her face, she let them go.

"Okay," she whispered, "I will. Just please, come home afterwards."

"We'll try," Peter promised.

With one last lingering look at her parents, Susan turned around and walked away from them. Peter and Susan stepped out of the hospital room and she instantly broke down, clinging to her brother as she wept bitterly, her cries echoed by her mother inside the room as she clung to her husband.

It took a long, long time for Susan to recover but finally she let go of him and stood tall, straight-backed, eyes stony. There would be no looking back, no weeping over the past, no lamenting, there was only duty and responsibilities.

Resolute Susan nodded at Peter.

"Come on," she said, "It's time to go."

Like the king and queen they were, Peter and Susan turned away from the door and walked away to meet their other family.

AAAAAA

Author's notes - a short one and it concerns lilbanili - uhh... have u seen my profile? Go have a look at it!


	42. The serpent people

New chapter! New chapter! Enjoy

Disclaimer – blah, blah, not mine, blah, blah

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 42: The serpent people**

With a covered basket resting on her hip, Susan strolled down the winding dirt road nodding politely to the few people she passed. Her blue eyes flickered to the horizon and she frowned as she noticed thick storm clouds descending down from the high mountains that framed the verdant jungle.

The city of Themiscyra straddled the murky waters of the Thermodon River as it wound its way towards the sea. The settlement was a blemish in the lush jungles that made its surroundings, the founders having gouged the land with fire and ploughs and salt to build their home.

Birds trilled, answered by the soft hooting calls of monkeys. The jungle was never silent, never still. Hidden in the emerald foliage animals rustled, scavenging and hunting, lured by the bountiful supply of plants and prey, the same thing that had lured first lured the people of Themisycra.

Susan groaned, her simply woven clothing sticking to her skin as the sun beat down from overhead, thick clouds of mist and vapours unfurling from the canopy before boiling to nothing.

Susan stopped before a rough gate of stripped saplings bounded together.

"What purpose do you have here little sister?" the tall woman guarding one side of the gate demanded.

The woman was exotic looking, bronze-skinned and black-eyed. Such features would've been beautiful in another woman but this warrior with her broad shoulders and long arms plump with muscles was an arresting and fearful figure. The easy way she held her lethal spear and shield warned anyone foolish enough to even think of challenging her would meet a bloody end.

"I am here to see the prisoners," Susan said in a calm, firm voice, betraying no hesitation.

"By who's command?" the woman barked.

"By her majesty Queen Hippolyte and the Blessed One," Susan replied with the just the right amount of reverence in her voice but an undercurrent of scorn bubbled beneath her courteous words.

Her eyes flashed.

"You may send a message to question them if you want," she added lightly.

The warrior grunted but stepped aside, shoving the rude gate open as Susan slipped easily in.

What laid beyond was a field of dirt, bereft of any greenery. Cages, constructed of more sapling tied together were arrayed on the loamy dirt. Prisoners, bedraggled and dull-eyed, sat in their cages, looks of utter helpless etched into their filth-streaked faces as they sat in the dirt completely exposed to the elements.

Some of the newer prisoners clung to their bars, begging with croaky voices for freedom. Shoving down her pity and revulsion, Susan picked her way through the cages ignoring the bleak eyes that followed her every move.

"You monsters!!" one young man screamed, "Let us go! LET US GO!! LET US G –"

His voice broke and he collapsed to the ground, sobbing and choking as the other prisoners looked at him dully.

Susan stopped in front of one of the cages.

"Hey guys," she said lightly.

"This is stupid," Jason growled at her.

Susan ignored him and shoved the basket through the cage bars. Elias quickly took it from her and uncovered it, revealing the veritable feast that nestled within.

"Oh praise Aslan!" Caspian sighed as he snatched up a loaf of bread and quickly tore into it.

Peter wordlessly bit into some kind of melon, a blissful look on his face as thick juice roll down his chin. The Seeker scowled at Susan, his teeth clenched tightly together.

"Why are we doing this?" Jason demanded, "I can have us out of here in two seconds."

"Because," Susan began exasperated, "We need to find out what's going on here. And we can't talk to these people if you're running around."

She winced as the four men inside the cage all shot her dirty looks.

"Look, I'm sorry," Susan whispered, mindful of all the other prisoners.

The prisoners, all of them men, clung to their cages watching their compatriots eat with broken, hopeful looks on their sunken faces.

"I know how difficult it must be…" Susan tried.

"Of course! Because you're the one stuck in this cage getting rained on," Peter muttered around a mouthful of melon, "I can see how you would know what we're going through."

Susan felt like banging her head against the cage in frustration. Her patience fraying, the queen fought to keep control of her temper.

It wasn't their fault. They had every right to be frustrated. They were the ones locked up. She repeated the words like a mantra.

"It'll only be for awhile," Susan promised, "As soon as Zaru…"  
"You mean the Blessed One?" Jason snorted.

"It is interesting how Zaru has been mistaken for a godly figure again," Elias pointed out, delicately tearing his bread apart into little pieces before eating them.

"Hey, I'm not the people who decided the talking leopard was a blessed being!" Susan snapped, "As soon as Zaru can get out of Hippolyte… Sorry – "

Sarcasm dripped from her voice.

"Her most reverent majesty, Queen Hippolyte," Susan rolled her eyes, disgusted, "Queen! Please! Queen my a –"

"How far is Zaru getting?" Peter demanded, cutting in.

"As soon as Zaru can get out of Hippolyte where the darkness is, we can get the hell out of here," Susan finished, carefully ignoring her brother's question, "But sadly it takes half a day for Hippolyte to string two sensible sentences together so it might take a while."

"A while?!" Peter and Jason spat at the same time.

"Zaru is doing the best he – "

"You mean while he's stuffing his face?" Jason muttered.

"Hey! I'm just the messenger!" Susan protested as everyone glared at her.

"Can you please tell Zaru to quicken his pace, your majesty?" Caspian asked, his eyes quite not meeting her own.

Susan flinched, hating the way he now spoke to her, distant and formal and stilted. It seemed everything he said to her was perfunctory, hatred and disgust broiling under a façade of politeness.

They had loved each other, given themselves to each other, promised each other forever and now they were worse than strangers. Tears pricked Susan's eyes but she refused to let them fall.

Elias was looking at her sympathetically, easily seeing her pain as Susan forced herself to speak. In trying to make herself seem normal, her voice was leached of all emotions.

"Of course," she stated.

Susan opened her mouth to say more but was cut off as the deep reverberating gong of a tolling bell rang through the city. The men in their cages, froze, horror written all over their places.

"It's not that bell," Susan assured them, "It's the normal midday ritual bell."

The men looked at her, some recoiling from the queen as Susan turned back to her friends.

"Look, I've got to go," Susan said quickly, carefully avoiding Caspian's eyes, "Just hang in there. Please?"

They grumbled but nodded their assent as Susan ran through the prison compound as the bell continued to sound, startling a flock of birds into flight.

AAAAAA

The women packing the amphitheatre, from the limping elderly to the rosy cheeked girls, all had the same proud, haughty look on their face. Their eyes blazed with fire, glistening like the weapons that hug at their waists. This was a nation of warriors, every one of them walking with the same fluid liquid grace of a true predator.

It was an intimidating sight to see them march into the stadium with regal military bearing, their hair bound and plaited, their clothing simple and Spartan. It was impossible to pick out a weak individual – all of them seemed deadly in their own way. Some women towered over the others, their girth and bulk daunting to even the hardiest of attackers. Others were slim but moved with the gracefulness of dancers, their movements flowing effortlessly as their eyes darting from place to place, narrowing as they picked out possible dangers. Yet others were slim, their long legs swift, their hands strong and capable.

These were the warrior inhabitants of Themiscyra, the city of the Amazons.

Susan slipped into the amphitheatre, blue eyes roving until she picked out a familiar light-haired brunette. Sighing with relief, Susan carefully picked her way through the rows of sitting women before plonking herself down beside her friend.

"How are the boys?" Inara asked, eyes dancing.

"Delightful," Susan said dryly, "Made me realise why the Amazons want to do away with men in the first place."

"Meow!" Inara laughed as Susan shot her a mock glare.

Trumpets blared and the Amazons rose smoothly to their feet as on one side of the curved stadium where a rough pavilion had been set up, figures began to emerge.

Warriors, the strongest and deadliest, marched out onto the podium, their faces grim, before they lined up on either side. Wordlessly they raised their weapons in a salute as a towering woman marched out from behind the curtains.

Queen Hippolyte, leader of the Amazons, was a striking woman. Every time Susan looked at her she couldn't help but think of a sleek stalking panther. The Amazon's bronze skin and dark hair was oiled and they glistened in the sun only adding to the alluring figure she cut. Her eyes were two toned, her left blue, her right as green as the jungle that surrounded her kingdom. The elder women of the Amazons had woven it into their legends calling Hippolyte blessed and born from the jungle and the sky, sculpted to perfection by the gods themselves.

Hippoltye moved with stealthy dance-like movements but even from this distance Susan could see the tension in her body, the Amazon queen was like a coiled spring, always alert, always ready to strike.

A leopard emerged from behind Hippolyte and a gasp of delight and thrill ran through the crowd.

"The Blessed One!" a woman beside Susan and Inara breathed.

Inara rolled her eyes.

"Sisters!" Hippolyte's voice bounced in the acoustics of the stadium, "The sun was reached its zenith! The gods must have appeasement! The honour of our people rest on it!"

The crowd fell silent as Hippolyte raised one rock-hard fist.

"Let the ceremonies begin!"

The Amazons instantly cheered wildly, stamping the ground with their feet as Hippolyte sat down onto her wooden throne, her cape draped dramatically around her.

"You know you got to admire these people," Susan said looking around at the frenetic crowds.

"Huh?" Inara blinked at her, having heard Susan vent her disgust about these women hundreds of times before.

"They can drum up so much enthusiasm for something that happens everyday," Susan finished disparagingly.

At the centre of the amphitheatre, a group of women marched out from a set of doors as the crowd cheered.

Inara watched on as the women turned to their queen and saluted her before turning to a second set of doors set on the opposite side of the stadium ground.

The door slid smoothly up and the crowd roared as three wild cats bounded out, hissing and spitting. They were a species Inara had never seen before, mottled-furred and green-eyed but their vicious teeth and hooked claws easily marked them as deadly killers.

The Amazons before the cats easily fell into a battle formation, shields up, weapons out as the cats circled them, howling and growling, agitated as the crowd continued to scream and bay for blood.

"Barbarians," Susan whispered.

With a fierce war cry that echoed through the stadium, the first rank of Amazons charged, shields down and spears out. The wildcats responded with lethal force. Spears were thrown but the beasts were lithe and quick, easily dodging the projectiles before they leapt at the shields.

The women fell back, crumbling under the weight and fierceness of the cats as one Amazon stumbled. She hit the ground as a cat instantly descended on her. The crowd let out cries of dismay as the cat wrenched the shield away from her hands and slashed down. The Amazon warrior died without a sound as the crowd called out her name in exultant praise.

"She died with honour!" one Amazon shouted over the crowd to her neighbour, "Before the eyes of the Blessed One! I wish I had been her"

Susan and Inara stared at each other, genuinely shocked.

"Crazy," Inara muttered under her breath.

One warrior slashed forwards and one of the cats fell, claws flying wildly as it bucked in its death-throes, blood splattering the dirt ground of the stadium as the crowd rose to their feet, voices rising in wild screams.

Hippolyte nodded imperiously to the bloody warrior and the stadium erupted into cheers as the crowd responded to the queen's favour.

"Maybe they're the darkness here," Inara suggested quietly.

"No, they would've tried to kill us by now if they were," Susan refuted flatly.

Another Amazon fell as the cat who killed her was skewered through the gut. Susan felt revolted as the crowd applauded excitedly. Who on earth could take enjoyment from such needless slaughter and bloodshed? What was wrong with these people?

Beside her Inara could only felt envy and a hollowness that resounded inside of her. She had once been like these women, strong and fierce, unstoppable in battle but now… she groped desperately for the power that once coursed through her veins but now there was nothing. She could only watch true warriors fight and dream of what could've been.

The final wildcat hit the floor, blood flowing from its mouth and the remaining Amazons stood tall as the crowd cries boomed into the amphitheatre.  
Hippolyte stood up.

"The gods thank you for your efforts. You have brought honour to your houses and mine!" the queen said grandly, "The ceremonies have ended!"

The Amazon queen turned and swept away from the pavilion as the warriors below on the stadium floor, raised their arms to her, taking in the cheers of their sisters. Swiftly some of the Amazons crouched next to the fallen cats and began messily skinning their corpses.

"Oh, eww!" Inara grimaced as the crowd around her screamed themselves hoarse.

AAAAAA

The door to their rough wooden hut was open allowing the meagre night breeze to sweep into the stifling house as Susan bustled around, preparing the night meal. Across from where they were staying was a training ground, a platoon of Amazons going through their drills as their commander marched along the fringes of the ground barking out commands and insults as the women move with sinuous dancing movements, blades humming through the air catching the light of the full moon above and the flickering torches that lit up the city.

Inara was at the window, watching them all with a half-analytical, half-wistful look on her face. Once again she felt the empty ache of where her power had once lived. Despite all of her bravado, all of the vows she'd made, she missed it, missed the strength that had once flowed through her, missed the purpose it had once given her life. She felt crippled by her loss as though she had lost a limb.

Inara lived but she felt incomplete, bereft of the strength that had been so hard-won. She wanted it all back, hungered and thirsted for it with an urge that was almost uncontrollable. And there was always that one dark thought lingering in the back of her head. What use was she? What good was she to her friends now? She couldn't fight, couldn't hold her own anymore. Would her friends one day just turn around and see her for what she was, a burden? Would they abandon her?

Inara knew they would never do that to her but still the uneasy fear lingered.

Susan touched her arm and Inara started, looking up into her friend's compassionate eyes.

"Dinner's ready," Susan said lightly as Inara nodded.

They sat at the table, easily passing deals between them, sharing and chatting, carefully dancing around the sore subjects neither wanted to discuss.

For Susan that was Caspian. She froze, the bread in her mouth turning to ashes as memories of a similar meal shared with the king in the How. How easily they had laughed, already friends even though they barely knew each other. And she had known on that night as their eyes met across the busy table that there was something else between them – passion, a fire… love.

Susan forced herself to swallow as she thought bleakly how easily that fire had been quenched.

"Queenie," Inara said, knowing what was wrong.

Susan shook herself and forced a smile onto her face.

"I'm fine," she lied, "I – "

"Guys!"

Susan and Inara whipped around as Zaru's face appeared at the window, eyes wide with panic.

"Hello Blessed One," Susan smirked.

"Shouldn't you be with Queen Hippo?" Inara taunted.

The leopard slid into the hut, his hackles raise, tail twitching wildly.

"She's… she's crazy!!" the leopard spluttered, ears pinned back.

"You figured that out now?" Inara asked, arms crossed.

"She thinks I am a god!" Zaru yelped.

"Yes, we know that," Susan frowned, not getting his distress.

"No, the gods here. Apparently they occasionally take the form of animals. Hippolyte wants me to turn back into my human form and… and…" his voice dropped into a hissing whisper, "Mate with her!"

"WHAT?!?"

"Mate!"

Inara and Susan gaped at the leopard.

"Wait," Inara held out her hand, "So Hippolyte thinks you are a god and she wants to… uhh… perform the conception stimulation with you?"

Zaru nodded frantically, his eyes darting around the room as his fur stood on end. Susan and Inara glanced at each other and immediately burst into laughter.

"It isn't funny!" Zaru yelped, "If I don't do… I think she's going to kill me!"

"Sorr… sorry…" Susan managed to choke out between giggles, "But…"

Her words were swallowed up as the bells began clanging a wild discordant tune. Susan frowned, her head snapping towards the window as the Amazons training outside immediately darted off, weapons in hand, grim looks on their stony face.

"What's going on?" Zaru howled as the bells continued to boom loudly.

"Invaders!!"

An Amazon burst out of a hut nearby, spear in hand.

"INVADERS!!!" she screamed, "To the walls!! INVADERS!!!"  
Zaru, Inara and Susan stared at each other for about five seconds before bursting out the door, Susan scooping up her bow as she charged out into the night to face the invaders.

AAAAAA

Peter winced as pain shot up his cursed arms again, jolting him from his light slumber.

"Are you alright?" Caspian's hushed accented voice reached him into the darkness.

"Just fine," Peter spat bitterly, glaring down at his deadened arms.

He rested his head against the cage, a wave of hopelessness sweeping through him. It had been weeks since Siobhan had laid the curse on him and Peter had hoped against all odds that his arms would at least start recovering but still, they convulsed and trembled completely beyond his control. And the pain… Peter had tried to pick up a sword and had almost passed out as white-hot agony had flowed through him.

He let out a small cry of frustration, banging his head against the cage. He felt helpless and trapped, a burden to his family and allies. During the battles back in his world, he had to stay by and watch, completely unable to fight as others laid down their lives to protect his own family. He felt… he felt so impotent.

"I don't think a head even as thick as yours can break the cage," Caspian chuckled.

Peter tried to laugh at the joke but it died in his throat.

"Peter?" Caspian shifted in the darkness, careful not to disturb Jason or Elias as they slept uneasily on the ground.

"It's nothing," Peter tried to push him away.

He sensed rather than saw Caspian's disbelieving look.

"Of course, because one is prone to violent outbursts when everything is alright," Caspian said mildly.

Peter scowled darkly at him.

"You know what's wrong," he growled.

"Your arms."

It was a statement rather then a question. Caspian knew how deadly a swordsman Peter was… had been, he had seen the High King duel against Miraz and his technique and footwork were nigh flawless. He also knew how proud Peter was, how much he needed to be in control. This, the curse, had completely taken that way from him. The oldest Pevensie couldn't even control his own body let alone the crisis they were in. Caspian couldn't even begin to imagine how much it must be eating away at him.

Compassion flowed through the Telmarine. He and Peter had an infamously rocky past and even though they might not exactly be friends, he respected and cared for the king. And he had only recently found out about Peter's ordeal with the vampires, the Telmarine horrified by what the creatures had done to him. He admired the High King for being able to live through all that and remain unbroken, in awe of his strength and courage.

"There are still many worlds," Caspian said gently, "One of them must hold the cure."

"And if I'm stuck like this?" Peter spat, speaking the darkest fear in his heart.

"There are worse things than afflictions of the flesh," Caspian whispered.

Peter flinched as he instantly realised what Caspian was saying. The High King felt mortified as he realised how selfish he'd been. He hadn't been the only one affected by Siobhan's spells. His sister, Caspian, Inara… all of them had been caught in the crossfire one way or another. He'd been so caught up in his own mess, he didn't even stop to think about the others.

Peter smiled sadly.

"I've been a bit self-centred haven't I?" he said gently.

"Just a bit," Caspian agreed easily, teeth flashing in the night.

Peter laughed and something in him seemed to relax and lighten.

"Caspian, you do realise one of the benefits of being a king is that you can tell other kings when they're being idiots right?" Peter pointed out.

"Of course," Caspian paused, "You're an idiot."

Both of them laughed.

"Keep it down or I'll strangle you both," Jason muttered as Elias grumbled wordlessly.

Caspian glanced at them and felt a crooked smile come to his face. After having faced the Nazis, the darkness and the ghostly blitz with those two, he felt a deep sense of camaraderie with them. All three of them were now bounded together, by the sword and by the spilling of blood, by scars and the sheer madness of battle. Wars always stripped a person bare of all falsehoods and laid their souls and deepest instincts to show to the world. Caspian had seen Jason's ruthlessness and the Telmarine inside of him couldn't help but admire that. He also knew how protective the Seeker was to Susan and even thought he felt nothing for her, it was still…

Caspian froze as something swelled inside of him then quickly died, leaving him breathless and confused.

Sucking in a breath, Caspian wrenched his thoughts from such dangerous territory. Out of everyone in their ragtag group, Caspian felt the most comfortable around Elias. He could just be himself, never fearing he'd hurt the scientist or be hurt by him. Elias reminded him so much of Cornelius that sometimes it was like being at home. Caspian's fists curled as he wondered again, helplessly, hopelessly what peril his country was in.

He felt Peter's eyes on him and force himself to relax. But it was hard to. Every moment and every word around his new comrades was like teetering on a precipice. They watched him constantly, knowing the pain he had caused Susan and even though they didn't and couldn't blame him for it, it didn't stop them from wanting to protect their queen.

But he respected all of them, admired their talents and their gifts and instinctively he knew they felt the same to him. They might not feel comfortable around him but they trusted him, a trust forged in battle, one hard-won and nigh unbreakable. But still sometimes they would treat him warily like a caged beast, ready to step in and stop him from hurting Susan again.

And who could blame them? Susan was –

He stopped again, confused, pained and dizzy.

"What… what's going on?" he whispered, eyes darkening.

"Caspian?" Peter asked worried.

The High King was torn. He could see his fellow king was suffering but he saw his sister hurting too and the big brother in him couldn't help but put Susan's needs over the king's. Peter felt slightly guilty as he realised the hell he must be unconsciously putting the Telmarine through.

Peter sighed.

"How are you… really?"

Caspian stared out into the night, his Telmarine sensibilities warning him to betray no emotions.

"Guilty," Caspian said quietly, "For hurting her… and not really caring."  
Peter froze, his mouth drying as he realised just how devastating Siobhan's curse had been. He had been uncomfortably aware of how strongly Caspian felt for her but to have all that erased and be left with nothing..

He gulped.

"And tired of feeling like a failure," Caspian continued, a dam breaking in him, "I've failed her and I've failed my people. I should be there… I should be leading them into war and leading them victory but instead I'm here… cursed and helpless."

"You're not," Peter said.

Caspian looked at him.

"You're not failing Narnia or your people," the High King flushed, uncomfortable as always with feelings, "From what you've told me you managed to unite two very different races and allow them to live in harmony. Our people are strong, you've taught them how to be strong together, they will hold, they will not let the darkness win."

Caspian laughed bitterly, his confusion and pain over Susan letting him slip into a dark mood.

"United? Do you know how many Narnians died? How many Telmarines suffered?"

The days after his coronation had been dark, he had been besieged from all sides, the Telmarine council conniving and serpent-tongued with their veiled threats and demands, the Narnians looking desperately to him to heal their wounds and seal the rift. And all this whilst dealing with the loss of his four closest allies and the woman he thought he could love.

Caspian was not proud of some of things he had done to fill the void, it had taken a long time and some very stern talks and raging arguments with Trumpkin and Trufflehunter and Cornelius for him to grow out of his depression.

"You managed to unite two races that had warred for centuries in two years," Peter said flatly.

His mind was flashing back to a world of city and forests, of soldiers and bears and where hatred had destroyed a world.

"You performed a miracle," Peter said softly, "You didn't fail them. And you won't fail them not if you keep fighting and keep weakening the darkness. And that's the only thing we can do…"

Peter felt like a filthy hypocrite speaking words of comfort and urges to keep fighting when he himself wanted to just lie down and give up. But Caspian looked to him as the High King, as someone to aspire to and right now the Telmarine needed someone to tell him he was doing the right thing.

"Keep fighting," Peter finished strongly.

Caspian stared at him.

"What did I say about keeping it down?!" Jason rumbled.

"Sorry," Caspian smirked, directing his words at Jason.

He turned back to Peter, the familiar sparks back in his dark eyes as Peter smiled back at him, relived.

"Peter…"

Everyone in the prison camp suddenly shot up as the bells began tolling wildly as light flared in the city of Themiscyra. The Amazons were crying out, charging throughout their city as the men stared at each other, baffled.

"What…" one of them demanded, "What's happening?"

The men were staring at each other, white-faced and trembling. The Amazons had captured them on for one reason only, to continue their bloodline and the men who were chosen were inevitably killed off once their role was completed. It served to make the prisoners extremely jittery whenever the erratic actions of the Amazons were involved.

"INVADERS!!" cries from the city proper drifted up to them, "INVADERS!!!"

Jason's lips curled into a deadly smile and he lifted his hands.

"Looks like the darkness's come to play," he smirked.

White power lashed out and the cage instantly fell apart.

"Shall we?" the Seeker asked coolly.

Peter blanched, wondering what battle he now had to standby and watch as the four of them picked their way through the ruins of their cage and towards the city.

AAAAAA

"PWHIP!"

An Amazon stumbled to the ground, her hand clutched to her neck as the invaders attacked, cheeks puffing as darts flew from their blowpipes. The barbs were tiny but every Amazon who was hit, went down and never stood back up.

"SISTERS!!" one towering Amazon roared, "ARROWS!!"

A barrage of feathered shafts tore into the invaders shredding the front line as Susan joined the attack.

By the flickering lights of the torches and several blazes that had broken out, Zaru could see the invaders in intricate detail and they were terrifying. Hungry eyes glared through the darkness and smoke over filed teeth and mutilated tongues that had been split down the middle. Tattoos stylised into scales adorned the invader's arms and bare chests, ragged loincloths the only clothing they wore. Strange bony bumps and raised ridges marred their skin, giving them a completely inhuman appearance that suited the demonic looks on their faces.

Men and women, skin from the whitest of snows to the darkest of nights, poured into Themiscyra, fanatical light burning in their gaunt and mutilated faces.

"What the hell are those things?!" Susan yelped also catching sight of them.

"Serpent People."

Susan turned. It was Cleite, an Amazon that Susan vaguely recognised, her snow-white hair a stark contrast to her sun-browned skin.

"Barbarians," Cleite growled, "From deep in the jungle. They worship a demon and sacrifice their captives to it. Their weapons are stained with the foulest of poison. One touch is enough to see you dead."

Susan gulped.

"Good to know," the queen whispered, suddenly glad that she had sent Inara to find the others.

The shrieking horde seemed to have no strategy or leaders, simply overwhelming their enemies, their poisoned weapons wreaking terrible casualties as their Amazons tried to drive them back. All of the women, from youngest girls to the elderly, were swept up into the frenzied battle and it was a bloody, chaotic affair. The Amazons were ruthlessly, wielding spears and swords to terrible affect as twitching limbs and blank-faced heads began sailing through the air.

Anyone else would've been sickened by the ferocity and sheer brutality of the bloodshed but the Amazons seemed to revel in it, whooping and roaring as they parried and thrust.

"Blessed One, I beseech you stay back," Cleite said reverently.

Even in the heat of battle, she still spoke with the same stilted formal air that all Amazons seemed to possess, a thin veil of civility resting precariously on a tossing sea of bloodlust and rage.

Zaru merely yowled in response, ears pinned back. A group of Amazons cried out as an immense net of thick rope and chains fell over them. They lashed out violently, hacking at the net but only managed to tangle their limbs, binding them into a helpless mess. Cleite cursed and surged forwards to help her sisters.

Susan's arrow hit its mark, one of the Serpent People falling to the ground, hands clutched around the shaft in her throat.

"DOWN!" Zaru roared.

Susan threw herself to the side as a barrage of darts hit the ground where she stood. She rolled to her feet and gaped as the patch of grass that had taken the brunt of the attack instantly withered up and died.

A scream made the queen turn. An Amazon was staggering back, clutching a seemingly simple cut on her arm. But as Susan watched the warrior screamed, clawing at her face before falling limply to the ground, deathly still.

"Poison!" Zaru hissed, his nose twitching as the sharp acidic scent of deadly toxins hit his nose.

His eyes easily picked out the smear of black liquid that lined each of the Serpent People's crude blades.

A Serpent Person broke through the line of Amazons and charged at Susan gibbering wildly. The man, a raised ridge of skin jutting out over his eyes, stabbed clumsily at the queen as Susan quickly twisted aside, the poisoned blade sliding past her body.

Zaru roared and leapt, sharp teeth clamping into the man's arm as the Serpent Person screamed in pain. Susan cracked her bow across his face as Zaru slashed out. The man fell to the ground, gurgling as blood spurted from the claw mark across his throat.

Gingerly Susan yanked the poisoned sword from his weakening hands before holding it aloft. Her blue eyes swept the edges of the city and she blanched as more Amazons fell, the Serpent People boiling through the breakages in the warrior's defence line. Even now some of the mutilated fanatics were disappearing deep into the city, their wild cries echoing through the narrow streets.

Susan cursed.

"We need to find the others!" Susan barked.

Zaru nodded and instantly led the way, queen and subject running through the madness as Amazons and Serpent People threw themselves at each other with reckless abandon.

AAAAAA

"The men! They are free!" one Amazon screamed catching sight of them.

Jason instantly cut her off with a single swipe of his hands, the Amazon flying into a nearby wall with crushing force.

Amazons were streaming from their houses heading towards the northeast entrance of Themiscyra as the distant sounds of a titanic battle filtered into the rest of the city.

Caspian instantly dated forwards and snatched up the woman's fallen sword as they continued, darting between buildings, hiding as more warrior women swept past.

They froze as footsteps pounded down the dirt street towards them. Shoving his companions in a nearby shadowy alcove, Jason calmly placed himself in the middle of the street, hands raised.

A slim figure raced towards him, light-brown hair streaming behind her. Jason concentrated, white power dancing on his fingertips. With a cry, he threw it forwards, white fire lancing down the street.

Distant cries echoed in his mind as flashes of his once live with his daughter and his wife flittered before him. Jason grimly shoved them aside, terrified and determined to ignore them, knowing instinctively if he opened his memories it would tear him apart.

"COWBOY!" the figure shrieked as power flew at her.

Jason's eyes widened and he instantly twisted his hands, the power whipping past Inara and smashing through a wall as the girl let out a sigh of relief.

"Idiot!" Inara muttered stopping in front of him.

"Should've called out," Jason grunted back.

Inara rolled her eyes as Elias, Caspian and Peter emerged to meet her.

"What's happening?" Peter demanded.

"Apparently some kinda jungle clan's invading," Inara said quickly, "Some kind of… Serpent People? I caught a glimpse of them and let me say if them, the Yin and the Nzambis had a Ugliest Creature Ever competition, it'll be a very tight race."

"So they're actual serpents?' Elias asked fascinated.

"Nope, just humans playing at it. They're weapons are all poisoned though. I saw one girl hit with a dart…" Inara turned sombre, "It wasn't pretty."

"We have to stop these things," Caspian spat, scowling heavily.

"No, we need to track them down to their home and eradicate them all," Jason growled.

Screams ripped down the street as the clang of metal against metal rang loud in their ears. They swapped one startled look and raced down the street.

A jabbering ring of Serpent People capered around a group of young Amazons, none of them older than ten. The girls were terrified but kept up a brave front, stabbing at their tormentors with their short swords as the Serpent People danced just out of their reach.

One Serpent Person put a blowpipe to his lips and blew. The girls screamed as one of their compatriots fell, twitching, a dart embedded in her chest.

Red-hot fury blinded Jason as he saw the monster torment the helpless children. He raised his hands and with a whispered word, white fire cut two of the Serpent People down. The fanatics whirled on them, hissing, their split tongues flickering out of their mouths like a true snake's as the Amazons gaped at them.

The five remaining Serpent People instantly put their pipes to their lips but Jason sent all the weapons flying with a swipe of his hands.

Chattering in a wild, strange tongue the Serpent People lunged forwards, tiny daggers clutched in their grasps.

"The swords are poisoned!" Inara barked.

"Yeah, I remember," Jason shot back tersely.

Caspian lunged, running one Serpent Person through before the woman could reach him with her dagger. Jason ruthlessly accounted for another two, white fire devouring the Serpent People as they shrieked.

Another Serpent Person fell, brained by a well-thrown stone by Inara as the last one instantly turned tail and fled, screeching loudly. The Amazons stood, statue-still, eyes wide as they gazed upon their rescuers.

"You're safe now," Caspian said gently.

Jason reached forwards gently but instantly recoiled as one of the Amazons slashed at him, her keen blade slicing across his arms.

"What the hell?!" Jason thundered, grasping his arm.

"Men!" the young girls screamed, eyes blazing, "MEN! THE PRISONERS HAVE ESCAPED!"

"We rescued you, you bunch of idiots!" Peter yelled.

"MEN! MEN! MEN!" the girls chanted, blades slicing the air wildly.

"Oh, shut it," Inara snapped.

She reached down and snatched another stone from the ground and hurled it at the girl who had first started the chant. It struck her straight between the eyes and she crumpled as the other Amazons gaped at Inara in horror.

"Run," Elias advised gently, "Before my friends here kill you all."

The young Amazons instantly fled as Jason hissed at them.

"Crazy, stupid, brain-dead…" a string of curses left his lips.

"I think I can hear him as well now," a familiar voice flittered suddenly around the corner, "He's angry."

"When isn't he?" Susan's voice muttered.

The leopard and the queen rounded the corner and instantly stopped seeing the dead bodies before her.

"Su!" Peter breathed a sigh of relief as he saw her alive and well.

Even though he had seen her in battle, seen how capable she was, he couldn't help but worry about her. It was ironic, he could barley help himself and yet he still wanted to protect his sister.

"What's going on?" Jason snapped, cutting in.

Susan looked weary.

"A raid. The Serpent People are kidnapping victims to sacrifice to their god. It's like Shift all over again," she finished angrily.

"Yes, because that world was fun," Inara griped.

"We need to get out of the city," Susan ordered, "Once the Serpent People have stolen who they want, they'll head back to their lairs. Zaru will track them down and we'll flush them out and end the darkness here."

"Shouldn't we be fighting them here?" Elias demanded.

"If they see you the Amazons will tear you men apart," Susan said bluntly, "Do you really want to fight two crazy clans?"

"Lead the way," Caspian said formally.

Susan turned, Zaru loping beside her as they cut a western path across Themiscyra. Serpent People continued to pour into the city, clashing with the Amazons almost on every corner as the casualties for both sides began to escalate sharply.

They stopped by the hut Susan and Inara had stayed in, retrieving their weapons and supplies before heading towards one of the three exits of Themiscyra, fighting their way to the Thermodon River.

Serpent People and Amazons ambushed them, the mutilated fanatics baying for blood as the warrior women lunged at the men. Susan's bowstring sang, swords flashing through the night as they made a bloody path towards their destination.

"THERE!" Zaru barked, sharp eyes picking out the silvery rush of the river.

Susan twisted and fired, her arrow knocking a Serpent Person down from a building roof. Darts flew at them but Jason swept them out of the air.

They were almost at the gate, inching their way towards the exit as more Serpent People burst out from streets and buildings, shrieking as they fell on their prey. A platoon of Amazons rushed down the street, crashing into the invaders as a melee broke out, bodies falling to the ground only to trampled by enemies and allies alike.

"Make for the jungle!" Susan yelled as they burst through the gate, "We can hide…"

She stopped, pulling up short as a group of shrieking Serpent People leapt from the bushes, their demonic countenances contorted into looks of delight.

Susan whipped around but more Serpent People slid into place, blocking them off from the city.

The queen paled. They'd been ambushed.

"No!" Susan yelled, "GET BACK! GET BACK!!'  
The Serpent People rushed at them, weapons raised. Caspian's eyes met with Susan's and the grim determination in his dark eyes froze her blood.

Caspian felt something niggling his mind, burrowing through his brain like an insect and he wanted to tear it out and stomp on it. It ripped through him almost causing him physical pain as his mouth almost opened of their own accord.

"JASON!" the Telmarine barked, "GET HER MAJESTY OUT OF HERE!"

Caspian staggered, his body reacting as though he'd been punched. It hurt to speak, he was confused, bewildered, unsure of what was happening.

"GET INARA! PROTECT THE RINGS! THEY MUST NOT FALL TO THE DARKNESS!"

At these words, the pressure on his body relaxed and Caspian could breathe. Susan stared at him, hope had flared at his first words but now they died. It wasn't affection or love that was making him say those words, she realised. It was cold, hard, hurtful logic.

"GO!" Caspian roared at her, his face pale as pain cut into his body, "JASON!!!"  
Jason whirled, white power spilling from his hands. The Serpent People blocking the gate were sent flying as Jason's attack smashed straight into them.  
"GO!" the Seeker yelled.

Peter threw himself at Susan, knocking her to the ground as a spear flew by overhead.

"Go," Peter whispered, "We'll…"

"YOU!" Susan screamed, almost hysterical, "You can't fight! You can't do anything!"

Before the High King could stop her, Susan leapt to her feet and grabbing her brother's deadened arms she pulled him towards the gate of Themiscyra. The Serpent People were regrouping, blowpipes to their lips.

"BOOM!"

A fire orb slammed into the earth, blowing the line of fanatics apart as Inara and Zaru leapt through the smoke, the girl armed with one of the Serpent People's poisoned swords.

"GO! GO! GO!" the leopard roared.

Stumbling and tripping through the thick smoke, the four of them ran. A Serpent Person leapt out from the smog, shrieking but Inara hacked at him, wielding the poisoned sword clumsily but one awkward cut was enough to fell the man.

Projectiles flew past Susan's ears as a fresh explosion broke out somewhere behind her. She refused to look back, ploughing grimly on as screams and shrieks rang loudly in her ears.  
"NO!" Peter's anguished cries seemed to reach her from very far away, "A NET! THEY'RE – "

They burst through the smoke and into the city. Susan whirled, desperately trying see through the choking blackness but could see nothing.

"Zaru?" she asked, almost afraid to voice her question.

The leopard looked at her grimly and shook his head.

"What…" Inara whispered.

A horn sounded in the jungle, echoed by others. The Serpent People's heads instantly snapped towards the source of the sound and they grinned at each other, filed teeth red with blood, split tongues licking their thin lips. The Amazons charged at them but the invaders melted away, disappearing into the darkness with uncanny stealth before melting back into the jungle.

It took only a few unbelievable short minutes for the Serpent People to retreat, leaving their fallen behind. Sitting numbly on the ground before the gates, Susan watched as the smoke finally cleared.

The breath left her lungs as she saw nothing. Dead bodies of Serpent People littered the ground but of their friends, of Caspian and Jason and Elias, there was no sign.

"By the Mane…" Peter sighed, his face gaunt.

"They… they…" Inara stuttered.

Zaru's tail twitched furiously.

"They've been taken," the leopard growled grimly.

AAAAAA

"Jason. Jason!" Caspian hissed.

"He can't hear you boy," Elias said glumly, "He's been drugged."

With great effort, Jason turned to look at Caspian, his usually sharp eyes dull and lifeless. The king hissed under his breath as a low garbled groan let the Seeker's lips.

They had fallen prey to the Serpent People, trussed up in their nets in the frenzy of the ambush. Their captors had quickly dragged them deep into the jungle before the smoke had even cleared, meeting up with the rest of their clan in a clearing far from Themiscyra. The Serpent People stood in a ring around their captives, Amazons and men taken from the cages all bound together. Some of the men had been weeping but the women had stared defiantly at their captors, hatred simmering in their dark eyes.

The nets had been cut away and Jason had immediately retaliated, his power lashing out and slaying three Serpent People as the Amazons cheered. The Seeker had whipped around only to have a dart had hit him in the neck.

The Serpent People hissed at him, stepping forwards as the Seeker had staggered, the venom flooding into his veins. Elias and Caspian had cried out but froze in their tracks as the blowpipes turned threateningly to them. The dart hadn't killed the Seeker but it had stunned him, the poison numbing his mind and turning him into a shambling hollowed-out shell.

Caspian, Elias and Jason had been quickly added to the train of tied up prisoners and then they had been forced to march through the night, the Serpent People hissing at them violently every time they stumbled.

For all their savagery, the Serpent People were masters of the jungle. They led their victims deep into the forest through hidden dirt tracks, skilfully erasing all signs of passage and sabotaging any attempts at tracking them.

"I wonder what this demon god is," Caspian growled as the Serpent People vanished in and out of the trees with astonishing stealth.

"Let's hope we don't have to find out," Elias said with a voice that shook.

Caspian glanced at him and smiled.

"Don't worry. The others… they'll find us," Caspian said confidently.

He looked all around the jungle, at the featureless greenery that dominated the land and sky, at the thick mist that descended down from the canopy and turned everything into a grey blur. Doubt crept into him.

"They'll find us," he said quietly, "They have to."

AAAAAA

"The queen has ordained that we will not set out to find our sister until three days from now!" the Amazon announced as she stood in the centre of the amphitheatre.

Night had burnt away under the morning sun revealing for the first time the carnage wreaked by the Serpent People. A proclamation had immediately being issues, the Amazons herding into their stadium as Queen Hippolyte announced their next move. Hearing their queen's words the Amazons leapt to their feet, yelling on top of their lungs as Susan and Inara glanced at each other, horrified.

"WHY NOT?!" one Amazon boomed.

"The queen has received a vision from our goddess!" the spokeswoman boomed, "For the sake of our nation we must wait!"

A wave of silence fell over the Amazons at those words and reluctantly they began to sit back down.

"For now, her most reverent majesty Queen Hippolyte bids you heal your wounds and restore your homes. Three days whence we shall march and deliver justice to the cursed Serpent People!!" the Amazon finished dramatically.

There was a half-hearted cheer from the crowd but already some of the warriors were leaving, muttering darkly amongst themselves.

"Well, that tears it," Susan stood, her blue eyes glaring at the Amazon who had spoken for the queen.

"So…" Inara trailed off, a hopeful look on her face.

"We have to find them ourselves," Susan finished grimly.

Inara winced.

"I was hoping you wouldn't say that," the girl muttered under her breath.

But Susan wasn't listening to her. Her blue eyes were sweeping the crowd, taking in the disgruntled look on many of the warrior's faces. Clearly a lot of the Amazons did not look forwards to sitting around for three days. Susan pursed her lips, turning her new idea over in her head.

"But before we go," she smiled, "There's something we have to do."

AAAAAA

Zaru stepped calmly into the ring of warrior women and a hush descended over the Amazons.

"Blessed One!" one of the Amazons leapt to her feet, bowing to him, "What brings you here to our abode?"

"Listen well!" Zaru's voice rumbled through the house, "Her most reverent majesty Queen Hippolyte has been mistaken."

"The queen?" one woman quickly scowled, her hand tightening around her weapon, "She is never wrong!"

"She has mistaken the vision sent to her from our beloved goddess," Zaru continued, his voice high and dramatic, "I, the Blessed One, Chosen of the Gods, have come here to give you a warning."

The Amazons jumped as Zaru roared.

"The Amazons must march forwards and destroy the Serpent People lest Themiscyra be laid to waste!" the leopard yowled, "Go! Go forth and tell your sisters the message of gods! Go before it is too late!"

"Blessed One…" one of the Amazons began.

"POOF!"

There was a flash of light and black smoke poured into the room as the Amazons let out cries of shock. When the smoke cleared, the leopard was gone.

The women stared at each other for a few brief seconds before racing out of the house, determination on their faces.

Around the corner Susan watched, a smile curving her lips.

"Good job," she said to Zaru.

"Pff… easy," Zaru snorted.

"Come on," the queen turned, "We have to go."

Swiftly they left the street as the Amazons stopped every sister they could find and began whispering hurriedly in their ears.

AAAAAA

"This way!" Zaru bounded through the trees, moving expertly through the dense foliage as the three humans he was leading, bashed their way noisily after the cat.

Susan and Inara had been forced to hide Peter in their hut and it was with some effort that they managed to sneak him and all of their weapons out. Luckily Zaru had smoothed the way, proclaiming more dramatic prophecies that demanded the guards be elsewhere.

Branches whipped at them, sharp barbed foliage cutting into their skin as they pressed through the forest, stumbling and tripping over roots.

Susan and Peter had been used to the forests of Narnia but this lush tropical jungle was far denser and a more confusing maze than any woods they'd been in before. Without Zaru they would've been lost in seconds.

"Are you sure about this?" Inara demanded, holding onto the poisoned sword she had taken from one of the fallen Serpent People the night before.

"The poison they use have a very distinct scent," Zaru called back, "Trust me. I can track them."

He paused.

"Plus Elias always reeks of gunpowder and metal. He's like a beacon!"

They pushed on, stopping only at a trickling brook to quench their thirst and refill their water skins. Susan straightened, stretching her back and froze as she realised something.

"Hey, this is where we arrived in this world," she called out, looking around.

Peter grimaced as he remembered appearing in the middle of the jungle and landing smack bang in the middle of an Amazonian hunting party. The women had taken one look at the men and had instantly drawn weapons, eager to slaughter them all or capture them for their cages.

It had been Zaru that had saved them as he growled at the women to back away from his queen. The Amazons had been amazed at the talking cat and had immediately dubbed him a sacred animal, falling to their knees and praying for forgiveness. With some help from Inara, Zaru had managed to talk them all into Themiscyra and for the men to go unmolested into the cages with the promise they would not be harmed. And there they had stayed for three days.

Peter sighed and splashed some water onto the cracked and peeling skin on his arm, the momentary coolness relieving the fiery pain that still coursed through them.

"Any idea when we'll catch up?" Susan asked.

Zaru shrugged.

"The scents still fresh. They're less than a day ahead of us," the leopard reported.

"There are quite a few prisoners," Peter noted, "That means they can't move fast or through any really treacherous path."

Susan nodded, hope flaring as she realised they might be able to catch up before the Serpent People delivered the prisoners to their lair.

"Come on," she glanced at the sky, "Let's not waste daylight."

Quickly they set off, Zaru loping ahead as the jungle hooted and called, rustling and teeming with life.

AAAAAA

The path now was wide and cleared, a broad dirt way ploughed through the deepest jungle. On either side, the trees pressed oppressively in against the borders of the trail as though longing to retake it but burnt scars in the earth showed what had happened to trees growing too close to the packed dirt road.

Poles stabbed the earth on either side and lashed to them, mouths opened in silent contorted screams were skeletons, some bleached to whiteness, others still black, dregs of foul smelling flesh hanging from bloody bones.

The men recoiled, gagging but the Amazons made a magnificent display of indifferent, spitting at the corpses as they passed.

"Friendly," Caspian noted dryly.

Poking and prodding their prisoners, the Serpent People continued their death march into the jungle.

AAAAAA

"Su!"

Peter's voice lashed out like a whip and Susan froze, her foot hovering above an innocent pile of leafs. The High King reached forwards, wrenching her back before throwing a stick at where she had been about to step.

A round patch of ground gave way, tumbling into a dark pit as Susan gaped at the trap. She peered over the edge and grimaced seeing the sharp wooden stakes at the bottom.

"How?" she turned to Peter.

He merely smiled at her.

"Experience," he said, a smirking dancing on his lips.

"Damn," Inara let out a low whistle of appreciation as she saw the trap, "Queenie, you almost got skewered."

"Thank you," Susan said shakily, trying to sarcasm, "For your concern."

Zaru bounded back, wanting to see what the hold-up was. He froze, hissing as he saw the pit.

"Foolish," he snarled at himself, "I should've…"

"Zaru, just lead on," Susan cut in, there were more important things here than her almost death, "Please?"

The leopard nodded and slinked back off, still muttering to himself as the three humans followed him, their legs solid masses of clenching muscles as they grimly pressed on.

They came to a wide river, a tributary of the Thermodon that snaked through the jungle, its waters frothing as it splashed against the water-smoothed stones in its bed.

Zaru eyed the water warily. The leopard could swim but like most cats he loathed getting his fur wet.

"They went across," Zaru announced, sniffing the air, eyes picking up a trail beneath the fast flowing waters where rock and mud had been disturbed, "There's a sand bar here where you can cross."

He scanned the water, noting the jagged rocks that combed the stream as it rushed past.

"Try to stay on it," the leopard advised helpfully, "You really don't want to fall in."

Gingerly he picked his way down the steep bank and slid into the water, his paws scrabbling before they found purchase on the shallow ground. Zaru growled, his skin crawling with revulsion as he was instantly soaked to the bone by the wild spray of the river. Susan grimaced and dropped down next to him, the water flowing through her sandals numbing her toes and calves.

Peter half-slid, half walked down the bank, splashing noisily into the water as Inara just closed her eyes and leapt, landing on crouched knees.

"Come on," Susan urged, wading through the river as the flow tugged and pulled at her trying to pitch her into the fast stream.

Gritting her teeth as numbness bit into her legs, Susan fought against the flow, working with arms and legs to push herself through the deepening river.

Inara's teeth were chattering violently as she flicked her sodden hair from her face. A leaf touched her upon the head and she instantly glared up at the canopy. Peter was huffing and puffing away in front of her, his wet shirt clinging to him as he struggled along the sandbar.

Inara glanced at the shore wearily trying to measure how far away it was. She froze.

"WATCH OUT!!!" she screamed, her voice scything through the air.

Susan and Peter instantly looked up as a screen of foliage on the bank fell away.

"PWHIP! PWHIP! PWHIP!"  
The air was suddenly alive as darts flew through air like wasps, humming as their points gleamed in the misty light. Zaru roared and powered ahead as darts jetted into the water all around them, missing them by mere whiskers.

The Serpent People stationed at the bank hissed at them, split tongues flicking out as they reloaded their blowpipes and –

"ARGH!"

One went down, screaming as Susan's arrow found his gut.

"KEEPING MOVING!!!" Susan yelled, "GO! GO!"  
She stood at the centre of the sandbar, legs screaming as they fought against the pull of the water as she fired arrow after arrow, providing cover as Peter and Inara snaked around her and floundered for shore.

Zaru hit the bank and with two powerful leaps were amongst the Serpent People, slashing and biting as Peter and Inara struggled to clamber up the slippery slope, exhaustion poisoning their muscles.

"Come on!" Inara spat.

Her nails dug into the dirt as she fought for purchase. Peter grabbed onto a nearby root and screamed as his arms jerked, fiery pain stabbing him in his limbs and head. He staggered back, reeling and blinded, falling into the river as Inara dug her stolen sword into the dug and physically wrenched herself onto shore.

She flopped belly-first onto the dirt, gasping for breath. A shadow fell over her and Inara looked up as a Serpent Person sneered down at her, filed teeth stained with blood.

He put his blowpipe to his lips but Inara was quicker, ripping her sword from the dirt and stabbing him in the ankles with the very last bit of her strength. The blade fell from her exhausted fingers as the Serpent Person swayed before collapsing, his eyes already going blank as the venom stole his life.

Grabbing his fallen blowpipe, Inara aimed and taking a deep painful breath she blew powerfully into the pipe. A woman fell, a dart in her back. The pipe rolled from Inara's fingers as she laid there in the dirt, her muscles and lungs burning.

An arrow whistled through air and flesh as another Serpent Person fell as Zaru slashed into another.

Gibbering wildly with fright, the remnants of the ambush turned and fled into the jungle, melting between the leafs as they ran.

Susan clambered onto shore before helping her brother out. Peter was trembling, pale-faced from pain and humiliation, cradling his two useless arms as angry hot tears filled his eyes.

"Peter –" Susan began.

"Don't," his blue eyes looked into the jungle and at the disappearing Serpent People, "We have to stop them. They can't report back!"

Zaru nodded and let out a ferocious roar.

"AFTER THEM!!!"

His muscles bunched and he launched himself into the jungle as the chase began.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Author's notes – too tired to create any too coherent. But a few questions from last time – the type of music I'm looking for is more the grand orchestral kinda pieces but any suggestion would be wonderful.

As for voice actor for Zaru as per one reviewer's reply (my brains too dead to remember the name – sorry!) – the voice actor for Max in the Goofy movie seems to fit unless anybody can think of something else.

As for the Between the Worlds for special – I'm aiming to get the first part up around the same time as the 50th chapter of Across the Worlds but as always the main focus is on the story itself... so we'll see.


	43. King of the snakes

New chapter! To celebrate my upcoming b'day which is happening in two days times!! Enjoy!!

Also I hate to do this but reviews have been slipping so no new updates unless 12 or more new reviews!!

Disclaimer: You know what belongs to C.S. Lewis and what belongs to me

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 43: King of the snakes **

Three Serpent People had survived the battle on the riverbank and fled into the forest with fear in their eyes. The three mutilated fanatics moved with uncanny quiet and stealth, sliding between trees, leaving no traces of their passing. No human tracker could've hoped to follow them but Zaru was a very gifted leopard and his nose and eyes tracked them easily in the jungle as he ran, leaping and ducking as branches whooshed at him.

Behind he could hear his queen, the High King and Inara blunder through the jungle and he couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Humans. Why were they always so clumsy?

He let out a fierce roar, the Serpent People spread out in the jungle before him stumbling in panic as a cold smile curled the leopard's lips. His nose were picking up the complex smells coming from the three, fear and terror making their scent foul and musky as beneath it all Zaru could also detect the smell of poison and death, the scents he always associated with snakes. But never before had he come across a stench so strong, these people (if they were even people) reeked of it, it soiled their every pore making Zaru choke every time he took a breath.

Grimly setting his mind on the task ahead, Zaru shoved his unease aside and lunged forwards, claws outstretched.

The metallic smell of blood punched him in the nose as the Serpent Person fell, twitching as Zaru's claws ripped deep into his back. The leopard quickly finished the mutilated fanatic off before charging after the two survivors.

Their fear was thickening, strengthening from mere isolated wafts of scent into a heavy black cloud that stood out amongst the freshness of the jungle like a flashing beacon. Zaru barely needed his hypersensitive senses to track them now, their sweat and fear drew him to them without much effort on his part.

Air brushed his fur and his ears picked up the sound rushing air as Zaru flattened himself to the ground, the poisoned dart flying overhead.

Zaru put an extra spurt of speed, nearing his second victim but a feathered shaft flew overhead, tearing through leaf and air before burying itself into the second Serpent Person. The leopard instantly angled himself away from the fallen fanatic and raced after the third, his wild and crazed mutterings drifting to Zaru as the cat leapt up into the air, snagging onto a tree branch and taking the pursuit into the trees.

The leopard was a flash of gold amongst the greenery as he leapt from branch to branch, uncanny in his ability to find just the right purchase each time.

The Serpent Person kept turning around, slowing down as he fired dart after dart behind him frantically, each shot going wild of his targets.

Zaru made one last mighty leap and landed onto a branch directly over the panicking Serpent Person. The mutilated man fired another series of useless darts before turning to run. The cat let out one deafening warning yowl before dropping from the tree.

The Serpent Person looked up, his eyes bulging in horror and he was crushed to the ground, head snapping back at a crazy angle as he took the full brunt of Zaru's weight.

Zaru leapt away from the body, cleaning his fur fussily as Susan finally caught up to him, clutching as her chest as she fought for breath.

"Good… good…" she struggled to breathe, "Good job."

Inara and Peter caught up, the girl almost grey with exhaustion but her eyes danced with mirth as she caught sight of the fallen Serpent Person.

"You fell on him," she smirked between desperate gasps for air, "Might want to watch your weight there, Kitty."

Zaru snorted.

"I wasn't the one floundering in my dust," he sniped back easily.

Peter was silent, his mind still back at the river where he'd just gotten in the way… again. Shame rolled through him as he remembered falling back into the river, unable to do anything but just lie there, gasping for breath as the sounds of battle echoed in her ears. He bit his tongue tasting blood as he began to realise just how much of a burden he really was to the others.

"Come on," Susan urged, "We've still got friends to rescue."

"Well, two friends," Inara smirked, "Jason would just go all grumpy if we rescue him. Maybe we should just leave him to battle his own way out? You know to assuage his manly pride?"

Susan considered it as Zaru smirked.

"This way," the leopard pointed with his head, "We're getting closer."

He loped out easily, showing no signs of fatigue as with a weary sigh the humans followed him.

AAAAAA

The sound of thundering water rumbled in the air as they neared the lake. A waterfall cascaded over a sharp cliff face, pounding rock as it fell to earth. It hit the lake's surface amongst white spray and rainbow sheen, churning the water with ferocious force.

"A waterfall!" Elias gasped, "I've read of these. In my world they no longer exist. But here… my word… they're beautiful!"

Caspian hid a smile, sometimes Elias reminded him very much of his old tutor Doctor Cornelius. The scientist seemed to forget the dire straits they were in as he continued to admire the waterfall, eyes gleaming as he took in the marvel before him. Jason mumbled under his breath, his eyes still glazed as Caspian looked at him worriedly.

The Serpent People bowed to the lake and the waterfall before herding their prisoners to a set of caves on side of the lake. Wielding their blowpipes and poisoned blades with deadly expressions, they forced their captives into the caves before standing guard over them, mutilated tongues occasionally tasting the air.

"Sisters!" one Amazon stood out, proudly as the Serpent People hissed at her, eyes flashing.

The warrior ignored them turning to her fellow Amazons.

"We cannot allow these foul fiends to sit us amongst the filth that is men!"

The male prisoners flinched, edging away from the towering Amazon as she spoke.

"We must rebel and crush these foul creatures!" the Amazon announced grandly, "Rise sisters and let us restore our hon – "

She dropped, three darts embedded into her neck as the other Amazons cried out, whirling on their captors but at the sight of the blowpipes, the women instantly dropped back down, eyes burning with hatred.

"Ssssilence!" a booming voice suddenly echoed in the cave.

A tall figure, a poisonous green cloak flapping at his bare ankles strolled to the mouth of the cave, his split tongue running across his lips. The man stopped and stared at the captives, his eyes gleaming yellow in the gloom.

"I, most-honoured-servant-of-god," the man rumbled brokenly, his filed teeth black and foul.

He had mutilated his own body with frightening artistry, the raised bumps and ridges and puckered scars giving the illusion of scales on his mocha-coloured skin. They ran down the sides of his face and arms and he moved with twisting sinuous movements, adding to the serpentine illusion. But most terrifying of all was his cheeks, he had sliced his own flesh away with two horizontal slashes opening up his own jaws to complete the monstrosity he represented.

The snake-like man hissed again, his tongue poking out the gashes in his own cheeks.

"You. Gift to our god. Appease god," the man smirked, "Great honour. Prepare."

Imperiously the leader of the Serpent People swept out of the cave as the guards slid back into place, poisoned blades at the ready.

"Gift?" Caspian echoed.

"I think he means… uhh… sacrifice," Elias explained almost apologetically.

Some of the male prisoners recoiled away from the scientist, face pale as some began weeping brokenly. The Amazons stared at the cowed men in disgust before sitting in their own tight circle, no doubt formulating their escape.

"So… any ideas?" Caspian tried.

Elias's flicked over to the guards, to the barely conscious Jason and back to Caspian. He shook his head and Caspian winced.

"Damn."

AAAAAA

Inara looked nervously at the corpses strung up beside the dirt road as Zaru continued to lead the way but the path was now obviously clear. Susan's eyes roved around constantly, an arrow already set to string as Peter walked beside her, a weary broken look on his face.

"Well, this sure as hell beats the yellow brick road," Inara muttered, "I wonder which of us needs a brain?"

She looked at her companions and quickly realised that only Zaru and Susan were combat ready. She and Peter, well the words useless and cannon fodder came to mind. Inara winced, she could still fight barely but it wasn't going to be enough. Not against the numbers they were facing.

She winced as her previous question was answered: all of them.

"The scent is getting stronger," Zaru reported quietly, "I think they've stopped moving."

"Good, how far away?" Susan asked.

"Half an hour?" Zaru guessed, "Not long."

"Queenie, have you considered how crazily suicidal this is? Because no offence, me and Peter are pretty much useless in a war…" Inara began tentatively.

Peter flinched and Inara winced but ploughed on. Now was no time for pleasantries, she had to be bluntly honest.

"Just how do you plan to face an army of crazed maniacs with just you and Zaru?" Inara demanded.

"First of all," Susan's eyes flashed, "You two are not helpless or useless or anything less. Secondly, our back-up plan…"

"Which may or may not work," Inara countered, "Queenie. We need an army now and all you got is a cat and two cripples. We're not the warriors we once were."

Peter's face drained of blood as he heard Inara's cruel but accurate label. He opened his mouth to argue but closed it as he realised how right she really was.

"Inara!" Susan spat furiously.

"Su, she's right," Peter said quietly, "We can't help."

Susan looked at him helplessly. The curse had completely shaken his world to the core. Peter flittered between depression and anger and self-loathing and every emotion in between. Sometimes there would be moments, flashes when he would seem to be moving on and recovering but then something would trigger the hopelessness all over again and he would be back where he started.

Maybe she expected too him of him. Susan realised it was selfish to believe he would just wake up and be fine. It would be a long difficult road to acceptance, one he had barely started on.

But now, amidst so much darkness and disaster, she just wanted her brother back. She needed his strength and stubbornness because she needed to believe that everything would right itself in the end. She need someone to comfort her and support her.

But the real world was so much crueller and harder than imagination.

"I don't know!" Susan exploded, fear in her voice, "We'll… we'll do some reconnaissance."

She stopped herself, fighting for control as Zaru watched her carefully.

"We'll find them," Susan said, her voice tightly controlled, "If nothing else. We'll know where to lead the Amazons when the times comes."

Silently she turned and stalked down the road as Zaru darted after her, shooting Inara dark glare as he joined his queen.

Inara sighed and turned to Peter.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "But she had to see the trut –"

"Don't apologise for saying the truth," Peter said quietly.

Her heart broke as she had the defeat in his voice. Anger, irrational and wild, flooded her as Inara fought down the urge to scream at him. Where was Peter? Where was the stubborn High King she had come to know? Where was the man he gave as good as he got? Where was the man who would stare danger in the face with nothing but his fists and still charge on?

"Damn you!" Inara hissed as Peter looked up at her shocked, "Don't you dare. Don't you dare give up!"

Peter blinked, her words penetrating the dark fog around his mind.

"You don't get to be that selfish!" Inara spat, "You think you're alone? You think you're the only one suffering? I had something give to me, something I went to hell and back to get. And it was my destiny, I was meant to be powerful and strong and a warrior. And that was ripped away from me! And now I have nothing! But do you see me sulking in the corner? NO! Because we still have a war to fight damn it! A war that is far from over! And we need every damn soldier we can get!"

Fury sparked in Peter's chest.

"I can't help it okay?!" he barked, "I'm trying here! I'm trying and it's still not good enough. Do you know what it feels like when you have no control over your own body?! I have to stand by and watch the rest of you fight for your lives and I can't do a thing to help!"

"I lost my power –" Inara began, red with anger.

"It's different! You can still pick a sword. You can still fight. You can still learn! I can't! My arms… the pain… it's always there! I can't do anything! I can barely feed myself without passing out!" Peter roared at her, completely losing control, "I'm trying with all my strength to just stop myself from falling apart here! So sorry if I'm not skipping through the wildflowers cheering about how life great is! Because it's not!"

Inara and Peter stared at each other, both of them flushed and trembling. Inara's eyes flashed and she opened her mouth, a venomous barb at the tip of her tongue but she stopped, a queer expression coming on her face.

She flushed.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"You can go – " Peter blinked, "Wait. What?"  
"You're right. It is different for me. I…" Inara sighed, running a hand through her hair.

She was dimly aware that Susan and Zaru had stopped and were watching the two carefully.

"Please, just try. Don't give in. Don't let the darkness win," Inara finished weakly, 'Peter. You might not be able to fight but you can't give up. That's something you can do. And… and that's something. Something good."

She turned and walked away from Peter as the High King stared at her, confused. There had been a subtle shift in her voice and a manner, a change in the air. He blinked, puzzled but jogged to catch up with her. Whatever the reason behind Inara's behaviour, Peter felt lighter. The darkness that had seemed to be pressing down him suddenly seemed just that little bit less, just that easier to bear.

"Are you okay?" Susan asked Inara quietly.

Inara flashed her an easy smile as Zaru smirked, picking up something in the girl's scent.

"Just great. Come on Queenie. Lead us unto certain death!" she said dramatically.

Susan couldn't help but laugh as together the four of them hurried down the dirt road.

AAAAAA

"Boom. Boom. Boom."

The Serpent People beat down onto the drums, a solemn ominous tattoo that chilled the blood of everyone inside the caves.

"What's… what's going on?" one of the men whispered, horrified, clinging to his neighbour.

The Amazons were silent, their faces expressionless.

"Boom. Boom. Boom."

The drumbeats continued, echoing the thumping of a heart as the leader of the Serpent People appeared again.

"I, most-honoured-servant-of-god has come!" he said dramatically as the drums continued to boom away.

His yellow eyes swept the cave and even the Amazons flinched at the demented hunger that shone in the strange irises.

"God is hungry!" the honoured servant cried, "He feeds."

He looked at all of them and his lips moved as he counted up the numbers, frowning and stopping every few seconds as he tried to work it out.

"Small number. God hungry. All come," he turned to the guards, "Gather. Take to feeding place."

"No, you will not!" one of the Amazons screamed, "You will not take us!"

She charged at the Serpent leader, fists swinging but with blistering speed the man dodged her blow and punched her straight in the face sending him crashing to the ground.

"Gather!" the man barked, kicking the downed Amazon, "They fight. Drug them!"

Some of the Amazons leapt to their feet, cursing and howling but the guards raised their blowpipes and the air was thick with darts. The women stumbled back, their eyes going blank, docile looks crossing their faces as powerful drugs attacked their brains.

Caspian gritted his teeth, fists clenching as he longed to wrap his hands around the Serpent leader but Elias touched his arm, eyes warning him of the folly of such a move.

The Serpent People surged forwards, dragging them all out into the light. The most-honoured-servant-of-god led the way along the lake's edge, past the drummers as they continued to beat repetitively down onto the stretched skins.

Wooden posts were set all along the lake's edge and at every one, the Serpent People would stop and bind some of their prisoners to it before moving on.

Caspian, Jason and Elias were bound to the same post, the Telmarine instantly testing the strength of his bonds as Jason continued to mutter incoherently, his eyes blank as the drugs continued to work in his system.

"Any luck?" Elias asked.

"It's tight," Caspian gritted out.

Every time he jerked against the rope, it would tighten cutting off his circulation. After a few frantic moments of struggling, he stopped, wincing as blood rushed back into his hands with stinging pain.

The most-honoured-servant-of-god stood on the lake's shore directly opposite the waterfall as the drums began to louden, their booms echoing far into the jungle.

From his green cloak, the Serpent leader pulled out a set of rude panpipes.

"What is he doing?" Elias gasped.

The man put the pipes to his lips and pursing them, he began to play a short discordant note that seemed to float across the lake towards the waterfall.

Everyone on the lake's edge, froze, their hearts stopping as the waterfall seemed to answer the call. A long violent hiss slid out from the thunder waters, slithering across the snake and reaching each prisoner as all of them began fighting their bonds, looks of horror on their faces.

"We need to…" Caspian kicked at the wooden post but it was solid and would not budge, "We need to…"  
Face pale and clammy Caspian struggled as the Serpent leader played another tune. The waterfall hissed again and this time something dark and immense seemed to appear behind the sheer curtain of water, the water bulging outwards as something began to emerge.

"CASPIAN!" Elias cried out, his horror echoed by dozens more as the water split.

An immense demonic creature burst forth from the waters, lured out of its lair in the cliff as it rose high in the air, hissing violently.

It was a snake, its body easily the thickness of man's waist, poison green, twisted horns jutting out from its flat diamond head.

Eyes, red and golden and black, flickered around as a long purple tongue flickered out from its fanged maws tasting the air.

The Serpent People instantly fell to the ground bowing as the most-honoured-servant raised his fists triumphantly into the air.

"God! Here are food! Feed!" he called out fanatically, "FEED!"  
It was a call echoed by his people.

"FEED! FEED! FEED!!"

The giant snake slithered out of the cave in the waterfall and slid into the lake's cold waters as every prisoner watched on, stunned. The water's surface bulge as the snake, its length easily that of five full-grown men, swam towards the shore.

"FEED!"

Water gushed down the snake's body as the beast exploded out of the lake, tongue flicking out.

"HELP!!" one of the prisoners screamed, frantically, "PLEASE!!! SOMEONE!!! HELP!!!!"  
The snake twisted to look at him and the man froze, transfixed by the snake's gaze.

"No…" the words trembled from his lips, "Please… mercy.

"FEED!!"  
The snake surged forwards, hitting the man with the force of a truck. Rope snapped and the man was carried up into the air, screaming as the snake's fangs tore into his body. Black ooze dripped from the snake's mouth, hitting the lake in a sizzling rain as Elias realised the source of the tribe's poisonous weapon.

The man died instantly and the snake threw crushing coils around his body before swallowing him whole.

The whole ghastly meal was over in a second. The Serpent People went wild, dancing and cheering as the man-sized bulge in the snake's body crept down the monster's impressive length.

"Impossible," Elias spluttered, "A snake of that size would only feed about once in a few months. It doesn't need to devour all of us!"

"Well, I hope someone tells that monster that fact," Caspian said grimly as he began kicking at his post again, "Because I think it's going to eat everyone last of us up."

An Amazon screamed, her stony façade cracking as the snake slammed straight into her, red eyes gleaming.

AAAAAA

"Holy…" Inara's words died in her lips.

They had reached the lake with no troubles. The Serpent People had been sloppy, they had left no guards and no patrols making it a laughably easy matter to sneak into their stronghold but now seeing the monstrous god they worshipped Susan could only wish guards were their only problem.

"How do we kill that thing?!" Zaru gaped as the snake devoured the Amazon in its jaws.

The reek of poison and death had lingered over the lakes and caves like a poisonous cloud and now that Zaru had seen the source of the stench, his every instinct was screaming at him to turn and flee for his life.

"That comes later," Peter snapped, "We need to free the prisoners first."

Susan's eyes widened as she caught sight of Elias, Caspian and Jason, all of them bound to a post on the lake's edge.

"There!" she pointed, "They're there!"

"There's no way we can get in without being noticed!" Inara yelped.

Susan raised her bow, eyes narrowing as she took careful aim.

"Not without a distraction," she said quietly.

"Su, what are you goin –" Peter began.

"TWANG!"

Susan's arrow streaked through the air, lancing upwards as the Serpent People gasped, catching sight of the projectile.

"God!" the most-honoured-servant cried out, "God!"

The snake shrieked in pain, howling as an arrow slammed into its left eye. The monster instantly went into a rampage, muscular coils thrashing the lake's surface as the Serpent People leapt to their feet, looking around wildly as they tried to find the attacker.

"Go!" Susan barked.

A group of Serpent People was swept into the lake as the snake's tail trashed wildly, the creature bucking as blood oozed from its ruined eyes. It hissed, wrathfully as Susan led her group towards the shore.

Zaru bounded forwards, killing a woman in the chaos as Inara stabbed at another Serpent Person, the poisoned blade doing all the work. Peter snatched up the dagger the fallen person dropped and trying to stop the spasms in his arm, he waded into the battle.

"THERE!" the most-honoured-servant roared spotting the intruders at least, "KILL! KILL! KILL!!"  
The Serpent People, in the fanatical rage, simply charged straight at them without thinking. Some ran straight into the path of the rampaging snake-god or too close to the Amazons who kicked out, knocking some of them down.

"Free the Amazons!" Peter yelled, "They'll join the fight!"

Blowpipes went off, the crazed Serpent People not caring they were firing at their own brethren. Corpses hit the ground but it was only through sheer luck that none of them were Susan and her family.

"SUSAN!" Elias yelled seeing the attackers.

Peter and Inara made it to the first post and instantly slashed the bonds. The Amazons cried out and leapt into the melee as the most-honoured-servant shrieked with fury.

"KILL! KILL! KILL!!" the man seemed to dance on the spot as Peter and Inara freed another batch of prisoners.

The monstrous snake was finally calming down, soft hisses leaving its clamped mouth as its thrashing coils began to still.

"Hey! Missed us?" Inara said brightly as they finally reached Elias's posts.

She blinked seeing Jason's face.

"Is he high?" she demanded.

"Long story," Caspian said reverently as Peter slashed his bonds.

"Our weapons are over there!" Elias pointed at the piles of confiscated weapons just lying outside of the cave they had been held in.

Caspian and Elias darted off, dragging Jason behind them as Peter and Inara ran off to the next post.

Amazons let out chilling war cries as they slammed into the Serpent People, snatching weapons from their hands and turning it back on their owners with deadly results.

The snake-god roared and its head darted forwards, venom spewing from its fangs. An Amazon and three of its own followers died as the snake ploughed into the fight.

"DIE!!!" one Amazon screamed as the snake's head surged past her.

She raised her sword, the point gleaming in the sunlight and with one thunderous blow she cleaved the snake's head off.

The Serpent People screamed as the snake's body writhed, black blood spewing from its severed neck.

"Well," Peter stopped and stared at Inara, "That was easy."

Taking advantage of the Serpent People's distractions, the Amazons cut them down where they stood as Peter and Inara hurriedly freed the last of the prisoners.

The most-honoured-servant was screaming himself hoarse, tears running down his face as he leapt from his podium and charged at the Amazon who had killed his god. The woman easily ran him through and snarling into his mutilated face, the woman quickly made him headless.

The Serpent People were retreating, fleeing into the forest as both their god and priest died before their eyes.

The Amazons were cheering, eyes wild with victory as the male prisoners huddled together like sheep unsure of what to do.

"Victory!" one of the Amazons howled, "Victory!"

The snake's body suddenly twitched.

"SUSAN!!" Inara roared, "WATCH OUT!"

The queen leapt away as the headless body of the snake suddenly rose into the air, blood still dripping from its severed end.

The body swayed drunkenly in the air as the Amazons cried out and charged fearlessly into the lake's shallows, hacking at the snake's body.

"What…" Caspian gasped.

Elias's eyes widened as the snake's severed neck suddenly split in two. Flesh boiled and bulged, blood gushing freely as with a terrifying roar two new head suddenly exploded from the single severed neck.

The Amazons stopped, surprised as the now twin-headed snake hissed violently, four pairs of red and gold eyes glaring at the fools who had dared attack it.

Inara suddenly clasped a hand to her mouth.

"Oh my… I know what that thing is!" she yelped.

"What?!" Peter barked.

"IT'S A HYDRA!!!"  
One of the heads stabbed down and an Amazon died, curved fangs impaling her body as her sisters instantly bounded forwards, hacking down with their swords. The other head shrieked in pain as its twin was hacked off its neck.

"STOP!!" Inara yelled frantically, "STOP!!! DON'T! FOR EVERY HEAD YOU CUT OFF IT JUST GROWS ANOTHER TWO!!"  
Peter gasped as memories of a legend that had fascinated him as a child fluttered back to him.

"The labours of Heracles!" the oldest Pevensie realised, "The second task!"

The severed neck bulged and two more heads erupted from it. Now a three-headed monstrous snake, its body having bulked up to support the extra weight, sat on the lake's shallow bed, hissing as venom dripped from its fangs.

Caught up in their bloodlust, the Amazons charged and the hydra seemed to deliberately lowered its heads for them to attack. Two more severed heads dropped into the lake, the water hissing and spitting as the blank-eyed snake heads sank below its surface.

More heads erupted as the now five-headed hydra menaced the Amazons.

"What is that thing?!?" Caspian roared.

"The Lernean Hydra!" Inara explained quickly, "It's from Greek mythology. Hercules destroyed it! For every head you cut off, another two grows in its place."

"How do you know that?" Zaru asked surprised.

Inara raised her eyebrow.

"What? I can't know things?"

"No, because Elias is the one usually with the answers," the leopard shot back, "You usually just provide the stupid comments."

"Hey, I'm smart too!" Inara protested.  
She stopped.

"Plus my comments are witty!"

Zaru rolled his eyes, something he'd picked up from living so long with humans.

"Inara, are you sure about this?" Susan demanded, cutting into the bickering.

In the lake two Amazons fell, the hydra quickly swallowing their bodies up.

"Look I was obsessed with a really bad 90's T.V. show and I come from the age of Wikipedia. I _know_," Inara said firmly.

The hydra hissed violently as another head was severed. But it quickly regenerated, six-heads rising high into the sky as it slammed its body down into the lake crushing several of the Amazons under its now gigantic weight.

"Great, how do we destroy it?" Caspian demanded.

Inara glanced at Peter.

"According to the story, Heracles severed the heads," the High King said slowly dredging up stories from his childhood, "He then… branded each one to stop them from growing another."

Jason sat in front of the cave, his eyes still glazed over as his companions argued in front of him.

"So we just have to sever each head and burn the necks?" Caspian checked.

Peter nodded. They all turned and stared at the six-headed writhing monstrosity that towered before them. Only a meagre handful of Amazons still fighting, stabbing at the monster's scaly body but even as they watched, another warrior fell, snatched up hungry jaws that quickly ended the woman's screams.

"Sever all the heads huh?" Zaru said slowly.

Susan paled and cursed as Caspian smiled wryly.

"Adversity builds character?" the Telmarine tried to smile but failed.

"In your books maybe, in my crazy six-headed…" Inara winced as another head fell, "Seven-headed monsters equals painful death."

"Now would be time for optimism," Peter shot back, "Not –"

"Realism?" Inara wanted to know.

Zaru coughed.

"Okay, we're in trouble when I'm the logical one," Zaru took a deep breath, "So what's the plan?"

They all looked at Susan and the queen stared back at them helplessly, completely blank.

Inara sighed.

"Oh, this just keeps getting better."

AAAAAA

Of the fearless band of Amazons that had charged recklessly to confront the hydra, only two of them were still alive and having seen their sisters fall beside them, killed by poison or crushing coils or devoured alive, sense seemed to finally cut through their battle-lust.

"RETREAT!!" one of the Amazons shrieked.

She staggered out of the lake, blood gushing from a cut in her side as her sister floundered beside her, pale terror on her face. The hydra hissed violently, all seven heads glaring at the two women as its tail undulated lazily in the water, stirring up the lake's usually placid surface.

Shrieking three of the heads surged forwards, jaws snapping as the other four arched high in the air, golden eyes keeping track of their prey.

The Amazons shrieked in terror, their infamous coolness cracking as fanged death flew at them.

One head recoiled, shrieking as an arrow slammed into its eye. All seven heads instantly raised in their air, roving as it tried to spot its attacker, all seven purple forked tongues flicking in and out as it tasted the air.

THERE!  
The hydra whipped around, hatred and fury entering its eyes as it spotted a lone figure standing on a rock, a bow in her hands.

Foolishness! Foolish for a lone human to go up against it, the king of snakes, the slayer of Gods!

Gold and black eyes narrowed and the hydra let out a fierce roar that sent swarms of animals fleeing deep into the jungle as birds took flight, shrieking wildly as they fled the god of death that now walked amongst them.

The hydra bunched up its muscles, calculating the distance between it and its prey.

The human will pay for its insolence!!

Susan stood still, fighting down the urge to throw up or run as sweat soaked her back and front. Her fear was overwhelming, primeval and ruthless in its need to dominate her and seize control. Fighting down eons of the basest of human instincts, Susan forced her to wait as the hydra coiled and with an earth-shaking shriek, pounced straight at her, all seven heads flying forwards like arrows from a string.

"ROOOWWRRR!!!"  
Zaru speared into her from the side both of them flying out of the way as the hydra's heads smashed into the ground, tearing a furrow into the dirt as the snake-demon roared in fury, body writhing.

"NOW!" Susan barked.

Caspian lunged forwards, sword in head as he attacked the rightmost head. The hydra, stunned from its crash into the ground, offered no resistance as with one powerful stroke, Caspian loped one head off.

"GO!!!" Caspian screamed jumping out of the way.

Elias fired his crossbow and the hydra screeched as a silvery orb smacked its side and exploded, fire washing over the severed neck as a strong stench of burning flesh sent them all staggering.

The snake-demon rose into the air, its six heads writhing as the severed stump of the neck continued to sizzle and smoke, the gaping hole cauterised.

Everyone watched with bated the breath as the hydra swivelled its heads to look at its injuries. It shrieked, its tail smashing into the caves and breaking them apart as the severed neck remained unhealed, no new heads regenerating.

"One down!" Caspian beamed.

The smile dropped from his face as the remaining six heads split up to look at its enemies with vicious loathing.

"At least we know our strategy works," Elias tried to stop the crossbow trembling in his hands.

"Good to know," Inara said faintly.

The plan had been deceptively simple, separate the heads, sever and burn. Repeat when necessary. But of course when one factors in the fact they're fighting a giant snake-demon with seven heads and poisonous fangs even the simplest plans tend to overcomplicate themselves very quickly.

Peter cursed as the hydra marshalled its heads into two groups.

"It's going to try and pincer us!" the High King barked, his experiences on the battlefield easily reading the hydra's intentions, "MOVE!"

The hydra thrashed onto shore, its heads lashing out, one group of three swinging in from the left, the other from the right as the monster tried to encircle its enemies inside a ring of snapping heads.

Susan and her companions sprung free from the trap but one of the Amazons weren't so luck, screaming as she lost under a thrashing mess of scales and fangs. There was a sickening crunch and the scream died out.

The lone Amazon howled in sorrow and charged forwards, brandishing her sword.

"NO!" Susan lunged at her but the woman swatted her aside.

The crazed warrior threw herself at the hydra and fearless and crazed, she slashed out, hacking as the hydra twisted towards her.

One head fell as the sword lodged halfway into the neck of another. The warrior screamed, unable to yank her sword out. Completely mad, she began punching and kicking the snake even as the hydra lunged at her.  
"NOO!!"

The woman died, foam spewing from her lips as a poisoned fang sank into her body.

"ELIAS!" Peter roared, not letting the horror of the moment cloud his judgement.

The scientist almost dropped his crossbow but Caspian scooped it up, taking aim and firing.

The explosion swallowed the hydra, searing its severed neck and blowing the injured head off. The smoking charred head arced high into the air before crashing down into the jungle as the hydra screamed, blinded by smoke and assaulted by flames as its wounds boiled and charred.

"Four heads," Zaru reported tersely.

The hydra changed its tactics, raising its heads high up into the air, out the reach of its attackers as it opened its mouth.

Venom gushed out from its fangs, raining down on grass and jungle as plants withered and crumbled under the onslaught of thick black poison.

Susan grabbed still-drugged Jason and pulled him out of the way, Inara helping her as the hydra's heads writhed and shook, raining its poisons down at them.

"WATCH OUT!" Elias barked.

The girls and Jason pulled up short just as string of venom slashed the ground where they had been about to stand. The patch of jungle instantly died as the earth itself sizzled as though burnt by fire.

"Damn," Susan gasped.

She aimed and fired her arrow hoping to distract the beast but it glanced off the hydra's scale, flopping uselessly to earth as the hydra's eyes mocked her.

Like a dog shaking water from its coat, one of the heads thrashed, venom flying from its fangs. They ran and stopped, relying on pure instincts as death rained down all around them.

"NOW!" Susan yelled.

Out of their pockets, each of them took out an orb and with fierce yells they threw it straight at the hydra.

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"

Explosions rang out, mushrooms of fire swallowing the hydra up as the serpent thrashed, screeching in pain. The flames and the smoke cleared revealing smoking craters in the hydra's body as it swayed drunkenly on the spot, black blood oozing from its half-burnt wounds.

"TIMBER!" Inara shouted out, eyes ablaze as the hydra shrieked and toppled to the side.

"NOW!" Susan commanded.

From the left Caspian surged forwards, sword in hand as Elias and Peter raced after him, fire orbs in hand. On the right side of the stunned hydra, Susan and Inara charged, Inara's stolen sword clasped between them.

"THWACK!"

The hydra was now three-headed.

The monster bellowed, its body thriving weakly but the explosions had sapped all its strength away.

Susan and Inara stopped in front of a cut and battered head and raising the sword, both their hands clasped around the hilt, they slashed down.

"THWACK!"

Instantaneously Inara hurled a fire orb at the severed neck as Elias fired his crossbow on the other side.

"BOOM!"

The remaining two heads reared up, screaming, blood and venom gushing from its mouths as two more necks were seared shut.

Desperation seized the immense serpent and fear gave it new strength. It lashed out with its tail smacking Caspian, Peter and Elias and sending them tumbling into the jungle as it twisted, its two heads hissing violently as gold eyes pierced Susan and Inara.

"RUN!" Susan yelled as the heads lashed out, poison fangs gleaming.

There was a flash of gold and a fierce roar as Zaru leapt out from the trees and pounced straight onto one of the hydra's head. The green snake hissed, rearing up and shaking its head violently as Zaru's claws dug under scale and into flesh as the cat held on grimly.

The last head coiled and sprung forwards, mouth agape. Susan swung her bow around, arrow to string and with a mighty yell –

"FOR NARNIA!!"

She fired.

The snake's head snapped back, eyes dimming as the feather shaft flew straight into its mouth, barbed tip piercing the roof of its mouth through flesh and bone and straight into its brain.

Zaru was thrown off the last remaining head as the one that Susan had killed hung limply from its body, lolling from side to side as the hydra thrashed, screeching frantically.

"Good shot," Inara gasped.

Her heart was smashing against her ribcage like a beast fighting to break free as she watched the hydra stare down at them, fear finally entering its last pair of eyes.

"It's going to run!" Zaru barked as he landed daintily on all fours beside them, smelling the stench of fear that cleaved through the smell of poison and death.

They were thrown away as the thick tail whipped around and the hydra threw itself back into the lake, dipping under the surface as it swam back towards the waterfall, water streaming around its body.

"We have to destroy it now!" Susan roared, "We can't let it regroup!"

The three men staggered out from the trees, bruised and battered but still very much alive. They stood, gaping at the fleeing hydra as Susan whirled towards them, eyes flashing.

"Elias! Your crossbow!" she barked.

The scientist instantly tossed his crossbow towards Susan, an orb already loaded into the weapon. Susan caught the crossbow, taking a few seconds to adjust to its weight. She placed the stock against her shoulder and squinting, she took aim.

Everything around her fell away. The frantic faces of her friends, the dark form writhing in the water, the death and the destruction that lay all around her, it all vanished into the recesses of her mind. Her breathing was even and slow, measured, her heart beating a serene tattoo. She was connected to the world around her, noting the wind and the feel of the air, instinctively adjusting her grip and aim without so much as a thought.

She stood, a master of archery, poised and ready, all fear and panic, all thoughts and emotions bleeding away as she lived for the shot.

Her fingers stroked the trigger but she knew now was now the time. She had to wait.

The hydra shot out from the lake, water cascading down its vile green form as it slithered, jerky and panicking up the smooth rocks of the waterfall, heading towards its lair behind the curtain of water.

Its tail writhed and coiled, scrabbling for purchase as it thrust its lone living head into its cave, water streaming all around it.

And that's when Susan fired.

Everyone stood, statue-still, hardly daring to breath as a lone flash of silver streaked across the lake. Somehow through unbelievable skill or sheer luck, the orb slipped past the hydra's writhing, water-streaked body. It flew between its two remaining necks, one head still alive, the other slapping wetly against the rock, eyes opened but unseeing. The silver orb struck the rocks above the hidden cave and fire immediately shattered the waterfall.

"BOOM!!!"  
The hydra shrieked, tail writhing in jerking seizures as the rock cave collapsed, its roof torn apart by the explosion. An avalanche instantly broke out, a deluge of heavy black rocks falling and crushing the hydra's head. The monster's screams were cut off, its leviathan body shaking in its death throes as a jagged-edge block of granite fell like the blades of a guillotine.

With a wet squelch, bones and muscles were sheared apart and the hydra's body, devoid of any heads began to topple.

Susan had already set another fire orb in place and she instantly fired again, seizing the chance to strike the deathblow.

Fire cauterised the final two severed necks and the headless body of the serpent king flopped into the water, great waves breaking ashore as the monster fell.

In a second it was all over. The rocks had stopped falling, the fire had died out, the water in the lake stilled as the waterfall began to wend a new course through the re-shaped cliffs.

The body churned in the water, turned by the thundering cascade of the falls as Susan lowered her crossbow, her body trembling as it finally all caught up to her.

"It's…" Elias swallowed, "It's dead."

And the hydra's body floated to shore where it laid like a beached whale, headless and burnt, finally defeated. Suddenly from everywhere and yet nowhere at all, a deep furious roar rumbled the sky and earth. It was a terrifying wrathful shriek, one that pierced ears and soul. Even the thundering waterfalls were drowned out as all of them fell to their knees, clutching at their ears as the scream went on and on.

Finally it faded and they slowly looked up, ears ringing, fear sprawled across their faces.

"What was that?!" Zaru barked.

"Echidna."

They all whirled around. The proud haughty face of Queen Hippolyte, leader of the Amazons, stared down at them like a judge eyeing a criminal. Behind and around her, armed to the teeth was a troupe of Amazons, their eyes widening as they took in the scene before them, staring in horror at the severed body of the hydra.

But it was not Hippolyte who spoke.

A woman stepped out from behind the queen. She was slender and shorter than Hippolyte but the command and power in her face and eyes made the queen look like a mere child compared to the implacable diamond strength this majestic beauty possessed.

Hair that was neither gold nor red but a fiery shade of both tumbled down the woman's back, a demure white gown hanging loosely from her shoulders, slits running up the sides to allow easy movements of her long legs. Her skin was smooth expanses of pure alabaster, flawless. Her muddy green eyes were solemn, thoughtful as they took in the people kneeling before her.

There was movement amongst the crowd of women and Susan blinked as a proud furred figure strutted up beside the red-haired woman. It was a deer, long and lean, its bronzed fur lush and fine. Intelligent dark eyes blinked lazily at them but what caught everyone's eyes were its antlers and hoofs. They glowed golden in the light and when the deer pawed the rocky shore, the hoofs clang loudly, sparks flying from the rocks.

The woman placed one hand on the deer's hindquarters, the other wrapped around a silvery curved bow. Susan couldn't stop the small gasp that escaped her as she stared at the weapon and realised she had never seen a bow so perfectly shaped and made, not even the one given to her by Father Christmas himself.

"Who are you?" Peter demanded.

"Silence filth!" Hippolyte barked, "How dare thee lowly man treat –"

The majestic woman held up her hands.

"Greetings," her voice was softly accented, flowing and lilting, a song in each word, "I am Artemis, the Patron Goddess of the Amazons."

AAAAAA

"Please sit," Artemis, the Greek Goddess of the hunt and the moon, said graciously.

Even Susan, Peter and Caspian, all queens and kings in their own right, well versed in social graces felt clumsy and tongue-tied in the deity's luminescent presence.

Zaru sneezed. The goddess's presence was almost overwhelming, every time he breathed all the leopard could smell was the fire and the strange metal tang of lightning.

"Do you have any idea what you have wrought?" Artemis said directly.

Her audience blinked, surprised at her bluntness. Her green eyes look at them all and eerily Susan felt she could see a forest in them, a verdant jungle with teeming prey. Men and women slinking through the trees, bows and spears in hand as they –

Artemis blinked and Susan snapped back to reality.

"No, madam," Caspian said formally with a bow.

Artemis's lips curled at his courtesy.

"It is refreshing to speak with men after so much time here," Artemis said offhandedly.

They were standing in a temple in Themiscyra, the stone and marble masterpiece decorated with fanciful statues of women and animals in flight as a great hunt took place. Murals of legendry Amazonian warriors lined the walls as a tall marble statue of a towering goddess, bow in her hand dominated the altar at the far wall.

"I'm sorry if I seem direct but this is not a peaceful time here," Artemis explained, "Something is at work and it is counteracting all that me and mine had wrought."

"The hydra," Inara said in a hushed voice, "Why were you afraid of it?"

Artemis looked at the girl sharply and Inara flinched but she pressed on rashly.

"You are a goddess. You could've smite that snake down in a sec and a half from what I've read," Inara looked at Artemis squarely, chin jutting out defiantly daring the goddess to stop her, "But you waited. And you came with warriors at your back. Why were you afraid?"

"Sharp eye girl," Artemis noted with a wry smile.

She looked at the others. The only one that was missing amongst them was Jason who was slumbering restlessly under the careful eyes of the Amazons' healers as the drug in his system slowly began to fade.

"She's right. I was afraid. There are monsters roaming the land," Artemis said quietly, "Terrible beings that rend and destroy wherever they go."

"There were always monsters in your legends," Peter said, blue eyes flashing, "Minotaurs and Gorgons and the like. That never seemed to have bothered you gods before."

Susan and Caspian gaped at the rudeness and the challenge in his voice but Peter ignored them.

"No, that is true," Artemis said mildly, "These monsters I speak of are not new to us. We were the ones who allowed them to grow, to stand as tests for our human champions. But they have sprung up once more and this time even we gods tremble in their presence."  
Artemis was looking up at her own statue, her face grave.

"A dark power has imbued these monsters, these children of the great serpent-beast Echidna and her foul husband, Typhon," Artemis looked back at them, red head flowing gracefully around her as she moved, "In their presence all that makes us immortal and different from mere mortals… fade."

"What?!" Susan gasped.

"When these beasts appeared, we simply sent our champions forth to destroy them again. And the monsters butchered each one," Artemis intoned emotionlessly, "Heracles. Bellerophon. Jason. Odysseus. Perseus. Theseus. All were destroyed. My father, the great Zeus's anger shook Olympus to the core and he marched out against Echinda's foul brood with a great army of gods the likes of which have never been seen before."

The goddess stopped and a look of heart-wrenching sorrow, one that made them all want to weep came across her winsome face.

"The battle was titanic. And when it was over, the bodies of once immortal gods littered the bloody field. My brothers and sisters and my father were all destroyed. Because when those monsters are upon us, we all nought but mortals and all of our powers and wiles are blown away like sand before a storm. The hydra itself devoured Ares and would've vanquished me if I had not fled. There are only a meagre handful of us gods left" Artemis stopped and she looked at them with shadows in her eyes, "The Oracles of Delphi have foretold that if these great monsters succeed in destroying all the gods, the monstrous couple Echidna and Typhon will be set free from their eternal prisons and they will rule this world at the cost of every living thing."

"You want us to destroy them," Susan said, catching on quickly.

Artemis nodded gravely.

"You have already managed to slay one foul spawn of Echinda. Now you must vanquish the rest."

"How many are there?" Elias asked.

Artemis was silent for a very long time.

"Seven in all."

"Seven?!?" Zaru squawked.

"Six with the hydra now in the realms of Hades," Artemis said calmly.

"So you want us to destroy a bunch of monsters that gods themselves couldn't?!" Inara exploded, "What hope have we got?"

"You are our only hope!" Artemis snapped, "We gods were defeated because we rely too much on our divine gifts! Too much on our magic and our mystical might! In the face of these devil-spawns we have nothing. We are mere mortals. That is why we lost because we cannot adapt fast enough, we cannot live and fight as mortals."

The goddess seemed to tower over them as a wild wind swept through the temple. Sparks seemed to crackle in her dense hair as lightning and fire spewed from her eyes and mouth. Caspian cursed, his hands going to his sword as the air seemed to crush down on them like hammer on an anvil, heat searing their throats as they breathed.

"You have already destroyed one beast. Because you do not work alone and you fight these creatures with mortal weapons and steel can slay these monsters where godly powers cannot!" Artemis barked, as terrible and powerful as a dragon, "YOU MUST!"

Silence fell like a cover over the temple as Artemis seemed to recover, taking a step back as the oppressive heat in the room faded. Elias gasped for breath, clutching at his chest as exhaustion rolled through him, he felt like he'd been forced to march through a searing desert in full metal armour.

"Who are the other beasts?" Susan asked into the quiet, not meeting Artemis's eye.

"Echidna and Typhon spawned great many monsters. The ones which now stand opposed to us are the Nemean Lion…"

Peter and Inara stared at each other, the High King mouthing the words Heracles as Inara nodded.

"The Chimera, Orthrus…"

Susan was watching Peter and Inara's reaction, their eyes lit up at the mention of Chimera but clouded at Orthrus. Inara's lips mouthed as she talked silently to herself, trying to place the beast's name. She sat up straighter, eyes shining as she got it.

"… Ladon, the Sphinx, the Lernean Hydra and…" Artemis's eyes hardened, "The slayer of my father, the Gorgons."

Caspian frowned not recognising a single name as Zaru looked blank. Elias was obviously itching to go and research these monsters but the look of disgust and fear on Inara and Peter's face at the very last name sent a chill down Susan's spine.

"Where are these beasts?" Susan demanded.

Artemis shrugged, an infinitely graceful and delicate move that Susan could no hope to repeat.

"Scattered. Only a few of their locations are known to me," Artemis looked to her, obviously sensing she was the leader, "Will you accept this quest?"

Susan touched the leather pouch around her neck and sighed. Monsters that killed gods, a dark power that imbued them… the Great Darkness had chosen powerful allies in this world. The hydra had been monstrous and to face six more… Susan grimaced what choice did she really have?

Susan nodded and Artemis smiled, her eyes and face lighting up with a glow that put the suns and the stars to shame.

"Thank you," she said honestly, "Thank you."

Artemis drew herself up and she once more the commanding goddess, strong and proud and unbreakable.

"I will start you on your journey," Artemis announced, "You will travel to Athens where the Nemean Lion is troubling my sister, Athena. From there you will have to find your own way."

"Athens?" Elias frowned, "Is that far?"

"Leagues away," Artemis said serenely.

"Great, travelling for months on end," Zaru muttered disgusted, "Should be a joy."

Artemis sent down a mischievous smile, temporarily erasing the aloofness that seemed to pervade her manner.

"Don't worry," she soothed, "I will arrange the appropriate transport."

AAAAAA

Susan stepped out of her hut and Athena was there, framed against a full moon that gave a silvery sheen to her already breath-taking figure.

"You are the commander of your troops," the goddess said without preamble.

The goddess's deer was prancing in the moonlight, moving with such perfection and grace that it took Susan's breath away.

"Yes."

The look she gave the goddess was not the trembling awe-stricken gaze of a supplicant but as one woman to another.

"I have given you a dangerous task," Artemis said quietly, "One that you may not live to see out."

"I have no intentions of dying," Susan said flatly, "There is still too much to be done."

Artemis was silent, studying the queen carefully. Suddenly she nodded as if Susan had passed some sort of silent test. The queen shuddered as she realised she probably had.

"I will give you a gift to ease your journey in this world and what lays beyond," Artemis held up her hands and Susan blinked as she realised the goddess was holding her silvery bow, "This is yours now."

"What?!" Susan squawked.

"Take it. The gifts of a goddess are hard to come by and must be hard won. You have won this."

With trembling hands Susan reached out and took the bow. It was insubstantial at first, weightless but the metal and wood weapon seemed to shift in her grasp, gaining weight and shape until it fitted her hands as though she'd been born to wield it.

Artemis held out a quiver of arrows, each one silver-feathered and shafted. Susan took it as her knees buckled but the queen refused to show weakness.

"The bow will not break and will suffer no one else's touch unless you desire it. It is bonded to you and will return even if you pitch it down into the deepest ravine. The quiver will never empty and the arrows will always fly true. And there is this…" Artemis stepped forwards and placed a thumb against her forehead.

Susan started as cold fire seemed to course through her body, hitting her with the chilly clarity of freezing water. It flowed through her veins, twisting this way and that before it seemed to coil and rest somewhere deep inside her body.

When Artemis pulled away, she was frowning.

"This is not the first god's gift you've received," she said almost accusingly.

Susan blinked and remembered.

Viola.

"No, it's probably not," Susan whispered.

"Then you are not just blessed but twice-blessed," she smiled enigmatically, "A very powerful gift indeed. Even death itself can be rewound."

Suddenly she nodded to her, Artemis's face set.

"Go forth my champion. Destroy the beasts."

And the goddess swept away, her flowing dress fluttering behind her as she disappeared into the darkness like a phantasma from a dream leaving Susan clutching her gifts, staring into the night with wild eyes.

Wild joy coursed through her as Susan remembered Viola's words.

_'Three gods… thrice blessed… the curse will break. And you will have your love back once more.'_

Susan laughed as she realised she was a step closer to having Caspian back.

AAAAAA

"What on earth?!" Jason thundered seeing their transport.

The Seeker had awoken just hours before, clear eyed and minded, as acerbic as ever. Even more so when he learned of the titanical fight he'd missed.

A herd of horses, their coats glistening white and utterly perfect, pawed the ground, tossing their silvery manes with wild shakes of their heads. But what was most astonishing were the long feathery wings folded against their flanks.

"Pegasus," Peter breathed.

Susan smiled crookedly.

"Fledge."

The two Pevensies swapped smiling looks as they remembered Professor Kirk's adventures in Narnia.

"Go forth my champions," Artemis announced grandly as the honour guard of Amazons bowed to them.

Queen Hippolyte herself even gave them a stately nod as gingerly they approached their steeds.

Having never ridden a horse in their lives, Elias, Inara and Jason were terrified as they mounted, clinging to the horses mane with death grips that made the horses snort in disgust.

Peter, even without his hands managed to balance himself perfectly with just his knees.

"Go forth with my blessing!" Artemis yelled and the winged horses took flight, arrowing towards a clear blue sky as the quest to destroy the devil-spawns of Echidna began.

AAAAAA

Author's notes: So yeah... the Across the Worlds thing is getting pulled together very slowly – I'm having trouble limiting my rambling. So I need your people – what do you actually want/need from this special – aside from your questions (which by the way I love! Keep the coming!) what do you want to get from it. So yeah – please speak up.

As for the music – you guys are awesome! I love all the songs you've recommended; I really enjoy most of the choices you've given to me (and ended up capping my internet connection!) so thank you again!

Sorry about the lack of updates but studying and going to hospitals really impedes on the writing front. Thanks for you patience and randomly answering one of the questions I usually end up writing chapters at like 1-2 o'clock in the morning... so yeah, I'm usually exhausted.

Also finally check my profile I've put up a new image displaying our favourite heroes as I see them! (sorry lilbanili I had to take your picture down for awhile but it will be back up – I swear!)


	44. The demon lion

New chapter! New chapter! Enjoy! Uhh... sorry about the delay... I came down with swine flu... I am seriously not kidding...

Anywho 10 new reviews means new chapter!!

Disclaimer: blah, blah, blah... just go read one from another chapter 'kay?

**Across the World**

**Chapter 44: The demon lion**

_Day 1 - Cephisian Plain_

"By the Mane…"

Caspian stared at the destruction that all around him, dark eyes bleak.

The Cephisian Plain, the fertile lands surrounding the great city of Athens, was no longer just the home for orchards and farms. It was now also the home to a vast open graveyard and a bloody slaughterhouse. Zaru retched as the ripe stench of rotting flesh and other things he did not want to dwell too much on trickled into his nose.

"Is this it?" Caspian asked darkly turning to his guide.

Councilman Cleisthenes nodded gravely. The tall aging man, his hair thinning over liver-spotted skin was one of the most illustrious members of the Boule, the ruling council of Athens.

"There is where the foul beast, the Nemean Lion, the devourer of Heracles, struck last night," Cleisthenes spat, disgusted and furious.

The Nemean Lion, another of Echidna's foul children, had struck a farmstead just a mile out from Athens and as Caspian looked around once more, he realised just why the gods were so afraid of it.

Bodies, disembowelled, entrails strewn across the ground in bloody strings drew a plague of fat, black flies. The air was literally alive with them as they zipped from bloody corpse to bloody corpse, legs and wings twitching as they descended onto the feast.

No living creature had been spared. A bull laid at one end of the paddock, its limp body in the left corner, its bloated head and empty eyes in the right. Wool and blood-streaked feathers clumped here and there on the grass like fresh-fallen snow. The orchards were torn up, trees lying on their sides like fallen soldiers in a war they could not win. Some of the dead bodies had been dragged into the crops, tainting them with blood and disease as the fat flies continued to dine.

Caspian turned queasily away from the destruction and saw more as he found herself looking the ruined door that once guarded the house itself. Cowardly he did not even want to step in there, terrified of what he might find.

"Where can I find this lion?" Caspian said suddenly.

Cleisthenes sighed, his clothing was plain but the man needed no badge the authority in lean face and voice already marking him as a leader.

"I beg that you do not continue on this quest," the man rumbled, trying again in a vain attempt, not really expecting to win "We have lost many fine soldiers and hunters to this beast. No swords can penetrate its hide, no arrows can puncture its flesh and it is deadly strong."

"Where can I find this lion?" Caspian repeated, a hint of steel in his voice.

Cleisthenes looked at Caspian. With his firm stance, intelligent dark eyes and a voice ringing with confidence, Caspian looked like a leader of men, a king personified. The wily councilman smiled as he remembered Caspian first addressing the Boule, some of colleagues had sat up in their chairs, obviously impressed by the young man's well-honed statesmanship whilst others had scowled darkly, muttering under their breaths, obviously intimidated.

Athens was in segue, the old order toppling as their patron goddess fled before the terror that stalked her city. Old ways was changing, hierarchies were shifting and as always in times of unrest the unscrupulous was reaping the benefits, amassing power and a new position in the new world order. Many had greeted Caspian's defiant intention to destroy the Lion with less-than-expected enthusiasm, many wanting him to fail. But all were wily men and all realised that this foreigner would not stop until he or the Lion was dead.

"The cursed Lion lives in a lair at Mount Hymettus," Cleisthenes explained, "It does not dare attack our fair city but it roves amongst the farms on the Cephisian Plains on our outskirts killing livestock and men alike."

The man's eyes blazed, his hands clenching into fists as he spoke.

"That devil-spawn of Echidna is bleeding our city drew. Our food stores are dwindling as farmers flee and lands lay unattended. The beast usually stalks at the night destroying all that it comes across," he continued.

He looked at Caspian, chin jutting out in a wordless challenge.

"Is this the news you seek?"

Caspian inclined his head humbly, bowing to the Athenian elder.

"I thank you for your help," Caspian said formally, confidence shining in his face, "Fear not, we will destroy this lion."

"Let's hope Artemis made the right choice when she chose you to be her champion," Cleisthenes countered, "I will leave you now."

Leaning heavily on his staff, the man limped away as Caspian turned. Elias and Peter stood behind him, Peter's face grim, the scientist's a study in concentration.

Susan and Inara had been forced to stay within Athens's walls, Cleisthenes refusing to bring 'helpless women' to the scene of such a barbaric crime. It was only when Caspian had politely pointed out they needed the Boule's support and were not here to start a war or a revolution that Susan and Inara had stopped their scheming to topple the chauvinistic, blatantly sexist, narrow-minded, I-bet-you-they're-compensating-for-something, totalitarianism Athenian regime (how Inara had said it all in one breath was still a source of amazement to him).

"Elias?" Caspian said gently, wanting to know what the man was thinking.

"Mount Hymettus," Elias was turning the councilman's words in his head, "From what I remember from the maps that's east of here."

"He mentioned farms," Caspian pointed out, "How many are there?"

"Hundreds," Elias sighed.

The scientist had spent the whole of last night reading about the city, its history and everything else he could get his hands on, half-listening as Inara and Susan ranted about Athen's rampant sexism.

"Athens is located on a particularly fertile stretch of land. There are farms everywhere," he finished glumly.

Elias looked around at the lush dale that Athens rested upon, his dark eyes scanning the land, a map clutched in his hands. Thick green grass folded underfoot, springing back up as walkers passed. The scientist studied his map, muttering under his breath before looking back up, hands shading against the sun. Even with the riot of thoughts inside his head, Elias couldn't help but admire the tranquil land around him. It was serene and achingly picturesque, farms sprawled across an emerald expanse, neat-rowed orchards twining towards the sun. But the analyst in him couldn't help but note that everything looked just a little bit _too _beautiful. It was as though everything around him had been painstakingly sketched and painted by some unimaginable artist, everything from grass to sky to clouds crafted to a perfection that was sullied by its own flawlessness.

"What are you looking for?" Caspian asked curiously..

"I'll know it when I see it," the professor said distractedly, his mind working frantically.

Elias's eyes turned to the belt of mountains to the east. Studying the jagged peaks that rose from the earth to bite the fleece in the sky. He was looking at Mount Hymettus, lair of the Nemean Lion.

"Well according to the Herculean legends…" Peter frowned as he tried to dredge up the few fragments he and Inara had managed to remember between them, "Heracles's arrows were ineffective. He stunned the lion and then… strangled it."

"It was that easy?" Caspian asked surprised.

"Heracles was a half-god with magical strength," Peter said dryly, "It's not going to be that easy for us."

Ever since his confrontation with Inara on the road to the Serpent People's lair, Peter had felt lighter, less prone to dark moods and brooding. He felt renewed, felt a sense of purpose that had been lost for a very long time. Inara had been right, if he gave up hope and stop fighting he'll only be letting the darkness win. And as bad as it was, he had to endure, he was the High King of Narnia and Peter the Magnificent _did not _bend.

The fight with the Serpent People and the Hydra had taught him that even though he might not be able to pick a sword, he could still contribute, still help destroy the darkness in whatever way possible. And in this world, he could start by providing information about the beasts, knowledge he could glean from his childhood fascination with Greek mythology.

"So the Nemean Lion cannot be harmed by weapons but it needs to breathe," Elias absorbed that piece of information.

He smiled, his mind already whirling with ideas.

"Interesting."

"You've got something?" Caspian asked knowingly.

"Well, Cleisthenes said that the Lion is attacking farmsteads. If the Lion is acting like any sane beast would, it'll start from the ones closest to the mountain and venture closer to the city each time," Elias said slowly, speaking his thoughts out loud.

"So?" Peter asked not following.

"It means we can predict with some surety where it'll strike tonight," Elias smiled triumphantly, excitement coursing through him as his imagination ran rampant at all he could achieve this very night. He was already skipping ahead, sifting through possibilities after possibilities.

But he reined himself in. One step at a time…

"And?" Caspian pressed not entirely comfortable the gleeful look in Elias's eyes.

"It means I can do some experiments."

AAAAAA

Inara tripped, sprawling on the ground as the sword flew out of her hands, loudly clanging against the paved courtyard floor. She cursed, pushing herself up.

"You're going to impale yourself if you keep this up," Jason pointed out.

Inara glared at him and snatched up her sword, taking a deep breath as she moved into a battle stance again.

In the garden beyond the courtyard, two of Artemis's winged horses thoughtfully cropped the grass, grazing peacefully as their long white wings flexed and stretched in the sun. Susan's mount, the one named Fledge, shook the flies off him, his silver mane shimmering as his muscles shifted under a gleaming white coat.

Inara slashed the air, moving against into the same battle dance she had been able to do with ease back in the Temple. But now it seemed impossible. She stumbled over her own feet, her arms screaming with exhaustion as she struggled to keep the pattern.

"ARGH!"

With a cry of frustration, she hurled the sword aside.

"Inara."  
"Just stop," Inara hissed, "I don't need your comments."

She was sick of this. She hated being this… this… person. She wasn't a warrior anymore, she wasn't a fighter, she wasn't strong… she was a person, just a regular normal person. She had been special, chosen for a grand destiny, wielding a power others could only dream of and now she wasn't. She was just plain old Inara Nixon. And she hated it.

"I'd say you do. Keep your arms up," Jason growled, "And your feet back. Your balance is all over the place."

Inara glanced at Jason and couldn't help but smile. The Seeker knew what was wrong with her, knew she was suffering but unlike all the others he wouldn't just allow her to sit and sulk. And she needed that. Need motivation when everything seemed hopeless.

Jason raised an eyebrow and Inara immediately took up the stance again as the man roughly adjusted her position, daring her to argue.

"You can ask for help you know," the Seeker said gruffly, "Because you're learning the basics all wrong."

"You know how to fight with swords?" Inara asked raising an eyebrow.

"No, but I know how to fight," Jason said bluntly, "And you're doing it wrong."

Roughly he grabbed her limbs, forcing her to stand properly. He stood back, arms crossed.

"Alright. GO AGAIN!"

* * *

_Night 1 – Athens_

"I don't think we can do what we normally do," Elias announced suddenly, staring at his untouched plate.

They were all sitting around the table, devouring their meagre night meal as Elias spoke. Everyone stopped, hands hovering over bowls and dishes as they turned and stared at the serious-faced scientist. Susan smiled recognising the serious look Elias was on a mission.

"What do you mean?" Inara asked, somewhat offended.

Elias gave her a dry look, a look that a disapproving father would give to a child being deliberately slow. Inara huffed but fell silent.

"Our usual plan of charging in, hack things apart and charge out without dying in the process," he said flatly.

"Our plans are not –" Jason began heatedly.

The scientist raised an eyebrow and the Seeker stopped, sighing, knowing the man was right. Susan hid a smile as Elias smirked..

"Fine," Jason grunted, "What have you got planned?"

Elias looked up towards the ceiling well aware that everyone was watching him carefully. He felt acutely uncomfortable. He wasn't used to being the one in command, the one who had to lead and plan and execute. But he was a scientist and the cardinal rule of science was to be thorough and methodical. And he had a hypothesis, a theory on how to slay the Nemean Lion.

Worries hovered at the fringes of his thoughts as he realised how much was depending on him now. Lives and livelihood, farms and Athens, a pantheon gods and a whole entire world they could not lose to the darkness… all this now rested on his shoulders.

Elias gulped and his mind fled, taking refuge in facts and procedure. He had a hypothesis? Well, he needed evidence. He need to know the beast, know its strength and weakness and exploit every damn one of them. And to do that…

"We need to stalk the Lion," Elias explained.

Silence greeted his words. Zaru hastily swallowed the mouthful of food jammed between his jaws, gagging slightly before he managed it.

"Stalk? As in follow the crazed maniacal god-killer?" the leopard repeated incredulously, "I'd prefer the charge in plan."

Elias took a deep breath and plunged straight into it, his face determined even as his heart trembled at the thought of what he had to do.

"We need to figure out its weaknesses, what it can do, what we can exploit," he said bluntly, dark eyes focused on Susan.

"Again, we're stalking a crazy god-killing monster?" Zaru demanded, "Can't we just blow it up?

Susan looked at Elias and nodded. A leader wasn't just about always being in control, it was also about knowing when to allow others to step in. And Elias knew what he was doing… she hoped.

"That makes sense," she said, ignoring Zaru's squawk of protest, "But how…"

"I've got a plan," Elias grinned, an unholy light in his eyes.

Inara and Caspian exchanged worried glances as Peter and Susan stared at each other. "Uhh… yay?"

* * *

_Day 2 – Athens_

"I love you."

Susan smiled up at him. His eyes ravaged her, dark with hunger but there was a tenderness that softened their intensity.

"I know," she whispered, fingers curling through his hair.

His lips found her neck and Susan hissed, pulling closer to him, trying to mould their bodies together. They tangled and became one, beating chests pressed together as though if by trying hard enough they would somehow transcend their bodily forms and join together, mind and soul in utter ecstasy.

"I love you too," Susan whispered back, welcoming him, beckoning him, drawing him in.

His hands found the hem of her pants and began to pull –

AAAAAA

Susan shot up in bed, looking around wildly. She was drenched in sweat, the air foul with the bitter tang of it.

"I can't…" she shuddered, heat and horror running through, "I…"

She threw the sheets from her body and welcomed the cool morning air against her heated skin. She clutched at her face, tears leaking between her fingers as she cursed her dreams.

"Stop tormenting me," she spat furiously.

Knowing from past experience she would get no more sleep tonight, she walked out of the room, carefully stepping over Zaru's sleeping form. She opened the door and slipped into the hallway, padding towards the kitchen.

She frowned seeing the faint glow of a small fire ahead and Elias's muttering voice. Susan sighed as she realised the scientist had foregone sleep again.

"Idiot," she muttered, frustrated.

A door to her left suddenly swung open and Caspian walked appeared, sleep-dazed eyes staring blankly at her. Susan froze, a small gasp on her lips as the king emerged as though called by her dreams.

Caspian turned to look at her, eyes widening and the temperature in the house seemed to plummet.

"I… kitchen… I," Susan choked, desperately trying to master herself.

But it was too soon, her nerves still raw from the dream. A blank mask fell over Caspian's face as he merely nodded, stepping aside to let her pass. Fumbling like a child and with heat in her face, Susan tried to move on but the smallness of the hall made her arm brush against his.

Bare skin touched bare skin and Susan jumped, a jolt of heat running through her. She heard Caspian's startled breath as he too felt the same.

They stared at each other, Susan's eyes wide and confused, Caspian's dark and bleak.

"I…" Susan tripped over her own tongue, flushing, "Caspian. Please... talk to me."

She wanted to grab him, shake him, scream at him. She had to know if he had felt the same, if he felt anything for her. She just had to.

Susan gasped and stagggered back as naked hate flared in Caspian's eyes. His body trembled with the force of it as his lips pulled back into a snarl, a bestial growl on his lips.

"Susan," he spat out the worlds, "Just go."  
"Caspi – "

"GO!"

Susan fled down the hall like a coward, running from the look in his eyes as Caspian stared after her, his eyes burning. Once she had disappeared, he fell against the doorjamb, a hand clasped to his chest as he struggled with something that rose inside of him. It clawed at his insides, blood boiling in his veins as Caspian grunted, cursing under his breath.

He looked up and stared at where Susan had been standing, a bewildered look in his eyes. Slowly, very slowly, he turned back around and closed the door shut behind him.

* * *

_Night 2 - Cephisian Plain_

Dark forms winged through the night, cold air whistling through the riders, finding each gap in their clothing and punishing them bitterly with numbing coldness. The leader of the pack raised her left arm and the horses immediately banked to the left, gliding silently and majestically through the darkness.

Even though the moon was fat and full in the sky the night was still densely dark, their eyes unable to penetrate more than a few inches ahead. The land below seemed possessed by a malevolent force, a monster lurking in each shadow, each pool of darkness a hiding place for spying eyes.

Elias's mount flew up beside Fledge and Susan instantly turned to look at him. The scientist's eyes glittered in the darkness.

"There it is. Just as I predicted," he hissed excitedly, relief flowing through him – he was right!

Susan looked down. She let out a low gasp as she realised even though it was pitch black, she could still see the beast loping below in great detail. It was as though the Nemean Lion was bathed in its own pool of light making it a laughably easy task to pick out its monstrous form.

"I can see it… remarkably well," Susan muttered, puzzled, "Is that one its powers or something?"

But Elias ignored her, his eyes straining to see the monster. The Nemean Lion was massive, easily the size of an oxen. Its fur was the colour of drying blood, red and rust all blended together. Its eyes were narrow and glowed terrifyingly in the dark, each pupil a single black slit on an iris of crimson. Its claws were black and cruel, viciously hooked like a raptor of prey's. It snorted and bellowed as it ran, the sheer monstrosity of its form an insult to the land upon which it walked.

Elias nodded grimly. It was time. Time to start the experiment.

He turned to the others and nodded again. Caspian, astride Destrier II, peeled off to the left as Jason awkwardly steered his horse (the one Inara had dubbed Gabrielle) to the right.

Susan and Elias flew ahead as Peter and Inara hung back on their lone horse, Xena (Susan had no idea where Inara had come up with that bizarre name).

"Can you aim in this darkness?" Zaru muttered from his position behind Susan.

Susan had been forced to saddle her horse so that the leopard had something to cling onto; the others rode bareback.

"Hit the lion," Elias commanded softly as they hovered behind the Lion.

He watched the beast carefully, noting its long smooth stride, the cruelness of its claws and every nuance of its movement, filing it all away.

Balancing precariously on her horse, Susan took out her bow and leaning over slightly, she lined up her shot. Again she was surprised by how easily she could pick up the darkly Lion in the night.

Narrowing her eyes, Susan pulled the string back, silver arrow clutched between her fingers.

"Bulls eye," she whispered already knowing she would hit her target before she had even fired.

The arrow zipped forwards, a flash of light in the darkness. It was superb shot, the shaft drilling straight into the Lion's flank. The Nemean Lion twisted, growling lowly as the arrow struck its thick hide and bounced off harmlessly. It's nostrils flared and it bellowed loudly, its claws swiping the air as it lunged uselessly up at her.

Susan winced. Elias viewed it all with a critical eye.

"Arrows are out," he noted softly.

From their left came a grunt of exertion and the Lion roared, more from annoyance than fury as a heavy lance slammed its sound, the barbed tip not even managing to scratch its flank.

"Spears as well," the scientist muttered, half-awed by the Lion's formidable hide.

What was that fur made out of? It was impossible for a mere organic material to turn away such weapons. Unless the fibres were weaved and bounded in such a way that kinetic forces could be…

Elias was knocked out of his thoughts as white fire lashed out in the night. The Nemean Lion roared, a bellowing cry that instantly set the horses trembling. Susan stroked Fledge's neck trying to calm the equine down as Jason's power ploughed straight into the monstrous beast.

The Nemean Lion staggered, claws digging into the earth as Jason's attack hurtled straight into it with the force of a battering ram. With a surprised yowl, the Lion was sent sprawling. It rolled a few times, flopping into the dirt but as soon as the power had faded the Lion was back on its feet, completely unharmed.

It roared as the winged horses nickered in fear, wings flapping frantically as their riders tried to keep them in check.

Atop his bucking horse, Elias watched it all silently, his mind eliminating old plans and drawing up new ones with unbelievable speed.

A fourth attack flew at the Lion, a silvery ball crashing straight into the beast's face. The orb exploded, fire washing over the monster as it was blasted back by the explosion. Again as the flames and smoke cleared, the fierce cat rose to its feet, uninjured and snarling, eyes glaring up at its attackers.

A thick black tongue swiped its lips and even Jason shuddered at the murder in its eyes.

"Damn," Susan breathed as Zaru hissed below his breath, both of them stunned at what the Lion could withstand.

But where Susan and Zaru saw failures and dead-ends, Elias saw opportunities. Where one say a straight path, the scientist saw a network, interwoven and interconnecting, intricate and perfect, a thousand options springing open for every that closed. All this, seeing so much, knowing so much would've driven any smaller man to distraction but Elias wasn't just any man.

"Alright, that's enough," he nodded, his mind working feverishly, "We got what we need. Let's go!"

The Nemean Lion's eyes followed them wrathfully as the four flying horses swung away and winged their way back towards the city of Athens.

* * *

_Day 3 – Athens_

Elias sat in a corner of the courtyard under the shade of an olive tree as he muttered to himself, scratching at the tiled ground with a piece of chalk.

To the left of the courtyard, Peter stood, one of Susan's slim daggers in hand as he stabbed the air, his feet moving quickly as he shuffled and twisted, moving in a complex battle dance as pain shot up his cursed arms. Gritting his teeth as sweat rolled down his face, the High King pressed on, fighting through the agony as he ran through the drill over and over again, stubbornly refusing to give up.

He had to get stronger. He had to get stronger. Chanting the same mantra over and over again, Peter forced his arms to move, stubbornly shutting out all else.

Nearby Inara's arms were about to give way as exhaustion rolled through her. Gasping for breath, she raised her sword once more, her arms trembling violently as muscles began to cramp. Inara cursed under her breath as she forced herself through the battle dance again.

Her powers were gone. Remnants, flashes of it still remained. She still had some of her old technique, knew the theory behind her blows but the co-ordination and the power and the smoothness of her movements were gone. She tried a stab but was immediately unbalanced, struggling to keep her sword straight as her muscles strained, screaming for her to stop.

"Move your left foot back," Peter said softly, stopping his own training.

The High King expertly ran his eyes over her stance, noting the slightly imbalance in her weight distribution.

"Right foot to the side more," he continued as Inara smiled at him gratefully, adjusting herself as he continued to whisper instructions to her.

On the other side of the courtyard, Susan held up her sceptre.

"I should've trained you a long time ago," Jason growled.

"Why?" Susan demanded, vaguely aware she was pouting, "I can control this thing with or without your help."

The Seeker snorted.

"Really?" Jason raised an eyebrow, "So that thing that happened back in woods when you almost died because you couldn't control how much of yourself you were pouring into that thing… that was all a plan to get yourself painfully killed?"

Susan grimaced as she remained the fight with the Ill-Wind and before that her duel with Siobhan. Somehow when she had been facing the possessed Ursine she had broken something deep in herself, some kind of gateway, a barrier. She had unleashed more power out of the sceptre than she could've imagined was possible. But when she had fought the Ill-Wind…

Susan shuddered as she remembered being unable to move, only dimly aware that it was her own life that was flowing out of her hands and into the sceptre as the Ill-Wind had been battered by terrifying forces.

She sighed.

"Alright," Susan squared her shoulders, "Teach me."

The Seeker's dark blue eyes drilled into her own and Susan felt uncomfortable as she began to realise that there was power in those depths, a fiery magic that fought against its flesh prison, longing to break free and fly to the heavens. It was like lightning in a bottle, deadly and barley contained.

"It's about control," Jason held out his hands as white fire danced between his fingertips, "Both of us can pour so much of ourselves into the power that we're swallowed up as well. You need to have control. Just like me."

Susan raised an eyebrow.

"Really? So when you collapsed in the train station after attacking the Nazis that was control?" she couldn't help the smirk on her face.

The Seeker glared at her.

"Who told you that!?" he demanded, flushing.

"I overhead Caspian and Elias talking about it," Susan said all wide-eyed and innocent.

Jason turned and sent a death-glare at Caspian as the Telmarine walked out from the house. The king froze having heard Susan's last words.

"I didn't know she was listening!" Caspian protested, eyes darting to Susan, "I can't believe you could be so sneaky…"

Susan chuckled, her bell-like laughter chiming as Caspian grinned. Suddenly they froze and stared at each other as they realised what had just happened. Inara and Jason watched, hawk-eyed as Caspian suddenly grimaced before turning his back to Susan, body trembling.

The queen stared at his broad back, bewildered, clutching her sceptre in white-knuckled fists.

"Anyway," Jason muttered, keeping in quick as Susan quickly hid her pain, adopting a look of utmost concentration, "Control. And to do that, you need to be able to control your mind."

He pointed at the sceptre.

"Hold it out and I want you to put some of yourself into it. Just enough to light up the crystals. No energy," he said firmly.

Susan shoved back her confusion and pain (what on earth had just happened there?) and closed her eyes, gripping her sceptre tight. All her hurt faded as she felt the familiar rush of heat coursing through her and into the sceptre as the crystals blazed with light. Susan smiled, suddenly feeling light and more alive then she'd ever been.

"This is ea – "  
Blue energy exploded out from the crystals slicing through a nearby tree as Susan jumped back, throwing the sceptre from her hands.

Jason smirked at her.

"I don't want to hear it," Susan muttered as she bent and scooped up the sceptre again, handling it as though it would explode any moment.

"Focus," Jason warned, "It's the only way."

Elias was dimly aware of the others as he stared down at his half-finished plan and calculations. He turned to Zaru who was napping in the sun beside him.

"Are you ready for tonight?" the scientist asked gently.

The leopard opened one eye lazily and nodded.

"Are you sure?" Elias asked.  
Everything hinged on tonight. There were still factors and variables he had to work out. Variables vital to the plan. He needed to know so many things. Account for so many things. Need to know if –

"I'm not a cheetah but I can still pretty fast," Zaru boasted, "Don't worry Doc, I can handle it."

Elias nodded, mind already somewhere else as he continued his planning.

* * *

_Night 3 – Base of Mount Hymettus_

Zaru's tail streamed behind him, twisting this way and that as he used it like a rudder to guide his movements. His claws pounded the dirt, tearing up great clouts of mud as he tore across the field.

"ROOOWWWRRR!!!"

The Nemean Lion's furious roar ripped through the night, echoes answering from afar, as the monster charged after the leopard, murder gleaming in its eyes. It was deadly race, Zaru pitching his wind and endurance against the deadly wrath and claws of the Lion. A trip, a misstep or a slip would be enough to the see the leopard dead, torn apart before anyone could even blink let alone help.

Fear shrieked at him, calling him seven kinds of idiot but grimly, Zaru pushing these thoughts out of his head as he lowered his head and ran, the air whipping past his fur. He twisted, the Lion's massive jaws snapping on air and tufts of fur as Zaru sprinted towards the spot Elias had indicated earlier before.

"NOW!" Elias barked from somewhere overhead, commanding the events like a conductor before an orchestra.

Something dark dropped form the sky as Zaru leapt easily over it, using the extra height to springboard himself further away from his pursuer. The object, a rough wooden dummy dressed in Athenian armour fell directly into the Lion's path as it stomped on.

Let out another deafening roar, the Nemean Lion slashed out and the dummy was torn in two, the sickle-like claws scything through wood and metal as though it was paper.

Sitting on his winged horse, Elias let out a cry of disgust as a few of his plans went out the window.

"By the Mane," Caspian gasped, "It just tore through that armour like…"

"Like it'll tear through us if we get in its way," Jason growled darkly.

Zaru had also seen the destruction, almost choking as he'd seen his pursuer destroy the armour without a pause. The leopard was changing tactics now, zigzagging and doubling back in a complex pattern as the Nemean Lion tired followed his every move, each monstrous step bringing it closer to its golden-furred prey.

The talking leopard threw one look over his shoulders and went pale under his fur as the Nemean Lion barrelled towards him, claws outstretched, teeth snapping. There was nowhere to move! It was too close, triumph in the demon Lion's eyes as it knew it had its prey.  
"ZARU!" Susan screamed, her cry echoing in the night.

Zaru 's hind-legs bunched and with a mighty cry, the leopard launched himself into the air, back-flipping over the Lion as it charged past. Zaru landed, twisted and immediately darted off as the Lion's claws tore a furrow into the dirt, the beast trying to stop itself. The devil-spawn of Echidna turned, its breath puffing out in front of it in short gasps as it took off after the leopard, noticeably slower than before.

"ENOUGH!" Elias yelled.

Caspian instantly urged Destrier down into a sharp dive, the king clinging low onto the white steed's back. Swooping lowly over the ground, the horse banked, wings flaring and Caspian lunged to the side.

Zaru leapt gracefully into the king's arms as Destrier gave one mighty beat of his wings and was shooting back up as the Nemean Lion's frustrated roars chased up into the sky.

Hovering safely over the Lion, the companions watched as the monster howled and screamed, red eyes murderous as it tore great gashes into the earth in frustration.

"Thank you," Zaru gasped frantically clinging onto Caspian.

"Good job," the king said gently.

Destrier slowly beat his way back to its herd-mates as the Lion loped off, still growling furiously.

* * *

_Day 4 – Athens_

Elias took a deep breath. Were they ready? Was he ready? He felt weak and panicky at the thought that everything hinged on him being right. Hinged on his calculations and predictions being spot on. This wasn't a battle plan, this was a minutely controlled choreograph, every variable, every possibility had been accounted for.

'_Am I ready?_' he asked himself.

That was the question. Was he ready to bet his friend and family's life on his plans? On his brains and skills being enough? It was the ultimate gamble.

"Elias?" Peter stumbled into the room, eyes feverish.

Outside it was still dark, the sun still sleeping beneath the horizon line, the sky dithering between night and day.

"What are you doing up?" Peter asked.

He raised an eyebrow seeing the reams of paper littering the table and overflowing to the floor. He looked at the scientist and saw the panic in his eyes.

"Can't sleep?" Peter said with a wry smile.

"You?" Elias countered.

Peter looked back at the hallway and saw no one. He sat down and looked squarely at the scientist. He trusted the man, trusted his honesty and integrity and honestly, Peter just needed someone to talk to.

"Scared to," Peter said, "Every time I close my eyes… I'm back in that dungeon and…"

He shuddered, dark memories flittering through his mind like shadows across the moon.

"I feel so helpless," Peter whispered, "And now with my arms… it just gets worse."  
"You'll get better," Elias said gently, "There will be something, somewhere in some world that can help you."

Peter laughed bitterly.

"Let's hope."  
Now he looked at the scientist, blue eyes drilling into the professor's dark eyes.

"You're scared as well," Peter said bluntly, giving up on subtlety as he was so very bad at it.

"How do you do it?" Elias demanded suddenly, "You and Susan and Caspian. You're kings and queens and you're younger than I am! How do you send your people in war knowing that they'll very well be killed?!"

"Worried for tonight?" Peter asked, dodging the question.

Elias gritted his teeth, his sweeping hand encompassing his piles of notes.

"Everything… everything comes down to how right I am. How smart I am," Elias looked at Peter with haunted eyes, "What if I'm wrong? What if someone…"  
"I made a horrible mistake once," Peter said suddenly, cutting through the scientist's monologue, "I wanted to invade a castle…"

He stopped.

"The details doesn't matter but I was strong and a whole lot of people who should've lived died…" his voice broke and he trailed off.

"How do you deal with that?" Elias was honestly confused, "How do you keep doing it?"

"Because I… we have to," Peter said simply, "People don't want leadership because it means being responsible, being at fault when it all goes wrong. Trust your people and make sure they trust you so even when the worst happens and they die… they die knowing you did everything you could to save them. And trust yourself, because if you doubt then everyone's afraid and if they're afraid, nothing ever changes."

"Trust…"

Such a simple innocent word for such a complex fragile thing. Trust was the link that bound all men, that made strangers into friends and people into a community. Hard-won, easily lost and almost impossible to win back. Did he trust himself? Elias looked at the king.

"Do you trust me?"

"With everything," Peter looked at him, "We all do."

And those simple words scythed through all of Elias's fears and doubts and he smiled. Peter smiled back and for the very first time, the scientist began to truly see the king that lurked within the young man, the qualities that had made him so beloved by his people. The true Peter had been lost, mired by fear and suffering but now…

Elias smiled and the two sat companionably in glow of the fire.

* * *

_Night 4 - Cephisian Plain_

The cattle snuffled wetly, butting the edges of the fence. Suddenly the herd all froze as a roar echoed in the night.

There was a moment of utter stillness than utter panic as the herd thrashed, ramming themselves against the gate in a sheer desperation as death flew in the night, red-eyed and black-clawed towards its penned-up victims.

High overhead obscured by shadows, a lone white horse flew on angelic wings as a watcher monitored the land below, lips moving quietly as the Nemean Lion roared, the ground shaking as it pounded towards the cage of cattle.

If the beast had been cautious it wouldn't instantly noticed that something was wrong. The cattle pen stood in the middle of nowhere, not a farmstead in sight. It was a trap, an obvious one but Elias had been banking on the Nemean Lion being too enraged, too caught up in its lust for destruction and blood to notice and the scientist had been right.

Elias watched, his eyes straining to see in the dark but the Lion's eyes glowed with a demonic light marking its location. The scientist continued to mutter under his breath, calculating the distances.

Perfect timing… precision… had to wait. Nerves shook his body but still Elias held his tongue. No emotions… he had to be cold, logical, methodical. He had to be a scientist. But it was hard to be cold and steady when everything would ignite this night like a keg of gunpowder and unless he controlled the ensuing inferno, a lot of people would die.

The Lion's mane streamed behind it as it charged on, thick black tongue flicking out as its nostrils flared taking in the scent of the cattle and the bitter fear that exuded from them. It growled low in its throat, unholy pleasure flaring in its eyes as its ears picked up the pulsing of a dozen hearts, the muscles working frantically to pump litres of rich hot blood. The demon Lion roared again, hunger unfurling like a snake in its mind and seizing control.

Its massive paws hit the earth and Elias immediately sprung into action.

"NOW!" he roared.

With a piercing cry, Zaru leapt from the midst of the cattle and literally bouncing on top of the fences, he launched himself straight at the Nemean Lion before the monster could even react.

"ROOOWWWRRR!!!" the Lion staggered backwards, screaming as Zaru's claws flashed striking his sensitive nose.

The leopard hit the ground and instantly took off, a blur of golden fur as the Lion recovered, nose twitching. Black slitted eyes turned towards the fleeing leopard, hatred simmering in its depths and the Nemean monster was instantly after the leopard, spittle flying from its snarling mouth as Elias watched with bated breath.

This part of the plan was a calculated risk, everything hinging on the observations the previous night of the Nemean Lion's top speed and running abilities. If he was wrong… Elias grimaced, a ruined plan would be the least of his problems.

Zaru zipped, left and right, constantly changing direction as the enraged Lion rampaged after him, following his every move. On a straight line the Nemean Lion could catch him but the leopard was leaner and more agile, easier out-speeding the monster as they zigzagged across the grassy plain.

Bile and acid crept up Zaru's throat as lactic acid burnt his muscles. The leopard's chest was heaving, his heart almost expiring as he frantically poured more speed into his flight, the Lion's heavy footsteps and breathing roaring loudly in his ears.

Zaru twisted to the side as the Lion pounced, the leopard's tail just whipping out of the way as the Echidna's spawn crashed into the earth, tumbling into a roll as it soared past, jaws snapping. The leopard slowed to a quick trot allowing himself a quick breather as the Lion picked itself from the dirt, more furious than ever. Zaru felt cold fear steal into his body but the leopard fiercely locked it out as his muscles bunched up once more.

The Lion righted itself and tore off like a runaway train, barrelling straight towards Zaru. Limbs numb and weak with exhaustion, Zaru turned and forced himself to run, panting in short bursts that sent stabs of pain into his chest.

"Ugh, I think Inara's right," the leopard still managed to mutter to himself, "I need to lose weight!!"

Foams streaked the sides of his mouth as his fur became sticky and stiff with sweat. He raced on, blue-grey eyes piercing the darkness as a smile curled his lips. A pile of rocks laid in his path, huge boulders sprawled across the grass. The leopard leapt, his padded paws easily finding purchase on the rough rocks as he scrabbled up the first rock face leaping onto another.

The Nemean Lion, blinded by rage, ploughed straight into the first rock, its skull cracking against the boulder as the force of the blow sending the first rock tumbling over. The Lion staggered back, dazed as Zaru grabbed the opportunity to put more distance between the two.

The Lion slowly recovered, eyes narrowing as it realised its prey was getting away. With a roar, it clambered up the first rock, its hook claws skidding across the hard surface in a spray of sparks and piercing screeches. The monster's bulk was a real disadvantage, the behemoth lion struggling to heave itself over the stones as Zaru capered out of its reach, jeering loudly.

Elias smiled. The rocks had been inspired at very last minute but they had worked and that was all that counted.

"You want this?" Zaru taunted, tail flicking behind, fear lost behind malice, "You want to tear me apart and feast on my juicy, oh-so tender meat? You've got to catch me first!"

The Nemean Lion roared in fury and heaved itself over the lost rock as Zaru ran off again, fresh wind in his stride. On the other hand, the Lion was exhausted, its movements laboured, its breath harsh and shallow but rage drove the monster on as Zaru zipped forwards.

"It's tiring," Elias grinned, excitement in his voice.

Everything was going to plan. Like a row of dominos, everything he had planned was now tumbling down, co-ordinated and precise. Every piece had its role to play, every piece was vital to the whole and now Caspian had to play his part.

Timing was vital. Everything had to flow smoothly into one another, the momentum building with every step.

"CASPIAN! NOW!!!"

A white form descended down from the skies, swooping over the Nemean Lion. The behemoth looked up, claws slashing out but the horse pulled up sharply, dodging the blows as a trail of silver flew in its wake.

Like a bomber dropping its payload, fire orbs fell from the winged horse and the Lion was instantly swallowed up in an explosion that tore a fiery scar deep into the plain.

AAAAAA

Fire clawed up into the sky as Susan watched. She closed her eyes praying that Zaru was alright before turning back to the darkness all around her.

She and Peter and Inara had been left to patrol the area, making sure nothing would interfere with Elias's plans for the Lion. Susan grumbled under her breath at the assignment knowing it was nothing more than a flimsy excuse to get them out of the way.

"Anything?" Inara grumbled as Xena, her winged horse, floated up beside them Peter at the front.

"Waste of time," Susan muttered back, "How do you think – "

"They're fine," Peter said confidently, "Elias's guiding them."

A hoarse bark ripped through the night, echoing far and wide as all three of them twisted in their seats.

"What on earth?" Inara spluttered as the creature called out again, this time howling in long clear voice.

"Is it the Lion?" Peter demanded.

"Do lions howl?" Susan shot back dryly.

"There!" Inara pointed as the horses began to toss their heads, quivering as the creature below let out another ferocious bark.

Susan turned and looked and again despite the gloom she could see the thing below with amazing clarity. It was some kind of wolf or a hound but one blown up to the size of a horse. But what drew a gasp from her lips was its head… or heads as Susan silently corrected herself. This monster had two heads, each one with glistening malice-filled eyes over jutting snouts that opened wide to reveal red mouths and curved black fangs. One head was jet black, almost indiscernible from the darkness except for its pair of burning white eyes. The other was a silvery, shimmering white that seemed to glow with its own light. In stark contrast this side's eyes were pools of pure obsidian, bottomless and soulless. Its body was a patchwork of black and white, silver and grey ending in a long tufty tail.

'What?!" Susan gasped.

"Orthrus. The two-headed hound," Inara said quietly.

Orthrus barked again, thick drool leaking from between its jagged fangs as it ran on into the night.

"One of Echidna's?" Susan asked frantically.

Inara nodded.

"If it keeps going…" Peter began ashen-faced.

"It's going to run into the others," Susan whispered.

They stared at each other, horrified.

"DAMN IT!" Peter cursed explosively.

Susan kneed Fledge in the stomach and the horse immediately reacted, arrowing down, wings folded against its side as it plummeted in a sharp drop. With wind in her hair and eyes, Susan raised her bow, an arrow to string.

"SU!" Peter yelped.

"GARGH!" Orthrus howled in pain as an arrow slammed into its shoulder knocking it back.

The two-head hound, another devil spawn of Echidna and Typhon, whirled on her, leaping up into the air as its twin jaws snapped together. Fledge shrieked and twisted, its wings just missing getting torn off as Xena plunged down into the fray, sharp hoofs kicking out.

Orthrus was forced back, snarling as Xena and Fledge climbed into the sky together, their riders looked at each other shakily.

"DON'T DO THAT!!" Peter barked furiously.

Susan ignored him.

"We need to stop this thing!" Susan yelled back, "We can't let it get to the others!"

Orthrus was already charging on ahead, heads roving as its nose picked up the familiar scent of its brother, the Nemean Lion.

Raising her bow, Susan narrowed her eyes and another silver arrow blazed through the air.

AAAAAA

The Nemean Lion staggered, smoking, its eyes unfocused as Elias smiled in satisfaction. All fears and worries were gone. Now there was nothing, just purpose and knowledge of the plan.

"The nets!" Elias barked.

Caspian and Jason swung down from the skies, their horse's wings working frantically as a dark object dropped down over the Lion. The behemoth roared, struggling as thick woven cords wrapped around its body, binding it tightly.

Muscles bulging, Caspian and Jason grabbed the two chords attached to the rope and the horses darted forwards.

The demon Lion let out a very undignified yelp as it was dragged along the ground, the net closing around its body as the horses flew on.

Zaru snickered and gave the Lion a jaunty twitch of its tail as the monster slid past, roaring furiously.

Elias's eyes dart ahead, swiftly calculating how close they were to their target. A thread of silver shimmered in the darkness, a swift flowing river, its torrential waters reflecting the full moon overhead. This was the culmination of all their plans. This was the moment that decided it all. It hung on a razor-sharp precipice, barely balancing as the smallest change would send it tumbling one way or another.

Everything depended on now. And Elias would not fail.

The Lion roared and finally got its jaws amongst the rope. With a single bite, the net was torn apart and the Lion broke free, slashing at the horses as they wheeled away.

"Almost there!" Elias yelled, exulted, triumph in his voice.

He raised his crossbow and fired. An explosion rang out and the Lion was knocked forwards, closer to the river's bank.

"JASON!!!" Elias shouted, not giving the Lion any time to recover.

Gabrielle dived, Jason's arms outstretched. The night was suddenly alight as white power blazed forwards, slashing into the Nemean's side. The Lion staggered, tearing at the attack but its lethal claws passed through the power as though it was a ghost. The winged horse dipped and straightened, winging its way back up into the air as Jason's attack faded. The Lion roared, its black eyes filled with loathing as Caspian dived down next.

The Nemean Lion's jaws snapped out as Destrier II's powerful legs pistoned out. There was a loud crack as hoof met teeth and the Lion stumbled backwards. It yowled in pain and pounced forwards snapping at Destrier as Caspian spurred it on.

Through the night they flew, an angelic horse pursued by a demon of death. Destrier screamed, its eyes rolling back into its head as the Nemean Lion roared, lashing out with one heavy paw.

Elias felt his heart stops as Caspian was almost thrown from his seat but the king was a superb rider, his knees automatically clamping around the horse's flank and keeping himself astride as a bloody score opened up across Destrier's hind.

"UP!!" Caspian yelled.

Destrier shot up into the air, blood cascading from its wounds as the Lion howled in triumph. The winged horse hovered in the air, its body weakening as its wings tried to keep it aloft.

The Nemean Lion crouched, ready to spring up and finish the horse but Jason and Gabrielle spiralled back into the fight, white power pouring from the Seeker's fingers.

Again the Lion was knocked backwards, claws ploughing the ground as it fought for purchase. Its ears could hear the fast flow of the water as its paws began to sink into the soft sand of the bank.

The Nemean Lion cried out desperately, trying to push back against the Seeker's attack. For a few seconds it seemed that the Lion would hold, its impenetrable skin deflecting the power but Elias aimed and fired a second orb straight at the beast.

"BOOM!"

White power and fire lanced forwards striking the Lion directly in the face and the beast was knocked backwards, water splashing high in the sky as it half-fell into the water.

Almost there! So close!

"We've almost got it!" Elias roared, surging forwards.

Just a little bit…

"AWWOOOO!!!" a howl came from behind him.

"WHAT?!"

Elias whipped around and his jaws dropped as a second monster emerged from the shadows. Orthrus howled again, his brother roaring back as Jason and Caspian cursed violently.

A silver arrow tore down from the skies and stabbed into the hound's back but the twin-headed dog barely noticed. Its body was peppered with similar wounds, black blood staining the grass but still the dog powered on.

"GO!!!" Peter's voice thundered in the night, "FINISH THE LION! WE'LL HOLD IT OFF!!"

Panic gripped Elias, freezing his body. No! A new variable! An unexpected event! His plans… he hadn't counted on this. He didn't know what to do! The Lion… the Hound… what?!

Wild thoughts rampaged through him as any notion of a plan flew from his head.

"DOC!!!" Inara screamed and the shrill terror in her voice shattered his paralysis.

Elias smiled grimly. He may not be have a plan to confront this new challenge, he may not be able to rely on meticulous planning but he could rely on his family.

"GO! HOLD IT OFF!!" He roared.

Elias whipped around as Zaru charged forwards, the lithe leopard throwing himself at the Nemean Lion. The Lion's eyes bulged as the leopard slammed into its face knocking it fully into the river.

Elias let out a bellow of triumph and surged forwards on his horse.  
"NOW! NOW! NOW!!!" he yelled.

The rapids instantly seized the Lion dragging him along with the water as Caspian and Destrier flew to the other side. The horse landed, its hind legs collapsing as Caspian raced towards the shore.

A giant pile of rocks had been balanced precariously at the river's edge and it was here that Caspian kicked at a single stone wedge at the bottom of the stack. The wedge flew off into the night, lost in the darkness and the rest of the rocks shook before instantly tumbling into the river blocking it off.

Water splashed over the edges of the bank as the Nemean Lion slammed into the make-shift dam, yelping as freezing water gushed into its mouth, choking it. The massive beast clawed at the bank and rocks, scrabbling for purchase but its claws skidded off the stones or tore helplessly at the treacherous sandy shores.

Orthrus howled and surged forwards trying to help its brother but Xena fell from the skies, neighing shrilly as it worried the hound's face, powerful wings and sharp hoofs driving the monster back as Susan astride Fledge continued to rain arrows down on it.

"JASON!!" Elias commanded, his eyes focused on the Lion.

The sandy shores… the smooth rocks… everything was falling into place.

The Seeker dropped onto the riverbank on the opposite side of Caspian. Here too a rock stack had been formed. It had taken them almost a whole day to set up this elaborate trap.

Jason kicked at the stones and they too fell into the river, this time behind the shrieking Lion. The beast was now trapped between two walls of stone, struggling in the deep water as it tried to pull itself out.

"Final touch," Elias said grimly ignoring the howls and shrieks that called out behind him.

He jabbed his horse with his ankles and the steed flew over the river where the Nemean Lion was trapped. Metal glistened in the darkness as a chain-link net fell from the skies.

Elias watched that silvery net fall and a prayer to Aslan, to the God of his world and the gods of this world left his lips. The chains hit the Nemean Lion in the face, the heavy metal dragging the beast beneath the water's surface.

The water was boiling, the Lion thrashing frantically underwater. But it was weak and breathless, exhausted from its pursuit of Zaru, its lungs and throats seared by smoke and ash.

It tried to work its claws into a position so it could shred through the metal but it was tightly packed against stone and bank, unable to manoeuvre as Elias landed next to Caspian, grimly watching the end of his plan.

The Lion's movements began to weaken, the splashes in the trapped water slowly dying out as the beast's eyes began to flicker close.

Its claws scraped against stone as it tried to lunge out of the river in one last desperate move but the chain-net dragged it back down. The Nemean Lion's mouth opened in one final screaming roar but water rushed into its mouth, flooding its throat and lungs as bubbles rose to the surface. It thrashed one last time then the Nemean Lion, the tormentor of Athens, the Devourer of Hercules, sucked in one last gout of water and was dead.

Orthrus howled, pain in its voice as its brother died. Susan raised her bow, a cry on her lips and she fired. Her arrow streaked through the night and one of the Orthrus's white eyes was blinded forever.

The twin-headed hound screamed in pain and whirled, fleeing into the night. Fledge and Xena turned and winged their way to their herd-mate, they touched down lightly, their riders sliding off their back before they trotted over to the injured Destrier, licking gently at his wounds.

Susan, Inara and Peter joined their comrades and family around the river where the Nemean Lion had drowned.

"Is it dead?" Susan asked quietly.

Elias looked at her, exhausted but his eyes burning with triumph. Pride and pure ecstasy coursed through him. He had done it! He had defeated the monster!  
Pride swept through him as he threw an arm around a surprised Susan and hugged her tight suddenly more relieved than anything else. He felt weak, burnt out as the adrenaline faded from his body but he had never felt so satisfied in his life.

"I still don't know how you do it," he muttered pulling away.

"What?" Susan blinked.

"Lead… it's exhausting!" the scientist sighed as Susan laughed.

"Two down," Inara whispered.

She smiled wryly at her battered and bruised companions.

"Five more to go."

"Can I push her into the river?" Caspian asked wearily, not even wanting to think of the ordeals still ahead.

A deadly scream erupted from earth and heaven, shaking the night as the horses bristled, whinnying in panic.

"Yeah, scream all you want you cow," Zaru muttered as Echidna's furious howls thundered in their ears, "But your little spawns are as good as dead."

Wearily they remounted their horses and slowly made their way back to the city of the Athens.

* * *

_Day 5 – Athens_

"The Nemean Lion is dead," Caspian said, Elias by his side.

The Boule, ruling council of Athens, all leapt to their feet, stunned. They stared at the Narnian king, eyes agape as Caspian kept his face carefully blank. The Boule were old and conniving, factions warring in a secret struggle for power and having dealt with the Telmarine Council of Lords, Caspian was well used to every possible underhanded tactic. He pulled himself to his full height, voice ringing as he threw every drip of dramatics he possessed into his next words, striking whilst they were all stunned.

"Rejoice Athens for you have been liberated!! And you have one man to thank… ELIAS DENTON!!!"

The applause was instant and thunderous, the men of the council streaming forwards and thanking Elias profusely as messengers were instantly dispatched, fanning out into the city and passing on the joyous news. They stared at the scientist in awe, elevating him to a god-like status as the scientist flushed.

Amongst the crowd were thunderous faces, frantic whispers breaking out as those who had benefits from the terror in the city tried to regain what equilibrium they could.

Caspian held up a hand and the laughing councilmen all fell into a respectful silence, the dark haired king easily commanding their attention.

"My companions and I have come to a quandary," Caspian said in the formal stilted language of a statesman, "We have no knowledge of where the rest of Echidna and Typhon's monstrous brood are. Do any man amongst you have an answer to our dilemma?"

Silence fell over the council, every man suddenly eager to avoid his eyes. Caspian did not allow himself to sigh, keep himself calm and in control, opening his mouth when suddenly one of the councilmen stood up.

It was Cleisthenes. The man's grizzly face was dark but joy still sparked in his eyes from the earlier news of the Lion's demise. Caspian turned to him, hopeful.

"I do not know where the beasts call their lairs but I have heard rumours…" Cleisthenes said gravely as Caspian's face fell.

"What rumours?" the king asked mildly as some members of the Boule leaned forwards, studying his reaction.

"Travellers coming from far off lands. They speak of the Sphinx and her riddles," Cleisthene's eyes flicked around the council room as his associates let out gasps of shock, muttering amongst themselves as fear and hatred flashed across their faces, "As you all should know the cursed Sphinx asks any she meets her infernal riddle and if they fail to answer correctly she slaughters them. They say the riddle is the source of her power and if someone can answer correctly her power would be broken."

"But Oedipus, cursed Oedipus…" one councilman choked out.

"From the rumours I've heard the Sphinx has changed her riddle," Cleisthenes said quietly, "She now asks this…"

A hushed silence gripped the room. Cleisthenes' eyes drilled into Elias's as the councilman spoke, intoning in a low deep voice.

"The father of gold, born into darkness. Dust then a giant then a hungry mouth. What is the creature I speak of known only to the wise?"

Everyone stared at Cleisthenes as his words seemed to hang in the air, heavy and potent.

"Thank you," Caspian said calmly as beside him Elias frowned, trying to work out this new challenge.

"Go forth my lord," Cleisthenes said quietly, "We have no more we can give you but our blessings."

Caspian nodded and turned and marched out of the chambers, regal and military in his bearing Elias behind him, as questions and dark mutterings chased his footsteps out of the door.

* * *

_Night 5 - Athens_

Steam hovered all around her, the moist heat clinging to her skin as Susan lied back with a sigh, luxuriating in the hot water all around her. Lazily she did a few tiny kicks, gliding across the surface of the massive hot bath.

She was in one of the bathhouses near their lodging, a deep pool of steaming hot water all to herself. Zaru sat near the edge of the bath, a towel thrown over his head as he grumbled under his breath, eyes clamped shut.

"You know you could have done this at the house," the leopard muttered.

"And bathe with cold water?" Susan called out, "No thanks."

She sat on the stops of pool feeling the tightness in her muscle unwound and relax as her eyes began to flutter shut. She leaned back, smiling at the deliciousness of the water as she began to drift off, floating between sleep and waking.

She had spent the whole day worrying about what to do next. Zaru had tried to track Orthrus but failed, losing the trail near Mount Hymettus. With that lead gone, they had no other, no idea where the next beast was, where they had to go. Her mind, before buzzing with worries about the beasts they had yet to face, the danger Narnia and Aslan and her siblings were in and fear for Caspian and the Great Darkness that stalked them from world to world, went blank as everything bled away through her pores into the water, washed away like the soot she had scrubbed from herself.

Susan let out another wordless sigh and settled deep into the water, ripples lapping soothingly at her neck.

"Susan."

Her eyes snapped open and she let out a cry of shock, recoiling as a pair of slanted purple eyes looked amusingly at her.

"YOU!" Susan floundered in the water as Viola chuckled.

"Hello, dear one," the fortune-teller chuckled.

"How? Why? What are you doing here?!?" Susan spluttered.

"Watching you," Viola said casually.

Susan reddened.

"In the bath?!?" she spluttered, scandalised.

"The woman body is nothing to be ashamed of," Viola taunted.

But the woman, still draped in her usual purple silken gown, suddenly turned grave.

"You are at a crossroads," she said, "You have no idea where to turn."

Susan's mouth dropped but somehow the fact that this mysterious woman knew what was happening to her in this world was nothing more a jolt of mild surprise.

"I can help," Viola said, "Close your eyes."

Susan blinked.

"What?!?"

"Close them," Viola ordered primly, her face grim, "I do not have long."

Susan looked around and realised for the very time that she was no longer in the bathhouse, the stone walls were gone swallowed up by a vast darkness that stretched out for leagues all around. The darkness seemed oppressive and alive, bulging with things that longed to tear its way into the world and eat her alive.

Susan shuddered violently.

"Hurry!" Viola barked, a note of terror in her voice.  
Startled, Susan's eyes flew shut and she instantly felt cool fingers against her temple.

"What are you – " Susan began.

She cried out and convulsed as images sledgehammered into her head. She bucked but Viola's hands held her in place as the queen tried to make sense of all the thousands of pictures flittering through her mind.

She saw a world of burning desert and shrieking winds, a dark figure ploughing through the sand with hurried, terrified steps.

She saw ice and snow, wolves and white bears calling out into the winter's sky.

She saw a chamber with a floor of fire, molten slag bubbling as a dark figure strolled across a bridge suspended over the inferno.

She saw the monks in their Temple, Siobhan and David with Sabra by their side, saw the Plague Man flee through a forest with terror in his eyes, saw, saw, saw…

She saw an island, sand and jungle, topaz and emerald atop a tossing sea of sapphire. She hovered over it, puzzling over it for the briefest of seconds before she was yanked away by an irresistible force. She zipped away from this mysterious place flying over seas that churned and roared, whales rising and calling out to her in song as she continued to fly, backwards until she reached the rocky coast of the Saronic Gulf and was pulled back into the city of Athens.

A monster suddenly appeared from thin air, roaring in her face, a screaming harlequin, her hair a nest of vile green vipers that hissed and lashed at her. The demon reached for her with clawed hands and Susan screamed, hands flailing for a weapon when the snake-haired monster suddenly vanished.

"Now do you see?" Viola said quietly.

Susan blinked and she was back in the bathhouse, the water warm against her suddenly cold skin.

"Why? Why are you helping?" she gasped.

Zaru sat up in his corner, confused as his queen spoke to the thin air.

"Because I blessed you," Viola's voice whispered in her mind.

"Are you…" Susan swallowed, "You are a goddess."

"I am the first. I have blessed you," Viola repeated.

"The dreams… all those dreams I had about the worlds… about my family. You gave them to me. You're the one that allowed me to see them," Susan whispered, suddenly understanding.

"It is my gift," Viola said simply.

And the goddess's voice was gone. Susan looked around wildly splashing in the water as she looked for signs of the purple-clad woman but there were no traces.

Zaru blinked at her, completely confused.

"Uhh… your majesty? Is something wrong?"

Susan looked at him, blank-faced before she suddenly burst into laughter.

"Wrong? No!" Susan laughed again, "Zaru! I know where we have to go!!"

AAAAAA

Author's notes: So yeah... I'm still kinda delirious from the fever. So any questions? Otherwise... off to sleep!


	45. Dragon of the deep

Yaya! New Chapter! New chapter and only a week (I think...) after the last one! Again thank you for your uber-awesome reviews – keep them rolling!

Disclaimer: Narnia is not my world, I'm just playing around with the canon... a lot.

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 45: Dragon of the deep **

Waves crashed all around her, swelling and dipping as sprays of foam splashed against her face. Susan closed her eyes savouring the momentary coolness as the merciless sun continued to wring them dry.

All around her was blue, the dark turbulent turquoise of the ocean rising to meet the sun-bleached paleness of the sky. They had been sailing for three days now and despite the urgency of their quest and the dangers that still laid ahead, Susan couldn't help but feel tranquil and relaxed. Because in the face of the raw power of the ocean and the fickle winds, Susan couldn't help but feel impossibly small in the face of such might. This should've terrified or intimidated her but somehow it was oddly comforting knowing that even with all that rested on her shoulders, the world still moved on, that there were some things that didn't depend on or was even aware of Queen Susan the Gentle.

A low moan made her turn and Susan grimaced in sympathy as she saw Elias lurch across the deck towards the cabins, clutching at his head and stomach. Zaru, Inara and Jason had found it hilarious that the scientist was horribly seasick and despite rattling off all the theory and physiology behind seasickness and the methods to treat it, the scientist was still horribly afflicted.

Susan's lips curved as she looked at their ship, it was a sleek elegant vessel, the fastest in the whole Athenian fleet. It had been a labour and a half trying to convince everyone to believe her but Susan had insisted (read: blackmail and bribe) and with some clever politics and flat-out lying – which was basically the same thing sometimes, Susan noted dryly – they had managed to gain the support of the Boule who had commissioned a vessel and a crew for them.

Susan glanced to her left and saw Peter slouched up against the railings, drinking thirstily from a water skin as sweat poured down his hot face. His dagger was lying beside him as Susan frowned.

"Idiot..." she muttered, shaking her head in disgust.

Her brother had been driving himself to the brink of breaking, training non-stop from daybreak to day's end. Even now whilst he rested the High King's blue eyes was watching Inara carefully as she tried to move through a battle dance, sword flashing awkwardly in the air, the girl trying to stay balanced on the pitching deck.

"ARGH!"  
"CLANG!"

Inara stumbled and Peter was immediately on his feet, talking quickly to her, guiding her as Inara grumbled.

Susan watched them curiously. The two had been spending a lot of time together, helping each other train. Susan winced as she realised she had been neglecting them slightly, trying to sideline them every time a battle came. It was no wonder they were turning to each other for support. And Susan couldn't help but feel glad that both of them had been cursed. It was a dreadful thing to say but at least now the two of them had someone to lean on, someone who understood completely the anguish they were going through, someone who could empathise and commiserate with.

The sound of laughter made the queen turn. Her heart clenched at the sight of Caspian's open and laughing face, his windswept hair only adding to his boyish appearance. Caspian listened, fascinated as their captain, Lord Drinian continued to regale the king with more of his swashbuckling tales of the high sea.

Susan found it amusing that Caspian was so drawn to the sea when all Telmarines loathed it as a rule. But there was something about the salt-laced winds and the sheer freedom of the waves that had captivated the king the moment he had set foot on the rollicking deck, laughing as he tried to gain his sea legs. Susan and Peter having sailed for years during their reign in Narnia had no problems. In fact both of them had been contented to sit back and watch (and laugh) as the others adjusted with varying levels of speed and success.

Caspian laughed again, joking with Drinian and Susan felt a very familiar wave of despair and pain sweep through her. She turned back to the sea, cursing under her breath. Was it always going to be like this? She thought she had come to accept it, accept what Siobhan's curse had done to him, done to them. She had wrapped bleak serenity around her heart knowing that for now at least Caspian wanted absolutely nothing to do with her. But despite all she had done they sometimes awoke like a monster from a slumber. The smallest thing would tear all her walls down, she would see him talk and laugh with the others, casually and normally, happy and open and it was at these times that jagged despair would claw at her heart and she would feel broken all over again.

Worse had been that mysterious encounter in the hallway and glorious sunlit moment in the Athenian courtyard when he'd turned to her and laughed and fragile hope had been born.

"Stop it," she growled, "You are not a heartbroken child. You are a queen. Focus on what matters."

Susan clenched her fists, her nails biting deep into her skin as she repeated Viola's prediction like a mantra, a guiding prayer.

When she was thrice-blessed…

Susan felt some of the despair subside and she could breathe easily once more. Susan touched the silver bow at her side and a smile curved her lips.

Viola and Artemis… she had two god's gift and all she had to do was wait for another.

'_But what if?' _a little voice asked.

Susan ruthlessly stomped her doubts down. But it always crept back into her, mocking her, taunting, painfully earnest as it asked the question she dare not consider. What if it never happens? What if Viola had been lying? Or wrong?

Caspian's eager words floated on the wind to her and Susan forced herself not to feel. She looked out at the winds, wrenching her thoughts away from the king as she stared at the wave-tossed seas. She smiled and couldn't help but remember how much Lucy had loved sailing, the Valiant queen laughing as she danced on the decks, practically bursting with excitement.

Fear drove a pike into her heart and she clung to the railings, trembling as she tried hard not to imagine what terrible worlds Edmund and Lucy were trapped in. Flashes of Peter in Draken's dungeon ran through her mind and she felt sick at the sudden sharp conjured images of Edmund and Lucy's broken body. The only thing that held out the despair like a talisman was the deep unshakeable belief that despite them being lost and trapped, they were alive. Her dreams had told her that at least.

Susan looked up at the sky and sea and again willed the winds and the water to rush through her, to cleanse her out of the darkness of her thoughts.

A golden form dropped lightly from the crossbeam of the mast, landing gracefully on his feet. Zaru sniffed the air instantly picking out the bitter burnt smell that rolled from Susan's skin, harsh scents that told him she was caught in a dark and terrible mood. He padded silently to her side and as he often did, he simply leaned against her, not saying a thing.

Susan's hands dropped to his head, her long fingers scratching behind his ears and the leopard purred like a cat. Susan smiled down at him and again realised just how much she loved this bigmouth leopard.

"BAM!"

Susan was sent sprawling, skidding across the deck as Zaru lunged at her, teeth closing around cloth as he held her steady. Beneath their feet the ship rocked violently from side to side as something heavy smashed into its flank.

"What was that?!" Susan yelped, bow already in hand.

Captain Drinian was already shouting to his crew as they scrambled onto deck.

"THERE!" Zaru barked, his sharp eyes easily picking up a long sinuous dark form surging through the water towards them.

"BRACE YOURSELF!" Drinian roared.

There was a sickening crack as the thing in the water barrelled into them, the ship almost capsizing as the mast smacked into the water before righting itself. They all crawled unsteadily to their feet as the monster in the water twisted, arrowing towards them again. Susan's bow swung up as the water bulged up, pushed by the thing powering towards them.

"What is that thing?" one of the crew screamed.

Susan ignored him, pulling the bowstring to her ear as she took aim. With a cry, she let loose and the arrow zipped into the water. It did absolutely nothing to stop the beast.

"DOC!!" Inara screamed, racing to the cabin doors, "COWBOY!!"

"Oh no," Drinian was ghostly pale, "HERE IT COMES!!"

"CRACK!"

The ship was jerked to the side, spinning in the water as the thing slammed into its rear. One of the crew was tossed from the deck, landing with a giant splash into the water as Caspian cried out and instantly raced to the railing.

The king made to dive in but Drinian's arm shot out, pulling him back.

"Are you crazy?!" the captain snarled, "You'll be killed!"

"We can't just leave him there!!" Caspian roared back.

Peter's eyes were compassionate but his face was grim as he touched the king's arm. Caspian flinched, refusing to look at Peter but the king gave up, slumping into Drinian's arms. The other sailors streamed around them, throwing rescue ropes into the sea but they fell just short of their target.

"HELP ME!!" the man in the water screamed as everyone stared at him, ashen-faced as they continued to hurl coils of ropes at him, "PLEASE!!! I'M BEGGING YOU!!! HELP!!!"

The dark shape turned towards him, drawn by his frantic splashing. A rope finally landed near the sailor and with a sobbing cry, he lunged for it but a wave knocked it free from his hands.  
"SOMEONE!!! PLEASSSSSEEEEE!!!"  
The man gave out a choked scream as the thing ploughed straight into him, the water suddenly slick with red before dragging him below the waves. Silence fell over the deck as the beast dived deep, taking its victim with it. The other sailors quickly pulled back their ropes, each of them sickened at what they had just seen.

"We have to get out of here," Peter said softly, "Lord Drinian?"

The captain snapped out of his daze.

"EVERYONE!! TO THE OARS!!" he roared, "NOW!!!"  
There was a wild stampede as everyone herded towards the stairs leading down into the rowing galleys, Caspian amongst them. Like some strange multi-legged turtle, long oars began to emerge from the slits in the ship's side before dipping into the water. A frantic tattoo broke out on the drums as to a man, the crewmen began to paddle, straining and grunting as they dug deep with the oars and threw everything they had into it.

The ship surged forwards, spray flying in its wake.

"THERE!!" Zaru yelled, seeing the familiar dark shadow emerge in the sea.

Zaru, Peter, Susan and Drinian were the only ones on deck. The captain cursed, his face pale beneath his tan. Despite the efforts of the rovers, the dark shape easily kept up, swallowing the distance between them with alarming speed.

"What do we have?" Jason asked casually, briskly making his way across the deck.

Inara followed him, Elias's crossbow in her hands, the scientist's bag also slung across her back.

"Doc's violently ill," Inara said darkly, tossing the crossbow to Susan, "He's barely conscious."

Jason looked out to sea and his eyes widened at the huge dark form that swam towards them. He held out his hands and closed his eyes.

"Princess, if you're going to attack try not to burn the ship down with you," the Seeker muttered as Susan glared at him, slotting a fire orb into the crossbow.

Drinian watched with wide eyes as a halo of shimmering white fire began to unfurl around Jason's hands.

"Move!" Jason's eyes flew open revealing them to be completely white as everyone scrabbled out of his way.

White power lanced forwards and struck the sea's churning surface right over the shadow.

"BOOM!"

A geyser of water exploded up into the air as a powerful seismic wave shook the sea, ripples rocking the boat.

"Did he hit it?!" Susan asked frantically.

Zaru was scanning the sea, his eyes trying to pierce the mirror-like waters.

"I can't see it!" the leopard yelped.

For a second all they could hear was the grunting of the rowers down below and the gentle slapping of water against the ship's hull. The sails flapped in the breeze as they all stared at each other, hardly daring to hope that the attack was over.

"BAM!"

The ship was lifted out of the water as the attack came from the bottom, the creature surging up from the seabed. Susan was almost tossed over the edge of the boat but Jason's hands snagged onto the back of her dress holding her as the ship righted itself, still rocking slightly.

"Thank you," Susan breathed, ashen-faced as the others clambered to their feet.

The Seeker grunted and slashed the air with his hands, white power boiling forwards and striking at the sea as the shadow zigzagged wildly, dodging the attack.

Susan lined up the crossbow and fired. The fire orb smacked into the water and detonated, a column of gushing water spraying into the sky as shockwaves knocked the shadow away from the ship.

"What is that thing?!" Drinian barked.

"I don't remember any of Echidna's children being able to swim," Peter growled, his words directed at Inara.

"Hey, don't look at me!" Inara yelped.

The shadow was back, its long body surging through the water at them.

"This ship can't taken much more," Drinian moaned.

Jason roared, white energy surging out from his fingers. The shadow powered forwards fearless as the energy lashed out hitting the water… just as the shadow gave one mighty flick of its tail and sailed straight out of the water, bearing itself to the air and sun for the first time.

Inara's eyes widened.

"LADON!" she cried out recognising the beast as it soared over them, water cascading from its long form.

An enormous pair of blue sapphire eyes, round and glistening dominated a triangular fish-like face. In fact that was the first thing Inara thought of. She had seen pictures of pikes and barracudas before and this monster's head was shape exactly the same, arrow-like, bulging eyes to see in murky waters, its bottom-jaw slinging over the top, bristling with thousands of razor sharp teeth. Its body was covered with iridescent scales, each one shimmering with a mother-of-pearl sheen, spiny fins flapping all along its sinuous, serpentine body.

"Ladon," Inara breathed, "The dragon with a hundred heads."

Susan stared queasily up at the soaring dragon and quickly realised where it had gotten its name. All along its long body, amongst the shimmering scale, were faces, twisted human faces contorted into expressions of pure agony. The faces moved, screaming and weeping, begging with wide-open eyes for salvation.

"ROW!!!" Drinian screamed as a shadow fell over the ship, Ladon trying to crush them beneath its bulk, water raining down from its sinuous body.

The rowers dug their oars in deep, muscles straining as they gritted their teeth, throwing everything they had. With one terrific pull of the oars, the ship shot forwards as Ladon crashed into the sea, its fan-like finned tail the last thing they saw before it vanished back into the waters.

"Damn…" Zaru trailed off in the stunned silence that marked Ladon's departure.

The rowers below, slumped against their oars, exhausted as those on the deck desperately tried to track Ladon's movements. The waters to their left bulged and the dragon's monstrous head emerged from the waves, eyes staring blankly ahead as its mouth opened and closed, razor sharp fangs glistening.

Susan blinked as she realised there was a human face embedded into the scales between its two eyes. The face was bearded, its eyes clenched shut, a circlet of gold nestled amongst a tangle of curly grey hair. But what drew Susan was the wild nobility in the face, this was once upon a time a man untamed, powerful and uncompromising.

Drinian was staring at the face, his own grey as the captain trembled violently on the spot.

"Drinian?" Peter asked, concerned.

"That's… that's…" Drinian pointed at the man's face, at the crown on his head, his hand shaking, "That's Poseidon!"

Even Susan recognised the name and horror flooded her.

"The god of the seas?" she whispered, afraid of the answer.

Drinian nodded as Susan looked at the head again, helpless choking her. Poseidon, brother of Zeus, one of the powerful power figures in the pantheon of Greek god's and now he was… the queen took a step back, terrified.

The dragon stared at them as they stared back, transfixed and terrified.

"Murderer…"

Poseidon's eyes opened, his lips moving like a puppet's as the voice rumbled all around them like thunder. It was a terrifying voice, one that held a promise of cold, suffocating death. It screeched at them, howling like the winds of a hurricane, smashing into them with all the force of a battering wave against a rocky coast. Their knees buckled as something in them, something primordial demanded that they kneel to this voice in docile submission.

"Murderers…" Poseidon's head hissed as the dragon's eyes swivelled to glare at them, "You murdered my brothers…"

"They had it coming," Susan snapped, trying to hide her fear.

Poseidon's lips curled into a cold smile as Ladon's fanged maws opened wide, revealing a long red gullet.

"You will die," Ladon promised with Poseidon's voice.

Ladon roared, its tail whipping through the water and it powered forwards, foam spraying the water before its giant head. Its mouth was open, long thin tongue swiping the air as it charged trying to swallow the ship whole.

"NOW!" Jason roared.

His power coursed forwards as Susan fired an orb straight at the incoming monster. Poseidon's face laughed and Ladon's jaws closed, its eyes snapping shut as it ploughed fearlessly into the incoming attacks. The orb hit the dragon's face, exploding, fire washing over its scaled form as the human's faces embedded in its body screeched in agony. Jason's attack slashed across its side, harmlessly bouncing off the dragon's thick scales as Poseidon's face chuckled.

"STOP!" one of the rowers screamed from down below.

They all turned as a single figure burst out from the stairs leading into the galleys. The sailor, deranged with fear, saw Ladon and with a single scream, threw himself over the side and into the ocean.

"YOU FOOL!" Drinian screamed, running to the ship's side, "YOU'LL BE KILLED!!!"

He picked up a coil of rope but Ladon had already seen the man. With Poseidon's voice cackling, the serpent whipped around the ship, its fins cutting the air as the sailor in the water continued to weep, floundering away from the ship.

"COME BACK!!" Drinian roared, "COME!"

The sailor let out a final piercing screech as Ladon's razor teeth closed around his body, swallowing him up in one massive gulp.

Drinian swayed on the spot as Jason steadied him, watching grimly as the dragon twisted to the side.

Zaru hissed, repulsed as the scales on Ladon's flank rippled and pulled away as something burst free from the beast's body. The sailor's face, eyes wide and screaming, emerged, joining Ladon's other victims as he begged them for release, tears spilling down his pale face.

"Captain!! Please!!" the sailor's face screamed before Ladon plunged back into the sea.

Waves rippled out from where Ladon had disappeared as for a few brief seconds, calm fell over the ocean once more.

Drinian grimly turned away from the sea, hurrying towards the till of the ship.

"Captain!" Susan yelled, "What are you – "

"I'm going to kill that foul beast!" Drinian spat, "SAILORS! ON DECK NOW!!!"  
Groaning and drenched in sweat, the sailors emerged from the rowing galley, limp with exhaustion.

"UNFURL THE SAILS!!!" Drinian barked, "We are not going to let that overgrown snake get us! HURRY!!!"

Fuelled by fear and adrenaline, the sailors scaled the masts, their movements jerky and panicked as ropes were untied and flung away, as white canvas unfurling and fluttering in the air.

Zaru's eyes swept the wind-tossed seas trying to spot Ladon as the sailors worked frantically, readying the ship.

"Just pray for some wind," Drinian muttered, "Otherwise we're doomed."

Half the sailors looked like they were two seconds away from throwing themselves to the deck floor and praying frantically to any deity for help.

Drinian stood at the rudder, his hands resting on the polished wood as a light wind fluttered the canvas. Everyone was tensed, eyes turned towards the sails as they prayed for wind.

"HERE IT COMES!!" Zaru roared suddenly, his voice ripping through the hopeful silence as a dark form rushed through the waters behind them.

Drinian cursed wildly as some of the sailors began to weep, lips moving in hurried prayers as they realised they were about to die.

"No."  
Susan looked at Inara, her dark eyes almost black against her ghostly pale face.

"It can't end here," the girl whispered, "Not like this."

Peter swore, his fists clenched uselessly as Ladon surged towards the becalmed ship. Caspian's eyes were fiery, nostrils flaring as he glared defiantly at he approaching monster.

Jason raised his hands, white fire gathering at his fingers but the Seeker stopped, a defeated look crossing his face as he knew before he even attacked it was going to be useless.

Susan gritted her teeth.

"Please," she whispered into the air, not knowing who she was even speaking to, "Please. Help."

A wild gust suddenly swept the seas as the sails puffed. Everyone started, frozen in shock as the gusts began to push the ship forwards.

"Praise the gods!!" one sailor yelled, collapsing to his knees as Drinian seized the tiller in both hands.

Ladon roared in fury as the ship zipped forwards out its reach. The dragon's tail boiled through the ocean as it whipped frantically trying to keep pace with the vessel.

"WHERE ARE WE GOING?!" Susan cried out.

Zaru turned to the ship's prow and gasped as his eyes picked up a black smudge on the horizon.

"Land!" the leopard yelped, "Land!"

"We're going ashore?" Caspian demanded.  
Drinian smiled, a wild defiant grin as a strange light entered his eyes.

"Not exactly," he said, flinging the rudder to the right.

Ladon's jaws snapped the water where the ship had been as Drinian set the vessel zigzagging, missing the dragon's deadly fangs by mere inches.

"GIVE UP!!" Poseidon's voice roared at them, "GIVE UP! YOU CANNOT ESCAPE ME!!!"  
Susan turned and she saw the land Zaru had seen before. Two massive cliffs rose from the seabed, towering high into the sky as between them a narrow corridor of ocean threaded its way past, a fast torrent streaming between the two monoliths. Drinian turned the rudder, their ship's prow swinging towards the strait between the cliffs.

"What are you doing?" Peter demanded, "Ladon can fit in there! And it's too narrow between the cliffs for us to outmanoeuvre it!"

"That's not any strait," one of the sailors said, white-lipped and green-tinged.

Peter whirled and stared at him.

"That's the home of Scylla and Charybdis," Drinian answered curtly.

Inara and Peter's jaws almost hit the ground.  
"WHAT?!?" Inara yelped, "ARE YOU CRAZY!?"  
"Possibly," Drinian said mildly, "But if you have a better plan you better speak up now because we're about to enter the straits."  
"Scylla? Charybdis?" Caspian demanded, "What's going on?"

"Two monsters," Inara said frantically, "They live on either side of those straits and ships passing have to decide between which one to brave."

"Echidna's children?" Jason spat.

Peter shook his head.

"No, they're not hers. They were created by the gods…" Peter looked at the strait and shuddered, "It's going to take a miracle to get through this."

The ship shot in between the two cliffs as Ladon followed, its body churning the waters as it passed. Every now and then they could catch a glimpse of the dragon, shimmering scales and electric blue eyes flashing through the water.

Susan turned and blinked in surprised as she noticed a massive tree growing on a rock outcrop when all around it the rocks were completely bare, not a single blade of grass of patch of moss growing.

"What's…"

"SCYLLA!!" one of the sailors screamed, terror in his face and voice.

The waters opposite the tree began to froth. A terrible shriek pierced the air, echoing between the two cliffs, rebounding and growing as a massive figure burst from the seas, water slapping against the ship.

It was hideous monster, a bastardisation of nature and beast, made all the more dreadful by its human-like features. An impossibly beautiful woman, alabaster skinned with long flowing black hair, glared down at them, her face contorted into a salacious look of hunger as her puny arms reached out for them. But all beauty ended at her hips. Impossibly a ring of snarling dogs' heads, grey and shaggy furred, grew from her flesh, hungry eyes staring at them as drool dribbled from their yellow fangs. The hounds snapped, straining as below them grew thrashing tentacles, mottled and suckered like an octopus's. They slapped against water and rocks as they writhed through the air.

The woman shrieked, flaunting her bare chest as the hounds' heads and tentacles lunged forwards.

Everyone hit the decks as Scylla, the terrible guardian of the strait, hungrily reached for them. One sailor screamed, suckers tearing into his flesh as he was lifted helplessly in the air and plunged into one of the hound's mouths. There was a sickening crunch and blood cascaded into the churning seas.

Jason threw his hands forwards and white-hot power slammed into Scylla, knocking her back as the demon screeched in pain.

Tentacles climbed up the ship's side, suckers holding the vessel in place as Caspian clambered to his feet, sword in hand.

"Attack!" he yelled, "We have to free ourselves!"

He hacked at one of the tentacles, sword bouncing off the rubbery flesh as he managed to make one gashing cut, black blood spraying the air.

"ATTACK!" Caspian roared as Susan thrust her sceptre into a tangle of thrashing flesh, blue energy crackling.

The tentacles fell back, convulsing wildly as tendrils of power danced across their skins.

The sailors joined the fray, armed with axes and poles as they beat the tentacles back, Scylla screaming in fury as one with powerful gust of the wind, the vessel burst free.

They slumped to the deck, sighing in relief as Zaru leapt to where Drinian was at the rear of the ship. The leopard looked out towards the sea, his eyes bulging as Ladon's shadowy form rushed through the waters at them.

"INCOMING!!" the leopard yelped.

But the impact never came. Scylla screamed, her tentacles plunging into the water and Ladon was caught. The sea dragon was pulled bodily out of the water, screaming as it snapped at its captor. Scylla's beautiful face was contorted into a furious scowl as she confronted the beast that dared invade her lair.

Suckered tentacles gripped Ladon as the hound heads snapped forwards, razor teeth tearing through thick scales as the human faces on the dragon screamed and cheered in equal amounts.

Ladon and Poseidon's face roared as one as the dragon twisted, trying to lunge at Scylla's face but the tentacles hurled it aside, the dragon smashing into the rocks of the cliff.

Ladon screamed and tried to break away but tentacles slapped against its tail, pinning it down.

On the ship, everyone was silent as they watched the titanical fight between the two behemoths.

Scylla screamed again and with a flick of her tentacles, Ladon was sent crashing into the rocks in the cliff opposite. The dragon rolled down the steep sides of the cliff before flopping weakly into the water, blood gushing from massive bite marks in its scaled body.

"Charybdis," Drinian smiled as the dragon thrashed weakly in the waters beneath the tree Susan had puzzled over before, Scylla watching the injured dragon with a vindictive smile on her face.

The water around Ladon instantly began to churn. At first, wildly and chaotically as dark sinkhole began to emerge in the ocean. Ladon screamed, Poseidon's voice thundering.  
"NOOOOOO!!!!" the dragon roared, its terrified screams amplified by the acoustics of the cliffs.

A whirlpool began to form, a vast maelstrom that whipped around and around, faster and faster as the waters were sucked down into the sinkhole at the centre of the madness.

"Charybdis," Peter whispered, awed.

"What is it?" Susan gasped.

"From the Odysseus' Odyssey," Peter said slowly, "A giant monster that sucks in water and its prey."

Ladon was caught up in the whirlpool, tail and fins thrashing as it tried to break free but Charybdis was just too strong. With a final piercing screech, Ladon was sucked into the sinkhole at the centre of the whirlpool and was gone from sight. The whirling waters stopped as Scylla dived back into the ocean, a triumphant smirk on her face.

Silently the ship sailed out of the strait as the waters calmed and became still once more the hundred-headed dragon, Ladon nowhere to be seen.

A split second later, a wrathful scream echoed through the strait as the sailors clung to each other in fear, wide eyes sweeping the area fearfully.

Drinian frowned.

"Echidna," Zaru said as an explanation, "She really hates it when we slaughter her children."

The captain smiled and let go of the rudder as he sank to the ground, sweat-drenched and shaking. Caspian rushed towards him, a concerned look on his face.

"So…" Drinian smirked, "You think I'm going to get my own legend?"

Caspian's laugh proved to be infectious as everyone else on deck cheered wildly, celebrating the defeat of the dragon.

"Which way now milady?" Drinian asked, looking at Susan.

Susan's blue eyes swept the ocean and somehow she just knew where to go.

"That way," Susan pointed at what appeared to be just a random direction, "We're very close now."  
Drinian nodded and as a fresh wind puffed up their sail, he directed their ship in the direction that Susan had indicated drawing them closer to the island Susan had seen in her visions.

Susan smiled grimly.

"The island…" she whispered, "Of Gorgons."

AAAAAA

It took three more days and nights to reach their destination and as Drinian yelled for the anchor to be dropped, Susan stared at the jungle island before her and she knew they had arrived.

"We're here," she said quietly.

Beside her Jason remained silent, his hands going to his daggers. The view before them was achingly beautiful, crystal clear waters lapping at the golden sandy shore that glittered in the sun. Beyond a jungle, dense and emerald, sprung from the land, magnificent in its wild, untamed beauty. It was hard to imagine that such a picturesque place could the home to such darkness as the Gorgons but a fair face hid darkness as often as the monstrous.

"The Gorgons," Peter repeated, "Three monstrous sisters. Their hair is made of snakes and their gaze can turn anyone into stone."

He looked grimly at his companions.

"This isn't going to be easy, the hero who originally slew the Gorgons had gifts from the gods to achieve it," Peter said.

Susan hid a smile, her hands on her silver bow. She turned as Inara emerged on deck, a distinctly green-looking Elias leaning against her.

"We have our own little surprise," Jason grunted.

"Look who finally got his head out of the bucket," Inara said cheerfully, walking up to them as Elias trailed, clutching at his stomach.

He staggered to the railings where everyone else was standing, his cheeks and sides shrivelled from the sea voyage he had endured. Susan couldn't help but laugh slightly as the scientist clutched at the rails, his eyes taking in the land before him with delight.

"I don't care there're evil monsters in there!" Elias cried, "Just get me off this boat!"

Susan smiled sympathetically at him as Inara looked at the sandy shores and her eyes lit up.

"A tropical paradise?" she turned to Susan, "How come we always have to fight evil in depressing settings? This is more like it!"

Inara stopped, her face thoughtful.

"If only I had a bikini…"

"Bikini?" Caspian asked, confused.

Inara smirked, seizing the opportunity to have some revenge after all the torturous training the Telmarine had put her through.

"It's a type of swimsuit, see it covers this and this," Inara pointed at herself in the appropriate areas, her hand gestures leaving nothing to the imagination, "And leaves all this bare and – "

"I got it!" Caspian said hurriedly, he and Peter both blushing furiously as Inara cackled, Zaru and Jason smirking at the two kings.

"Milady…"

Lord Drinian approached them, an apologetic look on his weathered face.

"The men had decided against going ashore… they don't want to tangle with anymore monsters,' Drinian said politely, "But I am more than happy to provide a small boat for you…"

"It's alright," Susan assured, "I don't wish for your people to become involved either. We'll head ashore ourselves."

Drinian nodded and hurried away as Susan wrapped her hands around her silver bow, her blue eyes settled on the island before her. Grimly she turned away, stiff-backed as she prepared herself for the battle to come.

AAAAAA

"Zaru?"

The leopard jumped out of the rowing boat and landed daintily beside her. He sniffed the air.

"Smells like trees," he grumbled.

"Nothing?" Susan asked.

"Nothing," Zaru reported.

The queen sighed, her silver bow in her hand. She turned back to the others as they too clambered out of the boat, carefully handling three cloth-covered bundles between them. Seawater lapped at her ankles, soaking through the leather sandals she wore as a salt-laced breeze fluttered her hair and clothes. At her back she could feel the hot moist of the jungle pressing up against her skin and she shivered as her imagination conjured up grotesque monsters lying in wait, hidden amongst the trees, hungry eyes espying from afar, cackling as they waited for their victims to stumble into their lairs.

"We have to go searching," she announced, her voice betraying none of her apprehension.

"Jason, Zaru and I will go," Caspian said, his eyes trained on the trees carefully avoiding Susan's gaze, "The rest of you should wait for us here."

"No," Susan said flatly, "We have no idea where the Gorgons are. I don't want you three running off into Aslan knows what."

Caspian finally deigned to look at her, an unreadable look in his dark eyes. Susan felt uneasy under his intense gaze, questions racing through her head. Was this tactics? Strategies? A desire to protect her? Or a desire to be as far away from her as possible? Zaru growled low under his throat as he felt his queen flinch.

"Elias is still ill. Inara and Peter cannot fight," Caspian said mildly, "We cannot take them with us into danger."

"If the Gorgons ambush us on the beach we'll be in just as much trouble as in the jungle! Worse because there'll be nobody to defend us," Susan argued, aware that she was starting to sound like a child in mid-tantrum, "My final word is that we go together."

To her surprise, the king's face contorted into a scowl.

"Then your final word is wrong," Caspian growled.

Susan took a step back, sucking in a breath, as Caspian's anger flew at her like hawk, screeching and clawing. Even as her jaws dropped, inside she was pervertedly excited. This was the first time the Narnian king had shown any emotion towards her. He was usually apathetic, surrounded by a grey fog that Susan could not penetrate. Everything he did, every gaze and words had been designed to repel her and he fled from her presence. But those moments in Athens had changed something between them and even as Caspian glared at her, she felt hope.

If he could hate her, get angry at her, it meant there was something still there, a spark that could be nurtured into a blaze.

Susan's own anger sparked and she faced him, wanting to see more, wanting to see just how much he felt for her even if that emotion was hate. She was twisted, Susan realised, but despite everything, despite the fact she knew that someday, he'll be cured she was desperate. Words were one thing, she needed proof.

"Do not question me," Susan hissed, her voice frigid, "Just because you and Jason seem to have some manly back-slapping camaraderie going on…"

Inside she winced as she realised just how much she did sound like Inara but she ploughed out heatedly.

"… doesn't mean you can shut the rest of us out. I am your queen, King Caspian," her voice sharpened at the last two words, "I outrank you."

Everyone sucked in an astonished breath as Peter stepped forwards, his mouth opening. Caspian stared at her, his blank mask dropped as a dark seething sea of hatred and revulsion flowed across face. Susan let out a soundless cry as she saw the beast she had unleashed, unnerved at the dark emotions that roiled through him. She was suddenly deathly afraid of what he would do or say, trembling as she waited for his next move. But the king took in a sharp breath and a polite wall fell over his emotions once again.

"Of course, your majesty," he even bowed to her, his voice carefully toneless, "Lead as you will."

Susan tried to still her heart and breathing, her face very pale as she saw just how much his love for her had been twisted and broken. There had been no sign of tenderness, no sign of affection or even friendship… just disgust. She felt like she'd been punched, breathless and dizzy, unbalanced and very, very afraid.

"Zaru," she said faintly.

She felt Inara touch her arm as though it was detached from her. She saw the gruff expression on Jason's face that spoke of his worry, saw the look of anger in his eyes as the Seeker looked at Caspian. She saw Elias, hurting for her, wanting nothing more than it take it all away and she saw Peter.

Her brother looked at her, concerned but a warning in his eyes. Now was not the time to fall apart. That could come later.

Susan straightened and she turned to Zaru again.

"Zaru," she said, her voice ringing with command, "Lead the way."  
As Zaru bounded into the jungle, Caspian behind him, Susan turned to the others, ignoring the questions and sympathy in their eyes.

"Come on," she said, "Let's go."

AAAAAA

The cry came from the deep in the jungle, a long garbled yell that seemed to stretch on for eternity. It was screeching, discordant note like an ill-played violin but no instrument could have held such promise of blood and death. They all froze, the scream echoing around them

Inara was muttering something beside her, her face dark. Susan frowned. Something about being lost and smoke monsters?

Finally, thankfully the scream died out. But the jungle was now silent, the animals calls that had before filtered through it vanished.

"Does anyone else have an urge to say 'bugger this' and run screaming back to the ship?" Inara asked, trying to be light as her voice shook.

"Take me with you," Zaru muttered.

"Cowards," Jason snorted, adjusting the cloth-wrapped object he carried in his arms, as Inara and Zaru glared at him.

Grimly they pressed on, the trees closing in around them, denser and denser as though the jungle itself was trying constrict these stupid invaders as the sunlight spearing down from the gaps in the canopy overhead became rarer and rarer, their surroundings dimming as the eerie silence continued.

Peter watched the darkness, wearily, old fears bubbling into his mind as he clutched helplessly at his dagger. Suddenly his breathing sounded very harsh in his ears, his heart hammering as he grasped at the trees with sweaty hands for support. Ever since his arms had been cursed, he'd been too worried and depressed and in too much pain to remember the darkness and the torture he had suffered at the vampire's hands, his nightmares instead contorting into a horrific tableau where also he loved were killed as he stood helpless, unable to pick up a sword and fight. And after he had recovered a little from the shock, he'd thrown himself into his training, each night too exhausted to dream.

But now, walking through the shadows, hearing instead of seeing those around him and inching ever closer to a trio of monstrous sisters… the parallels were just too much. His body trembled as vanished scars echoed their birth with fiery pain. His arms twinged in reply, fiery pain stabbing his flesh as Peter stumbled, his face pale.

"Boy, keep up," Jason growled, voice gruff.

Belaying his apparent impatience, the Seeker gently helped Peter right himself.

"I'm fine," Peter said tersely, trying to hide his fear but failing.

A warm hand touched his shoulder and Peter whirled out, a furious retort on his lips. Inara stared at him through the gloom, understanding. The words died on his lips as Inara's hand threaded through his and squeezed them before moving away.

The message was simple: you are not alone.

Peter took a deep shuddering breath trying to put calmness into himself as they stumbled on through the darkness.

Zaru's sensitive eyes easily saw through the darkness, his lithe form vanishing in and out of the trees as he stealthily scouted ahead, nose and ears twitching as he led the way. Distracted by her dark thoughts, Susan didn't realise she could see almost as well as the leopard in the gloom, her movements sure as she leapt over roots and ducked overhanging branches as her companions seemed to stumble into every obstacle.

There was a yelp as a branch slapped Elias in the face, the scientist stumbling back, treading heavily on Jason's foot as the Seeker cursed. Caspian, a Telmarine still at heart, still unused to dense woods, smacked into the ground his foot caught in a root as Peter leapt lightly over him, the High King an expert woodsman from his hunting days in Narnia.

"Quiet!" Zaru hissed, eyes gleaming in the darkness.

Inara stepped on a branch and winced as it broke with a crack, the sound as loud as a gunshot in the silence.

"Sorry!" she whispered frantically as everyone turned and glared at her.

They all froze as the piercing scream echoed through the jungle again. The hairs raised on their bodies as the cry flittered around them, tearing into their ears, biting and burrowing, digging deeper and deeper into their skulls against it seemed their brain was bleeding.

Zaru roared, his sensitive hearing working against him as he writhed and bucked on the forest floor, completely out of control as the scream sent seizures through his body. The others weren't faring much better, staggering and grasping at trees as they clamped their hands over their ears in a futile attempt to block out the screams.

Susan bit back a scream as pain roared through her body, the cries smashing into her skull and stabbing into her brain as the trees around her seemed to vibrate with the cry.

"CLANG!" Caspian staggered, the cloth bag he held in his hands tumbling to the ground as he cried out, keeling as the screams tore through him.

Finally, slowly, the scream died away.

"What the hell was that?!" Jason thundered, his face devoid of blood.

Susan glanced back at the trees, back into the darkness and the monsters that lay beyond. She could see only trees whilst the others aside from Zaru only saw never-ending gloom.

"We're heading back to the ship," Susan commanded, whirling, "NOW!"

"TOO LATE!" Zaru roared, "SOMEONE'S COMING!"  
They whipped around as shadows began to flitter through the trees, leafs rustling in their wake.

"SHINK!"

Swords and daggers were pulled from sheaths, Susan raising Artemis's bow as they began to beat a retreat, forming a tight ring as they melted back into the trees but the invaders kept coming, pounding footsteps ripping through the jungle.

"ELIAS!" Susan roared, "HIT THEM!"

The scientist turned, crossbow in hand but Zaru jumped in his way, eyes blazing.

"NO!" he barked, "DON'T!!"

At that exact moment a nearby screen of foliage was torn apart as a massive dark form exploded out from the jungle. Bronze skin shone, slick with sweat, chest heaving as the figure ran, powerful hoofs kicking out and tearing into the loamy dirt.

Susan blinked. Wait. Hoofs?!?

"Centaur!" Caspian gasped.

The horse-man's head whipped towards them, his dark eyes bulging as he spotted the humans.  
"RUN!!!" the centaur shrieked, "RUN!!! THE GORGONS!!!"  
A piercing scream filled the jungle again as more centaurs burst out from the trees, the seven of them caught up in a veritable stampede.

"Sisters!!!" a hissing voice shrilled, "KILL THEM ALL!"

Caught in a torrent of fur and flesh, dodging and ducking as hoofs flashed by, Peter could only catch a glimpse of three shadowy figures as they leapt through the trees and descended onto the centaurs.

"MOTHER!!!" a young foal screamed.

One of the centaurs, a tall proud woman with long dirty-coloured hair whipped around, screaming but another centaur grabbed her around the arm.

"NO!!!" he bellowed, "You'll be…"

The foal's bloody screams tore into the hearts of all who heard it. There was a sickening crunch and then silence.

"NOOOO!!!" the mother screeched, "YOU MONSTERS! YOU BIT–"

"Aeris!!" the male centaur screamed, arms flailing.

The female centaur plunged into the stampede, fighting against the flow of the crowd as heartbroken screams flew from her throat.

There was a high-pitched cackling laugh as the centaur threw herself at her son's murderers, her form lost amongst the crowd. A deep booming laugh echoed in the glade as the centaurs continued to flee and the mother's screams were silenced.

They all stared at each other, pale-faced. Susan grimaced as the Gorgons' laugh resounded again, centaurs screaming as the sisters grabbed them.

"JASON!" the queen roared, making a snap-decision, "GET THE SHIELDS!"

Caspian, Jason and Elias ripped the cloth away from the bundles they were holding revealing three round shields, their surface polished to a mirror-like sheen.

"Don't look them in the eyes,' Peter reminded them tensely, "They're vulnerable to normal weapons but whatever you do, do not look them in the eyes!"

The centaur stampede was thinning out, the survivors fleeing deep into the jungle as they caught a glimpse for the first time of the Gorgons' destructive powers. Twisted bodies littered the ground, blood soaking into the damp earth, necks and limbs jutting out at wrong angles.

But it was the statues, centaurs frozen in stone, their faces contorted into terrified shrieks that made Susan tremble in fear. She and Peter glanced at each other, both of them horribly reminded of the White Witch's powers.

"Sisters…"

The last centaur fled, hoofs pounding the dirt as shadows moved in the trees.

"They want to play," a second voice taunted.

"Do they know who we are?" a third joined mockingly.

"They do. They do," the first answered, "They want to kill us."

"Us?" the second asked with false astonishment, "Us? Us who turned Zeus into stone? Us who slain Hera and danced on her bones? They dare?"

The answer came, low and mocking.

"They dare!"

"They dare!"  
"Then let's play," the second voice commanded.

"NOW!" Susan yelled.

They all whirled around, the mirror-bright shields held in front of them so they could see the jungle behind as the Gorgon sisters emerged.

Even Jason gasped at their appearance.

There was three of them, one tall and muscular towering over her brethren, the second squat and stout and the last, thin and delicate with a child's frame. All of them had the same vicious look of malice and glee on their faces. Snakes hissed and snapped at the air, vile and green, writhing on top of all three sister's heads, terrible parodies of hair, as their hands, cruelly clawed gleamed in the sun with a metallic brownish glow. Zaru sniffed the air and could instantly pick out the teeth-itching tang of brass.

The tallest one was the most hideous, her skin pockmarked with patches of swollen raw red. Her thin and cracked lips did not meet, curved fangs like a boar's jutting out from her mouth.

The squat sister had a hideous simpering child-like appearance to her wide face, rosy-cheeks on powdered white, her fat lips pulled into a petulant pout as her hands rested on her obscenely inflated belly, her girth stretching her stained woven dress.

The third one was and there was no others words for it, beautiful. Her features were delicate, her cheekbones high, her lips a perfect pink invitation for suitors if they could brave her snake hair and clawed hands. Her skin was flawless and she held herself like a queen, imperious and dominating.

All three of eyes continually changed colours with each blink. One second as black as obsidian then pale like fresh fallen snow on a plain and next a pool of burning gold flecked with brown and black. Even through the reflections, Inara could feel the power in them, a hypnotic siren's song that beckoned them to turn around and stare into the eyes of a god.

"Euryale, Stheno," the beautiful child-like Gorgon in the middle commanded, "Show our guests how we sisters deal with invaders of our land."

"ELIAS!" Susan roared.

The professor hurled a silver orb over his shoulders and it smacked into the ground before exploding in a starburst of burning white light. The Gorgons cried shrilly, staggered back, clutching at their eyes as the companions whirled around.

"NOW!" Susan yelled, brandishing her bow.

She fired, silver arrow whistling through the air before embedding itself into the tallest sister, the Gorgon shrieking in pain.

"Euryale!" the fat sister, Stheno, cried hearing the screams.

She glared their attackers, her eyes still unfocused and dazed from lights.

"SHIELDS!!!" Susan roared.

Caspian surged forwards, brandishing the shield as Stheno glared at her reflection, eyes blazing with light that reflected in the metal. There was a short moment of silence, expectance from Susan and the others, puzzlement from the Gorgons.

Suddenly the beautiful Gorgon laughed as her snake-hair hissed their own mirth.

"You think staring at our reflections is going to turn us to stone?" she demanded, red tongue flicking out from amongst sharp fangs, "What kind of idiots are you?"

Inara winced.

"Damn lame Hollywood movies," she cursed, "I knew it sounded too simple!"

"Kill them," the queen of the Gorgons, Medusa, ordered coldly.

Euryale ripped the arrow from her chest and leapt forwards, Stheno by her side. Susan closed her eyes, firing her arrows blindly as the others turned around, avoiding the sisters' lethal gaze.

It was utter mayhem as they tried to use the shields' reflections to fight the sisters but the Gorgons were too quick, howling with laughter at their pathetic ploy.

Euryale dashed at Jason, her taloned hands flashing forwards as the Seeker saw it in the shield's mirror-like reflection. Coolly he twisted only to be slashed straight across the arm, the Gorgon's taloned hands. Blood gushed from the wounds as Euryale laughed, licking the crimson from her brass claws.

"The mirror's left is her right!" Zaru barked as Jason staggered, pain ripping through him, "Idiot!"

Susan, Inara and Peter had slivers of mirrors in their hands, their backs to the Gorgons as they tried to avoid the sisters' deadly blows.

"CLOSE YOUR EYES!" Elias roared, whipping around, eyes closed as he fired another orb at the sisters.

Light flared, Euryale and Stheno and stumbled back, blinded but Medusa had closed her eyes just in time. With a vicious hiss, the queen of the Gorgons lunged forwards. A single blow shattered one of the petrified centaurs, chips of stone flying everywhere as the beautiful monster hurled herself at them.

"ZARU!"  
Eyes firmly clamped short, the leopard charged at the monster but Medusa swatted him away, the cat smashing into a tree as Susan cried out, her eyes fixed on her mirror.

The queen suddenly began to realise just how much trouble they were in. The Gorgons were strong and cunning and co-ordinated… and frankly? The plan they had come up with failed.

White fire slashed forwards but Medusa ploughed straight through the attack, eyes flashing, snakes hissing violently. Jason saw it all in his shield but the monster was too fast, her arms a blur. Echidna's daughter grabbed Jason by the shoulders and hurled the man bodily through the air. Inara cried out as the Seeker smashed into a petrified centaur, the stone statue smashing apart as Jason hit the ground limply.

"COWBOY!" Inara yelped.

Caspian whipped around and charged at Medusa, blindly, eyes shut.

"CLANG!"

The Gorgon's claw clashed with the steel blade, sparks flying as she knocked the sword to the ground, rearing up and stomping on Caspian's hand. The king cried out, hilt falling from numb fingers as Medusa hissed and gripped the Telmarine's face in metal claws.

"Open," she spat into his eyes as her snakes wounded through the king's long hair, "OPEN!"

Caspian cried, bucking as she dug her claws into the flesh under his eyes forcing his lids to open.

"CASPIAN!" Peter yelled.

But Susan was already in motion. Medusa stared into Caspian's terrified eyes, the irises becoming a deep poisonous green. They began to glow with light as Caspian screamed again, trying to shove Medusa's hands away but the Gorgon merely tightened her grip, the tips of her talons drawing blood.

Susan rushed past Peter and the High King cried out, his hands shooting out to stop her. He managed to grab onto her shirt but as Susan jerked away, agony roared up Peter's cursed arms and the oldest Pevensie staggered back, clutching at his limbs.

"SU!!!" Peter roared as Susan charged forwards.

Closing her eyes, Susan simply hurled herself at Medusa. The Gorgon was taken by surprise, knocked away from the king as Caspian fell backwards, clutching at his eyes, crying out in pain.

"QUEENIE!!!" Inara yelled.

Susan ended up on top of Medusa, enduring several painful bites as the monster's snake hair lashed out at her, snapping.

Inara and Elias dashed forwards but skidded to halt as Euryale and Stheno lunged at them, recovered. The two instantly whipped around, shield and mirror coming up as the Gorgons howled with laughter.

"Look sister, look at the mortals little schemes," Stheno chuckled like an adult cooing at a child's trick, "So adorable… can I keep them?"

"How about we used their flayed skins to decorate our cave?" Euryale snarled, "I hate feeding pets."

Stheno cried, her hands on her potbelly.

"Elias?" Inara said slowly, eyes fixed on her mirror.

"Yes?"

"NOW!!"  
Inara and Elias whirled, their hands flying forwards. Euryale shrieked as a handful of shimmering dust struck her eyes, blinding her and her sister.

"And seriously? Just because you're a disgusting monster doesn't mean you can be disgustingly fat!" Inara roared as she lunged forwards.

Stheno shrieked as Inara's sword plunged into her gut. Grunting, Inara shoved all her weight behind the blade pushing deep, arms trembling with exertion. The Gorgon fell backwards, eyes going blank as Inara tried to pull her sword free, jiggling the hilt furiously.

Euryale flew backwards, engulfed in flames as Elias lowered his crossbow.

"HELP QUEENIE!" Inara yelled, still trying to work her sword free from Stheno's body.

Elias dashed forwards, crossbow aloft as Susan was hurled aside, Medusa rising to her feet. She glared down at the queen, her beautiful face contorted into a furious snarl echoed by her snakes.

"You dare touch me?" Medusa spat, "You maggot! You… mortal!!!"

Medusa shrieked and raised her foot above Susan's head about to smash the queen's skull apart.

"NO!!" Elias fired an orb at the Gorgon but Medusa batted it aside with her metal claws, the projectile spinning into a grove of trees and exploding, setting the foliage ablaze.

Elias clenched his eyes as Medusa glared at him.

"You're next," she spat as Elias held up his crossbow with trembling hands, blinded, unsure of where to fire.

Inara put one shoe against Stheno's gut and began heaving back, her sword still stuck. Suddenly the supposedly dead Gorgon's eyes snapped open and Inara cried out, instantly recoiled from the monster's gaze.

"Ouch," Stheno growled, the sword still stuck through her gut, "That hurt!"

She lunged forwards, still impaled as Peter hurled himself at Inara, tackling the girl out of the way as the Gorgon sailed past. Peter and Inara hit the ground and tumbled, limbs entangle as Peter screamed, fiery pain clawing at his arms.

Across the clearing, Euryale also rose to her feet, soot-streaked but completely unharmed.

Growling at Elias, Medusa kicked Susan in the gut sending the queen rolling across the jungle floor.

"I wonder how many times I can make you beg," Medusa spat, snakes snapping at the air as Elias stumbled back, eyes still firmly shut, "You want to take a guess before we start?"

"DEMONS!!! BEGONE FROM HERE!!!" a thundering voice suddenly boomed through the forest.

The Gorgons shrieked as a hail of arrows flew at them, razor barbs tearing into their flesh, Medusa's cries the highest of all. They staggered back, flailing as more arrows shrieked at them.

"STHENO!!" Medusa cried, "NOW!!!"  
The squat sister opened her mouth and a piercing shriek tore itself from her lips, leaping out and stabbing them all in the ears. They staggered, hands pressed against ears, screaming to drown out the supersonic assault as it rang on and on, the agony building.

Suddenly the cry vanished and so were the Gorgon sisters.

"SUSAN!!" Elias ran to the queen and gingerly helped her up.

Susan moaned, eyes closed and she instantly coughed up a mouthful of blood as Elias recoiled, terrified.

"SUSAN!!"  
Her eyes fluttered open and the queen tried a smile.

"S'okay…" she whispered, "Still alive… the others?"

A shadow fell over them and they looked up. Caspian stared down at Susan, an unreadable look in his face.

"Thank you," he said stilted as Susan nodded, eyes closing again, too tired to be hurt.

Inara and Peter limped towards them, both of them looking as exhausted as Caspian felt.

"We…" Inara tried to laugh but failed, "We got kicked… bad."

Peter's grim face said it all.

"You were foolish to try and fight the sisters."  
They all turned as tall, greying centaur stepped into the glade, his brethren streaming out of the trees behind him, mingled looks of suspicion and sadness on their faces as they gazed at the battlefield, littered with the bodies, dead and petrified, of their family and friends.

"Well, someone has to kill them," Caspian snapped, "Instead of running away from them like cowards!!"

Hate flared into the centaurs' faces as some of the more volatile even raised their bows to the king as Caspian stared defiantly back.

"Okay, even I thought that was out of line," Peter muttered.

Despite the situation they were facing, Elias couldn't help but smile.

"Ahh, Petey is means you're growing up," Inara teased, wiping away a fake tear.

"Don't call me that!"

The centaur leader stared sternly at them, a look of disapproval stamped across his face.

"Come," he turned, his tail flicking impatiently, "Grab the injured. We're leaving."  
"To where?" Susan demanded still in Elias's arm.

"Where else?" the centaur said flatly, "Home."

And without waiting for a response, he turned and disappeared into the trees leaving them to stare after him in amazement.

* * *

Author's notes: Sorry still a bit dazed from my bout with the good ol' swine flu – my voice is still dead and my brain is still a bit woozy so any spelling mistakes... uhh... ignore them?

Sorry, I swear I will get back to your questions next chapter when I'm feeling hunky-dory once more. Until then thanks for reading!


	46. Of centaurs and monsters

New chapter! Whoooo – new chapter! Thank you for all you awesome reviews thank you!!!

Dislcaimer: Jason, Elias, Inara and Zaru are mine and Susan, Peter and Caspian are not. It's as simple as that.

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 46: Of centaurs and monsters **

"Why have you come here?" Orion demanded.

The leader of the centaurs was olive-skinned and muscular, an air of wildness and fury hovering around him like a storm. He was imposing, his dark eyes violent but Susan stood before him, every inch the queen as she eyed him coolly, completely unaffected by his outrage.

"To kill the Gorgons," Susan said flatly..

Some of the centaurs nearby recoiled, muttering frantically amongst themselves as hoofs stamped the earth nervously.

"What!?" Orion exploded, "Kill the Gorgons!?

He said those words as if he'd never considered the thought before.

"Yes, they're bloodthirsty monsters and from where I come from we tend to kill those type of things," Susan said dryly, "Very unseemly to have them lying around."

"The Gorgons had killed the king of the gods themselves," Orion thundered, "What hope do you mere humans have?"

"We have already killed three of Echidna's children, all god-slayers in their own right," Susan smiled confidently as the crowd of the centaurs let out gasps of amazement, "The Lernean Hydra, murderer of Ares, the Nemean Lion, devourer of Hercules and Ladon, the hundred-headed dragon, killer of Poisedon are all now dead by our hands. We have also faced Orthrus and wounded the two-headed hound."

Her voice was perfectly pitched, carrying over the whispers of awe and shock and far into the night. She spoke calmly without boast, simply stating the facts.

"The Gorgons are now in our sight," Susan finished.

"You cannot kill the Gorgons," a trembling voice muttered.

Susan turned as a decrepit old centaur, white-haired and tottering forwards on unsteady legs stepped through the ring of centaurs around her. A respectful silence fell over the crowd as Susan curtsied, knowing enough about the centaurian hierarchy to know an elder was addressing her.

The centaurs were a strange race, honour-bound and rigid in their beliefs. Loyal, they were unwavering in their support of their allies and death for the greater good was seen as a fitting end for those who lived by the sword. And above all else they believed in order. Their society was rigid, the leaders determined by skill and speed and strength, races and swords determining whose words would be absolute law. But even the fiercest of warriors bowed down to the sages, the elders who studied the heavens and interpreted the celestial dance of the heavenly bodies and all they foretold.

"Euryale and Stheno," the sage spoke as the centaurs flinched at the names, "Are immortal. They cannot be killed by any sword or magicks."

Despair fell over Susan but she refused to show it on her face.

"Artemis, the goddess of the hunt believed we could accomplish our task," she said mildly instead.

The old centaur gave her a toothless grin, liking her fire.

"Medusa is the daughter of Echidna and she is the queen of the Gorgons, their powers are tied to her," the centaur chuckled, "And Medusa is mortal. Kill her and the Gorgons fall."

"Impossible!" one of the centaurs, "Medusa is strongest and most vicious of the three!!"

All cries of agreements echoed the original speaker but the sage held up one trembling hand and a hushed silence fell over the crowd.

"I have watched the stars," the sage lisped, "They foretold the coming of great warriors to liberate us from the clutches of the Gorgons."

Orion took a step back, awed as the sage looked at his herd.

"They are here," he smiled, "The Gorgons' days of rule are over."

And before Susan could say a single word, wild hope sprung amongst the ground sweeping through them like brushfire in a drought-stricken land. A wild thunderous cheer shook the jungle as the sage turned to Susan, still smiling.

"It lies in your hands now little one," the centaur grinned toothlessly at her.

"Thank you," Susan said lightly, sarcasm barely in her voice, "Thank you very much."

AAAAAA

Inara watched blankly as the female centaur, Sandersonia, bustled between the beds, a bowl of steaming poultice in her hands as she gently tended to her charges. Inara sat in a chair, her minor cuts and bruises already attended to.

Almost in a daze, Inara stared down at her hands and realised they were trembling violently. Biting her lip, she clenched her fists willing for them to stop but the shudders just continued, building, coursing through her whole body.

"You in shock," Sandersonia said softly, her dark muddy eyes sympathetic.

Inara tried to speak but her lips were trembling, her tongue leaden.

"I know," she managed to choke out.

"Do you want to take a sleeping draught?" the healer asked, "It'll help you relax."

Inara took a deep shuddering breath.

"No, I'm fine," she said in a slightly firmer voice, "Really."

Sandersonia raised an eyebrow, her long ears twitching but nodded, turning away as Inara melted into her chair, a shaking hand twined in her hair.

She wasn't in shock. She was scared.

She looked at the rough pallets her friends were resting on, her eyes lingering on Jason's battered face, on Zaru's twitching form. The strongest and the quickest of their group and they had been defeated by the Gorgons with an ease that shook her to her core.

They had been defeated. Utterly and totally stomped on, kicked, beaten up and almost killed. And they would have to face the sisters again.

Inara stared down at her hands, stared at the ineffective fists they now made.

Once upon a time, not that long ago, she would've thrown herself into the thick of the fray, sword slashing and a war cry on her lips. She had been fearless, lethal and invincible and now?

She was just a girl. A normal run-of-the-mill girl with absolutely nothing special or unique about her, no gifts, no powers… nothing. She had been strong and powerful but now that was all gone, ripped away, stolen. And she was still on the frontlines of a war that spread across hundreds of worlds.

Was it any surprise she felt like throwing up? Because for all her bravado, all her false smiles Inara knew the truth. Susan didn't need a sarcastic teenager with a loud mouth, she needed a soldier, a fighter she could rely on and Inara was now none of those. So where did that leave her?

Inara looked down at her hands again, the calluses softening.

"I was chosen," Inara whispered wanting to believe, "I am special."

But her voice sounded weak and fragile and her words so very, very false.

AAAAAA

Caspian gingerly prodded the bandages beneath his eyes, wincing as the open wounds still stung. The king hissed and looked up, dark eyes taking in the rough huts and caves that made up the centaur village.

Caspian leaned against the tree and breathed in the humid night's air, trying to ignore the deep wrenching sense of failure that gripped him. He shuddered as he remembered staring into Medusa's eyes, feeling the power that surged out of them and into him, his limbs stiffening, his blood slowing as magic gripped him and began to turn him into ston–

He shuddered again.

In the distance he could see some of the centaur foals cavorting around a small stream and he couldn't help the smile that came to his face. Having fought and lived with the centaurs during the Telmarine war and ruled with Glenstorm as a close friend and advisor, Caspian loved and admired the race. Steady and unwavering, honourable, loyal and courageous, he had always measured himself up to the centaurs and tried to live by their code.

Loyal and courageous…

Caspian smiled humourlessly, his thoughts skipping the deadly struggle in the jungle and back to the beach. He didn't know why he had lashed out at Susan like that but seeing her there, sun and wind in her hair, blue eyes clear as the seas, fear and repulsion had roiled through him and he had felt an insane urge to run as far away from her as possible. He had tried to hide it, tried to get away but when Susan had challenged him…

He had wanted to snatch up his sword and run her through. Caspian's teeth caught his tongue and blood flooded into his mouth. It had frightened him how much he longed to wrap his hands around her delicate through and just squee…

"Aslan, what is happening to me?" Caspian begged.

Before he had felt numb, nothing for her but now there were moment like in Athens when something would flare and he would smile at her, wanting nothing more than for her to smile back. Was the curse fading? Was it all come back? But then, there was those insane, frightening moments when he hated her, loathed her, wanted to…

Caspian's hands were trembling.

"What is happening to me?" he begged to the stars.

But they held no answers for him.

AAAAAA

Left. Right. Slash. Parry. Back-step. Feint. Right. Slash.

The drill ran repetitively through Peter's head as he fought with an invisible enemy. The High King had quickly found out if he lost himself to the rhythm and the movements then the voi…

'_Why are you doing this?' _

The voices wouldn't come. the insidious little voices that rose from the darkest depths of his mind like snakes, taunting and poisonous.

Grimly Peter ignored them as he sliced the air with his dagger, his arms numb and aching in alternating pulses.

'_Why are you doing this?' _the little voice repeated, _'Do you see how utterly useless it is.'_

"Shut up," Peter snapped, twisting, hand swinging around.

'_You're kidding yourself if you think you can still fight,' _the whispers, his fears manifested continued, low and taunting, _'You think that little dagger is going to do any good against a real opponent?'_

Peter remained silent, his face unreadable as he continued to train, sweat dripping down his face.

'_Face it Peter,' _his own mind told him, _'You're just a waste of space.'_

Peter's teeth grinded together as the dagger stabbed at the air.

'_I mean if Jason and Caspian couldn't defeat the sisters what hope have you got… cripple?' _the voice laughed shrilly, echoed by a dozen others, _'Maybe you should save them or some other monster the trouble and just slit your own throa–'_

"SHUT UP!"

Shaking with fury, Peter whirled and screamed, hurling the dagger to the ground. He stood there, taking in shallow shuddering breaths as the dagger's hilt quivered where it stood embedded in the dirt.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a centaur mother quickly moving her foals away from the crazy man as the children fought to get a better look at him.

Peter ran a shaking hand from his dishevelled hair as the voices vanished with a final laugh.

"Yes, voices inside my head," the High King muttered, "That doesn't mean I'm going crazy."

It was hard. Excruciatingly hard. After the fight with the hydra, Peter had resolved to stop brooding and lamenting what could've been and accept what had happened to him and move on.

He smiled humourlessly. Saying it had been easy but everything seemed to be a stumbling block, another set back. He had tried to learn to fight again, work around his injured arms but it had taken him nearly three days to build up the strength to pick up a small dagger without passing out. Things he could once do without thinking now required a Herculean effort and enduring waves of agonising pain.

Peter yanked the dagger out of the ground and almost dropped it as convulsions coursed through his limbs. He staggered back, a curse on his lips as he struggled to regain control.

He stared down at his arms, his face unreadable. He could deal with being weak, being unable to pick up a sword but this? Having no control of his own body? This was the part that tore him up the most, the part that destroyed whatever hope he had remaining.

But Peter held out the dagger and began to slide into the familiar battle dance once more, throwing himself back into the familiar pattern of footwork and slashes.

"I can do this," he muttered to himself stubbornly, "Things will get better. Things will get better…"

The once-proud (and yes, Peter realised probably arrogant) king had been broken, shattered but now he was slowly rebuilding himself, one arduous humbling bit at a time. Because really, what else could he do?

AAAAAA

"They're going to be spectacularly annoyed when they wake up," Susan said, trying to smile as she watched over Jason and Zaru.

Elias stepped up behind her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulders. Inara lied in one of the beds, curled up into a ball as she slept. A troubled look crossed her face and she turned, sheets twisting around her as she muttered incoherently in her sleep, head tossing from side to side. She looked vulnerable, nothing like the brash and courageous young woman Elias knew and more like a tiny child, frightened and in pain. His throat tightened as he tried to imagine the hell she must be going through as he watched her sleep, shorn of all walls and masks.

Slowly he placed a soothing hand on her face and Inara shifted, murmuring as she relaxed into a gentler sleep.

Susan smiled at the intimate touch.

"So we better come up with a plan," Elias said looking at the queen, "Otherwise Jason will yell at us for wasting time."

Susan laughed.

"So what do we know?" Elias asked.

Susan sobered.

"Medusa is the actual child of Echidna. The other two came from other gods," Susan explained as Elias listened, "Stheno and Euryale are immortal but their powers are tied with Medusa. All we need to do is kill Medusa."

"We can't do that if we're constantly trying to avoid just looking at them," Peter's voice cut through the silence of the cave.

The High King stepped into warm glow of the fire that heated and lit up the stone grotto. He looked haggard but determined.

"The shields were an utter failure," Elias agreed.

"We need to figure out a way to blind them. Permanently," Susan looked at Peter who looked deep in thought.

"Giants," Peter said suddenly.

"What?" Susan and Elias blinked.

Peter looked at them, blue eyes flashing.

"Su, do you remember that autumn with the giants near…"

"The Beaver's dam!" Susan's mouth dropped, "Peter! You're a genius!"

"Well, technically it was Edmund's idea…" Peter trailed off, a smile crossing his face, "But thank you, I know."

Elias looked at the two siblings, bemused. Quickly they sobered up, once more rulers and generals.

"We need a back-up just in case it doesn't work," Susan pointed out.

"And we need to stop Stheno's screams," Peter shuddered as he remembered the piercing screeches that had hammered his brain as the Gorgon opened her mouth.

"That part's easy," Elias spoke up, "We just need to block our ears with something. I can cook something up."

"And I'll shoot her in the throat to make her stop," Susan said grimly, "But if we fail in blinding them, we need someone who can fight with their eyes closed."

Peter and Elias stared back at her, disgruntled, coming to the biggest stumbling block in their plans – the contingency.

"I can."

They all turned as Caspian joined them, his dark face unreadable.

"You?" Peter couldn't help the note of surprise in his voice.

A quick wry smile crossed the Telmarine's face.

"I was trained to, yes," Caspian said lightly, "Telmarines are very thorough with their sword training. We were taught to fight in every possible situation."

Susan nodded, the usual pain and pain of being around him shoved aside as she focused on their battle plans.

"We need a place with wind and not a lot of shelter," Susan thought aloud.

"The beach," Elias said instantly.

"Yeah and if everything goes to hell we can make a break for it and swim back to Drinian."

Inara opened her eyes and glared at them, eyes bloodshot.

"I was sleeping you know," she huffed.

"We know," Susan said mildly.

"So can you keep it down?" Jason's gruff voice echoed in the cave.

The Seeker glared at all of them, still swathed in bandages and poultice but his eyes were clear and bright with annoyance.

"By the way," Jason muttered, "Your plan needs work."

"And since you're back to your obnoxious self I'm guessing you're feeling better?" Susan asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jason glared at her, his mouth opening but before he could retort the sound of hoofs clacking on stone made them turn. Sandersonia trotted up to them, a warm smile on her delicate features as she gingerly balanced a tray of food up the slight slope.

"Is he awake?" the healer asked gently, "I brought some food for you all."

Jason's stomach growled loudly and Sandersonia laughed, the others joining in.

"I'll also check his bandages if he can quiet the beast in his stomach," the healer teased lightly.

"Oh no dearie," a hissing voice cut in sharply, "I'll see to his injuries."

Surprised Sandersonia whirled around and screamed as a pair of blood-red eyes bore into her own. The eyes flashed and the centaur's skin immediately began to harden, grey sweeping across her body like a rampant infection. With her face contorted into a tortured cry, Sandersonia was turned to stone.

"DON'T LOOK!!!" Inara bellowed as everyone closed their eyes, lids clamping shut.

But Susan had seen enough of the hideous creature to know it was Euryale, the tallest of the Gorgon sisters. The metallic smell of blood wafted into the cave as the Gorgon laughed, pure malice in her voice. Snakes hissed, jaws snapping the air as the dry rustle of scales on scales made everyone shiver. Susan bit her lips, drawing blood as the sound of footsteps and the fluttering of fabric reached her ears, her head swivelling towards the source.

"Surprised?" the tallest of the sisters goaded, her voice growing louder as she neared, "Medusa wanted us to find you since our game was so rudely interrupted."

Susan could hear fabric on fabric as Inara and Jason scrambled out of their beds. Her own fingers moved down to the daggers strapped to her waist, fumbling as she kept her eyes closed.

"What? Aren't you going to say hello?" Euryale cackled, her voice coming from the right.

NOW!

Susan's had flicked out, the dagger flying from her fingers. There was a choked cry and a meaty thud as Susan leapt to her feet.

"GO!!!" Susan roared, "RUN!!!"  
Jason almost tripped over one of the beds, his hands flailing as he sought purchase. He started as his hands landed on something warm and furry. Grunting, he slid his arms under Zaru's limp form and began running towards where he hoped the exit was.

It was complete panic, everyone acting on pure instincts, smacking into walls and each other as they raced out of the cave, Euryale's pained screams echoing in their ears

Susan felt cold air slap against her face and she risked opening her eyes. They were outside, Euryale and the cave behind them.

"RUN!!!" Euryale screamed, her voice lunging at them, "But you won't get away from me!!"

"DAMN IT!" Peter cursed, "How did they get here?"

Stampeding hoofs made them look to their right as Orion and a troop of warriors charged towards them, clods of dirt flying in their wake. Armour caught the meagre light from nearby fires, the glow dancing across their swords making the steel seem alive and writhing.

"They ambushed our patrols!" Orion roared, "There're statues everywhere!!!"

Stheno's piercing cry suddenly flew through the air making them cringe.

"They're after us," Susan informed the centaur tersely, hands closing around her second dagger.

Orion looked back at the cave where Euryale was and then down at the queen. His face was grim but his eyes were unflinching.

"We'll hold them off," Orion growled, raising his broadsword.

"I'm sorry," Susan whispered, "We never meant – "

Orion reared, whinnying as his equine legs kicked the air. Susan stepped back, shocked as Orion landed back to the earth with a thud.

"If our sage is right, you are our only hope," Orion snapped, cutting her off, "Don't disappoint us!!"

With a bellowing war cry, Orion charged forwards as Euryale raced down the hill towards them, the other centaur warriors streaming around him. For a second all was lost in thunder and clanging steel.

"We have to help!!" Caspian bellowed, unsheathing his sword.

"We can't," Jason snapped, Zaru in his arms, "He's buying us time. We're unprepared. We need to get away."

Elias's head whipped towards him.  
"We just can't leave them to fight our battle!" Elias yelped.

Peter and Susan stared at each other, grim-faced, knowing what had to be done and hating it. Susan took a deep breath.

"Grab our weapons and let's go," Susan commanded.

"WHAT?!" Caspian and Elias whirled on her but Susan quelled them with an icy look.

She hated what she had to do. Euryale howled in triumph as a centaur screamed in pain before suddenly silencing as Orion's furious bellow filled the air.

Somewhere else in the village Stheno's lethal scream rang out, centaurs fleeing by the droves.

She hated it but she knew this was a battle they could not win. They had to retreat.

"We have to go," Susan said, steeling himself, "NOW!"  
"NO!" Caspian roared, "We can't…"

"We have to," Inara argued, "We barely survived the last fight when we were all at full strength. We're exhausted and most of us are injured. We can't beat them, not yet!"

"She's right," Susan closed her eyes, feeling like the world's filthiest cowards, "I don't want to do this any more than you do but we have to Caspian."

"NO! This is wrong!" Caspian snarled, his emotions completely chaotic.

The Telmarine stepped forwards, hands on the hilt of his sword as Susan stepped back, stunned by the naked hatred on his face. The sword was halfway out of its sheath but Caspian froze as Peter's dagger tickled his throat.

"We're going," the High King commanded, eyes flat, "Caspian, we're retreating."

"Guys! You can have a Mexican stand-off later!" Inara yelled nervously, trying to step in between the two but Elias pulled her back.

She winced as the deafening clang of metal clashing with metal resounded through the night. Small fires had broken out, flames lending the scene a hellish glow. Stheno screamed again, the very stars themselves seemingly trembling with her cries as the night was alive with dark fleeing forms, centaurs running in all directions, terror on their faces as plunged deep into the jungle.

And in the middle of all this, Caspian spat contemptuously on the ground, dark eyes focused on Peter.

"What can you do to me?" Caspian's eyes flared, "Cripple!"

Peter roared in fury, muscles twitching as he –

"Stop."

Jason's hand, wreathed in dancing white flames cut between the two men, stopping them both. Jason's voice was deathly cold.

"We need to leave now," the Seeker growled, "You can either walk away under your own power or be knocked out and dragged behind us by ropes. Understood?"

Elias blanched as he realised they were actually abandoning the centaurs. The human in him warred with logic. He knew Susan was right, he knew retreat was the strategic thing, the smart thing to do. But knowing and actually doing it was two very different things.

"Come on," the scientist said, feeling sick as screams of terror punctured the once serene night, "We have to hurry."

Caspian looked at him, shocked at his sudden back-flip. A blank veil fell over his features and the Telmarine finally nodded.

They ran, fleeing death and destruction as the Gorgons rampaged, their lustful laughs and gleeful squeals ringing in their ears. Guilt-ridden and sickened, they ran and in their hearts they promised to each of the Gorgons bloody vengeance.

AAAAAA

Susan's eyes fluttered open and she stared up at a thick canopy, leafs twisting as they fell to the ground. Slowly she sat up, twigs and leafs crunching as she looked around slowly, confused. A pang of guilt coursed through her and Susan flinched, puzzled at the cause.

"Princess."

She looked to her side as Jason's dark blue eyes met hers. Her eyes quickly widened as she remembered last night. The Gorgons. The centaurs. Their wild flight into the night…

Susan looked away, ashen-faced and sickened.

"We had to do it," Jason said bluntly.

The Seeker watched the queen carefully, waiting for her reaction. Deep down inside Jason knew what she was feeling: the consuming guilt, the bitter taste that came with the realisation they had left others to die for their war but Jason was a survivor. And emotions sometimes would just get you killed. There was no point in regretting, lamenting the what ifs and possibilities and deal with what had happened.

The Gorgons had attacked them and the centaurs had been caught in the crossfire… No, Jason corrected himself, they had deliberately put themselves in the way, sacrificing themselves for that one frail chance that the sisters would eventually be defeated. The centaurs had fought and died for hope.

And that Jason respected. And the best way to honour them? Revenge.

This was no time for tears… it was time for war.

"We didn't force the centaurs to fight but they did. And if we're just going to sit around and cry then they shouldn't have bothered," Jason said cuttingly.

Susan's head snapped towards him, fury sparking in her eyes and Jason secretly smiled at the fire.

"I know what you're doing you know," the queen snapped.

Jason raised a brow.

"What?"

"Getting me so angry that I wouldn't hesitate in killing those bitches," Susan snarled.

"And?"

"It's working," Susan heaved herself to her feet, "Everyone! UP! We have monsters to kill!"

She stomped over to Inara and shook her.

"Five more minutes…" Inara grumbled, turning over.

"UP!!!"

Jason watched with a smile on his lips as Susan began jabbing the others with her foot, resolve stamped across her face.

AAAAAA

Her foot sank into the damp sand, seawater oozing out from the grit. Foam and wind flew against her face, catching her hair and sending it streaming behind her.

"We missed you last night," a mocking voice jeered from behind her.

"But we played with your friends," Stheno chuckled.

Susan didn't turn around, her hands tightening around Artemis's silver bow.

"Where's your sister?" the queen asked mildly, still with her back to them.

"Somewhere else," Euryale spat, "You know it's very rude to not greet your guests."

The wind brushed Susan's face slipping past her before rustling the gossamer fabric of the Gorgons' dresses.

"Of course," Susan said mildly, "Would you like some refreshments?"

She turned.

"NOW!!!"

Susan dropped to the ground as Jason's power flared out, the Gorgons chuckling as they sliced the air with their brass claws, dispelling the attack.

"You think that can stop us?" Euryale spat, "Foolish –"

A dark shape flew up into the air, arcing overhead before the rough leather ball burst, the seams flying part. Sand, heated to a bright cherry red, rained to the ground as the wind swept it up hurling it straight at the Gorgon's faces.

The sisters clamped their eyes shut but screamed as burning hot sand touched their faces. Their eyes flew open as they shrieked in pain only to have the burning grains sear their delicate irises.

They staggered back, choking on sand, clutching at their ruined eyes.

"Heated sand," Susan smirked, "You can thank my brother for that one."

Stheno's mouth opened and Susan instantly jammed a wad of sticky sap into her ears as the Gorgon began to shriek, her deadly cries flying at her like spears.

Susan shuddered, the plugs in her ears only blocking out some of the scream's deadly effects as she raised her bow, arrow between her fingers. With a snarl, she fired and Stheno stumbled back, choking as a shaft suddenly sprouted from her throat. A rock flew over Susan's shoulder, smashing into Stheno and shattering her jaw, teeth and blood oozing from the horrendous wound.

Euryale roared at her as Susan pulled out her plugs. The Gorgon surged forwards, Susan's arrow knocked aside. The queen side-stepped the sister's first lunge, smacking the monster in the face with her bow as snakes snapped at her hands.

"DIE!!!!" Euryale hissed, swiping at her blindly, her ruined eyes swivelling unerringly towards her.

Susan dropped and rolled, her legs kicking out knocking Euryale back. The Gentle Queen leapt to her feet, bow cast aside, sceptre in hand. Without thinking, without hesitation she stabbed the sceptre at Euryale's towering form and screamed.

Brilliant bursts of blue light blinded Susan as the tallest of the Gorgons fell to her knees, screaming as she was caught in a cage of burning energy.

Susan let out a shrill cry as the same horrible feeling of something vital being drained away from her flooded her body. She was caught, paralysed as energy continued to pour from the sceptre. Energy that she now realised was her own life, the very spirit that kept her alive. It was leaving her, flowing through the sceptre, leeching her strength as Euryale continued to shriek and howl in agony.

"IDIOT!!"

Susan was sent sprawling as Jason's power slammed into her, finally breaking the connection with her sceptre. The Seeker stormed out of the trees, furiously yelling at her.

"CONTROL!!" Jason barked as the sceptre rolled from her blistered fingers, smoking slightly, "WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT…"

"Guys! Terrifying monsters first! Screaming later!" Inara snapped as the others charged onto the beach.

Stheno glared at them, yanking the arrow from her throat as she lunged forwards, her tongue flapping out from her ruined mouth. Blinded as she was, the Gorgon seemed to have some other type of sight as she slashed the air, every blow landing as Caspian duelled with her, metal screeching on metal.

Euryale was on the ground, the waves lapping at her smoking body as she lied on the sand, twitching, stunned by Susan's attack.

Jason shot Susan one last disgruntled look before stomping forwards, dagger in hand. Susan felt rather than saw Elias's cool hands on her face, checking her vitals as Peter glowered down at her furiously.

Zaru roared, sprinting across the sand before throwing himself at Stheno. The Gorgon tried to scream but the arrows had done its damage, completely ravaging her vocal chords and with her broken jaw, the monster unable to make even the slightest whimper.

Brass claws flashed but Zaru was quicker, twisting out of the way as Caspian lunged forwards, the blade stabbing over Zaru's head.

Stheno lurched backwards, stunned, blood oozing from her throat as her hands grasped at the sword embedded through her chest. Caspian batted her hands aside and yanked the sword out, Zaru leaping out of the way as the blade swung around in one gleaming arc.

Stheno's head bounced on the sand as her body crumpled to the ground, Caspian towering blood-splattered over the fallen Gorgon.

Jason's hands wound around Euryale's snake hair, ignoring the furious serpents as they spat at him. The Seeker wrenched her head back, his dagger swiping forwards and –

Elias looked away.

The soft rush of the waves on the beach filled the air as mercilessly Caspian and Jason kicked the Gorgon's bodies into the sea, jettisoning the carcasses. The heads they dumped onto the sand as everyone stood in a ring around them, Susan leaning heavily between Inara and Elias.

"Where is Medusa?" Caspian said lowly.

Even though they were expecting it, everyone reeled back as Euryale's eyes snapped open, ruined eyes staring out blankly as her mouth moved.

"You think we'll tell you?"

Stheno's head tried to move her shattered jaws but she could only make a faint gurgling rattle.

Jason responded by stabbing her in the cheek. Euryale shrieked.

"I think so," Jason said coldly as the Gorgon's head glared at him, loathing and fear intertwined in her eyes.

After a while the Seeker sent the rest of them away but even as they pressed into the jungle they could still hear the Gorgon's screams.

Susan leaned against a tree, feeling limp and weak as Elias did his best to ignore the cries. Peter watched over his sister, torn between the urge to hug her and hit her repeatedly over the head. They all sat, pale, not speaking a word as the screams went on and on.

Finally after what seemed like hours, Jason trudged back to them, a bloody sack in one hand.

"I know where she is," the Seeker said grimly, blue eyes meeting their horrified gazes, "Come on."

AAAAAA

It took a fifty-minute trek through the jungle to come across their first statue. A centaur, frozen in stone, every hair and every speck of skin petrified. Peter touched it gingerly, his mind flashing back to a land gripped in snow and ice, back to memories of a witch in white fur.

A few metres away, they found another set of statues, one warrior rearing up, hoofs kicking the air and the other on the ground, legs splayed awkwardly, arms raised in a useless defence. Both had the same terrified look on their face, an expression of despair and fear, of staring death in the face and feeling its wintery breath on your cheeks before it closed in.

Still weak, Susan looked away. She felt cold, remembering a stone garden before an ice palace, remembering the breath that had set them all free before her astonished eyes.

"Aslan…" she whispered, tasting the name, remembering the blood-splattered night He had sacrificed Himself on the Stone Table and the glorious morning after.

She closed her eyes, the familiar pang of despair and fear echoing in her as she wondered if the Lion was even alive.

Lucy's face flashed in her mind and Susan found resolve.

Faith.

She had to have faith that everything would work out.

Zaru emerged from the trees disrupting her thoughts as his blue-grey eyes gleamed.

"I can smell her," he reported, excitedly, "Just where the sisters said she was."

"Everyone remember the plan?" Susan croaked, "We can't use the sand again. There's no wind. Jason."

"I'll keep her in check," the Seeker grunted still carrying his sack as blood oozed from the bottom.

"Caspian? Zaru?" Susan asked, not looking at the king.

"Yes," the Telmarine growled as Zaru nodded.

Close though they were it was a grim trek, dark forms emerging amongst the trees as they stumbled into more and more statues, more petrified bodies, more centaurs encased forever in stone. But worse were the bloody slumped bodies that splayed across the jungle floor, eyes blank, fat black flies feasting on gaping wounds.

Through the trees they walked until they reacted the outskirts of the centaur's village. Debris strewn the ground, huts obliterated turned into mere matchsticks. More statues, more bodies… the death seemed endless.

"Where is she?" Caspian growled.

"Coming," Zaru hissed, "She knows we're here."

"Fan out," Susan ordered, "Get ready."

They heard the Gorgon before they saw her, the soft hiss of snakes permeating the humid jungle air. A shadow fell to ground and slid towards them as they all instantly turned away, eyes tightly shut.

"You found me," Medusa chuckled, "And you've come to kill me. How quaint."

The Gorgon stopped, eyes darting around.

"Where's my sisters?" she demanded, blood-red eyes becoming dark copper.

In response, Jason hurled the bloody sack over his shoulders. Medusa hissed in shock, stepping back, eyes widening as the sack opened and Euryale and Stheno's heads rolled out. Stheno's shattered jawbone and Euryale's gagged mouth made it impossible for them to talk, their burnt out eyes looking desperately at their sister.

Medusa howled in fury, the snakes echoing her anger as she crouched, brass claws outstretched.

"I will kill you!" she spat furiously.

"Good," Caspian unsheathed his sword and turned around, eyes still closed, "We had exactly the same idea. JASON! NOW!!!"  
Zaru bounded forwards with a roar, eyes firmly shut as the Seeker whipped around, a hand flying forwards.

Medusa shrieked as white fire spilled from Jason's hand. The power surged forwards, hitting the ground and whipping around Medusa as the Gorgon whirled, snarling.

Caspian and Zaru charged forwards as fire met fire, completing the circle, the two and Medusa caught inside a ring of power.

"NO!" Medusa howled.

The power flared, white fire clawing the sky and the trap was complete. Susan opened her eyes and turned, everything within the column of flames hidden from view. She looked at the opaque wall of power and grimaced.

"What now?" Elias asked as Jason grunted, power flying from his fingers as he struggled to maintain the barrier.

"We hope," Susan whispered, "We hope."

AAAAAA

Caspian could feel the heat and power of the mystical flames, his skin crawling as he surged forwards. The power was so bright it seemed to creep between his eyelids, dazzling him but luckily the Telmarine wasn't relying on sight.

It was something that had been hammered into him, a lesson his teachers taught with relish. He had been blindfolded for weeks on end, training his other senses to compensate. Then had come the actual fighting. Caspian smiled wryly, he had ended up in the infirmary for a week, unable to spot a sword thrust until it was too late.

He was rusty unused to this form of combat but he had to adapt and quickly as Medusa swiped at him, the Telmarine only just missing the blow by a whisker.

Zaru slashed forwards, claw ripping through flesh as the leopard ducked dodging Medusa's counter. The leopard was in his element, nose and ears directing his movements as his delicate whiskers picked up the faint movements in the air as Medusa charged at him.

Caspian swung, only half sure of his blow but he was rewarded with a pained cry as Medusa fell back, her arm bleeding profusely.

"LOOK AT ME!!" she howled, eyes flashing a thousand colours, "LOOK AT ME!!"  
"Yes, because we're really going to do that," Caspian spat.

His ears picked up the sound of her footsteps as he fell into a crouch, ramming his shoulders forwards. Medusa was knocked backwards, tripping over her own foot and into the white fire that burned all around them.

She screamed, chunks of smoking snake flesh falling to the ground as she struggled to right herself.

"NO!! I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED BY YOU… YOU MORTALS!!!" she cursed, completely crazed.

The attack came swift and brutal. Zaru and Caspian struggling to read her movements let alone dodge the actual blows.

Caspian stumbled, hot blood spilling his face as Medusa's claws opened up one of his cheeks. He struggled to balance himself, his hair singeing as he touched the fiery wall that trapped them with the monster.

Zaru spat and leapt to his rescue, throwing his lithe form against the Gorgon and taking her by surprise, allowing Caspian to recover. The leopard was quick and agile, twisting around razor-sharp claws as Medusa swung at him, again and again.

A hard foot caught Zaru in the ribs sending him skidding across the dirt as Medusa laughed in satisfaction.

Caspian charged, sword held in an overhead swing but Medusa's metal hands shot out, the Gorgon catching the blade with her bare hands.

Snarling, she wrenched the sword from Caspian's hands, tossing it aside before backhanding the king. Caspian staggered backwards as Medusa stabbed forwards, claws outstretched.

Relying on pure instincts, Caspian twisted, razor claws slicing through his shirt and cutting a shallow cut across his ribs. Grunting, the king slammed his elbow into Medusa's face knocking her back. Caspian instantly backed away, hands bare as Medusa slowly righted herself.

"Not so smug are you now?" Medusa taunted, her snake-hair baring their fangs at her attackers, "You think I can be defeated that easily?"

Caspian stumbled, crying out, as a heavy form leapt onto his back. He felt fur and warmth brush his skin as Zaru spring-boarded from the king's broad shoulders, howling in fury.

Medusa was cut-off mid-laugh as Zaru's claws sliced across her face, shredding it into bloody ribbons. The Gorgon screamed, clutching at her bleeding mien as Zaru back-flipped away, landing gracefully on all fours, ears pinned back as he hissed at the monster

"NO!!! MY FACE!!!" Medusa howled, demented with pain and wrath, "YOU…"

She turned her eyes to the leopard.

"I WILL TEAR YOU APART AND FEED YOU TO THE SNAKES!!!"

Zaru and Caspian dodged as something whipped through the air at them, hissing as it shot past.

"What was that?!" Zaru yelped.

Unseen by the two, Medusa's snake-hair had twined together, the tiny reptiles twisting their bodies together to form thick strands of spitting serpents that coiled and sprung forwards like a spring.

Medusa's hair lashed at them, Zaru screaming as tiny fangs bit into his tail. He howled, slashing at the hair but the serpents broke apart, flowing around his claws and biting deep into his flesh.

"KILL THEM!!!" Medusa thundered, her snake-hair swarming her foes, "KILL THEM!!!"

Caspian threw himself forwards as a column of snakes rushed out to meet him. The king bit back a scream of pain as scale and teeth met his charge, pinpoints of blood opening up all over his body.

"FOR ASLAN!!!" Caspian roared, hurling himself at Medusa.

The Gorgon was blindsided as the Telmarine broke through the snakes and rammed straight into her. She was thrown back, Caspian swinging wildly. His open palm found her chin and Medusa's head snapped back just as she hit the flaming wall.

The snakes shrieked, fire streaking across the green writhing bodies as Caspian tottered backwards, his body covered in bites and blood.

Medusa's hair was alight, the snakes falling off in burning clumps as the serpents attacking Zaru, recoiled, keening loudly.

"No…" Medusa stared in horror at Caspian and Zaru, her hair now stumped of burnt flesh, "NO!!!"  
Caspian's boot hit something hard and the king reached back, scooping up his sword. Medusa pitched forwards, shrieking incoherently, claws slicing at her enemies, completely unhinged.

Zaru ducked beneath her slashes, jaws snapping. Medusa's face snapped up to the sky as she screamed, fangs digging deep into her ankle.

She swiped at Zaru but Caspian rammed the pommel of his sword into her head, dazing her as the deadly blade sang through the air.

Dark blood gushed as a metal hand fell twitching to the ground.

"No…" Medusa kicked Zaru off, lurching backwards, her bloody face horrified, "No…"

She turned and stared at the flames around her. They were weaker than before, less bright, less powerful as Jason began to weaken outside, strength and reserves dwindling.

She turned back to Caspian and Zaru.

"You'll never get me," she spat, "I will not be defeated!"  
Before Caspian and Zaru could stop her, Medusa threw herself into the flames.

AAAAAA

Jason's face was grey as he swayed on the spot, the power flowing from his fingers dimming. The others circled the wall of fire, tense, cringing as they heard the sounds of a terrible battle raging within.

"NO!!!" Medusa's shrill cry cut over the roar of the flames as Susan pointed her arrow at the wall.

She stopped, knowing she had no idea what she was aiming at.

"Do you think they – " Susan began looking at Peter.  
"QUEENIE!!!" Inara screamed, her voice high with fear.

A dark form burst out of the flames, shrieking as Susan was taken by surprise. The bow flew from her hands as she hit the ground, a powerful form pinning her down.

"STAY BACK!!" Medusa screamed as Jason quickly cut off his power, "STAY BACK!!!"

Caspian and Zaru lurched forwards, bloody, fury on their faces as Medusa cupped Susan's face with her lone hand, the other bloody stumpy jabbing in their direction. The queen of the Gorgons was a blood-splattered demon, hair burnt to the stump, body covered in bloody cuts that oozed crimson but pure insanity raged in her face

"I will turn her stone if you don't stay back!!" Medusa bellowed.

Susan kept her eyes closed, biting back a cry of pain as Medusa's knees dug into her gut. The Gorgon's eyes were focused on Susan's face, the others careful to stay behind the monster.

"You will let me go," Medusa growled out lowly, "And I will take my sisters with me. If you don't…"

She shook Susan's face, claws tearing at flesh. Inara and Jason started forwards, weapons in hand but Peter's voice cracked out like a whip.

"STOP!" Peter barked, freezing them in their tracks, "Let her go."

"NO!!" Susan yelled, eyes closed, "KILL HER! DO IT NO –"

Medusa's hands closed around her throat, silencing her as the others stood, glaring at the Gorgon.

"Do as the boy says," Medusa sneered, "Let me go."

"NO!!" Caspian thundered, sword in hand, "We have to kill her now!"

"Do you want your friend to be a garden ornament?" Medusa spat still looking at Susan, "Surrender!"

Jason's hands blazed with power as Elias raised his crossbow, unsure of what to do.

"Everyone, stop," Peter commanded, "Let her go. We can come after her another time."

Zaru and Inara's face were dark as they slowly backed away.

"HURRY UP!!!" Medusa roared, "Make your decision or see your friend die!!"

Medusa grabbed Susan by the neck, slowly standing up and dragging the queen to her feet as her eyes stayed focus on Susan's face.

"One…" Medusa hissed, "Two… Thre–"

With a roar, Caspian charged, his sword flying forwards.  
"NO!!!"  
Peter threw himself at the king, knocking him aside as the sword narrowly missed skewering Susan.

"YOU IDIOT!!!" Peter snarled, red with ire, terror in his voice.

"She dies," Medusa hissed.

She hurled Susan to the ground, the queen's eyes flying open for a split second as she smacked into the dirt, the air driven her lungs. But a second was all it took as Medusa fell to her knees and glared straight into Susan's eyes.

Susan was caught, held like a mouse before a snake as Medusa's eyes flashed a brilliant gold, the power in them swallowing her up.

"QUEENIE!!!" Inara lunged but Susan could already fell her limbs stiffening, her skin hardening as flesh turned to rock.

"Die," Medusa hissed vindictively, knowing her own death was inevitable but took dark satisfaction in knowing she would take Susan with her to Hades's realm.

Paralysed, Susan let out a low whimper. She still had so much to do… destroy the rest of Echidna's spawn, defeat the darkness, find her family… so much left but all that was over. She was dead.

Susan stared up into Medusa's smug face and could felt her heart slowing as muscle turned to stone.

Beat.

'_I'm sorry Aslan,' _she thought, so guilty and so ashamed as she thought of the Great Lion.

Beat.

'_I'm sorry Ed. I'm sorry Lucy. I wished I had been a better sister,' _she mourned, tears in her eyes, _'I wished I could save you.'_

Beat.

'_I'm sorry Mum and Dad. I guess I can't keep my promise,' _she apologised, feeling like a failure.

Beat.

_'Elias. Jason. Zaru. Inara… I'm so sorry you were caught up in this mess… I love you all,'_ she whispered, bittersweet.

Beat.

_'Peter. Make me proud,'_ she felt so tired.

Beat.

_'And Caspian? I love you,'_ and all she was felt was joy. He had hurt so much but he had also taught her so much, showed her the indescribable gift that was loving someone and have them love you back. And despite everything, that was something she could never regret.

Beat.

_'I hope you find happiness.'_

A pair of tawny eyes, regal and sad, stared into her own and Susan couldn't help but smile as her arms closed around a familiar head, burying her face in warm, soft fur.

"Aslan…" she whispered, "I'm home."

Silence.

AAAAAA

"QUEENIE!!!"  
"SU!!!!"  
Medusa cackled as everyone stared in horror at the statue that was once Susan, their friend, their sister, their queen.

"YOU BITCH!!!" Inara howled, lunging at the Gorgon.

Medusa easily batted her sword aside and grabbed Inara by the shirt.

"Same deal. You let me go or she dies," the Gorgon laughed at their agony and fury, "You don't want a second friend to bury right?"

Susan's blank stone eyes stared up into the sky, a look of deep regret on her smooth grey face.

"Su…" Peter was staring at her in dazed horror, "Su…"

"You bitch! I'm going to…" Inara hurled at the Gorgon as Zaru and Jason screamed in fury, longing to tear the Gorgon apart.

"Shut up bait," Medusa snapped at Inara, "So? Are you going to let me go."

Caspian was staring at Susan's body, a strange look on his face as beside him, Elias wept openly.

Medusa's face hardened as she dragged Inara towards her.

"Are you going to let me go?" she repeated furiously.

"I AM GOING TO TEAR YOU APART!!" Jason thundered, his form blazing with light as Medusa rolled her eyes at the Seeker's dramatics.

The man spat at her, grass withering under the force of his power as the ground turned hot and cracked but still Medusa held her ground. Jason bared his teeth at the Gorgon, tears spilling down his face as he fought to control his power.

Elias was numb, cut-off from the rest of the world as he looked at Susan's stone face. He looked away, unable to bear it as despair and horror and a thousand dark, tearing feelings flooded through him, crushing him with their terrible weight. But he made himself look at the queen as tears spilled down his face, he owed her that at least.

What he saw made his heart stop. Elias went pale under his dark skin as he reeled backwards, mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"Elias?" Caspian asked, grabbing onto him.

Elias floundered, eyes impossibly wide.

"Su… Sus… SUSAN!!!" he screamed.

Everyone looked at the statue as even Medusa turned around. Inara was dropped from her wicked grip as the Gorgon gaped in horror at the petrified queen.

"WHAT? WHAT TRICKERY IS THIS?!?" she howled.

Susan's twin stone eyes were blazing with light. The left shimmering with the brilliance of a polished amethyst, the other tawny and gold like an owl's, wild and fierce.

Light suffused Susan's stone form and like sand washed away by sea, a wave of light flooded her body, stone turning to flesh in its wake.

"WHAT?" Medusa howled, "IMPOSSIBLE!!!"  
Everyone gasped, stunned and awed as two ghostly spectre forms hovered above Susan's limp body, now completely made flesh. One figure was a tall powerful woman, slanted purple eyes glaring at Medusa. The other was familiar and just as awe-inspiring, Artemis's face stony as she viewed the killer of her father.

"NO!" Medusa stabbed a finger at Artemis, spittle flew from her fanged mouth, "Your powers do not work against me!"

"Hers doesn't," the other woman draped in skeins of purple silk spat, the earth shaking with the power of her voice, "But mine does."

"And like flames before a wind, I am stronger in her presence," Artemis said coldly.

Medusa staggered back, eyes bulging.

"Who are you?" the Gorgon shrieked at the purple-cloaked woman.

"I am a god and I am the first," Viola said calmly.

"And I am the second," Artemis followed quietly.

"No…"

Viola's lips curled.

"Now, Susan. How about you get up off your lazy behind and kill this idiot?"

Susan's eyes fluttered open and Peter felt the strength flee from his body as he stared into her purple and golden irises. The queen reached for her sceptre as Medusa stared at her, stunned.

"This is for the centaurs," Susan said quietly.

The razor end of the sceptre sliced through air and flesh and bone and Medusa was dead, her head flying into the trees.

"What…" Peter gaped at his sister, "What are you?!?"

"She is blessed," the ghostly glowing form of Artemis replied, "Chosen by the gods to be their warrior in the darkest of times."

"Fringe benefit is she gets some really cool powers," Viola said, smirking, sounding more like a teenager than a god, "Plus some protection. But Susan, this was a one-off. We can't reverse death for you anymore. Try not to die."

Susan looked at Viola and rolled her eyes. Wreathed in purple and gold flames, the two goddesses faded from sight as everyone stood, staring at the queen as she shifted uncomfortably under their gaze.

"Uhh… there's something I need to tell you," Susan hedged, still holding onto her blood-soaked sceptre.

"YOU IDIOT!!!" Zaru thundered as he bounded forwards.

Susan was tackled to the ground as the leopard licked her profusely, swearing and crying alternately.

"I'm sorry," Susan said laughing as she tried to push the leopard off her, "I'm – OOF!!!"

Inara and Elias slammed into her as well, hugging her tight. It took a few minutes for them to let go as Susan stood up, dishevelled but smiling wildly.

Caspian merely nodded, his face unreadable, an alien look in his eyes. Jason stomped in front of the queen and Susan blinked, startled to see the Seeker's eyes were red from tears. She wisely held her tongue as the man eyed Susan up and down as the queen smiled sheepishly at him.

"Drama queen," the Seeker huffed before turning away.

"Thank you," Susan called out after him, hiding a smile.

She turned to Peter who was still paralysed by shock, blue eyes wide as he stared at his sister, horror and awe in his face.

"Peter… I'm sorry."

He grabbed her, ignoring the pain that shot up his arms as he pulled her in a tight crushing.

"You do that again, I swear to Aslan I will _kill _you," Peter breathed into her hair.

A piercing scream split the air as they pulled apart. Susan and Peter rolled their eyes.

"Yeah, yeah," Peter muttered, "Stupid Echidna."

"Hey guys," Inara called out.

She was standing beside Stheno and Euryale's heads.

"Check it out," Inara whistled lowly.

The two Gorgon's head had been turned to stone, expressions of terror like the ones on their victims stamped across their hardened faces.

"They were tied to Medusa's fate," Elias pointed out, studying the stone in fascination.

"Only three more to go!" Zaru cheered, sticking close to Susan's side.

"Yay," Inara muttered.

The sound of footsteps made them whirl, weapons in hand. Orion stepped out from the trees, his massive form splattered with blood, poorly bandages wounds oozing. Beside him trotted the centaur sage, a toothless grin on his face.

"You did it!" the sage laughed, his gleeful cry crying far as Orion stared in astonishment as Medusa's body and two sister's stone heads.

"They're… they're…" he looked at them, stunned, "They're dead!!"

"Your welcome," Susan said lightly.

She felt strange, (well obviously, she noted, she _had _come back from the dead) buoyed by a strange energy that suffused her form making her want to laugh and sing and run and cry all that same time. But since she didn't want to appear as crazy and since everyone's emotions were still a mess, she merely settled for a smile.

The grin fell as she looked at the devastated village.

"I'm sorry," Susan whispered, "For your loss."

"Don't be," Orion said simply, "They died in trying to free Medusa and her monstrous sisters' tyranny. Do not mourn the dead. Honour them and strive forwards in their name."

Susan felt tears in her eyes at the centaur's solemn words, the others nodding gravely. The centaur leader unclasped a horn from his hip and put it to his lips.

"Now to call our brethren home," Orion said simply before blowing deeply.

The deep echoing cry resounded through the jungle, a note of finality in its far-seeking call.

AAAAAA

It had been three days since she'd come back from the dead. Three days since she had allowed to be alone and frankly she was sick of it. From dawn to dusk and into the night, she was watched, Elias always on hand, sharp eyes studying her as though he expected her to just drop dead.

"I'm fine!" she cried, throwing her arms up in disgust.

She had retold her first encounter with Viola, telling them about the three gods that will bless her, carefully leaving out all mentions of Caspian's curse. They had all called her seven kinds of idiot for keeping it a secret, Peter's retort particularly vehement.

The centaurs had returned, limping back home as the slow rebuilding process began. Sad though it was as bodies were burned and statues shattered, ash and dust and scattered to the winds, there was a lightness in the air. The Gorgon's reign was over and finally the centaurs could live in peace and that was something to rejoice in. They had been hailed as heroes, feasted grandly (much to Zaru's delight) as some of the centaurs already began work on an epic ballad about the fall of the Gorgons.

They had tried to help as much as the restoration as possible, unpleasant memories of Persephone in their mind but as they watched foals play and laugh freely, it helped wash some of the darkness away.

It was a pleasant time but always in the backs of their mind, they knew they had to leave and soon. There were three other monsters to slay.

It was on the morning of the fourth day that Orion summoned them to the clearing where meetings were held.

Susan stepped through the ring of centaurs and immediately froze as the strange figure that greeted her.

He was a slim man, his hair flaxen and glowing with its own light. His eyes were sharp and quick, his build that of a sprinter's and coiled with a tension that made him seem restless even when he was still. In his hands he held a long staff where two massive green serpents perched, twined around the pole. A laurel of leaves crowned his head giving the god (for what else could he be?) a regal air.

But it was his ankles that drew Susan's attention and surprise. Sandals gripped his skin and from them white feathered wings sprouted from the leather, flapping lazily as he hovered inches from the ground.

"I am Hermes," the god said without preamble, "Messenger of the gods."

"And what message have you brought?" Susan asked, dipping into a curtsey.

"Artemis commands you to leave at once," Hermes said flatly, "To the foot of Mount Olympus, to the fields of battle."

"What?" Susan gasped.

Hermes looked at her and she blinked seeing the fear in his eyes.

"The three remaining spawns of Echidna are on the march. They have amassed a vast army that will storm the home of the gods and tear it apart..." Hermes said.

The centaurs gasped, their faces dark with fear. Hermes ignored them, looking at Susan squarely, his head held high.

"We have declared war."

AAAAAA

Author's notes: and finally answering some of your questions.

First of all thank you for all of your support on the developing Peter/Inara (or Penara! – god I am lame) relationship. I'm glad it's coming across as genuine and honest. I had a lot of trouble deciding if I should write these two together because originally I kinda put them together because they just seemed to work – both stubborn as hell and used to getting their way. But especially after what Siobhan did to both of them, it seemed natural for them to rely on each other.

I was really afraid of doing a Peter/OC because well... frankly a lot of fanfics do them and (I'm really trying to not sound rude here) not many can do it well. Too often Peter falls in love at the first sight of the girl or the girl spends most of her live pining after her one true love and voila! Peter arrives. But for how it ends we'll see just where the story takes up.

Caspian/Susan – again I'm really glad you guys like what I've done with the two of them. Originally I had them doing their lovey-dovey thing but it just didn't work. Both of them need to grow from their mistakes. The last time they were forced apart both of them fell apart (and more on Caspian's version of this later btw) and this time I think we see them grow as characters as they learn to deal with their pain. So yeah... keep an eye on this space!

I'm also really appreciative of the fact that you guys love this arc as much as I loved to write this world. Originally this world didn't exist but I thought I needed an arc where we saw them dealing with the aftermath of Siobhan's curse and develop how they're changed by it. I ended up reading Echidna's entry on wiki (god I love you!) and was instantly inspired by the mention of her seven children. I ended up tweaking the list – mostly by adding Medusa as one of her child and I had my story-arc! This arc has been a lot of fun and the finale should be a huge bang!

Again thank you to my faithful reviewers for sticking around and reading – khajit (I love your essays – also the whole 'read:' thing, that is part of Susan's thought, it's her adding that part in so it's not me commenting on her thoughts... uhh... I hope that clears things up. Sorry you got annoyed at me), Emmaplease (hope your dad's feeling better! Also how quick do you review?! You're awesome), Autumnia (Again you review chapter after chapter – thank you very much!), hisanachan (love always too!), lilbanili (thank you – I always look forward to your reviews!), Motherofryan (looking forwards to your next review!), Holly-batali (thank you! That's one of the best compliments I've ever had) and finally voraciousBookworm (sorry I didn't get back to you last time but your comments really touched me – thank you very much for saying all that stuff. I hope I can only continue to entertain you with my writing!)


	47. The legend of the beast slayers

New chapter! New chapter! Thanks for all your lovely reviews! Keep them coming!

Disclaimer: blah, blah, blah; you know the drill

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 47: The legend of the beast-slayers **

Mount Olympus was the home of the Gods. Its roots were sunken deep into the earth, its body etched with ravines and valleys, the dark stone armoured in ice. On its proud shoulders it bore the realm of the gods, a mortal anchor for the divine realms that encircled its peaks.

For untold eons, it had been a bastion, a stronghold that no demon or monster had dared assault fearful of the wrath that would rain down on them. But the power of the gods had wane, the old order was crumbling and a new terrifying power had emerged, monsters that walked the earth, devouring mortals and gods alike with relish. The seven children of Echidna had ravaged the pantheon of the Gods, slaying and laying waste to all that had come before them.

Zeus. Hera. Poseidon. Ares. Selene. Dionysus. Gods that had been lost.

Jason. Hercules. Bellerophon. Odysseus. Theseus. Perseus. Achilles. Heroes that had been killed.

Four of the terrible beasts had been slain and now the remaining three with a vast army at their backs were marching onto the plains of Olympus, determined to tear down the gods once and for all.

And all that stood between them and the destruction of the gods was Susan and those she had come to count as her friends and family

The queen sighed and quickly braided her hair, shaking her head as that thought lingered, haunting her. She moved to the exit of her tent, flinging the flaps open as she stepped outside, her sandals slapping her feet. Susan was standing on a rocky outcrop, the land unfurled below her.

Her blue eyes flickered over the sea of tents below. The massive camp was abuzz with activity, armour and weapons being readied as training drills took place.

The army was vast – Amazons, Trojans, Athenians, Spartans and a whole slew of different tribes fighting as unlikely allies for the very first time. The ranks were swelled by the joining of centaurs, satyrs, fauns, nymphs, dryads and other mythical creatures. Susan smiled, it was almost like being back in Narnia.

Her grin was wiped from her face as she look at the last hope of this world, at the army that was now partly under her command. The gods had entrusted them to her and the others to lead and fall as they will.

Artemis had visited her last night, the goddess's beautiful face grim.

"We gods cannot help you in this war," Artemis had said without preamble.

"What?!? Why?" Susan had been stunned.

"Echidna and Typhon, mother and father of the beasts are breaking loose from the prisons that hold them captive. Me and my brothers and sisters must hold them back. Our powers will be focused on that battle but remember this," the goddess of hunt had sighed, suddenly looking very old, "Our strength is derived from that of our followers. Lately they have been waning as our worshippers cower in fear before this new threat. If this war is lost, all faith will be lost and we will be powerless to stop the two from rising… if they escape, we will all perish."

Artemis had looked at her, eyes burning.

"I will leave you now. Remember, you must win your war so that we can win ours."

And the goddess had vanished leaving Susan to stare after her in horror.

"Hey Queenie!"

Inara's voice snapped Susan out of her memories as she looked up.

"Council of war," Inara stopped, bleak, "The scouts have returned."

Susan instantly clambered up the rocks towards her friend.

"And?" she asked, falling into step with the girl.

"The monsters…" Inara sighed, "They're almost here. We have a day left."

AAAAAA

Susan stepped into the biggest tent, a long wooden table dominating the space. Warriors, leaders of their respective clan, were already seated, scowling at their once enemies as Susan scrambled to get to the head of the table where Jason, Peter and Caspian were already sitting. Caspian looked away as Susan ignored him, Jason and Peter matching watching the Telmarine carefully.

"What's happening?" Susan asked carefully.

"Same old, same old," Peter muttered disgusted, "Rivalries and pride and more rubbish."

"The beasts are coming," Leonidas, king of the Spartans spat, glaring at the Athenian general, "We must march off at once without delay and meet them on the field of battle!!"

Assent and dissent rumbled around the table as Peter turned to Leonidas (Inara had burst out laughing when she had first met the king although Susan could never work out the reason why).

"We cannot. We do not have the numbers to meet their armies. We have defences here, we can hold them off," Peter looked around the table, every inch the general, "Remember. We are not here to destroy every last creature in their army. We just need to slay the beasts."

Susan looked at her brother and couldn't help but smile as she saw the familiar fire in his eyes and his confident stance. She had given Peter the leadership without hesitation knowing that although she was used to combat and war, she didn't have the breadth of experience Peter had in being a general to a whole army. In Narnia Peter had been the one to deal with war leaders, the one used to arranging hundreds of troops and leading them into battle. He had displayed an uncanny knack and flair as a boy on the battlefields of Beruna and again against the Telmarines. Even Caspian, versed though he was on the ways of the battlefield, didn't have the High King's experience, instincts or skill.

Susan knew how to deal with a small troop but a vast army numbering thousands? Frankly, the thought terrified her.

"And how do you propose we do that boy?" Leonidas spat.

"We have plans," Peter lied easily when in fact Elias had been going without sleep for the last five days trying to come up with something, "Just trust us."

"I refuse to trust a boy and a crippled one at that!" Leonidas growled.

"That boy has helped kill the Lernean Hydra," Queen Hippolyte snapped, "What have you done?"

The presence of her and the Amazons had been a source of controversy in the camp, the warrior women showing their usual disdain of the whole male race, something had almost sparked a civil war in itself. It was only when Artemis had stepped in and demanded obedience that the Amazons began grudgingly to hold their tongue.

"They also destroyed the Nemean Lion," Alcibiades, general of the Athenians reminded them.

"And Ladon as well as the Gorgon Sisters," Orion thundered, "I would follow this _boy _into the very fires of Mount Etna."

Peter merely eyed Leonida coolly, allowing the others to argue for him.

"If you don't trust me you are more than welcome to take your men and leave," Peter offered, "No-one would fault you for fleeing such a mad venture."

It was a carefully chosen barb designed to ignite the king's towering pride. Leonidas flushed as Susan smirked, appreciating Peter's subtlety.

"Spartans are not cowards," Leonidas said flatly.

"I sincerely hope not because Spartan courage is well known and feared," Peter said mollifying the man as Leonidas puffed up slightly.

The High King turned to the other kings, queens and generals.

"The battle plan is direct," Peter said simply, "Siege weapons and arrows will provide the long range cover. Pits and snares and other traps have been set to thin out the army ranks. Once they breach the last layer of defences we will have to push them back. We have the height and the advantage. We meet them at the foot of the mountain where they'll be forced to scale to fight us."

Peter's voice was calm and steady, the king confident and completely in control as leaders years his senior listened intently, nodding with approval.

"By then the beasts should've emerged. We will deal with them, you just deal with the army," Peter finished.

Under a bland face, Susan hid a wince hoping that they would be able to kill the monsters. Everything hinged on that, it didn't matter who's army won as long as the last of Echidna's children fell.

Orthrus, Chimera and the Sphinx. Susan fought down her unease as she reminded herself the victories they had already achieved. Three monsters… three measly god-slaying, gigantic monsters…

'_Yeah, easy,' _Susan snorted inside her head.

"Any questions?" Peter asked.

"Do we know what foul fiends these monsters have gathered?" Hector of Troy asked.

"Our scouts could not get close enough to tell," Peter replied, "We will just have to adapt once the battle begins."

The tent fell into silence as Peter looked around.

"Now is no time for rivalries or petty squabbling," the king said, his voice as hard as steel, "If we do not stand united, we will fall. We stand as one and we fight as one."

Peter stood.

"That is all. Assemble your troops," he commanded as the leaders began to stream out of the tent.

Orion remained, him and his centaurs serving as personal bodyguards to Peter.

"Good speech," the centaur said with an easy grin.

"It's going to take more than fancy words to win this thing," Peter replied dourly, "How close is Elias to cracking the Sphinx's riddle?"

Susan and Jason's silent looks were enough to make the king grimace. He turned to Susan, a worried look on his face.

"Su, I don't like the fact that you're – "

Susan rolled her eyes, squashing down her temper. Ever since her 'death' at Medusa's hands and her miraculous resurrection, Peter had been almost unbearable in his over-protectiveness. Worse, Zaru was watching her like a hawk, growling at her every misstep. It surprised Susan how little her death affected. One moment she had been staring into Medusa's eyes, the next she had been stumbling in a world of light and warmth and endless peace until Viola and Artemis had appeared wrenching her back. It had come as a shock but that was it. Death held no comfort or attraction to her, not when there was so much left undone.

Harder had been her reaction to Caspian. She still loved him, she would always love him but what he had done, the way he had risked her life so needlessly...

Susan felt cold, wondering if there was anything left in him for her. He had risked her life without thought, without hesitation and the look on his face as he had watched her die then watched her return... there had been nothing. No love. No hate. Just a blank stare.

They needed Caspian for this fight, needed him to play his role as a warrior and a leader but none of them truly trusted him. Things had been icy amongst them, Jason and Zaru ready to tear the king apart but Susan had stopped them, a part of her wondering why she bothered.

"Peter. I. Am. Alive. I died. I came back. Get over it" Susan snapped, "You need me in this war. You find a better archer and I'll step down."

Peter grimaced but opened his mouth to argue but Susan cut him.

"Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to see Elias," Susan said bluntly, "If you need to talk strategies, you'll know where to find me."

"I'll watch her," Jason grunted as she left, "Make sure nobody hurts her or you know... gets her killed."

He glared at Caspian, pure hate in his eyes, his hands on his daggers. Caspian looked back at him, face unreadable as Susan glared at the Seeker.

"I can look after myself," she muttered dragging him out of the tent, deliberately ignoring Caspian.

There was too much pain there. Too much to deal with in the face of everything else. Later. It would have to wait for later.

Peter staring after them, rubbing his temples as a migraine began building.

"Family!" Orion laughed, "More trouble than its worth sometimes!"

Peter smiled wryly at the centaur as silently Caspian unfurled a map of Mount Olympus and its surrounding areas. Peter sighed and looked at Caspian, coolness in his face. The Telmarine looked back at him blankly as Peter's useless fists clenched. He knew the king was cursed, knew Caspian had been damaged but the way he had thrown his sister to the wolves...

A shudder ran through Peter as he remembered the terror that had gripped him as he had watched helpless, Caspian lunging and missing. The Medusa glaring at Susan, killing her. Peter's hands closed in a fist and he remembered the dark furious look on the Telmarine's face as he attacked the Gorgon, uncaring of his sister's safety. If Susan hadn't recovered…

He sighed, anger rushing out with his breath. Blame and retribution come later but for now he needed Caspian as much as he hated to admit it. If Caspian could fight, he would use him because they had a war to win.

AAAAAA

"The father of gold, born into darkness. Dust then a giant then a hungry mouth. What is the creature I speak of known only to the wise?"

Elias smacked a hand against his head, banging his skull like a faulty television out of pure frustration.

"I don't get this! Why? I am a genius! I'm supposed to know things!!"  
"Doc! Calm down," Inara tried to soothe him.

"Calm?!?" Elias whirled on her, red-eyed and dishevelled as Inara cringed, "CALM?!? The monsters are on our doorsteps about to tear us apart and you want me to be calm?!"

"I say we get him drunk," Zaru said lightly from his sunning position on the ground.

Elias glared at him.

"Father of gold? The earth? But hungry mouth? Giant?!" Elias took a deep shuddering breath, "It doesn't make sense. I can't…"

"How's it going?" Susan asked entering the tent, carefully stepping over Zaru.

Jason raised an eyebrow taking in Elias's manic appearance as the scientist pulled at his hair, slamming his fist into the table in frustration.

"That well?" the Seeker smirked.

If looks could have killed Jason would've been stabbed, shot, hung, burnt and his ashes scattered to the four winds.

Susan smacked Jason across the arm, stopping him.

"Have you figured out what to do with the Chimera?" she asked instead.

Elias brightened, the frustration in his eyes briefly melting away.

"Yes! Well, based on Inara's memory of the legend, the Chimera was susceptible to lead poisoning," the scientist rose to his feet, pacing the tent as the others watched, "If I can modify some of your arrows, we can replay the myth."

"But the Sphinx is still a no?" Susan asked gingerly.

Elias sighed, his face tumbling into despair.

"Don't worry," Jason said gruffly surprising them all, "You'll figure it out… eventually."

Everybody looked at him, shocked.

"What? I can't be supporting?" the Seeker growled.

"Uhhh… no?" Inara blinked, "It freaks us out."

Jason glared at her as Inara laughed before turning to Susan.

"So Petey okay with you leading the archers?'

Susan shot her a disgruntled look as Inara winced. Zaru's low-throated growl indicated he didn't agree with the plan either but Susan ignored him.

"I'll take that as a 'no'," Inara said lightly.

Susan sighed, running a hand through her hair before looking carefully at her friend.

"Inara, I want you at the back watching over Elias," Susan ordered gently.

Inara looked at her, face blank before smiling sadly, nodding.

"Of course, you want me out of the way. Since I'm helpless and all…"

Susan started, opening her mouth to argue but Inara cut her off with a swipe of her hand.

"Nah, it's fine," she said with false lightness, "Someone has to watch out for Doc. I promise I will protect him with my very life."

"Quick! Doc put your life in danger!" Zaru chortled.

Susan and Jason laughed but Elias ignored them, scribbling away madly as he tried to crack the Sphinx's cryptic riddle, a thousand thoughts running chaotically through his head. He worked on as the others lounged around, taking advantage of the rare opportunity to just sit and talk and laugh. It took exactly fifteen minutes before Elias finally threw them all out, his frustration boiling over.

Finally left in peace, the scientist took out a fresh sheaf of parchment and started over again.

AAAAAA

Daybreak came quickly, the sun languishing low and red on the horizon as though afraid to begin a day of bloodshed and death. The air sweltered, soldiers already drenched in sweat as they waited in their tight columns for the enemy to come.

It didn't take long.

"They're here!" Zaru roared from his perch up in the mountains, sharp eyes cleaving the distance, "And, whoa!"

"What do you see?" Peter shouted up to him.

"Things I really don't want to! Goblins, cyclops, strange bird things with human heads, things with way too many arms… oh, Hippolyte's going to love this, Serpent People," Zaru reported quickly, "Wolves. Hounds. And…"

The leopard trailed off as he spotted some giant lumbering towards them.

"Orthrus! I see Orthrus!" Zaru barked, eyes trained on the two-headed black-and-white hound.

"The other two?"

Zaru scanned the horizon-line, teeth bared, waiting.

"THERE! CHIMERA! I SEE IT!"

A massive form winged its way through the skin, a ravenous look on a beautiful face.

"Sphinx! They're all here!" Zaru roared.

Peter nodded and turned away from the leopard. He was standing behind a row of roughly constructed wooden structures, siege weapons, something Caspian had introduced to this world. Towering trebuchets and their smaller cousin, the catapults, stood on the rocky natural steps leading up to Mount Olympus, each manned by a roughly trained team.

"Load!" Peter yelled.

Men and beasts work alike, grunting as stones were slid gingerly into the weapons' cradles.

The air was alive, shrieking and howling as winged monster flew at them. The ground shook as Echidna's children ambled forwards, their army streaming around their feet. The enemy came like a wave, a sea of monsters and steel, screeching and thirsting for blood.

"FIRE!!!" Peter roared, his voice carrying far across the battlefield.

The long arms of the trebuchets swung into the air as their cradle snapped forwards, massive boulders sailing through the air like cannonballs.

Pained screams rent the air as holes were gouged in the army of monsters, the stones crushing the enemy where they stood.

It was total chaos as the army hesitated, stumbling but Orthrus's powerful roar drove them forwards in a gibbering mass.

"FIRST ROW OF ARCHERS!!" Susan commanded, standing amongst a phalanx of soldiers, each armed with bows, "AIM!!! FIRE!!!"

Harpies were torn from the sky, ripped to shreds as arrows rained from the skies.  
"SECOND ROW! FIRE! FIRST ROW! AIM!" Susan yelled.

Her silver bow swung up and she let loose her first shot of the battle, a flash of silver killing a Serpent Person.

Behind Peter and his crew, Elias sat on a rock still muttering to himself as he continued to write on his paper, Inara by his side.

"No! NO! NO!" Elias punched ground with his fist, "I can't work it out!"

"DOC! Stop panicking. We need you to do this. You can do this. Just focus!" Inara snapped.

Elias stared up at her, despair in his eyes.  
"I've tried. Everything I think of doesn't fit the riddle!" the scientist growled, "I don't think…"

"Doc. I am going to slap you silly if you say you can't again. Remember the Nemean Lion? That thing that killed Hercules? The thing that everyone thought was invincible? You came up with the plan to kill it, you alone. So don't you dare so you can't, you can do anything!," Inara snarled.

Elias stared at her, shocked, but the truth in her words finally sunk him. He remembered that night in Athens, remembered the thrill of seeing everything falling in place after so much doubt and fear. The same feeling of triumph and confident from that night flooded into him and he squared his shoulders and nodded, renewed. Elias ducked his head as he wrote away with renewed vigour, Inara watching him with one eye as the other drifted towards the battle.

More stones were flung, more monsters dying but the army came in an unbroken torrent as Echidna's children towered over them.

"THE LINE IS BUCKLING TOWARDS THE EAST!!!" Zaru roared, reporting as his eyes darted to and fro, "THEY'RE REGROUPING AND SWEEPING DOWN THE CENTRE!!"

Peter cursed and ordered his men, weapons changing directions as Zaru looked at the Chimera.

It was every bit as dreadful as he had envisaged it. It was a lion grown to monstrous proportions, curls of golden fur surrounding a face that was all hunger and fangs. Heavy paws grounded the earth as razor claws scraped the rocks, the lion roaring mindlessly as it trudged forwards with all the irresistible force of a tank. Inexplicably from its flank sprouted a goat's neck and head, white and gold fur blending together from where it grew. The goat's head bleated, long horns curling from its head and almost touching its neck as blunt teeth grinded together, its large eyes wide and hectic. The monster's rear hardened from furred hindquarters to a blood red scaled tail, adorned with vicious spikes. The tail whipped and snapped on its own accord, tipped with a snarling dragon's head that was frilled with horns.

The three-headed Chimera hissed, roared and bleated as its massive form blocked out the sky.

Around its head flew the last of Echidna's seven children, the Sphinx, blood-splattered, dirt-streaked and yet still eerily beautiful for all its monstrosity. A woman's head and wild hair snarled and hissed, married to a lioness's lithe and muscular body. A pair of tawny wings, gold fletched with black unfurled from its flanks, beating elegantly as the Sphinx soared high above its army, screaming.

"The father of gold, born into darkness. Dust then a giant then a hungry mouth. What is the creature I speak of known only to the wise?" she called tauntingly.

Orthrus's twin heads howled as it bounded through the rear of its army, uncaringly crushing its own soldiers beneath heavy paws. Black and white eyes roved the battlefield, one socket glaringly empty as it lifted its head, sniffing the air.

Fear and terror hung thick over the whole tableau, Zaru choking on it as he pointed out groups of monsters lying in ambush, Peter's eyes glinting as he swiftly worked out the best plan of attack.

"FIRE" Peter bellowed.

A chunk of granite slammed into the Sphinx, the monster howling as she cartwheeled through the air, wings flapping frantically to right herself. Finally she recovered, glaring furiously at the siege weapons as Peter's jaws dropped.

"You can't kill her unless we break her riddle!!" Zaru yelled as Elias cursed, coming to a dead end again.

"ARCHERS! FIRE!!!" came the cry from below.

Arrows peppered the enemy, the Chimera screaming, its dragon tail whipping out and batting the shafts away as it ploughed steadily onwards.

The trebuchets launched rock after rock into the army until still they came, screaming, eyes with fanaticism as they surged around their monster lords.

"We're barely making a dent!" Zaru bellowed, "There're reinforcements coming from the rear!"  
Peter winced.

"We can't hold them off for long!" Susan yelled up to her brother.

The High King cursed.

"YOUR MAJESTY!!!" Zaru boomed, ears pinned back as the ruff around his neck rose.

Peter's head snapped up as the Sphinx roared leading a phalanx of Harpies as they rolled through the air, diving down at them like bombers in a Blitz.

"SUSAN!!!" Peter screamed, a cry echoed by Zaru.

A silver arrow streaked up, a Harpy tumbling to the ground as half the archers redirected their shots covering the siege weapons. But the Sphinx flew through the rain of barbs, immortal, dark eyes scorching with hatred as she fell on the first catapult, razor claws crunching through wood.

"PULL BACK!!" Peter roared as the soldiers manning the catapult threw themselves at the monster.

The Sphinx's paws shot out, armour torn through like paper as the first man fell, his body almost sliced in two.

"PULL BACK!!!"

Peter's voice was drowned out as the Sphinx roared, two men disappearing under her as she pounced. The others instantly backed away, swords held nervously in their hands as Sphinx savaged her victims.

Inara raised Elias's crossbow, eyes narrowing as she took aim. The Sphinx looked up, blood dripping from her chin, feral rage on her face.

"The father of gold, born into darkness. Dust then a giant then a hungry mouth. What is the creature I speak of known only to the wise?" she barked at the soldiers around her.

They looked at her blankly and brilliant triumph flashed across the Sphinx's face as she leapt forwards, screeching gleefully. The soldiers gritted their teeth falling into a battle formation as the monster lunged, claws outstretched.

"BOOM!"

An explosion mushroomed from the mountain as the Sphinx was tossed from the stony ledge, liquid flames washing her body. Inara slowly lowered Elias's crossbow with shaking hands.

"Good shot," a nearby soldier told her genuine admiration in his voice.

Inara laughed nervously.

"I was aiming for her head," Inara confessed, voice shaking.

The Sphinx rolled down the mountain, sprawled at its base, stunned as the enemy marched on. Arrows and catapults had taken their toll but the numbers were still in the invader's favour.

"THEY'RE ALMOST AT THE POINT!!" Zaru roared.

"SUSAN! ONE LAST VOLLEY!!" Peter ordered.

Susan gritted her teeth, swinging her bow from the sky and aiming it straight in front of her.

"Archers! First rank! Aim forwards!" Susan yelled.

"CASPIAN! JASON!!" Peter shouted frantically as trebuchets continued to work all around him.

"ARCHERS!!! FIRE!!"

"PWHIP! PWHIP! PWHIP! PHWIP!"

The first row of enemies was torn to shreds as arrows flew thick through the air. A snarling wolf-beast fell to the ground, gurgling around the shaft in its throat as a cyclops was blinded, the enraged giant bellowing as it stampeded, crushing its own allies. More enemies crumpled, arrows punching through armour and flesh as the first wave of invaders fell into utter disarray.

The Chimera hissed, its spiked tail lashing out and the blinded cyclops was cleaved in two. The three-head spawn of Echidna raised its lion's head to the sky and roared, a trumpet to its followers. A second wave of monsters crushed the decimated first rank into the ground as more Harpies and winged beasts fell from the sky, harrying the archers.

"NOW!!!" Peter bellowed as Zaru roared, his voice cutting through the din of the marching army, a veritable war horn booming through the madness.

Astride a black horse, Caspian flew from around the base of Mount Olympus, the head of a vast army. Trojans, Athenians, Amazons and Spartans let out deafening war cries as they thundered towards their enemies, spears and nets flying through the air.

"FOR THE GODS!!!" Hippolyte screamed, magnificent in burnished armour.

"FOR ASLAN!!!" Caspian bellowed, his voice ringing through the air as he unsheathed his sword.

The two sides met like anvil on hammer, bodies flying through the air as they crashed like two avalanches meeting in a valley. The defenders of Olympus came at the enemy from an angle, hacking their way obliquely into their invaders. Their foes instantly swerved away from a head-on march to Olympus, swinging to meet the new attack as a chaotic melee broke out.

The trebuchets continue to pound the enemy, rocks flying over the first few ranks before crashing down to earth, monsters crushed by the attacks.

Orthrus charged snarling into Caspian's army, jaws snapping forwards snatching up soldiers with each bite as they screamed.

Chimera ignored the new wave of attacks continuing its march to Olympus, serpent tail thrashing, lion's head snarling.

Susan stabbed a Harpy through its breast with a silver arrow, jumping away as the foul mix of woman and bird hit the ground, talons twitching. She twisted, eyes darkening as she saw the Chimera nearing the foot of the mountains.

"RETREAT!!!" she screamed at her archers, "RETREAT!!!"

The Harpies continued to dive down, talons and yellowed teeth tearing into the archers as they fought back, arrows flying. Zaru watched them, itching to move but he held his place, barking out what he could see, directing Peter towards where their line was buckling.

"RETREAT!!!" Susan screamed as the Chimera towered over them, its shadow throwing them into darkness.

She scrambled up the rocky incline, Harpies screeching at her back as the Chimera's goat-head bent, wild eyes staring at them.

"RETREAT!!!"  
The rest of Susan's words were drowned out as the goat opened its mouth and vomited out a stream of hot flames. Archers and Harpies and monsters screamed, incinerated where they stood as superheated air washed over Susan's back, the queen diving for cover.

Roaring Zaru threw himself down the mountainside, skidding down the slope as he raced to help his queen. Susan floundered, her outstretched hands searching desperately for a grip as she slid down the mountain towards the flames. Zaru zipped forwards, teeth sinking into the sleeve of her shirt as he pulled her up, the hideous smell of the Chimera assaulting his senses.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!!" Peter yelled from his vantage point higher up the mountains, "WE'RE SPRINGING THE TRAP!!!"  
A silver orb flew up high into the mountain, smacking into a boulder and exploding. It immediately set off a chain reaction, orbs strewn across the mountain detonating in a fiery, slashing line. Rock shattered, cracking as an avalanche tumbled down the mountain, through a gap in the row of catapults and ploughed straight into the Chimera, knocking it off the mountain.

The avalanche hit the ground and surged forwards swallowing up the invading army as caught between the falling rocks and Caspian's army, the vanguards of the monsters were crushed.

The Chimera's legs buckled, the beast falling to the ground with a roar as Susan turned.

"FLEDGE!!!"  
A white form speared down from the skies, landing delicately beside her. Looping her hair through a wild mane of white, Susan leapt nimbly onto the horse's back. She turned to Zaru as the leopard yowled, still unhappy about this part of the plan.

"ZARU STAY! HELP PETER! GUARD HIM!" Susan roared, "DO IT!!!"

Power muscles bunched the winged horse throwing itself into the sky as Susan took to the air, her fingers selecting a special arrow from her quiver as Fledge charged at Chimera, war still raging on the ground below.

AAAAAA

Caspian wheeled his horse, the black steed's hoofs stabbing into a tentacled monster as the king slashed out dealing death with each blow. Limbs and blood flew through the air as humans and monsters clashed with devastating results.

Whips cracked as chariots charged, the Trojans skilfully manoeuvring their carriages through the battlefield as archers fired from onboard. Two chariots charged at a phalanx of twisted man-beasts from either side, a piece of wire glittering between the two.

Even Jason had to look away as the metal twine garrotted the invaders. The Trojans cheered in victory but their laughs turned to horror as one of the chariots was destroyed, a screaming horde of feathered beasts swarming over it, the soldiers disappearing from view, their screams choked off.

Satyrs bounded through the air on strong legs as centaurs wheeled and cantered, two-handed broadswords cleaving through enemies like a scythe at a harvest.

Amazons bellowed, throwing themselves fearlessly into battle as they threw spears at their enemies, each one a magnificent goddess of war.

The Spartans were disciplined, working in well co-ordinated teams as shields and swords and lances drove the monster back.

The earth rumbled as an avalanche suddenly thundered down Mount Olympus, the Chimera sent flying as the rocks smashed into the ground, tearing a furrow through the army.

Taking advantage of the invaders' shock the defenders surged, hacking into them.

Serpent People hissed throwing themselves at Caspian as the king struggled to deal with overwhelming numbers. His horse screamed as cruel stone daggers tore through hide and flesh, its legs buckling. Caspian was tossed from the horse's back as the Serpent People screamed in victory, rushing him as the king hit the ground hard, winded and daze.

"CLANG!"

His sword swung up, blocking a blow as he tried to get to his feet, numbers crushing down on him. He took a stab to the arm, shouting in pain as he slew the Serpent Person who had injured him.

White fire blazed and the Serpent People were sent flying as Jason stomped to his side.

"Get up!" Jason spat.

Caspian staggered to his feet as Jason stabbed at crazed monster through the neck, blood spurting through the air.

"This doesn't mean I've forgiven you," the Seeker growled, his eyes completely white, "Or trust you."

Caspian smiled bitterly.

"I don't trust me either," he said softly.

Jason glared at him as Caspian stared back, the war still raging around them. suddenly Jason grunted as if something had been decided and with that the two companions fought back to back, daggers and sword flashing through the air.

Orthrus howled, an Athenian and a satyr clutched in its jaws as it shook them like rag dolls, the bodies going limp. It spat them aside before ploughing through a chariot, splinters of wood grounded into the dirt as centaurs dashed forwards trying to stop the beast.

"CASPIAN!" Jason barked, "WATCH ME!!!"

The Seeker stepped forwards, white fire radiating from his fingers and daggers. With a roar, he slashed the air and power boiled forwards, slashing into Orthrus's flank as the twin-hound staggered, dropping a Spartan from its jaws.

The beast whirled, roaring in fury as Jason grinned, daring the dog to attack. Caspian kicked out, knocking a leather-faced monster back as Orion thundered to his side, sword hewing through the enemies.

Harpies fell from the skies screeching as men fell, their eyes and faces gouged, lost quickly amongst the madness. Falling here meant death, crushed by a thousand tramping feet and horse hoofs as a fresh wave of enemies breasted the rough wall the avalanche had made and threw themselves into the battle.

Jason stood in a rare patch of calm, everyone edging away from him as the very air around the Seeker burned with power, the man wreathed in a halo of searing white light.

Yellow drool flew from Orthrus's lips as it flew at the Seeker. Jason thrust his hand forwards, a barrage of white flying through the air. A hag was caught up in the attack and was instantly set ablaze as Orthrus slammed into the power.

It lowered its head, snarling lowly as white fire streamed over its body like a river, the monster pushing against the flow. Jason grunted, his feet sliding in the dirt as he threw more of himself into the power trying to overpower the beast.

Memories flashed as he tried to ignore them, tried to let them flicker past without seeing them as sweat drenched his body. He coughed and felt blood on his tongue but still he fought on as white fire surged forwards like a living beast, glowing claws ripping into its foe.

Orthrus howled and its jaws snapped down around the white fire as though it was a solid thing. The power thrashed, seemingly screaming, bucking as Jason poured more and more of himself into it, lost to all else but his one desire to kill the dog. With a deafening roar, Orthrus wrenched its head to the side pulling the power with it. Jason was jerked forwards, slamming hard into the ground as the attack was ripped from his fingers. It disappeared into nothing as Orthrus growled in victory, padding forwards, the ground between spawn and Seeker seared to ashes and glass.

Caspian instantly darted forwards trying to defend the downed Seeker but a wolf threw itself at him, forcing the king to whirl around and face the new threat. Fury turned to shock in the wolf's eyes as an Amazon warrior skewered it through the gut.

"ORION!!" Caspian bellowed.

The centaur instantly understood his wild hand signals. The centaur leader galloped forwards, Caspian's hands stretching up as he thundered past. Orion grabbed the king, swinging him onto his back as the two warriors blitzed towards Orthrus.

The hound's heads shot up away from Jason's prone form as Orion sprung forwards in one mighty leap, muscles bulging as his massive broadsword sung down in a silver arc.

"ARROOOO!!!" Orthrus staggered back, blinded as Orion's blade slash down across its black-furred face, the razor edge cutting into the lone eye left, the other destroyed by Susan's arrow back in Athens.

Caspian lunged forwards, stabbing past Orion's side, his blade finding Orthru's throat. Crimson splattered centaur and king as the white-furred side screamed in pain, the black-furred head flopping wetly forwards as blood gushed from the gash in its neck.

Orion grunted in pain as he landed with a heavy jolt, Caspian barely hanging on. Orthrus's lone head screamed, black eyes burning with hatred as Orion swung around.

"Help Jason!" the centaur yelled, "I'll handle the hound!"

"But…"  
"GO!!"  
Caspian threw himself from Orion's back, hitting the ground and rolling to a stop beside the prone Seeker as Orthrus charged forwards. Orion kicked a stone at the hound and the monster instantly whirled on the centaur, eyes flaring as it recognised one of its attackers. With a howl, it plunged into the fight tearing after Orion as the leader led the beast into its own monstrous army Orthrus crushing allies underfoot in its demented rage.

"Jason! Wake up damn you!"

On his knees Caspian was forced to defend himself, awkwardly blocking a spitting stag-beast. Nearby Leonidas snarled, hissing and spitting as he was triple teamed by three scaled monsters, twisting as he dodged their wicked blades.

Caspian gritted his teeth as the antlered creature spat at him, cursing in a foreign tongue as it slashed down again and again, the king barely managing to fend off the rain of steel.

"GARGH!" the stag-beast screamed, backing arching as a blade exploded messily from its chest.

Leonidas had stabbed one of the creatures through its back, kicking the thing away before glaring down at Jason.

"What is he doing?!" the Spartan king barked, "We're in a war!! This is no time for sleep!!"  
Caspian glared at him, a retort on his lips but Jason was stirring. The Seeker pulled himself up, shaking, blood tinging his lips, his face green and grey. A low moan left his throat, his movements pained and laboriously slow but the stubborn look on Jason's face didn't fade as he got to his knees.

"Jason…" Caspian began, steeping back.

"Pompous idiot's right," the Seeker raised slowly to his feet as Leonidas spun away, duelling furiously against a cackling four-handed monkey, "We've got a war to win."

The Seeker raised his arms, white power arcing between his hands. He was swaying on the spot, his heart pounding in his ears as he focused, the power building before him.

"Catch me," Jason grunted at Caspian.

His dark blue eyes flared becoming twin pools of burning light as the power between his fingers burst forwards, streaking across the air like a comet.

Orthrus, a paw batting away a battalion of its own army, suddenly froze, fur sticking out as it felt the incoming danger. It whirled, a snarl on its lips. It's eyes widened as white light flooded its world and Jason's attack clubbed straight into its head.

Orion skidded to a halt, gasping for breath, blood-streaked and cut as Orthrus swayed on the spot, its white-furred face a mess of blood and mashed bone. With a choked whimper, the hound's legs crumpled and it fell on its side with a deafening thud.

Everything froze. Swords paused in mid-air, dripping blood, spears stopping inches from skin as everyone stared at the downed monster, both warring sides momentarily united by the same look of stunned astonishment embossed on their faces.

A sudden agonising cry swept through the ranks of the invading armies as the defenders of Olympus cheered.

Echidna's angry scream burst from the air like a volcano, earth-shattering and sky-trembling as the Chimera and the Sphinx echoed their mother's roar of anguish. But there was no changing what had happened – the fifth child of Echidna was dead.

Jason smiled, tottering on unsteady legs, darkness clawing at the edges of his consciousness as Caspian steadied him with a grin on his face.

AAAAAA

On the mountainside, Zaru instantly saw the death.

"ORTHRUS IS DOWN!!!"

A wing creature swooped at Peter but the leopard was instantly there leaping up, claws and fang slashing and biting and the creature died, messily and noisily as Zaru landed.

"TWO MORE TO GO!!!" the leopard screamed to the sky.

Fledge twisted, diving to the left as the Chimera's thrashing tail whipped at her. The dragon-head writhed, fang-lined maw snapping as the monster tried to free itself from the deluge of rocks all around it.

The goat's head swivelled around, eyes rolling into the back of its head as it opened its mouth.

"FLEDGE!!!" Susan screamed.

Fire erupted, billowing in the air as Fledge screamed, terrified, throwing himself into a sharp dive as Susan clung desperately to his back. The goat-head tracked their movements, blue and white flames spewing forwards as the lion-head roared, yanking its paws from the rocks.

Claw-lined paws swiped at them, a spike tail thrashing as it tried to impale them as the goat-head continued to belch out burning blue flames. Through it all Fledge twisted and dived, angling up and shooting to the left as the Chimera roared in fury.

Susan unslung her bow from her back as Fledge dived below the Chimera's tail, wings pinned back as the dragon-head snapped at them, hissing violently.  
"NOW!"

Fledge banked, wings outstretched catching a thermal, the column of warm air propelling them up into the sky. Susan twisted, an arrow in her hands.

According to the original myth the Chimera had died at the hands of the Greek hero, Bellerophon who astride Pegasus, a winged horse, threw a spear tipped with lead at the monster. The spear had lodged inside the Chimera's throat and as it tried to breathe fire, the lead had melted and poisoned the behemoth.

Susan's fingers loosened and the taut bowstring snapped forwards, a lead-tipped arrow streaking through the air.

The dragon-head snarled, lunging to intercept the arrow but its jaws snapped around air as it shot past, on a dead-on collision with the goat's throat.

Susan gritted her teeth as she watched, hoping, praying it would hit. The goat-head bleated, trying to twist away but the awkward angle from which it protruded from the lion's side made it impossible.

The dragon-head made a final desperate lunge and somehow, miraculously it managed to grab hold of the arrow, snapping it between razor fangs as Susan let out a curse.

"ROWWWWRRR!!!"

The Chimera roared, trying to face her but rocks underfoot shifted, the monster crashing to the ground. Fledge neighed but Susan didn't need his alert, two arrows already zipping through the air as the goat's neck laid exposed, the dragon-head crushed under the Chimera's own weight.

The lion roared as Susan smiled in triumph. Suddenly she froze.

"WHAT?!" she yelped as Fledge cried out in shock.

Strands of gold and brown twisted through the air, growing and twining like vines, the lion's mane taking on a life of its own. Before Susan's stunned eyes, the hair shot forwards, entangling the arrows and snapping them into splinters.

The Chimera roared and the living mane flew towards her in golden skeins, weaving together into a net as Fledge screamed in horror.

"BAM!!"  
Susan screamed as a heavy form slammed into the winged horse sending them careening to the ground. She was tossed from Fledge's back, slamming hard into the dirt as the Sphinx roared in triumph, winging her way back into the air.

"FLEDGE!!!"

Blood gushed from a gash across the horse's neck as Susan pulled herself up, running unsteadily across the uneven ground. The Chimera bellowed, a shadow falling over Susan as the queen dove forwards, a heavy paw slamming into the ground behind her.

"FLEDGE!!"

"SU!!!"

The goat-head turned and glared at her as a second white horse streaked down from the skies, Peter on its back. The High King stretched his useless arms towards his sister as Susan continued to race towards her injured steed.

"SU!!! DON'T!!!"

Fledge turned to look at the queen and Susan stumbled to a halt, to the terror in his long face. But the equine's liquid eyes shimmered with sad acceptance, the horse giving her what appeared to be a little nod.

"Fledge…" Susan trailed off as the horse whickered at her, shaking his head.

Go. Fledge was telling her to go.

"SU!!!"

Peter astride Xena landed as the Chimera righted itself all three heads staring down at them.

"HURRY!!!" Peter bellowed.

Whirling away from Fledge, tears in her eyes Susan dashed for her brother as the Chimera's mane descended on her, silky strands shooting out to ensnare her as she ducked and weaved. She threw herself at Xena, scrambling on as the horse leapt into the air, finding a small opening through the thrashing web of hairs and shooting through with a triumphant bellow.

Susan turned, tears spilling down her eyes as the goat-head bent over Fledge's broken form and opened its mouth and –

She looked away, unable to watch the death of the horse she had bonded with. Peter turned to look at her sympathetically but the rustle of wings caught his attention.

"INCOMING!!!" Peter yelled as the Sphinx's form blotted out the sun.

Susan screamed in fury and her bow swung up, arrow after arrow battering the monstrous woman but the Sphinx's was invincible, the arrows hitting her form with all the impact of a raindrop.

Xena twisted, the Sphinx shooting past as arrows from the invaders below flew up at them, stones continuing to drop from the skies, the trebuchets still at work.

A flock of Harpies shrieked down from the skies as Susan's arrows found their mark, bloody wads of feather spiralling to the ground.

Behind them the Chimera roared and ploughed into the battle, bodies flying as flames, barbed tail and moving mane cleaved a bloody path through the melee.

A heavy stone launched from a catapult crashed into the monster but the stone shattered against the Chimera's body, the beast barely affected.

"QUEENIE!!!"

Inara flew towards them on Gabrielle's back, a very familiar weapon clutched in her hands. A Harpy flew at the newcomer but Susan quickly killed her with a single arrow.

"The father of gold, born into darkness. Dust then a giant then a hungry mouth. What is the creature I speak of known only to the wise?" the Sphinx shrieked as she came again.

The Sphinx swooped at them forcing them to duck as Inara neared.

"CATCH!!"  
Silver and blue flashed through the air as Xena spun, Susan quickly slinging her bow across her back as her hands shot out. The Sphinx howled, Peter's knee guiding his steed as the winged horse barrelled, the Sphinx shooting past.

"INARA! GET BACK!!" Susan roared as her fingers snagged around her sceptre.

She held it aloft, smiling as she felt the familiar flood of warmth and static charge coursing through her body.

"Alright, control," she whispered, "Control…"

Strangely it was her hatred, fear and hurt that gave her clarity of mind. She didn't feel overwhelmed or panicked, all she felt was cold, steady purpose and an urge to rend. The cries of the battle, the screams of the dying, the roars of the Chimera, it all faded away as she suddenly felt a connection to the sceptre in her hands, a link, she was bonded to it, its secrets were her secrets. Sensing the change in its wielder, the sceptre flashing with light before dimming, recognising its one true mistress.

Susan smiled and pointed her sceptre at the Sphinx as the monster lunged at them again.

"Die," she whispered.

The monster was wreathed in blue light, tendrils of burning energy ripping through the Sphinx as Peter's mouth dropped, his skin tingling as power continued to explode out of Susan's sceptre. But this time, unlike all the others, she didn't feel paralysed, didn't feel her very life force flowing out of the crystals. She was in control! With a scream, she cut off the attack, wild exultation surging through her. The Sphinx's stunned face stared at the queen for a few seconds before the monster plummeted from the skies, completely numb, energy still dancing across her skin.

She fell, quickly swallowed up by the warring armies as Susan smiled at Peter, her eyes glowing.

"Uhh… okay…" Peter gulped, unnerved, "Xena! Back!"

Brother and sister flew back to their encampment on Mouth Olympus as the Chimera ploughed through the army, hungry eyes fixed solely on the home of the gods.

AAAAAA

They were being beaten back.

The Chimera roared, liquid flames swallowing up a whole platoon of Athenians as monsters surged forwards slaying all who fled the destruction. There was a flash of brilliant blue light in the skies and the Sphinx fell, crushing a chariot before being lost in the stampede.

"Hold the line!" Caspian barked, "HOLD THE LINE!!"  
But his words were lost as frantic screams filled the air, soldiers snatched up by the Chimera's living mane and dangled in the air. The lion's eyes glittered with malice as its jaws snapped forwards, plucking the men and women from its fur like apples from a tree.

Watching their friends and comrades being devoured before their eyes had broken some of the soldier's spirits, some fleeing from the insanity as others threw themselves into the fray with renewed hatred and energy.

Jason raised his shaking hands and focused, a frown crossing his grey, sweat-soaked face. A small spark of white leapt from his fingers but it quickly died as the Seeker tottered. Caspian cursed and steadied the man. A fanged creature leapt at the king's unprotected back, blade raised but an Athenian slammed into monster, chopping at it violently.

"I'm fine Pretty Boy," Jason muttered, eyes threatening to close.

Caspian scowled at him.

"Fine, I'll throw you at the Chimera and we'll see how fine you are," he snapped sarcastically.

Horses whickered as a chariot thundered forwards the Torjan leader, Hector, on board.

"CHARGE!!!" he screamed as another chariot joined him.

Monsters were flattened as the two carriages tore through the battlefield towards the Chimera. Spears flew through the air as Hippolyte and her Amazons provided cover.

"DON'T!!!" Caspian roared, "YOU CAN'T…"

The chariots swerved, the Chimera's living hair whipping the ground as the goat-head vomited out another gush of fire. The Torjans skilfully wove around the attacks as they split, one going to the left of the Chimera, the other to the right, thick rope and wire strung between the two carriages.

The Chimera roared as the carriages zipped past, the dragon's tail and head flying at them. They circled the beast, the rope looping around the Chimera's feet as they peeled away, shooting off in opposite directions. The ropes tightened around the Chimera's legs bunching them together as the beast let out a startled yelp.

"MOVE!!!" Hector screamed.

The Chimera swayed, trying to keep its balance but the chariots wheeled around, both facing the same direction and the horses instantly lunged into a sprint. With a deafening roar, the Chimera toppled, its massive body crushing ground and bodies as everyone staggered, shockwaves shaking the earth.

Hippolyte instantly hurled a spear at the downed monster but the Chimera's mane twisted, forming thousands of grasping hands that snagged the weapon and tossed it aside.

The air was suddenly think with arrows, spears and even rocks as the defenders of Mount Olympus hurled every last weapon they had at the monster trying to kill it before it could recover. But the Chimera's mane proved to be an impenetrable barrier, moving with its own devilish life as it knocked the projectiles from the air.

"ROOOOWWWRRRR!!!"

The Sphinx broke through a wall of monsters, throwing herself fearlessly at her bound sibling. Arrows and spears hit her side and bounced off harmlessly as her claws slashed down and the ropes were torn to shreds.

"BACK!!" Caspian roared, "BACK!!!"

Chimera's dragon-tail whipped out and one of the chariots were destroyed. The dragon-head reared, hissing, hungry red eyes focused on the other chariot where Hector stood, defiant.

"HECTOR!! GET OUT OF THERE!!" Caspian roared sprinting towards the carriage.

Jason grabbed onto him, pulling him back as the dragon-head snapped forwards, Hector's sword flying to meet the beast. The Chimera roared as the blade tore into the dragon's face but scales and horns turned the steel aside, blocking most of the damage. Hector let out a defiant bellow, brandishing his sword as the dragon darted forwards, its fanged mouth snapping shut.

"NOOOOO!!!" the Trojans screamed seeing their beloved leader's demise.

The Chimera screamed, rearing up as the dragon-head let out a deafening shriek. It opened its mouth, forked tongue flicking out as metal caught sunlight. Caspian's sharp eyes easily picked out what the glint was as the Telmarine gasped.

"Hector's sword…" the king breathed.

In a final move that had cost him his life, the Trojan hero had stabbed the dragon-head through the roof of its mouth, the blade piercing deep into the serpent's skull. The Chimera screamed as its tail hit the ground, completely limp, the dragon's eyes closed in death.

Caspian staggered, pale-faced but had no time to react as Chimera rose to its feet, one of its heads dead as the other two roared fiercely. The invaders bellowed in delight as they surged forwards, gathering themselves for another charge.

Jason's daggers were out as the soldiers turned and the enemy crashed into them like waves on a cliff. Their defence line was immediately broken as the Sphinx swooped, slaying everything in her path.

All strategy, all co-ordination, all order gone, Caspian, Jason and the defenders of the gods were instantly swallowed up in an insane struggle for their lives.

Caspian turned, stabbing a monster through the chest. This was like the battle at the How all over again, enemies attacking from all sides, him and his allies hopelessly outnumbered and overpowered but here, on this alien field there was no Aslan to rescue them, no trees to spring to life and come to their aid.

The Narnian in him, the part of him that believed in good always triumphing darkness faded leaving the Telmarine behind and Telmarines only believed in one thing…

The sword.

He held a brief second of regret for his lack of firearms, his guns having ran out of ammunition a long time ago but he had been born with the sword in his hands and that was the only weapon he truly needed.

Caspian roared and hacked into his enemies with renewed wind, laying waste to all that stood before him.

AAAAAA

"REINFORCEMENTS COMING!!!" Zaru roared, furious, "THERE'S MORE OF THOSE BLOODY MONSTERS COMING!!!"

Bitter terror and panic rose as blood-lust hit Zaru hard, the smell of rust and iron permeating through the air. His eyes widened as a dark gibbering wave of claws, fangs and swords crashed into the sound of the battle, many defenders falling in the first few seconds of the rush.

"We're losing," Peter whispered.

Susan raised her bow, firing arrow after arrow into the enemy as they began to break through the mountain's defences, breaching the meagre stonewalls the Greeks had managed to erect before rushing up the mountain's side.

Despair fell over Susan, gripping her like a vulture's talons. They were losing and this time there would be no Aslan to rush in and save the day. Because there was no Aslan, no gods, no higher powers, only them and steel against all the horrors Echidna and Typhon could throw at them.

Susan staggered as images suddenly slammed into her head. She saw glowing ethereal figures hovering over a crack in the ground in a dark, dark land as screams spewed from the ravine. White light blazed from the angelic forms covering the crack as something dark and angry threw itself at the barriers. As Susan watched, the light flickered, dimming for a split seconds as triumphant roar echoed out from the abyss.

The image chanced and she was looking at a familiar scene, this time the gods were hovering around a volcano as it spewed fire and plume and smoke up into the air, lava shooting out in titanic columns as white light fought to douse the eruption.

"Su?!"

Susan was wrenched back to reality, a migraine hammering her temples.

"Echidna and Typhon! They're getting stronger! They're breaking free! The gods are losing," she whispered, ashen.

She turned to her confused brother, almost hysterical.

"We can't lose this war! If we fall, the gods will as well!!"

"Su…" Peter began unsteadily as Susan whipped away from him.

"ELIAS!!!" she yelled up the mountain, "Have you figured it out yet!?!"

The trebuchet's stopped, the soldiers manning it abandoning the weapons and rushing to meet the monsters as they charged up the base of Mount Olympus. Susan's eyes widened in horror a cloud of winged monsters descended onto the scientist, Inara screaming as death flew at them.

Susan cursed as she and her brother charged upwards, Zaru bounding down, launching himself into the air, slashing and roaring. Elias shoved Inara to the ground, hands grabbing for his crossbow as Zaru landed beside him, spitting out blood.

"We need that answer now!" the leopard snarled.

A Harpy landed, screeching fang-filled maw snapping and Zaru was instantly there, slashing across her eyes, blinding her as his next swipe tore out her throat.

"I CAN'T FIGURE IT OUT!!" Elias was at the end of his tether.

A rock flew through the air, Inara fighting back as a flying ape was swatted out of the air. Susan stood at the edge of the melee, arrows flying as more figures slammed into the mayhem, defenders duelling with winged creatures.

"STOP PANICKING!!!" Zaru roared at the scientist, Elias on the edge of unravelling, "WE NEED YOU TO FOCUS!!"  
"FOCUS!? HOW CAN I?! PEOPLE ARE DYING BEC – "

"SMACK!"

Elias's head snapped to the side as Inara winced, rubbing her hand. Zaru gaped at her even as more flying monsters descended.

"Doc..." Inara's voice was icy, "Think. We need you to think."

"I tried!" Elias said frantically, "I tried and I tried! Maybe I'm just not smart enough!"

A shadow fell over them, Zaru hissing and ready to pounce.

"Peace, Elias."

They all looked up and blinked seeing the centaur sage they had met on the island of the Gorgons. The old centaur looked out across the plains where bodies strewn the ground like sodden rags and where the battle continued to rage. Roars and shrieks pierced their ears as the fighting raged all around them, the quartet caught in a rare pocket of peace.

"Peace?!? People are dying!? And you want me to have peace?!" Elias screamed at the sage.

Inara hurled another rock, missing. A monster leapt at her, the girl clumsily parrying his blows with her sword. Zaru was a demon, slicing his enemies apart with his calws as the sage smiled enigmatically.

"Perhaps it is not our day of victory," the sage said with acceptance in his voice, "Perhaps the fates will it. Perhaps it is written in the stars. We cannot hope to understand how the world turns. Just accept what comes and be at peace."

"FATES?? STARS?!?!" Elias roared, red with anger.

Suddenly he blinked, thoughts rushing through his head. He leapt to his feet, smacking his forehead as he turned to Inara and Zaru, both of them dispatching their enemies with one final blow. Inara was trembling, exhaustion roiling through her even though she had fought only a handful of monsters.

She was so weak. Compared to what she had been she was nothing... cannon fodder. Inara growled, shaking the dark thoughts from her head but like an insidious weed it kept coming back, kept corrupting her belief.

"STARS!!! I'm an idiot!! OF COURSE!!! STARS!!!" Elias suddenly grabbed the startled girl and hugged her fiercely.

He let her go as Inara staggered back, dazed as Zaru raised a brow.

"Uhh… Doc?" Inara asked, confused.  
"Stars! Father of gold, born into the darkness. Stars in space, when they die and go nova the nuclear reaction they set off triggers the formation of gold from lighter elements. It's the only way gold can be produced… from the stars!!!" Elias did a small jig on the spot as Inara and Zaru continued to gape at him.

He smiled broadly, triumphantly.

"Dust then a giant then a hungry mouth," he quoted, "Dust… stars are born from the remnants of other stars… from small particles hovering in space like dust. Then a giant… when stars deplete their primary fuel source they expand forming Red Giants!! And hungry mouth… a black hole… the Red Giant condenses then collapses and if it's gravitation field is strong enough… STARS!! The answer to the Sphinx's riddle is STARS!!!!"

Zaru blinked.

"Are you sure?" he demanded.

"YES! Why didn't I see it?! I mean I studied astrophysics and – "

"If you're sure then let's kill that blasted thing!!" Zaru snapped, "XENA!"

Elias blinked as the winged horse instantly appeared, landing beside them. They staggered back, buffeted by the back-draft but steadied quickly as Xena neighed a soft greeting

"Come on!!" Zaru urged, "GET ON!!"

"DOC GO!" Inara snapped.

There was screamed from below as monsters tore through their soldiers, storming up the mountain towards them.

"GO!" Inara yelled, raising her sword with trembling hands.

"Inara, you can't…" Elias stammered.

"GO!" Inara snapped, pushing him towards the winged horse.  
Hating himself, Elias scrambled on, winding his hands through the horse's flowing mane. Zaru turned to Inara expectantly, his grey-blue eyes flashing.

"Go with him Kitty!" Inara snapped, "Watch him!"

"Are you su – "

"YES!" Inara roared, "JUST GO! FINISH THIS!!"

Zaru nodded and leapt through the air, landing squarely on the horse's back behind Elias as Inara glanced at the monsters coming up the mountain, hunger burning in their warped faces.

"Don't be a hero," Zaru growled, warning her.

"I won't," Inara flashed them a grin.

Elias shot her one last helpless look and with a nudge of his knee Xena leapt taking to the sky, Inara steeling herself for the fight to come as the centaur sage beside her did the same. Up in the air, Eliaswhispered into Xean's pointed ears where he wanted to go. Xena whickered her assent and shot forwards, the horse's wings beat strongly as they flew over the battle.

"ELIAS!" Susan yelped, looking up and seeing the scientist atop the flying steed.

Peter's eyes were drawn by another of their companions.

"INARA!!" he yelled fear in his face as the monsters swallowed the last few metres and leapt at the girl, "SUSAN!!"

Both Pevensies charged up at the hill as Inara fought against the demons, cringing with each blow.

"Come on!" she snapped at herself, pushed back with each blow, "Prove yourself! FIGHT THEM!"

The centaur sage managed to fell one minotaur, a quarterstaff clutched in his hands as he did battle with another.

"DIE!!" Inara roared, stabbing again and again, blood splattering her face, "DIE!!"

She was knocked aside by a powerful fist, her sword flying from her hands. A scream made her look as the centaur sage was torn apart, screaming as he died.

Inara began trembling, fear pounding through her veins. She had no weapons, no strength, nothing to fight with against these monsters.

"No. No," she whimpered, "No. No. No. NO!!!"

With a strength born of desperation, she lashed out knocking a bird-faced monster before scrambling to her feet, doing the only thing she could possibly do.

She ran, tripping and stumbling down the hell as the creatures gave chase, whooping with excitement.

"INARA!" Susan fired, her arrows ripping through the pack as Peter lunged forwards, grabbing Inara by the arm and dragging her back to relative safety.

"You okay?!" he demanded frantically.

Inara looked at him, her face broken.

"I ran..." she whispered, disgusted with herself, "I ran away..."  
Peter cursed, retreating as Susan killed the last monster with a well-placed arrow, Artemis's silver bow humming in her hands.

Susan threw a look behind her, breathing a sigh of relief now that Inara was safe before she looked up at the skies, praying as Elias and Zaru flew towards the Sphinx.

"KILL HER!" Susan screamed up at them, "FINISH THIS!!"

AAAAAA

"THERE!" Zaru roared, instantly spotting their quarry.

Xena stopped, hovering in mid-air as she neighed, rearing up. The shrill cry scythed through the shouts and clang of battle as hot, jealous eyes instantly darted upwards. The Sphinx roared, face bloody as she looked up from her feast of bodies.

"HEY!!! YOU!!!" Zaru bellowed.

The Sphinx glared at them and launched herself straight at them like a golden rocket, roaring and screaming.

Despite all that rode on the next words out of his mouth Elias felt nothing but cold, calm confidence. He was sure of his answer, sure of his intelligence and intellect. He knew how to destroy this beast. With all that running through his mind the scientist stared defiantly at the winged beast as it flew at her, murder in its eyes.

"STARS!!!" Elias screamed, praying, his voice booming over the battlefield, "THE ANSWER TO YOUR RIDDLE IS STARS!!!"  
The Sphinx's eyes bulged and she stopped in mid-air, jaws opening and closing without sound. A wild wind suddenly whipped across the monster and the Sphinx shrivelled before their eyes, smooth skin becoming pitted and wrinkle, strong muscles withering to loose tendons as skin sagged and feather moulted. The breeze brought with it age and took away youth and immortality as the Sphinx screamed, her cries weakening with each passing second and dribbling to a whimper.

Fangs dropping from its rotting gums, the Sphinx flapped forwards, an old withered crone with a body of frail bones and furless skin. Zaru narrowed his eyes, grinning in anticipation as the Sphinx flapped towards her, arthritis slowing the monster down to a crawl.

"STARS!!" Zaru added one last time for good measure as he lunged forwards, the Sphinx's scent ripe with fear.

The Sphinx's bleary eyes widened as the maddened leopard's jaws snapped around her throat, momentum swinging the cat around ripping out her windpipe in one bloody move. Elias leaned forwards and Xena dived as the Sphinx crumbled to dust, skin and fur and feathers melting into nothing as Zaru suddenly found himself a victim of gravity.

"YAH!" the leopard yelped as he plummeted through the air.

"ZARU!"  
Elias stretched out his arms, Zaru slamming down into him, Xena grunting as she fought to right herself.

"DAMN YOU'RE HEAVY!!" Elias yelped as Xena grunted, finally regaining her balance  
"HEY!"

The Chimera suddenly roared in fury, a scream echoed by its mother as the defenders below cheered, buoyed by the victory as the fragmented remains of the Sphinx rained down onto the battlefield, lost in the chaos. Elias smiled in satisfaction before Xena wheeled around, winging her way back to the mountain.

AAAAAA

Caspian tossed his head, shaking the Sphinx's ashes from his hair as Jason barked with laughter.

"Now's no time to worry about your looks Pretty Boy!" the Seeker snapped, stabbing a Serpent Person.

He might not trust him completely but hesitation, doubt would've gotten them killed long before now. For this battle at least both of them had to trust the other with their lives.

The two had been forced into a tight circle, the monsters pressing against them from all sides.

"KILL!" Hippolyte screamed, practically dancing with battle lust, "KILL THEM ALL!!!"

She threw herself at a pack of creatures, hacking down with her sword as her Amazons charged.

"What's the plan here?' Alcibiades, general of the Athenians, yelled staggering up to them.

Leonidas was overwhelmed, disappearing under a pack of snarling wolves as Orion and a group of his centaurs plunged into the fray, hacking at the snarling beasts as Caspian turned on Alcibiades.

"We try keep as many of these monsters from reaching Mount Olympus!" Caspian snapped, "We need to buy the others time to destroy the Chimera."

"Destroy the Chimera?" Alcibiades laughed bitterly, "LOOK!"  
The Athenian pointed at the giant lion-beast as it began to claw its way up the mountain.

"You think anyone can destroy that?" tears began to flood the general's eyes, "You think – "

"NO!!" Orion screamed as the wolves fled.

Leonidas lay sprawled on the ground, blank eyes staring up to the heavens as blood oozed thick and red around him. Jason cursed as Orion whirled, slashing at the enemies with revenge in his eyes.

"What do you want to do?" the Seeker barked at the general, "GIVE UP!?! KEEP FIGHTING!!!"

Alcibiades cursed, looking torn as though he wanted to throw his sword down and flee. His eyes settled on Leonidas' body and the man stiffened.

"I will not let a Spartan outdo me!!" Alcibiades roared, whipping around and hacking into a bull-faced beast.

Jason let out a booming war cry as they continued to fight, buying their allies precious time.

"GO ELIAS!!! GO ZARU!!" Susan cheered wildly, pride threatening to burst her heart as she fired arrow after arrow, killing a crone as Peter and Inara staggered towards her.

Orthrus was dead. The Sphinx was dead, all that was left of Echidna's brood was the Chimera and Susan blanched as she saw the thing, the immense beast beggining to climb Mouth Olympus, its army surging around it.

"We have to kill that thing!" she bellowed at her rother.

Soldiers fought and were killed where they stood, the survivors retreating further up the monster as the enemies came, irresistible and destructive. They slaughtered everything that stood in their way, howling and whooping in victory as they chased their prey up the slope, hunger in their eyes.

"SUSAN! INARA! PETER!" Elias spiralled overhead astride Xena as the three looked up.

"Did you see me?!" Zaru said excitedly slightly dazed from his fall, "Did you?! Did you?"  
"Don't land!" Peter yelled up at them, keeping one arm over Inara, "You're safer up there!!"

Zaru glared at him.

"I can't stay and – " the leopard trailed off as the soldiers stomped towards Peter, carrying heavy barrels between them.

"We've got them," one of the soldiers reported, saluting the king.

Peter smiled and looked down the mountain's side, blue-eyes studying the Chimera as its goat-head belched flames into the air.

"Peter?" Inara asked, pale, "What?"

"Our plan with the arrows failed because of the lion's mane and its tail," Peter suddenly grinned, eyes glittering, "Well now the dragon-head is dead and…"

He nodded at the barrels.

"I've got something that can take care of the hair."

Before any of them could ask another question, he looked up.

"Elias! Have you got any fire orbs?" Peter demanded.

The scientist nodded, crossbow and orbs in outstretched hands and Peter's grin widened.

"Fire at the Chimera when I tell you to," he commanded before turning to the soldiers, "Push those barrels down the mountain!"

Grunting the soldiers placed the barrels on their side and without hesitating, gave them all a stout kick. Inara, Zaru, Elias and Susan watched, mystified as the round wooden vessels thundered down the slope, gaining momentum as they bounced on the uneven rocky ground. A Serpent Person jumped in the path of one of the barrels in a foolish attempt to stop the vessel, Elias winced as the man was immediately crushed, the barrel rolling on.

Peter watched, hardly daring to breathe as the barrels continued tumble to down the mountain, nearing the Chimera. The monster howled, living hair flying forwards to catch the barrels, golden stranding twisting around them before constricting like snakes, crushing the vessels to splinters.

Thick yellow liquid spewed from the ruined barrels soaking the Chimera's mane as Peter opened his mouth.

"ELIAS!!! NOW!!!!!" he screamed.

Silver caught sunlight as the scientist fired. The Chimera's sodden hair reached out, trying to stop the orb as the beast roared, wrath in its voice.

"BOOM!"

The explosive detonated, hot flames gushing over the Chimera. Susan gasped as the liquid in its mane instantly ignited, the monster writhing as its body was wreathed in blue-white hot flames.

"What?" she turned to her brother, eyes wide.  
Peter's smile was brilliant and bordering on a smirk.

"Oil," he said simply, "And a lot of it."

The Chimera screamed, hanks of flaming hair falling from its head as its thrashing limbs and tail crushed those unfortunate to be near it. The last child of Echidna let out another shrill cry of agony, tossing its mighty head, trying to snuff out the flames as its oil-soaked hair continued to burn, the lion's face completely lost in flames.

Xena landed, Elias practically falling from her back as Zaru slid off gracefully.

"SUSAN GO!!!" Inara yelled, helping the queen up onto the steed as Zaru snarled his encouragement.

"Finish this!" Peter growled, blue eyes flashing as the soldiers around them cheered.

The winged horse took off, Susan unslinging her bow, her blue eyes trained on the flaming Chimera. Its dragon-head was flopping on the ground like a hooked fish, fanged jaws open as blood oozed from around the sword in its mouth. Its spiked tail was limp, twitching occasionally in uncontrollable spasms as the lion's head screamed, fire still shearing through its mane.

Over death and destruction she flew, everyone's eyes turning up to stare at the lone queen on a white horse. Screams and curses were hurled at her as cheers and war cries spurred her on.

The Chimera's lone uninjured head swivelled to stare at her, the goat's eyes aflame with hatred as it opened its mouth, blunt teeth streaked with soot.

Everything melted away as Susan delved into the calm within her, calloused hands selecting a lead-tipped arrow from her quiver.

'_In battle there can be no thought or questions. Only action and instincts.'_

Da Long's words echoed out from the past and reverberated inside her head as a gentle breeze swept the hair from her face. Her eyes narrowed, hands pulling back bowstring and setting arrow in place as the goat's eyes flashed.

A tongue of flames spewed from Chimera's mouth, Xena diving to avoid the deadly attack. Smoke and heat stung Susan's eyes as the winged horse zipped past the goat's head, spiralling to avoid the inferno.

Chimera shrieked, still blazing as the goat keened loudly raising its head to the sky as globs of liquid fire erupted from its mouth like a volcano. Susan and Xena were suddenly caught in a literal storm of fire, flames raining down on them as the winged horse screamed, banking and veering wildly to avoid being incinerated by the larger bursts of flames as embers and ash blistered their skin.

The horse swerved in a tight turn and Susan twisted at the waist. Smoke hung heavily in the air, enough to blind and sting the eyes of any mortal but for some strange reason, her vision was absolutely crystal clear, unaffected by the inferno around her the queen easily seeing an opening.

She seized it, the string flying from her fingers.

"GARGGGHHROOOOWWWRRR!!!"

The Chimera's lion-head screamed as Susan's arrows pierced the goat's neck, the shaft lodging deep in its throat just as more flames boiled up from deep within its body. The lead-tip boiled, instantly melting under the blaze as thick, poisonous lead dripped down the goat's gullet. Chimera staggered screaming as Susan raised her bow again.

The goat-head snorted, smoking spiralling from its nostrils as the conflagration from its mouth died to red sparks that fell harmlessly to the rocks.

"PWHIP! PWHIP! PHWIP!"

The queen's shots were all deadly accurate, a clump of arrows suddenly sprouting from the goat's neck as residual heat melted the lead, more toxins flooding into the Chimera's system. The fire ravaging its mane finally extinguished itself as the lion-head's eyes rolled into the back of its head, purple tongue rolling out from between its lips. The monster teetered, Susan emptying all of her lead-tipped arrows into the goat-head's neck.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

A thunderous scream shook Mount Olympus as the Great Chimera, last of Echidna's children, fell. It pitched backwards falling away from the mountainside as its army screamed in one despairing voice.

With a sickening crunch, the Chimera hit the hard rocky ground, bone shattering on impact, the shards driven deep into every one of its vital organs as the goat-head let out one final gasp and belch of smoke before going limp.

"NOOOOOOoooooooo…."

Echidna's furious scream died to a howl then a whisper then a whimper before disappearing on the winds.

White ghostly light blazed on the mountainside and suddenly every last one of the invaders screamed, fire consuming their hideous forms. They shrieked, beating uselessly at the flames before falling, trashing and twitching. In a blink of an eye, the giant army was nothing more than ashes and smoke hanging heavily in the air.

The light faded and the gods emerged, glittering gem-like eyes embedded in the sternest of faces.

Artemis stepped forwards and raised her hands.

"THE WAR…" her voice thundered, reaching deep into every one of them and seizing their hearts, "IS OVER!!!"  
And the answering war cry rang for minutes on end.

AAAAAA

"Echidna?" Susan asked, "Typhon?"

"Sealed once more," Artemis said calmly, "Once their children were dead, they lost whatever advantage they had over us."

The goddess frowned.

"I am still puzzled how they amassed such sorcery to even challenge us in the first place," Artemis said slowly.

Susan's eyes darkened as she realised who had been behind all this.

"Well, it's over now," the queen said firmly, "And we must go."  
"Away from here," Artemis noted, her eyes telling Susan she knew what they had all come from.

Susan nodded, her hands going to the pouch around her neck. Artemis smiled, looking for the first time like a woman instead of a god. She touched Susan's face, cupping her cheeks in cold, cold hands.

"Know this, dear one," Artemis said softly, "You are now under my care. You have my gifts. Use them well."

She turned and stared up at the moon, seeing past the night's sky and into a place that was beyond mortal understanding.

"There will come a time when we must unite against a great evil," the goddess whispered, "And I will be there. You have my word. Until then… farewell."

Susan shuddered at the premonition in her voice but nodded. Slowly she walked away, her silver bow held in one tight-fisted hand.

AAAAAA

The war had been brutal. Thousands of lives had been lost, Hector and Leonidas amongst them. Orion and Hippolyte had survived and come dawn, the two would lead their people back to their homes and their lives.

Caspian looked out across the ravaged plains beyond Mount Olympus and sighed. He longed to stay and help these people rebuild, longed to just stay and be away from –

"It's time," Susan said walking up to them.

They had been healed by the gods themselves, every wound and bruise made whole and each had a smile on their face… except Caspian.

"If you wish," Caspian replied stiffly.

Susan recoiled as though struck. Again she wished she could see past the king's blank mask, knowing what he was really feeling. She remembered with a trill of fear the hatred that had lain, exposed there like some terrible dark creature beneath an overturned stone on the beach back on the Gorgons' island.

She could feel it, Caspian didn't just feel nothing towards her anymore, his feelings hadn't been ripped away. It had changed… for the worse.

"Alright," Susan tried to seem unaffected, and reached into the pouch, "Grab on."

She touched the ring and the seven travellers were gone but they would linger forever in this world. Remembered always in this world of gods and monsters, immortalised in legends and ballads, living forever in the myth that would one day be known as 'the the Legend of the Beast-Slayers.

AAAAAA

Author's notes: God that was long!! But I hope you enjoyed the massive epic war that finishes off this epic arc!!

A few questions from last chapter:

The prophecy and Susan's death – yeah, I'm kinda embarrassed about this. I know the prophecy refers to a third blessing known as 'Death' but this was never intended to refer to Susan's death... I actually didn't even realise there was a connection until I read your reviews. So just to be clear Susan's death has nothing to do with the 'Death' blessing; that's a different kettle of fish altogether, in fact if I had a chance I would go back and rename that blessing but meh... I'll leave it for now.

Susan's death itself isn't important but it's more important as a catalyst for events to come as you can see here. The way that Caspian threw her to the wolves will play more heavily into the next arc as Susan and the group tries to deal with that.

As for why Inara seems to be getting all depressed last chapter... well, the reason behind that is that the Gorgons thrashed them so utterly completely. As she mentioned Zaru and Jason, both their fastest and strongest fighters got knocked out so swiftly by the Gorgons and that terrified herself because once upon a time she had been at their level and if they couldn't destroy Medusa... so it's a flow on effect. I know some of you are finding Inara a little dragging in this but I promise you I have a character arc for Inara in the next world that will show her just how much she's changed but I do take your advice into consideration and pare down some of the focus on her negativeness.

About the Sphinx's riddle - damn u guys figured it out too easily. Uhh... let's just say Elias was focusing too much on big, complicated explainations rather than the simple one okay? And yes stars do create gold through supernovas - look it up on wiki!

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy this arc finale – this arc has been so much fun to write because hey giant Greek mythology monsters – who doesn't love them?!


	48. The Saviour

New chapter!!! New world!! Please the reviews were down from last chapter so please review!!!

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 48: The Saviour**

Mallory Hart was a psychic and she was fighting for her life.

"Mallory…" the crackling, static-disrupted voice laughed, "Come on! You look shocked. Did you honestly think you could beat us?'

Cameras swivelled to look at her, red light dancing across her face as the thing crawled towards her. Metal gleamed under the harsh bluish fluorescent light as the robot skittered forwards, razor sharp claws clicking off the concrete.

Gears whirred and lights flashed, wires and transistors poking out from the machine's stripped metal skeletal-like frame. Shaped as it was, with six long steel legs and a glistening array of whirring saws and drills that unfolded from its squat body, the robot looked like a demonic insect, an image enhanced by the red lasers it used to see.

"Lauren," Mallory gritted her teeth as blood oozed from a deep cut in her arm, "When are you going to show yourself?"

A set of speakers inside the robot crackled as its controller's voice boomed in the small room.

"I really hope that's not your last words, Mal," Lauren taunted, "Because I honestly expect some sort of heroic soliloquy… Aaron gave a magnificent one."

Mallory screamed, her hands shooting out as a desk in the room flew at the robot.

"BZZZZZZZ!!!"

Razor sharp blades tore through the wooden desk as Lauren laughed again, the robot pouncing. Mallory threw herself to the side, sparks flying as drills spiralled into the thick concrete wall.

"SHINK!"

In one smooth motion, the black-haired woman unsheathed her thin sword, holding it expertly in her hands. Her dark eyes stayed on the robot as it turned, metal legs scuttling.

"Malloy, stop wasting my time," Lauren chuckled through the speakers, "You're going to make me miss my show."

"SHUT UP!!!" Mallory snarled, stabbing forwards.

The robot raised its deadly weapon-tipped appendages, fending off the psychic's blows as the slim woman cursed. She flicked her hands and the robot was tossed against the wall with crushing force, legs flailing wildly. Mallory's eyes flashed, black turning into pale gold as a spike of yellow light gathered in her hands. With a cry, the woman hurled the glowing barb forwards.

The robot let out a keening screech as Mallory's attack pierced it through the back, pinning the machine to the wall.

"Impressive," Lauren noted.

With rage and adrenaline slowly leaving her body, a blank mask fell over Mallory's features. The woman was slim and petite, perfectly proportioned, skeins of silky dark hair hanging almost to her hips. She was almost unhealthily pale, her dark eyes and red lips so contrasted they seemed almost drawn on. Tightly meshed black fabric clung to her body, the black expanse only broken up by a red sash around her narrow hips, a sheath hanging from the makeshift belt.

"You've lost," Mallory noted, her voice expressionless, "Be gone."

"Lost?" Lauren laughed, "Hardly."

The door to the room exploded inwards, fire and smoke and debris slamming into the far wall. Two more robots lumbered forwards, one squat and of similar make to the robot pinned to the wall, the other long, lean and humanoid.

"Alpha," Lauren commanded as the insect-like robot beeped in confirmation, "Beta. Kill her."

Mallory turned to face the new threat, rapier in hand. Beta rushed at her, the robot's rough design making it look like a metal skeleton with burning red eyes. It raised its hands, its claw-like fingers splayed around the barrel in its palm.

"BANG!"

The robot stumbled, knocked back by the recoil as its cannon-like arm shot at Mallory, a cluster of blinking metal balls flying at the psychic. Mallory slashed the air with her sword and the balls were seized by invisible hands, hurled straight back at the robot.

"BOOM!"

Mallory smacked into the wall, tossed by the explosion as scraps of twisted half-melted metal rained to the ground, the only thing that remained of Beta being two smoking metal stumps of leg. Alpha burst through the smoke, buzzing saws and whirring drills flying at her.

Sparks flew as Mallory managed to bring her blade up in time, desperately defending herself. Alpha shrieked and a panel flipped open as white light flared. Mallory's head slammed into the wall as she recoiled, dazed.

"MALLORY!"

Alpha clicked and buzzed, seizing the advantage as metal claws lunged for Mallory's exposed throat.

"BOOM!"

The robot was blown apart, the smell of ozone hanging in the air as the psychic groaned, rubbing at her eyes.

"Are you alright?" a stern voice demanded.

The woman opened one eye.

"I'm fine Volkov," she said tonelessly, getting up.

Volkov cursed, shaking his hands as blue sparks flew from his fingers.

"That was close," the tall man noted.

Mallory nodded. The two couldn't have been more different. Mallory was wraith-like, soft and pale whilst Volkov Lei was tanned, all hard angles and sculpted muscles. He towered over his companion, strong capable arms hanging from broad muscular shoulders. His legs were pillars that supported a bulky form clad in military khakis. His face was stern, square-jawed, a shock of dyed blonde hair over a wide forehead.

"The others?" Mallory demanded, kicking aside the twitching remains of Alpha.

Volkov raised his hands, open palm facing the twitching robot pinned to the wall. Mallory didn't even blink as a bolt of blinding lightning burst from the man's hand and into the machine, frying its circuits as the thing, keening loudly. It let out a final screech, arching its back before exploding, hot metal spraying the walls. Mallory calmly deflected the shrapnel away with her telekinesis.

"Siren and Kage are upstairs," Volkov reported, "They ran into Sid."

"Any sign of the others?" Mallory asked briskly as they marched out of the storeroom where she'd been trapped.

"Well, you saw Lauren," Volkov said, the ex-army lieutenant's voice extremely dry, "But…"

They stopped, Mallory raising her sword, sparks dancing between Volkov's fingers as a man ran down the narrow hall, pulling at his hair as he let out a scream of pure terror. His eyes were wide, almost swallowing up his face as he pelted towards them, spittle flying from his lips.

Volkov and Mallory calmly let him through.

"Phoebe," Volkov noted dispassionately.

He was always like that, calm regardless of the atrocity or danger staring at him in the face. But the solider had already served two controversial tours in the Middle East, the massacres and monstrosities he had witnessed there had hardened him to the point where he almost couldn't feel.

His psychic companion nodded and they mounted the stairs, jogging up to the ground level. They stepped into the foyer of the museum and found total chaos.

Visitors were fleeing by the screaming droves, the bloody body of guards sprawled across the marble floor. Windows had been shattered, glass crunching underfoot as the two fought their way against the flow of people.

A shrill scream pierced the air as a woman hurled herself from the third floor balcony, plunging down into the sea of fleers.

"A MONSTER!!! A MONSTER!!!" a fresh crowd of people poured out from the western wing, terror reflected in all of their faces, "MONSTER!!!"  
"And Marduk completes the set," Volkov grunted.

They both winced as light lanced out, a man falling forwards, a smoking hole in his back. Gripped by terror and swallowed up in the stampede, the Gifted and the magical were lashing out, all control gone in a rush of overwhelming fear.

Volkov didn't even blink as a wide-eyed teenager ran at him, screaming. He grunted as the girl passed through him, her body as insubstantial as smoke as she ran through the wall and out of the museum.

"We have to get to the Guardian before they do," Mallory muttered, "If we don't, it all ends tonight."

"Tell me something I don't know," Volkov growled.

"ROOOOOWWWRRR!!!"  
A thunderous roar shook the building, tiles jittering as glass trembled in panes. The crowd's panic swelled and they turned on each other in their madness, punching and kicking to get out the doors. A tongue of black flames unfurled from the crowd, the terror building as a bolt of power slammed into the Gifted person wielding the fire, knocking him down.

"I'll deal with Marduk," Volkov said as they charged up the stairs, "You get to the exhibition now!!"  
Mallory nodded and she leapt gracefully into the air, landing with perfect poise on the stair railings. Her face stiff with determination, the psychic charged up the railings, completely balanced as Volkov gaped at her departing form.

"Show off," he muttered, shaking his head before fighting his way through the crowd.

AAAAAA

Siren screamed, a burst of energy flying from her mouth and blasting the guard back.

"Sis, sis, sis," Sid smirked, "My, my you are getting stronger."

The slim singer, her smoky brown hair streaming behind her, turned. Her attacker, a rail thin man with punk-style red-hair that clashed horribly with the neat suit pants and vest he wore, chuckled as Siren turned to look at him.

"Sid, it's not too late to stop," she whispered, her grey eyes looking pleadingly at her brother, "Please…"

Sid rolled his eyes, a sneer on his lips.

"I can't stop sis," Sid shot back, "Not until you see reason. When are you going to see that I'm right? The Kraken's going to win. You must as well be the on winning side or you'll join the buffet line-up. Listen to me Si, I'm saving your life here!"

"Give it up Siren," Kage snarled, "He's the enemy now!"

Siren whirled glaring at her companion as Sid raised his hands.

"If you don't mind, we're trying to talk. Now guards," the red-head man hissed, "Kill him."

He twisted his hands, fingers moving in a complex pattern. Gossamer strings like individual threads of a web hung from his fingertips disappearing into the limbs and backs of the ring of men surrounding him.

With jerky, wooden movements the guards stumbled forwards, raising their guns. Their eyes were wide with horror but their mouths were tightly clamped.

"Sid! PLEASE!!!" Siren yelled.

"No Siren! You listen! I'm trying to look out for you here!!" Sid snarled, "Don't you realise what's going to happen? Listen to me! Join me… I can save you from the Kraken!"

Atop a pedestal in the middle of the room, surrounded by shattered glass and destroyed artefacts, Sid continued to shout at his sister.

"Don't listen to him!" Kage screamed.

"Kill him!" Sid back furiously, fingers moving, the strange strings controlling the guards' limbs.

Siren sucked in a deep breath and let out a piercing cry, purple energy flying from her lips. Two of the guards went down, writhing as energy coursed through them. Sid cursed, pulling on the strings and the guards instantly turned on his sister, lunging at her.

Siren's eyes widened in horror, frozen on the spot as three burly men flew at her.

"BAM!"

A glass cabinet instantly shattered under the barrage as Kage speared into her throwing her clear of the bullets. They crashed to the ground, the spiky-haired policeman cursing as a sliver of glass opened his cheek.

"Siren! Damn it girl!" he yelled at her as he leapt to his feet, helping her up, "Watch yourself!"

The tall man turned, his hands flicking out. Sid roared in fury as metal flashed through the air, slicing through his strings. A dagger slammed into the wall, quivering as Kage smirked.

The guards staggered, emotions flooding into their faces as they fell to the floor. One man raised his hands to his face staring at in fascination as he moved it from side to side.

Siren gently placed her hands against his cut cheek and hummed a little tune under her breath. The man blinked as soothing warmth flooded through him, his wound closing and knitting itself shut as Siren smiled and wiped the blood away. The cut had been completely healed, no blemish, no scars left behind.

"Thanks," she said gently.

Kage smiled back.

"Now…" the dark-haired man turned, "Sid. Where were we?"

AAAAAA

Mallory pushed the doors open and stepped into silence. The room was empty except for a single figure, blonde hair catching the sunlight through the sky-roof as she studied the plaque before her intently.

"Mallory, be a dear and close the doors," the woman called out, "There's a draft in here."

The psychic's face hardened and she stepped into the room, slamming the doors shut behind her. Her eyes instantly darted to the walls. Sigils lay exposed on the walls, pulsing weakly with light dying a little more with each blink. Similar symbols were etched on every inch of floor and every glass display pane, protection and detection spells that were now deactivated.

"How was Aaron's funeral?" the woman asked, still with her back to the doors, "Touching?"

"It was great," Mallory snapped in a clipped voice, eyes sparking, "Thank you for asking."

The woman laughed and turned, hazel eyes glittering with mirth. She was richly dressed, a luxurious fur scarf draped around her neck, her suit pants and blazer top perfectly tailored to accentuating her curves. Diamonds and pearls dripped from her neck and ears and glittered on her fingers.

"So, Mallory come to stop me?" the woman asked, enunciating each word perfectly.

The woman was poised, cool and unflappable, not a coif out of place or a wrinkle in her shirt. She looked like she could step through a hurricane and still emerge perfectly pristine on the other side, unruffled and still with the same condescending look that always lurked in her eyes.

"Why else did I come?" Mallory said flatly, "I will not allow you to harm the Saviour."

The woman laughed and pulled a golden stopwatch from her pocket, flipping it open

"Well according to the seers he should be arriving in a few minutes," she closed the watch, sliding it back into her pocket.

The blonde woman slid in a fighter's crouch, all laughter bleeding from her eyes as a vicious scowl contorted her perfect face. She held up her hands, Mallory watching unblinkingly as what appeared to be small turquoise coloured crystals grew on her skin. Like flowers the crystals sprouted, opening into jagged fanning petals. They grew and grew, creeping across the woman's skin like fast-growing frost before gathering at her fingertips, elongating, multiplying and forming long jagged claws. The crystal-covered woman laughed.

"So Mallory? Make this quick!"

And with a roar, the two women slammed into each other.

AAAAAA

Volkov threw himself to the side, lightning flying from his fingers as ancient bones crashed to the ground. The ex-lieutenant rolled away as a tyrannosaurus rex's skull smashed into the tiles, narrowly missing his legs.

Lightning arced from his hands and a triceratop's skeleton blew up as he missed.

They were fighting in the dinosaur section of the museum, seared glass and smoking bones littering the once pristine floor.

"ROOOOWWWWRRRR!!!"

Pterodactyls. Tyrannosaurs. Spinosaurs. Even the greatest of the ancient predators paled in comparison to the mystical creature dominating the exhibition hall. It roared again, spiked tail whipping the air smashing an Apatosaurus model apart, bony spikes shearing through the fibreglass neck.

It was primeval, a demon of hunger and rage clad in leather armour. It was a corruption of the reptilian kings that had once ruled the world, armed with a tyrannosaurus's crushing jaws, a pterodactyl's leathery wings, a stegosaurus's deadly tail, a velociraptor's cruel tearing talons and a lithe, lizard-like body that possessed both speed and devastating strength. Plumes of bright feathers, almost neon in their shades of blue and green, frilled the monster's head and graced its leg joints as if nature had made a pitiful attempt to disguise the creature's demonic visage.

The dragon screamed, razor talons ripping through ground apart as Volkov leapt back. Behind the dragon, Marduk roared with laughter, the grizzled veteran dressed in the cap and coat of an old naval captain, a cutlass in his hands. Volkov cursed and threw another handful of lightning at the old man but the dragon's tail whipped forwards, dispelling the charge.

"Pathetic," Marduk smirked, "Dratina! KILL HIM!!!"  
The dragon surged forwards, claws and tail ripping columns and walls apart as Volkov cursed, flinging his hands forwards, a shrieking storm of lightning blasts flying from his fingertips.

AAAAAA

A slim figure stepped through the destruction. She smiled as a man looked up at her from his position on the ground, his eyes very white against his blood-splattered face.

"Please…" he begged, fluid gurgling in his throat, "Help… help me…"

Phoebe giggled and reached out with one delicate hand as gratefully the man reached out for her.

"Tell me,' Phoebe asked, "What is it that you fear?"

"Fe… fear?"

A streak wisp of black smoke seemed to fly from Phoebe's hands and plunge itself obscenely down the man's throat. He shrieked, writhing as he tore at his own neck, gagging and choking as Phoebe watched.

"No…" the man begged, back arching, "NO!!!"  
He went crazy, throwing himself against the floor over and over again, blood splattering against the marble as Phoebe watched, her head cocked to the side.

"NOOOOO!!!"

With a sickening crunch his skull slammed into the ground and the man went still. Calmly Phoebe retracted her hand and fingered the necklace of flowers that hung around her neck. With a sigh, she brushed down her skirt and stepped over the man's body. She looked around, a giggle bubbling on her lips as she saw the bodies, people trampling and murdering each other to escape the madness that had seized the room. Skeins of coloured fire lashed out as people screamed, some retaliating with blasts of power, bodies falling smoking to the ground. She clapped her hands in glee like a child at a circus, enjoying the hsow.

"Phoebe," a voice said sternly.

The girl looked to her left as a small insect-like robot hurried into the room, legs whirring.

"Lauren," Phoebe replied, a pout on her lips.

"Come on," the woman's voice snapped over the robot's speakers, "Dahlia needs our help. The Saviour's almost here."

Phoebe turned and viewed the destruction again. But this time dispassionately, her face cold. She nodded and looked down at the robot, all laughter and childishness gone.

"Alright," Phoebe said in a business-like voice, "Lead the way."

The robot turned and scuttled down the hall as Phoebe ran, her skirt flapping against her legs.

AAAAAA

They fought, trading bloody blows for bloody blows, duelling around the centre of the room where a strange stone artefact dug up from some forgotten corner of the earth sat.

It had been shipped to the museum a month ago, the media seizing it in a shark-like frenzy, eager to publish some news that wasn't about more war or more death. The statue itself was ugly, a squat toad-like face resting on a giant trapezoid stone plateau, strange arcane symbols etched into the stone blocks that ringed the dark statue face. The eyes were closed, its mouth tightly clamped looking like some strange bizarre boggy creature that had gone into hibernation and had been petrified by time, caught forever in stone.

It wasn't much to look at but in this one dangerous, glorious moment this statue was now the most important object in the whole entire world.

Dahlia snarled, her hands scaled with crystals and tipped with deadly sickle-like claws, sparks leaping as she parried Mallory's sword. She shoved back knocking the psychic off balance before lunging forwards, claws outstretched but Mallory shoved her hands into Dahlia's face, black eyes turning gold.

"BAM!"

Dahlia was sent flying, crashing into the far wall as Mallory staggered back, gasping for breath. The blonde woman pushed herself from the ground, shaking her still perfectly styled hair as her skin hardened, splitting and forming scales. Dahlia hissed, revealing rows upon rows of sharpened crystalline teeth, each one multi-faceted and catching the light. She spat at the psychic and slashed the air with her crystal claws, throwing herself at her enemy again.

One hand was raised, fingers curled as the crystals at her fingertips flickered with light. A beam of brilliant blue-green light bounced around the crystal claws, gaining momentum and speed as a ball of the same coloured energy gathered in her palm. Dahlia skidded to halt and shoved her hand forwards a spinning ball of energy flying from her claws. It slammed into Mallory with all the force of a wrecking ball. The dark-haired young woman was instantly flung into a display case, shattered glass raining down on her petite form as she slumped to the ground.

Dahlia cackled and stomped forwards, claws outstretched. She lunged forwards with a howl, ready to impale the injured psychic. With a desperate cry, Mallory managed to open her eyes, gold light flashing.

Dahlia was thrown away, smacking into a statue as Mallory slowly got up, wincing, bleeding from multiple cuts. Her opponent flipped easily to her feet, her crystal-crusted face snarling with fury.

"I will…"

She was cut off as a soundless boom, like the ringing of a great bronze bell shook the air. As one the two women instantly whipped towards the statue in the centre of the room.

"The Saviour…" Mallory breathed, eyes wide with awe. "He's here!"

Dahlia snarled, cursing as lines of light glimmered between the statue's closed lids and lips. The arch enemies both gasped as slowly the closed eyes opening revealing two perfect circles of light that shimmered like sunlight on water. A rumble shook the room, both women stumbling as priceless items fell from their shelves smashing against the floor.

Another soundless boom permeated the air as slowly with a faint gasping cry, the stone lips pulled apart, the statue's mouth opening. Light blazed out with all the intensity of a sun, blinding Mallory, she staggered back a cry on lips. Dahlia roared, falling into a crouch as a sliver of a shadow flickered faintly across the light's surface.

The shadow grew, the form of a person emerging as the statue let out another endless groan as though in great pain.  
"NO!!!" Dahlia threw herself at the light, her body twisting and mutating, horns and jagged spikes of crystals growing all over her body, the woman becoming more demonic as the light flared, a deep scream echoing out from the statue's maws.

Mallory's vision cleared and she blinked as the statue let out a choked cry and spat out a single form. Peter Pevensie hit the ground with a groan as Dahlia pounced on the king with a hate-filled scream.

AAAAAA

Siren whirled, her smoky eyes wide in her cocoa face.

"KAGE!" she yelped.

"WHAT?" the policeman barked back as he leapt to the side, somersaulting with cat-like grace.

Thin web-like strings struck the ground, jabbing into the tiles as Sid let out a vicious roar of frustration. Kage landed easily, smirking at the red-haired man.

"The statue…" Siren turned back to Kage, awe in her face, "The Saviour… he's here!"

"WHAT?!?" Kage and Sid squawked at the same time.

But Siren wasn't listening, her eyes focused unseeingly in the hall as faint whispers brushed her ears, murmuring secrets only she could hear. She shuddered.

"We have to go," Siren muttered, agitated, "We have to…"

Kage held out a hand, his angular face grim.

"Wait…"

He charged at Sid, the taller man flinging out his hands as more wispy strands of string shot forwards. With a yell, Kage flipped in the air, soaring over the magical strings. He landed behind Sid and before the red-haired ventriloquist could react, the handsome policeman spun, a roundhouse kick sending Sid skidding across the ground.

"Alright," Kage dusted his hands, "Let's go!!"  
Grabbing onto Siren's hands, the policeman barrelled down the hallway as a thunderous roar rattled the windows.

AAAAAA

The dragon howled, pounding the tiled floor as Marduk slowly rose to his feet, his body charred and smoking. Volkov laughed, sparks dancing between his fingers.

"I will kill you for that boy," Marduk spat.

"And what was killing me before for then?" Volkov laughed.

His face hardened, laughter wiped from his harsh features.

"Shut up and fight," he spat.

Marduk raised his cutlass, the razor edge gleaming.

"Dratina!!" the sea captain spat, "TEAR HIM APART!!"  
The dragon roared and tore at Volkov as the military man pointed at the ground.

"I really hope this works," he muttered.

Lightning flew from his fingers hitting the ground. Marble shattered and he was propelled backwards by the blast, flying up into the air. Dratina roared in fury, her wings slicing through a column as in mid-air, Volkov threw his hands towards the far wall.

A blue bolt lanced through the air searing the wall as Volkov was thrust backwards, dispelling the shocks as he landed lightly on a second floor balcony overlooking Marduk and his dragon.

Volkov smirked, saluting the captain before turning and sprinting into the museum as the dragon's furious roars chased him down the hall.

AAAAAA

Mallory instantly pointed at Dahlia and she was smacked from the air by an invisible hand. The psychic stepped forwards on shaking legs, looking in wonder at the blonde-haired boy lying before her.

"He shall come at the end of days," Mallory whispered, reciting the prophecy she knew by heart, "From the mouth of the Guardian and into this world. Crowned in gold and with the skies in his eyes, the King shall lead the loyal and drive a death blow into the belly of the Kraken."

She stopped just metres from the unmoving form.

"He's here," Mallory murmured, awed, tears in her eyes, "Aaron… he's here!"

Peter stirred, groaning under his breath. Mallory instantly darted forwards, ready to help but topped as the Guardian, the statue, groaned again, light still burning in its open maws.

The psychic gasped and stumbled back as the statue gagged and spat out more forms, bodies crashing to the ground and rolling to a halt.

"OOF!" the Saviour yelped as a brown-haired form landed on top of him.

"Sorry!" Inara stammered, scrambling off him as Peter turned and glared at her, blue eyes unamused.

"Why are you always landing on me?" he muttered, a slight smile on his lips despite the harshness in his voice.

"Your raw male magnetism," Inara shot back nastily.

Peter chuckled and tried to get push himself off the ground. Pain shot up his cursed arms and he cried out, crashing back down to the ground.

"Where the hell are we?" Jason demanded, climbing to his feet, looking around at the destroyed showroom.

"A museum!" Elias said excitedly, "Of all the places…"

"Everyone accounted for?" Susan asked wearily, snatching her bow from the ground.

Zaru sniffed the air and his furred face lit up.

"Ooo! Food!" he beamed.

He breathed in again, tasting the air, picking out the other interwoven scents.

"Oh and fire and death," Zaru still kept grinning, "But there's food!"

"Death?" Caspian asked grimly, hands on his sword.

"Uhhh… excuse me?"

Everyone turned and stared at the slim dark-haired woman before them, a sword clutched in her bloody hands.

"Who are you?" Mallory asked bluntly, "I mean the rest of you."

"Rest?" Susan demanded, her hand already going to her arrows.

Mallory looked at her, eyes flashing dangerously but Susan held her ground.

"He's the Saviour," Mallory pointed at Peter, "We're expecting him but who are you?"

"Saviour?!" Elias spluttered.

Everyone turned and stared at Peter in amazement. The High King looked back at them, blinking, just as bewildered. He held up his hands in defence, trying to deflect everyone's expectant gaze.

"Don't look at me I…" Peter began quickly.  
"He's the Saviour," Mallory said flatly, cutting in, "He's come to kill the Kraken but the prophecy never mentioned hanger-ons."

Jason raised an eyebrow, throwing a disparaging look at the High King.

"Hanger-ons?" Jason repeated with a growl, "I'd say he's the hanger-on."

Peter glared at the Seeker as Mallory waited, foot tapping, for an explanation. Everyone looked at Peter expectantly, waiting for him to speak. He stared helplessly back at them unsure of what to do. Gingerly, the High King cleared his throat, his famed (infamous) confidence completely deserting him.

"Uhh… what's a Kraken?"

AAAAAA

Siren froze in her tracks, head snapping up as a frown crossed her delicate features.

"Siren?" Kage demanded.

Siren looked at the policeman, her mouth agape.

"They're here," she whispered frantically, "They're…"

"They?" Kage blinked, "I thought there was only one Saviour!!"  
"No…" Siren looked down the hall, "They… there's more of them. Such darkness and rage… by the Stars, they're going to kill each other!!"  
The girl swayed on the spot, Kage exclaiming as he reached out and steadied his companion.

"Siren?" Kage asked desperately.

Out of the four, Siren was the most frail, a curse from her power to see through the transparency of the present and into the future. But seering was always a dangerous gift any novice knew that. Living perpetually in two different time streams, never properly anchored in one, seers inevitably went mad or their bodies simply gave up, unable to cope with the strain of being constantly pulled from one timeline to another dozens of times a day. The oldest living seer on record had lived to measly thirty years old and the stronger the gift, the swifter and more terrifying the death.

"People coming," Siren whispered, eyes still closed.

Kage looked up as light glistened on metal. The scent of flowers wafted down the hall as the policeman froze, his hands instantly going to the gun at his belt.

"Bzzzzzzzzzzz!!!"

"Siren, you've got to stand up," Kage whispered urgently, "We've got company."

Wincing Siren leaned against the wall as she tried to stop the tremors running through her body. She gritted her teeth, trying to fight through the weakness that rolled through her. Slowly, she straightened turning to face the enemies coming down the hall.

"Kage, Siren," Phoebe said emotionless like a teacher calling out a role.

Beside her Lauren's robot clicked and buzzed, saws and drills probing the air as its fibre optic eyes alternately flashed from blue to red, sparking wires trailing behind the machine like a tail.

"The Saviour is here," Phoebe stated in a detached voice.

"I know," Siren whispered back.

"We will have to kill each other to get to him," the flower-wearing girl said again in the same cold, clinical tone.

"Of course," Siren answered sadly.

"Good," Phoebe held up her hands, "Let's start."

Kage fell into a fighter's stance, a thin blade in one hand, a gun in the other.

"Siren," the man snapped, "Take care of the robot."

Siren nodded as a cold smile curved Phoebe's lips.

"I can taste your fears," the girl whispered.

Sweat rolled down Kage's face as the robot clicked loudly.

"Come on," Lauren's voice wheedled, "Let's do this!!"

Black smoke boiled out of Phoebe's hands, surging towards Kage as Siren sucked in a deep breath.

Gears whirred as compartments opened in the robot. Sparks and smoke flew as the robots launched a barrage of mini-rockets at them, Kage cursed wildly as Siren let out a piercing scream.

"BOOM!"

A shimmering bubble of energy formed around them, the explosive slamming into the wall and detonating as Kage dashed forwards. Phoebe's cloud of smoke, twisted, tracking his movements as Kage's head swivelled to glare at the attack.

He blinked, a vein in his temple swelling as the smoke suddenly vanished. He blinked again and it suddenly reappeared, swarming around Phoebe as the girl let out a shrill cry.

"SHINK!"

Kage threw himself into a roll, a razor blade hitting the wall at the robot fired on him. He landed on his knees and his arm swung up, finger jerking on the trigger of his gun.

"BANG! BANG! BANG!"

"TING! TING! TING!"  
Gunfire boomed and bullets slammed into the robot's metal form, shaving sparks as the machine skittered backwards, unharmed. It righted itself, unleashing another barrage of explosives as Kage threw himself to the left, a burning hole blown into the wall as he rolled to his feet.

Down the hall, Siren's eyes were closed as she sung, her voice soaring high above the sounds of the explosion. Despite the danger he was in Kage couldn't help but admire the purity of his friend's voice, the fragile beauty that wove itself into every note she sung. She sang wordlessly, notes soaring and falling in a breath-taking display of vocals as the robot began shaking violently.

"Keep going!" Kage urged, backing away from the trembling machine.

Siren screamed the final note, her voice reaching a piercing whistle-like shrill as the robot gave a mechanical screech before invisible hands grabbed the thing's legs and ripped it bodily apart.

Siren fell backwards, gasping for breath as Kage turned.

"Impressive," Phoebe had dispelled her own smoke attack, looking slightly ruffled but otherwise unharmed.

A vent high up on the left wall was blown apart, the metal grate soaring through the air and smacking into the right wall as small red twinkling lights glowed in the gloom of the vent.

"More robots?" Kage swore.  
"Of course," Lauren's voice said from a hundred different speakers, echoing and overlapping over each other.

Small beetle-like robots crawled out of the vents in a swarm of plague-proportions, sliding to the ground as Kage raised his gun, Siren already humming a new tune.

"Let's kill them quickly," Phoebe said, "We still have to kill the Saviour."

The robots called out as one and swept towards Kage and Siren as black smoke poured from Phoebe's hands blanketing the whole hall.

AAAAAA

Mallory stared at Peter.

"You don't know?" she demanded, genuinely shocked.

Peter rubbed the back of his neck nervously as the psychic's face darkened.

"No, this must be wrong," she muttered, shaking her head, "You can't be the Saviour! But the prophesy… it fits you."

"Okay, before we starting playing getting to know you games," Inara cut in, "Who are you?"

Mallory turned and coolly looked at the girl, Inara bristling at the derogatory look she bent upon her.

"Mallory Hart, one of the Magi," Mallory said flatly, "Now again, who are you?"

"Susan Pevensie," Susan said stepping in, knowing from her friend's face she was about to stab the stranger, "The… uhh… Saviour… is my brother, Peter."

Inwardly she cringed at the pompous sounding title but then again Peter was known as High King Peter the Magnificent, Wolf-bane, the Lord of Cair Paravel, Emperor of the Lone Islands and so on and so on, so it seemed fitting somehow. But Peter wasn't jumping for joy at the new inclusion in his already long-winded title, he was just staring at Mallory in pure bewilderment.

A burst of malicious laughter made them turn. Dahlia climbed to her feet, the crystal spikes on her body glittering. She cracked her neck, the crystals continuing to grow as long spurs grew from her knuckles.

The Guardian statue had gone dead, the dark face once more closed eyes and lips.

"That's your Saviour?" Dahlia taunted, "A boy who has no idea what's going on? I'm terrified!"

White fire slammed into the woman sending her skidding across the floor as Mallory's head snapped towards the Seeker, the psychic staring at him in shock.

"You're Gifted!" she whispered.

Jason ignored her, white fire streaming down his arms to gather in his hands. Dahlia righted herself, snarling and cursing at him.

"Your voice is nasally," the Seeker said flatly as Dahlia screamed, crystal pointed exploded from her back, ripping her expensive jacket to shreds, "It annoys me."

Dahlia charged at them, her crystal-spiked voice tearing into the ground as Mallory raised her sword, readying to fight to the death.

"Protect the Saviour!!" Mallory yelled.

Jason looked at Peter and raised an eyebrow before whipping around, unsheathing his daggers. Mallory hit the ground, knocked down by a kick as Dahlia roared, punching down at the psychic with spiked hands.

"CLANG!"

Caspian's blade flew into the fist's path, deflecting the deadly blow as the Narnian king and Jason double-steamed the woman, daggers and sword a blur. They rained blows down on her, crystals forming and growing, a hardened armour suddenly coating the woman's skin.

Dahlia laughed, smashing her crystal-covered head into Caspian's. The king reeled back, clutching dazedly at his skull as he tasted blood in his mouth. Dahlia stabbed forwards but Jason's boot found her gut, knocking her back. He slashed down, chips of crystal hacked away from her body as Dahlia roared in fury. The cry turned in a scream as Jason slashed her in the chest, metal blade tearing a furrow through the crystals before throwing white fire into her face, dazzling her.

"JASON!!"

The Seeker turned as Susan slid smoothly into his place, her sceptre in hand. Dahlia looked up, blinking furiously to clear her vision, the scars in her crystal armour slowly healing as Susan glared at her.

"Nobody threatens my family," she whispered coldly.

She slammed the crystal end of her sceptre into Dahlia's gut. Blue light flared and the crystalline woman was hurled across the room, energy ripping through her. She crashed to the ground, broken shards of crystal flying as Susan slowly lowered her sceptre, breathing heavily, feeling light-headed from the energy that had just coursed through her. Smiling proudly, Jason waved his hand and a heavy statue crashed to the ground, pinning the blonde woman down.

"I am a good teacher!" he boasted at Susan as the queen rolled her eyes.

Elias was next to Caspian checking for signs of a concussion as Mallory slowly pulled herself to her feet.

"You… you're so powerful," she whispered staring at Jason and Susan in awe.

"No, you people are just weak," Jason grunted.

Susan smacked Jason with her sceptre before turning to the psychic.

"Can you please tell us what's going on here?" she demanded, her patience fraying, "What is this Saviour thing?"

"BANG!"  
The doors to the exhibition room burst open as Volkov charged in.

"Dratina!" he barked, "MALLORY – "

He trailed off seeing the strangers in the room.

"What… who are you?" he demanded, stopping.

Sparks gathered in his hands as Susan raised her sceptre, Jason's own power flaring as Zaru snarled, hackles raised.

"Volkov, stop!" Mallory commanded, "Dratina? Where is sh –"

Her words were drowned out as a thundering roar bounced into the room. The wall beside the doors bulged, a bony spike slamming through the marble. Another roar shook the room as the walls was blown apart, concrete crumbling as the dragon tore into the room, jaws snapping furiously.

Atop its head, Marduk stood, his eyes widening as he saw the downed Dahlia.

"More beasts?!" Zaru yelped, "Oh come on! This is not fair!!"

"GET BACK!" Volkov yelled, lightning crackling from his fingers.

Dratina recoiled, sparks searing her leathery hide as Marduk leapt from the dragon's head, dodging the barrage. He landed, raising his cutlass and charging at Volkov.

Mallory instantly dashed forwards, engaging the captain as they duelled furiously, swords clashing over and over again.

"What is with this place?" Susan demanded, looking frantically from the roaring dragon to the sword-wielding sea captain, "What is going on here?"

"Well, apparently Peter's like the second coming of Christ here," Inara snapped, raising Elias's crossbow.

She fired, the dragon roaring as an explosion tore at its neck. Jason's power surged in a sheet of white fire, slicing at the dragon's head as Susan pulled out her long-range weapon, her bow, and took aim.

"Caspian! Help Mallory!" she snapped, necessity shoving her distrust for the king aside.

Zaru and Caspian leapt forwards as Susan fired her arrow. Dratina shrieked, the silver arrow punching through thick scales and penetrating her flesh. Blood sprouted from the wound as the dragon's head whipped towards her, hot hatred in her eyes.

Susan coolly shot her again.

Lightning and white fire bashed into the dragon, washing over its scaled form, clinging burningly to it as Dratina screamed, rampaging in blind agony. Half the room collapsed as its tail smashed through walls and columns, everything lost in a deluge of dust and debris as the dragon's roar boomed achingly in their ears.

Blinded, Mallory staggered as Marduk howled in victory, slicing down with his cutlass.

"CLANG!"

Caspian blocked the blow, the captain recoiling from the shockwaves shooting up his arm. Zaru roared and leapt forwards, his teeth sinking into the man's arm. Marduk screamed in pain, blood dripping from Zaru's fangs as the captain punched him in the face, trying to knock the cat off.

Caspian swung, sword at neck's height as Marduk threw himself backwards, crashing to the ground, the blade just missing his throat.

A furious roar tore through the dusty air and light glimmered, streaking across the room.  
"PETER!!"

The High King threw himself to the side as razor shards of crystal missed him, shattering against the wall. Dahlia yowled in frustration, her crystal-crusted hands raised.

"JASON!!" Susan barked.

White fire slapped the woman back as the dragon whirled on them, wings slicing the air like razor blades. Lightning lanced through the dust-choked room, raining searing bolts down on the dragon as it shrieked, the stench of burst flesh punching them all in the nose.

It was unbridled mayhem, everything shadows in the dust, weapons and power flying from every corner of the room.

"MALLORY?! VOLKOV!?!" a fresh voice screamed.

The sound of metal clicking on stone punctuated the air as flashing blue-red lights suddenly emerged from the smoke like fireflies in the night.

"Where's the Saviour?" the small beetle-like robots demanded in one voice, "Where is he?"

Volkov cursed, lightning destroying the first row of robots but more spilled to fill in the gap, marching on in a swarming, squirming wave.

"Where is he?!" Lauren's voice demanded.

The beetle-robots reared, blue lights flickering to red.

"WATCH OUT!!" Elias barked, recognising the danger.

A veritable wall of razor-sharp needles harpooned the air in a rain of pain and death. Jason quickly slammed his power into place before him as the barrage met an invisible wall and bounced harmlessly away.

"What is with this place?!" Peter shouted, dagger clutched uselessly in his hands.

"Hey, you're the special one here!" Susan snapped, "You tell me!!"

A powerful scream rang out, glass shattering in its wake as some of the robots fizzled, small metal legs twitching violently before they slumped, dead and smoking.

Marduk hurled Zaru from him, the leopard twisting and landing easily on his feet as the captain rose, cutlass back in hand. Caspian lunged, engaging him as Mallory crawled to her feet.

"SIREN!!" she yelled back, "CLEAR THE SMOKE!"

A piercing note, a lilting soaring cry that rang in their ears instantly filled the room and the smoke instantly dissipated almost fleeing from the voice as Susan blinked at the tableau it revealed.

A young girl with trestles of smoky brown hair stood at the ruined door to the room, her hands clutched in front of her as the note continued to fly from her lips. An army of shining skittling robots rallied in the corner, buzzing and whirring to each other as Marduk and Caspian, traded ringing blows for ringing blows.

Dratina, the dragon, roared and stabbed at the singing girl with its spiked tail but Volkov, his bulky force towering over all of them, deflected the tail with a wall of crackling searing-blue lightning. The dragon recoiled, screeching in pain as Dahlia hurled more lethal shards of crystal at Peter.

"WHERE'S KAGE!?" Mallory demanded.

Susan and Jason started as a tall man with spiky black haired appeared beside them, seemingly emerging from thin air.

"GET US OUT OF HERE!!!" Mallory screamed.

Peter hurled his dagger at Dahlia, screaming in pain as his arms protested the violent move. The crystalline woman screeched as the blade slammed into her chest, crystals cracking and chipping as she staggered back.

"Hold on!!!" Kage yelled.

Almost as if by signal, Mallory, Volkov and Siren ran towards the rail-thin man as Susan and Jason looked at each other, confused and wary.

"GRAB ON!!" Mallory yelled at them, face frantic, "NOW!!!"

The panic in her voice forced Susan to make a snap decision. She gritted her teeth and turned with a snarl.  
"GUYS!!!" Susan bellowed.

Marduk charged at her swinging but Susan parried with her bow. The captain blinked in surprise as the metal and wood weapon managed to turn his sword away as Susan grinned. Her bow had been a gift from a god, from Artemis of the Hunt, no ordinary weapon.

"CRACK!"

Marduk fell as Susan smashed the hard silver bow against his face, knocking him down.

Inara fired another fire orb at the rampaging dragon, forcing it back as Elias hurled a smoke orb at Dahlia, cloying her with choking black smoke. The robots chattered and swarmed towards them, firing needles at them but Mallory's eyes flashed yellow and the needles instantly reversed directions, stabbing at their own shooters.

Zaru and Caspian rushed to them as Inara, Peter and Elias grabbed onto whoever was closest. It was like a bizarre group hug, everybody centred around the black-haired policeman.

Kage took a deep shuddering breath, face wane and sweating.

"You can do this," Siren whispered encouragingly.

The man smiled and looked at them all.

"Let's hope this works.'

He blinked and suddenly they were plunged into a realm of wind and sounds, images whizzing past in a blurring dazzle of colours and shifting forms. They fell and flew at the same time, travelled left and right, back and forwards, pulled by a hook in their bodies.

Green grass slammed into the faces and they were back in the real world, dusky sky overhead, solemn trees guarding the grassy field..

Susan instantly leapt from the pile of tangled bodies, arrow to bow.

"Where are we?" she spat dangerously, arrow pointed at Siren as the woman's eyes bulged.

Volkov instantly pointed at her, sparks at his fingers but Jason's dagger touched his throat, the Seeker's face deadly. Volkov turned to him, sparks flying in his hair but Jason raised a hand, white fire leaping between his fingers, eyes promising death. The ex-lieutenant snarled and slowly lowered his hands.

Mallory's arms were around Kage as the man vomited noisily on the ground, blood pouring from his nose. He was shaking, eyes threatening to flutter close as sharp, desperate crying breaths left his throat.

"Where are we?" Susan repeated, ignoring his pain.

"And what's a Saviour?!" Peter demanded frantically.

"Hello."

The two Pevensies whipped around and stared through round-rimmed glasses into a pair of kind grey eyes.

"I'm Gaspar Melchior," the man, primly dressed in a tailored suit said, "Headmaster of the Academy."

The strangers gaped at him, confused as Gaspar looked at them all, studying and dissecting them with intelligent eyes. He nodded as though they'd passed some silent test before turning away. He raised his hands and Susan jerked as twilight sparks hovered around his fingers. The leaf in the trees rustled as a wind from an unknown source swept the field.

Peter gasped a glowing symbols appeared in the air all around the field's edge, the runes pulsing with light as more and more appeared, overlapping until they formed a single solid wall. Gaspar whispered a word and the symbols winked out of site but static hung in the air, raising the hair on Peter's neck.

"Come," Gaspar urged, turning around, "We have much to talk about."

He walked briskly away as confused, the others slowly picked themselves up off the ground and followed.

AAAAAA

"Mallory Hart. Age: twenty-five. Powers: Telekinesis," Elias read, utterly absorbed into the files as he flicked through him, "Volkov Lei. Age: twenty-seven. Powers: electric generation and manipulation."

The psychic was leaning against the wall, her dark eyes staring out the window and down onto the lawn below. Volkov stood with military bearing, stiff-backed, hands clasped behind his back.

"Starla 'Siren' McCarthy. Age: twenty-three. Powers: sound manipulation and precognition," Elias continued before turning the final file, "Kage Nakamura. Age: twenty-six. Power: spatial manipulation and stealth."

He placed the files down with shaking hands, an irreverent look on his face. He looked in silence at the four Magi in the room. Mallory's dark eyes squarely meeting his as Elias blinked, trying to take it all in.

"Amazing," he breathed.

"What is going on here?" Susan asked, her voice deceptively mild.

Gaspar turned from the high window behind his desk and looked at the seven strangers in his office, his face carefully blank.

"Magi? Powers?" Susan continued in the same slightly interested voice, "Would you care to explain?"

"You're not from this world are you?" Gaspar said quietly.

Caspian and Jason's hands immediately flew to their weapons as Gaspar smiled at them.

"Don't worry, I'm not surprised," Gaspar sighed and moved to his towering bookshelf, extracting a thin battered volume, "The Saviour was never meant to be born of this world."

He sat back down at his desk. Susan couldn't help but notice the strange knick-knacks on the table – a chunk of crystal, a small shrivelled leather-face doll and vials of liquid that seemed to bubble and move with their own life.

"What's the Saviour?" Peter demanded flatly, blue eyes raking the tall headmaster, "And why do you people think I am this Saviour person?"

Gaspar looked over his glasses at Mallory and the psychic sighed, her winsome face despairing. Volkov was looking Peter up and down and sneered, obviously unimpressed.

"He shall come at the end of days," the psychic said slowly, the quiet in her voice more powerful than any dramatics, it lent a finality, an utter conviction to her words, "From the mouth of the Guardian and into this world. Crowned in gold and with the skies in his eyes, the King shall lead the loyal and drive a death blow into the belly of the Kraken."

"You came out of the Guardian," Gaspar said as if that proved a point.

"So did everyone else," Peter snapped, stubbornly.

Susan glanced at him, startled. It was unusual for Peter to bulk at things like these. If there ever was a challenge, an evil to be defeated, her brother would usually be at the front lines, armed and ready to fight to the death. She grimaced as she realised just how much the curse on his arms had changed him.

"But you were the first. And you fit the description," Kage said, cutting in, "Look boyo. Crowned in gold and the skies in his eyes. You're blonde and blue-eyed."

"So is Jason!" Peter growled, flaring.

"The King… are you a king?" Mallory asked, eyes piercing.

Peter whipped around and glared at her, not liking being interrogated from multiple directions.

"He is," Caspian said flatly, "The High King."

Gaspar nodded, smiling as Peter glared at Caspian, the rift between them still there. The High King had yet to forgive the Telmarine for risking Susan's life back in the world of the beasts. Strangely it seemed only Jason was willing to actually talk tot eh man, the others completely distrustful.

"There we go then," Gaspar said, finality in his voice.

"What is this Kraken?" Inara demanded, "Because all I'm thinking is giant calamari rings."

Siren gaped at the girl, amazed by her lack of fear as Kage beamed. Mallory frowned.  
"The Kraken is a great evil," Volkov snapped, not liking her sass, "And it is waking… again."

The tone in his voice made them all shiver even though they had no idea what he was talking about. Gaspar sighed.

"Maybe we should start from the beginning huh?" Gaspar reached out blindly behind, "This is what it's all about."

The seven travellers blinked as a thick book was pulled from place in its shelf, floating through the air before neatly landing in Gaspar's hands. The headmaster opened the book and unfurled a folded triptych. Elias sucked in a breath as the yellowed papers depicted a giant grotesque monster, long tentacles stretching across a city as buildings burned and people fled in terror, horror in their ink-etched faces.

"The Great Game has started," Gaspar said formally, "And the end of days are here."

AAAAAA

"I am not happy," Dahlia said coldly, crystal horns growing in a ridge above her eyes, her Gfit reacting to her anger, "The Magi have the Saviour. That puts us at a disadvantage."

She was standing at the head of a long mahogany table, its top polished to a high sheen. Her four companions sat at odd intervals along the table, various expressions on their faces.

"We have destroyed three of the Stones," Sid growled, "We have the advantage."

"Idiot," the blonde woman snapped, Sid glaring at her in reply, "You think that counts? The seers never lie. This Saviour will destroy the Kraken unless we stop him."

Dahlia's eyes stabbed him deep.

"Or were you too busy trying to talk to your precious little sister to notice that?" she spat, "Maybe I should kill her to keep your head in the game."

Sid flushed, slamming the table with his fist.

"You know why I joined you!" Sid snarled, red-faced "All this… this is for my sister! I've killed and destroyed for you… to protect her! She has immunity. You kill her and I'll kill you."

"I like to see you try," Dahlia hissed.

"So what's the plan?" Lauren cut in smoothly, not blinking an eye as Sid's eyes flared with naked hate.

The woman's hair had been dyed to a dark mauve, tied back in a severe bun. Paired with her no fuss business dress, it made the computer genius look like an efficient and ruthless mover and shaker.

"Simple, we will kill the Saviour."

"How?" Marduk barked, his cutlass resting across the business table, "The full protection of the Magi and the Academy will be around him. And need I remind you that Gaspar Melchior is a very powerful magician."

"Don't strain yourself," Dahlia said cruelly, "Leave the thinking to me."

Marduk snarled at her but held his tongue as Dahlia turned to the silent member at the table.

"Phoebe?" she demanded.

"I am sorry," the woman said, a hibiscus flower in her hair, "I failed you. I will punish myself."

"You do that," Dahlia agreed, "I'll talk to the boss."

Without waiting for a reply she turned around. Flinging the wide double doors open, Dahlia stormed out of the room, Sid glaring at her back. With crystals growing all over her skin, the woman strode through her opulent mansion, porcelain face grim. She stepped into an elevator and punched a complex series of buttons in the panel, the doors sliding shut as her expression darkened.

"Ding!"

The door slid open as Dahlia stepped out into a dark labyrinth of tunnels and catacombs, oily flaming torches lighting a little way ahead, the rest lost into the maws of darkness. She held out one hand, crystals forming in her palm as light glowed from the multi-faceted surface. Using that as her light, she strode fearlessly into the shadows.

"Please…" a frail voice moaned, "Help…"

She walked on as more voices joined the first, some whimpering, some whispering brokenly over and over again, wording the same helpless plea. Others cried and their sobs irritated Dahlia the most.

"Please…" a woman screamed, "HELP!!"  
Dahlia turned to look at her, the woman begging, her face a mask of criss-crossing raw slashes. Dahlia shuddered, repulsed by the woman's appearance.

"Please miss…" the scarred woman screamed, "Help."

Dahlia stared at her, nostrils flaring as she began to hyperventilate, skin crawling as she stared into the woman's deformed features.

"You're… you're…" Dahlia cursed, "You're so ugly!!"

Light flashed and the prisoners screamed, tearing at their chains as blood spurted from the woman's neck. She slumped, eyes wide in her mutilated face as Dahlia calmly flicked the blood from her crystal claws.

"Anyone else has any complaints?" Dahlia yelled out into the darkness.

Silence greeted her words as Dahlia smiled and marched on. She came to a set of natural stone stairs, descending elegantly before stopping at the bottom.

She looked up, her face terrified.

A sheer wall of semi-transparent crystal stretched from the floor of the cave to its overarching ceiling, the surface completely smooth and unblemished. The wall pulsed with a faint red light, throwing ghastly shadows through the cave as stalactites hung from the ceilings like fangs poised to impale their prey.

"Master," Dahlia dropped to her knees uncaring that the floor was scraping her princess white pants.

Something shifted in the red light. Dahlia recoiled, shuddering as a giant eye suddenly pressed up against the crystal wall, unblinking staring at the tiny woman bowing before him.

It was an angry eye, dark and inhuman, promising death and eternal torment.

'_YOU HAVE FAILED ME.'_

The voice did not speak, it shrieked with all the fury of a hurricane, battering forces tearing at Dahlia as she fought to keep her composure.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, bowing frantically, "I'm sorry master."

'_THE SAVIOUR IS HERE,' _the disembodied voice roared, wind and dust tearing at the woman's hair, _'YOU WERE MEANT TO KILL HIM.'_

Light flared as shapes flew at Dahlia, screeching and screaming, turning to smoke before they could touch the woman.

"I will! I will! I already have a plan!" Dahlia cried, her voice shrill, terrified.

'_YOU WILL KILL HIM,' _the voice paused, the huge demonic eye still trained on her, _'KNOW THIS DHALIA. ALL I HAVE GIVEN YOU CAN BE JUST AS EASILY TAKEN AWAY. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE MY WRATH.'_

"I won't. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Dahlia sobbed, slumping to the ground.

'_GO.'_

The eye disappeared form the wall as Dahlia crawled to her feet, cringing and scraping. As fast as she could she whirled and ran up the stairs as the crystal wall pulsed softly with light.

AAAAAA

"Nobody knows where the Kraken came from but it has existed for eons. When it first arose, it brought about a century of madness and destruction. Mankind itself was almost wiped out as the beast gorged itself on entire kingdoms, devouring whole countries," Gaspar said quietly, power in his deep voice, "It was unstoppable. Until those who knew magic and those gifted by the stars came together and waged war on the great beast."

"That war became the stuff of legends," Volkov said with relish.

Gaspar shot him a quelling look before turning back to his captivated audience. He turned the pages of the book showing new pictures, of men and women standing before the Kraken, fire and lightning flying from their fingers as corpses laid twisted and broken all around them amongst the shattered remnants of whole cities and kingdoms.

"Thousands perished but finally they managed to subdue the beast and seal it deep inside the earth behind a powerful barrier," Gaspar sighed, "The anchor of that spell was five mystical artefacts known collectively as the Lodestones."

The page turned again revealing an illustration of five round stones. Crudely drawn as they were, in rough jerky ink lines, there was a strange power that emanated from them, leaping out of the pages.

"So the Kraken's sealed?" Susan questioned, "It's trapped?"

"For most of the time yeah," Kage cut in, "But the Kraken's power wasn't fully suppressed."

Zaru huffed, tail twitching as the Magi looked at him, still suspicious of a talking leopard.  
"Of course," Zaru muttered, "The big bad monster always has to come back and bite you on the a –"

Susan jabbed him, cutting him off.

"It's influence spread, its power corrupting the very fabric of space and that's how the Great Game began… every century, five champions do battle against five controlled by the Kraken with the world as a the prize," Gaspar explained, "The Kraken's minions set out to destroy the Lodestones. If all five are destroyed, the barriers would fall and the Kraken will rise again. The five champions have to stop this from happening."

Elias blinked, taking in the headmaster's words, thoughts and ideas jumbling in his head like a kaleidoscope as he tried to make sense of it all.

"So, you four," Elias looked at Mallory, Kage, Siren and Volkov, "You are these champions?"

They nodded as one. Volkov's face burning with a fanatical light, Mallory's grim. Kage had a wide smile on his face as Siren nodded, self-conscious and blushing slightly.

"Isn't there meant to be a fifth?" Jason demanded.

Siren and Kage sucked in a breath, eyes darting towards Mallory as the psychic turned her eyes on the Seeker, the darkness of her eyes suddenly twin abysses of utter nothingness.

"He's gone," Mallory said in a very flat voice, "Dahlia murdered him."

An uncomfortable silence descended onto the room as everyone hardly dared to breathe. Mallory's face was blank, expressionless as she met Jason's eyes. Finally the Seeker looked away, breaking the moment.

"The woman at the museum?" Caspian asked gently.

Gaspar nodded, his eyes sad as he looked at Mallory.

"Dahlia, Lauren, Sid, Marduk and Phoebe. They are the Kraken's chosen," he said slowly, "Three of the Lodestones have been already destroyed and we are one solider down."

The Magi's face darkened as Gaspar swallowed a lump in his throat, the ornaments on his desk shaking as they reacted to his pain.

"It doesn't make sense," Elias said suddenly, "You said every century this has been happening. Surely all the Lodestones couldn't have survived all those battles."

Gaspar smiled, admiring the scientist's keen mind, already recognising a kindred spirit. He nodded.

"The Great Game has been happening for a hundred centuries," Gaspar replied as Elias watched him carefully, "Yes, Lodestones have been destroyed but as long as one remains at the end of the Game, it can spawn new ones over the next century until the set is made complete and the Great Game restarts. But if all five are destroyed before the Kraken's chosen are killed then… let's just say it's not a pleasant outcome."

"So how do I come into this?" Peter demanded, voicing the burning question in his mind.

"There was a prophesy from a very powerful seer centuries ago," Gaspar took up the tale once more," She predicted the coming of the Saviour in the very last Great Game. He alone would be the one with the power to destroy the Kraken once and for all. But if he failed, the Kraken will win."  
"So the fate of this whole world is resting on me?" Peter spat.

Gaspar nodded as Peter stiffened, his jaws dropping.

"Why me?!" the High King raged, "Look at me! I am useless! I can't even control my arms. I can't even pick up a sword I can't fight! How the hell do you expect me to defeat some ancient god-like evil?"

He glared at the headmaster, spitting furiously, demanding answers. Gaspar looked at him, his expression completely unchanged.

"I don't know," Gaspar said calmly, "But it's destiny. You can't fight against it. You are the Saviour, you are the one who will destroy the Kraken."  
Peter looked helplessly at him, stunned.

"You can't force him to do this!!" Susan protested, "What kind of – "

"I didn't make the prophecy," Gaspar said sharply, "But know this. The seer in question has never been wrong."

The queen flushed with anger.

"But why him?" Susan argued, "Why not anyone else? Why choose someone who can't fight and has no powers?"

Gaspar shrugged.

"The machinations are fate are beyond our control," he said softly, in words that were clearly meant to be comforting, "But whatever the case. It still stands, Peter is the only one who can destroy the Kraken."

"So… I'm the one huh?" Peter laughed, "Alone with my grand wonderful destiny!"

"You won't be alone," Inara said lowly, a vow in her voice.

Jason grunted as Susan squeezed her brother's hand, all of them promising the same thing. Zaru growled as Elias nodded resolutely, Gaspar raising an eyebrow impressed by their solidarity.

"Do you know where the other two Lodestones are?" Caspian asked suddenly.

The four Magi, the champions of the light, exchanged pointed look before shaking their heads.

"No," Gaspar said sadly, "We don't. In time the Lodestones will reveal themselves and all ten participants in the Great Game will converge on it."

"Why these ten?" Susan asked confused, "Why not anyone else?"

"Because the Lodestones will only suffer the touch of the chosen ten," Gaspar explained, "If I or anyone else touched them… we'll be instantly vaporised."

The seven companions stared at him.

"Huh. Good to know," Zaru coughed.

Gaspar sighed and closed his eyes, looking extremely old and tired.

"Come. It is late. You should rest. We can talk tomorrow," he rose to his feet, "There is still much to do and it will not do to rush it all tonight."

"What else is there to do?" Peter snapped, "Aside from going to war against a giant, land-destroying monster?"

Gaspar looked at him and grinned. Peter blinked as light glinted in the man's warm eyes.

"Well tomorrow your training will begin."  
Peter's eyes widened, his jaws dropping as Gaspar smiled at all of them.

"Siren. Lead them to the guest quarters," he pointed at the door and the knob twisted, swinging open on its own accord.

He smiling fatherly at them, "Have a good night."

Before they could protest they were herded out of the headmaster's office by the Magi, the door closing behind them. Peter turned to Siren, stunned.

"Training!?"

AAAAAA

A/N: I'm glad everyone enjoyed the last arc and the final battle that took place - I was aiming for a giant epic LOTR-esque battle and am glad it turned out as well as it hoped.

I'm currently trying to update every 2-3 weeks as university is seriously killing me but don't worry! I fully intend to see this thing through to the end.

So what can u expect from this world? Well, let's just say one thing - 'origins'. Cryptic eh?

And one final thing the Between the Worlds thing will most likely be postponed since I think i'm better off concentrating on the actually story itself not the side stuff. Just as a note of interested - the theme song i've chosen for this fic is 'End of All Hope' of Nightwish as the lyrics talk a lot about Susan's feelings before the story... but tell me what you think!!


	49. Birth of the darkness

New chapter!!!! New chapter!!!! Enjoy!!!

Disclaimer: blah, blah you know who is mine and you know who isn't so let's just get to the good part!

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 49: Birth of the darkness**

This was a cruel joke. The universe must be laughing at him.

Peter cursed, throwing his sheets off him as he stomped to the window. He stared up at the moon, trying to draw the calm of the night into himself.

"Saviour," he muttered disgusted.

He looked at his useless arms.

"Right… some Saviour," he snarled.

Ever since he'd been rescued from the vampires, Peter had been jealous. He didn't want to admit it, it was petty but he couldn't help but feel a little twinge of envy every time he saw the others turn to Susan for leadership. In Narnia, he had been the High King, the undisputed leader and that had been his duty, his role in the world. That had been stripped from him and a little bit of Peter couldn't help but wish for something, some grand destiny to elevate him against to the same dizzying heights.

And now he had it. He was the Saviour.

Peter snorted.

How? How could he save anything when he could barely go through a day without passing out from pain? How could he protect this world when he could barely protect himself?

He was furious, angry but most of all he was terrified. For the very first time in his life, Peter was staring at failure in the face. Guilt consumed him. He couldn't do this. How could he? But failing meant the loss of a million lives and a world to the darkness. He had to try but really… what was the point?

He pressed his feverish head against the cool glass and closed his eyes. A tear spilled down his cheek.

Peter scrubbed it angrily away, hating his weakness. Before, before his arms, before Siobhan he would've embraced this. Peter wished he could say he would've taken on the mantle for purely selfless reason, take the war up against the Kraken to save millions from death but a selfish, petty part of him would've wanted the glory. He would've used it to once again divide himself from the others, used it to distinguish himself, make himself important, snatch back of some of the grandeur he had as High King.

High King Peter the Magnficient, the Saviour. Peter snorted.

"Su was right," Peter whispered, "I was a pompous ass."

So what was Peter, the new Peter, the one with the useless arms, going to do? He was meant to destroy the Kraken, an ancient evil but the chances of victory were bleak, almost hopeless but what choice did he have? He had been chosen. He was the only one.

Peter suddenly felt very lonely.

"Go to sleep you idiot," Jason growled, appearing behind him.

"I'm sorry did I wake you up with my complete silence?" Peter shot back.

The Seeker glared at the High King. The two had only ever really bonded over their mutual desire to protect Susan. Peter resented Jason's lack of obedience to anyone else and the Seeker loathed Peter's arrogant assumption everyone would follow him blindly.

But Jason sensed something had changed in the boy. The curse had broken something in him, something that wasn't necessarily good. And (Jason sighed at this) against his will, the Seeker was actually slightly interested in Peter's welfare (but only very slightly).

"Go to sleep," Jason said roughly, "If you're are this Saviour person, you have a huge burden to carry…"  
"Thanks," Peter muttered sarcastically, "I wasn't aware of that."

"And you're crippled," Jason said flatly, smirking, "That's going to make it tougher. Which means you need to toughen up. I don't think this training deal's going to be easy so I advise you get some sleep and prepare yourself for the gruelling session tomorrow. Don't worry, I'll do my part to half kill you."

Peter grumbled and walked back to his feet. He crawled into his sheets as Jason rolled his eyes before turning back to his bed.

"Jason?"

"What?" the Seeker growled.

"Thanks."

"Shut up."

AAAAAA

"I knew you would come to see me," Mallory said without opening her eyes.

The psychic was nestled amongst the criss-crossing branches of a high tree in the Academy's yard, her darkly clad form almost lost in the night. Caspian walked up to her, throwing furtive glances over his shoulders as he pulled his coat tighter around him trying to ward off the cold.

"You read minds?" Caspian demanded without preamble.

Dark eyes glittered as she looked down at him, studying him curiously, head cocked to the side. Hidden amongst the leafs, she looked like a wild cat studying a mouse, judging if it was worth her bother to pounce.

"Yes," Mallory said flatly, "You want to know what's wrong with you."

Caspian started but recovered, nodding as Mallory's dark eyes watched him carefully. The king cleared his throat nervously, again wondering if he really wanted to know the answers.

"I…" Caspian stopped, "You know about the curse?"

"I picked up some impressions but nothing concrete," Mallory said calmly.

Caspian cringed, not wanting to speak the torment that haunted him but he needed to know.

"I loved someone," Caspian looked away, each word a torture in itself, "I love her with everything I had. Then something came and tore it all away. For a time I thought I felt nothing for her, that I was just numb. But… something's changing. Something's happening."

"You feel something?" Mallory prompted.

Caspian looked up at her, his dark eyes bleak as his mouth slowly shaped the words he dread to speak, afraid that just by saying them they will somehow come true.

"I feel hate," Caspian whispered, "I hate her. I look at her… and I loathe her."

He shuddered remembering the liquid hot rage that would choke him every time he even laid eyes on Susan. His body was revolt, his hands twitching as his mind… his mind would scream murder.

Caspian looked up at Mallory, scared, looking like a lost child.

"I look at her. And I want to kill her," he tasted those words, almost fascinated by them.

He was scared. Sometimes images would just flash into his head, images of a blood-splattered and wide blue eyes, of bloody hands and his laughter. There was a monster inside of him, a monster that wanted to put his hands around Susan's neck and just squeeze.

Caspian was shaking, the blood drained from his face.

"What's happening to me?" he whispered, horrified.

"I'm not too sure. It was a spell that was put on you,' Mallory gracefully leapt down from the tree landing before him, "I'm Gifted not magical."

"There's a difference?" Caspian demanded.

Mallory ignored his question deeming it below her to answer.

"From what I can see and hear… the spell was meant to completely hollow you. You were meant to never feel a thing for this person," Mallory looked at him thoughtfully, "But it didn't work. There was moments, right? Moments where you felt something."

Caspian nodded slowly, remembering those times when he would look at Susan and something would twinge. In Athens, in the hallway when their arms had brushed, for that one beautiful, ugly moment Caspian had looked at her and felt… something.

"The curse on you realised it couldn't succeed in erasing everything so it's changed. It's corrupting you," Mallory said calmly, "Hate will continue to fester until…"

Caspian's heart almost stopped as the breath froze in his lungs. His memories flashed back to the fight with the Gorgon's, to the moment when Susan's life had rested in Medusa's hands. Peter had screamed for them to stop but he had lunged anyway, knowing before he had lunged it was folly and that Susan could easily die. But he'd still done it and he had stood by and watched her turn die and felt nothing.

There had no guilt, no horror… just a deep sense of thwarted satisfaction when she had come back to life.

He was ghostly pale.  
"Until?" the words were wrenched forcefully from his lips as sweat rolled down his face.

"Until there comes a day you will not be able to stop yourself," Mallory said with cold finality, "And you will butcher her to pieces."

AAAAAA

"What do you think?"

Gaspar sighed, a complex contraption of crystals and metal set up before him as he peered into the depths of an emerald, adjusting dials and knobs as he went, his magic hovering around him in a cloud of sparkling twilight.

"I'm not too sure really," he confessed, not looking up.

Volkov grunted, the ex-army man obviously unhappy at the latest turn of events.

"I can't believe the Saviour. The one who's supposed to save us all is a cripple!" he snapped, "Is this some kind of joke?"

"Volkov!" Gaspar snapped, eyes flashing, "Language!"

A light bulb flared and burst as Gaspar froze, muttering under his breath. The ex-lieutenant who easily towered over the headmaster and could probably snap him in two without trying, flushed and closed his mouth. Gaspar huffed and slowly composed himself.

"I don't know," Gaspar looked at the ceiling, "He's definitely not magical… he could be Gifted."

"Luckily the next passing of the Ariel is in a few days," Volkov muttered.

Gaspar nodded at that, his eyes darting to a calendar attached to wall. A big red circle had been drawn around a date a week or so from now.

"Yes, luck… or fate," Gaspar sighed, "We'll just have to wait and see."  
Volkov grunted and turned to walk out of the office.

"Volkov."  
The blonde man turned to the headmaster.

"Try not to kill him tomorrow?" Gaspar smiled, "Goodnight."

Volkov merely grunted again before closing the door shut behind him.

AAAAAA

His name was Gavin and he was seven when he saw his parents burn to death. It had been random act of senseless violence, vandals or a firebug or a group of teenagers with too much time and not enough sense.

The police could never be sure what had happened but Gavin knew better. On that night he had been up, sitting by the window, eyes turned to the dark sky as he faithfully waited for Santa Claus to come.

His parents had died on Christmas Eve, a deliciously cruel joke that only a heartless, sadistic god could dream up.

So Gavin had sat by the window, hands clasped together almost in a prayer as he waited, each sound and movement in the night causing him to hold his breath in anticipation.

He jumped, his gasp loud in the silent house as something banged against his fence. Hardly daring to breathe, he pressed his face up against the glass, trying to see through the darkness.

"I'm telling you… she's hot!" a nasally voice cried, "You know that…"

The voice said a word that Gavin didn't understand but knew already was very, very rude. He frowned, shaking his head sadly as he realised there would be one person Santa Claus wouldn't visit that night.

"… that works at the café? She's always there in her tight shirt asking for it. I asked for her number and you know what she said?" the voice squawked, outraged.

Wordless murmurs were his only reply but the voice ploughed on.

"She told me she was married! That so typical of a dirty – " another rude word, "They tease you then put you down where you give them what they ask."

The voice was slurred, the boy obviously drunk.

"You know what we should do?" the boy demanded, spitting mad, alcohol doing most of the talking, "Let's teach her a lesson."

The voices had departed leaving Gavin in peace to watch the stars and wait for Santa Claus, waited to see his hero. But an hour they were back, first at the front of the house as metal clanged against concrete and liquid gurgled.

Gavin froze at the sudden sounds, looking uneasily over his shoulder as he wondered if he should tell his parents. But if they found out he was out of bed…

Gavin whimpered and kept still, hoping the strange sounds would go as he waited, staring blindly out into the darkness, the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree his only comfort.

The sounds reappeared from the back of the house and tears spilled down Gavin's face as he curled into a corner of the room, terrified.

"LET'S DO THIS!!!" the voice roared, cackling.

Light had instantly flared outside the house as smoke choked Gavin's nose. He coughed, blinded as fire raged, ringing the house and stabbing up into the sky with red and yellow claws.

"GAVIN!!!" his father roared from upstairs, "GAVIN?!?"  
His dad had burst into an empty room.

"GAVIN'S GONE!!" his father yelled.

"WHAT?!?" his mummy shouted back, "GAVIN!! HONEY!!"  
Gavin opened his mouth, trying to scream, trying to speak but smoke flooded his throat, sending him into a violent coughing throe that was drowned out by the hungry roar of the flames.

"GAVIN!!! GAVIN!!!"  
"BOOM!"

The window blew inwards, air and fire sucked into the room as the Christmas tree, the one that Gavin had meticulously decorated with his mummy was instantly set ablaze.  
"GAVIN?!?"

Shadows appeared in the fire, dark forms that floundered in the flames.  
"GAVIN!? GAVIN?!?"

"Mummy…" Gavin choked out, tears evaporating on his cheeks as the fire turned on him as though hearing his voice, "Daddy…"

Through the haze of red and yellow, he could just make out his mummy's beautiful slim form. He sucked in a deep breath, ash searing his lungs but he managed to just get enough to –

"MUMMY!!!"

"GAVIN!!!"

His dad was at the doorway, eyes wide with terror as he saw his son, his beloved child, surrounded by flames as the floorboards themselves smoked, lines of red smouldered between the individual planks.

"GAVIN!! STAY THERE! HONEY GET OUT!" his dad roared at his mummy.

Gavin was confused, the smoke was making him sleepy. He was so…

"GAVIN!!!"

Crazed with fear, his dad ran into the flames as his mummy screamed, following him. A burning chunk of floor crashed before them, sparks flying, embers leaping into their hair and clothes as mummy and dad screamed.

"Mummy… dad…"

"Gavin!!! GAVIN!!!"

They stumbled towards him, ablaze, clothes and flesh melting like wax as they reached for him with burning arms.

"Gavin…" his mummy whispered, tears in her eyes, reflecting the flames that devoured her.

Her long beautiful chestnut hair fell from her in burning streams. He remembered going with her down to her café, sitting at the counter, legs pumping the air as she went from customer to customer, laughing and taking their orders.

"Gavin."

His mummy fell to the ground, a charred motionless corpse as his dad tried one desperate lunge to get to him. Flaming hands touched him and Gavin screamed, batting him away.

"Gavin…"

His dad slumped, wide eyes staring at him, his whole body a ghoulish landscape of raw open red surrounded by rings of black. The stench of smoke and flesh smacked Gavin around, the boy slumping against the wall as he screamed and wept.

"Dad… wake up!!" he shook his father, "Dad!! Please!! SAVE US!! SOMEONE!!""  
The last thing Gavin remembered seeing was the angel he had placed on the tree just yesterday, squealing with glee as he sat on his father's shoulder. The tiny gold angel fluttered to the ground, her pretty white dress curling into blackened chars as her wings burnt to cinders. Her sweet face was melting into molten goo as Gavin passed out.

"Gavin…"

Susan opened her mouth, the smell of ash hovering around her like a ghost. Slowly she sat up, confused as memories that were not her own invaded her head. She clamped a hand to her mouth fighting the urge to vomit as she remembered all she had seen. Slowly she looked around at the small dorm room, blinking slowly as the demonic glow of fire continued to dance ghostly before her eyes.

"Gavin…" her cheeks felt wet.

She was weeping for a boy she didn't know. The Gentle Queen pressed a shaking hand against her wet cheeks as she stared out the window, completely bewildered.

AAAAAA

The children trooped into the room, talking noisily as some threw furtive glances at the stranger that sat in the back corner. They whispered amongst themselves behind hands, trying to seem surreptitious but being even more obvious in that way that all small children seemed to guilty of.

"Who's he?"

"Is he Ms. Hart's boyfriend?" one girl whispered gleefully.

As if on cue, the slim psychic stepped into the room, the class instantly falling silent as the woman, now dressed in a small neat dress turned to the gaggle of little boys and girls.

"Good morning class," she said easily, the door closing behind her with a shove of her mind.

"GOOD MORNING MS. HART!" the class chimed in as one.

Mallory smiled, her usual frigid nature swept away by the cheer and innocence of the children before her.

"As you can see we have a visitor today," she said warmly, "Please say good morning to Mr. Denton."

Elias blinked as piece of chalk suddenly moved on its own accord, writing out his name on the blackboard as Mallory stood with her back to it, talking to her class.

"GOOD MORNING MR. DENTON!"

Mallory clasped her hands before her as her dark eyes swept the room, Elias watching her carefully, a notepad before him.

"Mr. Denton is from very far away so he doesn't know what this Academy is about but I think so of you bright ones might be able to help him!"

Some of the children puffed themselves up, looking smug as Elias hid a smile, charmed.

"So can anyone tell me what we do at this school?"

A dozen hands instantly shot up.

"Caroline?"

A chubby-cheeked girl giggled and spoke in a high voice.

"The Balthazar Academy helps train the magical and the Gifted," the girl recited faithfully.

"Very good," Mallory smiled as Caroline clapped her hands, "And what's the difference between the magical and the Gifted?"

She said the words as though she'd said it a hundred times before. Again hands shot up, the children vying for their teacher's attention.

"Angus."

"The magical are born with their powers," Angus said solemnly, "The Gifted get their powers from the Ariel star."

"Fantastic," Mallory congratulated, "Anyone else have anything to add?"

A little girl almost flew out of her chair to answer.

"Jen?"

"Magic is more…" the girl frowned cutely, "Ge… ge… general?"

Mallory nodded and the girl smiled, joy on her face.

"Magic is more general," Jen repeated, "They can do spells and stuff. The Gifted only has… spe… spe…"  
"Specific powers," Mallory nodded, "Good job."

Jen sat down, her friends whispering congratulations to her as Mallory's eyes flicked to Elias who was listening in intently, fascinated.

"Those born with magic such as Mr. Melchior, the headmaster, can do spells and their magic is multi-purpose," Mallory said briskly, "But true magic is rare. Only one in a million have them."

The children grinned hearing the big number, feeling very grown-up as they understood what it meant.

"The Gifted is much more common. It doesn't appear until children are usually ten but can develop as late as thirteen. For reasons still unknown, the Gifted's powers seemed to be triggered by the arrival of the Ariel star every year," Mallory said in a lecturing voice, "Therefore every year, children gather at schools such as these waiting for the star to come."

She looked expectantly at her glass, hiding a smile as they all perked up, beaming at her.

"Starlight Day!" one girl squealed.

"Yes, Starlight Day. The Ariel star streaks across our atmosphere and in its wake, powers are woken. Specially trained mages then move amongst the children, picking out those who are Gifted," Mallory explained, "As Jen said the Gifted powers are much more specific. For example Ms. McCarthy can only use her powers with her voice. Mr. Lei can only produce electricity."

Elias sucked in a breath, scribbling notes onto his pad as he listened, his curiosity triggered as Mallory continued to talk.

"Nowadays the children with powers are taken to schools and taught to control them. But in the old days, the Gifted weren't treated very nicely. People were scared of them and they did bad things," Mallory said quietly.

She looked at the Elias and the scientist nodded, questions ringing in his head as he absorbed what he'd just heard.

"Good," Mallory smiled, "Now! The twelve times table!"

AAAAAA

A timid knock made Peter looked up. He frowned.

"Come in!" he called.

The door was pushed open and Siren stepped into the room carefully.

"You've come to take me to this training?" Peter demanded, "I've been waiting all morning!"

He was nauseous with nerves but stubbornly refused to show it, using anger and annoyance as a façade.

"No, not exactly," Siren hedged.

She looked at him and her eyes instantly darted away as Peter frowned, confused.

"So what are you doing here?" he asked curiously.

"I…" a blush crawled across Siren's face, "I've come to see your arms."

Peter froze. Did she… hope flared but icy realism instantly doused out the wild fire. No, it couldn't be happening. This was a joke, a cruel joke. It wasn't real. It wasn't true… it couldn't be.

Not wanting to suffer the agony of hoping, Peter took refuge in anger.

"What about them?" he said icily.

Siren flinched at his words, pain spreading across her face but she took a deep breath, steeling herself. Her soft brown eyes found his.

"I think… I can help," Siren said.

Silence met her words and she flushed deeply.

"I mean… I'm a healer… of sorts," she rambled trying to fill the silence, "I think I can help."

Hope burned in him as her words echoed in his head. He felt weak, breathless as he finally heard the words he'd been desperate to hear for so very long.

"Really?" Peter's voice was a whisper, his breath catching in his throat as he hardly dared to move, afraid to ruin this moment, afraid to wake up and realise it was all just a cruel dream.

Siren sighed, nervously playing with the ends of her hair.

"I'm not sure I can' fix them… but I might be able to do something…"

Siren trailed off, still unable to meet his eyes. Peter touched her arm making her look at him. His eyes were open, shorn of all barriers, naked hope and desperation in those blue depths. Siren stared back, mesmerised.

"Please," Peter begged, "Do."

He thrust his arms at them and Siren finally looked at them. She sucked in a breath, shocked as she saw the red open sores on them, the bulging black veins and the peeling skin. A tremor ran through them and Peter grimaced, a groan leaving his throat.

"You must be suffering," she whispered as Peter remained silent, staring at her, "You must be really brave to keep going like this."

She looked at him earnestly, wide doe eyes looking into his. Peter felt heat crawl up his neck.

"Not really," he fumbled, "I…"

Siren clasped his wrists lightly and Peter froze, feeling a pleasant tingle running up his arm.

"Keep quiet," she whispered.

She opened her mouth and Peter was instantly captivated as a lilting tune left her lips, the brown-skinned woman easily weaving a song out the simple melody, adding tempo and a bounce to it. She sang, the words alien to Peter but he simply sat and listened, mesmerised as he was vaguely aware of an itch running up his arms.

Siren licked her lips and continued to sing, the song swelling to a dramatic climax as her voice soared highly, the notes leaping from her throat as Peter watched in a daze.

Abruptly she stopped and Peter blinked.

"It's worked," Siren whispered grinning.

Peter looked slowly down at his arms. Where before there had been ugly, ruined flesh there was now smooth pale skin. The sores, the flakes of flapping skin, it was all gone.

Stunned, Peter slowly clenched his fists. He grunted. He could still feel the weakness in them, he still didn't have his strength back but this, this was better then the constant pain from the opened wounds that stubbornly refused to heal.

Black varicose veins still zigzagged his skin and Peter cringed as his arms convulsed but it did so with only the faintest echo of the agony from before.

"I can't fix it completely," Siren whispered, softly, "But at least you won't always been in pain and in danger of an infection right?"

Peter looked at her, amazed. Everyone had told him to keep hoping. That there would be something in another world, some way to cure him but even though he dreamed, he didn't dare hope. Hoping lead to crushing disappointment and on top of everything else that was something he couldn't deal with.

"I… I… thank you," he breathed.

Surprising the woman, he threw his arms around her and hugged her tightly. Siren instantly melted against him.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"Hey, Peter!"

The door swung open and Peter leapt back, startled as Inara blinked at them.

"Uhh…"

Siren and Peter stared at her as Inara stared back, blushing slightly.

"Bad timing. Don't worry about it," she said quickly, "Have fun!"

Smiling brightly at them, Inara withdrew from the room, closing the door shut as Peter and Siren looked at each other and burst out laughing.

AAAAAA

Susan sighed, rubbing her temples as the crowd around her cheered wildly.

"This is stupid," she muttered, disgusted.

She did not need to deal with this. She was scared, terrified for her brother, wanting so much to protect him from these crazy people who was so gung-ho on him having to face some ancient evil alone. She wanted to grab him and take him somewhere safe but sadly she knew her brother, she knew Peter would not run away no matter the mammoth probability of him dying.

"It's cool!!" Zaru cheered, swept up by the crowd.

Susan glared at him. Her blue eyes flicked back to the centre of the gym as the crowd roared again.

Jason and Volkov slammed into each other, muscles bulging as they tried to physically wrestle the other into submission. Volkov was by far the taller and bulkier of the two but Jason was swifter. The towering blonde man had also been trained in the military, used to weapons and teamwork rather than one-to-one unarmed combat, something that Jason was an expert and ruthlessly efficient at.

"SMACK!"

Jason staggered back reeling from a punch to the face as Susan winced. But that didn't meant Volkov was helpless either.

The group of teenagers cheered, looking excitedly at each other and the two brawling men as Jason righted himself, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Volkov charged, left arm swinging as Jason twisted, dodging the blow. The lightning man jabbed with his right and Jason spun, the arm shooting past him. In a move too fast to see, Jason trapped Volkov's outstretched arm, using his own arm and side to pincer his opponent's.

Volkov roared, struggling as Jason punched him in the face, the militant's head snapping back. Jason spun, building momentum before ploughing into Volkov with a powerful kick to the chest.

"Sir!" some of the teenagers cried out in horror as Volkov stumbled back, reeling.

Jason smiled and waited as Volkov righted himself, snarling in fury. The Magi charged, bulldozing into the Seeker before he could react.

The crowd cheered as Jason was dumped to the ground but the Seeker spun, leg-sweeping Volkov down with him.

"HIT HIM!!" Zaru barked excitedly, "HIT HIM!!!"

"Zaru!" Susan scolded.

Zaru shrugged as across the room Kage yelled the same thing only to the other person. Susan rolled her eyes.

A flash of movement from the second floor balcony overlooking the gym made her look up. Susan frowned as she caught a glimpse of familiar brown hair.

"Inara?"  
She took a step forwards but was distracted as the crowd screamed. She looked back just in time to see Jason smash Volkov in the face with a double-handed blow.

The blonde Magi swayed, eyes blinking before he toppled to his side, the crowd cheering and booing in equal turns.

Susan sighed exasperatedly and went to check on and yell at Jason.

AAAAAA

Inara turned away the fight unable to watch anymore. Once a upon a time she would've been the one down there, trading blow for blow as the crowd screamed their approval. She smiled as she remembered Ox and the Torans, her grin quickly dropped as she remembered what had happened to them.

Seeing the fight now, it just reminded her of how much she'd lost, of what she wasn't anymore. She wasn't a warrior, she was barely a novice taking stumbling baby steps forwards at best.

Hot jealousy gripped her and Inara stumbled, gasping. Irrational hatred tore through her. She hated the others, she realised slowly, hated the fact they knew their purpose, they knew what to do with themselves. And what was she now? What was her role in the scheme of things?

Everybody had their place. Susan was the leader, Zaru was her guardian, the nose and eyes of the group. Elias was the brains, Jason was the fighter and the one with the powers. Hell even Caspian had his place as the sometimes gunman and swordsman. Peter had his knowledge, his ability to lead on the field.

And her?

Inara shook herself, growling under her breath.

"Stop it!" she snarled at herself, "You're still alive, you still have your friends and you're still the goddamn hottest person around! Things could be worse so why don't you stop being so bloody broody and get on with your life!"

She rounded the corner and reeled back almost running straight into someone. Caspian glared at her, his eyes bloodshot and bleak.

"Whoa... someone needs sleep," Inara noted dryly.

"Get out of my way!" Caspian snapped.

Mallory's words looped endlessly in his mind, the bleak surety in her eyes gnawing away at him. Horrible visions flashed in his mind, Susan's neck caught tight in his hands, his fingers digging into her flesh, her voice strangled, begging. And... and... and... Aslan help him, a part of him _wanted_ it.

Inara flinched but she swiftly recovered, eyes narrowing.

"What the hell crawled up you a – " she began heatedly.

And all of that confusion and guilt twisted into anger and Caspian was suddenly a lightning bolt that needed grounding, a fury that needed someone to punish.

"Don't you have some training to do?" he spat, venom dripping from his voice, "Amateur."

Inara blanched but she quickly rallied, her own tongue razor sharp. Her own anger sparked and the two were suddenly turning on each other, shoulders squared, standing as though rearing for a fight.

"And don't you have a certain queen to almost kill?" she shot back, "Is that what you're doing back here? Running from Jason? Because I think Cowboy wanted to gut you for what you did."

"Why don't you do it?" Caspian mocked, arms outstretched, inviting her to attack, "Or are you too pathetic to even do that?"

Inara threw herself at him as Caspian laughed, allowing her to hit him. He welcomed it. He deserved to be punished for what he did, deserved to be killed for what he would do.

Inara struck him straight in the mouth and both of them bleed.

"INARA!"

Kage lunged forwards and grabbed the girl, dragging her away from Caspian as Susan glared at the two of them.

"What the hell is wrong with you two?!" she snarled, furious.

Caspian stared at her face, flushed in anger but still breathtakingly beautiful. Caspian flinched as he thought of those blue eyes, wide and blank in death.

"GET AWAY FOR ME!" he spat.

Susan blinked, surprised.

"Caspian what the hell – "

She yelped as the king shoved her aside. Kage growled and moved to block him but Susan threw out a hand, stopping him. The three of them watched as Caspian stormed off.

"Bastard," Kage muttered.

Susan looked at Inara, helpless.

"What the..."

"I don't know," Inara growled, "I really don't know."

AAAAAA

"So the first thing we're going to work on…" Kage smiled toothily as Peter tensed, not liking the smile, "Is…"

Dramatically he flourished a set of knives. Peter rolled his eyes. The two of them were standing inside one of the Academy's training rooms, the floor and walls were padded, a row of training dummies lined up across the room.

"I know how to handle weapons," he growled.

"Of course you do but…"

In the blink of an eye, Kage had sent one of the blades spinning through the air. Peter didn't even flinch as the knife sliced past him, slamming into a training dummy. He merely crossed his arms, complete boredom on his face. The dummy let out a small squeal, its arms flailing, trying to pull the dagger from its body as Kage pouted a little.

"We're here to work on agility," the policeman announced as the dummy slumped, resigned.

Peter raised a brow.  
"Agility?"

"Well, you can't fight… not with those arms," Kage said thoughtfully.

Peter bristled, old fears and unease running through him as his half-healed arms twitched.

"Thank you," he snapped as Kage smiled lazily.

"So, if you can fight, you can run…"

Peter glared at him unimpressed. He expected something much more than this!! They wanted him to kill a monster? Well, they needed to give him something to work with!

"And how is running going to help kill this Kraken?" Peter demanded.

He looked at the policeman.

"I still don't know why you think I'm this Saviour person," the High King said, "Look at me! Do I look like I can save anyone? Do I looked like the hero of the world?! I can't use my arms! Stop deluding yourselves, I am not the Saviour!"

Kage shrugged casually, unruffled at his outburst.

"Maybe, maybe not but I know this…" Kage smirked, "DODGE!"

And the first blade was sent flying at Peter.

AAAAAA

Susan turned in her sleep and frowned as fresh images flittered softly into her head on butterfly wings. It came to her in a rush of images and sound, of words and thoughts, of emotions and opinions all binding together in a chaotic mess that somehow, in some strange alien way made sense to her.

"Gavin…" she murmured, still asleep.

Gavin had been thirteen when his best friend was killed. His teacher at the orphanage had come to him, almost apologetic.

"I'm sorry, Gavin but you're excused from class," the teacher looked down at the solemn scrawny boy sadly, "The police want to talk to you."

Gavin had first met Sally when he first came to the orphanage, still in shock, still soot-streaked and smelling of charred wood and flesh. The precocious girl, a sunlit flower amongst the dank concrete of the orphanage, had strode up to him fearlessly whilst the others had hung back, unnerved by the haunted look in his gaunt face.

"I'm Sally," the little girl had stuck out her hand.

Gavin had been so shocked that he had grabbed it. Sally shook it vigorously, warm brown eyes glowing.

"Now we're friends," Sally beamed.

They had been inseparable from that moment on. Always in trouble for whispering in class or passing notes or generally doing everything the teacher expressively told them not to do. Sally instinctively knew how to deal with the dark moods that sometimes overtook him as memories of his parents flooded his head. She would always know the right things to say, the right things to do to pull him out of it.

On his part, Gavin protected Sally. He'd punch Anthony when he had mocked the girl about her new haircut, he'd defended her against the harpies of the playground, the terrible trio of Tracey, Jane and Michelle.

They were best friends, each other's rock, each other's harbour. And when Gavin thought of the future the only thing he could see was her. It sounded a bit pretentious coming from a thirteen year old but that was Gavin, older then his time, wiser then his peers, passionate in everything he did.

But on that morning, Gavin had merely walked into the foyer of the orphanage confused. He never did find out who on earth had authorised a thirteen-year-old boy to go to the morgue and stare at the body of his best friend. He never found out who had allowed him to stand under the glare of the flicking fluorescent light, stand amongst a tiled room with the smell of blood clinging to him as she was brought out on a metal slab.

Sally looked peaceful. Paler than normal but no different than when she was asleep. Her face was serene, lips tinged blue, lank hair fanned out around her. She was plain looking, pretty at best but to Gavin she was beautiful, an angel torn from the heavens themselves.

"Sally…"

The blood-spots on the starched white sheets pulled up around her body were enough to make him fall to his knees and weep brokenly as the uncaring coroner looked on.

He found out later she'd been killed walking back from the bus stop. They weren't technically allowed to leave the orphanage at all but the carers rarely enforced that rule allowing the older children to go as they please.

She had been happily strolling back from the bus stop, a magazine clutched in her hands and a homeless man had murdered her for the five dollars in her pocket.

Five dollars. Gavin could never really believe that. The death of his friend, of the one person he loved for five dollars.

The cruel gods that had killed his parents on Christmas Eve struck again that night. That night, Ariel's star passed the earth again, light blazing in its wake as it streaked across the dark sky.

That night, Gavin had looked up from his sleepless vigil by Sally's empty orphanage bed, sweat-soaked and confused, unsure of what that strange feeling inside his chest was.

That night, a woman came to the orphanage and took him away, telling him he had been chosen for the Great Game.

That night Gavin wondered what was wrong with the world.

"SUSAN!"

Susan shot up. Zaru beamed at her, completely unperturbed as Susan glared at him. She was trembling, mourning a girl she would never meet. Zaru didn't seem to notice her tears.

"DINNER TIME!!"

AAAAAA

"You look like hell."

"You look like someone punched you in the face," Susan snapped, "Oh that's right! Somebody did!"

She glared at Jason, still vastly unhappy at the fight he'd had with Volkov. The Seeker shrugged, several teenager girls watching him dreamily as he sat down.

"He asked for it."

"We are here to fight a darkness and to do that we need allies not enemies!" Susan snapped.

Jason held out his hands as Volkov strolled by. The blonde Magi casually slapped his palm in a high-five before marching past. Jason smiled smugly at Susan.

"We've bonded."

"Argh! Men!" Susan groaned, stabbing at her plate.

After dragging Caspian and Inara apart Susan had been exhausted, sick of dealing with everything that had been heaped on her shoulders. But her nap had done little to help her, the dreams tormenting her with their half-meanings and ambiguity.

"Viola," Susan muttered, grinding her teeth as she wondered what game the goddess had dreamt up of now.

Food splattered her pants and Susan glared down at Zaru as he noisily and messily worked his way through a bowl of food. She sighed and poked at her food, the thought of eating sickening her.

Caspian lingered in her mind, the rage in his eyes frightening her. She had to confront him, had to know what the hell was going on in his head but she hesitated, not knowing how to start, what to do.

Chair scraped against floor and the sound snapped Susan from her thoughts. She looked up as Elias sat down, a pile of books in his hands.

"This is fascinating," he breathed, "The Gifted. All these powers…"

On the opposite side of the cafeteria, students leapt back, crying out in alarm as sparks flew high up in the air, the result of a botched magical experiment. Mallory instantly descended on them, the magical flare dying as she snapped at the students, her voice ice-cold.

Susan smiled and looked at her three companions. It had been a long time since they just sat around and talked without some new battle or monster to worry about. She missed these times, those simple moments when they just sat and talked, teasing and bickering.

Those moments had been sorely lacking of late, Susan realised. Her own world had been a non-stop disaster, all of them lurching from one crisis to another. The last one hadn't been easier either, the thought of Echidna's children hovering over their thoughts every second of the day.

Susan sighed. And things hadn't exactly been easy between them either. She had isolated herself, struggling to deal with Caspian whilst her brother had to deal with the consequences of Siobhan's curse. And Inara…

Susan blinked, remembering the last time she had seen her, hands bloodied, screaming and raging against Caspian. Worry stabbed her.

"Where's Inara?"

AAAAAA

Peter slumped to the ground, exhausted, his legs burning as Kage smiled at him.

"Not bad."

Peter shot him a withering glare. Blades peppered the walls, Peter bleeding from a thin cut on his cheek.

"You're fast," Kage noted.

"I was a king of a country constantly under threat," Peter growled, trying to push himself off the ground.

His arms gave out as Peter growled in frustration but the usual surge of fiery pain was absent. Slowly he rolled to his legs, his shirt plastered to his skin.

"Well, this is going to make things easier," Kage noted.

"What exactly is the Saviour meant to do?" Peter asked.

Kage blinked.

"Did you listen to Mallory? You're meant to kill…"  
"Yeah, I know that," Peter cut in, "But how? I mean isn't the Kraken trapped? Why do I have to kill it? Unless…"  
He had been thinking of this very dilemma the whole day. And every possible answer he could think of was very unpleasant. Kage gaped, blanching as he realised what the High King was trying to say.

"The Kraken is free," Kage whispered.  
Peter nodded, eyes darkening as he dredged up all he'd been told about the monster. If the prophecy was right (something which Peter highly doubted), he had to destroy the beast but that would only be needed if the Kraken broke free… which meant the Magi had to lose.

"Oh," Kage said in a hushed voice, "I never thought of that."

Peter shrugged as the door to the room swung open. Siren stepped in, a gentle smile on her face.

"Boys," she said softly, "It's time for dinn–"

She stopped, blinking as she sat the cut on Peter's cheek.

"Kage!" Siren scolded like a displeased mother, "You weren't meant to hurt him!"

Kage yelped, arms raised.

"It was his fault he didn't dodge it in time!" Kage protested.

Siren stalked towards Peter as the High King held out his arms trying to fend her off.

"Look, I'm fine," Peter said quickly, "I…"

Siren closed her eyes and hummed a little note. Peter flinched as the cut on his face instantly closed itself. He touched his healed cheek in astonishment, still amazed by this woman's abilities as she turned, glaring at Kage.

"It's dinner time," she said briskly, in a tone completely different from the soft one she always used on him, "Come on."

She flowed out of the room as Kage sighed, scratching his hair as she slammed the door shut behind her. Peter watched her go, still enthralled by her abilities. Kage sighed and the sound broke the silence in the room.

"Come on Peter," Kage grinned, the seriousness of before completely eradicated, "Grubs on."

AAAAAA

Jason pushed the door open and grunted in surprise.

"So this is where you've been all day Pretty Boy," the Seeker muttered.

Caspian looked at him and Jason blinked, startled at the bleakness in the king's eyes. He had been looking for Inara, randomly checking classrooms as he wandered through the school, grumbling under his breath about feather-brain idiots. In an empty classroom on the third floor, doors closed and blinds shaded, he had found the Telmarine, sitting alone on a desktop and staring moodily at the blackboard, his sword held lightly in his hands.

Caspian let out a long sigh as if he was trying to expel all the darkness in his thoughts with one breath.

"Have you seen Inara?" Jason asked.

Shame flooded through Caspian at the way he had needled her, hurt her. He knew he should find the girl and apologise but all that seemed to pale with what he was struggling with.

Susan… he was going to kill Susan.

Caspian could literally feel the darkness and madness inside of him, a caged beast that shrieked and screamed, battering at his sanity. All the numbness in him, the apathy that he held towards the queen was melting away, turning into a fuel that fed the hate.

He was shaking, wrestling with himself, torn. He needed to tell the others, warn them, he needed to throw himself off a cliff but something inside of him, something insidious and poisonous held his tongue and froze his muscles.

Caspian screamed but his mouth stayed shut as his lips curled against his will. He was helpless, bound inside his own body as his treacherous mouth opened.

"No," he said easily, his tone betraying none of the turmoil inside of him.

_'No. NO! NO!!'_ Caspian raged and a voice inside of him laughed, mocking him.

'_JASON!!!' _he screamed in his head, desperately, trying to work his mouth.

But they remained stubbornly close as Caspian raged, throwing himself at an invisible cage that held him captive.

'_JASON!!!!'_

"What are you doing here?" Jason demanded, suspiciously, hands on his daggers.

'_Yes! Be suspicious. JASON!! LISTEN TO ME!!! SUSAN'S IN DANGER!!!'_

It hit him like a physical blow, Caspian screaming inside as everything he felt for the queen, the love, the adoration, the history, it all came rushing back filling the emptiness with the force of a tsunami. If he had control of his body, he would've staggered. He would've wept and grinned and screamed and laughed all at the same time. He would've shoved Jason aside and ran to Susan, sweep her up and his arms and kiss –

Instead a wry smile crossed his lips and he scratched his hand, looking sheepish, his face betraying none of his inner torment.

"Susan… I just can't be around her," his voice broke at exactly the right place, the right amount of pain in his eyes, "Please don't tell her."

He looked earnestly at the Seeker and Jason sighed, hands moving away from his daggers. Caspian watched with horror as the man relaxed slowly.

_'NO!!! JASON!!!'_

"You think I want to hurt her?" Jason muttered darkly, "Like you did?"

Caspian tried to move his fingers, tried to move a single muscle in his body, tried to twitch, tried anything to warn Jason but nothing, absolutely nothing obeyed his will. He could only watch on in horror as he spoke again.

"I… I'm sorry," he whispered.

He looked up at the Seeker. Caspian tried to widen his eyes, tried to show Jason what was happening but he was bound, helpless, an observer in this deadly game.

"I'm sorry," Caspian said softly, "I never meant for any of this to happen."

Jason shifted, uncomfortable with the naked feelings on Caspian's face. The true Caspian screamed, trying to fight but invisible chains grabbed him, spikes driving through his flesh pinning him down as despair mounted threatening to crush him.

"Don't blame yourself," Jason muttered, "It's not your fault."  
Caspian smiled, his dark face lighting up.

"Thank you," he whispered.

The Seeker muttered something under his breath and quickly turned away, closing the door shut before him as Caspian smiled cruelly.

'_NO!!!' _the real Caspian screamed at himself, _'WHO ARE YOU?!'_

"I am you," Caspian smirked.

He looked at the window, checking his reflection as he adjusted his hair.

'_GET OUT OF MY BODY!!!' _Caspian screamed throwing himself at a barrier he could not hope to breach.

"Now, let's getting something to eat," the thing in control of Caspian smiled.

Laughing at the true Caspian, the king walked out of the room, whistling as he went.

AAAAAA

Zaru butted the door open and slid in to the room.

"BAM! BAM! BAM!!!"

A look of fierce concentration contorted Inara's face as she slammed her fist over and over again into the punching bag, uncaring that the bag was now smeared with her own blood.

"Kitty," Inara said stepping back.

Her hands hung loosely at her side, bruised and bloodied, blisters forming as flaps of skin hung from open sores. Zaru stared at her, bewildered.

"Uhhh… 'Nara?" he tried.

Inara raised her battered hands and swung at the punching bag again, not even wincing as raw flesh hit leather.

"What?" Inara snapped.

Caspian's mocking words needled at her, the king brutally reminding her once more what she had lost.

Inara clenched her fists and teeth.

No matter what... she would get it back.

Zaru blinked, the leopard frantically trying to work out what was going on here. At heart he was still a cat, still very unused to the strange dark moods that sometimes overtook humans. Inwardly he sighed. Why were humans so unnecessarily complicated?

His nose twitched, taking in the scents of blood and acrid sweat, frowning as he detected tears and beyond that a complex bouquet of bitter emotions. He sniffed again. Sadness, rage and loathing were broiled together in a confusing, jarring mix of smells like sickly sweet rot and burnt hair. But through it all shot the slightly acidic corrosive tang of jealousy.

"Did you hit your head or something?" Zaru tried to lighten the atmosphere as inwardly he shifted uncomfortably, eyes darting to the door as he wished for one of the others to walk in.

"Did you want something?" Inara snarled.

"Not in particular... no."  
"Then leave," Inara said flatly, "I have work to do."  
And turning her back on him Inara swung once more at the punching bag, Zaru watching her helplessly.

AAAAAA

Gavin was twenty when the Great Game began. He was twenty-one when it ended. Twenty-one when all those he called allies and friends were killed before his eyes.

It happened in a marketplace.

"STOP!" Gavin roared.

The woman before him froze, eyes widen with horror as her upraised hands trembled. She tried to move, tried to attack this boy before her but every muscle in her body was frozen.

Gavin grabbed her face between his hands and concentrated, frowning. The woman suddenly screamed, writhing as white power burned between Gavin's fingers. With a grunt, he staggered backwards as the woman fell, red handprints burnt onto her face.

"What…" the woman gaped at him.

Gavin smiled and held up his hands. A small blue fireball gathered in his palm.

"I stole your Gift," Gavin whispered, "Looks like the Kraken just lost a minion."

"NO!!!" the woman screamed, throwing herself at him.

A wild wind swept through the area, a grey whirling funnel slamming into Gavin's attacker and sending her flying.

"Gavin!"

Winona was tall and beautiful, the usual sternness in her features melting at the sight of the youngest member of her team.

"Are you okay?" she demanded.

Gavin smiled, joy in his eyes despite the destruction all around.

"I'm fine," he beamed.

Winona nodded and as one they turned and faced the scene around them. People were screaming, fleeing the fight as ice and rocks flew through the air, a sprawling forest of writhing thorns sprouted in one corner of the market, lashing indiscriminately at all who dared to near.

Gavin froze, fighting emotions as he saw all the dead bodies lying around. They were in all possible positions, some mowed down where they stood whilst others had been struck in the back as they tried to flee. Winona instantly noticed his horror, grabbing his hand and squeezing reassuringly.

"Come on baby boy," she said looking tenderly at the young man she considered her brother, "We've got to finish this. For them."

Gavin nodded, swallowing forcing himself to be brave.

"For them," he whispered.

The two plunged into the fray, Gavin using his new stolen Gift as Winona's powerful gusts blasted anything that stood in their way.

A man fell, screaming, ablaze as Gavin glared at him.

"Stand!" he barked, power rolling through his voice.

The man froze, fire eating away as his body as jerkily he got up, standing stiffly as Gavin glared at him.

"You killed Theresa," he spat, "You murdered her in cold blood."

The man stared at him, horror in his face as flames devoured his hair.

"Die," Gavin whispered.

His power clamped around the man forcing him to stand calmly by as fire consumed him. Gavin watched, flames reflected in his eyes as he watched the man burn away to nothing.

"Only one more!!" Winona roared.

Trey and Quinn joined her, the three hurling their power forwards at the last of the Kraken's cursed chosen. The final woman shrieked, a barrier of shimmering energy appearing but the triple attacked ploughed through the shield and the last of their enemy was destroyed in a rush of devastating power.

"It's over," Gavin whispered, his lips curved into a wild smile, "IT'S OVER!!! THE GREAT GAME IS OVER!!!"

Winona turned to him, beaming as well.

"We did it baby boy!" she pumped the air in victory, "GAVIN! WE DID IT!!"  
"How awesome are we?" Trey bragged, "Who's your daddy huh? Who's your daddy?"

Quinn rolled her eyes.

"Trey. Shut up."

Gavin threw his weapon aside and raced towards Winona, arms outstretched as the woman laughed and reached out for him.

"WE DID – "

"BANG!"  
Blood flew from Winona's lips splattering against Gavin's face as the young man froze, terrified.

"Baby…" Winona choked on her own blood, "… boy."

She fell to the ground, lifeless as blood pumped from the bullet hole in her chest.

Quinn and Trey stared at the woman's body in shock.

"What?!" Quinn whirled around, hands raised.

"BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!!"  
"NOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

Gunfire roared, bullets flying through the air as in a barrage of hot metal the last of Gavin's friends and family fell.

"NO!!!!"  
Their bodies were torn apart, the flesh flayed from their bodies as Gavin continued to scream. The guns turned on him but Gavin glared at the group of men, eyes burning with power.  
"STOP!!!"

The gunmen froze, suddenly unable to move even a single muscle. A dead silence fell over the marketplace as Gavin stared at his family's body, not understanding. Choking on tears, he pointed at one of their murderers.

"Speak," he hissed in a deadly voice, "Why did you kill them? THEY SAVED YOU!!"  
He hurled his words at the man, wanting to hurt him, wanting to rip him apart as he'd just been ripped apart.

"From what?!" the elected gunman spat, defiantly, "LOOK!"  
Gavin turned, seeing all the causalities who had been caught up in the crossfire. But his eyes snapped back to the three bloody bodies of his family and hatred flared again.

"You damn Gifted are all the same!" the gunman screamed, deranged, "You lot should all be put down like the monsters you are! You are what's wrong with this world! You're the disease that should be wiped off this planet!!"

The man's mouth suddenly snapped shut, teeth shearing into tongue as Gavin raised a hand. He was no longer crying, the tears were all gone. Instead his face was pale as bone, his lips pulled back into a bestial snarl.

"No, you're the disease. You're the vermin. You're all the same," Gavin whispered, "Violence. Petty hatred. Greed. You're what's wrong with this world."

Gavin drew himself to his full height, determination in his face.

"And I'm going to save you all," he vowed, "Kill yourselves. Now."

The gunmen's eyes widened.

"NOW!!!"

Weeping and trembling, the gunmen's hands moved on their own accord, Gavin staring blankly on. One by one, the men were forced to put their own guns against their temple.

"BANG!"

Blood and gore splattered Gavin as the young man stood, unblinking. Bodies fell to the ground as Gavin raised his hands, fire gathering at his fingertips.

"I will cleanse this world," he vowed.

Fire ripped through the area, consuming debris and bodies as Gavin turned and marched away.

Susan turned in her sleep, frowning as the dream shifted into a new scene.

The Kraken stirred in its eternal prison, an eye pressing up against the crystal wall it was trapped behind, glaring at the intruder into its lair.

'WHAT DO YOU WANT?!'

Gavin stood, unflinching as the Kraken's malevolence pounded into him. The air itself seemed to burn, shadows stabbing at the young man but Gavin ignored them, his eyes trained on the monster before it.

"This world is wrong," he said almost philosophically, "I can't believe it took me so long to realise that."

The Kraken stared at him, tentacles stirring as Gavin paced the cave.

"My parents were burned alive because a teenager wanted to have sex with my mother," the boy said flatly, "My best friend was killed because some homeless bum wanted cash to buy drugs."

He stopped trembling but quickly mastered himself.

"And everything else I've known is ashes because people cannot see past their prejudices," Gavin turned back to the Kraken, "You're ancient. You've seen everything. Why is mankind like this? WHAT IS WRONG WITH THEM?"

The Kraken roared in fury, the cave shaking with its rage. Rocks fell from the ceiling, crushing the ground but Gavin stood before the monster, focused entirely on his mission.

'YOU DARE ASK ME QUESTIONS?!? BEGONE MORTAL!!!'

"WHY?" Gavin screamed, eyes flashing with power, "WHY IS MANKIND LIKE THAT!?"

The Kraken stared at him with its lone eyes pressed up against the semi-transparent wall, fascinated despite itself.

'BECAUSE IT IS THE NATURE OF MAN TO HURT AND HATE. THERE IS A DARKNESS INSIDE OF ALL MEN. THEY'RE PETTY AND DISGUSTING.'

"It shouldn't be like that," Gavin whispered, "My parents should be alive. Sally should be alive. Winona, Trey and Quinn should be alive."

'THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO. MANKIND IS A FLAWED RACE.'

Gavin shook his head, a strange light in his eyes as he suddenly realised something.

"Then they should be eradicated," Gavin murmured, "Nobody should be forced to live in a world like this. Everyone is suffering. Murderers and rapists rule this world and the few good people left are made to suffer for their crimes… this world… it's wrong."

His head snapped up and he looked up into the eye of the Kraken as it glared down at him.

"I'm going to change things. I'm going to fix things," he smiled, "I am going to heal this world."

A thick tentacle lashed the wall, suckers biting into the crystal as the Kraken raged.

'WHAT?!? HOW?'

"I am going to eradicate everyone on this planet. And I will start afresh. I will build a utopia," Gavin whispered, "I will make a new world without suffering. Where people like Sally would live forever."

He smiled cruelly.

"And you're going to help me."

The Kraken screamed, bony beak scraping the crystal wall.

'NEVER!!!'

"You don't have a choice," Gavin barked, "I need your powers."

He held up his hands, two perfectly smooth white stones clutched in his arms. The Kraken's eyes widened as it realised where they were.

'LODESTONES!!'

"OPEN!!!" Gavin roared.

The two lodestones blazed with light, beams of pure energy shooting forwards and cracking the crystal wall open as the Kraken howled in victory, a fat squirming tentacle shooting out of the break in the wall.

Gavin dropped the smoking stones and instantly grabbed onto the tentacle, closing his eyes.

'WHAT?!?'

The massive monster screamed, tentacle writhing as white light blazed around Gavin's fingers. The tentacle he was holding onto, writhed, shrivelling as light grew, turning into the overwhelming intensity of a sun.

'NOOO!!!'

More tentacles flew out of the crack, lashing at the Gifted man but they too shrivelled as they touched the light. Gavin's high triumphant laughter echoed in the cavern as the Kraken screamed and managed to wrench its useless tentacles away and hurriedly retreated back behind the crystal wall.

The light died and Gavin staggered backwards, energy dancing across his skin as a wide smile split his face. His eyes fluttered open and the Kraken screamed as it stared into twin abysses of utter darkness.

Gavin blinked and when he opened his eyes again, it stared back at the Kraken with a thousand gazes. Thousands upon thousands of tiny blinking eyes inhabited Gavin's, each other blazing with power. Gavin blinked again and the eyes in his eyes disappeared, wrinkled lines appearing across his skin.

"Open," Gavin whispered and a thousand tiny blinking eyes opened all over his skin, swivelling as they stared out in all directions.

He pointed at the cracked crystal wall and it instantly sealed itself back up as the Kraken let out a shrill bellow that was a ghostly whisper of its original screams.

"Thank you…" Gavin began.

He turned to the mouth of the cave, the eyes in this skin still blinking, adjusting to their existence.

"For everything," he whispered, walking away from the crystal wall as the Kraken whimpered, calling brokenly after him.

'COME BACK! COME BACK!'

But Gavin reached the cave's mouth and disappeared without another glance behind him.

AAAAAA

Susan sat up and it all made sense, why she had been dreaming of the past, of a boy she had no hope of ever meeting.

"Gavin…" the queen whispered.

Her mind reeled as she tried to take it all in.

Gavin… the boy she had wept over and had pitied and wanted so much to comfort… he… he had become…

Susan swallowed heavily, she had just seen the birth of the darkness.

AAAAAA

Author's notes: Sorry about the delay but I'm currently aiming for a fortnightly update; hopefully that doesn't cheese off too many people.

One other thing: please, please, please review! I have a lot of readers and not a lot of reviewers! So please review! I would love to thank all of my regular, faithful reviews and if I could somehow change my gratefulness into money and send it to you I would.

Hope this chapter starts building up the mythology of this fic a lot more. In this we still the origin of the Great Darkness! Hope it was too cheesy but feel free to tell me inside your reviews!

Also some of you loved the fact that I just threw in the new characters with new introduction because I was aiming for an instant sense of urgency, a quick, sharp introduction into the world.

Just to clarity: the Magi - Siren, Volkov, Kage, Mallory; the Kraken's chosen - Dahlia, Sid, Marduk, Lauren and Phoebe

Sorry a late edit: peopl have stated that they're a bit confused about each character's powers so... a quick breakdown is needed!

Siren - her Gift works through her voice; she can use it to heal or just it to attack or defend with screeches, songs etc

Kage - spatial manipulation and stealth; Kage can use his Gifts to grant him a type of invisbility or use it to teleport things from place to place but this puts a huge strain on his body

Volkov - electricity generation and manipulation; Volkov can create electricity and use it to attack

Mallory - telekenesis; uhh... 'nuff said

Gaspar - a true mage; magic

Dahlia - can control crystals using it to form armour and bladed weapons; can also generate energy attacks

Sid - creates 'strings' that when is attached to his victims can control them like puppets

Marduk - summons a dragon-like monster known as Dratina

Lauren - techno-kinesis; can control electronics i.e. computers, robots etc; has a vast army of robots under her control

Phoeobe - mysterious power; not much is known except she could make people see their worst fears


	50. Starlight

Sorry about the daly - new chapter! Get it whilst its hot!

EDIT: GO READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTES!! IMPORTANT NEWS!

Disclaimer: You know the drill by now... hopefully

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 50: Starlight**

_'What are you?' _Caspian demanded.

The thing in control of his body laughed, the sound drawing the admiring gazes of nearby women as he strolled confidently down the street, coat flapping in the air.

He stopped at the street corner, waiting for the traffic light to go red.

_'What are you?'_

It had been four days. Four torturous days since he had been trapped inside his own body, a prisoner as the dark demon inside of him taunted him, mocking every one of his attempts to seize control of his own body.

_'WHAT ARE YOU?!?' _Caspian screamed, ramming himself against his invisible prison.

He was bound up inside his head, trapped in a prison in his own mind, held fast as his own body moved and talked of its own accord. He saw what his captor chose to see, heart what it heard but he couldn't move a thing, not even a single eyelid. Every muscle, every nerve was as distant to him as the stars themselves, he could no more influence them than he could turn back time.

He was going crazy, losing all reason and sense, his sanity corroding as minute after minute, hour upon hour, he screamed and trashed, trying to break free. It was a nightmare, a never-ending hell as he was forced to watch his body move like a puppet, a defeated ghost in a human shell.

Worse was the nights when his body slept, eyes closed and Caspian would be left all alone in the darkness, beating helpless again an invisible wall, screaming himself hoarse to the sound of echoes.

He couldn't take much more.

His controller had deliberately talked to as many of his companions as possible, taunting him, torturing him as Caspian would yell and jump and stomp his feet, trying anything to make the others see something was wrong. But even Zaru with his unbelievably perceptive senses couldn't tell a thing.

The first time Caspian had seen Susan, he had almost staggered, the empty dark hole that had lived in him since Persephone suddenly flooding with fire and heat. She had been standing in the sun, freckles dotting her alabaster skin, eyes gleaming as her lips pulled back into that open smile that had always made Caspian wanted to kiss her.

He had stared, dazed, mesmerised by the play of light in her crystal eyes as laughing with the glee of a hyena, his controller forced his face into a scowl and harsh words had leapt from his lips.

Susan had flinched, pain in her eyes as Caspian longed to reach out and touch her, longed to kiss her and hold her and never let go. He screamed in desperation, cursing his captor as Susan turned, tears in her eyes.

The demon in him had laughed, shrill laughter taunting him.

_'WHAT ARE YOU?!?' _Caspian demanded, his throat raw.

Something shifted in his mind, slithering outside the confines of his cage like a snake through the night. Caspian froze, holding his breath.

_'I am your protector.'_

The voice resonated all around him, distant echoes overlapping becoming discordant, chaotic. Caspian was aware of eyes, burning dangerous eyes, glaring at him from the recesses of his own mind.

_'PROTECTOR?!?' _Caspian shrieked, _'PROTECTOR!?'_

When he had liberated Narnia three years ago, one of the very first acts he did was to secure the release of all of his uncle's political prisoners from the castle dungeons. He had been there as the heavy iron doors were open and the men, emaciated, skin draping on bones, had limped out on twig-thin, blood-streaked limbs.

All of them had been savagely tortured, scars and burns horrifically deforming their bodies. Some had been driven beyond the brink of sanity, plunged into the dark abyss of utter madness. They had stared up into fire of the torches, seeing light for the first time in years as water fell from their eyes. They had turned to him, shrieking, gibbering, outstretched hands snatching the air as they threw themselves against wall and floor, hurting themselves without care.

Caspian had pitied those men but now he truly understood what they were going through. He was slowly becoming like that, breaking and falling apart, thirsting for hope and release with an ache that drained him.

He pressed himself, shuddering, against the wall.

_'Who are you?' _he croaked.

_'I am here to protect you,' _the voice sneered, coming from everywhere and nowhere.

Caspian vaguely realised his body was still walking down the street as cars whooshed by. Shoppers came out of storefronts, chattering on mobile phones or with headphones in their ears.

A man was standing on the street, waving his hands around as warm blue light spilled from his fingers. The cracks in the pavement seemed to shudder under the light and instantly sealed themselves as the man smiled in satisfaction.

Across the road, a woman was juggling balls of fire as a group of awed children watched on with bated breath.

_'From what?' _Caspian whispered.

He screamed as hot, undiluted corrosive hatred swept through him. His mind instantly began to crumble, his senses screaming at him to flee as Caspian fell backwards, writhing on the ground as bestial snarls ripped themselves from his throat.

_'That… the madness. The spell cast on you has become beyond what you can endure,' _the voice cooed, _'If I did not take control. If I did not take measures to protect you, you will be nothing more than a madman.'_

_'You're protecting me by taking control of my body?' _Caspian raged, _'LIAR!!!'_

His arms swung sideways almost hitting a pedestrian as Caspian stumbled. He blinked, joy suffusing his form as he realised he was back in control!

"I'm…" he touched his face, delighting in the simple joys of being able to move, "I'm me."

He suddenly screamed, his back arched, teeth slicing into his tongue as hatred and madness swept through him. He was suddenly lost in a maelstrom of emotions, his hold on sanity instantly slipping. People instantly fled from his as he raged, screaming, his eyes mindless. He threw himself at a signpost, smashing his arm against hard metal. Pain rolled through him but it did little to subside the madness. He bucked and writhed, barking and howling like a wild creature as anger contorted his face in a furious snarl. His hands were like claws, grabbing at the air as he punched the ground, knuckles bloodying the concrete.

Suddenly his body stopped and Caspian was thrust back into his cage. He was stunned, gasping wildly for breath at what had just happened. He had completely lost himself, swallowed up by rage, deranged and insane.

_'See?' _the voice taunted, _'I'm helping you.'_

'But… no… this…' Caspian was terrified.'So…'

Caspian's body stood normally, his face completely calm as a young woman slowly inched towards him, a ball of green light gathering in her palms.

"Sir… are you okay?" she asked.

She gasped as Caspian suddenly seized her, crushing his lips against hers in a searing kiss. The girl squeaked, startled but instantly melted against him as Caspian hugged her tightly, tongue and teeth clashing.

He pulled away and smiled.

"I'm fine now… thanks," he winked at her.

He walked away, whistling as the girl clutched at her swollen lips. Locked inside his own body, Caspian wept brokenly knowing he had lost.

_'Why don't you just sit back and enjoy the ride?' _the voice laughed, _'I hear it's going to be a lot of fun!!'_

_AAAAAA_

"So it's tonight?" Susan asked, strolling down the hallway with Gaspar by her side.

The headmaster nodding, smiling as he watched some of his students rushed down the hall, ribbons and paintings clutched in their hands as they busily got to work decorating the school.

"Yes, the Ariel star will be passing the Earth tonight and the next generation of Gifted will be born," Gaspar explained.

"Amazing… a star can do so much,' Susan whispered.

Her eyes narrowed as she spotted a fourteen-year-old boy levitating himself off the ground to the cheers of his friends. Gaspar sighed and waved his hands. The boy was instantly dumped painfully onto his back as the headmaster looked at the group in disapproval. They quickly scattered as Gaspar shook his head.

"Every year…" he muttered chuckling.

Susan made a questioning noise as Gaspar mastered himself.

"Every year, all the kids start showing off," the headmaster smiled, amused, "Wait til tonight. I bet you this whole school I'll be running around the whole time trying to stop the kids from using their powers."

"That bad huh?" Susan laughed.

"Last year we almost lost the gym because Tyrone wanted to try and freeze the fountain out front," Gaspar shook his head, "I never did get out of him how he managed to half-destroy a building on the other side of the school."

They passed a tall window looking out onto the field that Susan and the others had arrived in when they first came to the Academy. A large white tent had been set up, staff and hired hands working busily to set up a small stage and rows upon rows of chair.

Today was Starlight Day, the day the Ariel star returned from its year-long journey across the empty expanse of space, looping its elliptical orbit and streak across the Earth's atmosphere in a glorious trail of light. In its wake miracles would be born as Gifts, superhuman powers, would be born in the hearts and bodies of thousands of children.

Tonight, the Balthazar Academy opened its doors and children of the appropriate age would troop down into the field, waiting, watching, some hoping, some dreading as the star made its triumphant experience. Gaspar and his staff would move their way through the crowds, picking out the children who had been Gifted in that one unbelievable moment.

Gaspar suddenly frowned, looking around in confusion as his magic warned him something was wrong. Susan frowned, shivering suddenly.

"Did it suddenly get colder?" she asked, looking around in confusion.

Gaspar blinked and a look of exasperation crossed his face.

"TYRONE!!!"

_AAAAAA_

"Blasted kids!" Volkov swore, stomping into the room.

"Volkov, we're paid to teach the kids not terrify them," Siren scolded.

"Usual Starlight Day?" Mallory asked casually.

Volkov groaned, rubbing his temples. He had been forced to use his powers to break-up an impending fight between some of the senior students, a nasty spat that had degenerated from a harmless game of one-upmanship.

"How's he doing?" the ex-lieutenant asked instead.

The three of them looked down from the second floor balcony to the gym floor below.

"Good!" Kage yelled.

White fire slashed the air as Jason hurled his power at Peter, the High King scrambling to get out of the way. He kicked out, his foot hitting a ball on the ground and the Seeker was forced to duck as the ball flew through the air straight at him.

"He's speed and agility is fine," Mallory noted clinically, "The strength in his legs are building and Kage is working to strengthen his arms but…"

She sighed.

"The curse won't allow much to be done," Siren finished for her sadly, "He won't be able to fight with his arms at all."

Volkov cursed as Jason attacked Peter again. The fight between the two t had already become the stuff of school legends, students blowing the story out of proportion and adding fresh details in with each retelling. Volkov sighed, only this morning had he overhead a retelling of the fight that had somehow involved Jason turning in screeching eagle as Volkov hurled lightning at him. They had also bonded, both men recognising the same ruthless and fight-hardened spirit in the other.

"Great," Volkov swore, "So how's he going to destroy the Kraken then?"

"Elias is working on it," Mallory smiled, "I think even Valerie's shocked at the amount of books he can consume in an hour."

"Even Gaspar was amazed," Siren laughed a little.

She turned around, startled as Peter let out a yelp of pain. He fell to the ground, some of his hair singed as he sent a death glare at Jason.

"Your fault," the Seeker grunted.

Kage laughed as Peter rolled to his feet, shaking his head as soot fell from his hair.

"Be careful!" Siren yelled down to them, "We only have one Saviour!"

"Has anyone seen Caspian?" Mallory asked suddenly.

Volkov and Siren blinked, turning to her in surprise. The psychic looked back at them, her dark eyes unreadable. Ever since her revelation to Caspian, she hadn't seen the king at all, the Telmarine deliberately avoiding her. She inwardly shuddered as she remembered the madness she had briefly touched in his mind, she had come away from it feeling dirty and unclean as though it had clung to her like a film of oil.

"No," Siren shook her head, "Not lately."

Mallory sighed and stood up.

"I have something I need to check," she said simply.

Without any further explanation she turned and walked away as Volkov and Siren stared after her in surprise.

_AAAAAA_

Inara walked towards the cafeteria, wincing as she tried to move her fingers. Her knuckles had been neatly bandaged but still spots of blood showed through the linen. The girl cursed hoping her friends wouldn't notice but sadly that was hard when you were constantly around a leopard with heightened senses and a queen who loved to mother-hen.

Her thoughts segued from Susan to Caspian and Inara snarled, her fists clenched as she dreamt of pummelling Pretty Boy's face into a pulp.

"Peter!" she blinked in surprise as the High King stepped out of the hallway before her, she quickly hid her hands behind her back not wanting to face any questions.

Peter turned to her wearily, a towel draped around his neck, his face flushed and sweat-streaked.

"Hi," he said, fatigue in his voice.

"How's border-line death boot camp going?" Inara asked lightly.

She watched his face, worried, wondering how he was taking all of this… insanity. Peter laughed, his arms twitching slightly but he ignored them.

"Exhausting," he said ruefully, "I thought I knew how to fight but Kage… he's showing me things I could never dream of. Maybe you should get him to help you!"

Inara's smile became plastic and false at his words but she quickly recovered. The two fell into step with each other, paces matching perfectly as they walked down the hallway.

Peter was limping slightly. The High King sighed, terrified. If he could barely get through a training session, as gruelling as it was, without almost collapsing what hope did he have of destroying the Kraken?

_'Maybe you should just give up cripple,' _that dark little voice of doubt whispered in his head, _'Save someone else the bother of killing you.'_

Peter froze, his hands clenching unconsciously. Sweat dripped down his back as bile rose in his throat.

He felt sick, dizzy and unsure as worry stabbed his gut and twisted. Old fears rose, stronger than ever, having ripened and fermented after days and days of training, a little part of him knowing all along it was completely useless. Just like him.

What could he, without powers, without weapons, without control of his own arms, do against a giant city-devouring monster?

Peter closed his eyes and whispered a prayer to Aslan, knowing it was useless. Black hate filled him like a dark oil-slicked flood, his arms twitching as he longed to lash out and scream, longed to stab the Great Darkness in its unbeating heart. He smiled bitterly again, a whole world rested on the shoulders of a crippled man – someone up there must really hate this world.

He felt helpless, trapped by forces beyond his control.

'From the mouth of the Guardian and into this world. Crowned in gold and with the skies in his eyes, the King shall lead the loyal and drive a death blow into the belly of the Kraken.'

Those words were heavier than iron chains, more solid than prison walls, trapping him with all the deadly force of a hunting snare. He was like a condemned prisoner, led irrevocably to his doom by the grinding machine of fate.

Alright so maybe he was being a little bit over-dramatic but never before in his life had Peter felt so utterly bereft of control.

He was knocked from his depressing thoughts by the sounds of high-pitched giggling. He looked out, confused as a trio of teenager girls brushed past him, hungry looks lingering on his face.

Peter flushed, of all his kingly duties dealing with suitors had been by far his weakest point (something that Susan and Edmund had cheerfully pointed out countless times).

"Keep moving!" Inara snapped at the girls, hands on hips, "Your street corner is further down!"

Peter smiled at her thankfully as the girls glared at her before stalking past, Inara with a look of vicious satisfaction on her face. Finally they reached the door to the cafeteria.

"You eating with us?" Inara asked, jerking her head over to where Jason and Elias were sitting.

Peter shook his head.

"Kage wants me to seat with him. More tactics," the High King sighed, wearily.

Even as fear and despair crept into him, he forced himself to laugh a little. The Magi were depending him, a whole world was looking to him to stand up and fight. He might not be sure himself but he knew more than anyone how much a nation needed a leader to look to for guidance and hope. And that was one task he could do, stand up and pretend. But inside he was a mess, unsure and always on edge, wanting to run more than fight. But a part of him, the part that had been so severely battered since the curse looked forward to the fight and the purpose it gave him.

"Guess you get to join the others while I sit with the 'special people' huh?" Peter tried to laugh but it sounded false to his ears.

He stepped into the noisy mess hall as Inara let out a short burst of brittle laughter. As the High King disappeared Inara turned and walked slowly down the hall, suddenly not hungry.

_AAAAAA_

"… so if you're hungry come on down to Harvey's Meat Palace where there's magic in every meal… literally!"

Slabs of raw beef sizzled on hotplates as a smiling chef pointed down the grill, glittering power sliding under the meat and flipping it as a knife buttered a bun, floating in mid-air as it completed its task.

"Now serving the deluxe triple cheese – BZZT!"

The image flickered.

"The Laurel Cosmetic Company has unlocked the secret to eternally youthful skin! The revelation came from the discovery of a rare magical compound locked away inside a rare South American flower discovered deep in the Amazon forest."

A scientist-looking model leaned forwardly excitedly, peering at a purple flower through his magnifying glass.

"The top magical experts in our company managed to extract this rarer element and boost its effects to miraculous levels."

A ring of beautiful looking women stood around a mystical looking grove of purple flowers complete with mist and a waterfall in the background. They closed their eyes and began chanting, power flying from their fingers as the plants exploded into frenzied growth, twining towards the sun.

"Now this miracle in a bottle can be yours for only – BZZT!"

A serious looking man stared out at him.

"Troubles controlling your Gift?" he asked, "At the Hanso Institute we can – BZZT!"

"Stop doing that!" Elias snapped.

Zaru's eyes flicked towards him lazily before he raised one paw, a single claw unsheathed before he poked at the remote control turning the T.V. channel again.  
"I love this thing!" Zaru yowled, mesmerised, eyes wide like a child at Christmas, "How could I live without this thing for so long?!"

Elias rolled his eyes, muttering darkly under his breath as Zaru crouched before the television trying to take it all in.

Susan sat at the window staring moodily out, her forehead pressed against the glass.

"Gavin…" she whispered.

Ever since her dreams, ever since she had learnt the truth about the Great Darkness, the child, the boy, the young man lingered in her thoughts. Hated mixed with sympathy and –

Susan stopped. Great, she actually pitied the darkness that was trying to destroy her family and her kingdom.

She groaned, smacking her head against the glass. She didn't want to but she was Susan the Gentle and a small part of her couldn't help but mourn a boy that had gotten so lost.

His parents… his friend and love… his allies and family… they had all been stripped away by cruelty and callousness and pure stupid prejudice.

Susan sighed, her breath misting up the glass. If she had gone through all that, if she had lost so much would she do any different? Would she be able to resist the darkness? Would she have the strength choose a different path?

She honestly didn't know the answer and that scared her more than anything else.

Susan jumped as blaring rock music boomed from the television.

"ZARU!!!" Elias screamed.

_AAAAAA_

Siren's hands smoothly cut the air as the orchestra instantly broke out into a soft melody, the entrancing music floating through the night's air.

Children and families chattered and laughed, taking up rows upon rows of seats as teachers and students bustled around, answering questions and settling nerves.

Susan had to admit the field looked lovely, tasteful strings of fairy lights strung between the trees' branches as lanterns hung from poles, giving off warm light. Elias was peering at one of them curiously trying to understand how the magical object worked.

"Thirty minutes!" Gaspar announced from his position on the stage.

There was a sharp increase in the noise volume as nerves grew and jangled. Gaspar slid smoothly off the stage and was immediately accosted by a gaggle of parents as he skilfully dealt with their questions.

Zaru had been forced to stay inside the school building, even in a world of magic talking leopards were still a cause for alarm. But frankly Zaru couldn't care less – he had television to keep him company.

Susan looked around, spotting Peter across the field. She frowned, a thought catching her attention.

"Hey."

Kage turned to her, the policeman looking awkward in a neat suit that was the antithesis of his usually messy, grabbed-it-without-looking outfits.

"Where's Inara? Or Caspian?"

Kage frowned.

"I think Mallory's looking for Caspian… but Inara?" he shrugged, "No idea."

Susan bit her lips as Kage's head snapped to the side as a plume of purple smoke rose into the air.

"Every year!" the Magi scowled, cutting hurriedly through the crowd as Susan turned back to Elias.

She had barely seen Inara in the last few days, the once warrior only coming to bed in the dark hours of morning and waking up before the dawn. She knew Inara had been spending all her time in the training rooms but every time she tried to find her, Inara would slip away like a wraith leaving her utterly confused.

And Caspian... Susan nails dug into her palms as she clenched her hands into fists. She had caught the king's fight with her friend and the words he had said.

"Bastard," she spat.

She knew he was suffering. They all were but to take it out on Inara like that... she felt like she didn't know him at all.

Susan squared her shoulders, shoving Caspian out of her mind. The king had been avoiding her as well and with all that she had learnt about the Great Darkness, all that she had dreamt, she had enough questions and fears without piling fuel onto the fire.

But if Caspian wanted a reckoning...

"Elias, I'm going to find Inara," Susan said flatly.

Elias looked at her, shocked. He glanced away distracted as black flames shot up into the sky as gasps of shock and admiration swept through the crowd. There was a roar of booming thunder and the fire instantly died away.

"And risk missing the Ariel Star?" he demanded, "Susan! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see a magical phenomenon!"

Susan laughed and shook her head, walking through the field and towards the silent school as the anticipation for the Ariel Star grew.

_AAAAAA_

"CASPIAN!"  
Mallory's voice whipped down the dark hallway causing the king to free. Grimacing, Caspian turned, a sheepish look on his face. Mallory growled and stalked towards him, eyes flashing.

"Where have you been?" she demanded, "I've been looking all over for you!"

Caspian tried to smile, pain flashing across his face as the psychic stopped before him, glaring up at the king.

"I've been avoiding you," he said simply.

Mallory rolled his eyes.

"Why?" Mallory snapped, "Caspian, you need to talk to someone about – "

"I know that now but it took awhile for it to sink in," Caspian blew out a breath in frustration, "I mean what you told me wasn't exactly easy."

Mallory's face softened and she sighed, taking pity on the man as he slumped, strength leeching out of him as his pain and anguish burned in his eyes.

"I know. I'm sorry," she said gently, "But Caspian. Talk to Gaspar. He's an expert in curses. He'll figure out something."

Caspian smiled at her bravely, running a hand through his hair, his hands trembling.

"I know," he whispered, "I need help. I can't…"

He swallowed.

"I don't want to hurt anyone," he admitted in a whisper.

Mallory touched his arm.

"We can help," she said imploringly, "Go. Talk to Gaspar."

Caspian nodded, squaring his shoulders.

"I will," he promised.

He turned away, a smirk crossing his lips as he began to walk away.

"Caspian," Mallory said softly.

Caspian turned and froze feeding Mallory's sword tip at his throat.

"Who are you?" she spat.

She pressed the sword against his skin drawing blood.

"What?!" Caspian gasped, "Mallory. What are you?!"

"I can hear him," Mallory hissed, "The real Caspian."

_'Yes! MALLORY! HELP ME!!! GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!' _Caspian screamed inside his head, fists slamming against his prison wall, _'HELP!!'_

"Don't worry," Mallory snapped, "I'll help you right after I get rid of this impostor!"

"Mallory! You're crazy!" Caspian barked, "Someone – "

"Just stop it already," Mallory snarled, "Nobody's falling for your tricks."

Caspian stopped, sighing.

"Oh well."

In a blistering move too fast to see, he batted the sword out of Mallory's hands, slamming his fist into her face. The psychic's head snapped back, blood gushing from her nose as darkness stabbed her. Caspian laughed and grabbed her arm, hurling her into the wall.

Mallory slammed hard against the plaster as Caspian lunged at her but the psychic's eyes flashed and the king suddenly finding himself flying across the room. Invisible hands mashed him against the wall before hurling him straight up into the ceiling.

Blood and spittle flew from his lips as the hands snatched him back up and threw him straight through a door.

Mallory slowly rose her feet, sword in hand as she marched down the hall, golden light swirling in the depths of her eyes as she approached the ruined door. She flicked her hands and the shattered pieces of wood were blasted off the hinge.

"What are you?" Mallory demanded, stepping into the room.

She froze, looking around at the empty classroom. She frowned, her mind rippling out trying to detect the king.

"Psss…"

Mallory's head snapped up and she let out a cry of shock as Caspian fell from the roof, crushing her beneath his weight. Ribs snapped like twigs and Mallory screamed as Caspian pulled himself free from the tangle.

She looked up, eyes burning and Caspian slammed into the wall, pinned there by an unseen force as she rose slowly to her feet, clutching at her sides.

"What are you?" she managed to hiss out.

Caspian stared at her, unblinking, an eerie smile on his face as Mallory glared at him. She froze, sucking in an astonished breath as his eyes turned pure black, no white to be seen.

"Something you really don't want to mess with," Caspian hissed.

"GARGH!!"  
Mallory fell to the ground, a migraine tearing through her skull, burrowing deep into her brain as the hands holding Caspian vanished, the king landing lightly onto the ground. He strolled over to her as Mallory writhed, screaming in pain.

Caspian towered over her and she looked up, eyes pulsing weakly with light.

"I'm…"  
"BAM!!"

She fell, blood oozing from her nose as Caspian punched her.

_'STOP!!!' _the real Caspian screamed as his body raised his fist, _'PLEASE!!! STOP!!!'_

Again and again with unrestrained savagery Caspian punched Mallory, grinding his knuckles into her face. Her head jerked back, eyes closed, a low gurgling in her throat as she fought to cling onto her consciousness. It slipped from her grasp, sending her tumbling down into a pit of darkness as blows continued to hammer her body, pain flaring agonisingly with each punch. Blood stained his hands as Caspian screamed, begging, threatening, doing anything to stop the nightmare.

'STOP!!! PLEASE!!!'

His body finally stood back, Mallory's face raw and red as the real Caspian sobbed, shaking his head frantically, unable to handle what his hands had just done.

"Fun," the demon in Caspian smirked with his lips, ignoring the screams inside his head.

Suddenly he looked up, the blackness bleeding away form his eyes.

"Oh goody," he grinned, "They've arrived."

Contemptuously he kicked Mallory's broken body one more time before stepping over her and out of the room.

_AAAAAA_

Dahlia touched the main doors to the Balthazar Academy as beyond through the garden gates, music and laughter drifted up the lawn, the school entertaining its guests, preparing them for the arrival of the Ariel Star.

The blonde woman hissed in pain as a shimmering barrier of green sparks burst into existence, hissing and spitting at her touch.

"Magic," she whispered.

She pressed her hands harder against the barrier, crystals shooting out of her fingers. The barrier flashed, the light weakening as Dahlia grinned viciously. She turned back to the others and laughed.

"Didn't I tell you? Gaspar's forced to lower the strength of the spells to allow that many guests in," the woman crowed, "This will be like shooting a crippled child. Sid?"

The ventriloquist stepped forwards, his hands raised. Out of the gloom behind him emerged ten shambling forms, the same deadened look on their faces as they shuffled forwards, movements jerky and wooden as gossamer strings hung from their limbs and ended at Sid's fingers. The Kraken's minion smirked as he moved his fingers in a complex pattern, the strings jerking and pulling as the ten helpless women moved into place before the green fiery wall.

Their eyes looked at each other, begging for release, crying and screaming with a voice that would not leave their frozen throats.

Sid pulled back on the strings and the women were forced to raise their arms. He giggled shrilly as he moved the strings as light gathered in the women's hands

Lauren watched coolly, pushing her horn-rimmed glasses up closer to her face as the women's jaws moved mechanically, their voices rasping out a spell.

"Here we go," Phoebe said calmly as Marduk unsheathed his cutlass

"BOOM!"

Ten beams of light lanced out from the women and struck the magical barrier, hitting it with the force of a baton on a bell. The wall seemed to shake, vibrating before completely flying apart, green sparks flying everywhere.

A source-less screech rent the air and something intangible but definitely noticeable seemed to fade into nothing.

"ALRIGHT!" Dahlia bellowed, "You know the plan!"

"Siren must not be harmed," the ten possessed women said as one, "I'm warning you Dahlia. She stays safe. No. Matter. What."

Dahlia rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. Guys keep Sid happy, try not to kill his precious sis. But the rest of them… they're fair game. Okay…" she took a deep breath, "Find the Saviour and KILL HIM!!!"

She kicked the heavy wooden doors and open and stormed into the empty school as Marduk pointed his cutlass to the sky. Light streaked from its point, wings and tails forming as a thunderous roar shook the school.

Dratina burst out from the light, body flexing as the dragon screamed. With a howl, she arrowed towards the field, deranged with fury as Marduk smiled coldly.

The invasion of Balthazar Academy had begun.

_AAAAAA_

"… and so on this most auspicious of days, a time of change and growth, a time of excitement and anticipation," Gaspar said fluently, handsome on his dark suit as he spoke on stage, "We…"  
"BOOM!"

"What?!?'

"What was that?!"

The crowd leapt to their feet, panicked and surprised as Gaspar frowned. Suddenly he staggered back, turning grey as he clutched at his chest.

"The spells," he gasped, clutching at Volkov as the ex-lieutenant flew onto stage, supporting him, "They're gone!"  
"WHAT?!" Volkov barked.

"ROOOOOWWWWRRRR!!!"  
Fear broke out amongst the crowd as giant hideous form flew through the sky, shooting towards them in a shrieking mass of claws and fangs and hungry eyes.

"What is that?!" one of the mother screamed, clutching her wailing child to her.

Volkov instantly reacted, instincts and experience kicking in as his head snapped up.

"KAGE! SIREN! START EVACUATING THE PEOPLE NOW!!!!" Volkov thundered, his voice ringing, "KIDS! BACK INTO THE SCHOOL!"

The students instantly responded, lining into neat rows before marching back up towards the school, the senior students guiding them quickly and efficiently. Volkov couldn't help but smile – they had trained them well.

"Find Peter," Gaspar commanded, straightening as the shock of his demolished spell faded, "They're after him!"

Volkov nodded and plunged into the crowd, Kage and Siren's voice carrying over the panic as they directed the visitors to exits all around the field.

Gaspar snarled in fury, face white with rage as he raised his hands, bloody red light gathering.

"Stop the magic," Jason grunted, calmly stepping in front of him, "Help the kids."

Gaspar blinked, surprised but nodded, dashing to join his students as Jason turned to the dragon, a cold smile on his face.

"I've always wanted to kill a dragon," he smirked.

Dratina screamed, diving towards them, strong wings sending gusts of winds that swept the field, staggering everyone. A spiked tail lashed out, smashing through the tops of a tree as the visitors screamed. Siren cursed and clasped her hands together, her voice lifting into a flowing song. A gold light suffused her form as her song wove through the crowd, bringing peace and calm as fear and panic subsided before the warmth of the song. The evacuation became smooth, people fast-walking in ordered clean lines as Dratina screamed again.

Siren's voice rose, cutting through the tension in the air, bringing warmth and serenity, combating the terror that had consumed the field.

Jason smiled coldly as Dratina's shadow fell over him, the massive behemoth swooping the field, claws ripping through the white tent like paper. She wheeled in the air, spitting as Jason launched his attack with a roar. The dragon howled in pain as white fire sliced into her body, the monster instantly caught in a maelstrom of burning power, blades of fire slashing into its body as it rushed past.

The last of the visitors bled away from the field as Siren and Kage dashed off, heading back to the Academy leaving the Seeker alone to slay the dragon.

_AAAAAA_

"Inara."

"Queenie."

Susan's eyes lingered on her friend's sweat-drenched face and sleepless feverish eyes before darting to the punching bag that swung from its hook in the corner. She felt sick as she noticed streaks of blood on the bag.

"What are you doing?" she asked, half-soft, half-sharp.

Inara shrugged, watching her warily.

"Training."

"By driving yourself to death?" Susan snapped, "Oh good plan!"

Inara glared at her.

"You don't understand."

She turned away from her but the queen was not having any of it. Susan grabbed her, spinning the girl around before jabbing a finger painfully into her chest, blue eyes flashing.

"Oh, let me try," Susan snarled, "Caspian right? Idiot said things that weren't true to you. Am I getting close?!"

Inara looked down at the ground and all of the fire, all of the fight seemed to drain right out of her.

"He's right," Inara said quietly, refusing to look at her, "He's an idiot but he's right."

She looked up and Susan flinched at the dark look in her eyes.

"You… the others. You've all got something. Something only you can do! What can I do? I can't fight anymore. I'm just a hanger-on. A dead weight you can seriously do without."

Her last words were said with strength, conviction. Susan's breath caught as she realised that Inara honestly believed that. Everything fell into place, gaps and blanks filled in as she began to realise what was driving her friend to such dark depths. Fury sparked, frustration at Inara's blindness.

"No! NO!" she protested, temper flaring, "INARA! NO!"  
Susan let out a mindless cry of rage, grabbing Inara by the arm and forcing her to look up. She wanted to grab her bow and shoot Caspian full of arrows but right now she needed to snap her friend back to reality.

"You know why you're special?" she demanded, "You know why we need you?"  
She shook her as Inara looked away, a bitter smile on her lips.

"Don't try to lie to me," she said bleakly, "You don't have to."

"SHUT UP!" Susan snarled angrily, "We need you because you keep us from going insane!! I need you because… Argh! By the Mane! I need someone to talk to, I need someone I can confide in and cry to! I need you to be there when being a queen is too much!"

Inara's face was blank as Susan continued to scream at her, words flung from her lips without thought.

"You are brave. Sometimes almost insanely so but you have no idea how brave you really are! You have no powers, you can barely fight, you have nothing yet you still throw yourself into battle without a thought! We're braver with you! You shame the rest of us into never giving up!" Susan growled, wanting to slap some sense into her.

The words flowed from her as she struggled to put everything she felt and thought into words that actually made sense.

"Elias loves you like a daughter. Zaru and Jason would die to protect you and they love bickering with you! You're rude, you can be really obnoxious but you know when to lighten the rest of us up! You stop us from despairing, from slipping into hopelessness! I mean… look at Peter! You almost single-handedly pulled him from his depression kicking and screaming!!! You're not special? Yeah, maybe you're not. But we need you just the way you are, we need the cocky, exasperating, never-shuts-up Inara!!"

Susan staggered back as Inara stared at her. Susan's eyes were wide, her hands going to her mouth.

Silence.

They stared at each other.

"Huh," Inara said finally, stunned.

Susan's face softened and she smiled tentatively.

"Look, Inara…"  
"BOOM!"

They staggered, almost falling on top of each other. The Academy shook as a split second later a powerful roar thundered through the empty school.

"What the hell?" Inara gasped.

Susan's eyes darkened.

"An attack," she spat.

They looked at each other for a second before dashing out of the room, weapons in hand.

_AAAAAA_

"SIREN!" Volkov barked as the singer dashed up the hill, "Get Peter to safety!!"  
Siren nodded and grabbing the startled High King, she propelled him up the hill and towards the school.

"Sir! Sir! What's happening?" one of the students screamed.

"Keep calm!" Volkov's voice boomed, "Kage! Myrtle! Valerie! Elias!"

The other teachers of the school nodded, the scientist amongst them, herding the students up the hill, head-counting as they went. White light flared from the field as Dratina screamed, embroiled in a titanical battle with the Seeker.  
Volkov cursed.

"Where's Mallory?" Gaspar commanded sweeping up the hill.

Volkov shrugged helplessly and Gaspar grimaced.

"Everyone!" his refined voice carried over the crowd of students, all of them instantly falling into a respectful silence, "We believe the Academy maybe under attack. You know the drill, senior students I place the younger students in your care. Don't fail me."

The older students drew themselves to their full height, nodding solemnly as the smaller children looked around, clearly frightened. A little girl was weeping but one of seniors, Amanda, instantly clasped the girl in her arms, comforting her. Gaspar nodded, smiling in approval.

"Go to the shelters," Gaspar said calmly.

Inside he was spewing with rage, how dare the Kraken's Chosen put his students in danger?! How dare they attack his school!? His eyes swept his charges, his students, his children and his fury climbed.

Even in this age where the Gifted were largely accepted and celebrated, pockets of prejudice still existed in the community. Tragically a significant number of these children had been abandoned by their own parents, their own flesh and blood, after their Gifts had emerged, left with nowhere to go. The Academy, Gaspar and his staff, they had become home and parents to these children, protecting them and nurturing them. It was a duty that Gaspar took one with all the protective fierceness of a mother bear.

"Kage, watch the children," Gaspar commanded.

Kage blinked.

"But…"

"Do it."

He whirled back around to his school, smiling in relief as he saw Siren herd Peter into the safety of the building. They slipped in through the doors and –

"BANG!"

The two wooden doors slammed shut with all the force of a gunshot, echoing through the night.

Gaspar froze. His skin crawled as a shimmering dome of red light instantly winked into existence sealing the school off. The students screamed, the teachers struggling to control them as Volkov cursed loudly.

"Language!" Gaspar snapped, his breath coming out short and fast.

The headmaster instantly seized control of the situation.

"TEACHERS GET THEM TO SAFETY!!" he roared, "KAGE! VOLKOV! WITH ME!!!"  
The trio sprinted up the hill as Elias and the teachers pulled the students away, some of the braver ones begging to be allowed to help.

They were halfway up the hill when ten figures emerged from the trees and began blasting them with shimmering bolts of pure power.

_AAAAAA_

"BANG!"  
"What?!"

Peter and Siren whirled, white-faced as the doors slammed shut. The High King instantly grabbed for the doorknob.

"ARGH!"

Steam rose, the suddenly burning hot metal searing his hands as Peter staggered back, gasping in pain. Siren opened her mouth and let out a full-blown shriek, power flying forwards and smashing into the door. Red light flared and the attack was instantly dispelled.

"What?" Siren gasped, ashen-faced.

"We're seal in," Peter whispered as his hands throbbed with pain.

They looked at each other, terrified. Suddenly the public announcement system turned on with a deafening screech, startling both of them as they jumped.

"Siren," Lauren's amused voice.

It speakers crackled, distorted and static-filled as Lauren's voice drawled through every speaker in the building, the whole school echoing with her voice.

"You and the Saviour are now trapped," the computer genius's voice was filled with dark amusement, "The rest of your Magi friends are trapped outside. It's just us and you, Siren."

A throaty chuckled came through the speakers.

"Let the games begin."

Siren and Peter stared at each other, stunned.

"Siren, " Peter said quickly, "Just go. I'll handle myself. They're after me. There's no point in trying to protect me."

"No point?!" Siren said heatedly, "You're the Saviour!"

Peter smiled bitterly.

"I'm not. Don't risk yourself for someone who can't do what you want them to d– "

"SHINK!"

Peter ducked as a crystal blade sliced though the air, barely missing his head. A shadowy form, pinpoints of light glittering all over the body stalked down the hall towards them as Siren opened her mouth, terror in her eyes.

"RUN!!!"

_AAAAAA_

"YOUR MAJESTY!!"  
"ZARU!!!"  
The leopard streaked towards her, tail flying as Susan let out cry of relief. He bulldozed into her almost sending her sprawling.

'What's going on?" Zaru demanded, "I was watching this really cool show about –"

They all looked up confused as the speakers turned on. Susan's face whitened and the blood drained from her features as she heard Lauren's taunting words.

"Let the games begin," Lauren finished with relish before the speakers went dead.

"PETER!" Susan gasped turning to them.

"We have to help him!" Inara growled.

She was pale, her eyes ringed with black from lack of sleep but the fire in her face was enough to make the hardiest of enemies hesitate.

"Well, we need weapons," Susan began.

"Back to our rooms?" Inara asked.

Susan nodded, opening her mouth but stopped as a very familiar form appeared before her.

"No need," Caspian tossed Inara her sword before handing Susan's bow and arrows and sceptre to the queen.

Inara glared at him as Susan clenched her fists.

"What are you doing here?" she growled.

The king smiled at her and Susan blinked, flustered at the tender warmth in his eyes. Her throat closed, the queen struggling to breathe as a smile curled her lips.

What the...

"Inara I'm sorry," Caspian said gently, "I never meant to – "

"I will beat you into the ground later," Inara said flatly, "Let's deal with the crazy people."

"I'm sorry," Caspian tried anyway.

Susan stared at him bewildered. Only days before she had seen him tear Inara part but now...

Dazed, struggling to regain her equilibrium, Susan could only listen as Caspian turned to Zaru. The leopard and Inara were looking at the king suspiciously, still edgy from all the times he had torn Susan in two. Zaru hackles raised, ready to bite the king if necessarily.

"Zaru," Susan whispered, recovering, focusing on what was at hand, "Can you – "

The leopard instantly swung his head to the left.

"He's there," he reported, throwing Caspian one last dangerous look, before loping off down the hall.

Inara followed as Susan looked up at Caspian, hardly daring to breath. He smiled at her, a glint of white in the gloom. Susan felt hot, breathless, and so very confused.

"Come on," Caspian said lightly.

His hands found her wrist and squeezed gently, charge and heat rushing through her.

"Let's save Peter from his latest fiasco."

Caspian whirled and dashed off as Susan stared at him amazed, touching her wrist. Shaking herself, she followed.

Unseen by her, Caspian smirked as inside his head, a broken voice continued to scream.

'SUSAN!! NO! DON'T TRUST HIM!!! SUSAN!!!'

But the screams went unheard as Caspian's hands closed around his sword in anticipation.

_AAAAAA_

"Where are we going?" Peter demanded.

Siren looked at her, face pale.

"The one place you're safe," she said, sweat on her lips, "The Vault."

"The Vault?!"

The Magi ignored him, grabbing his arm and physically dragging him down the dark and silent hall. Peter grunted with pain as she pulled at his cursed arms and Siren let out a small sound of sympathy, loosening her grip.

Behind them Dahlia's footsteps rang out, slowly and deliberately, high heels clacking on wooden floor.

They threw scared looks behind them and ran down the hall. Peter bit back a cry as his arms convulsed wildly. He couldn't believe this. There were super-powered murderers after him and he couldn't even control his _arms_.

"Great," Peter growled, "Just great."

Siren turned the corner as Dahlia's footsteps got louder, the woman's glittering crystal-crusted form growing larger as she neared.

They rushed down the hall, their breaths and footsteps unnaturally loud in their ears as Dahlia continued to approach, neither slowing nor quickening her step but always hovering at the edges of their vision like a ghost. She stalked them, her movements lithe as she prowled like a lioness on the hunt.

Siren whirled, spinning on her toes like a ballerina as she screamed. A burst of energy flew from her lips, flying down the hall.

Crystal flashed and the attack was shredded apart as Siren gasped in horror.

"Come on!" Peter urged, grabbing her.

Dahlia followed them sedately as Peter and Siren ran like animals, driven by terror. A cruel smiled curved the blonde woman's lips as she continued to walk, crystals rippling all over her body.

_AAAAAA_

Gaspar flung the spell forwards, only briefly regretting his actions as the possessed woman crumpled to the ground, blood oozing from her lips as the spell crunched into her.

The magician turned, hands moving through the air as sigils and symbols glowed traced by his fingers.

The air was hot and charged, the smell of ozone lingering as lightning bolt after lightning bolt lanced the air, crashing into the magical dome sealing the school or into the attackers that hurled spell after spell at them.

With a cry Gaspar finished his spell, staggering back as a massive burst of light flew forwards, twisting and mutating into the shape of a large screeching bird with flaming wings. It careened into the burning dome of energy in a kamikaze charge.

"BOOM!"

The dome flickered briefly as the bird-like spell exploded, sparks and coloured flames flying everywhere.

One of the possessed women blinked in surprise as Kage suddenly appeared behind her, emerging from thin air. Before she could react, the policeman threw his arms around her, choking her in a crushing grip. She flailed, Sid pulling desperately at her string from wherever he had hidden himself as Kage tightened his hold, face grim.

The woman's face reddened, choking and rasping for breath as she struggled, magic dying on her fingers as darkness clawed at her mind. Finally she went limp as Kage tossed her aside.

Two of the possessed women lunged at him, power stabbing out at him but a flash of lightning cut through the two, forcing them away.

Four of the women stood in a square, hands clasped together as inside their ring, a ball of crackling energy formed, swelling dangerously bigger with each passing second.

"GASPAR!" Volkov roared, hurling lightning at the four.

Two more women jumped in, a shimmering barrier stretching between them deflecting the blast as the four women leapt back, the ball of power powering forwards like a cannonball.

Volkov threw more lightning at the attack but it was simply sucked up into the energy, the ball growing larger as the Magi gasped in shock.

"GASPAR!!!"  
The headmaster threw his arms forwards, magic slamming into the attack. The ball instantly swerved in its path, shooting towards the man as Kage and Volkov both screamed in alarm.

The energy attack engulfed Gaspar before he could react, detonating with all the deadly force of a bomb.

"GASPAR!!!"  
Light and smoke and flames flew at them hurling them back as their screams pierced the air.

_AAAAAA_

A dark form shoved past Zaru and charged at Susan, a throaty war cry filling the hall.

"QUEENIE!"

Inara knocked Susan down, bringing her sword up in a clumsy block as death flew at her face.

"CLANG!"  
The blades collided, the force of Marduk's blow jarring her arm. Inara bit back a cry of pain as Susan twisted on the ground, her bow up.

"TWANG!"

"GARGH!"

Marduk staggered back, an arrow in his thigh as Susan rolled to her feet. The captain spat at her, blood oozing down his leg as he ripped the shaft out and hurled it aside, the arrow embedding itself into the wall.

Inara raised her sword, her arms still numb as Marduk raised his cutlass dangerously. Inara took a step forwards, ready to fight to the death but Caspian beat her to it.

"GO!" the king roared, surging forwards, "HELP PETER!!!"

He swung his sword around, engaging the sea captain as Inara and Susan looked on in shock, helpless.

"GO!!!" Caspian yelled, parrying Marduk's blade.

Injured as he was, the Kraken's Chosen was an expert swordsman, his furious blows driving the king back. Caspian's boots skidded across the polished floor as he tried to find purchase, trying to find the leverage to launch a counterattack.  
"COME ON!!!" Zaru roared, breaking their paralysis.

Throwing one last desperate look, the girls fled the hall, Zaru leading the way as Caspian and Marduk clashed, throwing themselves each other in a frenzied struggle.

"Oh goody," Caspian laughed, "Now that they're out of the way…"  
Marduk hissed in surprise as Caspian blinked, lids opening to reveal pure darkness.

"Let's duel," the possessed king hissed.

The Kraken's Chosen gasped in shock as the blows suddenly raining down on him came with all the strength of a waterfall pounding rocks to oblivion. The cutlass vibrated and shook in his hands like a maddened creature fighting to flee from the fight.

"What?" Marduk was pale beneath his tanned skin, "What are you?"

He let out a cry as blade slashed skin, drawing blood. His cutlass fell from his bleeding hand as Caspian smiled, expertly spinning the sword in his hands until he was gripping it upside down.

"I'm the inside man," Caspian taunted.

"SMACK!"

He punched Marduk across the face with hilt of the sword, cross-hilt and pommel stone tearing at skin and crunching cartilage and bone. Marduk instantly dropped to the ground in a bloodied heap as Caspian smiled.

Sheathing his own sword, he scooped up Marduk's fallen cutlass, holding it aloft, checking its balance and keen edge. With a sigh of satisfaction, Caspian strutted away, the cutlass held casually in his hands.

_AAAAAA_

They ran up the stairs and into a fog of dense black smoke.

"What is it that you fear?" a soft voice asked.

"NO!" Siren gasped, "PHOEBE!!"  
"What?!" Susan choked.

An icy cold was creeping into their skin, biting into their flesh with painful needle-like teeth as the smoke thickened, pressing around them, trying to choke them.

"Phoebe, this smoke… it's her power," Siren tried to back-pedal down the stairs but the sounds of Dahlia's approaching footsteps made her freeze.

The Magi blanched realising they were trapped, a world of swirling black smoke before them and painful death behind.

Zaru sniffed the air, the back of his throat burning with the acrid, bitter sweat stench he always associated with fear. He coughed, trying to clear his airways.

"The smoke… it's a living thing. It crawl inside of you, violate you and pull out everything you've ever feared and make you relive it," Siren whispered.

Peter glanced at her sharply, noting the pain in her voice. He grimaced as he realised she had been attacked by Phoebe before. Siren gathered herself, her eyes wide.

"But… we… we don't have a choice," Siren whispered, "We've got to…"

"Zaru."

The leopard looked up at Inara.

"Can you smell this chick?"

Zaru sniffed the air, selectively ignoring the smell of fear and instantly detected the faintest trace of flowers lingering in one corner of the room. He nodded.

"Good," Inara raised her sword, "Guys. Go. Me and Zaru will handle her."

They all stared at her, various expressions of shock and disbelief on their faces. Zaru merely nodded, hackles raised, unsheathed claws scratching the boards as his tailed flicked lazily.

"But… Inara – you…" Susan stumbled over her own words, "You can't…"

"Trust me," Inara looked at Peter, who nodded instantly, no hesitation in his mind, "GO!!!"

"But…"

Ignoring his sister, Peter plunged into the smoke as Siren instantly followed, throwing one last bewildered look at Inara. The two were instantly swallowed up by the darkness as Susan looked at Inara, wanting to argue, wanting to change her mind but one look at Inara's face told her she could never win.

"Be careful," she settled for instead.

Susan ran into the smoke as Dahlia's footsteps rang out on the stairs. Inara and Zaru instantly leapt into the smog after her, heading towards the smell of flowers.

Whispers brushed Peter's ears as the temperature dived, his misty breath mingling into the smoke. The smog seemed alive with creatures, small animals that touched his bare skin raising goosebumps and chilling his flesh. Peter shut his ears and eyes and ran through the smoke, ignoring the uncontrolled thundering of his heart and the muck sweat on his brows.

"Useless…"

"Poor little Peter King, soon you'll be a useless thing!"

"Pony! PONY!"

Terror, pure undiluted terror flooded his veins like a poison, his mind shrieking. He stumbled, dread turning his breath into a solid thing in his lungs, choking him.

Images flickered in his head, memories of pain and suffering and loss. Of innocents slaughtered before his eyes, of vampires torturing him to the brink of death, of Siobhan and her curse and all that it had done to him. They came relentlessly with shattering force as he stumbled again, almost falling.

Siren grabbed his arm steadying him. The Magi was humming under her breath, the song reaching out to him like a tongue of golden fire, filtering into him and fighting back the sheer horror.

"ARGH!"

A sudden scream pierced the smoke and the fear in the air vanished. Peter gasped, suddenly able to breathe.

"Go!" Susan cried, appearing behind them.

Light glimmered ahead, calling them. They burst out from the smoke and charged down the hall.

"They're getting away!" Lauren's voice barked on the loudspeakers, "Dahlia! They're heading towards the left wing!"

"Damn it!" Siren screamed, power blowing one of the speakers apart but all the other hundreds in the school continued to bark out Lauren's words, "We need to stop her."

"WHAT?!" Susan yelped.

Behind them the smoke roiled, seemingly squirming as the sounds of battle filtered out from the gloom.

"The Vault… it's a magical and electronic panic room," Siren explained hurriedly between gasping breaths as they ran, "Lauren is a technopath. She can control computers with her mind. The Vault's the only safe place we stash Peter."

"Hey, standing right here!" Peter cut in.

Siren ignored him.

"But if Lauren's still around she could pull it apart in a second," the Magi finished.

She whirled, screeching, a wall of energy springing up and destroying the wave of crystal blades flying towards them. A second scream knocked Dahlia down and they instantly put on an extra spurt of speed, racing away as Lauren continued to bark orders, spying on them through the Academy's network of security cameras.

"I'll handle her!" Susan snapped, "Where is she?"

"If she's inside the system, she'll have to be in the computer labs. Fourth floor," Siren said instantly.

Susan nodded.

"Su…" Peter began heatedly, "You can't..."

The queen ignored him.

"Look after him!" she growled at Siren before racing off down one of the hallways.

"SUSAN!" Peter yelled, frustrated, "NO!'

He couldn't believe this. His sister, all of his friends and companions, all of them were placing themselves in danger to help him, a cripple who wasn't even sure he could do what fate had demanded of him.

But they believed the prophecy, they believed in him but Peter didn't believe in anything. He cursed and turned helplessly away from his sister, he and Siren fleeing down the hall as Dahlia's footsteps rang out once more behind them.

_AAAAAA_

Jason leapt deftly out of the way, Dratina's spiked tail ripping a furrow in the field as the Seeker landed, skeins of white fire spilling from his fingers. The dragon roared, chairs snapping like twigs beneath its claws as she staggered sideways, power burning her flanks.

Calmly the Seeker hopped onto the stage, walking across as the dragon's tail crushed the ground where he'd just been. Pulling out his dagger, Jason held it flat against his palm before reach out, balancing the dagger carefully.

His power thrummed through him, strong and longing for a target to hurt. He could feel it burning in his veins, fuelled by his desire to protect the children of the Academy.

Grinning, the Seeker focused and the blade flew out of his hands in a blaze of light. Somehow, miraculously, it flew straight and true, missing flailing claws and tails and wings before hitting its target.

It stabbed Dratina straight in the eye.

Gore gushed and splattered to the ground as the dragon's pained screams shattered the night.

_AAAAAA_

Smoke choked Inara but she ignored it, swinging her sword. Phoebe screamed as the blade cut her shoulder, the Kraken's Chosen lurching back.

"WHAT ARE YOU?!?" she demanded, voice high, "Why –"

Inara smiled at her.

"You useless – "

"What? Since you've been neutered? You're powerless!"

Memories, images hammered into her skull. Her father screamed at her, ghostly punches hitting her as the stench of alcohol and dirty floors, the sound of harpy screams and taunts, memories of her childhood reached out and tried to engulf her.

Persephone flashed in her mind, tears choking her as she wept bitterly knowing what she had lost, feeling the wall that had sprung up between her and her powers.

Eustace appeared, taunting her as she faced him, powerless, realising for the first time just how helpless she really was.

Monsters, Shift and Hu and the Sisters and Nzambis and Echidna's children, screamed and lunged at her, hot teeth against her throat, blades against her belly, death always a split second away.

But she pushed past it, ignoring it as she swung at Phoebe again. Zaru hissed, the woman's dark powers apparently ineffective against his animal mind.

"Why aren't I curling up into a little ball?" Inara laughed coldly, "You want to know my fears?"

Thick smoke billowed towards her, swallowing her up as more memories flared, announcing their birth with more pain and sorrows. Dread gripped her body but Inara rode it out, grimacing but still unbroken.

"My father. He abused me and I was terrified of him… until the Chamber," Inara spat, "My powers. I was so scared of losing them, of being back to a nobody… then I lost them."

She lunged at Phoebe and the woman barely dodged the blow.

"And all those monsters? All those terrors I've faced? I'm still alive. I'm still standing," Inara looked at the woman squarely, "There is nothing you can show me or make me feel that I haven't gone through already and conquered."

She raised her sword, Zaru crouched by her side as Phoebe stared at her, terror in her own face. This was something she had never faced before, a stonehearted warrior, a goddess without fear but this was no immortal. This before her was a mere girl, one had faced the darkest of her nightmares, faced the worst of her demons and had still triumphed.

This was Inara.

"So?" Inara smirked, "What is it that you fear?"

Phoebe knew the answer – her.

_AAAAAA_

Susan stepped into the computer labs and into a war zone. Computers laid disembowelled on the floor, their innards of wires and chips strewed across the ground. Sparks sizzled from charred screens, tables and chairs lying like wounded soldiers on the ground.

Susan frowned, her bow clutched in her hands, arrow to string as she stepped into the large room, metal crunching underfoot.

Like in Athens, despite the gloom of the lab, Susan found she could see through the darkness with breath-taking ease. She stopped, puzzled but all questions fled from her mind as she spotted a limp form sprawled across a desk, ruined computers burning all around her, casting her in a flickering dream-like light.

"What?" Susan whispered, shocked.

Red hair snaked out its tight bun on the woman's head, a pair of horn-rimmed glasses lying cracked and twisted amongst the debris on the ground.

"What in the name of Aslan?" she murmured, stunned.

She walked up to the woman, touching a hand to her neck. There was a pulse, faint and erratic, but there. Susan pulled her shaking hand away and stared down at the unconscious form of Lauren, another of the Kraken's Chosen, completely bewildered.

A computer chip crunched under a heavy boot behind her and Susan whirled, bow swinging up but she never got the chance to see who it was.

She was stabbed straight through the gut.

"Hargh–"

A startled gasp left her lips, bloody.

"CLANG!"  
Artemis's gift, the silver bow, fell from her fingers.

Her vision went black, numbness spreading through her body.

Her attacker twisted the blade, fiery agony piercing her.

"No…"

Weak fingers clutched at the cutlass's hilt trying to pull it out. Her fingers slipped, slick with her own blood.

"I…"

She slumped impaled on Marduk's cutlass, the curved end of the weapon jutting obscenely out of her back.

Caspian chuckled, ruthlessly kicking Susan off his blade.

_'NOOOOOO!!!' _the real Caspian was hysterical, his screams bestial as he flung himself helplessly at the prison that held him.

He screamed and screamed, a mindless roar of anguish.

_'SUSAN!!!!'_

Susan fell, eyes wide, her gut and torso a mess of red. She splattered down in a spray of crimson. The possessed Caspian laughed again, flicking her blood off Marduk's cutlass.

"I love my job," he whispered gleefully before turning around and walking out of the destroyed computer lab leaving Susan in a pool of her own congealing blood.

AAAAAA

Siren whirled, screaming on top of her lungs. Sonic waves in pulses of burning blue light carved into the walls and ceiling, veins popping up on Siren's skin as she put everything she had into the single piercing cry.

"BOOM!"

The ceiling caved in, avalanching down and blocking the hallway off.

"Come on!" Siren croaked out, pushing the shocked Peter down the dead-end hallway.

They were on the fifth floor near Gaspar's quarters but instead of going to the left door, Siren went for the one opposite. Peter kicked the door down with a stout kick, the two of them spilling into the room.

Outside through the windows they could see a red wall of shimmering light flicker and burn, the screams and thundering crashes of battle filtering through. A bestial scream rent the air, rattling the windowpanes as Siren hurried over to the far wall.

She ripped a painting off the wall revealing a complex panel of blinking lights and computer screens. Quickly she punched in a long sequence of numbers as the screens lit up.

"Siren McCarthy!" she barked.

There was a short pause before the lights flashed green.

"Voice identified."

"Open Vault!" Siren commanded.

Peter jumped back as glowing sigils appeared all over the walls. Light shimmered in the symbols in rainbow mother-of-pearl sheens before they winked out of existence, the wood panelled wall melting away with it to reveal two thick metal blast doors.

Softly hiss and with the clicking of hundreds of locks and bolts, the two doors slid open revealing a cold, metal-walled room beyond.

"This it?" Peter asked, unimpressed.

Siren ignored him, shoving him into the Vault. She stepped in after him, turning back to the doors.

"CLOSE!!" she commanded.

"Closing," a soft voice hummed.

With a dry hydraulic hiss the doors began to slide shut, symbols appearing on the walls again, the magical protections winking back into life.

"Not so fast."

There was a flash of turquoise light and the doors screeched to a halt, straining to crush the spur of rough crystal that held them ajar.

"NO!" Siren screamed, her cry shattering the crystal but Dahlia was there, crystal-crusted claws closing around the edges of the door and with a mighty cry the blonde-haired woman wrenched the doors apart.

The leader of the Kraken's Chosen cackled with glee, crystal horns and spikes forming on her face as Siren backed away, grinding her teeth, trying to keep Peter behind her.

They were trapped but Peter saw one way out.

"Siren! NO!" he yelled suddenly, "Just… just let me go. You don't have to – "

Siren stiffened.

"Have to what?!" Siren screamed not looking at him, "Let you die? Let the world die! I can't just let you go!"

"I'm not the Saviour!!" Peter cried, "I'm nobody! Siren… I can't do what you want me to do! Don't risk your life for a dream that can never happen! Just let it go!"

"PETER! SHUT UP!!" Siren roared, " FOR THE LAST TIME JUST SHUT UP!!!"

The Magi feel into a crouch, ready to protect Peter with her life as the High King gaped at her.

"Don't worry Saviour," Dahlia giggled, "I'll be with you in a second."

She shoved her hand forwards, claws growing rapidly on her fingertips as Siren opened her mouth, readying a scream.

"SIREN!"  
The Magi fell to the ground, mouth wide with shock as Dahlia buried her crystal claws deep into her gut.

"Sing Siren," Dahlia whispered, "Sing for me."

She tore her claws to the left, eviscerating the Magi as Siren choked on her own blood.

"SIREN!!!" Peter screamed, "SIREN!!!"

And that's when it happened.

Up, high up, beyond the thin cataract of air that enveloped the earth, a burning icy ball of dirt and stone streaked through the emptiness of space, a glorious train of light trailing in its wake. It ploughed through the very upper reaches of earth's atmosphere, its head turning cherry-red, ice and rock burning to nothing as it flew.

All over the world, in town centres, in city squares, in dusty village halls, in schools and like Balthazar Academy, thousands… millions of faces turned up to the heavens and looked in wonder, the spectacular light show playing out in the stars reflected into their mesmerised eyes.

The Ariel Star had come as it had for millenniums. In legends and myths from the world over, it was a harbinger, a bringer of chaos, a forerunner of entropy but call it what you will the Ariel Star had only one purpose in the fabric of the universe – to bring change and this very night, this Starlight Day, it brought change once more.

As Dahlia laughed and pulled her claws from Siren's body, Peter staggered, reeling, confused, shocked, stunned, paralysed.

The Kraken's Chosen stopped, puzzled as the Saviour clutched at the walls, fighting for breath as a strange alien feeling suffused his body.

Outside the Ariel Star continued to fly across the sky, powers unfurling and growing behind it like flowers to the sun.

Peter clutched at his chest, his whole body shaking, the very genes and molecules that made up his body shifting and warping… changing forever.

"What…" he managed to choke out.

And light blazed from his eyes as the Ariel Star burst through the earth's atmosphere and disappeared once more into deep space.

AAAAAAAAAAAA-

Author's notes: Sorry, too tired to say anything. Just enjoy and review as always!!

EDIT: GOOD NEWS! Thanks to my recent foray in livejournal the Across the Worlds speical - Between the Worlds is now available on my account - http://gehdrabrildane [dot] livejournal [dot] com/ so get all the extra specials on Across the Worlds go there now!!!


	51. Friends and enemies

New chapter! Enjoy! Across the Worlds

**Chapter 51: Friends and enemies**

_Ten years ago…_

Gaspar paced his study, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Are you sure?" he demanded.

His aide nodded timidly as the headmaster whirled, sparks flying from his hair as in his distress he began to lose control of his magic. One of the sparks fell onto his carpet instantly igniting a smouldering spot as Gaspar jumped.. He stomped onto the burning carpet, putting it out before looking back up at his aide.

"Are you tell me in the whole entire world only five people were Gifted last night?" he demanded.

"That's what the reports indicate. Two here. One on the other side of the continent. One from Japan and one from Russia," the aide read from his notes, "They…"

The aide trailed off as Gaspar looked unseeingly out the window. He had been stunned last night when amongst the hundreds of children who had turned up for the arrival of Ariel Star, only two had been Gifted in the wake of the asteroid. In all his years as a teacher and headmaster in this academy he had never seen anything like it. It seemed like an omen and a dangerous one at that.

Aaron and Mallory… he repeated the names, testing them, his heart breaking as he slowly began to realise what those two had just been burdened with.

Gaspar let out a long sigh.

"Do you know what this means?" he asked quietly.

"Uhhh… no?"

Gaspar looked at his aide, eyes grave.

"It means the Magi have been chosen. The Great Game has begun."

_Present day…_

Elias looked up, fascinated even as magic roared and boomed all around him. The Ariel Star was a thing to behold, a glorious artistic triumph of nature but to his keen eyes it didn't seem any different from any other asteroid he'd seen.

The scientist felt disappointed, expecting… well, he didn't know what he'd been expecting. But he expected more.

"ARGH!"

One of the girls screamed as two of Sid's controlled women leapt from the bushes, streams of fire flying from their hands.

"GET BACK!" Elias roared as the other teachers surged forwards, Gifts and magic rushing forwards to meet the attack.

A spell struck a nearby statue and it instantly came to live, diving off its pedestal and into the line of fire, exploding as the magic smashed into its body. As smoking debris rained to the ground, the two women stepped forwards, eyes and face blank.

"The strings!" Valerie, English teacher, yelled, "Get the strings!"

Her colleagues responded, purple light lashing out and snapping two of the strings in two. One of the women's arms fell, the spell on her hands dying out as the other turned.

"NO!" Elias yelled, realising what was going to happen.

The second women killed her companion, incinerating her where she stood.

"WATCH OUT!!"  
Elias whipped around, gaping as a ring of students clasped their hands together, blindingly bright light burning between the gaps in their clasped hands.

"NOW!!" one of the senior boys yelled.

With a cry, they all hurled their hands forwards. The last possessed woman turned away from her battle with the teachers and only had time to blink before the magical attack ploughed straight into her body.

The strings in her body were instantly obliterated as she was hurled into a tree, her head cracking sickening against the trunk. She flopped boneless to the ground as the students teetered, their faces pale.

Valerie quickly snapped out of her shock.

"Come on!" she yelled, "To the shelters!"

Ignoring the students' protests, she and Elias herded the students away from the school and to a second field as the sounds of fierce fighting drifted downwind towards them.

AAAAAA

"Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow!"

Phoebe lurched back, her nose oozing blood as Inara hissed, blowing on her knuckles as they throbbed with pain.

"Note to self," Inara groaned, "No superpowers means punching solid faces actually hurts."

The Kraken's Chosen stared at her, the hall still blanketed in her terror-inducing smoke. Her eyes were wide, her face pale as she still tried to understand what had just happened. She had finally met an opponent who didn't succumb to her powers, who felt terror in their veins, their worst nightmares in their heads and still didn't break.

Phoebe screamed, her hands flying out as more smoke surged forwards, twisting through the air towards them.

Inara and Zaru didn't even blink as they charged through the smoke, Phoebe's powers completely useless against the leopard as Inara took the brunt of the attack, terror pumping through her but she barely reacted, more focused on her enemy.

Phoebe screamed as Zaru's claws ripped through her dress, digging into flesh. She kicked out throwing the leopard away and dived, Inara's sword missing.

"NO!!!" Phoebe screamed at them, "This impossible!!!"

Her eyes bulged as she stared at the two.

"This can't be happening!!" Phoebe shrieked, "Everyone… everyone is scared of something!!! You… you can't exist!!"

Inara and Zaru rolled their eyes as they calmly walked towards her, murderous intent in their eyes.

"We do," Zaru said bored, "Deal with it."

"NO!!"

Black smoke flew at them, choking them, blanketing the whole area as Inara and Zaru flailed, blinded. Slowly the smoke bled away from the hall leaving the air clear once more.

Inara looked around and cursed.

Phoebe was gone.

"Coward!" Zaru snorted, angry the woman had fled.

The sound of running footsteps made them freeze but they relaxed as Caspian burst into the hall, hair in disarray, blood-splattered, sword in hand. Zaru gagged, coughing violently as he tried to clear the burning bitter stench of fear from his nose.

"Where's Marduk?" the king demanded furiously, "He got away from me!"

He turned to them, a question in his eyes but Zaru and Inara shook their heads.

"Where's Peter?" Caspian demanded.

Inara looked at him blankly as Zaru lifted his head, sniffing the air. His nose twitched as he tried to take in odours through the ripe, overpowering fear he could still smell. Finally he caught the faintest whiff of a very familiar scent.

"He's further into the school," the leopard reported quickly, "Over here!!"

The leopard dashed off, Inara and Caspian behind, looks of worry on their faces.

Inside the real Caspian was weeping, utterly broken.

'_Susan…Aslan HELP HER!! SUSAN!!!'_

AAAAAA

"GASPAR!"

Black smoke billowed from the blast site as smoking dirt and wisps of flames rained down all around them.

"GASPAR!!" Kage screamed.

There was a brilliant flash of light amongst the dark smoke and a spell shrieked through the air, bursting through the plumes and landing at the feet of one of the possessed women. She blinked, startled and the spell instantly exploded tearing a smoking gouge in the dirt. She was hurled off her feet, arcing and crashing to the ground in a twitching pile of limbs.

A wild gust shredded the smoke apart and Gaspar calmly climbed out of the smoking crater in the hill, his clothing askew and sooty but otherwise unharmed.

Kage and Volkov gaped at him.

"That's going to murder our budget," Gaspar said briskly nodding at the crater.

The remaining possessed women, five in total, charged, arcs of power flying from their bodies. A tree exploded, the water in its trunk superheating into steam as one stray bit of energy struck its branches. The earth sizzled and fused, grass turning into ashes as Volkov cocked back his arm like a pitcher.

With a yell, his hand snapped forwards, a crackling orb of dense electricity flying forwards. It spun through the air tearing through a ribbon of energy before slamming straight into one of the women. Her body convulsed, muscles locking and paralysing as she was thrown backwards with deadly force, smashing into a bench and landing in a spray of deluge.

Four more to go.

Unnoticed by the combatants, the Ariel Star flew across the dark sky leaving light and Gifts in its wake.

"WATCH OUT!" Kage thundered.

Volkov leapt out of the way as glistening strings speared the dirt where he had been standing. The strings ripped itself free from the grass and twisted like a snake before darting at the Magi.

"Where is he?" Kage roared.

"THERE!" Gaspar jammed his finger upwards as Volkov deflected the strings with a crackling wall of electricity.

Sid laughed from his perch on the tree sending more of his strings forward to attack Gaspar and the two Magi. More strings hung from his fingers, winding towards the four remaining possessed witches as they hurled magical bolts and fire at the three defenders.

"Hello."

Sid gasped, recoiling as Kage suddenly appeared in the branches before him seemingly out of nowhere. Kage lunged, stabbing forwards, dagger in hand as Sid fell out of the tree to avoid the blow.

He splattered onto the ground, groaning in pain as Kage leapt from the tree, landing lightly on bent knees.

"NO!" Sid looked up but Kage was already gone, disappeared.

Strings exploded from Sid's fingers wrapping the man in a protective cocoon. The threads twitched and writhed around his lanky body as Sid laughed, muffled by his protections.

Volkov and Gaspar hurled their power at him, lightning and spell twining together but the four controlled women instantly summoned a wall of light that absorb the blast, reflecting it back at them.

Behind them the shimmering dome of red light continued to flicker and buzz, sealing the school off as the battle raged on its front laws.

Sid continued to howl with laughter, hands moving as his four slaves launched their attacks, the three defenders struggling to survive.

AAAAAA

He was burning up, his body struggling to contain the storm that had suddenly birthed in him. Power, pure and destructive, tore his body apart and stitched it back together just as quickly in a never-ending cycle, remaking him, strengthening him. He fell forwards, unable to anymore as his very bones shuddered, threatening to shatter before the maelstrom deep inside him.

Dahlia froze, Siren's blood dripping from her claws, confused as the High King fell on his hands, the cursed limbs instantly collapsing under him. His head smacked into the ground as he retched violently trying to vomit out the fire that threatened to burn him up from the inside.

His body stiffened, the agony slowly melting away as his blood, his body, his very soul sucked in the fire and storm raging inside of him like thirty plants draining water, making it, all of it a part of him.

Peter looked up and he was reborn.

"What?!" Dahlia gaped, crystals spikes growing, "You…"

"Peter…" Siren choked, blood bubbling up her throat.

Peter crawled towards her, cataracts of gold over his eyes. He stared at her, studying her as though she was an alien and he was a scientist.

"Peter…" the Magi coughed up more blood, her organs glistening through the gaping wound in her gut, "The Saviour…"

Peter stared down into her face and like magnets snapping together, a bond, connection was made. A charge ran between them

Siren's lips pulled up into a weak smile, understanding better than Peter did what had to be done.

"Do it," she whispered, "Take it."

Peter's lips moved but he felt very far away, disconnected.

"Siren…"

"Take it," Siren's voice strengthened, "Please!"

She coughed up another great glob of dark blood, her breath wet in her lungs.

"Take it…"

Timidly Peter placed his hands on her collarbone, his golden eyes unblinking. Siren smiled, her eyes closing as she laid back, welcoming the end.

"Take it…"

And it was pulled out of her, yanked out of its home deep inside her and sucked hungrily into the king as Siren's head lolled back, the Magi gasping as she felt her most beloved treasure taken from her.

Her smile only widened.

"Use it…" she whispered, "Kill her."

And she was gone, Peter crouched silently over her body, drinking it all, trying to make sense of all that had just happened.

Dahlia recovered, spitting in fury as her hand flicked out, crystal shards shooting forwards. Peter leapt to the side, dodging the deadly blades as the Kraken's Chosen cursed.

She stomped the ground, a line of crystals bursting out from her feet and streaking across the ground, jagged spikes stabbing up as Peter easily evaded the attack, skipping back.

He blinked, his eyes going back to their normal blue as Dahlia fired more and more crystals at him, screaming in frustration as he dodged each time.

Kage's brutal training regime was paying off, the High King's movements swift and graceful as he ducked and weaved, leapt and rolled, death missing him sometimes by mere capriciousness but still he clung on.

Dahlia screamed in fury, her hands sweeping the air, a line of razor sharp splinters flying forwards. Peter leapt forwards, tucking and rolling as the barrage of crystals shot past overhead, slamming into the thick metal walls as Dahlia gasped in surprise, the king rolling right to her feet.

Before she could react Peter launched himself at her, springing up and slamming into her crystal-armoured form, knocking both of them out of the Vault.

Dahlia roared in fury, throwing him aside and kicked out at him. Peter grunted in pain as a crystal thorn slammed into his side, blood gushing from the wound.

"ARGH!"

He ripped the crystal free and hurled it aside, his dagger appearing in his hands before he lunged at Dahlia, eyes burning with maniacal light.

"Why so sad Saviour?" Dahlia taunted, swatting him away again, her crystal hardened arm smashing into his face, "Oh wait…"

Peter stabbed at her, his face pale with rage as Dahlia grabbed his wrist, crushing him as the dagger fell from his nerveless fingers. She hissed straight into his face, baring needle-fine fangs at him.

"I'm guessing you're objecting to the way I disembowelled your friend," she smirked.

Peter roared, swinging his other useless arm at her. Dahlia took the blow, chuckling as Peter grunted in pain.

She pulled him closer, crystal spikes growing on her face, stabbing into Peter's cheeks.

"Guess what?" she cooed, "It was fun!!"

Dahlia threw him into the wall. Peter's back smacked into the wooden panelling, the air punched from his lungs as he staggered, gasping for breath.

"So Saviour…" Dahlia's eyes flashed, "Wanna see what it was like?"

Peter screamed in pain as Dahlia's crystal spike stabbed him straight through the hand, pinning him to the wall.

The Kraken's Chosen laughed, sashaying towards him, a crystal dagger forming in her hands, its jagged razor edge gleaming in the light.

"Let's see what you liver looks like," Dahlia licked her lips, raising her hands as Peter glared at her, snarling.

"NOOOOO!!!"  
Zaru speared into her knocking the crystal woman back into the Vault as Caspian and Inara charged into the room.

"PETER!" Inara yelled, eyes widening as she saw the king.

Peter growled at her, bearing his teeth like an animal as he tugged and pulled at the crystal in his hands, tearing his flesh apart as he tried to free himself.

"Peter?"

Inara walked slowly up to him, timidly as though approaching a wounded beast. Peter stared back at her, his eyes mindless with instincts.

"What happened to you?" Inara whispered, bewildered.

The High King was lost, consumed and controlled by the power raging through him, a power that only responded to the most basest of desires, the strongest of emotions and right now that was hatred and fear.

Inside the Vault, Zaru and Caspian gasped seeing Siren's dead body. Zaru roared, his smoky eyes alive with hatred.

"YOU – " he roared again, throwing himself at the woman.

Dahlia swung, knocking him aside as Caspian charged at her, the woman's crystal claws easily parrying his blow. She knocked his sword down, swinging at him as her talons grew rapidly into long scythe like blades.

Caspian ducked and Dahlia's claws tore into the wall, gouging a deep tear into the metal. The three in the Vault all froze as a glowing arcane sigil shimmered on the wall, the tear through its centre. As they watched, the symbol seemed to disintegrate, parts of it winking out existence before it vanished all together.

"What…" Caspian began.

"BAM!"  
Dahlia hurled him aside before she plunged one hand into the tear, pulling out a squat wooden box. Runes were etched into the darkly stained wood, spells for protection and repelling attention. The Kraken's Chosen gripped the box in crystal-clawed hands and with a small grunt pulled it apart.

Outside Inara stopped in front of Peter as the High King growled lowly in his throat, hate in his eyes.

"Peter?"

He lunged at her, Inara hopping back quickly. Peter screamed as the crystal in his hands jerked, tearing his palm apart. He stopped, whimpering as Inara reached out slowly.

Her fingertips touched his cheeks and Peter froze, staring at her.

"Peter…" Inara said softly, "Come back."

They stared at each other, all else in the world vanishing as Inara tried to put everything into her gaze, trying to pull him back, trying to tel–

"Inara?" his voice was soft, a croak.

She smiled as Peter slumped, unconsciously turning his cheeks into her hands. He was shaking, sweat pouring down his face, not just from the pain but from something else as well.

Inara's face contorted into a scowl and she swatted him across the arm.

"OW!" Peter yelped, "Hey! Injured here!"

"You idiot! Don't scare me like that!" Inara snapped.

Peter smirked, still pale but recovering.

"Careful," he warned weakly, "A stranger might think you were worried."

Inara flushed before flaring.

"What makes you think I – "

They both froze, turning towards the Vault as Dahlia let out a triumphant cry. From the wreckage of the box, she pulled out a single round white stone.

Zaru's eyes widened as his fur stuck up, reacting to the power pouring from the polished rock.

"NO!!" he roared.

Dahlia grinned at him and in one move crushed the Lodestone into dust. Somewhere, deep below the earth's crust, the Kraken's prison shuddered and flickered out of existence for a brief terrifying second as the beast within roared in triumph.

"Looks like I win," Dahlia shook her blonde hair, her crystalline form blazing with light, "Sorry, nothing personal. It's just d – ARGH!"

A blade exploded out of her gut. She staggered, clutching at the wall as grim-faced, Caspian twisted the blade.

"This is for Siren," he hissed.

Eyes wide with shock, Dahlia twisted her head to look at her attacker. Caspian stared back at her, eyes burning like coals. Suddenly Dahlia sighed.

"If you think this is enough to kill you, you are an idiot."

She hissed, spitting a mouthful of her crystal fangs at Caspian. The king staggered back, blinded as Dahlia wrenched the sword free from her body with a scream.

The whole school suddenly shook as a powerful spell lit up the night sky, the dome of energy sealing the Academy vanishing into thin air.

Dahlia cursed.

Zaru slammed into her, his jaws finding a gap in her crystal armour and sinking deep into her flesh. The woman screamed, kicking him off as Zaru bounded easily off the walls, his claws slashing forwards.

Dahlia screamed, staggering back as blood oozed from her crystal-free face.

"NOOOO!!!" she howled, "NOOOOOO!!!!"

She looked up, four horizontal cuts stretching from one end of her face to the other.

"NOOOOO!!!"

Dahlia roared, crystals flying through the air as Zaru dodged. The woman was weeping, clutching at her face.

"No… my face! MY FACE!!"  
"BOOM!"  
Zaru froze as a giant claw exploded out of the wall. The school shook to its very foundations as a monstrous roar sounded, four more claws stabbed through brick, steel and plaster.

Dratina howled, her ruined eye still oozing with blood as she tore the wall apart, cold night air rushing in as the dragon's flapping wings sent powerful gusts into the room.

Inara threw herself in front of Peter, shielding him but the Kraken's Chosen were more interested in their own skin.

"DAHLIA!!!" Sid screamed, "Come on!! Gaspar and the others are heading up!"

The ventriloquist supported a battered Marduk as Phoebe tended to an unconscious Lauren, all of them standing on the dragon's broad back.

"COME ON!!!" Sid screamed.

"STOP!!!"  
Gaspar, Kage and Volkov appeared in the doorway as Sid threw his hands desperately forwards. Still weeping bitterly, her damaged her face hidden behind her hands, Dahlia was snatched up by Sid's strings. Volkov roared, tendrils of crackling blue death springing from his fingers. Dratina's other arm burst through the hole, deflecting the shocks as Sid pulled Dahlia onto the dragon.

"NOW!!!" the Kraken's Chosen roared.

Hissing, Dratina threw herself away from the school and with a powerful pump of her wings swept up into the air. Spells and lighting flew at her but missed as the dragon flew into the night, the Kraken's Chosen on her back.

Gaspar turned and viewed the destruction with a sigh.

"Goodbye low insurance premiums," he sighed.

Insuring a school such as Balthazar Academy was always a nightmare. With so many different Gifts running around, uncontrolled and in the hands of hormone-driven teenagers…

Gaspar was always mildly surprised at the end of the year when his beloved school was still standing.

"Is everyone…" Kage began.

He stopped.

"No. No… oh no, you're joking. Please!"

Volkov looked at him sharply.

"Kage what…" he trailed off as the policeman stumbled into the Vault, falling to his knees before Siren's body.

"SIREN!!!"

Volkov's eyes widened as Gaspar reeled as if punched, grabbing the ex-army lieutenant to steady himself.

"No!!" Kage was weeping, cradling Siren's body as he rocked to and fro, "No…"

"Susan."

Everyone turned to stare at Peter. The High King's face was sad and lost as he stared at the mourning Kage but determination and fire burned in those blue depths.

"Mallory," he looked at the faces staring back at him, "We need to find them."

AAAAAA

Paper. Paper. Paper. That's all he had done ever since Starlight Day, fill in papers for insurance, fill in papers for police, fill in papers to explain himself to the Board of Education, fill in papers for lawsuits parents were trying to put against him, fill in papers for children forced to leave the Academy as their parents pulled them out.

Gaspar sighed, rumpled and sleep-deprived. Slowly, very, very slowly the Academy was recovering, builders already at work to fix whatever structural damage had been done but the emotional scars…

Grief suddenly seized him and Gaspar was forced to choke back tears. He remembered when Starla 'Siren' McCarthy had first arrived, shy and quiet, unable to look a single person in the eye. He had watched her grow and bloom, the shyness of yesteryears fading as she became confident, her singing growing with her Gift. He had been there in the aftermath of the first battle when she had first learnt her own brother was one of the Kraken's Chosen, held her as she cried herself to sleep. He had loved her like a daughter and now he had to bury her.

A part of him, the intellectual part knew it wasn't surprising. The Great Game always had causalities but to actually –

Gaspar wiped away his tears. He couldn't breakdown and cry, he couldn't afford to, life still went on, lessons still had to be held and the Academy still needed their headmaster.

Loathing his duties, he put pen to paper and forced himself back into work once more.

AAAAAA

Elias felt like crying but he checked himself. Going into hysterics would hardly be productive and morale was low enough as it was without him dragging everyone down.

"Idiot," he whispered, "Didn't you learn how to dodge?"

Tenderly he brushed the hair from her face, terrified as how cool she felt. He drew the sheets tighter around her form, bile rising in his throat as he stared at her serene face, so pale as death.

"Stop mother-henning," Jason grunted behind him.

Both men stared down at the queen who led them and the girl they would die to protect as the machines arrayed around her beeped, the tube down her throat breathed and her body did all it could to heal the massive gash through her gut.

Jason's fists clenched and he swore again to pull Marduk through hell before obliterating him from existence.

It had been a nightmarish scene, one forever branded inside his head. They had hunted through the debris, calling for her, searching for her then amidst the hellish glow of the flickering flames they had found her, lying serenely atop of a desk, her face pale death, her body drenched in red.

Zaru had roared, screaming, completely out of control as Jason's power had lashed out, destroying one of the walls before the Seeker could gain control. Gaspar had been forced to magically restrain them all, to stop them from charging out into the night and exacting blood retribution to the Kraken's Chosen right there and then.

That had been two days ago.

Medics had rushed in, stitching and stabilising the queen but she had yet to open her eyes. In a bed nearby, Mallory's battered pitiful form seemed dominated by the expanse of white sheets around her, her bruised and lacerated face vulnerable and so tragically young.

They had found her in the ruins of a classroom, beaten beyond recognition, her mind locked in a coma that she might never wake from. The doctors had done all they could, the rest was up to fate and the psychic's ability to heal.

Her wounds had been shocking, the list almost never-ending – ruptured spleen, cracked ribs, broken wrists, internal bleeding, bruised liver… it had gone on and on, an itinerary flaunting the sheer brutality of the attack.

Volkov and Kage had taken refuge in anger, the training halls and outside fields littered with burning debris as the lightning-charged ex-lieutenant terrified teachers and staff with deadly storms and deafening thunder. Kage appearing in random spots all over the school, stepping with cat-like tread as he prowled, gun and knife in hand.

Despair had seeped into the school like a disease, grey and blanketing, leeching spirit and strength. Starlight Day, usually a day of joy and celebration had been ruined, Siren had been killed, Mallory was in a coma, Susan yet to awake but Gaspar despite all his calm words and faces was terrified – another of the Magi had fallen, another incapacitated and another Lodestones had been destroyed.

He had been furious when Volkov and Kage had admitted to finding a Lodestone long before but had kept it a secret, hiding it in the Vault. Dahlia had gotten her hands on it and now the Kraken was only one stone away from tearing its prison apart and spilling into the world.

Things were bleak.

Jason stood silently, his eyes fixed on Susan's face. He was furious, a need and a thirst for destruction welling up inside of him but most all he was scared.

He loved the queen and would gladly switch places with her right now. He loved her because she was everything he was not – gentle but firm, regal and fair and able to inspire trust and hope in others. Jason knew that given half the chance she would change the worlds and he was her guardian, tasked with the duty to protect her, protect this fragile flame of change against all who would snuff it out and he had failed.

In the world of Echidna's children, his heart had almost stopped as Susan was turned to stone. But that death had been miraculously reverted by the gods themselves and Jason belief in her had turned to awe. He had vowed to do a better job to protect her and –

His fists tightened.

"Stop blaming yourself," Elias said wearily.

The two of them were the oldest of the group and almost naturally they had become the elders, the parents of the group. They looked after the others and in turn supported each other.

"Where's Inara?" Jason demanded instead, unable to look at his failure anymore.

"Where else?" Elias asked wearily.

Jason grunted and stalked away leaving Elias to watch over his daughter.

AAAAAA

'_YOU HAVE FAILED ME!!!' _the Kraken roared, suckers latching on the crystal walls of its prison, its eyes a churning sea of fire and hate.

Bent on her knees before her master, Dahlia jumped as a huge dark serrated beak suddenly scraped against the crystal wall, sparks flying as it screeched against the smooth surface.

'_I WANT THE SAVIOUR DEAD!' _the ancient evil screeched, it's voice in her mind and ears, pummelling her with its sheer intensity.

Dahlia was breathless, battered and bruised by its voice alone.

"I'm sorry," she said in a voice that quaked, "Please master! FORGIVE ME!!"  
_'FORGIVE?!?' _the Kraken screeched the cave shaking with its fury, _'FORGIVE ME!?? YOU DARE BEG ME FOR FORGIVENESS!?'_

The air was suddenly alive with invisible wasps, stinging and bitting Dahlia, the woman screaming in pain yet not daring to move a limb to stop the assault.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she screamed.

She looked up, her face still scarred from Zaru's claws.

"I will do better! I will kill the Saviour!" she screeched.

'_YOU IDIOT!!!' _the Kraken screamed, _'YOU HAD ONE CHANCE!!! THE PROTECTION SPELLS AROUND THE SAVIOUR ARE NOW STRONGER THAN EVER!! YOU MISSED YOUR CHANCE!!'_

Dahlia suddenly screamed, falling backwards as she clutched at her face.

'_OPEN YOUR EYES!!' _the Kraken screeched, dark shapes boiling behind the crystal wall as its tentacles writhed, _'OPEN THEM!!'_

Whimpering, the blonde woman slowly pulled her hands away and invisible hands grabbed her head forcing her to stare at the reflection in the crystal. Dahlia screamed, blue eyes bulging in a ghoulish façade of swollen red flesh and puckered ugly burns. Her famed beauty had been stripped away, replaced by a nightmare of bleeding cracks and craterous pits.

"MASTER!!" Dahlia screamed, "NO!!!"

She threw herself to the ground, burying her face into the dirt, her head shaking violently as she tried to rid herself of her curse.

'_I GAVE YOU YOUR GIFTS. I GAVE YOU YOUR BEAUTY,' _the Kraken thundered, _'DO NOT MAKE ME STRIP THEM AWAY.'_

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Dahlia was a weeping broken heap, "I'm sorry."

Suckers leeched onto the glass, each a gaping circle of bony spurs that convulsed around a central maw.

'_YOU WILL FIND THE FINAL LODESTONE AND YOU WILL DESTROY IT,' _the Kraken hissed, its massive eye pressed up against the wall, the window to an alien hellish plane, _'I WILL DEAL THE SAVIOUR MYSELF WHEN THE TIME COMES.'_

"Of course master, of course," Dahlia grovelled.

The Kraken sneered, its beak appearing against as it snapped at the woman.

'_GO. YOU DISGUST ME!'_

Dahlia raised her face, her features reverted once more back to its alabaster perfection, marred by Zaru's claw marks but it was nothing compared to the gore of before. She touched her face with shaking hands, barely breathing as she felt her smooth skin.

She closed her eyes, weeping in gratitude before jumping to her feet and fleeing from her master's baleful gaze.

AAAAAA

"Do you believe in god?" Phoebe asked.

Lauren looked up from her worktable, her hair fighting free from her usual neat bun, her face still heavily bruised from her defeat at the Academy.

"What drivel are you talking about now?" the computer genius demanded, a flaming blowtorch in hand.

"Do you believe god?" Phoebe repeated, a distant look on her delicate features.

"Rubbish," Lauren sneered, "Drivel for the uninformed masses."

Phoebe looked at her curiously as Lauren switched the blowtorch off. The purple-haired woman put on her glasses as she bent close to her work, minute tools in hand as she fiddled with her subject.

Phoebe stood watching her as she fingered the necklace of flowers she wore.

"Why do you not believe?" Phoebe asked quietly.

"I'm believe in facts and logic," Lauren replied grimly, "Show me proof then I'll believe."

"Why do you need proof?"

"Why are you bugging me?" Lauren snapped as sparks flew from her tools.

"Why?" Phoebe pushed, "Why do you need proof?"

Lauren sighed, knowing from experience it was easier to just deal with Phoebe's questions than to ignore her.

"If you don't need proof to believe, I can say there's a giant flying spaghetti monster controlling the world."

"That's just silly," Phoebe snorted.

"But you can't prove that it's right nor wrong," Lauren said with a superior smirk, "See? If you base anything on faith alone, anyone can make up anything and you know what's that called? A cult! And we all know how crazy those things are."

"But god is real," Phoebe said quietly, "God's work is all around us. How can you not believe?"

Lauren snorted rudely.

"What this earth? This earth was created billions and billions of years ago from a single entity. Phoebe, crack a book," the genius muttered as she got back to her work.

Sparks flew as she welded metal together with expert precision.

"Show me a miracle and maybe I'll start believing," the dry tone in Lauren's voice clearly gave lie to her words.

"Life is a miracle," Phoebe said with a small smile.

Lauren rolled her eyes.

"I saw a miracle the other night… at the Academy. I think I met god herself…" Phoebe said dreamily.

"Her?!"

"Yes," Phoebe's smile became eerie, an obsessive light in her eyes, "She was beautiful. She had no fear. How can such a person exist?"

Phoebe looked at Lauren who almost recoiled from the craziness in those eyes.

"It's simple. They don't. She's a god."

Phoebe smiled, still playing with her flowers, the picture of childish innocence.

"Lauren… how do you kill a god?"

AAAAAA

"Don't worry."

Her name had been Renee, a college student who had been out partying with friends when a red-haired man had approached her with a charming smile. They had chatted, exchanged numbers then… nothing. All she remembered was darkness until now..

"I won't hurt your sis," Renee said, her mouth moving jerkily as tears spilled down her face.

She was blonde-haired, tall and beautiful, supremely confident and always in control. She wept bitterly at the irony.

"Promise me," Sid said stalking in a circle around Renee, "Promise me Dahlia."

"Of course Sid," Renee was forced to say, "Siren will be safe!"

"BAM!"

Her head jerked to the side as Sid slapped her violently.

"LIAR!!" Sid roared, "YOU DIRTY, FILTHY LIAR!!!"

Renee fell woodenly to the floor as Sid kicked her in the gut. He was screaming at her, tears in his eyes, his clothes a mess.

"LIAR!!"  
He kicked her again, breaking bones and bruising organs.

"LIAR!!!"  
Renee was weeping, her eyes the only thing she could control as her tormentor screamed, demented and barely hanging onto his sanity.

"I loved her! I did everything for her! I just wanted to protect her!" Sid screamed at the blonde woman on the ground, "You think I like this Kraken thing? But I know it's going to win! I signed on to protect myself and my sister from the inevitable and you turned around and murdered her!!!"

Sid bent and backhanded her, Renee's tears coming hot and fast.

"YOU MURDERED HER!!!"

The Kraken's Chosen pulled a gun from his pocket and Renee managed to whimper. Sid pulled back his hands manipulating the strings as Renee was forced to stand.

"And now I'm going to kill you," he spat.

"BANG!"

Renee's body crumpled to the ground as the strings controlling her dissolved. Sid stood over her, chest heaving, smoking gun in hand.

He gritted his teeth and turned around, strings flying from his fingertips. A second woman, tall and blonde was forced to march out of the darkness, already crying.

"Don't worry," she was forced to say, "I won't hurt your sis."

AAAAAA

Peter unwrapped the bandage around his injured hands, wincing at the ruined evil-looking flesh that lurked beneath.

Guilt still ate at him, eroding him. So much destruction. So much pain and death. And it was all because of him. Siren was dead, killed in the most horrible of ways. Mallory was in a coma.

And his sister…

Peter closed his eyes, fighting down the tears, knowing how utterly useless they were.

"No," he spat, "It's not my fault."

The Kraken… its Chosen… they were the ones who had done all this. They were the ones who had hurt these good people, they were the ones who had hurt his own sister. If that was any blame, any loathing, it was now directed solely on the Kraken.

A single goal crystallised inside his head.

He would fulfil the prophecy. He will kill the Kraken, he will do it for all who had suffered because of the beast.

It was not just his destiny anymore, it was his desire, his tribute to Siren who had died to protect her hope.

Peter held up his hand, ignoring the pain as he closed his eyes, dipping down into his own mind and clutching at something that danced there, taunting with glimpses and flashes. He frowned, concentrating, finding the calm within him as he always did before a battle, seeking stillness before the rush and the meeting of steel on steel. It had been something taught to him by the centaurs, to find peace before the brutality of war, to prepare himself, to expect nothing and everything… to just exist and be aware of the ebbs and flows of the world, knowing that all things were inevitable and that you simply had to trust and play your part instead of breaking yourself against the tyrant that was fate.

It had served him well in Narnia, especially before his duel with Miraz when his death could've easily been the outcome. Nerves and fears had plagued him that dreadful night before but he had sat before the carving of Aslan, finding the oasis of stillness within him and he had been ready. Now he sought the same thing, to drain his mind of thoughts and simply be.

He opened his mouth as the intangible thing that had haunted him suddenly made itself be known, exerting its own force and flying from his throat.

Peter, High King of Narnia, the Saviour of this world, did something he had never done before – he sang.

His voice was pure and haunting, beautiful as he sang with the precision and effortless grace of one trained his whole life. He was vaguely aware of what the song was – a hymn of solace and growth, a praise to the world of all that was strong and true but woven through it all, like meanings hidden behind lyrics was snatches of something else – ethereal, barely noticeable.

Peter opened his eyes and stared at his unblemished hand, the gaping wound from before completely sealed and healed, only a dry streak of blood showing where it had been.

Peter smiled and he knew how he was going to save this world.

AAAAAA

Kage smiled, the first genuine grin that had crossed his face since Starlight Day. The policeman had been forced to give up his job when the first Lodestone had started appearing, the Great Game beginning in earnest. He had decided to step in at the Academy and fill in the empty position of gym teacher, providing him with a cover story to give to his friends and family outside his Magi life.

At first he had resented sacrificing everything but he had come to accept it and much to his surprise he genuinely enjoyed working with the kids. His current class, a group of grade fivers, were shrieking with happiness as they darted and ran about in a furious game of tag, their laughter boisterous and free.

He had remembered seeing them right after Starlight Day, had comforted them as they turned to him pale-faced and terrified but like most small children they easily forgot the nightmare, too busy being swept up in the sheer joys and discoveries of life.

Kage simply sat and absorb it all in, trying to take the children's lightness into this own heart.

Tears threatened to topple his control as memories of Siren flashed back into his head but the sight of the laughing children pushed them away. The singer had been almost like a child herself, carefree and fully embracing life, optimistic and eager to go out and sample everything. She would've smacked him repeatedly over the head if she saw him moping around.

Kage sat up taller, his grin widening even as a tear rolled down his face. Siren would've wanted them to celebrate her life not drown themselves in sorrow. She would've wanted them to treasure life not lament its fragility and if he really wanted to honour his friend, his sister, he would do what she wanted.

He stood up.

"Come on kids!" Kage announced, voice booming, "Let's play some b-ball!"

The children shrieked with joy and dashed towards him as Kage laughed, loud and free.

AAAAAA

"So if we assume that Newton's second law holds true and that the force of an accelerating object is the product of its mass and its acceleration measures in metres per metres per seconds," Elias lectured, writing on the board as he spoke as the senior physics class hurriedly copied them down, "Then the calculations will be…"

The bell suddenly rang and Elias froze, a chill running up his spine. He let out a long breath, struggling to control himself.

"Okay, class is dismissed. Go get ready," the professor said quietly, rubbing the board clean.

The usual sounds of a class free from the prison of school was gone replaced by a solemn silence as all of them quietly packed up their nothing and marched out of the room, not saying a word, caught up in their own dark memories.

Elias sighed and gathered his belongings as well. He had a funeral to prepare for.

AAAAAA

Gaspar touched his arm making him stop.

"You are not allowed to make this speech into some bloodthirsty spiel about vengeance," the headmaster said bluntly.

His eyes darted to Kage.

"You too," he added softly.

Volkov stared stonily back at the lanky man but Gaspar's gaze was firm and unwavering.

"Fine," Volkov grunted, looking strange and unnatural in a neat black suit.

Sparks flew from his hair, his emotions in turmoil despite his icy exterior. Kage was pensive, his dark hair still in their messy natural spikes, the policeman having given up trying to tame them a long time ago.

"I'm serious," Gaspar said, a glint of steel in her voice, "We don't want to go around terrifying the children."

Volkov grunted and his broad shoulders rose in a shrug.

"Okay," the headmaster looked out the window, forcing his tears back, knowing that he had to appear strong.

At first he hadn't wanted the children present for Siren's funeral but most of the senior students had immediately retaliated, creating petitions and official complaints, arguing they too needed to say goodbye to their beloved music teacher, confidante and friend. Touched by the kids' passion and adoration, Gaspar had allowed them to come. He had already hired counsellors to be on-hand in case they needed someone to talk to.

Gaspar opened the door and stepped outside, nodding to Peter, the High King waiting by the gates of the graveyard for them. The powerful magician hid his hands inside his pockets as a gentle light glowed from them, the headmaster surreptitiously checking the protection spells over the Saviour were still in place.

Peter nodded back, his movements brisk and crisp. Gaspar blinked in surprise, the last time he had properly talked to the young man, Peter had been… frankly Peter had been a wreck, wracked with guilt and filled with remorse. But now…

Gaspar felt his heart lighten as hope climbed. The look Peter had given him wasn't the look of a worried, anxious-ridden boy, it was the look of a warrior.

Had he…?

"I won't let her down," Peter said quietly, answering his question.

Gaspar merely nodded back as Volkov and Kage climbed out of the car after him. The four men walked up the winding path towards Siren's grave, a cluster of black-clad figures gathered around the priest standing at the head of the freshly dug site.

They all took their seats, Jason even more uncomfortable than Volkov in a suit. Elias's face was grim as Inara sat by his side, a carefully blank mask over her own emotions. Caspian sat beside Jason, fidgeting with his tie, a foreign object to the Narnian. He pulled at it, frowning, uncomfortable with its tightness. The Seeker was doing the same, baring his teeth in frustration as he struggled with the stubborn neckwear, trying to loosen it from the point of suffocation. Without a change in expression, Inara reached across and smacked them both across the back of the head.

Siren's coffin, polished to a high sheen and adorned with wild flowers, ribbons and messages from the children, laid near the edge of the grave like the elephant in a room, blatantly there yet unacknowledged and avoided by all.

"Dearly beloved," the priest intoned gravely, "We are gathered here today…"

"I walked into her room and guess what I saw?" Kage laughed, 'She was jumping up and down on her bed, hairbrush in her hand belting out the latest pop hit at the top of her lungs."

A wave of laughter ran through the crowd as Kage continued to talk, reminiscing, a bittersweet look in his eyes.

"She saw me and screeched like you wouldn't believe. She fell off her bed and when I rushed forward to check on she threw the brush at me," the policeman smiled ruefully, "I've still got the scar."

His face fell, sadness sweeping in as Kage tried to gather himself.

"I'm going to miss moments like that. Siren was… Siren," he chuckled, "Unique. Sweet. Strong. A wonderful teacher (there was some cheers here). An even more wonderful person. She was just… Siren."

Kage's dark eyes swept the crowd, everyone smiling even as tears poured down their faces.

"If she was here, she would've hated this," Kage said lightly, "I mean all of us wearing black? She would've hated us looking so drab. Siren loved to make others happy and enjoy life as much as she did. And that's the message I want everyone to walk away with… go, don't be scared, grab life by both hands and never let go. Love, hurt, cry but know that it's all part of living. Siren taught me how to live life and I…"

His voice turned husky, his throat hurting as he tried to force the words out.  
"I love her. And I know she's watching over us, laughing with our triumphs, comforting us when we're alone and sad and ready to kill us when we make stupid mistakes and mope about it. I… I miss you and…" Kage tried to smile but it crumbled away, "I'll treasure that scar forever."

He backed away from the podium, fighting tears as Gaspar rose, heartbreak all over his face. Volkov suddenly stiffened in his chair, spotting a shock of red hair in the distance. He shifted, trying to get a better look, making out a slim figure standing half-hidden by a tree, watching the funeral.

A red mist fell over his eyes and his muscles convulsed, his nerves quaking with rage. Logic and thought fled, Volkov struggling with the fiery beast that had just birthed in his gut, a wild animal that keened loudly for blood and revenge, his own blood singing back their own echoing song.

He flinched, teeth finding tongue as blood flooded his mouth. The shock of metal tang on his tastebuds snapped him out of paralysis and the Magi instantly half-rose in his chair, sparks gathering in his hands and eyes.

Elias touched his wrist, cringing as he was jolted by the shocks.

"No," the scientist said, his lips barely moving, "Not here. Not now."

Volkov's eyes swept the crowd, saw the children huddling next to each other for comfort and sighed, the lightning slowly dissipating.

"Even murderers get to mourn," Elias whispered as Volkov bit back his anger and forced himself to relax, the craving for revenge screaming at him, mocking him for its cowardice.

But not was not the time, Volkov vowed. Soon. Soon…

Up on the stage, Gaspar was still talking.

"She…" the headmaster choked on his words, "She's my daughter and I love her. And the hardest thing a parent ever has to do is bury their own child but… I do it with some measure of solace because I know… I know that someone like her, someone so strong and compassionate and beautiful inside and out… she must be in heaven and she's safe and she's waiting for us…"

His voice broke and Gaspar positively fled from the stage, his famed control fading under the crushing weight of his grief.

The priest stood up once more, intoning the time-honoured words as the coffin was slowly lowered into its final resting place.

"Ashes…"

Peter clenched his fist, silently reaffirming his vow to destroy the Kraken. Life was short, too short to waste for by hiding and fear. He had locked himself in self-doubt and despair for too long, there was no point lamenting what could have been, he had take things as they were and run with it. Peter made a promise right there and then to let nothing hold him back from what he had to do, it didn't matter he couldn't use his arms, it didn't matter he couldn't pick up a sword – he wasn't going to let it hold him back… not anymore.

His days were numbered, everyone's days were numbered from the day they were born. He had to use up every single last one of those days to fight for what he wanted. Because he didn't want to go into earth with regret, he wanted to go in peace and the knowledge he had done all he wanted.

"… to ashes."

Elias silently contemplated the fragility of life, how quickly it can all vanish. Back in his own world, doctors and geneticists had toiled for centuries to achieve the impossible – immortality. Elias knew it was a foolish dream for egomaniacs. Immortality cannot exist in a prison of flesh, the only true immortality rested with the dreams you dreamt and all that you taught and gave to the world. Now, faced with this irrefutable fact of life, Elias contemplated his own legacy. Was he proud of what he had done? He looked at Inara. Looked at Jason. Looked at Peter and looked at Caspian and Elias smiled. He had done well.

"Dust…"

Power. A thing lusted for by many, a thing that had caused wars and murders and the darkest betrayals the world over and across all generations. Inara herself had thirsted for it, longed for it especially when she had lost it. But it was ephemeral, fleeting… just like life. Was that what life was all about? Gathering as much power as you possibly could?

Inara smiled bitterly and finally realised something, something that eased the torment inside of her. In the end power was nothing, it mattered not how strong you were, how much strength you possessed – it would all disappear one day, one way or another. So what was the point? What was the point of longing and struggling and selling your soul for power?

There was no point.

Inara blinked. Power itself was nothing, what mattered was what you did with it. It mattered what good you wrought with what you had.

Inara felt older, sadder but infinitely glad she had finally realised this revelation. There was no point in her training and training and training to become stronger, not if it meant she locked herself away. She had to take what she had and fight with it, fight for her friends, her family and what she believed in.

The young woman closed her eyes and thanked Siren for finally opening her eyes.

"… to dust."

Even though Jason didn't remember everything, he knew he had lost a family. He had lost a daughter and a wife and the pain had ripped him in two, causing him so much anguish he had locked it all away. It was something he hated to acknowledge and still didn't have to strength to confront. But as Jason watched Siren's coffin hit the earth with a soft thump, the Seeker knew that family was what counted. You didn't want to leave this world, unknown and forgotten. You wanted as perverse as it was, for people to cry, to mourn you, to know that you mattered. Jason looked at his family, as aggravating and as infuriating as they were sometimes, and swore he would protect them with all that he had.

The thing inside Caspian laughed wildly, enjoying everyone's suffering, drinking in their sorrow like rich wine as the real Caspian curled himself up in the corner of his invisible prison, hollow and numbed, his hands drenched with the blood of Mallory and Susan.

The funeral quickly ended, the crowd slowly dispersing, lingering as though afraid that when they left the final traces and legacy of Starla 'Siren' McCarthy would disappear forever. Gaspar walked slowly back to his car, supported by Volkov and Kage, limping like an old man, his face grey.

He looked up and blinked, seeing a yellow folded up piece of paper placed under his window-wiper. Shaking Kage off him, Gaspar reached forwards and pulled the sheet free, unfolding it slowly.  
Cursive, looping writing greeted his eyes.

'D killed my sis. Now she's dead as well. Whatever you want to do, I'm your man.'

Gaspar slowly refolded the note, his face betraying no emotions as he tucked it into his breast pocket.

"What is it?" Volkov demanded.

"Nothing," Gaspar said softly, "Just a note from a friend."

He got into his car and after sitting there for a few long minutes, saying his final farewells to his beloved charge Gaspar drove away.

AAAAAA

Marduk flew across the park, smashing through a wooden fence. A sliver of splinter sliced his cheek open, blood cascading to the ground as he slammed into the earth, the air knocked from his lungs. Trembling and gasping for breath, he struggled to his feet.

"HOW DARE YOU!?!" the Kraken's Chosen roared in fury as his cutlass flew out of its sheath, keen edge pointing straight at his attacker.

The shadowy form of his assaulter approached him fearlessly as Marduk let out a fierce roar, charging at the figure.

Silver flashed through the darkness, the figure easily dodging each deadly blow, twisting and spinning around slashes and stabs. Marduk cried out in frustration, springing forwards with a jab. The figure side-stepped the blow letting him slip past before chopping down at his neck, strong hands smashing into the back of Marduk's skull. The old captain fell forwards, crying out in pain as the figure kicked him straight in the back sending him flying again.

The Kraken's Chosen smacked the earth, laying down moaning for a second before slowly rising to his feet, hatred simmering in his eyes.

"You picked the wrong person to mess with!!" Marduk screamed, "You have no idea who you're dealing with!"

"Au contraire, I know who you are," the figure said mildly, the voice even and calm as though they were chatting over a cup of coffee and not fighting to the death, "Marduk. The Kraken's Chosen."

Marduk recoiled, shock all over his wrinkled face as the figure smiled at him coldly.

"And you're about to use your powers to summon your familiar, Dratina," Marduk's attacker predicted in the same toneless voice.

The old sea captain growled as light danced along the edges of his cutlass, a thunderous roar unfurling and shaking the night. The figure blinked and was in motion, Marduk taken completely by surprise.

A foot flew towards him, a blur of motion too fast to see.

"WAH!"

"TANG!"

The figure stood back, face devoid of emotions as Marduk's cutlass hit the ground, a few metres away. The light died as Dratina's roared faded replaced by Marduk's anguished cry.

"NO!!"

"BAM!"

Two open palms slammed into his chest, breaking ribs as Marduk stumbled, hitting the ground.

"Disappointing," his attacker noted as Marduk struggled to sit up, coughing out mouthfuls of blood as his hands scrambled into the tall grass for purchase.

Calmly the figure turned and strolled over to the fallen sword, scooping it up and flipping it with expert ease.

"Wha…" Marduk's eyes were slightly unfocused as blood continued to dribble from the edges of his mouth, "What are you?!?"  
"A messenger," the figure towered over the sea captain as Marduk stared up, terrified, "And you're the message."

Marduk let out a scream as his own blade flew towards his neck.

AAAAAA

It was the morning after and life went on, grinding and mundane. Gaspar wanted to scream, wanted it to stop, didn't the world realise what had happened? Did the world realise what an angel it had lost? But it simply didn't care, it went on and Gaspar had to as well or risk getting left behind.

"Sir…"

Startled he looked up. He frowned seeing his secretary who was pale, terrified and trembling. Fear stabbed him and the headmaster instantly beckoned her forwards.

"What is it?" Gaspar said immediately jumping to his feet, magic dancing at his fingertips.

The secretary swallowed heavily and gathered herself.

"There's… there's a guest to see you," the woman choked.

"Guest?" Gaspar blinked.

The woman nodded quickly.

"He said it's important," she swallowed, "He has a message and a offer…"

"For me?" Gaspar demanded.

The woman shook her head slowly and her voice dropped to panicking whisper.

"No…" there was awe in her voice, "For the Saviour."

Gaspar's eyes widened and the magic died in his hands.

AAAAAA

"Petey, I still don't get…" Inara trailed off as Peter burst into the infirmary.

Elias jumped up, startled at his intrusion.

"What?"

He blinked as Peter with Jason, Caspian, Zaru and Inara and the two Magi spilled into the room, looks of confusion and apprehension on their faces. The High King's face was triumphant, pale but overjoyed.

"Peter…"

The oldest Pevensie calmly stepped up to the end of his sister's bed, eyes darkening as he saw her deathly form but determination hardened him and he stood up straight.

"Uhhh… Petey?" Inara demanded, "You may want to – "

Peter cut her off with a swipe of his hands and closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. Elias frowned at Zaru who merely blinked back.

The first note took their breath away. Peter sang, his voice rising, thrumming with a pleasant baritone. The pitch, the speed, the timbre… it was all perfect. The High King sang, shaping the song as he went, getting louder and louder until finally his voice broken and he finished with an awkward gagging choke.

"Sorry," he rasped, clutching at his throat, "Still not used to – "

"What. The. Hell!?" Zaru gaped.

Elias's head snapped towards Susan and he choked seeing the colour flood back into her face in a life-sparking wave. Her breath became long and even, her body relaxing from its death-like rigour. With shaking hands, the scientist pulled back the sheets, lifted the hem of her shirt and peeled back the bandages. Smooth skin greeted him and Elias spluttered, trying to make sense of what was going on.

Mallory had also been affected, the cuts and bruises on her face diminishing if not completely disappeared, yet the two women still laid pale still in their beds, eyes closed.

"I healed them," Peter said simply, "I'm still not very strong at it but… it'll help them."

They gaped at him, awed and scared in equal measures, minds whirling as they tried to work out what had just happened. Peter shifted uncomfortably under their combined gazes, his face red and drenched with sweat.

A sudden furious scream filled the air as everyone jumped.

"You bastard!" Volkov roared, sparks flying from his body, "You stole Siren's Gift!!!"

Before Peter could react the ex-lieutenant lunged at him.

"VOLKOV! NO!" Kage yelled, jumping forwards.

Jason swung and knocked him down with a single punch, warning him to stay down with a deadly look. But Volkov wasn't listening to reason, red-faced and furious, cursing wildly, sparks flying as Peter looked down at him sadly.

"No," Peter shook his head.

A grateful smile curled his lips.

"She gave it to me."

A stifled silence greeted his words.

"This…" Caspian trailed off, unsure, "This is going to take some explaining."

"Yes."

They all turned to see Gaspar standing in the doorway, a grave look on his face.

"Come to the conference room," the headmaster ordered, "That's a lot we need to talk about.

AAAAAA

"So," Gaspar cleared at the end of Peter's tale, "You're Gifted."  
The High King nodded, throwing nervous looks at Kage and Volkov, their faces pale as they heard in great detail how their fellow Magi and friend had been slaughtered in cold blood by Dahlia.

A sizzling spark flew from Volkov's hair and hit a pot-plant in the corner, the orchid instantly set ablaze. Gaspar grunted and pointed, the fire quenched as he shot Volkov a warning look.

"Control yourself," the headmaster said mildly.

Volkov shifted uncomfortably in his chair, his hands wrapping tightly around the armrest as he tried to suppress the emotion-fuelled storm raging inside.

Peter looked squarely at them, his shoulders firm, his chin jutting out stubbornly. He had made up his mind, as hopeless as it all seemed, Peter was ready to plunge into danger and risk his own life to avenge Siren and to set this world right once more.

"And I'm going use my Gift to destroy the Kraken," he vowed as everyone stared at him in astonishment.

"What is your Gift?" Caspian asked.

"I… I'm not too sure but I think…" Peter glanced unsurely at Gaspar who nodded slightly, "I can steal other Gifts and… absorb them."

Kage and Volkov flinched, unconsciously moving away from the High King. But Peter wasn't paying attention to them, his eyes were fixed on Gaspar, the king deadly serious.

"And I'm going to face the Kraken's Chosen and rip their Gifts from their bodies and use it to kill the bastard," Peter said tightly, voice trembling with rage, "I promise you that."

Jason grinned savagely, impressed by the High King's bloodthirstiness as Inara watched his face, an unreadable look in her eyes.

Gaspar stared at the High King, his face grim.

"So you have the power to take Gifts and use them for yourselves," the magician shook his head, "I've never…"

He stopped, wetting his dry lips.

"I've heard myths or whispers about such power but… to actually meet someone with it," Gaspar looked at him squarely, "So it's true what they day…"  
"What?" Peter demanded.

"Those who are born to tread difficult paths are given gifts from the gods themselves," Gaspar quoted softly, "You have a dark task ahead and now…"

Gaspar stopped himself.

"It's a deadly power you possess. Legendary. Use it well."  
A long silence greeted his words until the headmaster shook himself and spoke up.

"Actually that's the second reason I wanted to talk to you all," he said suddenly.

Everyone looked to him in surprise as the headmaster fidgeted nervously.

"I… uhh… received a guest… he brings us information about the Kraken and… offers his help," the magician hedged.

"Help?" Kage said suspiciously, "Who is this person?"

Gaspar sighed before sitting up, looking towards the door.

"Come on!" he called.

The door swung open.

"EUSTACE!!!" Inara leapt to her feet, sword in hand as Jason immediately lashed out, white fire ripping forwards.

The boy merely took the blow, grunting as the power slammed into his gut. Peter was in shock, gaping at his supposedly dead cousin as Eustace straightened, midriff smoking.

"Hello," Eustace said flatly.

His skin was the colour of death, yellowed and white tinged with blue at his lips and extremities. He was scraped and bruised and cut, the injuries opening up into gaping sores all over his body. Black robes hung from his thin form, reflecting the pure darkness that dominated his unblinking eyes, the black cloth broken up by a single emblem of a design familiar to Jason – that of an eye within an eye, the symbol, the Seeker suddenly realised, of the Great Darkness.

Caspian was astonished, jaws agape as he stared at the boy.

"You must be surprised to see me," Eustace said in a toneless voice.

"Yes, especially since the last time I saw you Susan had stabbed you in the chest!" Zaru barked, "WHO ARE YOU?!"

"I am not Eustace," the boy said calmly, eyes never ceasing in their stare, his face bereft of any emotions, "I am merely a servant of my master, the Great Darkness, inhabiting this shell."

Zaru hackles were raised as he smelt the stench of rot and decay rolling off the boy, barely masking the pure filth that came off him in droves – the smell of pure malice.

"You have a name servant?" Zaru barked.

He felt sickened. Didn't this boy deserve rest? Eustace had been broken, forced to work with the Great Darkness and yet even in death he had been violated. Anger roiled through him, Zaru growling under his breath.

Eustace blinked at him.

"Eustace," the possessed body said dryly.

""What are you doing here?" Elias snapped, "And more importantly…"

He turned to Gaspar, furious.

"Why did you let him come? Do you know what he is?!"

Gaspar sighed.

"I know… I can feel the darkness emanating from this boy," the magician said patiently, "Hear what he has to say… please?"

They sat back down in their chairs, eyes wary, weapons close at hand.

"My master wants the Kraken destroyed and he offers his help," Eustace explained, "I have come to help you defeat the monster."

"Oh yes, the evil of all evils wants to help us," Caspian snapped, "Let's just kill him and be done with it!"

Eustace looked at him calmly.

"The Kraken is a powerful demon, it will destroy this world and look to the next. My master does not appreciate the competition," the boy said calmly.

They all stared at him, horrified that what he said actually made sense to them.

"I will help you destroy the Kraken," Eustace repeated.

"For what price?" Kage snapped, "I'm very attached to my soul thank you very much."  
"The price is the Kraken's death," the possessed boy said mildly, "That is all."

"Do you honestly expect us to believe that?" Peter snapped, dagger in hand.  
Eustace shrugged, cool in the face of their disbelief and anger.

"I will intervene with your approval or not," the message of the Darkness said, "Either include me in your plans or I will interfere with them."

Elias cursed, looking helplessly at Jason and Zaru who all looked just as bewildered.

"Enemy of my enemy…" Volkov quoted quietly.

"Helps you then backstabs you," Inara snapped, "I agree with Shaggy. Let's just stab him a more few times, stake him in the heart, cut off his head, feed him garlic, do whatever it takes to get rid of him once and for all."

"We should accept."  
"WHAT?!?"

Everyone stared at Caspian in shock. The reigning king stared back.

"It makes sense," the Telmarine said slowly, "If he's just going to blunder into our plans, it's better we know where he is. And if he has information… we need to know it."

"How do we know he's not relaying all of our plans back to the Kraken and then just laughing when we all fall into his trap?" Zaru demanded.

"I'll keep watch on him," Caspian said flatly, "I'll stop him from doing any untoward."

"You can't be serious!" Kage yelped, "Accepting help from this… zombie thing? Are you crazy? How do we know he's serious?"

"I can show you how serious I am," Eustace cut in briskly.

They all jumped as Eustace slammed a cooler box onto the table. He slid it towards them, watching them with his eerie black eyes as cautiously Jason pried the lid open.

"Holy – " Inara swore seeing the ghastly contents.

Zaru gagged as Gaspar looked away, unable to deal. Marduk's severed head stared out towards them with shocked eyes, his sea captain's hat still on his head.

"I have personally tracked down and killed one of the Kraken's Chosen," Eustace said without feeling.

He threw something at them, the shattered remains of Marduk's cutlass hitting the polished tabletop. Everybody stared at it was though they had never seen a sword before.

"That should prove how dedicated I am."

Jason slammed the lid back onto the box, Marduk's head hidden from view once more but the memory of it haunted them and would revisit them in their dreams.

"Caspian?" Peter said quietly into the silence.

"I'll watch him," Caspian vowed.

"Alright," Peter sighed, "What do you know?"

"Peter!" Inara roared, "We can't – "

"In a little over half an hour, Gaspar Melchior would receive a call from the government informing him that several powerful seers have received a vision detailing the location of the last Lodestone which has finally chosen to reveal itself," Eustace said, speaking in the sing-song voice that came with reciting things from memory, "The stone is located on the thirty-seventh floor of the Imperial Towers. It will appear some time late today."

Kage and Volkov gaped at him as the others glanced at Gaspar in confusion.

"Imperial Towers is one of the tallest skyscrapers in the world. It's located within the city limits," the headmaster explained quickly.

"We must move quickly," Eustace continued as though he hadn't been interrupted, "The Kraken's Chosen will also find out very quickly and they will be on the move."

He looked around the room, his dark eyes twin holes of all-consuming oblivion.

"If you wish to stop them. We must leave."

Eustace finally blinked as everyone gaped at him, stunned at his revelation.

"Now."

AAAAAA

Sorry, again in a bit of rush (I'm doing this on one of the computers at uni...) but one thing – please check out 'Between the Worlds' at http://gehdrabrildane[dot]livejournal[dot]com – sorry about the lack of updates here and there but it's heading towards the end of the year and I realised just how little I know – ASDLJFSDLJFSLDJKF – STUDY!!!!!!!!!!!


	52. Return to form

So very, very, very sorry about this massive delay. Exams are coming up and the sheer workload is killing me... brain frying... please enjoy!

Disclaimer: You know I only own my own characters...

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 52: Return to form**

Imperial Towers was a slender finger of glass and steel, reflecting the metropolis all around as it rose high into the sky, its angular form making it look like a knife stabbing the clouds. It was in the centre of the commercial district, its very existence the advertising and flaunting of the nation's prosperity and wealth, an emblem of pride and might. Elias couldn't help but appreciate the irony – that such a place of progress would soon become the battlefield for a war that stretched across the ages and back to antiquity.

He would've happily built on this thought if he wasn't too busy, holding onto the headrest in front of him for dear life.

"SLOW DOWN!!!" Kage yelped, "SLOW DOWN YOU MANIAC!!!"

The Academy's mini-van roared down the road to a procession of angry honks and vivid curses, Volkov driving erratically as he swerved and fishtailed around the corner narrowly missing a cluster of pedestrians. The tower loomed before them, glittering in the sunlight as they approached.

"SLOW DOWN!!!" Kage screamed as Volkov swerved into the wrong lane before cutting back, overtaking a truck.

"There!" Volkov barked, ignoring their protests, "Almost…"

"WATCH OUT!!" Zaru roared.

Volkov's head snapped to the side and his eyes widened as a dark van careened recklessly towards them, horns blaring. The ex-lieutenant swung the wheel around, trying to dodge the incoming van but it was coming way too fast

"BRACE YOURSELF!!!"  
With a sickening crunch the van jack-knifed into the bus, metal screeching on metal as everything became breaking glass, pain and swirling scenery.

"ROOOOOOWWWWRRRRR!"

"BAM!"  
Their ruined van slammed to a smoking halt into the side of a building, spearing through glass and metal as outside a huge shadow devoured the street, people running in terror.

Smoke puffed from the ruined engine as everyone stirred, groaning lowly, all of them bruised, battered, cut and dazed..

"Everyone okay?" Volkov barked, blood dripping down his face.

Sparks flew from a downed light as they crawled out of the wreck. Jason stood slowly, one arm hanging uselessly by his side. Kage instantly grabbed the limp arm and twisted, the Seeker roaring in pain as his dislocated shoulder popped back into place.

Peter closed his eyes, his mouth opening as a strange trilling song rose from his throat. Everyone jumped, startled as a warmth flooded their body, their pain slowly subsiding. Wounds began closing but before they were completely healed Peter suddenly grunted and staggered back, his voice breaking.

"Sorry," he croaked, a fine sheen of sweat on his face, "Still not used to it yet."

"What you mean your voice breaking?" Inara smirked, "Don't worry, puberty is a very confusing time for…"

"Shut up!" Peter snapped as Zaru coughed with laughter.

"ROOOOOOWWWWRRRR!!!!"

The building shook as everyone jumped, snapped back into dire reality.  
"DRATINA!!" Kage blinked, paling.

"Impossible," Gaspar snapped, "Marduk's dead."

"Yes," Eustace said calmly, black eyes unblinking, "I killed him myself and broke his sword, the seat of Dratina's power. She is no more."

The thing outside screamed again and this time they registered that the scream wasn't the full-throated furious roar of a dragon but rather a very screechy, static-laden, mechanical sound.

"What?" Caspian frowned.

They staggered to the window and gaped at the thing terrorising the city.

"Oh come on!" Inara yelped, disgusted, "That's a blatant rip-off from Japanese monster movies!!"

Steel glinted in the air as the thing's mouth opened, gears shifting and moving as it let out another screech. Red eyes glared down at the city as it slammed itself onto the roof of a skyscraper, the first three floors collapsing under its weight as the monster screeched, surveying its city.

It was a mechanical monster, a robotic contraception wrought into the shape of a dragon. Gears grinded together, pistons pumping as its wings and limbs moved jerkily, the machine raising its neck stiffly and let out its odd screech-roar again.

"Dratina Version 2.0," Kage muttered.

Behind him Elias was busy pulling a heavy covered object from the ruined bus.

"The Kraken's Chosen have arrived," Eustace said somewhat needlessly, "We need to get to the tower now."

Peter flicked a suspicious look towards the animated body of his cousin, still deeply unnerved by his very presence. He wasn't sure if it was so base primeval instinct or some enhanced perception from his awoken Gift but Peter could literally feel the darkness rolling off Eustace's scarred and bloodless body and everything in him told to destroy the monster. But the politician in him, the one that had dealt with the deadly dance and viper tongue of international intrigue, knew that the Great Darkness wanted the Kraken destroyed so for this brief, impossible moment he had to work with Eustace. They were three people down and needed all the help they could get in bringing down the Kraken's Chosen.

"Jason. Volkov," Caspian ordered.

"See you at the tower," Jason said calmly as he stepped out of the ruined hole in the building's front and onto the street just as the mechanical dragon swooped down overhead, wings flapping awkwardly in a jerky stop-start motion.

"GO!!!" Volkov roared.

The building front was blasted outwards as a huge arc of crackling electricity exploded from the Magi, slamming into the robot behemoth. It shrieked, body convulsing, sparks flying as circuit boards overloaded and fried.

"GO!!!"  
Their companions, eight in total, ducked under the stream of lightning and raced towards the Imperial Towers as the mechanical dragon clung awkwardly to a side of a building, the whole structure threatening to topple under its weight as it lashed out with its tail, deflecting the lightning away.

A car was struck by the reflected blast and promptly exploded as bystanders fled for their lives, the two men strolling confidently forwards as the dragon cocked its head to the side, staring at them balefully.

With a screeching cry, it launched itself from the building as Jason and Volkov braced themselves for the battle ahead.

AAAAAA

They turned the corner and slammed into a veritable wall of people, fighting against the flow of the crowds as flailing limbs smacked them, the wild rush threatening to swallow them all.

"RUN!!!" a woman, hair askew, threw herself at Gaspar, "RUN!!! THEY'RE ALIVE!!!"

"NOOOOO!!!"  
A man screamed as he tripped, instantly mashed by a thousand expensive shoes as the crowd simply trampled all over him.

"HERE!!" Gaspar roared.

Azure light exploded from his fingers and the crowd was instantly cut in two, a path forming between the screaming, delirious fleers. Magic and Gifts flared amongst the people as those with powers used it brutally to clear a path for themselves.

Kage staggered back, stunned as a portly man hurled an orb of light into his eyes but the policeman recovered, ploughing a fist straight into the businessman's face and knocking him down.

Inara and Zaru ducked as a wave of light flew past overhead, slamming into a line of people and knocking them down. Punching and kicking, the eight of them made it to the path Gaspar had cleared and sprinted towards the building front, a wall of shimmering energy keeping their way open.

"WHAT THE!?"

Glowing red eyes swivelled to look at them, gears clicking as joints moved.

"DOWN!!!" Kage roared.

The policeman suddenly seemed to disappear, his tall form melting into thin air as the line of skeleton-like robots turned towards them, each armed with a gruesome array of whirring saws and razor blades.

"Elias?" Peter asked.

"Not here," the scientist said, struggling with the heavy object he was holding, "We can't risk the building being shielded. We have to do it inside."

"Then we must destroy these things," Eustace said briskly as though discussing how to tackle a difficult piece of housework.

At an unknown signal the robots charged. There was nothing sleek or elegant about them, they were monstrosities, a jumble of metal and wires, bizarre number of limbs jutting from thin torsos at awkward angles. They were made to terrify with their glowing red eyes and skeletal forms and claws and hooks and saws stained with blood.

Zaru cursed as a wave of air-conditioned air wafted out of the tower's doors bringing with it the rancid stench of death.

The robots hurled themselves forwards with awkward leaps, their unbalanced legs snapping forwards like springs.

"BOOM!"

Inara fired an orb into the machines' midst, the line of robots blowing apart as Caspian and Eustace instantly surged forwards. The Narnian king plunged his sword deep into a robot's chest, the razor edge tearing through circuits and gears. The robot screeched, limbs going limp as Caspian whipped around, sword still embedded into the robot, gun in hand.

"BAM! BAM! BAM!"

Another robot fell, twitching, sparks flying as Caspian fired round after round into its face.

Eustace was a blur of movements, easily dodging and spinning around the robots' deadly appendages before landing punishing blows that twisted metal and destroyed joints.

Kage suddenly appeared in the midst of the robots, his face grim as he shoved his guns into the back of their heads and fired.

Shrapnel flew forwards, red-hot metal and sparks burning skin as the robots dropped to the ground.

"GO! GO! GO!" Kage roared kicking a squat crab-like robot away.

A bubble of energy expanded from Gaspar's hands, surrounding them all as they charged. Robots threw themselves at the barrier, bouncing harmlessly away as the group ploughed into the foyer.

Robots hurled themselves from the storeys above, crashing to the ground, limbs snapping but they crawled forwards on their hands, firing razor stars of metal at them.

"ELIAS!!" Gaspar yelled, grunting as the shrapnel slammed into his shield, "GO!"  
"This will have to go!" Elias yelled dumping his package onto the ground and throwing the cover off.

A clumsily welded together sphere of metal sat on top of a control console, a number pad and screen blinking lazily as Elias knelt down next to his contraption. He quickly punched in a series of numbers, smiling as the screen lit up with green light, the console beeping furiously.

"RUN!!" Elias yelled, "IT'S GOING TO GO!!!"  
The hollow ball of metal began vibrating crazily, blue light burning between the cracks in the sphere as the group threw themselves away from the bomb.

"BOOM!"

It exploded not in conflagrations but in a daze of blue light. Zaru yelped, his skin stinging as the air itself hummed, the very molecules themselves vibrating as a charge ran through them.

Gaspar yelped as a watch strapped to his wrist fried, sparks melting glass and plastic. The neon blue light, so bright that it blinded them all, spread with a soundless roar, the air itself burning and sparking as the robots were swallowed up in the blast. They screeched, writhing and flailing as the acrid stench of burnt plastic hit the air. Sparks flew and flames ignited as their eyes shattered, exploding forwards as their bodies imploded, crumpling like cans before they fell to the ground in mangled heaps.

The powerful pulse rippled out striking the rest of the building as anything electronic, computers and banks upon banks of serves down to the smallest clock fried, their circuits melting into nothing as the lights flickered before dying, light-bulbs exploding adding to the chaos.

"BOOM!"

A pair of elevator doors was blown outwards, torn straight from their tracks as a plume of dust gushed out, the elevator having plummeted down the shaft before smashing to a twisted halt on the bottom floor.

The blue light faded along with the strange metallic tang in the air as they all rose unsteadily to their feet.

"Whoa," Inara let out a low whistle of appreciation seeing the destruction all around.

The robots were splayed out on the floor, charred and ruined, nothing more than scrap metal.

"Electronic magnetic pulse disables anything electronic," Elias was grinning like the mad scientist he occasionally was, "Great huh?"

Gaspar and Peter were silent, shocked by the havoc the man had managed to wreak in less than a minute.

"So that gets rid of Lauren," Kage smirked, "Score for us."

"Not quite," a static-laden voice drawled.

They all whirled and gaped at the glistening form that stood on the plateau of the marble fountain in the centre of the foyer. The water feature was a truncated block of black polished stone, each layer smaller than the one below like a pyramid, water cascading down its sides to the bowl-like pool that ringed its base.

Zaru hissed as the water ran red, bodies floating in the pool, bobbing gently with the rush of the falling water.

The figure glared down at them.

"What?" Elias gasped.

"Uhhh… Doc? I thought your EMP crispy fried the bots," Inara stage-whispered.

"Good trick," one of the figures intoned, Lauren's voice coming through, "But you think I don't prepare for situations like this?"

The robot blinked, a fleshy face topping a slim female body, the machine dressed in actual clothes, heightening its life-like appearance. The hair, the clothing, the face… all had been carefully designed to look exactly like Lauren.

"My inferior models may be susceptible," Lauren laughed, her voice blaring from the android, "But my most deadliest are completely immune."

"BOOM!"

A smoking hole was punched through one of the nearby walls as a veritable army of robots marching through the hole, each of them eerily human-like, able to pass off as random bystanders if not for the deadly artificial red light that glowed in their eyes.

The android Lauren laughed in a crackling tone as the army stopped, slowly forming a ring around the group.

"Zaru," Peter said quietly, "Can you smell Phoebe?"

"Several floors up," the leopard reported without moving, his eyes trained on the two androids on the fountain.

"Dahlia?"

"Faintly. She's near the top," Zaru growled, "Lauren… she's close."

Peter nodded.

"Take Inara. Stop Phoebe," the High King said.

"Eustace and I will handle the androids," Caspian cut in decisively.

"Me and El will hit Lauren," Kage decided.

"That leaves the Saviour and me to stop Dahlia," Gaspar realised.

A tense silence filled the foyer as they glanced at each other and nodded.

"NOW!!!" Peter roared.

"Androids," Lauren ordered smoothly, "KILL THEM!!"

The androids lunged forwards, their footsteps cracking tile as they pounded the ground with deadly force. Zaru and Inara raced for the stairs, Peter and Gaspar beside them. Elias fired an orb into the wall of robots blocking the stairs, blowing the line apart as Eustace and Caspian raced to meet the androids with booming war cries.

The final fight had begun.

The mechanical dragon roared, swerving to dodge the twin blast of power and lightning flying from its attackers. The beast roared as panels and slots opened up all over its metal body.

"What…" Jason began, confused.

"RUN!!!" Volkov screamed, his military experience enabling him to instantly pick out their danger.

In plumes of smoke and sparks, rockets blasted out of the compartments all over the dragon's body streaking towards the two men.

Before they could react the bombs struck, detonating and engulfing them in hot liquid fire.

AAAAAA

Eustace ducked, spinning on his heels and kicking out, knocking an android back as she charged at him.

"So alone at last," Caspian smirked, allowing the darkness to bleed into his eyes.

"The master is displeased with you," Eustace said evenly.

Caspian laughed and fired indiscriminately into the rush of androids, several of them staggering back, clutching smoking holes in their eyes.

"Why? I've done all he's wanted," Caspian snarled.

Eustace spun, an android's tempered steel fist ripping past and smashing into another android, crumpling its chest. The reanimated body grabbed the android who had attacked him by the neck and hurled it straight across the room, the robot smashing into the water-slicked stone of fountain.

"You were meant to protect the Saviour and ensure the Lodestones were destroyed," Eustace intoned.

The thing inside Caspian glared at him, hatred in his eyes as he easily dodged three android's charge, the robots moving with supernatural speed but Caspian was equal to it, a blur of motion as his gun swung up.

"BANG! BANG! BANG!"

The androids fell without a sound, twitching as sparks flew from the holes in their head, their limbs twitching wildly.

"I did that!" Caspian snarled furiously.

"You hurt Queen Susan the Gentle," Eustace refuted without raising his voice.

"WHAT?!?"

The demon possessing Caspian roared at Eustace firing at him but the possessed corpse calmly took the blow, his shoulder jerking back as the bullet slammed into his flesh. Eustace blinked, showing no pain or surprise as Caspian roared in frustration.

"Why did you hurt her?" Eustace asked.

"BAM!"

An android punched him straight in the face, the machine's superhuman strength enough to shatter bone and kill a man instantly but Eustace merely took a step back, face undamaged. The android stopped, seemingly astonished before Eustace backhanded it, shearing its head off in one blow.

"To destroy him," Caspian gritted out.

The android version of Lauren watched them coolly from her perch on the fountain as the rest of brethren continued to swarm the two darkness-possessed men, beaten back despite their mechanical strength.

Caspian kicked one robot to the ground, pinning it down with his boot before unloading his gun into its chest.

"Him?" Eustace asked.

Caspian looked at him, a smirk on his lips before blinking, the blackness in his eyes disappearing.

"You son of – " a ragged voice screamed, ripping itself free from his throat, "I'm going to kill you! I'm going to kill you!!!"

Caspian blinked and the darkness returned.

"Him, the real me," the demon possessing the king laughed.

'_You bastard!!' _the real Caspian screamed inside his prison.

He had been shattered, broken by the blood that had stained his hands, teetering on the edge of despair. But hope had been reborn, his anger re-ignited the moment Peter had sung and healed Susan with his Gift. The true Caspian roared, throwing himself at his bonds, raging to break free as a cackling voice echoed in the darkness all around him.

"Does he know about Siobhan's curse?" Eustace asked.

Caspian sniggered.

"Won't believe me," the dark-eyed monster cackled, "I've showed him the madness that spell has become. Showed him how lost he would be without me to protect him but you know… humans, always so stupid."

An aggressive look came into his demonic eyes.

"Why does the master care about that stupid tramp anyway?" Caspian snarled.

Eustace shrugged lightly, both men slipping between the android's blows like water and wind, insubstantial and impossibly swift.

"That is not for me to ask," Eustace looked squarely at Caspian, a chill in his voice, "Knows this. You step out of line again… I will have to deal with you."  
Caspian blanched at the calm threat coming out of Eustace's mouth and serious gaze levelled his way. Gritting his teeth, the demon forced Caspian's body to whirl, fighting off another android.

AAAAAA

"BANG! BANG! BANG!"

The android staggered back, its artificial skin torn apart by the bullets, revealing the metal skeleton beneath. It fell, tripping over its own feet and tumbling down the stairs bringing its companions down with it.

"GO! GO! GO!!" Kage roared.

"Where's Lauren?" Peter barked.

"I thought we were going after Da–" Gaspar began startled.

The headmaster was panting for breath, adrenaline and nerves could only get a person so far and finally his age was catching up to him, a fact that he ruefully acknowledged. His shirt clung to his sweat-soaked body, his lungs burning, trying to snatch more air from each short breath. Gaspar had seen and done his share of fighting in his youth but sadly his prime was way past, he wasn't even sure how long he could keep up.

"I have a plan," Peter said eyes glinting.

"This floor," Zaru growled, his nose catching a particularly strong whiff of overly florid perfume, "North-western corner."

"Good," Peter nodded at Kage and Elias, completely in control.

Inara smiled, glad to see the High King she had come to know and love (extreme sarcasm here) so well. Something had changed in him, whether it was his awaken Gift and Siren's death, the physically and emotionally crippled Peter from before was dead.

"But Dahlia…" Elias argued.

Peter smirked.

"Don't worry, if this works we can give her a real fight," Peter rushed off down the corridor not giving them time to argue, "Inara! Zaru! Handle Phoebe!"

Zaru and Inara nodded, dashing once more up the stairs, going further up into the tower as Kage, Elias and Gaspar followed the High King, the androids having recovered and sweeping up the stairs once more, their burning unblinking eyes eerily bright in the gloom of the unlit corridors.

"BOOM!"

A fire orb smacked the ceiling and bounced off, hitting the ground and exploding, flames mushrooming and driving the androids back, the stench of burning rubber making them all retch horribly.

"They're gaining!" Kage snapped.

Gaspar and Elias glanced at each other, a silent message passing between them. The scientist was terrified, faced with such deadly machines but Elias had grown a lot over his travels and journey of his companions. He was no longer just the intelligence and moral compass of the group, he was a fighter, depended upon and able to stand strong and fight when needed.

And now was such a time.

"GO!" Gaspar yelled, "We'll hold them off."

"Wait. WHAT?!?" Kage yelped.

"PETER!" Elias roared, knowing the High King would see the necessity despite his feelings, "GO!!"  
Elias knew Peter well and the oldest Pevensie immediately nodded, reluctant but shoving his doubts aside.

"KAGE! COME ON!"

Gaspar and Elias turned, the flames dying out as the androids stormed through the fire, their rubber skin melting onto their steel bodies with hideous results, a shambling army of half-melted monster coming towards them.

Elias raised his crossbow, an orb in place as Gaspar pointed at the androids, power dancing all over his body.

"Alright," Elias smiled at the headmaster, "Let's show those young people what we ol' folks can do!!"

AAAAAA

"Well…"

Inara stared at the black smoke that hovered all around them, a faint breeze from an unknown origin stirring the wisps up into fantastical twisted shapes that mutated into monsters in their taut minds.

"I think this is it," Inara said slowly.

"I can smell her," Zaru grumbled, picking up the delicate perfume of flowers in the air, the scent almost lost in the ripe stench of fear.

Inara gulped, eyeing the smoke blanketing the area, warily. She might not succumb to Phoebe's powers like most people but she sure as hell still didn't like being subjected to it.

"Alright," she raised her sword, "Let's go."

And together leopard and girl plunged into the smoke.

AAAAAA

"Androids," Kage reported, ducking behind the corner once more.

Peter cursed.

"I can't do anything against them except dodge," the High King said grimly.

Kage looked at him, a supremely uncomfortable look on his face.

"Can't you… Siren's powers…" Kage trailed off, discomfit freezing his voice.

The Magi still didn't know how to quite deal with the fact that Peter had stolen his deceased friend's Gift, something that she had treasured and loved. Peter shifted nervously, well aware of what was going through Kage's head.

"Gaspar and I tested my powers… I don't think I got everything from Siren," he said doggedly, "Just the healing part."

"And a really high voice," Kage said, smirking to hide his own feelings.

Peter grimaced and Kage turned serious.

"There's something…" Kage looked at him, "Stay quiet and follow my lead."

"What?"

The High King jumped as Kage placed a hand on his shoulders, he gasped as a cold feeling slithered over his skin instantly drawing goosebumps. Peter blinked as the air around him shimmered, the world becoming distorted as though he was staring at it through a sphere of flowing water. Shapes and lines shifted and blurred, moving jerkily, never still, ebbing and flowing chaotically, nausea gripping Peter instantly. Only Kage was solid, the policeman's form an anchor in the strange world he suddenly found himself in.

Peter looked at him, pale and wide-eyed.

"It's part of my Gift," Kage said, "A form of spatial manipulation. I'm contorting the space around us, bending light…"

"We're invisible?" Peter asked startled.

In the several long months he had spent swotting with Professor Kirke and the time he spent with Elias, Peter had picked up a few things about science.

"No, not really. It's not perfect," Kage smiled, "It more diverts people's attention. As long as we move quietly and quickly and not touch anything, nobody will notice us. I call it my own stealth cloak!"

Peter blinked, trying to work out what the Magi was saying.

"So… we sneak past the guards," he said finally.

"And Lauren gets a punch in the face," Kage smirked.

Peter nodded, eyeing the entropy that warped the world around him, still uneasy but determined. Swiftly the two rose to their feet and moved forwards.

The androids stood in random spots in the hallway, stiff like statues as their head swivelled from side to side like security cameras, on the lookout for intruders. Quietly, the two of them deftly weaved their way between the machines, the thick carpet underfoot swallowing their footsteps.

Peter was trembling, his nerves threatening to snap at any moment as Kage led the way, moving with cat-like grace as he slid between the smallest gaps sometimes just inches from an android.

The grip on Peter's arm tightened as they came to the end of the hall. A grandiose set of walnut doors were guarded by a pair of androids, no doubt the entrance to an executive's expensive, city-view office.

Kage slowly raised his gun, Peter tensing knowing what would come next. There was no way they could slip between the guards and open the doors without being hit from all sides.

So that left…

"BANG!"

The ambush approach.

"BANG!"

The two android guards slammed back into the walls, bullet holes in their heads, circuits frying, red eyes dimming as Kage and Peter charged forwards, the stealth cloak hanging over them fading with their wild movements.

The other androids instantly whirled, pouncing on their attackers.

"BANG! BANG! BANG!"

Peter ducked, some of the androids raising their own guns, firing wildly as he and Kage raced blindly from the door.

"BAM!"  
Kage leapt, fly kicking the door open and spilling inside as Peter rushed in after him, kicking the door close as bullets blew ragged holes into the wood.

"How dare you?!"

They looked up, Lauren rising from behind an impressive glass-top desk, a furious look on her face. A white band wreathed her forehead, multi-coloured wires linking her to a strange array of blinking machines that sat on the desk.

"Lauren," Kage said with false lightness, "Lovely to see you again."

"Chuckles. Pitbull," Lauren gritted, "Kill them."

Two forms burst out from the either side of the door, Peter and Kage taken completely by surprise. They ducked, throwing themselves forwards as two androids slamming into the ground, wood and tiles cracking under their weight. They surged forwards, instantly placing themselves between Lauren and the two invaders of her office.

One robot was the culmination of a thousand childhood nightmares, his face painted completely white with garish thick red lips. The robot's baggy clothing and perpetual leering grin made him the clown from the most hellish of circuses. The other was a stout male robot with a squashed-looking face bared his teeth at them revealing filed metal molars. Black leather clung to his bulging muscles, the numerous piercings sticking into his fake polymer skin giving him a punk-like appearance.

"Chuckles?!" Kage yelped, "Seriously?!"

The clown-like android opened its mouth, its rouge lips pulled back into a wild, crazed grin. A slim metal slender cylinder slid from its lips as Pitbull, the other android, snarled.

"SHINK! SHINK! SHINK! SHINK!"  
Massive metal spikes exploded out of the android's body turning him into a deadly porcupine of steel as Chuckles cackled, aiming the cylinder at them.

A line of gunfire tore the ground apart as the cylinder spun, the mini-machine gun firing wildly as Pitbull threw himself at the two, spiked arm swinging the air.

Kage leapt away, Peter throwing himself to the side as the gunfire shredded the ground where they stood. Chuckles gave off his mechanical manic laugh again, the gun in his mouth swinging around, tracking their movements.

"BAM!"

The wall was torn apart as Pitbull swung, massive spikes tearing the plaster and wood apart, Peter merely getting way with his life.

"KAGE!!" Peter yelled, "GET ME NEAR LAUREN!! NOW!!"

Kage fired his gun at Chuckles, bullets slamming into the demented clownish android. The robot staggered back with their blasts but quickly regained its balance, throwing its arms forwards, deadly knives flying through the air.

Lauren gave a throaty laugh, delighted as Pitbull hurled itself forwards, trying to impale Peter as the High King leapt away.

"KAGE!!" Peter shouted desperately.

Kage swung to look at him, the blood vessels in his eyes bulging as the policeman gathered his strength. The Magi knew he only had enough energy for one shot at this. His eyes widened, invisible hands gripping Peter as Pitbull surged forwards again.

Chuckles laughed, hurling another knife that clipped Kage in the arm but the policeman's gaze remained steadily on Peter.

Kage blinked and Peter disappeared.

Pitbull charged through the space where Peter had been and smashed into the wall, punching straight through and breaking into the other room. Kage staggered, clutching at his chest as one of the vessels in his eyes burst, blood immediately tainting the white sclera.

Chuckles gave off its demented laughter, its machine-gun mouth aiming at Kage's bent back as the policeman struggled to regain his breath.

Lauren laughed, her own Gift surging forwards controlling Pitbull and Chuckles and all the other androids in the building.

"Lauren."

The technopath, the queen of machines, turned, gaping in horror as Peter appeared before her, glaring dangerously. Somehow through the miracles of Kage's gift, the High King had been transported through space, ending up directly behind the stunned Lauren.

Before the Kraken's Chosen could even react, Peter grabbed her face and concentrated. His eyes blazed with gold light as Lauren screamed, bucking at his burning touch.

Before she could do a single thing to stop him, Peter ripped her Gift away from her and took it into himself.

Lauren dropped boneless to the ground, weeping, utterly broken as Peter looked up his eyes burning with gold light. Lauren's stolen Gift flowed through him, changing him in some unimaginable way as Peter looked upon her androids and realised with a rush exhilaration they were now his to control.

He frowned and focused, his mind surging forwards and invading the androids' circuits affecting the minute electrical charges that kept them running, the small fluctuations in power that encoded their data and he bent them to his will. Pitbull and Chuckles instantly froze in their tracks as Peter grinned.

His mind reached out, further and further, sweeping through the whole building as he invaded the ranks of the androids like swift-moving virus, taking control of each and every one.

"No…" Lauren was crying at his feet, her voice a harsh croaky whisper, "No…"

Peter calmly stepped over her slumped form as Kage looked at him, astonished and frightened. The High King smiled at him coldly, the gold light vanishing from his eyes.

"Now we've got an army," he said calmly.

Peter pulled the doors open and stepped into the hall was docilely Pitbull and Chuckles followed, the androids that had besieged the office also falling into line. Peter marched on as more and more machines joined his rapidly growing army.

AAAAAA

She was beautiful in the sunlight, resplendent in white, the splashes of violet from the flowers in her hair the only earthly colours in her angelic form.

He swallowed heavily, hardly daring to believe that this moment had finally came. He tugged at his neckerchief nervously, standing awkwardly at the end of long walk as a hush fell over the crowd, all eyes trained on the ravishing siren that walked in the midst. His hair was slicked back, his clothing prim and tidy as always, everything crisply ironed and perfectly tailored.

"Nathaniel," the best man muttered under his breath, exasperation clear in his voice.

The man smiled sheepishly, relaxing slowly.

"Sorry," he mouthed as the priest frowned at them.

Both of them instantly shut their mouths, their eyes betraying their amusement before Nathaniel's eyes were drawn once again to the woman walking towards her, her loving smile only for him.

He couldn't believe how lucky he was, how out of all the souls in Lawless to bestow her love upon she had chosen him, shrewish accountant Nathaniel, to be her champion, her lover, her husband.

Yes, Quentin was right – he was a lucky bastard.

Nathaniel's dark blue eyes glowed, his love blazing in his eyes as his enchanting bride as she looked up demurely, her unique purple eyes reflecting his adoration.

"I love you," she whispered as she came to an elegant stop beside him.

Nathaniel flushed, tongue-tied and awkward as always around her, somehow always feeling inadequate and not enough for her. But he loved her with all his heart and she loved him back and the raging romantic in Nathaniel couldn't help but agree that was enough.

"I love you too…" Nathaniel felt like dispensing with the wedding and kissing her right there and then, "Yolanda."

AAAAAA

Jason's eyes snapped open, white fire spilling from them and all over his body as the fire raged against the dome of burning power that surrounded the Seeker and Volkov.

"What…" Jason staggered back, gasping as more memories knifed into his head, the shield that kept his dark past from poisoning him suddenly paper thin as power surged out of him, driving back the explosions that had threatened to consume him.

But now the Seeker was facing a battle from the inside, his past-self rising in him like a ghost from a grave.

Nathaniel…

Images, memories, facts tore through him with all the strength of hurricane, tearing everything apart and throwing it all into chaos.

Nathaniel McLaughlin, born 1710 E.D. to Pastor Ned McLaughlin and his wife Natasha. Accountant, unremarkable in every single way except for his wife, Yolanda, acknowledged by all to be one of the most beautiful woman in all of Lawless –

"NOOOO!!!" Jason was hurled backwards as the wall of white fired faded, the Seeker reeling with all of the woken memories, his mind struggling to deal with it all.

Desperately he turned his power inwards, plunging it deep inside of him, violating his own mind as he shored up the dark walls that crystallised everything he had worked so hard to keep out.

But a seed had been sown, a dark seed that lingered in his consciousness, growing, sprouting, ready to split him open.

Jason sat down heavily, pale-faced as Volkov stared at him, astonished.

"Jason?!"

The mechanical dragon roared, diving back down at them as Volkov cursed, he reached out and with one tremendous effort, he pulled.

He pulled at every car, every appliance, every battery, everything that held even the slightest hint of electricity all around him and drew it all into himself, drinking it all in.

Pavement cracked as heavy cables split and rose through the ground like snakes, arcing wires flailing wildly. Car hoods were blown apart as skeletal fingers of electricity reached out drawn towards the Magi like iron to magnet.

Volkov was suddenly the lightning rod in a storm of pure power, the lightning searing to the eye and to the touch, slamming into his body as he became a capacitor, storing it all up as the metal dragon swooped at him, screeching as panels opened up all over its body, gun turrets unfolding smoothly.

Cocooned in a jagged, burning armour of electricity Volkov turned hot and hateful eyes up to the monster.

Without a cry, without a defiant shout and without a sound, Volkov gathered all the lightning around him and hurled it forwards in one titanic bolt. The dragon screeched, the delicate circuits in its eyes fizzling out from the overwhelming burst of light that streaked towards it.

It was immediately sundered in two, the lightning bolt lancing through its chest and shearing through armour and motor, wires and metal fusing together in its wake.

The lightning hit the sky and exploded, a deafening boom of thunder shattering glass and rocking buildings as the two smoking halves of the robotic terror crashed to the ground, crushing cars, sparks dancing all over its body.

Volkov staggered back, gasping for breath before suddenly realising he was completely naked, his clothes incinerated by the lightning that had raged around him.

"Great," the ex-lieutenant muttered.

Jason thrust his hand towards him, the Seeker's trademark battered coat clutched in his fingers.

"Make sure you wash it afterwards," Jason said flatly.

Volkov turned to the Seeker and looked at him critically. The man was pale and swaying on his feet but stubbornness warred with the fatigue on his face. Volkov teetered not sure how to react but finally he just nodded, letting his questions go.

"Thanks," Volkov grunted, taking the coat and putting it on.

"THAT'S THEM!!" a voice suddenly shrieked.

Both men whirled, blinking as a hysterical businessman jabbed his fingers towards them, panic and hate in his voice.

Hard black boots stomped the pavement as a troop of heavily armed and bulletproof vested men swept up the street, their faces swallowed up by the regulation standard goggles they all wore, the wide black visors giving them a soulless look.

"The Spook Squad," Volkov cursed loudly, "We're screwed."

"Spook Squad?"

Jason had to force the calm in his voice, his mind still struggling to deal with the battering it had just taken. He took a deep breath and choked on the scent of violets but he forced it all away, burying it beneath layers of denial as he forced himself to deal with the crisis at hand.

"A special branch of the police. Kage worked for them once. They're specifically designed to deal with rogue Gifts and magic, people who abuse their powers," Volkov snarled, talking quickly, "Light on the negotiation, heavy with the guns."

"GET THEM!!!" a woman screamed, emerging from around a corner, saturated with dust, "GET THEM!!!"

"GO!!" Volkov yelled, grabbing Jason and shoving him down the street, "GET TO THE TOWER! NOW!!!"

The Spook Squad thundered towards them, weapons swinging up as the two men fled. At a silent signal, the police fired on them, metal shattering the pavement as reinforcements came from every corner.

AAAAAA

Inara literally tripped over the first body.

"INARA!"

Her face smacked into the wall and Inara staggered back, clutching her nose and cursing loudly as she looked down at what she had stumbled over.

She bit back a cry as bleary eyes stared up at her, arthritic fingers clutched over his chest. His wrinkled, timeworn skin was pale, his lips blue.

"Heart attack," Zaru noted quietly.

Inara scooped up her sword, her face burning with hate.

"Come on," she snapped, "I have a sudden urge to introduce Phoebe to the pointy end of my sword."

They continued through the smoke, Zaru barely affected by its power, Inara twitching and shuddering as voices and images fleeted inside her head, trying to tear her down. Grimly she focused her eyes on Zaru's golden fur, a glimpse of brightness and solidity in a world of smog and fear. The smell of flowers were getting stronger and strong, Zaru's nose leading the way unerringly.

More and more bodies emerged from the smoke, appearing at first to be shadows amidst the swirls of black until they neared, their blank faces emerging like monsters from a dream. The bodies were terrible, each of them bent and contorted in painful shapes as they had tried to fight the fears that had devoured them. Blood splattered the walls, marking places where victims had smashed their own heads in trying to rid the nightmares in their thoughts. Lines of blood streaked the ground, torn flesh and nails drying where they laid, ripped from the hands of those who had fallen and tried to drag themselves out of the smoke.

Through despair and death they walked, Inara singing lightly under her breath, trying to distract herself from the oppressive of the smoke and the fear that assaulted her.

"What are you humming?" Zaru snapped, his own nerves tense from the never-ending darkness.

"Something that distracts me from the sudden urge to stab myself in the he –" Inara stopped as the sound of voices hummed in the air, reaching them through Phoebe's fear-inducing smoke.

Both of them froze.

"Fear is infinite," Phoebe's voice suddenly broke through the darkness sweeping straight towards them, "It is eternal and it exists in the heart of everyone. Fear is immortal, it lingers, it is a ghost and it is flesh."

"Yes," dull voices responded to her call as Zaru and Inara looked at each other in confusion.

Suddenly through the stench of rancid terror, Zaru picked up the scent of humans – a group of them. The leopard froze as Inara clutched her sword to her, holding it up as thought it would repel the voice and smoke.

"Worship the fear," Phoebe bade her followers, "And become one with it. Embrace it. And let it dominate your enemies."

The smoke suddenly receded, pulling away from them and scuttling back to the edges of the room as Inara and Zaru jumped. The sudden clearing was immediately surrounded by a group of blank-faced men and women, each of them still clad in their neat business suits, their eyes drained of all emotions but numbing terror.

Phoebe stepped into the clearing as the smoke swirled all around them, butting up against some invisible barrier as the Kraken's Chosen smiled.

"Goddess," she greeted, smiling softly at Inara, "We've been expecting you."

AAAAAA

"Marduk. Lauren. Phoebe. Dahlia," Kage suddenly frowned, his left eye still spotted with blood, "Where's Sid?"

Gaspar stiffened but his pace didn't slow as the four of them raced down the hallway.

"He's accounted for," he said lightly.

Elias looked at him, surprised but the headmaster betrayed no emotions. Peter was silent, a slight frown of concentration on his face as he reached out with his newly acquired powers controlling every android left in the tower.

Chuckles and Pitbull, the robots that had guarded Lauren, ran beside them, an army in front of and behind the four men.

With a single silent command, the androids ploughed mindlessly into a wall breaking through barrier.

Thousands of images flashed through his head in a dizzying wave but somehow the power he had taken from Lauren managed to process it all. Peter only had to think and the image that he wanted would rise through the mess and to the fore of his mind.

He blinked and he was suddenly back in the foyer watching Eustace and Caspian as they stumbled back, surprised as the androids attacking them slumped suddenly to the ground.

A split second later, Jason and Volkov burst into the tower's ground floor, wild-eyed and under attack.

"RUN!!!" Volkov yelled seeing the two in the foyer.

The few remaining glass doors were instantly sundered by a hail of bullets as Caspian started, Eustace merely blinking calmly.

They all jumped as one of the androids rose from the ground, red eye slighting back up.

"Come to the top of the tower," Peter said, his voice transmitting through to the android's loudspeakers.

Caspian gaped at the robot as it spoke with Peter's voice.

"We're going to kill Dahlia," the High King continued grimly.

"There's a squad of gun-wielding psychos after us," Jason reported, completely unfazed as more bullets tore through the air.

"I'll handle them," Peter promised as all of the androids suddenly rose from the ground, moving with jerky movements, 'HURRY UP!"

He broke off the connection with the android, spreading his control to the group in the foyer whilst still maintaining his hold on the army around him. His mind felt numb, teetering on the edge of exhaustion. He could feel the separate Gifts residing inside of him melding and fusing together, the golden hungry light of his original power, the enchanting song and infinite warmth of Siren's and the cold harsh metal tang of Lauren's. He was amazed by the strength that now flowed through him, buoyed by it but careful not to be overwhelmed.

"Caspian, Eustace, Volkov and Jason are coming up to meet us," Peter said aloud.

"Inara and Zaru?" Elias asked worriedly.

Peter felt a stab of worry for the two but it faded, knowing with absolute faith they could handle anything between them. His lips curled as he thought of Inara's smirk, an expression he knew so well and he suddenly felt confident, knowing that if she could plunge into battle, powerless than he could just as easily do the same with his new Gifts.

They turned the corner and found the androids hammering at something they could not break, a sheer wall of crystal tinted with the faintest of blues. Chuckles opened its mouth, the machine gun in its throat emerging as it fired round after round of bullets after the wall, each slug bouncing harmlessly off the barrier.

Pitbull snarled, spikes shooting out all over its body as it slammed into the wall, metal scraping against the hard mineral.

The wall of crystal suddenly shuddered, quivering as Kage yelped.

"GET BACK!!!" the policeman roared.

"SHINK!"

The smooth wall suddenly exploded outwards, forming lethal spikes that shredded the androids into scrap metal, Pitbull the only robot that survived the initial blow. The heavily armoured android stomped its feet into the ground, bracing itself as its spiked arms shot out, trying to fend the wall off.

Before their astonished eyes, the wall seemed to react like a living thing, the hundreds of small spikes merging together to form one giant crystal blade. The blade twisted forming a screwed tip before it began spinning, drilling into the androids. Sparks flew and Pitbull was immediately impaled, its arms tossed aside as the spinning spike tore through its chest.

The crystal wall wobbled sucking the blade back in becoming smooth and deceptively innocent looking once more.

"Huh," Elias blinked as Pitbull's mangled remains fell to the ground.

"Gaspar?" Kage asked.

"I can break through it," the headmaster said, cocking his head to the sound, a fine aura of light hovering around him, "But I need more power."

He sighed.

"We have to wait for Jason and Volkov," he said regretfully.

Down below on the very bottom floor of the tower, the Spook Squad had slammed into the androids, bullets flying as the machines fought back. But Peter had a nasty trick up his sleeve. The policeman cried out as androids suddenly descended from the ceiling and burst out of the ground, the High King having sent some of his mechanical troops to hide before in ambush.

The squad was caught in a pincer, the androids striving to knock them out even as bullets tore through their forms. Peter left them all with a final strict command before slipping back into his own mind, exhaustion rolling through him.

He stumbled, his mind sling-shotting back with painful force as heavy footsteps echoed towards them.

"Why are you wearing that?!" Kage demanded as Elias stared.

Volkov flushed, grabbing the edge of Jason's coat as the Seeker ignored them, his dark eyes focused on the crystal wall.

"What…" he began.

"Dahlia," Eustace said calmly.

"Volkov, I can break through this wall but I need your help," Gaspar said urgently.

Volkov sighed.

"Using me as a battery again huh?"

Gaspar grimaced but nodded as Volkov held out an arm, sparks dancing along his skin. Gaspar clutched it, closing his eyes.

It was a manoeuvre they had perfected, Gaspar drawing on the crackling storm that resided beneath Volkov's skin drawing it into himself and turning it into pure power to use in his spells. Clenching his teeth as needles of pain pierced his flesh, Gaspar held out a hand, struggling to dam the rush of lightning coursing through him.

"Break."

It was a whispered command but the power was in the thought.

"BOOM!"

A huge gouge was suddenly torn into the wall, crystal blackening and melting as an invisible explosion smashed through it. Fine cracks spider-webbed from the impact and within a second the whole wall had fallen.

Gaspar let go of Volkov's arm, gasping for breath as Kage instantly supported him.

"Come on," Gaspar croaked, "We don't have much time."

The eight men stepped through the smoke and burning rubble, heading deeper and higher into the tower, their destination four floors above them on the thirty-seventh level.

AAAAAA

"If you're a god then something's really wrong with this world!" Zaru yelped.

"Hey! I didn't ask to become an inspirational figure of worship!" Inara shot back.

Phoebe walked towards her, the same reverent look on her face.

"You must be a god. No mortal can ever fight against fear," she said awed.

The group of people around them instantly dropped to the ground, bowing to Inara.

"But you are not a true god," Phoebe said sadly.

"Duh," Inara snapped, hiding shock behind anger, "Do you see me creating anything in seven days? And let me say if I created this world there will be a lot more hot people running around."

Phoebe smiled, an eerie fanatical look in her eyes.

"No, you are still trapped on this plane. It's time you ascended," the Kraken's Chosen whispered.

"Ascended?" Zaru barked, both of them backing hurriedly away from the crazed woman.

"Yes… through death."

Phoebe reached behind her and before Zaru and Inara could react, the woman had a semi-automatic rifle in her hands. Inara blanched, her sword almost dropping from her fingers as shock stunned her.

Zaru hissed, eyes like burning coals as the group of terror-stricken people around them rose and shuffled towards them, tightening the ring.

"Ascension…" they droned in one monotonous voice "Ascension…"

"It's time for you to ascend and inspire us to an existence we can only dream of!" Phoebe laughed, "And I will be the instrument of glory!"

"Wait! Can't we…"

Phoebe pulled the trigger as Inara hit the ground. A line of bullets raked the ring of people behind them, several falling without sound as Zaru leapt at Phoebe.

The smoke around them surged forwards, smacking into Zaru, the ethereal gaining substance as the smoke knocked the leopard away.

"What is wrong with you?!?" Inara yelped scrambling to her feet.

Phoebe laughed, wild joy and excitement in her voice.

"This is a moment of victory!" the Kraken's Chosen cried, "I am freeing you and returning a god to heaven!!"

The helpless officer workers held under Phoebe's thrall leapt forwards as the woman turned her gun once more on Inara. Her enchanted smoke flew forwards, thick and choking, a solid writhing mass that shot forwards, black stubby fingers reaching for the girl.

Inara ducked, the enthralled workers stumbling over her as Phoebe's gun roared, bullets hitting air and people. Phoebe laughed ignoring the pained screams of the businessmen and women as they fell to the ground, Inara struggling to fight her way out of the mess.

She cried out in pain as a bullet clipped her in the arm, tearing through flesh as she stumbled, the smoke whooshing past her.

Pain tore through her mind, weakening her defences as Phoebe's powers seeped into her, poisoning her as a horrible montage of her father and her life before her travel across the worlds mingled with memories of the monsters she'd faced, her thoughts warped horribly until she was dying a thousand deaths inside her head.

"NO!!!" Inara screamed, her mind being eaten alive by the nightmares slamming relentlessly into her, despair growing.

She reached into her pocket and with her good arm hurled a small silver ball at Phoebe's direction.

It exploded on contact, thousands of metal shards spraying the air as Phoebe screamed, shrapnel ripping into her flesh as the orb detonated.

The terror weakened its chokehold on her and Inara instantly turned, charging into the smoke as Phoebe's bellowing cry chased her into the darkness.

The thick smog flew at her like a swarm of bats, blinding and choking her, compressing her from all sides as Inara ran, the pain in her injured arm a constant burning tie to reality. Grimacing, she pinched her open wound, biting back a scream as the pain cleared her head, chasing the fog of fear away.

"Why are you running?" Phoebe's voice floated to her, Inara throwing wild looks over her shoulders as she ran, lost in the darkness and terror.

"This is destiny," Phoebe's voice came again, "You can't fight fate."  
"Shut up. Shut up. Shut up," Inara spat, anger driving fear away, "Shut up!!!"

"I was meant to enlighten the world through fear. I am god's gift to this world, I was meant to teach this world about fear and lead them to a new plane of existence," the Kraken's Chosen said in a faraway voice, "I knew it the day I was raped."  
Inara froze, blinking.

"I was a nun you know, in a convent," Phoebe told her almost conversationally, "I was so innocent, believing that a pious life would allow me to transcend this pathetic existence."

Inara stopped, looking around wildly as Phoebe's words continued to reach her ears.

"Then one day I was visiting a sick birthing mother and I was attacked. I was punched, shoved up against a wall and then he ripped my clothes off and –" Phoebe cut herself off, lips trembling, "And you know what happened? I was so terrified, scared out of my mind. I closed my eyes and I prayed, I prayed long and hard and I knew fear."

Inara literally ran into a wall, stumbling back as she bit back a cry of pain. Her eyes fell upon a red object hanging from a bracket on the wall and she smiled.

"And I took that fear and drove it into my attacker. He went crazy and he killed himself. I had removed a demon from this world," the awe in Phoebe's voice thrummed in her words as Inara reached out snatching the object off the wall, " After I realised God had answered my prayers. He had shown me the way. I was to teach this world about fear and like me they will fear and if they survive, they will know an existence denied to them, they will rise above the drudgery of their lives and become enlightened… like me."

Inara turned and waited, hardly daring to breathe as the smoke swirled around her, terror fouling her mind.

"But you… you are beyond fear. You have grown beyond fear, beyond mortal bounds. You are a god. And I must free you and help you ascend."

The smoke pulled away as Phoebe emerged, rifle in hand.

"Forgive me if it causes you pain," the insane ex-nun whispered, "But it is my duty."

She raised her gun and Inara smiled, her sword lying at her feet.

"Phoebe," she hissed, "Seriously. Get some therapy."

Before Phoebe could react, Inara pointed the nozzle at her and fired. Thick white foam exploded from the fire extinguisher, blinding the woman. Phoebe staggered back, screaming as Inara swung desperately at her.

"CLANG!"

With as sickening crunch, metal hit flesh, Phoebe's face suddenly a mess of red. Reflexively her fingers jerked on the gun's trigger, the rifle coming to life as bullets flew wildly in a chaotic volley. Inara stumbled, a bullet tearing the outer side of her thigh. She screamed in pain, lunging forward clumsily, fire extinguisher still in hand.

Blinded by pain and smoke, Inara's swing missed but the metal canister hit something in the smoke. Glass shattered, cascading to the ground in sheets spraying the ground in diamond-like shards.

Strong winds instantly swept through the sudden opening, the smoke blown away as the rifle continued to spit bullets in a frenzied stream. Inara swung again, the extinguisher cracking into Phoebe's ribs sending the woman tumbling to the precipice of the floor's edge, her body half-through the empty window frame, lumps of glass crunching underfoot.

Phoebe's body jerked as the semi-automatic weapon went off one last time, the final bullet slamming into the ground. The final recoil knocked the Kraken's Chosen off balance and it was enough.

Her left foot slipped and found nothing and the rest of her body quickly followed.

"NO!" Inara gasped, horrified.

Phoebe fell in a graceful arc, freefalling to the unforgiving pavement below as a small smile curled her lips.

"I'm not scared," she grinned.

Inara looked away as Phoebe hit the ground. The smoke instantly vanished as Zaru crawled over to Inara, whining low in his throat.

"Are you…" he began.

Inara shook herself.

"Come on," she urged, "We've got to find the others."

Without a single glance back, Inara tossed the extinguisher aside and snatched up her sword, leopard and girl fleeing the now clear room.

AAAAAA

"Stop."

Everyone froze as Gaspar looked down at the ground in trepidation. They followed his gaze, frowning as they noticed the blood-red lines crisscrossing the floor, occult symbols woven skilfully through the intricate design.

"What's that?" Peter demanded as Elias studied it curiously.

"A spell," Gaspar said quietly.

"A very powerful one," Eustace noted, his black eyes following a sigil that stretched the length of the line.

Gaspar let out a long breath, cursing vividly as Kage and Volkov looked at him in surprise, shocked at his lack of control.

"It's an ancient spell… I don't know how she…" he looked up at them bleakly, "It's called the Blood-binding Circle."

"And…?" Jason asked not following.

Gaspar looked down at the edge of the spell again, struggling to remember all he had read about the rare and dangerous ritual.

"The caster of the spell can specify how many people are allowed to enter the circle, any more and the others will be repelled. The combatants are trapped inside the circle until there is one survivor and the spell fades," the powerful magician said grimly, "No weapons are allowed to be brought in, the opponents are forced to fight each other to their death using their hands or their Gifts or magic or risk starvation. The origins of this spell can be tracked down to the Aztecs. Thousands of years ago they used it to aid in their leadership rituals… I always thought that the spell was lost… that nobody knew how to invoke it but obviously…"

He trailed off.

"So people enter and only one leaves alive?" Caspian demanded haughtily.

Gaspar nodded as they all grimaced, staring at the glowing symbols in frustration.

"I'll go," Volkov announced, preparing to step across the threshold of the spell.

"No."

Everyone turned to look at Peter, the High King looked back at them, grim-faced but determined.

"It's me. I'm the Saviour. I'm the one she wants."

The High King looked at them straight on, his face set into a taut mask.

"You?!" Kage spat, "What can you do? Sing to her?"

"It's my destiny," Peter said stubbornly.

Jason nodded, acutely aware Peter wasn't choosing to go alone because of a misguided need to be in control or a need to elevate himself above everyone else like before. The High King had finally changed, his overweening pride finally broken once and for all. Peter was doing this, willing to face what lay beyond because it was his duty, his destiny, his burden and because of a vow he had made over Siren's senseless death. Jason couldn't help but smile slightly as Gaspar looked at Peter keenly before nodding.

"Here."

He reached out as Peter blinked at his hand in surprise.

"What?"

"Take my power," the headmaster said firmly, finality in his voice.

Peter's eyes widened, not expecting this.

"I'm…" the High King licked his suddenly dry lips as everyone watched him closely, "I… I'm don't think my Gift works on magic."

"Try," Gaspar snapped, "Anything to help you."

Kage sighed and thrust his hand out to join Gaspar's. After a moments hesitation Volkov did the same, Peter staring in astonishment at all three of their hands.

"Take it," Kage said firmly, "You'll need all the powers you can get."

"I… I can't," Peter protested, "It's your Gifts! I can't…"

"It's a gift, we're giving it to you," Volkov snapped, "Hurry up! The Lodestone's set to appear at any moment. You want to stop the Kraken? Take it!"

Torn but seeing the necessity, Peter reached out with trembling hands.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as Kage and Volkov nodded, pale but unwavering, "I wish…"

His eyes blazed with gold light and he gently touched all of their hands. Eustace watched on, the slightest hint of triumph in his eyes as Jason and Caspian watched out emotionlessly. Elias's eyes widened as he took it all in, mesmerised by the display before him.

Peter's mouth flew open and he lurched back, reeling as air flooded his lungs, power rushing into him. Kage grunted with pain as a knife stabbed him deep, slicing and carving away something vital and beloved before it was drained away forever. He slumped, wanting to cry, wanting to scream to the world in anguish, already mourning what he had lost but he kept himself in check, sacrificing all he had for the sake of the world.

Volkov felt a deep empty pang as the power that raged through him drained away, siphoned by thousands of hungry mouths. He felt empty, blank, a mere hollowed out shell of his former self but the ex-lieutenant knew war, knew sometimes hard and terrible things had to be done and he borne it all with steely resolve.

Peter shuddered as lightning electrified his blood, sparks warping his body at the most microscopic of levels, everything changing and adjusting to the power, new channels and pathways opening up as he struggled to take it all in.

Beside his own golden power, Siren's song and Lauren's mechanical might, a storm was suddenly birthed, raging inside its own prison, bottled and ready to be unleashed at the slightest command.

Coldness swept through him next, the world becoming distorted and warped as Peter blinked, trying to adjust to it all. He was suddenly filled with shifting shadows and light, knowing with supreme confidence he could now hide in plain sight, the very air and light around him his to control and warp to his own liking.

Utter stillness and quiet entered the strange place that housed his Gifts, winking lazily in and out of existence in his mind.

Finally power swept through him, like and completely different to the Gifts he had. It opened up for him a world of infinite possibilities. Magic strained to enter Peter's body but failed to breach the barriers that separated him from Gaspar, his own Gift unable to breach the rift the fundamental differences between their powers had set between the two. But something else did trickle in, knowledge flooded him, rewiring his brain and giving him impossible memories but Peter knew instinctively it was only a tiny drop of the vast ocean of wisdom and skills that Gaspar held

Twilight entered him, sparkling with tiny globules of power as the image of a book flashed inside his head, yellowed, crinkled and worn holding the knowledge of a lifetime of painstaking work.

Peter tore his hands away from the three men and gasped desperately for breath, his body struggling to deal with all he had taken in. For a few short terrifying seconds his body rebelled, threatening to pull apart at the very seams, repel the powers he had taken in, the violent urge to open his mouth and vomit out every last drop of the Gifts inside of him threatening to make him sick.

It was his infamous stubbornness and iron-will that saw him through, Peter simply refusing to let the Gifts destroy him as they shuffled around, violently clashing, struggling to find their place inside his body as Peter closed his eyes and forced himself to stillness.

Fire and ice and lightning tore through him, agony and delight warring for dominance. His body groaned, his very bones shaking as every cell in his body teetered between rebirth and utter destruction, his nerves synapsing wildly, threatening to explode into a frenzy of signals that would stop his heart instantly.

Slowly, very, very slowly the powers settled down grudgingly slowly weaving and fusing together until they became a part of him as natural as his heart or lungs.

Peter opened his eyes and let out a long shuddering breath, terrified at how very close he had come to death. Kage and Volkov were pale, lost looks in their eyes as Gaspar peered at him worriedly, the magician easily recovering from the mild power drain that had sapped his magic.

"I'm fine," Peter smiled, unable to stop the rush of power and ecstasy coursing through him, "I'm ready."

He squared his shoulders and without another word, he marched straight up to the shimmering redlines and stepped over them. As soon as he was beyond the perimeter of the spell, the light flared, a shimmering wall exploding upwards and sealing him off from his friends and allies.

Peter took one last look back before turning around and walked towards his destined fight.

AAAAAA

Peter walked through utter silence as he mounted the final stairs leading up to the thirty-seventh floor, the very floor the Lodestone would choose to make itself known to the world.

As he walked, Peter concentrated, dipping deep into himself and drawing upon Kage's powers. The world suddenly shifted as the air itself shifted, becoming denser, reflecting and refracting light bending it around the king's form until he was nothing more than a phantom shape that moved in the darkness, all but invisible to the world.

Treading lightly Peter finally made it to the fateful level.

The light filtering through the tinted glass glittered eerily on the crystal spikes growing from the ground and hanging from the ceilings like ice in a cave, Peter warily skirting the razor growths as his eyes roved the darkened surroundings.

"I can feeeeel yoooouuu," Dahlia's voice came from the shadows in a malicious sing-song chant.

Peter froze as the leader of Kraken's Chosen emerged from behind a cubicle wall, her body encrusted in crystals, spurs and spikes jutting out at wild random angles forming a deadly armour that turned every blow in painful death.

The normally controlled and icily beautiful woman was unkempt and wild, her crystal-free features caked with make-up in a ghastly attempt to hide the three long gashes across her face. Dahlia bared her teeth, revealing crystalline fangs as she stomped in his general direction, sniffing the air like a dog.

"Sid!" she barked, "Find him!!"

Peter cursed silently as a second shadowy form appeared, the ventriloquist's face blank as he gestured with his hands, silvery strings trailing from his fingers. Out of the gloom two dogs padded out, their eyes blank, strings embedded deep into their body.

Without blinking, Sid pulled on the strings and the dogs raised their noses to the air, breathing deep.

Peter gritted his teeth, knowing instinctively that the stealth he had wrapped around himself would not protect from the dogs' senses. His hands convulsed, still affected by Siobhan's curse but he clenched his fists, willing them to still.

It was time to fight.

Moving swiftly, Peter ran across the floor, throwing the stealth off him as he thrust his hands forwards, sparks flying.

Sid and Dahlia were taken by surprise as the Saviour suddenly exploded from thin air and hurled two bolts of lightning straight at them. The red-headed Sid was struck straight in the chest, his body seizing as he was hurled across the room, his strings snapping.

The dogs instantly let out whines of surprise, freed from Sid's control and instantly fled as Dahlia deflected the bolt with a barrage of crystal shards.

"Hello Saviour," Dahlia hissed.

Peter merely looked at her calmly, sparks flying from his hair and gathering at his fingertips.

"Curiouser, curiouser," the woman noted, her crystal armour shuddering as fresh spikes grew from her body "I didn't know you had so many powers."

Red mist fell over Peter as he glared at Siren's murderer, the one he had vowed to kill to avenge his friend and healer. Volkov's powers reacted to his rage, lightning dancing across his skin as the smell of ozone hung heavily in the air.

"And I didn't know you were so ugly," Peter spat pettily, wanting nothing more than to wipe the smirk from her face, "Where did you get such lovely deforming scars?"

Dahlia's jaws dropped, spurs exploding all over her face, the faint turquoise light shimmering in each crystal darkening to a bloody red. More than anything Peter could have possibly said to her, this was the one that drove a dagger straight into her heart, shearing through all her bluff and malice.

"I AM NOT…"  
Peter took a step back, stunned as Dahlia seemed to grow, crystals forming armour and hardened muscle as more and more spikes grew, the woman easily towering over the High King.

"UGLY!!!" she screamed.

"SHINK!"

Two long spikes exploded from her back, flattening and lengthening, thinning and splitting until they formed four dragonfly-like wings.

"I. Am. Going. To. Kill. You," Dahlia spat, her face that of a crystal gargoyle's.

"And you weren't trying to before?" Peter shot back, refusing to show fear.

The crystal beast that Dahlia had become threw herself at Peter as the High King summoned his Gifts to him.

Dahlia swung at him with grotesquely elongated claws, Kage and Jason's brutal training paying off as Peter leapt easily out of the way avoiding the blow. He threw lightning at the woman, smiling in satisfaction as his attack blew a chunk of her hardened shoulder off, Dahlia screeching in pain.

She spat at him, long needles of crystal shooting out as Peter swiped the air, lightning trailing in his wake. The electricity leapt forwards in a crackling burst of power, slamming into the crystal needles and blasting them out of existence.

The king suddenly staggered back, shouting out as pain sheared into his head. Blood exploded from his nose as a tight vice gripped his brain and clenched violently, threatening to shear the vessels apart. He clutched at his head, crying out as panic and fear welled up in him.

"Still not used to your Gifts?!" Dahlia cackled gleefully watching him stumble.

His vision darkened as stars flared in his dimming sight, Peter struggling to recover, his body aching as though he had just received a dozen physical blows. He finally steadied himself, cursing as he realised his control over his new powers were still tentative at best.

Peter's eyes darkened as he remembered the punishments Kage had received from using his powers, the times he vomited or bled as he forced the world to change to his command. Obviously the powers came with a terrible price.

"Figures," the High King muttered disgustedly.

Dahlia snarled taking advantage of his distraction, dropping from the air and landing with an almighty crash. Peter was blindsided as crystal spikes exploded out from the ground, radiating out from the woman's feet.

"SHINK!"

Peter was hurled aside, a bleeding line cut across his leg as a column of crystal exploded out from the floor right in front of him as Dahlia cackled. She leapt forwards, pouncing on the king before he had even landed.

Peter screamed as he was crunched to the ground, Dahlia's clawed crystalline feet pinning him down. She raised an arm, her deadly claws glittering.

"Any last words?" she snarled.

The oldest Pevensie shoved aside his fear, burning hatred fuelling him. He gritted his teeth and focused, lightning jumping from his body and spearing at her but Dahlia calmly deflected the attacks, leaning her weight down onto her leg. With sickening crunches some of Peter's ribs snapped, fiery pain stabbing the king as he cried out.

"So you're the Saviour…" Dahlia snorted, "Seriously, you should try harder because you're really disappointing."

Peter was ghost pale, gasping for breath as his broken ribs stabbing into him as Dahlia raised her arm once more and with an exulted cry, stabbed down, Peter's eyes flaring widely.

"NO!"

Dahlia stopped, swaying, astonished. She stared at her trembling arm, suddenly frozen in mid-air. She struggled but her muscles locked, freezing in place. Her eyes followed the gossamer strings embedded into her flesh, trailing it back to its source.

Sid glared at her.

"I'm going to kill you," he vowed as Dahlia screamed in fury.

AAAAAA

Author's notes: Again... I'm so, so, so sorry!!!


	53. Deathblow

YAAAAAAAY! Summer holidays! Time for life/writing! Sorry about the massive delay (exams... urgh... here's hoping I passed *fingerscrossed*) but here's the new chapter!

Disclaimer: Who cares about this?! I'm on holiday!

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 53: Deathblow**

"NO!"

Dahlia stopped, swaying, astonished. She stared at her trembling arm, suddenly frozen in mid-air. She struggled but her muscles locked, freezing in place. Her eyes followed the gossamer strings embedded into her flesh, trailing it back to its source.

Sid glared at her.

"I'm going to kill you," he vowed as Dahlia screamed in fury.

"WHY?!" the crystal-clawed woman screamed at him.

"You killed my sister!" Sid screamed back at her, a promise of blood in each word, "YOU PROMISED ME THEN YOU WENT AND BUTCHERED HER!!"  
Dahlia rolled her eyes.

"Is that what this is all about?" she spat as though it was a laughably easy matter to fix.

"That?!" Sid snarled, "THAT!!?!"

Dahlia jerked, screeching in pain as more strings stabbed her in the spine. The red-headed ventriloquist pulled back his hand and cursing wildly and fighting each step, the leader of the Kraken's Chosen was forced away from Peter. The Saviour instantly rolled away, crying out in pain as he clutched at his broken ribs. Peter turned, watching with fierce blue eyes as Sid forced Dahlia to stop right in front of him.

He twisted his hands and the crystals on Dahlia cracked, shattering into a diamond-like dust stripping the weapon bare of her armour and weapons.

Dahlia glared at him, an imperious look on her haughty face.

"You killed my sister," Sid spat, face thunderous.

He was shaking, his fingers twitching as Dahlia's body shuddered in response, the redhead's strings controlling her every movement.

"And?" Dahlia said with supreme indifference.

"YOU KILLED HER!" Sid screamed, his control fading.

He slapped her across the face, wanting to break her, wanting to make her cry, wanting her to hurt as much as he did but Dahlia merely glared at him, blood trickling from the corner of her lips.

"I helped you. I done everything you asked of me because of one thing… protection for my sister when the Kraken comes," Sid hissed, tears rolling down his face, baring his heart to the world.

Peter watched him, shocked by this revelation, suddenly feeling an instant connection with the bereaving man. Both of them were willing to fight this monster to the death for one reason, vengeance for a woman who had changed their worlds.

"When the Kraken comes, it will bestow upon us powers you cannot even begin to imagine," Dahlia growled, her voice condescending and patronising as though she was talking to a child, "You think death can separate the two of you then? The Kraken can bring her back."

Sid's jaws dropped, the man gaping at her as Dahlia smiled a predatory grin, the rest of her body still held rigid by the ventriloquist's Gift.

"See? It's all part of the plan," she smirked.

"Don't listen to her," Peter wheezed.

Sid looked past Dahlia, dazed and stared into the High King's face. Peter looked squarely back at him.

"Nobody can bring back the dead," he said.

And he would know. After his very first battle with the White Witch and later after Beruna, Peter had begged Aslan to undo all the senseless deaths, to bring back the brave souls who had perished on the battlefield. Aslan had looked at him gravely and told him in gentle, honest words that turning back death was impossible, that fate only allowed a very select few to achieve such short-lived immortality. For the vast majority of mortals, death was a finality that was swift and inevitable.

Aslan had cried with him, wanting to bring back those who had been lost but even the Great Lion was helpless against the cold seizing grasps of death.

Sid stared at him as Peter watched him, expressionless, letting the man see the honesty in his face and eyes. The ventriloquist suddenly nodded and turned burning eyes back to Dahlia.

The blonde woman hissed in exasperation.

"You die," Sid spat.

He pulled on the strings as a single crystal spur exploded out of Dahlia's left index finger, the woman grunting in pain. Peter watched, willing the man on as Sid manipulated Dahlia's movements, the blonde woman fighting him every step of the way as he made her raise the crystal blade to her own throat.

Sid smiled coldly, Siren's deathly serene face dominating his thoughts. Memories flittered through his head, flashes from happier times. His grin softened as he remembered his little sister from when they were children – her laugh, her open smile, the adoration and trust in her eyes as she gazed upon her older brother, knowing that he would always be there for her, looking out for her, protecting her…

His grin folded. He had failed and now she was dead.

"Any last words?" Sid growled viciously, tears spilling down his face and throat.

Dahlia suddenly smiled at him, sneering despite the razor death resting against her throat.

"You're an idiot," she hissed.

Peter saw it before it happened.

"NO!!!"

Before the king could react, Dahlia lashed out, the strings connecting her to Sid snapping and vanishing out of existence. Light flashed as Dahlia sliced out and Sid staggered back, clutching at his own throat. The blonde woman screamed in laughter, crystals reforming all over her body as the ventriloquist stared up at her, stunned.

"Ho…" he gurgled, blood seeping between his fingers, "How?"  
"I am the Kraken's premier Chosen," Dahlia said haughtily, "I was handpicked by the most ancient of evils to lead his followers. You honestly think I'm susceptible to your puny Gift?"

She cackled and lifted one hand.

"STOP!" Peter yelled desperately, one hand flying forwards.

Lightning flared but a wall of crystal streaked out from Dahlia's foot, blocking the blast as Peter reeled back, his broken ribs screaming in protest.

Sid looked up at Dahlia, eyes wide, pupils dilated as she smiled back coolly, pointing her single claw right at his face.

"SHINK!"

And Siren's brother fell dead to the ground.

"Now," Dahlia flicked the cooling blood from her claws, "Where were we?"

The woman turned and Peter spat at her, hands clenched. Thick, choking hate ran through giving him a madman's strength as the Gifts in his body hummed in response, feeding on his fury.

Peter plunged deep into himself, summoning his powers and opening his mouth. A song spilled from his lips, invisible warmth wrapping around him as he forced bone to knit, reforming and making whole as the pain stabbing his chest faded. Peter stood, completely healed as Dahlia smiled coldly.

"Good," she cracked her neck from side to side, jagged spikes sprouting all over her slender body turning her once more into an armoured, monster, "Once more from the top!"

She stomped the ground and crystal spread from her foot like an oil slick, the whole entire span of the office's floor instantly coated in a thick layer of crystal like ice on a lake. Dahlia snarled, her blue eyes glittering like the crystals that coated her body as giant mineralised spikes exploded from the floor, streaking in a rough line towards Peter.

The High King leapt out of the way, razor edges thrusting up into the air barely missing him as he twisted, skeins of lightning flying from his fingers.

Sparks popped and sizzled, dazzling Dahlia and as a bolt of pure power ripped through her body, the woman shrieking in pain as she convulsed.

Swiftly Peter dropped Kage's power over him, weaving a shifting cloak of shadow and light around him as in a blink of an eye the Saviour disappeared from view. Dahlia straightened, shaking off the sparks that still tingled her body.

"STOP HIDING!!" she screamed, voice guttural.

"SHINK! SHINK!"

More spikes exploded out of her body, reacting to her fury as she turned. With a roar she raised her hands, a ball of light gathering between her crystal claws. Senseless with a bloodthirsty need for violence, Dahlia hurled the energy forwards destroying a row of desks to no effect.

"Pathetic," Peter's voice snapped out like a whip.

Dahlia twisted, desperately trying to find her enemy as the frill of crystals around her face, split and multiplied, growing more tangled with each passing second.

Peter silently stepped behind her, keep his eyes on her twisting, undulating form as his mind roved the room, reaching all with his Gift. He smiled as Lauren's powers detected the faintest hint of mechanical life lingering in the room.

Elias's electromagnetic bomb had disabled every single remotely electronic object in the building but still some circuits clung stubbornly on, flickering with the dimmest of verves and it was one of these that Peter concentrated on, invading the machine with startling ease, a plan unfurling in his mind.

"I thought you were the premier Chosen," Peter spat, disgust in his voice.

He kept moving, Dahlia's head snapping from side to side trying to spot him.

"Come on Dahlia impress me," the High King taunted, "The Kraken must've chosen you for something…"

He waited, letting silence sink in for dramatic effect.

"It certainly wasn't because of your looks."

Dahlia howled in fury, bestial as she hurled power and crystals wildly through the air. Peter, unflinching, as one spur shot right past his face, spearing deep into the wall.

Winning a battle wasn't always about might and strategy, there was always an element of the mind. Enemies could be broken and defeated before they even stepped foot onto the field if they stopped believing, the most deadly of fighters could be induced to perform the most lethal and novice of mistakes if someone tinkered with their thoughts and played with their emotions.

The strongest of warriors knew to freeze their emotions and let only logic dictate their movements because the moment you start letting the enemy play you, let them control your emotions like a musician thrumming chords, they controlled the flow of the battle and you were already defeated.

"Come on Dahlia," Peter said, unimpressed as Dahlia raged, walls tumbling as crystals tore through them in deadly barrages, "Smile. It makes you look prettier."

"SHUT. UP!!!!"

Dahlia rammed her clawed fist into the wall, crystals streaking out from her hand and covering the ceiling. Clumps grew like icicles, minerals clustering together to form tiny nodules then lumps then lethal spikes as Dahlia screamed.

Peter looked at the ceiling warily and knew the time had come.

"You know Siren would've been able to heal those scars on your face," Peter hurled at her, "Too bad you murdered her!"

Peter smiled, lightning dancing between his fingers.

"I hope you like your new look," he whispered.

Dahlia screamed at him, her voice echoing loud.

"DIE!!!"

She punched the ground and the crystals on the ceiling shattered, raining down in a cascade of razor blades. Light reflected off the thousands of falling crystals, Peter staring up into a lethal rain of rainbow hues.

He gritted his teeth and threw his Gift forwards, sparks flying and building, coalescing into deadly bolts that streaked out, a flash of blighted blue that sliced through the crystals like a blade. Crystals smoked and cracked, exploding into harmless dust as Peter staggered back, gasping for breath.

"Got you!!"

The High King twisted, lightning exploding from his fingers but was too late to do anything but scream as Dahlia slammed into the ground right in front of him, her long crystal claw impaling him straight through the shoulder.

Mind-numbing agony poured through Peter, stunning him as he managed to gather enough of his wit to hurl lightning straight into Dahlia's face, stunning her. Biting back a scream, Peter wrenched himself backwards, tearing the claw out of his own flesh before staggering back, gasping in pain.

Desperately he tried to sing, tried to heal his own wounds but his voice cracked, breaking, his energy ebbing to a dangerous low.

Dahlia laughed in glee but Peter merely smiled through his pain. Demented with fury, driven to distraction by his taunts, the woman had completely failed to notice he had deliberately lured her to where he wanted her.

Peter instantly reached out with his mind and activated that one last circuit that had somehow survived the magnetic blast that had destroyed everything else.

One of the hundreds of emergency sprinklers dotting the ceiling suddenly gurgled violently, pipes shaking as it tried to draw water. Before Dahlia could react, it came to life, a gushing rain of water dousing her as Peter grinned.

Dahlia stared at him, stunned as water dripped her saturated form. But before Peter could deal the final blow, a powerful light suddenly flared in the centre of the room. They both turned, astonished as something exploded with a soundless roar, flinging both of them hard against the wall.

The building shook as the air at the centre of the blast twisted and squirmed, distorting wildly. Peter slowly climbed to his feet, gasping for breath as something slowly emerged – a small smooth round stone that seemed to pulse with its own life and light.

Dahlia gaped at the stone as Chosen and Saviour looked at each other in astonishment and horror.

The final Lodestone had arrived.

AAAAAA

"RUN!!!" Inara yelped.

Bullets tore up the ground as she and Zaru sprinted down the hall, whipping around the corner and taking to the stairs.

"FREEZE!" the Spook Squad thundered behind her.

They fired wildly, guns blazing as a line of bullets tore along stairs.

"Why the hell are they yelling freeze then shooting anyway?!" Zaru screamed.

"Just keep running!!!" Inara shouted back.

They made it to the thirty-fifth floor, ducking out of the stairwell and streaking down the hallway, Zaru sniffing out their allies up ahead.

"HELP!!" Inara screamed, "HELP!!!"

The Spook Squad spilled into the corridor, their targets in their line of sight as they raised their guns, visor glinting menacingly.

"GET DOWN!!"

Inara lunged forwards, hitting the ground as a invisible hands grabbed the secret police force's guns and yanked them out of their grips, hurling them down the hall. Jason stood, deadly and defiant as Inara and Zaru reached him, getting behind the Seeker as the Spook Squad glared at him.

"Sir," one of them barked, "This is your last chance to surrender."

Several of the squad held out their hands, magical light gathering in their palms as Jason snorted.

"No," he chewed out.

"Last warning."

Jason responded by mowing down the first three men with a burst of white fire. The rest of the squad howled in fury and an all out magical brawl broke out.

"GASPAR!!" Zaru roared, darting down the hall, following his nose, "GASPAR!!!"  
Inara gasped as the headmaster whipped around the corner, Elias and the two remaining Magi by his side. A step behind them was Caspian and the possessed Eustace.

Eustace cocked his head to the side seeing the fight before calmly slipping between the crowd of people and straight into the crossfire. Jason grunted with shock as Eustace ran straight through the brilliant bursts of magic, slamming straight into the squad as they cried out in surprise.

"Don't kill them!!" Gaspar screamed, throwing spell after spell at their attackers.

Men crumpled, limbs seizing up as the headmaster wielded his magic. Kage and Volkov watched with bleak eyes, helpless as Inara ran to Caspian.

"What's happening?" she demanded.

"Peter went to fight Dahlia… alone."

"ALONE?!? Zaru yelped, Inara echoing his sentiment, "What are you crazy?! Why aren't you there with him?"

Caspian gave them a long look.

"It's complicated."

Before Inara could shoot back a cutting remark, the whole tower gave one massive shake. A deep grinding sound made them all freeze as the battered building shuddered violently, steel girders bending under the blow. A muffled explosion filtered down to them, a loud thump that made dust falling from the ceiling.

"What…"

Some of the Spook Squad stared up in amazement, the more sensitive of the men picking up the powerful emanation floating down to them. Jason frowned, feeling it too as Gaspar's jaws dropped.

"THE LODESTONE!!!"

And at the exact moment the ground beneath them gave a terrible lurch. They all stared down, wide-eyed as cracks began to form, the building breaking apart as magic raged on two floors.

"Oh come on," Inara begged, "Please –"

Zaru's eyes widened.

"RUN!!"

But it was too late as the floor caved and they fell with terrified screams in a rain of concrete and twisted metal.

AAAAAA

Anton Peterson ran down the street, terror in his face as a long dark shadow fell across the alley ground, jabbing at him like an accusing finger.

"Get away for me!!" the boy shrieked as footsteps echoed in the tight confines of the alleyway.

He ran and ran, ducking and backtracking, his breath harsh in his ears as he sprinted in a crazed, mindless run.

"No," a cry left his lips, sharp and desperate as he came to an utter dead-end.

Anton whirled, taking one step forwards but froze as the shadow appeared again, falling across the mouth of the alleyway.

He had no choice.

Anton cursed, closing his eyes as he summoned his Gift to him. He grinned, eyes snapping open as his shadowy pursuer appeared strolling slowly towards him.

"Too late," Anton hissed.

His Gift flared, power lighting up his eyes and he was pulled through time and space, lights and sounds whirring past him in a dizzying race as he fell forwards and backwards and up and down all the same time. Amidst the chaos, Anton's eyes caught a glimpse of a small dot of light and it instantly rushed at him, becoming larger and larger, roaring as it smacked into him, devouring his world. Anton landed with a hard thump before a very familiar sight.

"MOM!!" Anton yelled, picking himself up, "MOM!!"

He burst through the front doors as his mother looked up from the bench in the kitchen, confused.

"Anton?" she asked, "I thought you were…"

"MOM!!" Anton was frantic, "We have to get out of here!! There's someone… he knows… MOM WE HAVE TO LEAVE!! SOMEONE'S AFTER ME!!"  
His mother shrugged calmly going back to her vegetables, cutting up celery with fine precision.

"I know," she said softly.

"MOM WE HAVE TO – "Anton froze, eyes bulging as her words sunk in, "WHAT? You…"

"Sorry, Anton," her mother looked up blankly, completely drained of emotions.

"BANG!"

Anton staggered back, clutching at his bleeding gut as his mother lowered the smoking gun, her eyes completely hollow. Anton looked at her in dazed confusion, hitting the wall as blood gushed from his body.

"Sorry Anton," a calm voice said.

Anton looked to the side, eyes wide in a pale face.

"YOU!"

"It didn't have to be this way," Gavin said.

He stepped into the light as Anton's mother fell limply to the ground. The man-child was a monster, his eyes doorways into a vast world where millions of other eyes stared back, blinking lazily in disconcerting random waves.

"I need your Gift," Gavin took another step towards Anton, the injured boy fading fast, "I need it to save the world."

"No…"

Gavin cupped Anton's face and concentrated, the boy screaming as his Gift was wrenched out of his body. Gavin took it all in, drinking deep before tossing Anton aside, the powerless boy already dead before he hit the ground.

Gavin looked around at the kitchen and sighed.

"I thank you for your sacrifice," he said to Anton's body, "It will not be in vain."

Gavin closed his eyes and reached out through time and space, taking himself to where he wanted to go.

Susan stood over Anton's body, aghast, the queen nothing more than a wraith, the meanest of ghosts and shadows, a mere observer of events long past.

"This…" she closed her eyes as more memories flashed in her head.

Gavin had travelled the world, tracking down those with Gifts and powers he needed, stalking and hunting down each other ruthless. Bodies piled up wherever he went but Gavin was numb to the destruction and the misery he caused, focused solely on the insane goal that now defined his existence.

And finally… finally after taking all that he needed, the man that would one day become the Great Darkness reached out with all his Gifts and pierced the wall between the worlds, leaving this place and moving on, searching for more power, driven beyond the brink of sanity by his thirst and need to feed the beast inside him.

Susan shook as she dimly felt an echo of the corrosive madness that had slowly eaten the man away as he stepped onto new worlds, the vicious cycle of hunting and devouring continuing. Gavin grew stronger with each victim, becoming more than a man and less than a god, a horrifying demon that made the skies weep and the earth shake every world he stepped into. But Gavin pressed on, men, women, animals and creatures falling to him as he prepared himself for the things he still had to do.

"The first step," Susan realised.

All this death… all this madness… it was just the first step in his grand plan – gaining power. He had evolved, gorged upon so much power he had ceased to be mortal, a terrifying abomination of nature.

"Susan?"

Susan jumped, the memory of Anton's house fading into grey mist as a figure appeared beside her.

"Mallory?" she asked, astonished, "What…"

The dark-haired Magi looked at her, both of them as insubstantial as ghosts.

"What is this place?" the psychic demanded, looking around, gold light flaring in her eyes as she summoned her power, trying to probe the nature of the place.

"It's… a dream. Someone's trying to show me something," Susan frowned, "How…"

"I can't wake up. Something's stopping me just as it's stopping you," Mallory said grimly, "But I could feel you were gone… your mind's not in your body anymore, it had been taken elsewhere… to this place, so I followed."

"Viola," Susan cursed, "She's not going to…"

Before Susan could complete her sentence the world around her segued, becoming chaos as everything shifted. Susan and Mallory cried out as an irresistible force grabbed them by their arms and yanked them into the boiling entropy.

AAAAAA

"YES!!"

Dahlia spat, a fine needle of crystal flying from her mouth and shooting straight for the hovering Lodestone.

"NO!"  
Agony stabbed Peter, blood gushing from his mouth as he tumbled to the ground, the needle jutting out from his stomach.

"Foolish boy!" Dahlia laughed.

She rose to her feet, crystal wings reforming on her back.

"The end of the world is here!" she said dramatically, "And I am its executioner!"

She laughed as Peter writhed on the floor, blood leaking rapidly from his body.

"I have seen it. The Kraken will come, armies will rise up against it and will be swept away like a sand bridge before the storm. And I will be the queen of this world, beautiful beyond measure, adored by all!" she screamed the last words at him, laughter bubbling from her lips.

Peter glared at her, gritting his teeth.

"Too bad brains wasn't part of the package," he snapped.

Dahlia blinked at him as Peter reached out touching the puddle of blood around him. The woman let out a cry of shock as water from the sprinkler before continued to drip from her wet form, pooling around him and spreading outwards mingling with the blood from Peter's gut and shoulder.

Millions of volts of lightning leapt from Peter's finger into his blood, streaking across and diving into the pool of water at Dahlia's feet before surging upwards.

Peter and Dahlia's screams filled the air as both of them fried, lightning coursing through their bodies. Crystals cracked and shattered, unable to handle the power as Dahlia staggered back, her drenched form sucking up the electricity like parched land drawing rain. Peter writhed on the ground in painful spasms but his body, changed by Volkov's Gift managed to neutralise the power leaving him only with mild shocks.

Dahlia wasn't as lucky. She was thrown against the wall, her crystal armour literally dissolving into smoke as she screamed again and again.

Slowly the lightning faded except for the odd crackle both combatants lying sprawled on the ground.

"You…" Dahlia looked at him, her hair smoking, "You bastard."

"Pleasure's mine," Peter snapped back, "Oh and by the way…"

Before Dahlia could react, Peter threw a ball of crackling blue shocks straight at her face. It was a weak blow, only a fraction of the power from before but Dahlia screamed as sizzling hot fingers tore her face apart.

"NO! NO!!" she clutched at her ruined features, "Not again!! Please!!!"

She looked up, her eyes blue in a wild ghoulish landscape of charred black and raw red. She was weeping, the croaking shuddering cries of a young girl.

"NO!!!"

Like a glass cracking under pressure, Dahlia's mind snapped. Crystals exploded out of her as she lurched to her feet, screaming mindlessly. Peter struggled to stand as Dahlia roared, spikes exploding out all over her body.

"YOU!!!"

Peter fought to drop another stealth cloak over himself but his mind, reeling from pain and still battered from the lightning, was sluggish, barely react as Dahlia opened her mouth and vomited out pure hot energy.

A sizzling hole was immediately burnt through the ground as Dahlia staggered forwards, her ruined face a rude contrast to the perfect glimmering crystals that had taken over her body.

"DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!"

Crystals flew at Peter as he stumbled backwards, the needle still protruding from his body as Dahlia continued to spew pure power all over the ground.

The Lodestone continued to pulse with light, floating in the centre of the room as Dahlia stomped towards Peter, completely encased in crystal.

The High King knew what he had to do. He fell back, his muscles weakening with every step as Dahlia roared, stampeding towards him.

Peter's cheek was sliced open by a sliver of mineral as Dahlia thrust her arms to the ground, crystal spikes erupting from her fingers and thrusting down into the floor, puncturing through concrete. The spikes grew, punching down to several floors below before with a cry Dahlia ripped her arm upwards tearing the ground apart.

Peter skittered back as half the floor collapsed, Dahlia stamping forwards screeching with abandon.

Long horns sprouted from her head, stretching up and piercing the ceiling, dragging it down on top of her as she stomped forwards, ignoring the heavy slabs of concrete breaking across the hardened body.

She was now the size of an elephant, a woman wrapped in a living armour that howled for Peter's blood.

"You…" she croaked, pure energy leaking out from between her fangs, "You…"

Peter took another step back and Dahlia threw herself clumsily at him, the High King just managed to dive out of the way. Dahlia crashed to a halt against a column as from above the turned on sprinkler dumped buckets and buckets of water on her, the crazed woman barely noticing her danger.

Peter stared up at her, the Lodestone at his back several metres away as water dripped into all the crevices and cracks formed by the crystals, tumbling down into minute waterfalls, skating down in a hauntingly beautiful cascade of light and spray.

"Die…"

And she threw up a huge glob of power as crystal blades flew at him. Peter gathered every drop of energy he possessed and hurled it forwards in a blast of electricity, his heart almost giving out from the strain.

He screamed, blades finding his left arm and thigh as the lightning slammed into the water-soaked woman.

Huge boulders of smoking crystal was flung away, shattering glass and desks as they were blasted from Dahlia's body as she screamed. Energy flew from her lips, exploding from her like a geyser as Peter was hit with splashes, his flesh blistering as he clung on, pouring more of himself into the attack.

The water drew the thunderbolts deep into the crevasses, the lightning spearing through the tiny flaws like a chisel cracks form all over Dahlia's armour as she screamed.

Wreathed in lightning, Dahlia convulsed on the spot, water falling on her as Peter clutched the needle embedded in his gut and with a cry of pain he yanked it out. He vomited noisily, nausea and agony punching him hard but he slowly managed to straighten, holding the crystal spur aloft.

"This is for Siren," he managed to croak out.

His cursed arms were weak but the crystal was light as he sprung forwards, lightning crackling along the crystal's point. With a powerful boom, the bulk of Dahlia's crystal armour was blown away exposing the woman's slim body as lightning continued to ravage her.

She looked up, screaming, pins of crystal flying from her mouth as Peter leapt through the rain of minerals and lightning sparks and stabbed her straight in the chest.

He smacked into her body, bouncing off the few crystal chunks that remained and flopped to the ground as Dahlia stared in confusion at the crystal sticking out from her flesh.

"No…" she gasped, "Imp… impossible…"

Her crystals dissolved into dust, the energy in her mouth dying away as she fell to the ground, the lightning finally burning itself out. It was with a mundane thump and a wet splash that Dahlia hit the ground, utterly still.

Peter stared at her, bleeding from multiple places, his stomach drenched with blood. Slowly he got to his feet and turned around in victory, looking for the Lodestone.

"No."

The cry was sharp, a small gasp as he caught sight of the precious stone.

A small needle of crystal, thinner than a pencil, glittered from its final resting place – impaled straight through the Lodestone.

"No…" Peter lurched forwards, splashing noisily through the water, skirting around smoking crystal boulders and spikes as he grabbed at the stone.

It fell into his fingers, warming his skin as he stared in horror at the damaged stone. A few crack ran through the centre of the mystical artefact radiating out from the crystal spike in its centre, the flaw hadn't reached the edges of the stone but Peter knew once it did and it would…

The stone would break and the Kraken would be free.

Peter slumped.

He had failed.

AAAAAA

Elias groaned, pushing himself off the pile of debris as dust fell on him like grey snowflakes.

"Inara? Zaru? Jason?' he barked.

"Hiya Doc..."

He whipped around as debris moved, Inara staggered to her feet, bloodied and dazed.

"I hate this world!"

He saw gold fur as Zaru crawled out from the wreckage. The leopard sniffed the air and jabbed at the air with one paw, Elias and Inara instantly understanding. They shovelled through the debris with bare hands, skin scraping raw before they finally uncovered a familiar face.

"COWBOY!"

Jason's eyes were closed.

"JASON!"

But the Seeker was still. Elias felt the blood drain from his face.

"No...."

Zaru rolled his eyes and unsheathed a single claw.

"Kitty... what – "

"OW!"

Jason shot up, glaring at Zaru as the leopard smirked, pulling his paw away.

"You. Are. Going. To. Die!" the Seeker spat.

"Susan loves me. You don't want to hurt her do you?" Zaru shot back lazily.

Jason growled, white fire burning in his eyes.

"The others?" he barked.

Zaru shook his head.

"No idea."

"THERE THEY ARE!"

Their heads snapped up as the Spook Squad stared at them through the whole in the ceiling.

"DAMN IT!"

Jason thrust his hand upwards, his power exploding out as Inara looked at the ceiling, fear in her eyes.

AAAAAA

"What is this place?" Mallory was looking at a blighted land, a place where light and joy were a feverish delusion.

The ground was grey and covered with soot, not a single blade of grass or a patch of moss able to grow amongst such misery and devastation. Houses stood abandoned, broken windows soulless eyes into darkness, farmlands ravaged by disease and fire.

"I think… this is another world," Susan said slowly.

Mallory looked at her startled but as if to prove her point, a giant six-winged creature, a monster of feather and leather swooped at them, five gem-like eyes glittering. Mallory cried out, lashing out with her Gift as Susan stood unafraid. The monster swept through them like wind through smoke, passing through their ghostly bodies as Susan turned watching it leave.

"What…" Mallory staggered to her feet.

But Susan wasn't listening, her blue eyes focused on a faraway castle, a lean black tower that dominated the land.

"I think we should go there," Susan nodded, "I…"

All it took was a thought and Susan and Mallory suddenly found themselves standing inside a dark, oppressive throne room. Both women stumbled, shocked by the sudden change in scenery as a thin scrawny man, draped in fur and arrogance glared at them from his seat on a dark metal throne.

"Why have you come here?" he demanded.

"I…" Susan froze as someone stepped through them.

It was a man, dirtied and broken, hair falling out in bloody clumps. He fell to the ground as guards shoved him down, the filthy sneering soldiers kicking him as the man grovelled helplessly before his king.

"We need help sire!" the man wailed, "Everyone in our village… they're… they're dying."

The king sneered before nodding to someone at his side. A pale rat-like man scurried forwards, scrolls clutched to his chest.

"Has his village paid their taxes?" the king demanded.

The pale man instantly shook his head as the villager wailed.

"No sire, they're exactly seven silvers short."

"Seven silvers?" the king laughed, "You dare come asking me for help when you fail to pay what you owe me? I am your KING! You owe your lives to me!"

"But please your majesty!" the villager screamed, "We couldn't… we couldn't pay you… the livestock… the harvest it's all failing."

"Excuses, excuses," the cruel king sneered, "I sicken of your whining voice. Kill him and string up him as an example."

"No your majesty! NO!!" the villager screamed as the guards stepped froward, "CLEMENCY! CLEMENCY!!"

The king laughed as his own subject was beheaded, the other members of the court recoiling as the guards howled with glee, their piggish faces alit with delight.

"Does anyone else have a request?" the king smirked.

Some of the milder members of his court fell, fainting dead away as the king laughed again, his voice rich with pure joy at the fear he invoked.

"I do."

The king froze as tall figure stepped out from the crowd. Gavin, his body swathed in a dark cloak stared at the ruler, hood thrown back to reveal his pale face.

"You dare?" the king spat, "You dare to taunt me?! KILL HIM?!?"

Gavin raised his hands as the guards rushed at him and with a single twitch of his fingers, the men dropped dead to the ground. Hush fell over the crowd, fearful whispers flittering between the people as Gavin marched up to the king.

The tyrant stared down at him, wan pale, his confidence falling like this men.

"I don't understand you," Gavin whispered, "You are a ruler. You can better the world… yet you choose to indulge in childishness and petty wants to the disaster of all. You've poisoned this world..."

"Who are you?!" the king screamed, fear in his voice, "WHO ARE YOU?!?!"

"I am your saviour," Gavin said softly, his thousand eyes blinking.

He pointed at the king and the man was instantly devoured in liquid fire, his throne burning with him as the court screamed.

"All of you are wrong," Gavin addressed them all, uncaring of the life he had just taken, "You stand idly by whilst a madman rules and you let him destroy everything this is good. You must all be cleansed."

A stampede broke out instantly, men and women fleeing, trampling over each other as Gavin pointed. For all their screams and pleas and attempts to flee, it was hopeless, every one of them devoured by hungry flames.

Susan and Mallory stood amongst the inferno, unharmed as they watched with fearful eyes as Gavin swept his hands around.

The castle burned, the flames spreading.

The land, the kingdom burned.

Everywhere there was fire. Everywhere there was madness and death and Gavin did not stop until every last living creature on the face of the earth had been incinerated.

The world had been cleansed.

When it was all finished, when there was nothing but ashes Gavin killed the fire, staggering back as he did so. He fell to his knees face pale, vomiting out blood and bile as his body rebelled violently.

"What?" he looked up, face very grey, "What?"

He stared at his shaking hands.

"Of course," he whispered, "Of course."

Gavin looked up, summoned his powers to him and vanished from this vanquished world. He had learnt a very important lesson.

Mallory looked to Susan, stricken.

"What…"

"I think he realised something here," Susan said slowly, "Gavin wants to use his powers to save the worlds… by wiping out everything in them first. By staring anew. But he learnt… he can't. No without almost killing himself first."

Susan looked at Mallory, pieces of the puzzle falling into place, sliding smoothly together.

"That's why he created the darkness in the each world," Susan gasped, "That's why. Because he can't destroy the worlds himself. He sows the seeds of destruction in each world, allows them to bloom and lets the world tear itself apart."

It all fitted. Shift, the Yin, the vampires… every monster Susan had faced. They were all part of the plan, ways for Gavin, the Great Darkness, to fulfil his grand scheme. Left in time to fester and grow, the darkness he shaped would help destroy the world without Gavin needing to intervene. He could keep his health and his powers by letting his minions, his children cleanse the worlds for him.

Susan remembered the Djinn, remembered the destruction of the Torans and the Ursines and their worlds and realised she had seen his ploy succeed once. She shuddered realising this was the fate of all worlds if Gavin succeeded.

"The second step," Susan whispered, "This is the second step of his plan."

"SUSAN!" Mallory suddenly yelped.

Susan looked up as a swirling maelstrom of colour and sounds descended from the sky. The queen merely blinked allowing it to swallow her up as it took her to the next dream and next part of the puzzle.

AAAAAA

Caspian peered around the corner and a feral smile curled his lips as he saw the High King alone, kneeling in the wreckage. He raised his sword, light glinting along its lethal edge.

'_STOP!' _the real Caspian screamed silently inside his own head, _'STOP!!!'_

He had been there when the demon in him had stolen away from the Academy. He had been there when the demon had pierced the protection around Dahlia's mansion and entered the bowels of its basement. Had been there when the demon had presented itself to the Kraken itself and struck a bargain.

'_STOP!'_

"You think Eustace is going to let me live?" the demon in him snarled, "You think my master wants us to live? The Great Darkness wants nothing but to purify this world and guess what I am?! I'm impure! I'm going to die!"

'_I'll stop. I'll stop you!' _Caspian raged, focusing, trying to move a single muscle in his own body but nothing happened, his body completely disconnected from him, _'STOP YOU BASTARD!!'_

"You need me," the demon sneered, "I'm protecting you remember?"

'_I'd rather die.'_

The demon snorted.

"The Kraken is a more generous master and all I have to do..."

He could sense Peter's weakness, could tell the High King was faltering.

"... is this.'

'_NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!'_

And the demon lunged forwards, silent as an owl as the terrible blade swept down.

'_PETER!!!!' _he could feel the demon's excitement, felt its triumph.

"Be gone."

And Peter whirled just in time to see a burst of colour and light as Caspian, hidden and obscured, was thrust through time and reality to another place, the demon in him raging as the true king howled with laughter.

"Eustace."

The possessed corpse looked down at him, his features betraying nothing. He had just saved the High King's life and Peter didn't even know it.

"Come."

Peter stared numbed as Eustace looked back at him, one hand outstretched.

"What?"

The pale face of his deceased cousin was terrible in the gloom, a ghoulish mien deserving of the most terrifying of nightmares.

"Time runs short," Eustace said without preamble, "If you wish to destroy the Kraken. You have to come with me now."

Peter stared at Eustace's hand, the damaged Lodestone clutched to his bloodied chest.

"We must hurry. If you want to complete your destiny as the Saviour…"

Peter swallowed heavily and stood up, blood-drenched and badly injured but willing. He cleared his throat and reached out.

"Okay."

He put his bloody, charred, cursed hands into Eustace's death-cold fingers.

"PETER!?!"

The last thing Peter saw was Gaspar's astonished, terrified face as he was pulled away in a rush of light and sound, disappearing from the Imperial Towers.

AAAAAA

"PETER?!?" Gaspar sprinted over to the spot where he'd been, looking around frantically, "PETER!!"

"He's gone," Kage noted grimly, "Teleported away."

"I know," Gaspar said tersely.

He had managed to save himself and the two Magi from falling with the others, hurling magic and light to daze the Spook Squad before fleeing. The powerful mage had sensed the Blood-binding Circle breaking, broken once one of its combatants had fallen. Even though he had hoped and prayed Peter would win, a part of him had feared the very worst until he had seen the blonde-haired boy mere seconds before he was snatched away by that monster Eustace.

"Do you know where?!" he demanded.

Kage shrugged helplessly, the policeman's face grey, still trying to recover from Peter's draining of his powers. Kage shuddered feeling once more the gaping void that now existed within him as Volkov's eyes swept the room.

"Dahlia," he smirked, "I'll be damned. That boy managed to pull it off."

He sneered.

"With my help of course."

"More like mine."

The three men whirled as white fire blazed in the doorway, Jason stomping towards them, his companions staggering behind him.

"Spook Squad!" Elias said frantically, "Coming!"

Thanks to Jason they had managed to fight them off, Zaru leading them to their allies. He could tell Jason was exhausted but the Seeker stubbornly refused to admit defeat, fury and fear pushing his power to dangerous levels.

"Dahlia and Sid," Zaru grunted, spotting the red-head's body amidst the wreckage.

"Well, that completes the set don't it?" Volkov snarled.

"Set?" Zaru blinked.

"Marduk's dead. Phoebe took a tumble according to you…"

Inara winced as she remembered the crazed woman's final fall.

"And Lauren's powerless. Peter took them," Volkov said flatly.

"She's alive?" Zaru said incredulously.

Volkov shrugged as Inara suddenly brightened, a grin on her lips.

"Good," she turned back around, "At least we have someone."  
"Someone?" Kage echoed.

Inara turned back to them, a dark unholy look in her grim eyes.

"Someone I can hit for information."

"Or we can just make her bleed," Zaru said helpfully, his unsheathed claws clacking on the floor.

"That works," Inara said offhandedly.

Kage and Volkov stared at each other, surprised as Zaru and Inara swept out of the room, harsh purpose on their faces.

AAAAAA

Caspian blinked, snarling in fury as he found himself standing right before a troop of surprised Spook Squad members.

"DAMN IT!!" he roared, furious and terrified as the real Caspian laughed inside his head, jeering at him, "SHUT UP!!"

'_Guess you're going to die now!' _Caspian mocked, _'Poor you. Betrayed by your own ally!'_

"I SAID SHUT UP!!"

The Spook Squad immediately unleashed their powers, Caspian allowing the darkness to flood his eyes, taking a spell straight to the chest. The possessed king shook it off, grabbing the shocked policeman by the neck and smashing his head into the wall, breaking his neck instantly.

Sneering, Caspian dropped the body, skin tingling as more curses slammed into him.

"SHAGGY!!"

Caspian's head snapped up and he found himself staring at Zaru. He instantly let the black in his eyes bleed away.

"Come on!" Zaru yelped as magic streaked over his head Gaspar sending a solider flying, "We need to go now!!"

The whole tower suddenly shook, a deep source-less crunching sound cutting through the battle as all the combatants looked around, terrified.

"The building's going to go!!" one of the Spook Squad screamed.

The squad leader instantly grabbed his walkie-talkie, talking frantically to his superiors as the police hung back, unsure, eyeing their opponents warily.

The building quaked, girders popping their joints as the floor shuddered, suddenly tilting as they all stumbled.

"We need to grab Lauren," Inara hissed, talking quickly to Jason, "Can you…"

"Where is she?" the Seeker demanded, swaying on the spot but still game.

"Several floors down," Gaspar said quickly, "West face."

"Zaru?" Jason shot at the leopard.

"I've got her," Zaru reported, sniffing the air.

Jason nodded briskly, raising his hands as white fire shimmered.

"Get close!" he roared.

White fire stabbed down into the ground, slicing deep as the Spook Squad cried out in shock. The Seeker grunted as his power carved through concrete and steel, the ground creaking before –

"BOOM!"

A circular section of the floor gave way, dropping down onto the hallway below, Jason and the others riding the falling concrete down. It hit the ground with a jolt, all of them stumbling aside from Zaru.

"GO!" Jason screamed.

They dashed down the hall, hurling themselves down the stairs as on the floor above the Spook Squad members stood, gaping at the hole.

"GET THEM!" the leader screamed, snapping out of his shock.

The police whirled, sprinting to the stairs as their quarry got further and further away. Zaru led to the fifth floor, the Spook Squad snapping at their heels. Gaspar threw another spell at the stairwell, tottering as his magic shot out of him, a wall of power sealing the hallway off.

The Spook Squad slammed into the barrier, their own magic flaring as the group thundered down the hallway, leaping over the mangled remains of defeated androids.

Lauren looked up wearily as they burst into the room.

"What do you want?" she asked in a small broken voice, "You've taken everything…"

"Where's the Kraken?" Inara spat.

"I…"

Zaru hissed, snapping at her as Lauren recoiled, trembling.

"It doesn't matter," she wept, "You can't beat it anyway. It's over… it's all over…"

"Where is the Kraken?" Jason snarled, daggers appearing in his hands.

Lauren looked up at them and gave a weary, defeated laugh.

"At the mansion," she mumbled looking away, "Dahlia's mansion. It's built right over the master."

"Where?" Zaru scowled.

Lauren gave them the address, naming it in the most expensive quarter of the city

"What are you going to do to me?" she asked in a voice that said she didn't really care at all.

"What else?" Gaspar said coldly, "Leave you to the authorities."

The magician pointed at the window and it promptly shattered as Lauren looked up at him, tears in her eyes.

"Please…" she begged, "Don't."

It was Volkov who answered, his voice cold and shaking with hot fury.

"Tell someone who cares," he spat.

Gaspar raised his hands, a cloud of shimmering air forming just outside the window. Calmly the magician stepped out onto the platform of distorted air, the others following with obvious nerve and reluctance. Lauren watched them numbly as Gaspar gestured, the solidified air lowering them gently to the ground.

The Spook Squad finally broke down the magical barricade, storming down the hall as their group reached the streets below, melting into the crowds as Lauren was quickly found and promptly arrested.

Ten minutes later, the Spook Squad exited the building to a media frenzy, Lauren led away in handcuffs as she wept brokenly on national television.

Twenty minutes later, Imperial Towers collapsed, the spectacular implosion broadcasted all over the world as all traces of the titanical struggle that had just taken place was erased forever.

AAAAAA

Susan flew through time and space, vision after vision flooding her head like moths butting the glass panes of a lantern, the images flickering and dimly realised.

She saw Gavin enter more worlds, expanding his powers, preying upon more and more powerful beings.

Magicians, spirits, dryads, dragons, angels and demons were all captured, their powers consumed, their very mind, soul and being absorbed into the vast hungry hole that Gavin's soul had become but still he needed, wanted, thirsted for more.

Susan screamed as images of bloody battlefields entered her head, Gavin destroying gods and goddesses, achieving immortality and ascending to higher, more exulted planes as he emerged victorious with blood on his lips and hands.

She saw Viola standing in a world on fire, screaming as her brethren, her brother and sister gods torn apart by Gavin's cronies, the man stepping forwards and stealing all that they had, sucking it up like a vampire.

Gavin grew, his mortal flesh rotting, melting away as he became a ghost, a spirit, a hungry demon, a deity… the Great Darkness had truly been born.

He hunted gods because they alone held the one power he needed – the power to create and shape worlds to his will.

She saw him on a desolate plain, walking, a look of fierce concentration on his face as trees sprung up from loamy soil in his wake, the dark sky clearing as a fat yellow sun rose in the sky like a sunflower. Plants, trees and animals grew and flourished wherever the Great Darkness walked, rivers and lakes springing to life and winding its way through the dirt as his power flowed before him. Finally he stopped beside an apple tree and held out his hands, finishing his creation.

The ground shook and humans grew from the earth like plants, blinking blearily as they emerged into the sun. Gavin, the Great Darkness because they were now one and the same, watched them with narrowed eyes before vanishing, leaving this world for the men and women he had just created. He had shaped their minds, warping them, erasing all that was innately dark and leaving them pure, as innocent as children.

Susan screamed as hot hate and thwarted frustration flow through her, the Great Darkness's fury shaking the worlds as the humans he had created descended into debauchery and violence, some killing with no qualms, others apathetic and standing by. Incensed, demonic with rage, the Great Darkness crushed the world forever, turning it into a lump of frozen coal before turning once more to the worlds, seeking a path to his desired end.

He descended onto more destroyed worlds, forming new civilisations, tweaking the humans within leaving them to multiply and progress as they will. He watched them, manipulating them, treating entire worlds of people as more experiments to play with and destroy at his whim.

But all that changed when he heard of a Lion, a single being that alone out of the gods in the all the worlds had the power to create a world. Not change worlds as he had done, not based on his creation on flawed beginnings but the power to sing a world completely out of the void and to shape it as his will

Hope grew in the Great Darkness, if he could gain this Lion, this god's gift and use it…

He would be able to save the worlds. He would have the power to both destroy completely and to create completely.

Susan watched, dazed as the Great Darkness flooded Narnia, flooded her kingdom, her world and began the war to seize Aslan for himself.

She understood it all now. Could see it all now. Realised why she was fighting. Why the Great Darkness was fighting, the cause of everything.

She turned looking for Mallory but saw someone else.

"You."

Viola smiled at her sadly. Somehow it didn't surprise the queen to find the goddess floating in the darkness before her, her purple silken dress arranged artfully around her slim form.

"I know why you gave me those dreams now," Susan whispered.

Viola jutted her chin out in a silent challenge.

"You showed me the beginning. Genesis… the birth of the darkness. Gavin… he's the Great Darkness,' the queen shuddered remembering the thousands of blinking eyes that had opened on the young man's body, something she had only seen once as Persephone fell and the Great Darkness had revealed itself to her for the first time.

"You showed me why he's destroying worlds," Susan whispered, "He wants to build a utopia."

"By eliminating the diseased race, the flawed ones, the murderers" Viola said grimly, "By killing everyone. And when everything is laid to waste, he will step in and rebuild."

Viola sighed.

"But know this. This is the world he cares about the most. The one he really wants to change. All the others… they're just experiments, ways for him to perfect his craft before he returns here and complete his original vow…" the goddess was grim, "To heal this world."

She felt exhausted, drained. How could she defeat such a being? How could she destroy someone who had taken so much, who had killed gods and seized their powers for himself? What could she do?

"And he wants Aslan," Susan whispered, "He wants his power to sing worlds into existence. To create everything... from nothing."

"No other god holds that power. We just shape the worlds that are already there like artists on a blank canvas..." Viola had a dreamy look on her face, "But Aslan... he can do what we can't."

The goddess paused.

"Aslan is strong, He derives his strength from Narnia and its people. Gavin hopes by destroying Narnia, it would weaken the Lion and he could seize His powers."

Viola looked at Susan, her slanted amethyst eyes sad.

"Gavin, the Great Darkness, is dangerous. He truly believes in what he is doing. He truly believes he is saving this world. Genocide means nothing to him because he does not believe it is wrong" the goddess turned and looked out the window, "That what makes him so dangerous, so unstoppable."

Susan tried to swallow around the lump in her throat.

"How? How do I beat him? How can I? If Aslan can't…"

"I showed you Gavin's past so you know one thing," Viola looked at her gravely, "Underneath it all, Gavin is still human. He is still a boy. You've seen his origins. You've seen where he's come form. He isn't a true god or even a true demon, he's just a misguided grieving human being."

Susan snorted. She couldn't help it.

"Can't you just point me to the some magical artefact that could mystically wipe him off the face the planet?" she demanded.

Viola chuckled standing in one graceful elegant move.

"Sorry, dearie. It doesn't work like that," Viola turned to her, "Remember Susan. You've see the birth of the darkness and he's not as scary as you think. He's just a boy."

"Now," she beckoned and Mallory emerged from the darkness, ashen-faced, "The Kraken has awoken in this world and is now free."

"WHAT?!?" Susan yelped.

Mallory cursed wildly, golden eyes flashing but Viola ignored her.

"And your brother is right in its path. He can't destroy it… not alone," Viola smiled at them, "But you're going to help him."

"With what?" Mallory demanded.

"By giving him a boost," Viola smile widened, "I'm going to open up a connection between the two rings and you mortals are going to do the rest."

And Susan and Mallory looked at her completely confused as Viola began explaining her plan.

AAAAAA

The mansion was sprawling, opulent to excess, every hedge and bush pruned and trimmed to perfection, the perfect backdrop to the monstrosity of white and gilded gold that was the house proper.

"What is this place?" Peter croaked.

He was still bleeding, running on empty fumes of adrenaline, barely able to stand. Eustace's blank black eyes were staring through the bars of the towering ornate metal gate, ignoring the king next to him.

"There's magic here," the possessed body announced suddenly.

Peter frowned, fighting through the layers and layers of exhaustion pressing down on him and reached out with his mind, still sightly unused to the way his Gift and powers worked. He flinched as he felt the burning wall of invisible fire that wrapped itself around the mansion, protecting it from harm.

"Break it," Eustace said.

Peter opened his mouth, ready to snap and say he didn't know how to but the section of him that housed Gaspar's stolen knowledge suddenly lit up, coming to life as the metaphysical book that had formed the moment he had used his Gift against Gaspar flicked open, whispered words and complex theories flittering into his head.

Peter looked at the invisible spells around the house and suddenly just knew how to break it.

Slowly he paced around the edges of the shield, probing it gently as he walked, Eustace following him carefully. For several minutes Peter strolled around the edge of the mansion, looking until he suddenly stopped.

"Here," he announced weakly, "Dig there."

Eustace instantly fell to his knees as Peter hung back, clutching at his still bleeding gut as his cousin's hands scrounged in the packed dirt. Finally Eustace crouched back, unearthing a small wooden idol from the ground. It was terrifying little statue, a hybrid of man and beast, waves of malice rolling off the rude wooden carving.

"Snap it," Peter whispered.

Eustace gripped the figurine and twisted, the thing breaking with a snap. A scream boomed around them as the air seemed to suddenly lighten. Eustace tossed the two smoking halves of the figure aside as the shield collapsed, falling in on itself with surprising ease, winking out of existence.

Peter's face didn't change as they trekked back to the front gates. Eustace calmly kicked the gate, wrought metal swinging open with a bang as they walked to the front of the mansion.

Peter instantly froze, his skin crawling as he felt something very, very wrong inside the mansion.

"It's here," he whispered, awed despite himself, "It's actually here."  
"Of course," Eustace said, "You think I'm tricking you?"

"We'll just have to wait and see," Peter snapped.

Eustace kicked the door open again, wood splintering under the powerful blow as Peter physically recoiled. Pure undiluted evil rolled out of the mansion like a frozen breeze, chilling Peter to the core. Shuddering he stepped into the mansion, blue eyes roving the marble interior, every piece of furniture and art arrayed in a tasteful display of overwhelming wealth. But beneath the perfect façade, Peter could feel wrongness and malice, ancient and fermenting and a deep sense of waiting. The house was quiet as though holding its breath for the war to come.

Like magnet to iron, Peter was drawn to the source of the evil stepping unerringly deeper into the house as Eustace trailed him.

The final Lodestone was clutched in Peter's hand, the fine crack in its centre spreading slowly, the stone practically vibrating in his hand as it fought to keep together, the ancient spell it helped anchor unravelling slowly as the stone began to fall apart.

Peter stopped in front of a blank wall reaching out with Lauren's power. He blinked as the false wall slid away revealing a set of metal doors. All it took was a touch of his mind and that too opened, Peter stepping inside the elevator.

Eustace joined him as the door closed, the elevator sliding smoothly down its shaft, both men inside quiet.

The elevator slowed to a halt before sliding open, Peter walking out, his shoulders squared as his blue eyes surveyed the catacombs all around him.

"This way," Peter said softly, darkness reaching out for him with cooing voices and razor hands.

Through the shadows he strolled, ignoring the whimpering cries of those chained helpless to the walls before he came to a long flight of stone stairs. Eustace was silent, watching him as Peter limped down the steps, a red light ahead beckoning him to his destiny.

Finally Peter Pevensie, the Saviour, stopped as a giant furious eye glared down at him from behind a thick crystal wall.

'_YOU CAME,' _the Kraken screeched, its voice tearing through Peter like fire through tinder.

Peter should've felt afraid standing before such monstrosity, pinned under its hateful gaze but the king felt nothing but utter calmness as the Kraken's tentacles writhed, suckers latching onto the wall.

The moment had finally come.

The Lodestone shuddered in his hand, the crack finally hitting its edge. With the sound of thunder, it split in two as the Kraken roared in triumph.

'_I'M FREE!!!!'_

The crystal wall cracked, shattering as huge mottled tentacles exploded outwards, suckering onto the cavern walls as the monster dragged itself forwards.

Finally after centuries and centuries, after countless Great Games, the Magi had failed, the stones were shattered and the beast was free.

All around the world everything went berserk, volcanoes spewing their tops in fiery explosion as hurricanes and tsunamis battered coastlines, changing the lay of the land with each terrifying blow.

Blizzards howled as crops sizzled under harsh sunlight.

Mountains tumbled, avalanches and mudslides burying towns as earthquakes tores cities apart with devastating force.

In the blink of an eye, thousands… millions of lives were lost as the world itself rebelled against the darkness that had just been unleashed.

The Kraken shrieked, its cruel beaked mouth slicing the air as the monster lurched forwards, hooded, red-black eyes glittering.

Thick tentacles tore the cavern down, exploding out from the cave, through solid rock and into the mansion above. The Kraken screamed, muscles bulging as it tore an opening in the cave ripping the mansion apart as sunlight hit its flesh for the first time in eons.

'_I'M FREE!!!" _the monster howled, _'I'M FREE!!!'_

The sun was instantly swallowed by an eclipse as the monster cackled with glee, tentacles burying deep into earth as it struggled to lever itself out of the sinkhole it had been imprisoned in.

One fat tentacle rose into the dark sky, its suckers opening and closing like thousands of hungry horned mouths as the monster laughed.

The Kraken had finally escaped.

AAAAAA

"EVERYONE!"

The students and teachers all jumped, looking around frantically as the voice boomed all around them, disembodied and impossible to ignore.

"Mallory?" Tyrone, one of the students, said slowly, utterly confused.

"YES, IT IS ME," Mallory said, her voice cool and hard, "WE NEED YOUR HELP."

"How?" the students demanded.

Some of the younger children were crying, distressed by the invisible voice but the teachers and older students were ready, leaping up from their seats, nodding their assent.

Mallory's voice was in all of their heads, broadcasting to the whole school, the Magi trying to fight back fear and panic as her mind reached from her limp body, her will unbroken.

"GET TO THE SICK BAY," Mallory commanded, her voice entering their heads with painful clarity "AS MANY OF YOU AS POSSIBLE."

Teachers sprinted to the infirmary, pale-faced, as Mallory directed them. They crashed into the room, blinking in astonishment to see Mallory's body still pale and limp in her bed even as her voice rumbled in their minds.

"GET THE POUCH FROM SUSAN'S NECK," the Magi ordered, her psychic voice booming, "OPEN IT!"

With trembling hands one teacher unlooped the leather pouch and opened it, tipping the pale-yellow ring onto the queen's lap. One of the teachers winced, rubbing at her temples.

"Mallory we can hear you," she begged, "Lower your voice."

"Sorry," the psychic said chagrined.

When she spoke again, it was in a quiet voice but hushed and laden with grimness.

"Now," Mallory instructed, whispering in all of their heads, even of them flinching as they felt soft lips flutter against their cheeks, "Focus all your powers. All your magic and Gifts and send it into the ring. Throw everything you have into the ring. We need your help to destroy the Kraken."

The teachers and students blinked at her words, before turning to stare at the innocent-looking ring in complete bewilderment.

"What?!"

AAAAAA

Lightning flared, thunder boomed and the Kraken howled in fury as electricity lashed its side, searing flesh.

'_YOU!'_

It swivelled, angry eyes glaring at its attacker as Peter lowered his hand, a second wind upon the battered king.

"Me," he grinned, "The Saviour."

The Kraken roared and its tentacles crashing back down to earth, trying to crush Peter beneath its weight. Peter leapt aside, the writhing tentacles ripping through the round as he wove light and air around him, vanishing from sight.

'_YOU THINK SUCH PETTY POWERS WOULD WORK… AGAINST ME?!' _the Kraken howled.

It lashed out and Peter was sent crashing into the wall. A tentacle flew at him, hungry suckers gnashing the air as Peter slid to the ground, stunned.

A blur slammed into Peter knocking him aside as the tentacle mashed Eustace against the wall, suckers tearing at him. The possessed body threw the writhing appendage aside with a powerful shove, completely unaffected by the giant raw wound in his chest.

"How the hell do I kill that thing?!" Peter screamed at him.

"You are the Saviour," Eustace said cryptically as the Kraken roared, "You will know how."

"NOT. HELPING!!" Peter yelled back.

The Kraken lunged at him, beaked jaws snapping the air as Peter hurriedly back-pedalled, narrowly missing the demon's hungry maws.

Tentacles continued to climb out of the cavern, finding purchase on the ground as the Kraken began to rise from the ground, pushing up as Peter continued to dodge the tentacles that flew at him.

'_I WALK. YOU DIE!' _the Kraken snarled.

With a final burst of effort, the monster rose out of the hole. A halo of black light gathered around its monstrous form, gripping the Kraken as its tentacles relinquished its hold on the earth. Peter and Eustace stared up at the monster as it hovered in the air, levitating as its tentacles raged around its snapping mouth.

Peter felt despair flood through him, all the powers and Gifts he had taken… they all paled in the face of such terrible might.

The Kraken's cruel eyes pierced Peter as three tentacles undulated, rising in the air.

'_YOU ARE THE SAVIOUR?!' _the monster howled, _'STOP THIS!!'_

Dark power flared, bouncing between the three tentacles, building in tensity as Peter shaded his eyes, unable to stare into the glaring glow lest it sear his vision into nothing.

With a howl, the Kraken's tentacles snapped forwards, the energy shooting up into the sky. It lanced upwards before arcing down, falling to earth thousands of kilometres away from the monster that had produced it.

On a busy city street, a little girl tugged at her mother's skirt, looking up into the sky with awe.

"Mama, mama! Look! Fireworks!"

The mother looked up, half-distracted and screamed as a meteor of blazing black fire streaked down towards them.

"BOOM!"

Devastating shockwaves blasted the outer fringes of the city, towers and buildings collapsing as superheated winds swept the debris away with tornado force. A mushroom of smoke rose high up into the air as molten earth pulsed with heat, the city centre reduced to a crater bowl of fire and slag.

Peter could literally fell the thousands of useless deaths, falling to his knees as despair crushed him, tears on his face. The Kraken laughed above, beaked mouth opening as wisps of ghostly smoke flittered through the air, disappearing into its gullet as its body swelled, growing as it fed on the destruction and death it had just wrought.

'_NOW DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!' _the Kraken roared, _'I AM UNSTOPPABLE!!'_

"EUSTACE! HELP ME!!" Peter screamed desperately.

But his possessed cousin merely stood watching the beast floating above as it summoned another wave of energy, concentrating it between four tentacles

"NO!!"

The attack was unleashed, a beam of dark power raking the nearby houses as one by one they exploded, incinerating into nothing but ashes as all within perished. The destruction went on and on, the Kraken almost wiping out every house in the vicinity as Peter screamed helplessly up at the demon.

Its eyes mocked him, daring him to attack, daring him to try and stop its relentless rampage.

'_WATCH SAVIOUR,' _it spat the last word, _'WATCH AS I DESTROY THIS PRECIOUS WORLD!'_

Peter was helpless, completely useless as the Kraken roared, tentacles flying more bursts of power exploding from its body. Death rained down on towns and cities, thousands perishing in a split second of utter insanity.

AAAAAA

"What the hell?!" Volkov barked.

Up ahead, fire trucks and police car blitzed down the road all of them heading towards the giant monster hanging in the air.

The Kraken was awful, a monstrous abomination, dark power encasing its behemoth form. The stolen van was silent, everyone's eyes locked onto the creature that had just emerged from its prison.

"BOOM!"

A huge column of black energy fell from the sky, sliding down the road as everything it touched exploded, burning in flames that were blue-hot. Houses, trucks, people… they were all destroyed as the beam slid towards them, Volkov pale with shock.

"MOVE!!" Kage leapt across his seat, grabbing the wheel and spinning them off the road.

They skidded off the road, crashing into a bush as the terrible column of power shot past. They screamed as light flared, winds battering the side of the vehicle as the energy simply destroyed everything in its path, tortured screams lost in explosions of gas and metal.

"Everyone okay?" Gaspar yelled into the silence that followed.

"Volkov, Kage…"

"What?!" both Magi looked around in astonishment, looking for a voice that was impossibly there, "Mallory?"

"It's us," Susan's voice said into the quiet of the van.

Behind them the road sizzled, now a smoking furrow of molten earth.

"You have to get to Peter," Susan's voice said quickly as Zaru growled, unnerved by his queen's disembodied voice, "Hurry. Inara. Put the green ring on his finger."

"What?!" Inara blinked.

"Just do it," Susan ordered, her voice cold and sharp.

"You have to hurry," Mallory snapped, "The world is depending on you. GO! NOW!!"

The occupants of the van looked at each other for a few stunned seconds before scrambling out of the van and sprinting for the beast in the sky.

AAAAAA

"It's hopeless," Peter fell to his knees, "I can't…"

Useless tears dripped from his cheeks, splattering on the ground as the Kraken roared in victory, tentacles writhing in the air as it sucked in more and more souls, growing larger with each second.

"How can I fight that?!" Peter screamed to the world, "HOW?!"

"Peter."

The High King froze, frightened he had lost his sanity.

"Peter," a different voice, stern.

"Mallory? Su?" he looked around frantically at the ruined cave, "What? Where are you?!"  
"It doesn't matter," Mallory said quickly, her voice inside his head, "Peter…"

"Get up!!" Susan's voice cut in, "You are not allowed to just give up!"

Peter shook his head as the Kraken roared, more streaks of power flying from its bloated body.

"How do I fight that? I can't destroy that thing… I…"

"You can't," Susan said rudely, "Not alone."

"What?" Peter blinked.

"Listen. The others are going to get there soon. Get the green ring put it on," he could literally hear the smile in her voice, "We'll do the rest."

"Su… what…"  
"Just do it."

Their voices fade as Peter slowly staggered to his feet, the Kraken completely ignoring him as it continued to rampage, shooting more and more energy up into the sky. All the activity below was ignored, like ants to a human the Kraken gave them no mind at all.

"Peter!"

Peter's head snapped up as Inara appeared at the lip of the hole above, Gaspar and Jason by her side.

"Get him," she commanded.

Gaspar reached forwards, his power cradling Peter and drawing him back up to the surface as the Kraken continued to suck in more souls, fresh tentacles exploding messily from its body.

Peter landed clumsily, still bleeding from all his wounds as Inara pulled the green ring from her finger.

"Here," she pushed it towards him.

"Inara… what's happening?" he demanded.

"We don't know," Zaru said quickly, "Her majesty's brewing up something."

Peter slipped the ring on, not knowing what to expect. Suddenly he shuddered as the ring burned with light, everyone jumping back in shock.

"What?" Elias began.

Peter gasped, his mind piercing distance as though it was illusion as in his mind's eyes a vision of Balthazar Academy rose hazily. Students and teachers crowded around Susan's pale form, the pouch around her neck open, the pale yellow ring lying on Susan's chest.

Slowly one by one they stretched out their hands, pointing at that small insignificant-looking ring. Magic and Gifts flared, every student from the most senior and experienced down to the youngest, crying as they worked their will.

Power flowed into the yellow ring as it sucked it all up, burning with light as more and more strength was poured into it, every student and teacher giving everything they had. Some fell to their knees, faces grey as the very last drop and dreg of their strength leapt into the ring. But everywhere, all over the school people stood together, supporting each other as they forced their power into the yellow ring.

They gave everything they had, sacrificed everything they held for the one feverish hope that it would be enough.

Peter could sense a connection between the yellow and the green ring, some strange echoing resonance that forged a path between the two. It through this mystical passage that the combined might and powers of hundreds of students flowed.

"PETER!"

The High King staggered back, almost falling back into the cavern as Jason grabbed him. The Seeker cried out as his hands blistered, the king's skin impossibly hot to touch.

Gaspar gasped as he felt Peter's power skyrocket. The High King stood, paralysed as pure energy exploded out from the green ring, both ends of the passage now burst open, the power pouring into his veins with the agony of liquid fire.

His body shuddered, lacerations opening up all over him as his skin threatened to burst unable to handle the hurricane of Gifts and magic battering his soul. His very cells shook wildly, on the very edge of self-destruction as Peter held up his cursed hands, power leaking from his eyes and mouth.

He had almost been overwhelmed at Starlight Day when his Gift had first emerged, he had almost died when he had pulled Volkov, Kage and Gaspar's powers into him but compared to the battering storm that threatened to rip him apart those experiences were a mere breath. His Gift, his original Gift of taking and possessing powers was the one thing that kept him alive, managing to control the stream of power, keeping it from burning him alive. But still he screamed in pain, his body trembling as it threatened to rip apart from the deluge of Gifts.

The Kraken roared, finally noticing the new threat below him, swivelling through the air as its tentacles lashed out.

Gaspar and Jason hurled their power forwards, deflecting the writhing arms as Peter stood, trying to drink it all in.

His mind tried to grip the energy, tried to shape it but it fought him like a freshly caught fish, wanting nothing more than to devour him alive as Peter struggled, fatigue building fast.

A hand gripped his shoulder.

Inara hissed as her hand burned but still she clung on, giving him an anchor to hold onto.

"Do it," she whispered, "I know you can."

Peter gritted his teeth and moulded the energy to his will.

The Kraken shrieked, a massive beam of dark energy flying towards them shearing through Gaspar and Jason's measly shields as with a earth-shaking scream Peter gathered all the power flowing through the ring and hurled it forwards.

Pure light met pure darkness and the two warred as the students at the Academy continued to give everything they had, throwing every last dreg of energy into the yellow ring. Many fell to the ground, crumpling as they pushed past their limits, their skin greying with exhaustion but still they clung on, refusing to give up until it was done.

Their courage gave Peter hope and it was with the wild fire that it lit the High King planted his feet into the ground and thrust his power forwards.

His Gift, his original Gift was his saving grace, its ability to take and absorb power the one thing that allowed him to use the thousands of different clashing powers flowing into him. It shaped the energy to his will, suborning the powers' own innate urge and forcing it to attack the Kraken.

The two beams clashed, night warring with day. The Kraken howled, the black energy spearing down at them intensifying, driving Peter's attack back. The High King grunted, more and more cuts opening up as his blood flew in the wild winds that swept the battlefield splattering Inara who stood behind him, supporting him.

"DO IT!!!" Zaru yelled.

"COME ON PETER!!" Elias shouted.

"FOR ASLAN!!!" Caspian boomed.

"DON'T LET THAT STUPID SQUID WIN!!" Jason snarled.

Inara merely squeezed his shoulder as Peter struggled to maintain the flow of power, the energy coming from the rings depleting with terrifying speed.

"DO IT FOR SIREN!!" Volkov barked.

"DO IT FOR THE WORLD!!" Gaspar encouraged.

"DO IT FOR US!!" Kage screamed.

Peter pushed, shoving the black energy back as the Kraken screamed, pouring more and more effort into the attack.

The High King jumped, the wave of light surging from his body wobbling dangerously as Eustace appeared at his side.

"My master wishes to help you," he merely said.

Eustace touched Peter's arm and the High King screamed as power, more terrifying and more devastating than anything he had ever experienced ripped through him like blades. Desperation fuelling him, Peter grabbed this strange new strength, twining it with the ones from the ring and threw it forwards with one giant yell.

The Kraken's beam was instantly split in two, the monster screaming in fury.

Peter's bolt of energy took it straight in its open mouth, spearing deep into its body. Bone burned, blood boiled, flesh melting into nothing.

The Kraken gave one final choked shriek, its body ballooning out almost comically as pure power filled its belly.

Gaspar looked up as the monster continued to scream, awe in his eyes.

"From the mouth of the Guardian and into this world. Crowned in gold and with the skies in his eyes, the King shall lead the loyal and drive a deathblow into the belly of the Kraken," the headmaster intoned, a smile curling his lips, excitement in his eyes, "It's ending."

Peter bellowed, giving one last thrust as more power tore into the Kraken. It was the deathblow and the monster exploded, its body blown apart, chunks of smoking flesh flying everywhere.

The white power faded as burning flesh rained to the ground, the High King dropping with it, his body smoking slightly, his life leaving him in droves of wet red.

"I…"

Inara dropped beside him frantically.

"PETER!!"  
He smiled dazedly at her.

"I did it."

And he slipped into utter darkness.

AAAAAA

How was that? I think my writing is a little bit rusty but no worries almost 2 months to fix that! Again sorry about the massive delays! Hope you enjoyed this!


	54. The call

Annnnnnnndddd.... wait for it – new chapter! Yeah! Ten days – it must be a record or something!

Disclaimer: Do I have to? Characters you recognise belong to one C.S. Lewis, characters you don't: mine

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 54: The call**

"So mote it be."

Viola's words reverberated through the empty darkness, transcending time and space itself, the finality and the power of those words shaking Susan to the core. The world was in flux, the balance of power between good and darkness teetering as the old order collapsed..

Mallory was weeping as in the real the world, the Kraken fell in a rain of gore and charred flesh, the monstrosity destroyed forever.

"He did," Mallory whispered, awed, "He did it."

Susan smiled, tears on her cheeks.

"Course he did…" she said throatily, trembling despite her words, "Like the stubborn idiot will let an overgrown squid beat him."

Mallory laughed, the first real display of open emotion that Susan had seen. The usually rigid and tightly controlled psychic surprised the queen by suddenly grabbing her, hugging her tight as she spun them around in circles, Susan's joyful cry joining hers.

Viola smiled sadly as Mallory dropped Susan, the queen stumbling as she continued to laugh.

"This is it," Viola, the goddess, said softly.

That shattered her joy.

"What?" Susan turned to her confused.

The goddess smiled sadly, looking at her with a soft motherly expression.

"This is it," she repeated, "My involvement in all this ends."

Susan took a step back, eyes widening. It surprised the queen to find how much she had come to trust this eccentric deity in the short time she had known her but with Aslan missing it had been a great comfort to know that out there, somewhere there was someone still watching over her.

"There are rules," Viola said softly, "Even for us. I helped you when you were petrified and I helped you now… by showing you the Great Darkness's origins and by helping you defeat the Kraken… I was only able to do the latter because the Darkness allowed it to happen."

Viola looked at Susan calmly, her amethyst eyes glittering, a faraway look in their purple depths as the queen stared at her, lost.

"Visions will still come to you, dreams will still reveal their secrets to you… that is part of the blessing I gave you and the powers I bestowed upon you just as Artemis gave you her bow and the power to track your prey no matter the obstacle," Viola said, "But I can no longer help you… not like this. I will not appear before you again until…"

The goddess stopped, the smile on her lips a response to a joke only she knew.

"Well… you'll find out," Viola grinned, "But for now Susan Pevensie the Gentle, Queen of Narnia, Champion of Aslan and She-Who-Is-Thrice-Blessed… I bid you farewell."

Susan flinched as Viola's hands touched her cheeks, warm and gentle against her skin.

"Please…"

Susan suddenly found tears on her face as the woman faded away into dust and wind, her amused purple eyes the very last thing to disappear. Susan was left standing there in the darkness, her blue eyes wide, staring at the spot where the goddess, her protector had been.

Mallory touched her arm, not really knowing what was happening but had seen enough to realise Susan had just lost something very dear.

"I know this isn't the best time…" the psychic said carefully.

Her body convulsed as her very last real-world memory rammed into her head. A silent gasp left her lips as her body relieved the agony of the sword sliding into her gut, the screaming pain and the blissful nothingness that had followed… Mallory shivered but steeled herself, knowing what had to be done.

"Susan…" Mallory whispered, "The person that stabbed me. The person that tried to kill me…"

Susan turned to look at her, haggard but listening.

"It was…"

The darkness began to fade bleached by a pure white light as voices called to them, pulling them up and out, their ghostly forms becoming flesh.

"Caspian."

And simultaneously they both shot up in bed, startling the teacher and students by their side as they were jerked rudely back to wakening.

AAAAAA

"He's stopped breathing!!" Zaru barked, "His heart's silent as well!!!"

"Oh – " Elias swore as he dropped his knees beside Peter, the High King's skin already cooling.

"What?!" Inara barked, "Doc…"

But Elias wasn't listening to her, he already had his mouth sealed around the king's, breathing out as he forced air into Peter's lungs. Elias began pumping Peter's chest, his face grim as he tried to resuscitate the utterly still Pevensie.

"Move!" Volkov yelled.

Elias blinked in surprise as the ex-lieutenant reached across, a syringe in hand. Before anyone could stop him, Volkov stabbed Peter with the needle, injecting him with some unknown substance.

"What the hell?" Jason demanded.

Peter's body suddenly jerky, the king's eyes snapping open as his back arced, sucking in a huge noisy breath.

Zaru winced as his ears managed to pick out the sounds of Peter's heartbeat, now thundering loudly inside his chest. Peter's eyes were blank, his pupils dilated as he flailed, blood gushing from his wounds.

"HOLD HIM!" Jason snarled, grabbing Peter's arm.

The High King screamed, his heart beating so fast that Zaru was terrified it would just give out – how will he explain this to Susan?!

"What do you give to him?!" Zaru snarled, whirling on the Magi.

"Adrenaline!" Volkov grunted, pinning the king down, "GASPAR!"  
The headmaster pointed at the convulsing Peter and before anybody could react, a beam of light struck the king and he instantly went limp.

"What?!" Caspian squawked.

"We need to get him to a hospital," Kage said quickly, "He's injured… really – "

"Then what the hell are we waiting for?" Inara snapped, "Let's go!!"

They leapt to their feet, Caspian looking around, his eyes completely black. He snarled under his breath as he realised Eustace had disappeared, the possessed body gone without a trace.

The demon inside Caspian was furious. He had come so close to killing the king, to securing his own freedom but now? Fear crept into him as his fists clenched.

'_I think...' _the real Caspian taunted from his own internal prison, _'this is the part where you die.'_

"Shut up," the possessed king snarled.

It took a few short seconds for Jason to fashion a rough sling together. Volkov and the Seeker carried Peter between them as they quickly headed back to the road, the Kraken's flesh still burning in the merry flames all around them.

AAAAAA

"WHAT?!"

Susan threw the words like an arrow, her voice low and dangerous.

"He did it," Mallory spat as students looked between the two feuding women, confused.

"Why? It doesn't – " Susan began heatedly.

"Because he's not Caspian."

Mallory's words were like a blade, slicing neatly through Susan's thoughts. Susan's eyes bulged, breath caught in her throat as she spluttered wildly.

"What?" she managed to choke out.

"It's not him… there's something in him," Mallory frowned.

The psychic shuddered remembering what it was like being around him. She had literally felt the taint of evil around the man, could even detect the faint hoarse voice of the real Caspian trapped within but that had been buried under the waves and waves of pure malice rolling off the king.

"I think he's possessed… something else is in control."

Susan stared at him.

"Are… are you sure?" her voice broke, Susan hating the weakness in her words.

Mallory nodded slowly and Susan cried out, throwing the blankets from her body.

"Here," one of the students handed the yellow ring back to her as Susan nodded distractedly, slipping it back into its pouch.

The queen swung her legs out of the bed and tried to stand. She cried out, stumbling as her deadened legs refused to bear any weight.

"Not now!" she yelled, frustrated.

She felt cold even as fury rolled through her like lava under ice. If there was something in him, trapping him… Susan shuddered as she tried to imagine the hell he must've endured. She clenched her fists, willing her legs to strengthen as her eyes darkened at the thought of Caspian in pain.

She had to save him.

"Susan what…"

Susan was punching and massaging her legs roughly trying to get the feeling back into her limbs.

"YOU!" she snapped pointing a young boy who blinked, startled, "Go to my room. Grab my bow and arrows, the dagger on the table and the sceptre under the bed. NOW!"

The boy scurried after, frightened and awed by the authority ringing in her voice. Susan ignored the surprised faces still staring at her as she tried to stand again, this time succeeding.

"SUSAN!"

Invisible hands grabbed the queen, spinning her around and forcing her to look at Mallory. The psychic's eyes were burning with gold light, her hair flapping in an unseen wind.

"What are you planning to do?" she demanded.

"Get to him," Susan gritted out, furious that Mallory was stopping him, "Rescue him. What else?"  
"You're not going alone," Mallory snapped.

She was terrified, remembering the dark soulless eyes the king had possessed moments before he had stabbed her through the gut. He had utterly destroyed her, her Gift no match against the darkness that had taken up residence in his body. Mallory flinched, her head aching as she remembered his powers slipping into hers, tearing through her mind like acid and fire.

Susan glared at her, blue eyes flashing.

"I don't give a damn if the whole school's coming," the queen growled, "But we need to leave – now."

Susan shoved all her fear and panic aside, purpose flowing through her sweeping all else away. She had failed to protect Caspian, failed to save him in Persephone and he had been cursed, their love torn asunder. But now… now she could pull him out from the darkness.

Susan bit her tongue and swore she would not fail him.

"Come on," Susan barked.

Mallory rose gracefully from her bed as the boy barged into the room, Susan's weapons spilling from his arms.

"You better get dressed," Mallory said calmly.

Susan looked down at herself and flushed as she realised she was wearing a hospital gown, her back completely bare.

"I'll get the car ready," the psychic continued without a beat, "The rest of you…"

She turned to address the students and the teachers, each of them ashen-faced and trembling, utterly exhausted from the power drain they had just performed before. "Get some rest," Mallory said casually.

"But miss," one of the students argued, "We can help…"

"Get some rest," Mallory repeated, an edge in her voice, "Susan and I will handle this."

The psychic swept out of the room, her movements sure and measured as Susan instantly kicked everyone out of infirmary, changing swiftly, chafing at the delays.

Her eyes darkened.

"Caspian…"

AAAAAA

The hospital was filled to capacity, patients spilling out through the doors and into the carpark as teams of doctors and nurses rushed to and fro, ambulances arriving every minutes, their blaring sirens and splashes of flashing red and blue adding to the chaos. Blood-soaked bandages unravelled in spells on the ground, moans and screams, the stench of burnt flesh perfuming this scene from hell.

"The Kraken…" Kage whispered seeing all the victims, "My god…"

Jason merely grunted, his dark blue eyes sweeping the triage. Crushed limbs, burnt flesh, snapped bones, horrible injuries… they were all there represented tragically all around them.

"Zaru, hide," Elias said quietly.

"What?!" the leopard yelped.

"I'm sorry but we don't need you to add to the panic," the scientist said bluntly.

Zaru grumbled but melted away as the rest of the group stepped into the parking lot of the hospital, beds and flimsy curtain partitions set up in a pathetic attempt to keep order of the mess.

"Name?" a nurse said, accosting them.

The old woman was frazzled, her face pale and worn but her eyes were flinty and determined, her grip firm on the clipboard clutched to her chest.

"Our friend, Peter Pevensie," Gaspar nodded as Volkov and Jason hurried out, Peter writhing weakly in the sling, "He's been stabbed, stomach and shoulder and several other wounds. Over-exhaustion from over-extending his Gift. Possible concussion and burns."

The nurse quickly jotted down all the information. Behind her a doctor was bent over one patient, one hand pressed to her torn open stomach. Light flared as the doctor grunted thrusting his Gift into the raw gaping wound trying to stitch it shut as the woman screamed in pain.

Inara was fighting her stomach as a man to her left moaned, liquid oozing from his horrifically charred flesh onto pale sheets of his bed.

Volkov was twitching, fighting back terrible memories of torn open trucks, of smoking holes on the side of dirt-pack roads, of friends and comrades screaming as life gushed out of them. He swallowed thickly, memories of war and the Middle East rising monstrously in his mind.

"There," the nurse pointed at an empty amidst the triage, "Put him there. A doctor will see him shortly."

Jason growled not liking her off-handed manner but the nurse was already gone, attending to a new wave of victims from the Kraken's rampage and the fight at the Imperial Towers.

"The price of victory," Gaspar said philosophically.

"But we're not the ones paying for it," Kage snapped back.

Carefully Jason and Volkov manoeuvred Peter onto the bed, his wounds still bleeding sluggishly. Eyes closed and head lolling limply, the High King looked pale and frail in the bed as if he would break at the slightest touch.

Gaspar clenched his fists, wanting to scream to the world. Didn't they know who this man was? Didn't they know what he had just done? He didn't deserve this… he didn't deserve to be dangled precariously between life and death… he deserved… he deserved…

The anger flowed out of Gaspar as the headmaster admonished himself. He should be enough and wise enough to realise that the world didn't care about heroes and villains, that life didn't differentiate between the good and the bad. Terrible things happened to the brave just as wonderful things happened to the wicked. Things simply happened, the dies fall as they will and it was left to mortals to deal with the consequences.

"Get a doctor here," Inara ordered, her voice shaking, "I don't care how you do it. Get one here."

Jason and Caspian darted off as Elias looked at Inara with a very peculiar look in his eyes. Gaspar frowned at him as the scientist suddenly blinked, his eyes lighting up as he seemed to work something out.

"Is there…?" Inara began.

Gaspar shook his head sadly.

"Healing magic is very specialised. Only a few ever has the talent for it," he said slowly.

Inara gritted her teeth as Jason and Caspian re-appeared, a squirming doctor clutched in their grasp. The man was red-faced, embarrassed and outraged as Jason shoved him forwards, pointing at Peter.

"Heal. Now," Jason barked.

"You can't do this!" the doctor protested, "I have…"

"Julian?" Gaspar asked in surprise, peering at the man.

Julian froze, his eyes widening as he caught sigh of Gaspar.

"Headmaster! Sir!" he spluttered.

"Julian. Please, look at him," Gaspar said quietly, "He needs your help. I need your help."

Julian stiffened but relaxed, nodding slowly before bending over Peter, light flaring as the man probed the king with his magic, analysing his wounds.

The others looked over the doctor's back at Gaspar in surprise.

"Former student," Gaspar mouthed back to them.

"There's no need for you to be standing around," the doctor said suddenly, "It's better if you give me some room."

"Of course," Gaspar replied, "All of you… you can go."  
"I'm staying," Inara said in a voice that brook no argument, "Queenie will kill me if I do anything else."

Gaspar sighed but nodded. The others threw one last worried glance but dispersing, Caspian immediately marching off and disappearing into the maze of beds and doctors all around them.

Suddenly Volkov's phone rang, the soldier jumping as Kage's head snapped to him in surprise.

"Hello?" Volkov asked tentatively into the phone.

'_Volkov,' _Mallory's voice was cool and in command, _'Where are you?'_

AAAAAA

"Where are you?" Mallory demanded, her phone pressed between ear and shoulder as she drove.

Susan's eyes were drawn to the pallor of smoke that hung over the city, the air shimmering as intense fires still raged in the crater the city centre had become. The queen shuddered as ambulances, police cars and fire trucks thundered down the road, sirens wailing frantically.

Did it always have to be like this? Susan felt tired, weary to her very core. It seemed everywhere she went, death followed like a shadow. She was so sick of burying bodies, so sick of seeing those around her struck down, so sick of feeling guilty when she walked away unscathed whilst others fell in droves.

But she knew enough to realise that it wasn't her fault. The darkness was what killed them but so often she was the stone that started the avalanche… the catalyst, as Elias would say, of so much slaughter.

But what else could she do?

"Hospital," Mallory said, snapping her phone shut and hurling it into the back seat, "He's at the hospital."

Susan clutched her sceptre, her daggers strapped to her thighs, her silver bow and arrows in the back seat. She glanced at Artemis's gift and clenched her teeth, praying silently to Aslan, to Viola, to Artemis to give the strength for what she needed to do.

"Hurry," Susan said, a dark premonition falling over her.

She felt cold, her heart clenching as she thought of her Caspian trapped by whatever demon possessed him. She clenched her fist and swore whatever the creature was… it would burn in hell for what it had done.

The blue crystals of her sceptre flared, responding to the tide of black hate flowing though her.

Mallory nodded slightly, spinning the wheel in her hands as she weaved dangerously in and out of traffic, horns blaring at her but the psychic ignored it. They were women on a mission.

AAAAAA

Jason leaned against the tree, the small garden part of a park that overlooked the hospital parking lot turned triage.

Leafs rustled in the breeze, dappled light playing a complex pattern on the Seeker's face as he closed his eyes.

"Nathaniel…"

The name sound foreign on his lips but somehow… it fit. Memories echoed in him, begging to be seen and realised properly but Jason thrust them away, unable to bear it.

He had been Nathaniel McLaughlin, mild accountant, faithful son husband of Yolanda, father of Delilah. He saw glimpses of his former life but there was still a huge blank, a gap in the knowledge of the past and of now… what had happened to his family?

Jason wasn't sure if he really wanted to know.

But against his will, driven by chance and circumstance, the Seeker was slowly staring to remember but he was scared knowing that something monstrous still lurked in his mind, ready to reach out and poison his every thought. He had locked it all behind a wall of forgetting and he knew he could open it any time but… something held him back. Fear, pain or sorrow… it was always something.

Jason let out a long breath, knowing and hating the fact that he was a coward.

"Pst!"

The Seeker's eyes flicked upwards, his expression unchanged.

"Kitty," Jason said simply.

Zaru's nose twitched as he caught the waves of anxiety and fear coming off the Seeker.

"Anything you want to talk about?" the leopard asked casually, lolling on a branch.

"Nothing you need to know about," Jason countered coolly.

Zaru shrugged, knowing better than to probe any further.

"Amazing," Elias staggered up the hill towards them, "You should see some of the doctors work… they're powers… I've seen them wrest people back from the brink in the blink of an eye. It's just astounding. If only I can replicate their feats using some kind of…"

Jason and Zaru stared at him, eyes flat and unfriendly as the scientist huffed.

"No appreciation for science," he muttered turning his back to them as his intelligent eyes continued to sweep the tableau of misery before them.

All of the man's disgust and pity faded, eclipsed by his curiosity and insatiable thirst for knowledge as Zaru and Jason exchanged knowing looks.

Suddenly Zaru froze, a fresh breeze bringing with it a very familiar scent.

"Mallory. Her majesty."

"WHAT?!" Elias and Jason both turned to look up at him.

The leopard stood on his branch, hackles raised, eyes ablaze with excitement.

"THEY'RE HERE!!"

Before either men could stop him, Zaru leapt from the branches and slid away.

AAAAAA

"Where is he?" Susan demanded.

Nurses passed her, giving her strange looks as Susan strung her bow swiftly and surely. Mallory closed her eyes, her hair flapping in the wind as she flung her mind out. She flinched, opening herself up to the dying screams and echoed pain from those who had suffered at the Kraken's hand before with the ease of long practice, she made herself cold to their cries and focused on her target.

"Hospital," Mallory said quickly, "Roof."

Susan nodded grimly and plunged into the parking lot, skirting past beds and startled doctors as Mallory followed.

"Wait! What are you – " one of the doctors froze, mid-sentence as Mallory casually entered his mind, halting his curiosity and making him turn away as both women stepped through the hospital doors.

Mallory's eyes turned gold as her mind reached out, projecting boredom and apathy in all those around her, forcing them to ignore the armed women walking amongst their midst. She led the way, taking Susan to the elevators. The doors slipped open and they stepped in.

Mallory punched the button for the roof and the two women glanced at each other and nodded.

"Alright," Susan said, her throat suddenly dry, "Get ready."

The doors closed and the elevator rose taking them to the roof and Caspian.

AAAAAA

Caspian turned, his black eyes glittering as he caught a glimpse of black cloth.

"I know you're here!" the thing inside the king screamed, his voice drifting on the wild winds that swept the hospital roof.

A shadowy figure emerged from behind a set of vents, dark cloak flapping at his booted heels. In the harsh light of day, Eustace's deathly face and ugly puckered scars was even more shocking and hideous than before.

"What now?" Caspian demanded, black eyes flashing, "I betrayed our master! Are you here to kill me?"  
"Mallory has awaken. The psychic remembers who you are. The queen and her are coming now to destroy you," Eustace said calmly, ignoring his question.

The possessed king staggered back, face white with shock as the real Caspian cheered inside of him.

'_Let's see how brave you are when faced with two women who actually know what you are,' _the king snarled, venom in his voice, _'Let's see how well you fare against Susan the Gentle.'_

"Shut up!" the thing screamed out loud and inside his head, its voice tearing into Caspian even as he continued to laugh, triumphant.

"They will hunt you down, the psychic will rip you from Caspian's body and they will torture you and you will speak all that you know,' Eustace continued in a voice that spelt finality.

Caspian froze, his dark eyes bulging.

"What?" he gasped.

"You will betray the master to them," Eustace said softly, "I have foreseen it."

Caspian stumbled back, blanching as Eustace took a step towards him, completely calm.

"I cannot allow you to do that," Eustace, agent of the Great Darkness, intoned like a judge.

"What… what are you…"

Eustace stepped forwards and the possessed king screamed in fury before throwing himself straight at his once ally. Eustace twisted calmly dodging a powerful right hook. Caspian punched him straight in the face but the possessed body merely took a step back, blinking, completely unharmed.

Caspian gaped at him and Eustace lunged, moving so fast that he was a mere blur. Caspian swung desperately but Eustace ducked, leaping back up and sucker-punching him straight in the jaw in one swift, fluid movement. Shockwaves rolled up the king's mandibles, shaking his brain as Caspian staggered back, dazed.

"Oof!"

He stumbled back, a cry tearing from his lips as Eustace kicked him straight in the gut.

Caspian feel to his knees, desperately swinging at the possessed body but Eustace batted his arm aside grabbing the side of his head and smashed into the side of a cooling unit.

Metal crumpled, blood spurted and a scream filled the air as Eustace grabbed him and threw him bodily across the roof. Caspian hit the ground, skidding across hard concrete as Eustace calmly walked towards him. The boy's face was unchanged, taking no pleasure from the king's pain nor pitying him. He was simply doing what had to be done, a demon on a mission.

"I'll kill you," Caspian swore through bloodied teeth, his hands going to the sword strapped at his hip.

Eustace didn't even blink as the king exploded forwards, sword flashing through the air. Caspian roared a bestial bellow of hate and fury as he stabbed the boy straight through the chest, the blade exploding out from his back.

"Got you," Caspian hissed, smirking into the boy's face.

Eustace merely blinked, not even grimacing even as Caspian cruelly twisted the sword.

"That will not stop me," Eustace said slowly as Caspian's eyes widened.  
"BAM!"

Eustace slammed an open palm into Caspian's face sending him flying. The possessed king smacked into the ground as the boy coolly grabbed the sword sticking out of his chest and wrenched it free with a flicker of emotion. He tossed the sword aside as Caspian scrambled to his feet, blood pouring from his nose, terrified.

"How…"

"I am dead," Eustace said evenly, "Blades cannot hurt me."

The thing inside Caspian was wild with fear as the real him taunted the monster, laughing at his desperation.

'_Your time has come,' _Caspian smirked.

"You will die with me," the thing snapped.

'_I am not afraid,' _Caspian said in a frozen voice, _'But you… you are terrified.' _

"SHUT IT!!!"

Distracted Caspian had no time to react as Eustace leapt at him, backhanding him across the face and knocking him to the ground. The king pulled himself up to his knees but froze as Eustace's clammy hands closed around his throat.

The king's eyes bulged.

"It is over," Eustace said to him.

Eustace placed one hand on his forehead and the thing inside Caspian screamed and screamed, writhing desperately. With a grunt, Eustace pulled his hand back, fists clenched as if yanking something away.

With a terrifying, inhuman cry the monster was pulled out of Caspian's body, a shuddering, pulsing cloud of black smoke coming away. It flowed out of the king's mouth, nose and ears, gathering around Eustace's hands, twitching madly in his grasp like a caught beast desperate for freedom.

The cloud screamed as Eustace pushed Caspian's limp body away and hurled the oily smoke up into the air. Blue and purple flames flared devouring the smoke as it writhed desperately its body shrivelling as the fire consumed its ethereal form.

Eustace blinked as the smoke let out one final scream before burning away to utter nothingness.

A pallor of silence fell over the roof as Eustace stared down at Caspian's limp body.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!!"  
Eustace turned as Susan and Mallory charged onto the roof. The queen froze, stumbling as she caught sight of her cousin.

"Eustace…?!" she gasped.

The possessed body blinked.

"Susan," he said evenly, "It is done. The monster is gone."

Eustace ran to the edge of the roof as Susan cried out. Without even thinking, she fired an arrow, the barb taking him in the back of the head. Eustace didn't even make a sound as his body hit the ground, his limbs limp.

Susan stood, stunned as she stared down at her cousin's body, having killed him a second time.

"What…" Susan swallowed, "What the?"

"Susan!"

Susan whirled and let out a cry of mingled relief and fear as Mallory bent over Caspian's prone body. The queen was instantly by his side, smoothing unruly hair from his peaceful face as tears pricked her eyes.

"Is he… is he… is he safe?" Susan begged, lovingly touching his cheek.

He looked so fragile lying close-eyed on the ground. He was still so young for all that he acted like a king and he had been forced to endure so much already. Orphaned, taken in by an uncle who would see him dead. His joy at the restoration of his birthright had been short-lived as she had been torn away from his side just as their love was blossoming. Then he'd been stolen, his kingdom in turmoil. For one glorious moment they had been together again then Siobhan's curse… and now this.

Her heart broken, shattering with grief and overwhelming love. She longed to just take him away, take him away from all of this, protect him but she couldn't…

Why?  
Why him? Why so much pain?

"Do you hate him?" Susan sobbed, not even knowing who she was asking, "Just leave him alone!!"

Susan felt tired, tired of failing those she loved. She found Caspian's hand, clutching it tightly, refusing to let go.

"I love…"

"SUSAN!" Mallory screamed.

Caspian came to life, his eyes snapping open, pure insanity in his face. Before Susan could react, the king lunged forwards and grabbed her throat in a crushing grip.

AAAAAA

"What the hell?" Kage blinked as he saw three very familiar forms rushing down the hall.

"What?" Volkov grunted, bringing a can of soda to his lips.

"This way!" Kage yelled, the powerless Magi grabbing his friend.

Volkov cursed as he splashed soda on his shirt. Tossing the can away, he followed, fighting through the hallway, beds lining the walls, patients groaning as drips of morphine did all they could to stem the pain.

"Hey!" Kage's voice boomed over the patients' whimpers.

Jason tossed a look over his shoulders but didn't slow down his pace as

"What's going on?" Volkov thundered.

"Mallory and Susan are here," Elias yelled.

"What?! HERE! As in here?" Kage yelped.

They made it to the stairs, a fresh breeze sweeping down the stairwell leading Zaru to his queen.

"Why?" Kage demanded catching up to them.

"We're going to find out," Jason grunted back.

Sunlight flooded the landing up ahead, the open door leading to the rooftop. All of them froze as a terrified scream echoed down towards them.

"SUSAN!!!" Mallory yelled.

The men looked at each other for half a second before exploding out from the gloom of the stairwell and into the light, weapons in hand and a war cry on their lips.

AAAAAA

Susan gagged, struggling to pry Caspian's fingers open as the king lurched upwards, sitting up, his face demented with rage.

He laughed in her face, spittle flying as Susan's face turned red, her vision dimming. Mallory invaded Caspian's mind with her Gift ready to knock him into unconsciousness but a molten wave of pure rage and madness flooded into her, tainting her mind as the Magi staggered back, reeling with the depths of his insanity. The real Caspian was lost, stumbling in a maelstrom of demonic thoughts and feverish dreams, the king now a creature of rage and hate, fuelled by a dark desire to rend and break, completely devoid of love or compassion or even the dimmest spark of humanity, this was a beast disguised as a man, a monster in every sense of the word.

"SUSAN!!" Mallory wrenched her mind away from Caspian's as it roared, threatening to suck her in.

She grabbed the king, trying to pull him back as Caspian roared with fury, bucking, throwing her aside.

White fire flashed and Caspian was tossed across the ground, losing his grip on Susan as the queen staggered back, clutching at her throat.

"Your majesty!!" Zaru was by her side, nuzzling her as Susan gagged, coughing hoarsely.

Bruises were already spreading across her pale skin, the queen sucking in great gasps of air, fighting the urge to vomit.

"What the hell?!" Jason roared, "What the hell is Pretty Boy thinking?"

"He's under a spell," Mallory said wearily climbing back to her feet, "We have to restrain him."

"Mallory!" Volkov and Kage gaped at her as the psychic nodded briskly at them, her mind on other more pressing mattes.

"What… what happened?" Volkov demanded.

Mallory ignored him, her eyes flashing gold as she unsheathed her rapier-like sword, gold light gathering in her other hands.

"Stun him," Mallory commanded, "We'll…"

Volkov flushed.

"I can't."

"What?!" Mallory looked at him, surprised, "Why?"

"Peter… he took my powers," the ex-lieutenant fidgeted under the psychic's astonished gaze, reddening, "It's complicated okay?!"

"Where is the Saviour?" Mallory demanded.

Caspian was slowly crawling to his feet, his teeth bared like an animal as Susan stood as well, bow in hands, blue eyes blank.

"He's pretty beat up," Kage said, keeping one eye on Caspian as he upholstered his gun, "Gaspar and Inara are watching over him."

The Narnian king had dropped down to all fours, beating his hands raw against the rough concrete as he sniffed the air like a hound. Zaru gagged, physically recoiling. His nose detected the scent of sweat and forest, of churned earth and desperation and the blood of the hunt. He smelled a beast.

Rage rolled over the king in almost tangible waves, shaking all those who dared approach him.

"GET BACK!" Susan yelled, "I'LL HANDLE HIM!!"

This was her fight.

She turned and glared at the Seeker as he stepped forwards, blue eyes flashing. Jason grunted, annoyed, but backed down, white fire still dancing on his palms. He gave her a curt nod.

"Finish it or I will," he growled.

Susan turned back around, arrow to bow, unsure of what to do. Should she hit him? But what if she killed him? What if…

"WATCH OUT!!" Zaru roared.

A shadow flashed past Susan brutally kicking Jason in the chest. Taken by surprise, the Seeker could only soften his fall as the figure straightened, shifting into an alien battle stance.

Eustace blinked at them, expressionless, Susan's arrow still embedded into the back of his skull. He instantly swatted Elias aside, knocking the scientist out in one blow.

Taken advantage of the distraction Caspian lunged at Susan, grabbing her around the waist and tackling her to the ground. The queen managed to get her arms between them, fending off the king as he gnashed his teeth at her, hate in his eyes.

She wanted to weep as she suddenly realised that all of his hatred, all of his fury… it was directed solely at her. She had seen glimpses of it before, been victim of his twisted emotions but this… this was amplified, concentrated until all thoughts was obliterated from his head except for that one insane obsession of hurting her.

With a cry, Susan managed to kick him away, rolling to her feet. She snatched her fallen bow, smashing Caspian in the face as he charged at her.

Across the roof, Volkov, Kage and Jason weaved around Eustace in a dangerous dance, blows traded with brutal strength and efficiency. Eustace was a demon, a blur of kicks and punches, blocking the three men's attack and punishing any lax in their defences.

It was amazing watching this one slim boy holding off three expert fighters but the demon ensconced inside Eustace's body was one of the Great Darkness's greatest agents and more than equal to the task.

Susan's head snapped back, a brutal blow sending her senses reeling as Caspian howled in pure delight. He lunged forwards but Mallory flung out a hand, her Gift flying out and sending him careening to the ground.

With a yell she hurled the gold light in her hands, the energy forming a glowing barb that took Caspian in the thigh, the king screaming in pain.

He wrenched the point free, the energy dissolving in his hands as he turned hot angry eyes on Mallory, the psychic reeling as once again his insanity raged against her sensitive mind like a blazing fire.

Zaru howled, jumping at the king, worrying him, forcing him back.

"ZARU!" Susan snapped, "BACK OFF!"

Zaru's jaws snapped forwards barely missing Caspian's throat as the enraged leopard did all he could to protect his queen.

"ZARU!"

Caspian punched the cat in the face but Zaru was spitting mad, barely noticing the blow as he lashed out, his claws flying straight the for the king's exposed throat.

"NO!!"  
Susan slammed into Zaru, knocking him aside, turning his claws away as Caspian's eyes bulged, the king shrieking. He threw himself at Susan, slamming into her.

Mallory's eyes widened as they sailed off the edge of the rooftop.

"SUSAN!!!" she and Zaru both screamed.

"BAM!"

Susan and Caspian slammed into a second rooftop, just a couple of storeys below the one they had been on.

Susan cried out, Caspian's weight crushing her as the king half-rose, one hand gripping the other's fist. Susan twisted, the king's hands slamming hard into the ground, missing her by mere millimetres. He cried out in pain, bone cracking under the blow as Susan managed to throw him off.

The king was feral, his shirt mere shreds, his hands bloody, his eyes bulging and wild devoid of all humanity and mercy. Susan looked at what her love had become and felt nothing but a desperate need to help him.

Her eyes narrowed.

And if that meant hurting him first…

Caspian leapt at her again but Susan dodged, punching him hard in the face. Her knuckles ached but Susan had been well trained, shoving it all aside as she readied herself for the next round of blows.

Caspian staggered but steadied himself, dropping once more to the ground like a animal.

There were two loud thumps as Zaru and Mallory leapt from the higher rooftop landing deftly behind Caspian as the king hurtled at Susan again.

Susan raised her bow with one hand using it to defend herself as the other ripped one of her daggers free, swiping at Caspian. The king recoiled, Mallory and Zaru charging forwards to help her.

Susan swung at Caspian again but the king snatched her wrist, twisting it cruelly before head-butting her. Her bow fell from her hands as Caspian bodily grabbed her, crushing the queen against his chest before he broke into a crazed, mindless run.

"SUSAN!!" Mallory cried.

The psychic hurled her Gift forwards, the air rippling as her power shot out but Caspian threw himself to the side, Susan still crushed against him. The attack missed, smashing into a wall, bricks crumbling as Caspian crashed through a skylight, Zaru gasping in horror.

The pyramid of glass instantly shattered under Caspian's weight, king and queen plummeting to the ground below.

The breath was knocked from Susan's lungs as she smacked into the ground, Caspian's' arms still around her, crushing her like a snake.

Driven by desperation, Susan lunged forwards biting the king on the lips. He roared, blood flowing freely as his arms loosened slightly. Susan instantly lashed out with one hand, nails biting deep, the queen using every cheap trick to fight her lover off.

He threw her against the wall, fist flying as Susan twisted.

Caspian roared in fury as his fist smashed through the wall, plaster tearing his hand apart as Susan rolled away, gasping for breath.

Her bow was lost, one dagger gone but she still had one last weapon. Pulling her sceptre free from the sheath across her back, Susan straightened.

"Caspian, I'm sorry," she whispered.

Before the king could react, Susan thrust the crystal-end into his gut and blue sparks flared, Caspian's screams stabbing Susan in the ears.

AAAAAA

Kage chopped Eustace in the neck with his hand but the attack just bounced off the boy, the possessed body completely unharmed. Eustace spun, kicking Volkov away before grabbing Jason by the wrist, stopping the dagger thrust to his chest.

The Seeker head-butted Eustace, knocking him back but the boy recovered quickly swinging Jason around and smashing him into Kage.

Volkov lunged, hammering Eustace with powerful bunches but Eustace shrugged them off, grabbing the man by the neck and tossing him to the ground.

Blow after blow, Eustace weathered them all, the men doggedly attacking again and again, no victory in sight.

Eustace blinked and with another powerful kick blasted Jason away.

AAAAAA

Caspian dropped nervelessly to the ground, Susan staggering back, wrenching her mind away from her sceptre, severing the link between her and her weapon.

Susan was crying as Caspian twitched, blue energy still dancing across his skin. His eyes suddenly snapped open, eyes flooded with hate, fingers hooking into claws. He began to rise, snarling and Susan jabbed him again, shocking him once more.

Caspian screamed but still he rose, raging to get at her.

Susan stabbed him with the sceptre again and again, his screams making her weep bitterly but finally, finally, after an eternity he was still.

The sceptre dropped from her fingers as she sank to her knees, face buried in her hands.

"You had no choice," Zaru was beside her.

Where he'd come from Susan had no idea but she grabbed onto his neck, burying her face into his fur as she wept, disgusted by what she had to do.

"It's not over yet," Mallory said quietly.

Susan's head snapped up towards her, tear-streaked and furious.

"What more do you want from me?!" she scowled, "What – "

"He still has to be pulled from his madness," Mallory said quietly looking pitying down at Caspian, "Otherwise he might be lost forever."

Susan turned cold at the warning in her last words but steeled herself.

"How?" Susan whispered, begging her.

"Close your eyes," Mallory whispered, eyes unreadable.

Zaru hissed as Susan obeyed. Mallory gently placed one hand on Susan's forehead before reaching down to touch Caspian's, forming a link between the two.

"Watch over us," the psychic ordered the leopard.

Zaru growled, grumbling but nodded as Mallory closed her eyes. The leopard instantly flinched feeling the charge in the air as light glimmered between Mallory's fingers.

Susan suddenly gasped, her eyes snapping open, staring unseeingly ahead as Zaru snapped at the air, unnerved. Unbeknownst to the leopard his queen was now walking in a very, very strange world.

AAAAAA

She was in a hell, screaming, gibbering, chaotic hell. Susan flinched as explosions rocked the land, strange lights flaring and lighting up the blood-red sky. She walked aimlessly, the earth soft and treacherous beneath her feet.

Everything here was in segue, nothing ever stopped. The air was alive with strange creatures that fluttered by, too fast to properly make out. The land constantly shook from earthquakes, mountains swallowed up by hungry rifts, new jagged peaks rising with every shift of the land.

The sky constantly shifted colours moving from red to sickly yellow to dull green to black to white… it made Susan nauseous just looking at it.

She shuddered the temperature plummeting before spiking to unbearable heat once more.

"Where am I?" Susan whispered.

She stopped, frowning as something glittered in the wan light before her. She sprinted towards it, the only landmark in a world of utter desolation and madness.

"What in the name of Aslan?"

It was a wall of ice, an almost replica of the one that White Witch had lurked in back in Aslan's How. And like that wall this one had been cracked, a massive cleft split down its centre. Susan touched the wall, recoiling as cold bit her fingers. She glanced along its length, astonished at how far the wall of ice stretched disappearing into the far horizon with no end in sight.

"What…"

"This was the original."

Susan turned and Mallory was before her, a resplendent glowing angel, her ghostly form suffused with blazing golden light. Mallory was looking at the wall as Susan blinked, shading her eyes to protect them from the brilliance of the woman's heavenly glow.

"The original spell," Mallory touched the icy wall, its painful cold completely harmless against her."

Susan looked at the wall again, hate in her eyes. This was Siobhan's curse… a wall to cut Caspian off from all that he felt. If this was here… then that meant…

"I am inside his mind," Susan realised looking around at the bleak landscape.

Fear clenched her as she literally saw the madness that ran rampant through her love, saw how it had warped the land that represented his sanity.

"The spell changed," Mallory said quietly, "It changed when it realised it couldn't hold back all that Caspian felt for you. The memories it contained were warped, love becoming hate when the wall failed to hold it back. The wall broke a long time ago but the thing inside of him had held it back. But with the demon gone…"

Mallory trailed off as Susan peered through the crack in the wall and saw only utter darkness.

"Where is he?" Susan demanded, looking around frantically, "Where is he?!"  
Mallory silently pointed at the crack and the shadows that lay beyond. Susan froze.

"Are you sure?" her voice sounded weak, almost bordering on begging.

The Magi merely nodded as Susan stared once more into the breach, at the darkness that now seemed alive with thousands of crawling creatures and revulsion rose in her as she thought of Caspian adrift in such hopelessness.

"What do I have to do?" she demanded, her voice hard.

"Go in there and call to him."

"What?!"

Mallory looked at her squarely.

"Give him hope. Give him an anchor to hold onto. Call him back," the psychic's voice had a strange fey quality to it, ethereal and mystical.

Susan looked into the darkness and taking a deep breath, she placed her hands on either side of the frozen crack and hurled herself into the abyss.

AAAAAA

Susan stood in the middle of the Narnian Forest, firing arrow after arrow into the hated Telmarines as they descended on her, the Gentle Queen doing all she could to distract them, to delay them so Lucy could ride off into the forest, find Aslan and save the day.

With a cry, the queen was knocked off her feet, a horse barrelling into her. She hit the ground, bow flying from her hands as the Telmarine wheeled around on his horse, sword raised.

"A girl?" the man sneered, "They left a girl to do their fighting!?"

Guffawing he stabbed down and Susan cried out, her breast red with her own blood.

"SUSAN!!!"  
Caspian thundered into Susan's dimming line of vision, hacking brutally at her attacker. The prince whirled, gasping in horror as Susan stared stupidly up at him, blood pouring her mouth.

It leaked from her eyes and seemed to fill the whole forest, the trees themselves weeping blood as Caspian almost fell from his horse, screaming in agony as Susan blinked.

"Your fault…" she croaked, her voice low and terrible, "It's all your fault."

And she crumpled and was dead as Caspian's anguished screams filled the forest.

AAAAAA

"You think I loved you?!" Susan shrieked with laughter.

The woman before him was a terrible parody of the true queen, all garish red lips and salacious make-up, nylon and silk clinging to her body. She thrust her chest outwards, her arms wrapped around a faceless man's neck.

"You think I care about you?!" the woman laughed.

Still smiling she kissed the stranger, tongue duelling with tongue, teeth against teeth. Another man flowed out of the darkness, hugging her from behind as Susan pulled away, laughing.

"You are nothing," she hissed, venom in her eyes, "You are nothing to me."

She kissed her consorts again, hands running all over her body as she leaned back, closing her eyes and moaning lowly.

"You are nothing," the cruel Susan cooed, "Pathetic. You were just a distraction. A mere passing fancy."

She turned to stare at him, lips curled back as her face bloated becoming monstrous and demonic.

"You are pathetic… how could I ever love you?!"

AAAAAA

"You failed… you failed me…"

"No…"

Caspian stumbled back as a single shadow swung lazily across the wall.

"You failed me…"

"NO…" Caspian was on his knees, begging, crying, "NO!!!"

The rope twisted, turning as with dreadful slowness Susan's dangling body slowly swung to meet him.

Her blank eyes stared down at him like a god meting out judgement and finding him sorely lacking.

"You…"

The rope was tight around her neck, the coarse fibres burning her skin and tearing her flesh. Mascara and tears ran down her beautiful face.

"I loved you… I wanted you to save me. I needed you… Why did you let me go? Why didn't you argue with Aslan? Why didn't you ask me to stay?"  
Susan's words were like whispers on a wind, soft yet heartbreaking. Caspian wept, begging, his voice grounded down to a hoarse croak as he reached for her, trying to hold her but she was always a little bit too far away.

"And now I'm dead…"

Susan's blank eyes devoured his world.

"And it's all your fault."

She stabbed him in the chest, Caspian's eyes bulging in horror as she twisted the crude stone dagger.

"I've found someone else," Susan said grimly.

She pulled the knife out and plunged it back in as Caspian screamed, body bucking.

"He's stronger and kinder and better than you in every possible way," Susan said almost conversationally, "I don't know why I wasted my time on you."

Ribs snapped as Susan reached into the gaping wound and began pulling, twisting and breaking bone as Caspian screamed, shuddering against his chains.

"I don't need you anymore," Susan said grimly.

With a sickening crack she pulled his ribs apart revealing his heart beating frantically in the light as Caspian whimpered, fighting to stay awake.

"So you won't be needing… THIS!!"

With a feral cry, she stabbed him in the heart and with blood all over her hands, she reached in and wrenched the beating organ out.

"No…"

Susan stared into Caspian's wide-open eyes and blank face, squeezing his heart in her hands.

"Pathetic," she said tossing the heart over her shoulder.

She turned away walking into the arms of a stranger.

"Why would anyone want you?"

AAAAAA

They were back in Persephone, Caspian looking at her, wondering why she was so very cold towards him.

"Why won't you look at me?" he asked, "Why won't you let me touch you?"

The queen's look was very cold as she rose to her feet, Caspian almost recoiling from the menace in her eyes.

"Because you are not good enough for me," Susan spat.

Fury sparked on her face.

"You want me to explain?" she hissed, "You want me to explain how your very presence disgusts me?!"

She laughed, high and cruelly.

"You are nothing compared to me. You are a mere peasant compared to me."

Her eyes pierced him, cutting into his very soul.

"Why would I possibly love you?"

AAAAAA

Susan stumbled into the room, ashen-faced, her hands bloody. Caspian gasped, running to her.

"Susan… what…"

He reached out with one hand to touch her, to comfort her but Susan batted him away, hate in her eyes.

"I was pregnant."

"What?!" Caspian staggered back as Susan looked squarely at him,.

"That night in Persephone. I fell pregnant," she said shortly.

Caspian looked at her bewildered, his world completely toppled over as Susan stood, her hands and dress bloody.

"I got rid of it," she said cruelly.

"What?!" Caspian staggered back, looking at her as though she was a monster as Susan swivelled to look at him, smirking.

"Why would I want to contaminate myself with a spawn like you?" she hissed.

Susan leaned back against the wall, blood dripping from her hands.

"I'd rather die."

AAAAAA

Susan recoiled, those images and many more slamming into her with brutal force. They tore at her like wildfire and thunderbolts, her mind reeling as it tried to take it all in. She was lost stumbling in a world of endless nightmares, attacks by visions so depraved and torrid that it ate at her like acid.

She was a monster, a scarlet woman, a murderer, a heartbreaker; Susan was recast a thousand times as the villain in the most horrid of scenes, flaunting herself, taunting him, hurting him, tearing him apart and laughing at his misery.

Susan cringed, weeping, screaming as she stabbed him, shot him, bludgeoned him to death, tore out his heart and tortured him.

It was too much. Overwhelming, destructive…

Susan realised she was losing, her own sanity slowly fading as more and more images poured into her, poisoning her.

She crumpled to her knees, eyes peering through the darkness.

"Caspian!" she croaked, "Please! Caspian!"

She wept, defeated. Caspian was lost… she screamed helplessly. She had seen the torture, seen the depth of the madness inside of him… how could anyone survive? How could anyone hope to recover?

"It's hopeless," she curled into a ball, "Hopeless…"

She flinched, screaming as more images slammed into her, her body physically flinching from the mental blow.

It was too much… too much… he was lost… it was…

Tawny gold eyes stared at her unblinking.

"Aslan…"

It was a whisper. A ghost of a word but it was enough.

Susan rose to her feet, blue eyes flashing, a halo of light forming around her body.

"Shut up. Shut up. Shut up!!" she screamed, thrusting the nightmarish images away from her.

Despair and hopelessness flooded her trying to break her again but Susan clung to Aslan's face like a shield, deflecting the wave.

She knew what she had to do.

She stopped fighting. She relaxed everything inside of her and allowed the terror to come.

The nightmares came in a screaming torrent, dark and dreadful and domineering but she refused to be taken in, refused to believe them.

She opened her heart up and allowed everything she felt for the king flow out of her. Memories, desire, love, she was suddenly ablaze with golden light, a star in a dark expanse of empty space and madness.

It started off as a feeling, tremulous, unsure, trembling like a flickering candle.

It grew stronger becoming a thought, quivering at the illusions that assailed it as Susan straightened, her head held high.

It became a word then a sentence then a cry into the night.

It became a dirge, a call, a song that stretched out into the infinite darkness, each syllable laden with love, filled with a flame that seemed to scorch the shadows and chase them away.

The nightmares fled like criminals from a hound, Susan's eyes slowly opening as her body was filled with light, her heart open and bare, singing, her love setting the world alight.

"Caspian…" Susan called, tears spilling down her face, her heart broken open, everything that she held inside out unleashed, "Caspian… come back to me. I love you. Come back to me."

The shadows screamed, recoiling for the light that blazed around her as Susan walked, calling, singing.

"Caspian…"  
He was there before her, emaciated, tethered to the ground and screaming, writhing as nightmares swarmed around him, attacking him like crows on a carrion.

Susan knelt, the shadows fleeing from her and touched his cheeks.

He looked at her, eyes wild, stark, crazed words bubbling from his lips.

"Caspian."

He blinked as though seeing her from a long time, a hunger in her eyes as he drank her in like a man dying from thirst. Slowly he stilled, his limbs stopping their wild convulsions as she cradled him.

"I love you."

And she kissed him and felt the darkness fall away, screeching in fury, not disappearing but fleeing in fear, retreating, burned by her very presence.

A small, small smile curled Caspian's lips and he closed his eyes. He let out a long sigh and everything in him, all the darkness and pain flowed out in that one held breath.

"Susan."

And she opened her eyes and they were back in the hospital hall, shattered glass from the broken skylight scattered all around.

"Susan…" Caspian clung to her weeping.

Mallory gently pulled her hands away, her gold eyes still flashing as Zaru watched, stunned.

"Susan…"

The king looked up at her and Susan wept at the lost look in his eyes.

"I… I was so lost," he whispered throatily, his body shaking.

"Shhh…" Susan kissed him again, wrapping her arms around him tightly, trying to protect him from everything that had just happened, everything he had just endured, "Rest."

Caspian relaxed against her, his head slumped against the natural curve of her neck. They fitted perfectly, moulded together, made for each other.

"Rest…" Susan whispered, "I'll be here… waiting."

"Really?" Caspian's lips tickled her throat.

"Always,' Susan vowed, "Always."

AAAAAA

Jason grumbled as he pressed the icepack against his black-eye. Elias was next to him, rubbing the back of his head gingerly.

"So you got all of your collective behinds kicked by one boy?" Inara raised an eyebrow, "Feel the shame!!"

"I'd like to see you try," Kage muttered darkly.

Halfway through their fight, Eustace had suddenly froze, his head snapping up as some unheard signal. He had thrown them all away with a spinning kick and had leapt off the roof of the hospital before they could stop him. Volkov had been the first to reach the roof's edge, peering over it and expecting to see a body smeared across the hard ground below but he saw nothing.

Eustace had disappeared like a ghost.

"How is she?" Inara asked, the humour in her voice fading.

They were back in the Academy, standing outside the infirmary as Gaspar and Mallory did all they could to fix whatever was wrong with Caspian. The headmaster's face had been grim as he heard the whole story, the flat look in his eyes telling them all the seriousness of the situation.

Peter was sleeping inside the sick bay as well, the doctors having steadied him enough to have him moved back into the relative safety of the school.

Marduk was dead. Phoebe was dead. Lauren was powerless. Sid had died to avenge his sister and Dahlia had fallen to Peter along with her master, the Kraken.

It was all over but instead of joy Volkov just felt bone-numbing tiredness. He wanted to curl up and forget the world and sleep for an eternity.

"I hope…" Zaru sighed, "I hope he recovers."

Jason grunted.

"I think we all do," the Seeker adjusted the ice-pack hissing in pain, "Princess needs Pretty Boy and we need her."

"Plus our dimension-hoping saga of heroics and the fight for all that is good needs a blazing love story to spice it up," Inara said lightly, "You know… just to cover all the genre bases."

Jason and Zaru looked at her with expressions indicating her stupidity as Inara smirked before turning her eyes back to the closed door before them.

"He'll be fine," Elias said softly, "He has to be."

AAAAAA

"It's done," Gaspar said wearily pushing back the curtains.

Susan started to her feet, exhausted but still standing.

"Is he…?" she dared not word the question that haunted her.

"For now," Mallory said quietly appearing beside the headmaster, "We placed a mind-block and a spell to hold back the mutated curse and its madness but… it's like building a dam to stop the flood. It's temporary."

Susan flinched, hope shattering with painful force.

"It'll hold for now," Gaspar said quickly as Susan's face collapsed, "But… it'll break sooner or later and…"

"The madness will return," Mallory finished grimly.

Gaspar and Mallory exchanged long looks before the headmaster spoke again, his voice hesitating.

"We had to resurrect the original curse," he said reluctantly, "We had to seal his feelings back up again. It was the only way to…"  
"You mean…" Susan suddenly felt like she was falling down a deep, dark hole, her world falling away from her.

After all she had gone through, after all the suffering he had gone through, they were… they were…

"I'm sorry," Gaspar said, "He's still not himself yet."

They were still apart.

Susan stared at them, hopelessness grabbing her like an undertow and threatening to pull her down but she stopped, words from long ago flittering into her head.

'When all three gifts are bestowed and you become thrice-blessed, a making that will shake the very foundations of reality itself, the curse that holds your lover will break. And you will have him back once more.'

Viola's words…

Susan swallowed and knew there was a cure – that one day, somewhere she would rid him of the madness forever but for now…

She smiled.

The queen had seen so much, seen so much suffering and hurt and pain, had lived through so much agony that she knew that happiness was always ephemeral, impossible to bottle, impossible to pin like butterfly and preserve forever. The sun would shine when it will and you had to grab those moments when they came, however they came and enjoy it whilst it lasted.

Caspian's love was still lost, locked behind a wall that held back all that he felt for her and dangerous madness that had consumed him once. He was still out of her reach but the monster that had so horribly violated him was gone, he was no longer suffering from the insanity that had gripped him and for Susan that was enough to be grateful.

"Can I see him?" she asked, begging with her eyes, "Can I…"

"Be careful," Mallory said gently, "His mind is still fragile. It's best if you don't… if you don't mention what happened to him. Gaspar has already informed the others to keep it a secret… it'll destroy him if he remembers too much."

"We erased his memories about the madness he endured. He remembers being possessed and stabbing you but he thinks that he was discovered and knocked out and that was the end of it," Gaspar explained quickly.

He fidgeted uncomfortably.

"It's not the best solution but it'll stop his mind from crumbling again."  
Gaspar looked at her sadly but Susan nodded impatiently, not caring what rules and restrictions they put on her. With a sigh the headmaster, stepped aside letting her through. Susan took a deep breath and pushed through the curtains and to Caspian's bedside. The king look frail and weak, painfully thin and pale but the familiar strength and fire was back in his eyes and face.

Susan began crying.

Caspian looked at her, his face blank, uncomfortable with her open emotions. A part of him wanted to touch out and wipe her tears away but those desires were quickly suppressed, pushed down by the curse inside his head.

"Thank you," he said stiffly, desperately wanting to break the silence, "For knocking me out. I never wanted to hurt you."

Susan smiled through her tears.

"Your welcome," she laughed, "I'm more than happy to punch you anytime."

Caspian's lips twitched but his face fell. His eyes darkened as guilt welled in him, his face burning with shame and self-loathing.

"I…" he choked on his words as though they were poison, "I…"

He felt sick, the room spinning wildly around him as he remembered stabbing her through the back, remembered her warm blood on his hands.

"I…" Caspian looked away, swallowing heavily, fighting his stomach, "I'm sorry for… for what happened."

'_I am a failure,' _he realised.

He had failed her just as he had failed his kingdom and all those he cared for and all those who looked to him for guidance and leadership. He had failed Narnia and Persephone and he had failed her, by not loving her and now by almost killing her.

He was weak, pathetic… useless.

His breath quickened, his heart pounding as sweat rolled down his face, he felt physically ill, his skin crawling as his hands twitched, his body urging himself to do the honourable Telmarine thing and kill himself.

Susan's eyes flashed as she saw the depth of his self-loathing. She saw his spirit break, saw him give up and saw the blank, bleak look in his eyes and fury sparked in her.

Didn't he know the hell she had gone through to save him?! If he was going to just lie here and feel sorry for himself, she needn't have bothered!!

"Shut. UP," the queen spat, "It wasn't your fault. It was never your fault. What's happened has happened… I don't blame you. I forgive you… for everything."

He still looked so broken, so unsure, she said the only thing that could relieve his crushing guilt.

"Aslan chose you to lead Narnia. He chose you because he knew you wouldn't give up, he knew you had the courage and the determination to carry on even as all those around you fell," Susan said, her voice low but trembling with emotions, "Damn you Caspian! Aslan believed you so believe in yourself already!"

Caspian looked up at her, shocked as Susan grabbed his shoulder, shaking her, her voice impassioned.

"You can't give up! You can't give in to self-loathing. You can't sit around feeling guilty all day," Susan snarled, "Because that would be the coward's way out! And you King Caspian the Tenth… you are not a coward. You want to feel better about yourself? Then get up and fight! Because nothing's going to be changed by crying!"  
Caspian looked at her, saw the belief in her eyes and it was like rain on a parched land. It swept through him and in its wake, a single little bit of hope was born like a seedling amongst the ashes, frail but there.

"Okay," he said simply, "I will."

Susan narrowed her eyes at him but nodded.

"Good," she straightened, "Now rest. You've been through a lot."  
She swept out of the room, her body still shaking as Caspian watched her go, a soft smile on his face.

AAAAAA

They spent another week at the Academy waiting for Caspian and Peter to recuperate, the High King waking three days after he had dealt the Kraken's deathblow. And when he did it was with a scream and a flash of lightning.

"WHAT THE?!"

Susan and Inara ducked as electricity burst from Peter's hands, striking the wall and blowing a hole in it.

Peter's eyes widened in horror.

"Sorry!" he yelped, "Sorry!"

The two women stared at him, eyes wide as blue sparks danced across his cursed arms, the High King shivering as he tried to control it. Slowly they died away, smoke still hanging in the air.

The door suddenly swung open revealing Gaspar, a concerned look on his face. Inara turned to yell at Peter but suddenly flushed, looking away as Susan looked at her speculatively.

"What…" Peter followed her gaze and flushed as well, "OH FOR THE LOVE OF…"

He hurriedly pulled his sheets towards him, covering his bare chest up as Susan howled with mirth, Gaspar's lips twitching. Inara scowled at them darkly.

"Can I talk to him?" Gaspar coughed, his laughter fading, "Alone?"

Still snorting Susan pushed Inara out of the room as the headmaster cocked an eyebrow at Peter, looking at the smoking hole in the wall.

"Sorry," the High King said sheepishly, "I lost control."

"Don't worry about it, even taking this into account I think we still owe you a massive debt," the headmaster laughed.

"You might also want to take into account Siren and all the people the Kraken killed," Peter said bitterly.

Gaspar sighed, standing at the feet of his bed, looking down at him squarely.

"That wasn't your fault and you know it," Gaspar said, "It's all thanks to you that the Kraken is now gone."

Peter shook his head, unwilling to take the credit, unwilling to be the one at the centre of all the praise and adoration.

"If it wasn't for Susan or Mallory or everyone here at this Academy the Kraken would still be alive," Peter said firmly, "If it wasn't for Siren's sacrifice and all that you and Volkov and Kage have done I wouldn't even be alive."

Gaspar stared at him for the longest time, respect and a hint of awe in the old man's face.

"Well…" Gaspar cleared his throat, "Thanks anyway."

Peter sighed.

"Your welcome."

Gaspar nodded before straightening, a sharp look on his face as he studied the man before him, probing him with his magic.

"You still possess the Gifts you took," Gaspar said slowly.

Peter nodded, feeling the powers churn and chorus inside of him, feeling the Gifts flow through his veins like liquid fire.

"Siren's healing, Lauren's machine control… uhh… thing," Peter stumbled, unsure of how to describe one of the powers he now possessed, "Kage's stealth and Volkov's lightning. And my original Gift… the power to take."  
"And some of my knowledge."

Peter nodded wordlessly. Gaspar sighed.

"I hope you have excellent control," the headmaster warned the king, "There's no way to get them out of you now."

Peter winced, afraid of that. It was strange how fate worked, his arms, his ability to wield a sword and be a soldier had been ripped away from him and in its place he now had this… these terrifying, addictive, world-changing Gifts.

Peter suddenly smiled, feeling the vigour and the power the Gifts afforded him, his powers beckoned to him, tempted him to use them, beckon him to shed all his responsibilities and just use them to fly away from it all. The High King fought down the insane urge, knowing what was at stake, his powers tempered by humility and all that he had learnt when his arms had been useless.

"I will use them," Peter vowed, "To do what needs to be done."  
"Good for you," Gaspar remarked, "Now…"

The headmaster smiled.

"Lunch!"

AAAAAA

Eustace dropped the twitching bloodied man to the ground and strolled into the morgue, his dark eyes darting along the bank of steel doors welded to the wall. He stopped, black eyes flashing.

Without hesitating he grabbed onto the door handle, twisted pulling it open and yanking the steel slab out.

Dahlia's ruined face stared blankly up at him, blood congealing on her chest as Eustace stared down at the fallen Kraken's Chosen. He bowed his head, uttering a quick prayer for the departed soul before pressing a hand against her chest and concentrating.

A wild wind suddenly swept through the room tossing Eustace's hair and dark clothing as he grunted but it quickly passed, the room returning once more to normal. The possessed body slid Dahlia's corpse back into its cavity and closed the door once more.

The man he had attacked gurgled on the ground, blood spreading across the floor.

Eustace turned from wall and held out his hands, blinking as a jagged spike of crystal formed in his palms, growing like winter's ice.

Crystal spikes grew over his face as Eustace nodded before dissolving them and walking calmly out of the morgue leaving his victim to die.

AAAAAA

"You better use them well!" Kage growled, jabbing a finger at Peter.

"Or else," Volkov snapped.

Peter held up his hands, cringing as the two men glared at him.

"I will," he promised, "Trust me."  
"You better," Volkov snapped.

Susan was talking to Mallory and Gaspar, the Magi and the magician's face grim as they listened to the queen.

"Thank you," Susan whispered, "For everything. For giving him back to me."  
"Remember what we said," Gaspar said gently, "All that we've done… the shields… they're just temporary. They won't hold forever."  
But Susan smiled anyway, glad for such joy amidst so much darkness.

"I know but thank you anyway."

She stepped back but Mallory grabbed her arm, stopping her.

"I've seen…" the psychic's eyes flashed gold, "I've seen a possibility."  
Susan froze staring at Mallory in wonder as the psychic talked in a faraway voice, Gaspar's face grim, the headmaster having heard this all before.

"We were all standing on a plane of utter darkness, pitted against demons this world has never known," Mallory said quietly, "Viola was there as well. There were many creatures at war… spiders… snakes… talking animals, soldiers and things I don't have names for…"  
Mallory looked at her, eyes turning back to their normal dark colours.

"I saw _him_."

Susan felt cold.

"Gavin," she whispered.

She looked to her companions knowing that very soon she'd have to explain to them all what she had learnt about the Great Darkness. But she couldn't bear to do it. They were happy, relaxed and rejoicing in the fall of another dark creature. It was too soon to burden them with the terrifying truth about the enemy they faced, about the ravenous hunger and the unwavering urge to destroy and change the worlds to its own image.

It was too soon.

"So this isn't goodbye or farewell," Mallory said quietly, "Because I will seen you very soon… in the last battle for the worlds."

Susan nodded, her mouth dry as she pulled herself away and moved to stand with her friends and family. Caspian was looking at her, an unreadable look in his eyes as Susan flinched. She pushed her unease away before turning to the others.

"Alright," she reached for her pouch, reaching for the yellow ring that would take them away.

"Onto the next world," Elias smiled.

Susan nodded, her mind still lingering uneasily over Mallory's words. Taking a deep she touched the ring and they were gone, Mallory sighing knowing the next time they met it would be on the deadliest of battlefields

But until then…

"Watch yourself," the psychic whispered, "And I'll see you soon…"

And turning she walked back to the Academy with Gaspar by her side and Kage and Volkov at her back, the four returning to their home to begin restoring their damaged world.

AAAAAA

Author's notes: And another arc over and the next arc is going to be a biggie. So stayed tuned for that!


	55. The fortress in the sky

Merry Christmas!!! A somewhat belated Christmas present!!!!

Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah you know the drill

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 55: The fortress in the sky**

The electronic billboard flickered, dazzling images flashing across the massive screen as people walked by, hardly glancing at the thing, content smiles on their faces.

"We are blessed."

The voice that spoke from the screen was soft, droning, blending into the background and becoming just part of the scene.

"We are happy."

The images flickered, nonsense pictures that danced and laughed on the screen with carefree glee.

"War is bad."

The cartoon characters were singing, their caricature faces glowing with joy.

"Violence is bad. Intolerance is bad."

The cartoon figures faded replaced by a beaming woman with serene eyes and perfect red lips.

"So let's all live together on Ataraxia…" she winked, "Happily forever!!"

The images dissolved into nothing, the screen going black before the video looped itself, replaying once more.

Zaru blinked, drinking it all in, his wide smoky-blue eyes reflecting the neon glow of the screen.

"I love T.V.!!" the leopard practically squealed, a blanket hiding his head and body from casual view.

"Quiet," Elias scolded, "They might hear you."

Zaru huffed as Elias laughed, flicking his ears. The leopard growled but a stifled yawn ruined any pretence at aggression. The leopard shrugged and curled into a ball, the sweet scent of peace and comfort drifting in the air sending him to sleep.

Elias smiled at him fondly before looking out at the land of Ataraxia and the setting sun, its burnished reflection shown a thousand times in the towering skyscrapers that dominated the urban landscape. Beyond and all around was the endless expanse of the heavens, blue bleeding to red as the sun died. Their house was perched impossibly on a small floating island in the sky, one of the thousand of splinters of land that made up Ataraxia.

Elias frowned and turned back to the book in his lap.

"The Impact," he whispered, reading for the thousandth time a rendition of the horrifying history of this place.

Twenty years before Ataraxia had died.

A meteor from the darkest reaches of space had smashed into the planet, rending it in one terrible blow. In the single blink of an eye what was once whole and complete had been shattered, pieces of earth sent spinning into the heavens, floating aimlessly as vast oceans drained in seconds, forests burned and died and the mountains themselves toppled. In a single day billions had perished and of those who remained disease and violence reaped a terrible harvest

The hapless fell, the unscrupulous pillaging and indulging their every sadistic whim. Order was an illusion in this new hellish world order. And at the height of the madness it was rumoured man had devoured man, gorging themselves on the weak, the sick and the young.

Elias pushed the book away, disgusted. It was silly to be angry with history but Elias couldn't help it. Why was man's first instinct always to destroy? To exploit? Why did they always give in to the darkest of their natures.

Elias had transverse world after world, fighting to save them all but in that moment it all seemed so useless to him. It didn't matter how many demons or monsters he helped destroy because nothing could save man from himself.

The scientist flinched as a stab of despair and helplessness struck him.

"No..."

He saw Susan and Jason and Zaru and Inara and smile curled his lips.

There was never just monsters... there would always be heroes, fighting, struggling for what was right.

Movement caught his eyes and Elias looked up. In the distance he could see other island, complex propulsion units welded to their bottoms helping them stay afloat as winged machines flew between the different islands. The aircrafts with their lightweight frames and crystalline wings looked like delicate dragonflies as they weaved and dodged around bigger train-like transporters that zipped on thick cables strung between the lands.

Out to the west Elias noticed a blimp, lights flashing as it bobbed gently along in an air current, cruising serenely towards its destination. Advertisements flashed across its side and Elias instantly frowned.

"Malik Industries," he whispered the now-familiar name.

Malik Industries. The saviour of Ataraxia. Even as all around them was plunged back into the dark times of humanity, into a time of bloody and ruthless fight for survival, Malik Industries had kept working. They were the ones who had clawed humanity from the brink. They were the ones who had blazed with light amongst all the death and destruction.

When he had first stumbled into this world Elias was fascinated trying to understand it all.

How could people, let alone a vast civilisation exist on such puny levitating chunks of rock? Were there forests? Lakes? Rivers? What about the weather? Was there rain?

But the answer was simple.

The propulsion units that stabilised the fragments of land, the machine that made oxygen and hydrogen into water, the generators that made power and light from nothing, the medicines, the computers, the technology... all had been birthed in Malik's factories.

Elias itched to study the machines, to dissect them and understand how they worked but so far he hadn't been able to get close to a single one.

The scientist growled and looked across the city once more as advertisements for Malik Industries played on the neon screens that seemed to cover almost every square inch of available space, pretty men and women promoting everything under the sun.

"Malik..." Elias frowned.

"Elias?"

The scientist turned with a yelp of surprise and found himself staring up at Caspian.

"Yes?" Elias tried to hide his shock.

"Susan wants us downstairs."

Elias felt rather than saw Zaru awake. The leopard's eyes flicked open and a pair of smoky blue eyes stared at Caspian balefully, the king enduring his gaze without a word.

"Thank you," Elias said looking at the king sadly.

The boy looked thin, stretched almost to breaking point. But whatever he was feeling it was locked behind a mask of ice. Words died on Elias's lips, everything he wanted to say sounding some pathetic and useless. He could only sit and watch as Caspian nodded and walked away. Elias sighed.

"You should leave him be," he scolded glaring at the leopard.

Zaru looked up at him, fangs bared.

"He tried to kill Susan," Zaru snapped.

"It wasn't his fault," Elias argued, knowing it was useless.

He wanted to protect Caspian but nothing could save the king from his guilt and shame, from having to face Susan day to day and having to endure Jason, Peter and Zaru's open hostility.

"He tried to kill Susan," Zaru repeated as if that ended the argument.

Shaking his head in exasperation Elias gave up.

"Come on," he said instead getting up, "I think they're eating downstairs."

And Zaru perked up as he bounded after the scientist the two descending down the stairs to join the others.

AAAAAA

"This is the worst world ever," Inara muttered.

Peter glared at her, a headache pounding steadily against his temples. He winced.

'_Do no harm. Do no harm. Do no harm.'_

The air seemed full of whispers, constantly worrying his senses. He rubbed angrily at his ear, trying to clear them but he could hear the voices, nipping at him, repeating same words over and over again. He frowned, trying to work out what they were, what they mean –

He noticed Inara looking at him worriedly and instantly pasted a smirk on his face.

"It's not that bad," he forced himself to say.

"Not that bad?!" Inara squawked, indignant, "Look at me! Look!"

She gestured down at herself.

"This is assassinating my fashion sense!"

Peter rolled his eyes. Inara was dressed in an orange jumpsuit, all of them forced to don the uniform of this world.

Susan sat the head of the table, her face unreadable. Caspian walked in and Jason and Peter instantly stiffened, their eyes following the king as he sat down.

"Food!"

Zaru bounded into the room, Elias behind him as Inara rolled her eyes. She opened her mouth, readying to launch a barb at the leopard but Susan cut her off.

"Everyone... I've got something to tell you," she said hesitantly.

And everyone stared at her puzzled.

AAAAAA

Silence filled the room.

"Huh," Inara said finally.

"Are... are..." Elias swallowed trying to wet his throat, "Are you sure?"

"Viola showed me," Susan said flatly, "It's real."

And they stared at each other, not knowing what to say, what to think.

"My god... Gavin," Inara frowned, "Gavin?! Seriously? What kind of evil super-villain name is that?"

"One who has managed to destroy worlds," Caspian said grimly.

Inara let out a long deep breath.

"So... what do we do now?"

In some way she could understand the Darkness. She too had suffered in her childhood, she too had seen the darkest faces of humanity. How many times had she wished someone would come and change it all, someone would come and right all the thousands of wrongs that thrived? But the Darkness... that was not way.  
"What do you mean what do we know?" Jason demanded sharply, "It doesn't change anything! We still have to destroy that bastard."

The Seeker had seen the damage the Great Darkness had done, had seen innocent people die because of its selfish desires. He was the enemy and that was all Jason needed to know... that and how to destroy it.

"I think it does change things," Elias said gently, "It's trying to save the worlds."  
"And what we let it? We let Narnia die?" Peter spat, "Maybe you missed the part where everyone dies in Gavin's little scheme."

"I agree with," Zaru spoke up, "The Darkness is insane. We need to stop it."  
"Or maybe..." Elias hesitated over his next words, "We need to talk to it."

Everyone stared at him.

"What?" Jason said dangerously.

"Maybe the key isn't to destroy it. Maybe the key is to show it that this isn't the way," Elias said in a rush of words trying to get his thoughts out before the others stopped him, "It's goal is noble – "

"WHAT?!" Zaru roared, "You've seen the darkness in the worlds! You've seen what it does! How can it be noble?!"

Elias looked beleaguered, searching for worlds as the others glared at him but Susan understood him. She had been the one to be shown the Great Darkness's birth, to understand it was not truly a monster but a boy, a child who did not understand why the world was the way it was.

What it was doing was madness but was it wrong?

"Gavin wants to save the worlds," Susan said quietly, "Wants to eradicate violence and hate and everything else that is wrong – "

Peter, flushed with anger opened his mouth but Susan cut him off.

"I know what he is doing is wrong. I have seen the destruction he causes... but he is not a complete monsters. Maybe we can stop this... by just..." Susan felt foolish by saying it but it had to be said, "By talking to it. Making it see this is not the way."

"And how do you propose we talk to it?" Inara demanded, "Whipping out the phone and dialling 1800-ultimate-evil? It's evil! We are meant to stop it!"

Zaru flinched as he smelt Susan's fury. The world room was saturated with bitter ash and pepper, stinging as they turned on each other, frustration climbing.

"I'm not saying we stop fighting!" Susan snapped, "Because we still need to stop the darkness it has planted in the worlds. Save Narnia and Aslan but..."

She scrambled for words, trying to say what she felt, trying to understand –

"The Great Darkness might be an ally."

Everyone looked at Caspian as he looked back at them, eyes unreadable.

"If we can stop it from what it's doing... if we can make it understand... maybe it can really help, really wrought good in the worlds," he said hesitantly.

"Oh yes, this coming from the traitor himself!" Zaru snarled, "Or maybe you're just helping your master win this war!"

"ZARU!" Susan roared, "STOP!"

"This is madness!' Peter argued, "We should concentrate on winning this war not on debating the ethics of what the Great Darkness is doing!"

He twitched suddenly, growling under his breath.

"Look," Elias tried again, "There must be some way of contacting the Darkness, some way of making it see – "

"Elias."

The scientist look at the queen who looked at them all wearily.

"Arguing is not going to help us," she said finally, "Why... why don't we just let this rest? I think we all need time to mull over it."  
And she stood and left the room as Zaru instantly followed her, the leopard her constant shadow ever since Caspian's attack on her.

Silence fell over the table.

"Damn," Inara said finally.

Peter twitched again.

Elias stood up abruptly.

"I need some air," the scientist said, face closed and he left before anyone could say a single word.

Jason growled under his breath as he watched the scientist leave, furious with the man for being weak, for even considering _talking _to the Great Darkness. You don't talk with your enemies, you just rip them apart and feed the pieces to the dogs!

Caspian glared at Jason, fed up with the Seeker, fed up with the way that man had been treating him, fed up with the way he assumed he was always right.

"Just because he doesn't agree with you doesn't make him a monster," Caspian snapped.

Inara and Peter's eyes widened.

"Cowboy – " Inara began desperately.

"Isn't there an innocent person you should be stabbing?" Jason growled.

"I'm not going to be shamed by you anymore!" Caspian spat, "You think I don't know what I've done? How close Susan came to death because of me? I hate myself! I don't need you to remind me."  
Peter shifted uncomfortably in his chair as Inara winced.

"The only reason you hate me is because you hate yourself. For failing her like I did," Caspian snapped, his voice like frozen fire.

"I hate you because you almost killed her!" Jason roared back.

"And you don't hate yourself?" Caspian's voice was like a blade, slicing through Jason's rage.

The Seeker stared at him, white-faced.

"Cowboy – " Inara began.

With a growl Jason lurched to his feet and stormed out of the room. A split second later they heard the door slam shut.

Caspian sat back heavily in his chair, face flushed, chest heaving.

"Caspian..."

The king looked at Peter, who shifted very uncomfortably in his seat. His blue eyes flicked away, his throat working silently before he looked Caspian straight in the eye.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Caspian smiled back sadly, accepting the High King's heartfelt apology.

"So am I."

AAAAAA

Elias turned the corner, his mind still whirling frantically.

Gavin... the Great Darkness...

He was so confused. He had seen what the Darkness had done to the worlds. Had seen the people who had suffered and died but he still stood by his convictions. If the Great Darkness could be made to see sense then maybe –

Elias sighed, careful to keep the same blank smile on his face that all the people around him had. They shuffled past him in neat lines, commanded as though by unseen words and commands, all of them with the same neat smile and neat clothes, all happy and cheerful and at utter peace with their world.

After the madness Ataraxia had been plunged into after the impact, Elias couldn't understand how these people could so... at ease. A flare of colour instantly drew his eyes to the large screen protruding from a skyscraper.

"Malik Industries is proud to unveil its new model of sky-trains!" a cheerful voice announced as images of the new machine flashed onto the screen, "Malik Industries is promising upgrades to all of its cable circuits improving efficiency and reliving congestion."

The scientist wove his way through the crowd, studying all of the blank smiling faces around him.

His eyes widened as he realised something, his head instantly swivelled back to the screen as the promotion continued.

"Malik Industries!" the narrator finished, "We change worlds!"

"Oh my…" Elias whispered as a strange cartoon figures pranced across the screen, colourful signs and words flashing rapidly at the crowd.

Elias's eyes swept the street, there were small screens everywhere, each broadcasting their own advertisements and programs, the screens so numerous that neon lights and cartoon sounds were as much a part of the landscape as the jumpsuits everyone wore.

"Broadcasting at a range below…" Elias looked at all the grinning people and scowled, "Oh you people… you poor, poor people."

Careful to avoid the glares of the screens, Elias continued down the street, skin crawling as he tried to make himself blind and deaf to all of the electronics around him unaware that there were invisible eyes watching him, recording his every move.

AAAAAA

Jason fought to keep the same bland grin on his face as inwardly he twitched, longing to grab someone and shake them until they told him what was wrong with this eerily happy world.

Why was everyone so damn happy?!?

Inwardly he sighed trying to push his anger away.

"Damn it."

Caspian had been right. He didn't hate the king not truly, he hated himself for not stopping the man earlier. In the Academy he had sensed something was wrong with the king, that something was off but he had ignored his instincts and Susan had almost died.

Why did he always fail those he loved?!

Jason blinked.

What had they come from?

But in that moment of rage, that moment of anger he had glimpsed a face.

"Yolanda..." Jason whispered, shaken to his core.

"ARGH!"

The Seeker jerked and looked up as a woman tripped over her own feet, her groceries flying out of her bags. Red sauce flew through the air, splashing onto some of the bystanders as the crowd froze as one, grins falling slightly as they watched the woman.

"Are you okay?"  
"Are you alright?"  
"Do you need help?"

"Should we call a doctor?"

Everyone swarmed towards her, eager to help, her fallen belongings quickly gathered up and placed back in her bag as others helped her to stand. They brushed her off and her bag was handed back as she smiled at them grateful.

"Thank you! Thank you for your kindness!"

"Your welcome!"

"No need to worry about it!"

"As long as you're fine!"

The woman beamed and turned to look sheepishly at those who had been dirtied by her dropped food.

"I'm so sorry," she said, bowing a little, "Please. I am more than happy to pay for your cleaning costs."

The sauce-splattered people smiled back at her, shaking their heads.

"Don't worry about," one man grinned, "Accidents happen to everyone."  
"Forget it," another woman replied energetically, "I was going to get rid of this suit anyway! In fact you did me a favour!"

But the third man was glaring at the woman, a thunderous look on his red-drenched face.

"You… you slattern!" he howled.

His voice was like a knife in the belly, everyone freezing as they stared at the man in abject horror. The silence spread swiftly, the whole crowd slowly grinding to a halt as everyone swivelled to look at the man, fear and utter incomprehension on their faces. The woman, the target of his ire, recoiled, hands going to her open mouth as the man stomped towards her, fists clenched.

"How dare YOU?!?" he screamed, the sauce on his face like blood on a murderer.

Jason watched, tensed and ready, as the whole city seemed to fall silent, even the hovercrafts freezing in their paths as the man screamed with fury again, a jagged jangling note that was as alien as Jason in this world.

"I just bought this suit!!!" the man roared, jabbing at finger at the woman.

The woman staggered, eyes wide, shaking her head frantically.

"Please, sir… I…" the woman was on the verge of tears.

"Go to hell, you stupid…" the man began venomously.

Before he could say another word, a giant dark shadow fell over the crowd. Everyone looked up, gasping as an immense aircraft, shaped like an arrowhead and bristling with weapons drifted over them, light pulsing along its jewel-bright bottom. A beam of light suddenly lanced from its underbelly, pinning the man down with its brilliant glare.

Jason shifted stealthily, slipping further back into the crowd as a long coil of rope fell from the hovering warship, untwisting as the crowd watched, faces blank.

The man cried out in alarm, staggering back as a dark form rappelled down the rope landing with a thump right before him. He whimpered, screaming in terror.

"No…" the man yelled, pushing against the crowd.

The people around him were like statues, staring blankly ahead, not giving him one whit of notice as the man cried, falling to his knees.

"NO!! I was just… I was just…"

"BAM!"

The man fell to the ground, motionless as the darkly clad soldier lashed out, clubbing him straight in the face. The attacker was dressed in combat gear, a bulletproof vest strapped to his chest, helmet and tinted goggles hiding his features and giving him an enigmatically menacing mien.

Without a word, he tied the man to the end of the rope before clutching it himself with gloved hands. At a silent signal, the rope was pulled back into the massive ship, soldier and prisoner disappearing into a hatch that opened up at their approach.

No one protested. No one stopped them. No one moved and no one made even the smallest noise.

The warship pulsed with light before rising once more. Engines gunned, flames flying from its rear and the massive craft was gone, zipping through the air with unbelievable speed, leaving the crowd to stagger in its back draft.

The dazed tripper straightened, a grin slowly coming over her face. She turned and walked away as the crowd resumed its movements, everyone still smiling, not a word mentioned about the taken man.

After a few seconds it was like nothing had happened before, no cries of shock, no alarm… nothing, just the same blank grin, just an ordinary day on an ordinary street in this strange world.

Jason could see from the faces around him the man was already forgotten, had completely ceased to exist as if the warship had taken both prisoner and memories. His jaws dropped.

"What the hell?!"

AAAAAA

In this room he was God Himself. He was everywhere; his will and mind in every city, in every house. Screens flickered and flared before him, lights and colours splashing against the bland walls before dying, fading like mirages. His eyes reflected screens and through them the world, nothing escaping his notice.

He had the world at his fingertips and he could crush anyone or anything he wanted, a single word and entire cities would fall, a single gesture and genocide would sweep what remained of the world. Yes, he was a king, he was a god, he was deity and he was power personified.

And he loved it.

He was worshipped, venerated, adored across the shattered globe, placed on a pedestal and elevated to the heavens themselves. He fed on it, fed on the twisted love the world showed him, it was his food, his air, his water and the sole purpose of his life.

A small smug smile of satisfaction and sadism crossed his shrunken face, his eyes twitching as he continued to study the screens, watching people work in offices, sit in classrooms and shop in markets, each blissfully unaware of the god that ruled their lives.

"Sir."

He whipped around as a slim figure stepped into the room, the woman blinking rapidly as she was dazed by the millions of screens that dominated all the walls.

"What?!" he barked, his voice trembling with fury.

How dare she tread in his sanctuary? How dare she disturb his peace?! Did she know who he was?!? Anger blackened his eyes, his lips pulling back into a snarl as he shook with his rage, his mouth opening to spell out her death sentence.

One word and…

"He's here," the woman reported hurriedly, blanching knowing what was on his mind.

His eyes widened as a fat tongue poked out, white saliva bathing dry bleeding lips.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, multiple cameras from various locations have confirmed his presence…" she swallowed, "Sir… he's here."

She stood, waiting, praying as his mind grappled with the news, terrible visions of violence and bloodshed flashing before his minds eye.  
"Excellent! Excellent!"

His voice was high, brittle and dry as though it would crack at any moment. He rubbed his hands in a childish display of glee, clapping and not even knowing it.

"Get him," he hissed, words stumbling over each other in his excitement "Send the ships. Get him and his companions. And bring him back here. NOW!!"

He turned back to the screens and laughed, the foul taint of madness in his voice, the woman already forgotten. She saluted him and scurried out of the room as he smiled.

"So Elias…" his voice was a caress in the dark, "Let's see how you fare against a god!"

The screens flared, rippling as a single image dominated the screens. Elias Denton stared out at him as he sneered back, anticipating what was to come.

AAAAAA

Susan raised her bow, eyes narrowed as her eyes slid down the shaft of her arrow sighting her target. She was blood-splattered, her hair coiled tightly against her head, an utter look of rage on her face.

"JUST DIE!!!" she screamed.

The arrow leapt from her string, zipping through the air and slamming into Caspian's throat before he had time to react.

"DIE YOU FILTH!!!" Susan roared, aiming again, "DIE!!!"

And an arrow drilled into his heart as the king let out a bellowing death cry.

AAAAAA

Caspian shot up, looking around wildly, the air bitter with his sweat as he gasped desperately for breath. Slowly he calmed, brushing his hair away from his eyes as he leaned forwards, burying his face into his hands.

The nightmares came in torrents, like rain there would be droughts, days and nights when Caspian thought they were gone forever but then they would come, horrible and real.

He didn't know where they come from but always every time he woke from them he felt a pressure in his skull as though something was fighting to break free and tear him apart.

Caspian shuddered.

Was this punishment for what he had done? Or a side-effect of his thankfully short-lived possession?

He closed eyes, remembering it all, feeling sick to his stomach. Susan's stunned face stared back at him, a sword thrust through her belly, his hands wrapped around the hilt as he smiled, relishing her pain and delighting in her death. He had twisted, her cry music to his ears before he had –

Caspian swallowed hurriedly to stop himself from throwing up.

If this was his punishment than he deserved it, deserved every last bit of it.

He had said what he said to Jason to stop the arguing, to stop the cold stares because it hurt Susan to see her friends and family fight. And he had done more than enough to cause her pain.

Still sick and disorientated, Caspian pushed the sheets from his body and got up, hearing the sound of conversation drifting through the doors.

AAAAAA

"Stop twitching," Inara muttered as Peter jumped again.

"Can't help it," he growled back.

'_Do no harm. Do no harm. Do no harm.'_

The whispers were back, haunting from the moment he opened his eyes from the moment he fell asleep, building in volume, getting stronger and stronger and –

Peter frowned and thrust his Gift outwards, twitching again as he did so.

"What are you doing?"

"We're being watched," Peter said flatly.

His Gift surrounded the camera, twisting what it saw, making illusions into reality as Peter smiled with satisfaction, knowing he had stopped the camera from seeing anything he didn't want it to see.

"What?" Inara yelped, looking around frantically.

"This house is full of cameras and listening devices," Peter stumbled over the unfamiliar words, "This whole world is full of them."

"You mean someone's spying on us?" Inara demanded.

Peter twitched as he disabled another camera even as the whispers assaulted him once more.

"I mean someone's spying on the whole world."

"Why?" Inara gaped at him.

Peter looked at her darkly.

"I really don't know."

AAAAAA

"So they took him away?" Susan repeated incredulously.

Jason nodded grimly.

"AHA!!"

Everyone jumped, staring at Elias in shock.

"It makes sense!" the scientist said excitedly, "All of it!"

Jason, Susan and Zaru looked at him, confused.

Caspian walked into the room silently, face pale and taut as he studied Susan without the others knowing, guilt eating away at him.

"Well, I guess it makes sense with what I realised yesterday," Elias continued, "All those screens you see? All those non-stop advertisements? They're hiding something."

"Hiding?" Susan frowned.

"Yes! Subliminal messages!"

Everyone was still confused as Elias sighed.

"Messages that tap into subconscious making us do things or think things against our will. Controlling people."

Peter and Inara joined them, frowning as they caught Elias's statement.

"Like brainwashing?" Inara said hesitantly, "Someone's brainwashing this world? Into doing what?"

'_Do no harm. Do no harm.'_

Peter blinked as he realised what the whispers were.

"Do no harm... they're controlling the people here. Making them peaceful. That's why they're no wars here. No violence. No crime... because someone is forcing them to do it," Peter gaped, "And they watch everyone... to make sure."

Susan frowned at him.

"Cameras," Peter looked around, his Gift telling him where they were all hidden, "Someone's been spying on us. Well... they would've if my Gifts didn't stop them. But how?"

"Malik Industries," Zaru yelped having watched the televisions and the giant street side screens for hours on end, "That's all that play on those screens!"

Elias nodded eagerly.

"Yes," the scientist smiled, finally seeing the bigger picture, "It makes sense. Malik Industries is the leading company in this world. They make everything… from food products and beverages to buildings to soap to computers to toys and weapons… they practically run this world. They can easily install their cameras everywhere…"  
"And use it to the spy on the people," Zaru hissed realising the truth.

"And if they spot someone that doesn't conform," Susan realised.

"They're hauled off," Jason finished, seeing the whole picture "And…"

The Seeker trailed off, his words lingering unpleasantly in the air. Susan suddenly gasped.

"But… that means… this whole world… they're oppressed!" the queen spluttered.  
"And they don't even know it," Elias looked out the window, an uneasy look coming over his face, "I recognise the look in their eyes… they've been brainwashed. I've seen test subjects before… subliminal messaging, mental conditioning and positive and negative reinforcements. This whole world… they're brainwashed into loving everything."

Elias was a scientist, meant to push the boundaries of the world itself to understand the mysteries of the forces that governed them externally and internally. He was known to be occasionally reckless, tunnel-sighted in his pursuit of the truth but even he had limits, lines that he would never cross. And the tampering of minds and genetics was one of the starkest boundaries he could never invade.

"And ironically that sounds evil," Peter pointed out, "I mean this is a world of never-ending peace."

"You can't force people to accept peace and erase those who don't agree," Susan hissed vehemently, "This isn't a paradise… it's a dictatorship."

And she and Elias blanched as they realised her words, her feelings of revulsion.

"Gavin," Susan said quietly, "The Great Darkness..."  
Before the queen could say another word, a loud thump came from the roof. Their heads snapped up as the whole house began to shake violently, a strange buzzing sound shuddering through the walls and windows. The kitchen table shook, the floor leaping beneath their feet, the glasses of water rippling wildly as some dishes fell from the tabletop, shattering to the ground and adding to the chaos.

"What's going on?!" Caspian yelled, screaming over the dull roar in the air as the shaking intensified.

Jason was on his feet, daggers unsheathed as a vast shadow fell over the backyard, eclipsing the light completely. A massive spotlight fell onto the house, blazing through the windows as everyone staggered back, dazed.

"Oh hell!" Zaru growled.

"ELIAS DENTON!!"

Everyone froze at the mechanical voice as it blared from speakers high above them.

"ELIAS DENTON! WE KNOW YOU ARE IN THERE! SURRENDER NOW!!"

Elias blanched as everyone turned to look at him, stunned.

"Uhh… Doc? Feel like filling in a few blanks?" Inara said slowly.

Elias could only choke on his breath, his mouth opening and closing helplessly.

"WEAPONS!!" Susan thundered.

"YOU HAVE EXACTLY THREE SECONDS TO SURRENDER!" the voice ordered, "ONE… TWO…"

Caspian dashed back into the house, Inara following him as the two hurried to arm themselves.

"Brace yourselves!" Peter roared.  
"THREE!" came the inevitable end.  
"BOOM!"  
The entire kitchen wall suddenly exploded inwards, flames and debris battering them as dark forms swung into the house on ropes.

Peter hurled his hand forwards, a thin whip of lightning striking one man in the chest and knocking him down as Susan swung, bow in hand.

Her first arrow bounced harmlessly over the invader's bulletproof vest but her second struck with deadly accuracy sliding between vest and helmet and finding the man's neck.

Gunfire blazed, the table instantly disintegrating as ceramic shattered, food flying everywhere.

Jason roared and shoved a wall of white fire at the men knocking them back. Caspian burst out from the hallway, sword in hand. Inara trailed him, armed with a sword herself, eyes wide as she took in the army coming towards them.

"WHAT'S HAPPENING?!?" Susan shrieked over the roar of the guns.

Peter's Gift instantly provided him with the answer, a jumble of images and words and feelings sweeping through him.

"There's an airship above the house," Peter said quickly.

He could felt the complex machines and circuits that made up the ship, his mind stripping the machine down into its metal skeleton and computer innards, dissecting it all apart with frantic speed. Peter tried to enter the machine, trying to stall it but against there were programs inside the system, fighting back like soldiers repelling an invasion.

He stumbled, his mind snapping back into place as a fresh wash of soldiers descended down from the warship, abseiling to the ground.

"GET BACK!" Peter roared, placing himself before Inara and Elias as more troops swarmed into the house, this time coming from hovercrafts halting before their house.

Caspian staggered, barely able to see through the smoke and dust as Susan grabbed Jason by the arm.

"Get them out of here!" she roared pointing at Inara and Elias, "GO!!"

The Seeker roared and grabbed the two, disappearing into the house as Susan whirled, firing another arrow.

The three royals of Narnia held the flow of enemies back, guns blazing, arrows flying and lightning flaring as they made their stand. Zaru was amidst their enemies, a flash of gold that was never still, men stumbling to the ground only to have their throats ripped where they fell.

Susan yelped, dropping her bow as a bullet clipped her in the shoulder.

"SUSAN!"  
Caspian tackled her from the side, knocking her out of the way as bullets tore the ground apart. He twisted on the ground, sword flashing, hacking at the soldier's ankles.

Zaru howled, leaping onto one of the men's back bringing him down as Peter threw handfuls of lightning at their enemies.

"BOOM!"

An explosion blew the kitchen apart, bodies flying everywhere as the warship above their house began to rain bombs down on them. The building shook threatening to collapse as more and more troops flooded the house.

AAAAAA

"BACK DOOR!" Inara yelled.

"NO!"

Light blazed in the side windows, searchlights blinding them as more hovercrafts appeared, crashing through the nearby fence and smashing into the sound of the house.

"BOOM!"

The house shook as bombs fell from the sky, the roof instantly disintegrating as the top level began to collapse.

"We have to get out of here!" Elias yelped.

"HE'S HERE!" a voice boomed.

Jason cursed, his powers flying out and smashing into the man's face knocking him down. He twisted, the pictures hanging on the wall shaking before flying from their hooks, spinning down the hall and knocking another few soldiers down.

"GO! GO! GO!" Jason roared.

Inara led the way, Elias behind her.

"BOOM!"

The back wall blew apart, a hovercraft thrusting its stern into the house itself as Inara's eyes widened.

"NO!"

The door fell, swinging down and grinding into the floor as soldiers poured out, weapons raised.

"ELIAS DENTON! SURRENDER NOW!!" the mechanical voice blared, "THERE IS NO POINT IN FIGHTING!!"  
Elias stared at all the destruction around him, Jason using his powers to hurl a table at the enemies as Inara hefted her sword, knowing the battle was already lost.

"I don't…" Elias stumbled back, bewildered, "What…"

What was going on here? How did they know this name? Why did they want him? Who wanted him?

Unanswerable questions yammered to be heard as Elias looked to Inara, ghostly pale.

"Maybe I should…" he licked his lips, "I should just give myself up."

"Doc," Inara picked up a pot-plant and hurled it at the newly arrived wave of soldiers, "Shut. Up."

Unbeknownst to them all outside citizens continued to walk down the streets, staring blankly and happily ahead not a single soul stopping to stare at the spectacle.

Jason grunted, his jumpsuit soaked with sweat as he summoned his powers once more, ripping the floorboards apart and hurling them down the hall.

In the last world he had worked non-stop with Gaspar to train his powers, honing them to be as destructive and deadly as ever and he was using every bit of his lethal expertise to deal maximum carnage.

All three of them knew it was helpless, the enemies had them boxed in, the whole house surrounded but if they were going to fall…

"Let's take down as many of them as possible!" Inara roared.

The soldiers from the back slammed into them instantly bowling the girl over as she swung desperately at the men.

"NO!"

One man raised his gun and clubbed Inara in the face with the butt, knocking her out as Elias howled in fury. His crossbow and orbs were upstairs, now lost in the debris, leaving the man completely weapon-less.

"YOU!"  
"ELIAS DENTON! FREEZE!"  
Elias roared at them, hurling himself at the men. He punched one in the face, his knuckles rapping against visor, hurting him more than his opponent but Elias kicked him, forcing him back.

"FREEZE!"

Elias whirled only to have two metal prongs fired at him. The scientist froze, eyes bulging as the prongs pierced cloth and stuck into his skin.

"No…" he gasped, moving to rip them free.  
"ELIAS!!"

His nerves were on fire, his body convulsing wildly as an electric current roared through him, frying his mind. Elias fell, twitching as the taser continued its attack, shocking him into submission.  
With a small wimple, he fell still, his chest charred, his body still in spasms.

"Target is down! Target is down!" one of the soldiers roared as several rushed forwards to secure the fallen man.

"NO!!"  
Jason threw them back, wreathed in a column of white fire as the Seeker made his defeat a bloody one.

"BOOM!"  
Another bomb fell from the warship hovering over their house and the second floor finally gave way collapsing down onto the ground storey.

Jason's head shot up as metal creaked and the last thing the Seeker saw was a massive plank of timber plummeting towards him.

He fell without a sound, the white fire dying as the soldiers instantly hurried forwards, shackling him.

"We have three of the targets," one of the soldiers reported into his communication device, "We have three of the targets!!"

Trussed up, Inara, Elias and Jason were dragged away into the hovercraft crashed through the back wall as the fight in the kitchen continued to rage.

AAAAAA

"KEEP BEHIND ME!!" Caspian roared, his sword bloody, a stolen gun in hand.

He fired into a man's face, bullets tearing through visor as he swung his sword at another, the keen blade slicing through the man's unprotected legs and bringing him down.

He stood before Susan, protecting her with his body, he had failed her once, he would not do so again even if it meant his death. Grimly he fired his gun into the army as Susan fired her arrows over his shoulder, her blue eyes holding a hint of tawny gold as her vision scythed through smoke and dust finding her targets unerringly. Against modern armour and guns, Artemis's bow still proved to the deadlier weapons.

Peter used his Gifts ruthlessly, the machines in the room coming to live. The fridge exploded outwards, the blast taking down two men before it toppled, crushing another as its motors smoked.

He reached out with his mind, invading the radios and phones that connected the soldiers and disrupted the very electrons flowing through their circuits, soldiers screaming as blaring screeches suddenly boomed into their ears.

Lightning leapt from his fingers in brilliant arcs, drawn towards the guns and combat gear the soldiers wore, the metal drawing the lightning with devastating result.

The house was falling apart around their ears, Zaru leaping out of the way as the top floor bathroom collapsed, a sink smashing against a man's head as water fell into torrential downpours.

The leopard leapt onto a fallen length of timber, springboard off and tackling a man around the face, claws finding exposed flesh and tearing deep. Bullets flew like angry wasps all around him, his fur ruffling as they passed but Zaru twisted and dodged, leaping and moving, the bullets hitting the soldiers and missing him each time.

It was a deadly dance, Zaru's every step landing perfectly as he continued his fight.

A soldier charged past Caspian, knocking the king aside as he lunged at Susan. The queen dodged his punch, stabbing him with an arrow.

In quick succession she fired three arrows, each killing their target, her gold-blue eyes darting across the room like dragonflies on a pond, her heart sinking as more reinforcements came.

"THERE'S TOO MANY!!" Susan roared over the gunfire and screams, "RETREAT! RETREAT!!"

Caspian shouted his approval as he ripped a rifle from a man's hands, replacing his own ran-out gun. He aimed and fire with sniper precision, his time as leader of the Dawn Treaders back in Persephone giving him deadly firearm skills.

"ZARU! PETER!!" Susan ordered, "PULL BACK!"

Zaru dived between a man's legs, skidding forwards as Peter took the man down with a crackling bolt.

"PULL BACK!!"

Susan gritted her teeth, knowing instinctively the whole house was full of their enemies and retreat was almost impossible but they had to try… they could not win this battle, not with such overwhelming numbers against them.

"RETREA –"

Susan could never be quite sure of what happened next and it haunted her for a very long time.

Caspian had been in front of her, defending her as he fired back at their enemies, defiant to the last. Zaru had roared, ambushing and tearing into the soldiers as Peter had continued his assault, lighting sear flesh with deadly results as both leopard and High King began to back away.

Susan remembered raising her silver bow and aiming at a particular heavyset man and then…

Nothing, just a second of utter chaos where the whole world had become light and sound, blitzing past too fast for her to see and the next thing Susan knew she had been thrown off her feet, her back almost breaking as she was hurled into a wall.

"SU!!"

Smoke flooded the room, terrible screams winding through the smog as men died where they lay.

"What…" Susan was confused, blinking, "ZARU!? CASPIAN?!"

Through the smoke a soldier lunged at her, a blur in her dazed vision but Susan managed to smash him in the face with her silver bow knocking him aside. Her sceptre came into her hands without her even knowing how it got there but she stabbed forwards, working on pure instincts and the second soldier fell away, wreathed in crackling blue energy.

She was disorientated, struggling to her feet as she tried to piece what had happened.  
"CASPIAN!!! PETER!! ZARU!!!"

"SU!!!"

Peter's cursed arms grabbed her, his weakened hands only able to form the lightest of grips as Susan pushed away from the wall, still dazed.

"What happened?" she yelped.

Her ears were ringing, her world still spinning. Peter stomped his foot and a wall of blazing lightning sprung to life, stabbing at the men with sword-like spars and forcing them as he held Susan by the shoulders and concentrated.

The world instantly distorted, warping and twisting in on itself as Peter turned to Susan, the only thing unchanged in the new realm Susan found herself in. She felt nauseous, her head throbbing from when she had hit the wall, her vision spinning as she grappled with the strange fluid, moving world around her.

"Come on," Peter hissed, "Quietly!"

He led the way, plunging through the ruined kitchen door. The rest of the house was ablaze, the ceiling bulging down as the house began to collapse, entire rooms plummeting to the earth from the second floor. The hallway was empty, the signs of a titanical battle still evident, everything including walls and floors torn apart.

Peter cursed softly, still leading his stunned sister as he saw the hovercraft smashing through the back wall. Drawing the distorted air around him closer, concentrating fiercely to hold it intact, they escaped through the destroyed back wall, carefully skirting around the craft.

Soldiers were still pouring into the house, more and more hovercrafts arriving every second. Soldiers occupied the backyard, guarding the house, weapons raised ready to swoop on any fleers but none of them even realised there were enemies amongst them. Peter carefully negotiated his way through the dense thicket of soldiers and guns, avoiding them, sometimes sneaking away just inches from their faces, the smoke pouring from the house easing his task. After several nerve wracking, life-shortening minutes they managed to sneak through the band of men, Peter leading Susan through the destroyed back fence and onto the streets.

People walked by him, not even blinking as an invisible phantom pushed through them, knocking them down. They simply picked themselves up and continued walking, Peter amazed that no one was paying the slightest bit of attention to the siege happening right in the midst

But the people merely smiled their empty happy smiles and continued on their way, Peter grimacing at the emptiness in their eyes. Finally he finally stopped at the fringes of the park, immediately turning to his sister. Susan blinked at him, her mind still stuffed with wool and claxons.

"What…"

The High King looked around, blue eyes flashing as he savagely disabled all cameras in the vicinity with Lauren's Gift before dropping the stealth around them.

He turned back and stared grimly back in the direction of the house, cursing the wall of soldiers that now ringed the place, completely securing the area. There was no hope of sneaking back, no hope of going back and finding the others.

Susan looked at him, horror climbing into her eyes as she realised what had happened.

"The others…"  
Peter nodded grimly.

"Most likely taken."

Or dead… but he held his tongue.

"To where?" Susan demanded frantically, clutching at hi.

Peter shrugged helplessly as Susan whirled and stared at the house, horror in her wide blue eyes.

AAAAAA

"Wha…?!"

"Careful," Caspian rumbled.

Inara twisted to look at him.

"What happened?" she demanded stupidly, still groggy.

Caspian raised his hands silently, his wrists shackled, chains binding him to the floor. He was leaning against the wall, long legs splayed casually, a thunderous look on his dark face.

"Oh."

Inara shifted, chains rattling as she tested her bonds. Like Caspian she was securely shackled to the ground.

"Great," Inara slumped back against the wall, "Where are we?"  
She looked around, brown eyes taking in their surroundings. The cell was confined, completely bare of any furnishings or comforts. Everything was impossibly white, the floors and walls seemingly glowing, pulsing with life.

Inara bristled, her skin crawling as she felt eyes on her, knowing instinctively that thousands of cameras were trained on her from every angle, her every move recorded and catalogued.

She looked at Caspian, noting his bruised and battered face. She winced as her own wounds twitched knowing she probably looked even worse.

"What happened?"  
"They came and they took us," Caspian said bluntly.

He managed a smile, white even teeth stark against his tanned skin.

"But I think Peter and Susan managed to get away," he finished with relish, his voice deliberately loud.

Inara jumped as a soft hiss filled the air, the temperature in the room plummeting as her skin instantly broke out into goosebumps, icy wind cutting through her torn jumpsuit and deep into her flesh.

"What about Doc? Cowboy? Kitty?" Inara demanded, teeth chattering.

The hissed stopped as the temperature slowly climbed back to normal. Inara let out a low sigh of relief as Caspian merely blinked, refusing to react.

"No idea," the king said quietly.

Worry and fear ran through him but Caspian kept up his bland mask, his Telmarine self, the part of him tutored in the bloody art of torture and interrogation knowing the dangers of showing emotions. It was his uncle's hated voice that spoke in his head, softly and deadly repeating the lessons Caspian knew all too well.

In the darkest dungeons of the castle Caspian had been chained as his uncle abused him, curses and threats flying like spittle from his lips as the young prince was humiliated and interrogated for hours on end. He had been shattered, his entire world broken as his uncle ranted, words cutting deeper than blades. In the end he had slumped against his chains, weeping as his uncle mildly told him the lesson was over. He had learn what it felt like to be broken, learnt how to break others. Learn how to resist torture and learnt to use it.

Emotions were as effective as any thumbscrews or hot brands in breaking your enemy. It could be used against you, used to burrow under your skin and into your head, turn everything upside down, make wrong into the right until you broke and confessed everything and anything.

That bitter lesson had been learnt, paid for with tears and anguish. But Caspian was glad for it now, mentally steeling himself for what might come.

"Any idea why they might want Doc?" Inara demanded.

Caspian let out a small sigh, his bleak eyes finding Inara's.

"I think they want him… I don't know why but they might…" he tried to find the right words, tried to put it delicately, "They might use us to get to him."

Inara fell silent, stunned, grappling with her own fears and dark thoughts. She was suddenly acutely aware of her own vulnerability, her powerlessness.

Could she do it? Could she hold out if they hurt her?

Inara's mind flashed back to London, to Keller's maniacal face as he pressed his hands against her skin, branding her simply to watch her scream. She still bore the wounds but that night she had taken refuge in anger, the events that followed and Keller's death softening the blow.

But now…

Inara lifted her chin.

"They'll rescue us," she whispered.

Caspian cursed silently, wishing he had held his tongue as he saw Inara pale. But she looked at him steadily, her eyes flint hard.

They nodded silently at each other, understanding that neither would break, that both of them regardless of what happened next would hold on, waiting until they were rescued.

"I know," Caspian said softly, "I know."

"Plus we're too hot to die," Inara smirked.  
Caspian laughed, amazed as always at her ability to laugh at the darkest times. But before he could say a single word, the door to the room slid open.

AAAAAA

Zaru cringed as the gorilla screamed in pain, blood splattering the plastic face shield the scientist wore, drill whirring as he continued to probe the ape's brain.

The other animals, all in their enclosures screamed, throwing themselves at their cages as the scientist worked, his assistant taking down notes beside him.

"The amygdala is enlarged suggesting heightened rage and antisocial behaviour," the scientist nodded, the gorilla's eyes wide and terrified as it bulged against its bonds.

The ape was strapped to a cold metal table, fierce lights blazing all around it as the scientist continued to work.

"So it seems that there is a genetic disposition," the assistant noted.

"Yes, if these results are repeated in all of our subjects," the scientist smiled.

The grin was chilling, his eyes as flat and as deadly as a shark's.

"We may have discovered a way to screen for those who could trouble us before they start developing," the scientist said.

He yanked the drill out of the gorilla's skull, the ape limp and whimpering. The scientist stood, tossing the drill casually onto a table as he nodded to his assistant.

"Dispose of this filth," he ordered sharply.

The assistant nodded and instantly rolled the barely alive ape away as the scientist went to his overflowing desk, taking out a folder and jotting down some notes.

"So…"

He turned and Zaru flinched at the madness in his eyes.

"You're the test subject that was with prisoners," the scientist moved towards him with predatory hunger in his eyes, "I wonder what a cat like you was doing with people like them."

He laughed, cackling.

"Maybe I should cut you up and find me some answers."

Zaru's ears were pinned back, the leopard pressing up against the back of his cage, hissing as the scientist gripped the bars with his fingers, pressing his face against the grate, his eyes bulging out of his head.

"What secrets do you have?" the man laughed, "Too bad you can't talk."

Zaru snapped at him, throwing himself at the cage as the scientist leapt back easily.

"Bad kitty!" he snapped.

He slammed a red button near the cage and Zaru instantly screamed, the floor crackling as the cage electrocuted him.

"I would love to just tear you apart," the scientist hissed, "But the higher ups want to keep you alive for now…"

He straightened, a deranged grin on his face.

"So guess what?"

The scientist turned and stalked to the opposite side of the laboratory. He slammed a button on the wall, one of the cages opening.

Zaru heaved himself off the cage floor, his body twitching, fur smoking as the scientist reached inside the opened enclosure. The leopard bared his teeth, hissing furiously as the scientist pulled a rabbit out by its ears, the small mammal kicking wildly as its eyes widened in terror.

"You get to see me at work," the scientist chortled.

Zaru's eyes widened as the man threw the rabbit to the ground and with deliberate slowness, pinned the mammal down with his shoe.

"Of course in this happy world such abuse is frowned upon…"  
"Crack!"

The rabbit went still as the man raised his foot, kicking the limp body away.

"But…"  
Zaru shuddered as huge python slithered out from amongst the cage, tongue flickering as it winded its way towards the dead rabbit.

"It'll be our secret," the man winked at him, "So don't tell anyone."

The assistant strolled back into the room, completely oblivious to what had happened as his boss winked at Zaru.

"Okay?"

AAAAAA

Jason opened his eyes and found himself staring up at blindingly white ceiling. Grunting, the Seeker tried to sit up but thick leather straps held him down to the table. His limbs were tied down, his head strapped to the table, the man unable to even turn and look to the side. Gnashing his teeth, he opened his hands trying to summon his powers but…

Nothing.

Jason blinked and tried again. He willed anything to open, white fire, the slightest hint of movement, anything to show that his powers still worked. But again… nothing.

Frowning the Seeker turned his mind inwards trying to find what was wrong. He was instantly met with a wall of resistance, a sheer barrier that blocked any attempts to access his powers.

"What the hell?!" Jason snapped, "What the hell's going on?! Where the…"

A long string of curse left his lips as he blinked, eyes watering as he stared up at the brilliant light glaring down at him.

"… am I?" he snarled.

Silence greeted his words. Jason roared, struggling wildly against his bonds but they held tight, pinning him helplessly down to the table. Panting the Seeker fell back down, exhausted.

"I warn you," Jason growled, "I get bored easily. So either do something or entertain me."

"Entertain?"

A shadowy figure swam into his line of vision, a silhouette against the light from above.

"Don't worry, you won't be bored," the woman spoke.

"Who the bloody hell are you?"

The shadowy figure was silent, towering over him, piercing eyes studying every square inch of his body. Jason suddenly flinched, squawking as a scalpel flashed across his cheek drawing blood.

"What the hell?!"

"Blood sample," the woman said casually, disappearing from his limited line of sight, "You are an interesting specimen."

"If you asking me to mate with you, I'll saw to you what I say to all the other ladies… hell no," Jason snapped.

The shadow fell over him again.

"Hilarious," the woman said dryly, "Now… let's have a peek at your history."

Papers rustled as Jason strained to see, cursing as his eyes refused to adjust to the light. The first thing she read, froze his blood.

"Jason Serra. Formerly Nathaniel McLaughlin."

"WHAT?!? WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

Jason threw himself at the woman but the leather straps held tight, the Seeker practically foaming at the mouth as the woman laughed throatily.

"We detected some kind of mind block in you. The boss is very interested in such things and we have machines that can glean a little from them. And to do that, we have to dismantle the block and examine it bit by bit…"

The Seeker froze as small metal pads were places against his forehead, the woman disappeared as Jason cursed, straining to get at her as a sick feeling rose in his gut.

His instincts were screaming at him, telling him to flee as he struggled to break loose.

"So Jason… Nathaniel…"

The light faded plunging the Seeker into utter darkness.

"This is your life."

And the electrodes began to hum against his skin.

AAAAAA

Elias stared out the window, display screens arrayed behind him showing him everything.

Before him was endless blue and white fleece broken only by the dragonfly-like aircrafts as they left or docked at Malik Industries' headquarters. Up close Elias realised something. He frowned.

"They look…"

Exactly like the private transport units of Metech, his home world, replicas down to the very last detail.

The scientist stiffened as an arrowhead-shaped warship suddenly swung into view, the very same model as the one that had assaulted their house from above, bombing their temporary residence into ruin.

These too were modelled like the ones Elias had grown up with all his life, the standard military-issue combat vehicles of Metech's Federation Forces.

The scientist felt cold, faced with a riddle he could not answer. He turned way from the window, frustrated and stared at the plasma screens behind him.

Elias had been the only one of the prisoners conscious when they had arrived at their destination, the soldiers informing him coldly and in mechanical voices that they were approaching Malik Headquarters.

The headquarters was a floating fortress, a warship of gargantuan proportions, a behemoth of steel and cannons. It was strangely elegant in its alien geometric design, hovering high up in the outer fringes of the Earth's atmosphere, protected by its isolation. Any approaching aircraft would be spotted miles away and Elias could only imagine the wrath that would unleashed upon any attacking army having spotted the thousands of turrets and missile ports the fortress bristled with.

No escape... this place was a prison... the perfect prison.

A second door to the room suddenly slid open and Elias started, jumping away from window. He whirled and found himself staring into a face from his past.

"YOU!"

His eyes grew round, his mouth agape as all thoughts were torn from his head and scattered to the winds, shock obliterating all else.

"Hello Elias," the man grinned, "Welcome to my kingdom."

Elias choked but finally managed to suck in a single breath.  
"How?!" the scientist staggered back, his voice strangled, "NO! You were lost!!"

Images flashed through his head, scientists swarming around a large machine as it whirred. Suddenly claxons rang, lights flashing as the machine crumpled, pulled inwards by a powerful force. It exploded, white light drowning out everything else.

"We were working with particle accelerators," the man corrected nastily, "Probing the space-time continuum itself. It ruptured and I was pulled through."

Elias blinked, working it all out with blistering speed.

"You travelled to another dimension?!" Elias spluttered, "Into this dimension! So time-space rifts and wormholes do exist!? Impossible!!"  
"You managed to do it," the man sneered, "If you can any fool can as well."  
The man turned away him, sweeping regally to the window and looking down through the glass to the floating islands below, to the few hunks of rock that was all that remained of the original planet.

His gaze was disdainful like a king's looking upon an ant's hill.  
"Did you enjoy the view?" the man asked, "Did you enjoy seeing what my work has done here?"

The scientist was staring at the man, completely stunned, mind reeling as he tried to piece everything together, tried to understand what was happening.  
"Your work?!" Elias demanded.

"Of course, who else has the genius and the skills to do all this?" the man announced grandly.

He turned and Elias finally noticed the richly embroidered clothes he wore, gold and gems glinting at his throat and around all his fingers but the even the most brilliant of gems paled to the fire that burnt in his fanatical eyes.

"Only I could do this! Only I could wrest this world from destruction and turn it to what it is today!!" the man raged as if speaking to a vast audience, as if trying to sway an entire world to his beliefs.  
"To a world where everyone is brainwashed?" Elias snapped.

"They live in utter harmony and peace. War is unknown. Crime is a rarity. Murder unheard of," the man said dramatically, "I've changed the world for the better."

Elias felt his ire rise, seeing red as the man smiled smugly.

"You have no right!" Elias snarled, "You can't just decide what is good for the world! You can manipulate and brainwash and destroy people just to create a false paradise! What gives you the right to decide what is right and wrong? What gives you the right to shape this world to what you believe in?!"

The words, the sentiments were familiar. The same old arguments, the same old rhetoric and barbs exchanged. Once upon a time such arguments had been petty, nothing more than philosophical musings but now in this strange bizarre world, Elias was protesting against a reality that should've never existed.

His enemy glared at him, hatred flooding his face. His tongue shot up, licking cracked lips as he stomped his feet like a child in a tantrum.

"False paradise?! This is a true utopia! Well… almost," the man twitched, his fists clenching, "There are still some flawed individuals but soon… soon we'll have all of that ironed out and the world will known only peace."

He drew himself to his full height, magnificent in his fervour and utter self-belief. A vein pulsed in his head as he flushed, his words rising to a scream.

"Someone had to stop the madness! Someone had to better this world! Only I, a strange from another world, had the courage to do what was and still is needed!" the man proclaimed dramatically, "Who cares about petty human rights? Who cares about freedom and choice? I am doing this for the greater good!!"  
Elias glared at him.

"You always were an egomaniac," he said coldly.

"I am a god," his old acquaintance said silkily, "What right have you to judge me?"

"You are a not a god!" Elias snapped, "I've known you since the days of the Institute! I grew up with you! I studied with you! You are not a god! You're just a freak!"

"BAM!"  
Elias staggered back, clutching his bleeding nose as the man glared at him. Elias straightened, his gaze utterly disdainful as he allowed blood to drip from his chins, his face betraying no fear.

"I can have you killed right now if I so choose," the false-god before him spat, "You are the one that is pathetic. You believe so much in freedom and humans being left to decide their own destiny… you always have. But don't you see? When given the choice, mankind will always make the worse possible one."

The man smiled.

"I am saving man from himself. Right here I am showing to you, to this world, to all worlds how to make the perfect paradise."

Elias shuddered at the finality, the belief in his voice. He stared at his old friend, his corrupted friend.

"What happened to you?" Elias begged.

"I was given the chance to be salvation and I took it."

'This is not the way," Elias said softly, "Not this."

"Accept it," his friend hissed, "Accept it. It has happened and it is more beautiful and perfect than I could've ever possibly imagined."

He turned back to the window and in one of those random moments of perfect timing, the sun slid from behind a cloud, a brilliant beam of golden light falling over the man. He was instantly wreathed in a halo, an angelic figure offering benediction to Elias, offering to save his soul.

"This is the world I created. This is paradise," the man said grandly, "I am god."

"No…" Elias whispered, "You're not. You're just a man."  
His enemy turned to face him as Elias continued to speak.

"You're a scientist. You're just plain old Marcos."

Marcos glared at him and Elias held his gaze, the scientist suddenly deathly afraid for his life. Marcos suddenly relaxed, a cruel smile on his lips.

"Well, we have a dilemma here. You believe one hypothesis and I believe another. You think that left to their own devices man will always choose what is innately right and I believe they will always choose what is selfish and wrong," Marcos chuckled, "We're scientists and what do we do what we're faced with questions?"

Marcos looked at him questioningly but Elias held his tongue.

"We make observations. We test… we experiment," Marcos grinned, the sly smirk of a serpent looped around its prey, "So… let's experiment shall we?"

Frozen fury flashed across the man's face as Elias stiffened.

"Then we'll see just how strong the human spirit really is."

AAAAAA

Author's notes: And we kick off another arc – this one will contain something you have all been waiting for. But it also delves into a lot of ethical/moral dilemmas. Hopefully doesn't bore you too much!

Once again thank you very much for reading! Thank you very much for reviewing – and if you haven't drop a line! And to everyone have a Merry Christmas, a wonderful New Year and keep safe, healthy and sane!! (unlike me...)


	56. Experiment number three

YAAAAAY! Update! Remember reviews feed the author beast (and Zaru)!

Disclaimer: If you recognise anything it's not mine, if you don't MINE!

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 56: Experiment number three **

It happened in the blink of an eye. On every floating island that made up Ataraxia every single electronic screen in home, office and street dissolved into static, their normal broadcast interrupted. The people stopped, their empty smiles fading as they blinked in confusion, milling about like ants without a queen.

"We interrupt your normal broadcasts for this important bulletin," a stern voice ordered.

The screens flickered and a beautiful brunette woman appeared.

"Citizens," she said with a warm graceful smile that instantly eased the crowd, "We have some disturbing news…"

The screen split in half, two massive pictures of Peter and Susan dominating the screens. The images were black-and-white, the quality grainy but there was no mistaking the two Narnian royals.

"Two of our beloved citizens have contracted a disease that has made them delirious. They had so far evaded all attempts for us at Malik Industries to contact them and provide them with the cure," the woman explained, her smile apologetic, "If you see them please do not approach as they are not in control of their actions. But please call the Malik Industries hot-line at…"  
She rattled off a series of numbers as the crowd looked at each other, sympathetic and worried.

"Those poor kids," one woman said almost crying.

Her friend slid an arm around her, comforting her as others in the crowd offer kind words, some of them weeping just like the woman.

"I know," her friend soothed, stroking her, "But don't worry Malik Industries will have them as right as rain in the blink of an eye!"

"Thank you for your co-operation," the woman on the screen finished, "And Malik Industries wants to remind you… let's all live together on Ataraxia happily forever!!"

Her face faded as the screens returned to normal, cheery jingles filling the air as some of the crowd turned to each other, smiling, eager to help.

"Maybe we should go look for them," one boy suggested to a complete stranger, "We don't want anyone to suffer!"

"No," the man said gently, "You can bet Malik Industries have that in hand. Just keep an eye out for them!"  
Like wildfire the news of the two poor sick darlings spread through the crowd, everyone promising cheerfully to look out for them as some of the more sensitive members of the public wept at the thought of anyone in pain in this perfect world. But they were quickly comforted, words of praise of Malik Industries medical medicines smoothing over any frowns or grimaces.

The crowd began to move once more, some of them adopting comically obvious furtive looks, peering into rubbish bins and under benches as the names Susan and Peter moved every lip.

Susan cursed, ducking back into the alleyway as Peter's grim eyes met hers.

"I hate this world," she growled, smacking the wall with her bow in frustration, "What now?"

She kicked the wall out of sheer frustration, her hands twitching on her bow as she chafed at the latest obstacle. Her friends, her companions, her family was in danger and she was forced to cower in an alley like a rat. Susan gritted her teeth and promised bloody vengeance against the darkness in this world.

"We just have to figure out where the others might have been taken to," Peter said quietly, touching his sister's shoulders and dropping his hiding-Gift over them, "Don't worry I can protect us from the citizens."

The air thickened and condensed, shimmering and refracting light as a woman peered into the alleyway, hurrying off as Peter's Gift made her see nothing but empty space.

"Malik Industries probably has them," Susan said darkly.

Her gut was churning at the thought of her family in danger but she clamped down on her nerves knowing they needed her to keep calm and think straight. They were in danger and crying or being pointless angry was a luxury she could not afford to have.

Caspian's face flashed through her head with a pang. She was deathly afraid of losing him so soon after his descent into madness, afraid that just like before he would slip through his fingers and lose him forever.

She steeled herself. The others were more than capable of looking after themselves, despite the danger they were all in Susan knew and trusted them to hang on and give their captors almighty hell.

Especially Jason.

She turned to her brother.

"So what about it? Feel like storming the most powerful entity on this world with two people?" she asked, trying to hide the shakiness of her voice.

"I'm game if you are," Peter smirked back as Susan lips twitched.

They looked at each other, Susan smiling slightly as she realised just how much her brother had changed. Before he had fought her teeth and nail, willing to use anything and everything against her to stop her from fighting, from leading the charge into battle. But now he was looking to her as an ally and a fellow commander, willing to stake his life on her abilities and courage.

"Well, we need to figure out where they are exactly," Susan said slowly.

Purpose flowed through her stemming the tide of fear as she looked at her brother, hoping he had the answers.

Peter was frowning, unconsciously massaging his cursed arms, the varicose black veins still starkly bulging through his skin. He looked up, his Gifts directing him towards one of the stolen cameras as he sighed, ideas slotting into place linking together and forming a plan.

He nodded, making a decision.

"I think I can find out," he said finally, "Come on."  
Susan frowned but nodded, trusting his lead as they stood and hurried out of the alleyway, their steps brisk and purposeful.

AAAAAA

"So… you're it huh?" she asked, obviously unimpressed, towering over them.

"And you are?" Inara shot back, defiant despite her chains.

The plain-looking girl with mousy brown hair laughed. She was dressed in the jumpsuit that was the standard of this world but her dark suit was emblazoned with a symbol that was all too familiar to Caspian and Inara – the eye within an eye symbol, the badge of the Great Darkness.

Caspian's hackles rose at the sight as he steeled himself, willing to make his death a costly one.

"Just a humble working class girl doing a job for her boss," the girl giggled, flipping her long hair back.

She blinked at them, her irises becoming completely black. Inara flinched as the girl licked her lips, even white teeth gleaming in the light of the room.

"So guess what?" the darkness-possessed girl smirked.

Caspian and Inara glanced at each other, Inara's eyes wide in her face as the king clenched his fists. His chains rattled at the movement and the girl turned to him, a salacious grin unfurling across her face.

"Oh, it's you," she sniggered, "My brother had a great time inside of you…"

Inara blinked at those words as Caspian glared up at her darkly, fire in his eyes. He held his tongue, his face saying it all. The girl laughed right at him, undaunted by his silent threats as her hands came to rest on her hips.

"Making you stab Mallory and your one true love," she rolled her eyes, "Too bad Eustace had to rip him out of you and destroy him. I mean how was he supposed to know Susan the Gentle is off limits?"

"YOU – " Caspian's voice boomed through the room as he threw himself at her.

The girl laughed as Caspian jerked at his chains, struggling to get at her with a snarl. Like a frenzied animal, he thrashed against his bonds, spitting and cursing, his guilt and fury drowning out everything else.

"Caspian!" Inara shouted urgently, "Stop it! It's no use!!"

The king ignored her, spitting at the girl. Phlegm struck the girl's jumpsuit but she completely ignored him, turning to Inara and talking over the rattling of his chains.

"Well, you know what they say… c'est la vie!"

She whirled, planting a boot straight into Caspian's chest and sending him crashing back into the wall.

"CASPIAN!" Inara cried as the king's head cracked against the wall, the man slumping over dazed.

Without even stopping, the girl whipped back to Inara, a gun appearing in her hands. Inara's eyes widened in horror as the barrel slowly drifted up to aim right between her eyes.

"And as I was saying before. And sorry about the constant subject changes, it's a bad habit I know…" the girl gave a sheepish laugh as Caspian slowly righted himself, his chest badly bruised, the king struggling to breath, "But guess what?"

She grinned at them, the sweet simpering act fading as the true demon, a sadist beyond human comprehension, revealed itself.

"You don't have to be stuck here in this boring little cell staring at each other!" she grinned, winking at Inara, "The boss's got something lined up just for you!"

She clicked her fingers and Inara and Caspian started as their cuffs sprung free, their shackles falling to the ground. Caspian instantly fell into a crouch, ready to spring at the girl but she pointed backwards without looking, the gun aimed straight at his throat.

"Come on! Come on!" she urged, turning to look at Caspian, wagging her fingers at him.

She laughed at his furious glare.

"Let's go already!"

Gritting his teeth Caspian rose, Inara following him. Held at gunpoint they were herded from the room and forced into a long white-walled corridor.

"By the way," the girl smirked from behind them, "Since I'm probably leading you to your deaths… I'm Jill Pole."

She paused, frowning.

"Well my host's name was Jill Pole anyway," she said with a sheepish grin.

"Couldn't you have picked a hotter body?" Inara snapped, defiant to the last.

Jill's replying smile was ice cold and as deadly as a wolf's.

"Don't worry when you die…" Jill said slowly, her free hand going out to caress Inara's cheeks.

Inara froze as Jill moved her head forwards, her lips ghosting Inara's face.  
"I'll just take yours," she whispered intimately, her voice as tender as a lover's.

She pulled back, winking at the deeply unnerved Inara before jamming the gun between her shoulder blades forcing the girl and king to march down the hall. They passed a sealed door, its edge framed by a strange yellow light that came from the other sound. The light throbbed, flickering as Jill suddenly laughed, her high-pitched giggles bouncing off the walls. Inara and Caspian looked at each other, desperately completely helpless as the possessed girl herded them towards their destination.

AAAAAA

Jason was floating between reality and memory, his head aching as something wormed into his brain, burrowing through the layers of his mind and into the walls that held his darkest memories at bay.

The shields cracked as the thing inside of him ate at it, flashes of memory leaking out with each gulping bite.

"No…" Jason mumbled, shaking, trying to fight "No…"

He struggled, the straps holding him down to the table as he let out a whimpering moan. With a sound like glass breaking, the shields collapsed and Jason was instantly swept up in a life remembered.

AAAAAA

"How did you get here?" Elias demanded, "How did you manage to get the funds to start all of this?!"

Marcos ignored him as he marched down the hall, a platoon of guards boxing Elias in.

"You honestly believe that people will always choose what is right," Marcos suddenly spoke up, picking up the thread of their argument, "I'm here to show you you're sadly mistaken."

"What?" Elias whispered.

He looked at his old colleague, a chill running through him at the sheer madness in the man's voice, the conviction and the sadism. Elias's teeth bit through his lips, blood flooding his mouth as he shook, knowing that this man was on the brink of madness and revelling in it.

Still ranting, Marcos waved his hands around and a heavy set of metal doors slid open, the false-god stepping inside. Elias was shoved unceremoniously through, the room sealing shut behind him as he whirled.

Slowly he turned, his dark eyes taking in the switchboard of lights before him, his face pale. Marcos ignored him, quickly pressing a few buttons as the wall before them shimmered, black fading into transparent glass.

"Here, look. See how at the slightest hint of danger to their precious self, mankind would stab his own friends in the back to save his precious hide," Marcos sneered, a magnificent look of utter contempt on his face, "See how they squabble and kill to save their souls."

Elias slowly approached the glass, terrified of what he might find.

"See how all ideals of loyalty and love are stripped away in the blink of an eye."

The scientist stared down through the glass into the chamber below and his heart stopped. His eyes widened, his whole body shaking as he tried to push reality away, tried to make it false, tried to turn this nightmare into a dream he could wake from at any moment.

"No…"

"See just how great the true nature of man really is," Marcos finished, a cackle in his voice, "See what they really are when we dangle them over a volcano's edge."  
"No… no… anything but this," Elias whispered, face contorted into a horrified stare, tears threatening to fall, "MARCOS! STOP!!"  
He whirled on his former friend, rushing him, beside himself with fear and horror but Marcos easily swept him aside, pinning him to the wall as he sneered into Elias's face.

"Watch," Marcos hissed, "And learn."

"NO!!!" Elias screamed at him, "INARA!! CASPIAN!!"  
But his voice bounced off the thick pane of glass as Marcos turned his head to the left and looked through the window at his two captives.

He smiled, eyes bulging.

"Let the test begin!!"

AAAAAA

Peter ducked, cursing under his breath as Susan frowned.

"So… you need to get access to a computer thing?" she asked quietly.

The two were hiding behind a set of bushes on a suburban street, Peter desperately peeking into every house trying to find one empty but so far no luck.

Peter nodded tersely, gritting his teeth, acutely aware of how much time had passed since their friends had been taken. His hair sparked, lightning dancing across his skin as he punched the ground in frustration, eyes darkening. His blood boiled at the numerous delays, his mind awhirl with nightmarish scenes of torture and death. Beside him, Susan merely smiled.

"Easy," she stood up as Peter squawked, blinking before hissing violently at her to get back down, "Come on!"

Peter froze, unsure of what to do but Susan was already sweeping up the front lawn towards the house's doors. Her face was stone-set, her back ramrod straight. Her brother's cries fell on deaf ears, her companions' faces the only thing in her mind. Every minute wasted meant another minute they were held their enemies' dangerous grasp. If Susan could spare them a single second of suffering than she'd do whatever it took, even if it meant risking her life.

Cursing Peter leapt to his feet, his Gift disabling the nearby cameras as Susan knocked on the door.

It swung open, a beaming man opened his mouth to greet them jovially. He stopped, blinking in surprise.

"YOU! You're the one that Malik Industries wants to…" he spluttered.

"I know," Susan said simply, not batting an eye, "My brother and I have come to our senses. We wish to contact Malik Industries. May we use your… uhh… phone?"  
The man instantly smiled, clapping her on the back and congratulating her profusely for her sensible decision.

"Of course!" he said trustingly, eagerly wanting to help, "Come in! Come in!"

The people in this world were like mindless sheep and Susan was ruthlessly exploiting this fact to get what she wanted. Armed as she was with daggers and bow and arrows, the man barely seemed to notice, violence and weapons completely unknown to the average citizen. He merely beamed at her and ushered her into his house, Peter's jaws dropping at the man's utter unawareness of his danger.

The High King stepped into the house after them, his mind roving and instantly finding a computer upstairs as the man continued to babble on, praising the Malik Industries with endless awe. Peter touched Susan's arm and nodded at her. The queen merely blinked before turning back to the man.

"Thank you very much," she beamed as he handed her a phone, "I don't know what I was thinking before running away."  
"It doesn't matter. No harm done," the man grinned, "Don't you worry about anything. Malik Industries will have you sorted out in no…"

Susan punched him straight in the face, twisting her body and putting her weight behind the blow. It was a crushing blow, the man instantly crumpling to the ground as Susan tossed the phone away.

"Hurry," she ordered, slamming the front doors shut.

Peter nodded and instantly raced upstairs, the sounds of fabric ripping chasing him. He instantly found the computer, turning it on with a push of his mind.

Back at the Academy in the last world, Gaspar had tested the strength of all of his stolen Gifts. He had sat Peter in front of a computer and told him to use Lauren's powers, technopathy, to enter the Internet.

Peter had been confused, not understanding a thing the headmaster had told him but when he actually tried it everything came to him, all the foreign terminology and skills entering him in one breath-taking rush. He had managed to hack into several secure websites under Gaspar's careful eye, his Gift directing his every move as Peter find himself negotiating something he had never encountered before, something he could have never imagined even existed.

He did the same thing here, connecting with the web and letting his consciousness flow into it. It took a mere thought to get him to Malik's Industries website, page after page flashing through the screen as he sought what he needed. He tried to plunge in deeper, seeking the company's files and trying to enter their system but walls were instantly thrown in his way, protection programs retaliating with a battery of counterattacks as Peter braced himself.

Before he had fled when he countered such protections but now he threw himself into them, plunging into a battle that was playing out in a world that didn't exist, disabling all of the programs with ruthless power and efficiency. His hands flew across the keyboard in a complex dance, elegant and swift like a maestro at a piano, weaving a masterpiece of malicious attacks, invading Malik Industries' own system with mind-boggling speed.

Lauren's Gift took control of his body and mind, instinctively knowing what to do as it erased bits of code, constructed viruses to invade the system, did a thousand things that Peter barely understood to get what he wanted.

Sweat poured down his face as his mind began to numb with fatigue but still Peter burrowed deeper, encountering more and more complex protections, breaking each one, decrypting, hacking, barely aware of what he was doing and suddenly he was through.

Susan jumped back as her brother straightened, sucking in a deep breath and his consciousness with it, his mind leaping from the computer and back into his head.

"Peter?!" the queen grabbed him, blue eyes worried.

Peter turned to her, sweat-drenched and exhausted but triumphant.

"I know where they are!"

AAAAAA

Skeletal metal arms unfolded from the wall, gears whirring, as Inara and Caspian cried out, trying to move away but they were chained once more to the ground, heavy chains limiting their movements.

"INARA!" Caspian roared.

The girl yelped as one of the arms leapt at her, a needle in its steel claws sticking into her flesh. She struggled helplessly but the metal prongs dug in deeper, drawing blood. There was a soft pneumatic hiss as the syringe plunged down, a burning cold fluid entering Inara's body as she screamed in pain.

Caspian endured his injection with gritted teeth and suddenly the mechanical arms retracted back into the wall.

"What…"

Inara choked, clutching at her heart as it suddenly thundered against her ribcage. Her body was suddenly encased in ice then burning fire, pain spinning her world around wildly.

"What's happening?" she cried frantically, struggling to sit up as nausea punched her.

Caspian cried out, jerking at his chains, flailing wildly as his body reacted to whatever they had just been given.

'_You have both just been injected with a poison,' _a voice boomed.

Caspian and Inara froze, horror all over their faces as the voice continued, amplified and echoing in the small confines of the black room.

'There is an antidote…'

A section of the floor in the centre of the room fell away, a small raised pedestal rising. Lying on the stand was a single syringe, filled with a sickly green fluid that glowed with light.

'But there is only enough for one of you. Your goal is simple…'

The voice laughed as Inara and Caspian stared at each other, their bodies shaking from the effects of their poison, both of them wanting to throw up, terror running through veins and nerves.

'_Fight for the cure.'_

And the voice fell silent as Inara and Caspian looked at the syringe. Inara was trembling, shaking her head furiously as she tried to make sense of what was happening, refusing to believe that this was happening.

Caspian was at war with himself, the Telmarine in him coldly commanding him to grab the antidote at all costs as the others parts of him stumbled, reeling from the revelation.

With a click their shackles fell away and the experiment began.

AAAAAA

Nathaniel… the man that would one day become Jason, smiled up at his wife softly, tears threatening to fall. The three suns of Lawless were setting, heavy and red as they dipped blow the sloping sand dunes of the horizon, their dying light painting the world orange and purple.

"You're…" he didn't dare say the words, afraid that this would all just melt away and become a dream.

"I'm pregnant," Yolanda laughed.

The woman was gracious and beautiful and as always Nathaniel thanked the heavens and every god in them she had deemed him worthy of her love. He was struck once more by just how beautiful she really was, the kindness in her shining from her eyes, turning her voice into honey.

"You can say it you know," the woman teased, her bell-like laughter ringing out, "It won't bite. Well, not yet but I can't promise you it won't eventually."  
Nathaniel laughed and grabbed her swinging her around as he showered kisses on her face, Yolanda joining his laughter, meeting his lips again and again as they clung to each other.

"A baby," Yolanda whispered, burying her face into his neck, "We're going to have a baby!"

Nathaniel laughed again, kissing her once more, her lips opening to allow him entrance. Gently he placed one hand on her flat belly, a stomach that would slowly swell as their child grew within.

It was a miracle, one that he scarcely dared to believe.

"Wow," Nathaniel smiled, dazed, "Wow."

Yolanda laughed against his lips and wrapped her arms around him, slowly leading him back into their bedroom.

Later, hours later in the dim of the night and silvery shine of Lawless's twin moons, Nathaniel lied awake in his bed, staring down at his beautiful wife.  
She was flawless, a goddess amongst mortals. She turned dark hair framing her moonlit face, exotic and impossibly ethereal. As timid and gentle as he was, Nathaniel knew he could march through hell itself to protect her and their child. He clenched his fists, vowing to spend the rest of his days loving her and giving her everything she could possibly want.

"I love you," he whispered against her hair, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

He turned in bed, looking up at the roof, looking at the shadows dancing across the ceiling as a cold wind swept through the open windows, tossing the curtains about.

Gingerly he pulled the sheets up, covering his wife tenderly.

Their marriage had not been an easy one, some of the many suitors his wife had spurned less than eager to relinquish their claims. Men, some of them powerful and cruel beyond measure had pursued his wife for years promising her wealth and status and a million petty things, not knowing her well enough to realise that Yolanda couldn't give a whit about such superficialities.

She cared not for clothes or fancy balls, wanting nothing more than someone to love her for her, not for her beauty or her body but for her sweetness and for her kindness as well as her flaws. And in Nathaniel she had found her wish, uncaring that he was a mere junior accountant, uncaring that he had no power or wealth to speak of. She was a romantic, believing in soul-mates and true love even as others mocked her and to her Nathaniel was the one.

Men had condemned her, cursed her and called her a thousand names as she had turned them away but Yolanda for all her softness had a will of iron and she had chosen Nathaniel to be by her side. She held her head up high even as shockwaves rippled through town, gossipers eagerly spreading the news like a disease, rumours of debauchery and snide remarks exchanged like coins.

Her once-suitors had come in their droves soon afterwards, threatening Nathaniel with violence and more, jealous women becoming harpy-tongued, nasty rumours following the couple like ravens after flesh.

Nathaniel's blue eyes darkened as he remembered the events of just this morning. Whittaker, a man famous only for his spite and utter foulness, had confronted him in his office, promising bloody vengeance if Yolanda did not come with him. Nathaniel had shook in his boots as he tried to turn the man away, his voice trembling like his limbs.

A crowd had quickly gathered to watch, roaring with laughter as Whittaker's rum-fuelled breath stung his eyes, the ruffian grabbing the hapless Nathaniel by the neck and tossing him across the room.

Nathaniel had stared up at him, dazed and confused, bloodied as Whittaker jabbed a single fat finger at him.

"Either she comes with me or you're both dead!!" he roared as the crowd tittered, mocking the downed accountant, "I swear me life on it!"

Whittaker had stormed off as Nathaniel had rose, red and shame-faced, ignore the crowd as best as he could as he scurried away.

Nathaniel grimaced at the remembered insult.

"BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!"

The timid accountant jumped as the small table beside the bed began shaking violently, wood rattling on wood, the whole thing threatening to fall apart. Nathaniel's head snapped towards the furniture, terrified.

"No," he cursed, exasperated, "Not again."

"BANG!BANG!BANG!BANG!"

The picture hanging over their bed joined in, its frame clattering against the wall as Nathaniel looked up frantic. The bed began to leap, thumping loudly against the floor as Yolanda moaned in her sleep.

The whole room began to shake, the windows rattling in their panes as a vase fell form the shaking table, shattering against the ground. Nathaniel blanched as he was suddenly caught in the centre of an earthquake, his wife sleeping deadened next to him.  
Nathaniel hastily took a long deep breath, cooling his anger as the rattling furniture slowed then stilled, silence once more falling over the room. Nathaniel stared down at his shaking hands, cursing the demon that existed in him, cursing the powers that flowed through his veins. Such people were usually discovered in childhood and burnt at the stake but Nathaniel's parents had been careful keeping him hidden and teaching him ways to control the monster inside of him. But still he lived in perpetual fear, afraid that at any moment he'd be caught and punished. And now… he had Yolanda and a baby to worry about. Nathaniel closed his eyes and reverently prayed that his child would not be afflicted like him.

The accountant sighed, feeling the power leave his body as he turned to Yolanda's sleeping form, the sight of her instantly calming her, lulling him in a sleepy realm of utter serenity.

Despite it all the obstacles their love had grown and now it had produced a child.

Nathaniel smiled, his hands finding her stomach once more.

"I love you," he whispered, kissing her again, "Never leave me."

Foul with sweat but not wanting to move and risk waking his wife up, Nathaniel closed his eyes and went to sleep.

AAAAAA

"WHAT THE HELL?!?" Inara screamed at the walls, "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"  
She was shaking, panting as the poison ran through her body. Inara tried to stagger to her feet but stumbled, her vision blurring as the toxin took hold.

"No…" she grabbed at the walls, slipping, "No… I…"

"Take it!" Caspian growled at her.

"What?!"

Her head snapped towards him incredulously.

"What?!?"  
The Narnian had risen, his chin set stubbornly, his eyes blazing.

"Take it! Take the cure!" he yelled.

"Are you crazy?!?" Inara yelped, "NO! I'm not letting you…"  
"Only one of us can use it," Caspian said flatly, "I can hold out longer than you."

"And what die in my healthy arms?" Inara shot back, "Susan will kill me!"  
Caspian gritted his teeth, temper flaring as sweat rolled down his face and back, his heart slamming heavily against his chest, threatening to crush itself against his ribs.

"Susan will kill me if you die as well!" the king snarled, "And I'm pretty sure Peter will strike me down with lightning bolts! Not to mention what Jason, Elias or Zaru might do!"

Inara steadied her against the wall, her legs shaking as her breath quickened to an almost painful pace, her body struggling to get in enough air.

"They need you more!" Inara protested, speaking hard uncomfortable truths, "Shaggy! You're a king! You're meant to return to Narnia or whatever the hell is you rule and save your people!"

Caspian flinched at her words, the familiar dark tide of guilt rising in his gullet as he thought of his people leader-less and at the mercy of an unimaginable threat. He was meant to be there, meant to lead, meant to…

"You can't die here!" Inara threw the words like a spear, "You're needed. I… I'm not."

She leaned against the wall, groaning as fire ripped through her stomach.

"I'm not," Inara clung on, glaring at him, "Take the damn cure you stubborn ass!!"

Caspian glared at her.

"I deserve this," Caspian said flatly, "For what I did... what I've done... I deserve it."

There was no way in hell he was going to take the cure and watch one of his friends and ally die before him. He had caused so much misery already, hurting Mallory and Susan and before that failing his family, hurting Shirona and Ruy, letting Trumpkin and Trufflehunter and the other Narnians down...

This was punishment.

"Inara! I will not take it!" he was vaguely aware he was sounding like a petulant child but he pushed on, "Take it!!"

"Caspian..." Inara realised just how much Caspian loathed himself, "No..."

The two of them stared at each other, both as unmovable as mountains. They were both shaking, their bodies screaming as the poison attacked them but still their gazes were steady, their faces set into masks of steel.

Up above through a section of wall that was actually a disguised window, Marcos cursed loudly as Elias prayed, his face pale.

"Why aren't they fighting?!?" the head of Malik Industries screamed, "They should be fighting!"

"Because they're friends," Elias snarled at him, furious, tears in his eyes, "You think people just forget things like that?! They won't fight each other. Not for this. They're willing to sacrifice themselves to save the other!"

Marcos screamed as Elias pushed him away, triumphant even as he wept for his friends and his family.

"You think everyone is as dark and twisted as you!" Elias pointed at the window, "LOOK AT THEM!! You think everyone is weak! LOOK AT THEM!! LOOK!"  
Marcos howled in fury, backhanding Elias before stabbing a button with his finger.

"YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE TO DECIDE!!" he screamed, his voice rife with madness and insanity, "CHOOSE OR YOU BOTH DIE!!!"

His words were broadcasted into the room, bouncing off the walls as the transmission ended on a piercing screech.

Inara looked at Caspian bleakly, taking in his stubborn face and set stance.

"Okay…" she sighed.

She licked her dry lips.

"I'll take it," she croaked.

Caspian smiled, falling against the wall.

"Thank you," he whispered, the weight of his shoulders fading, "Thank you."  
"Just… bring it here," Inara coughed, sliding further down the wall, "I don't think I can…"

Slowly Caspian forced himself to move across the room, kneeling and scooping up the syringe from its stand before walking to Inara, every movement sending stabs of pain up his spine.

"Here…" his hands were shaking, his visions dimming as the poison took his strength.

Inara reached out with trembling hands, taking the syringe off him. She looked up at him, tears and crushing guilt on her face.

"I'm…" she stopped, wincing as another wave of pain assaulted her, "I'm sorry…"

"Don't be," Caspian smiled.

His eyes fluttered close, thoughts of Narnia and Aslan and Susan floating through his head. He grimaced, knowing once again he had failed them all, he was so tired of being sorry, of feeling nothing but regret and loss.

'_I'm sorry,' _he begged, Aslan's stern face in his mind, _'Forgive me.'_

His eyes flew open, a gasp leaving his lips as needle stabbed his flesh.

"What?!? NO!!"

Inara stared up at him, smirking, her face pale and sweat drenched.

"Sorry," she whispered, "Couldn't do it."  
And she pushed the plunger down injecting Caspian with the antidote. Caspian stared down at her in open horror as she wilted, her hands falling away.

"Why?" he begged, "Why?"

"Like I said…" Inara rasped, "Queenie needs you. Narnia needs you. You're a king. Haven't you played chess before?"

Caspian's eyes widened as the pain and the poison flowing in him faded, neutralised by the antidote. Inara merely smiled.

"Please..." Inara whispered, "Promise me... don't hate yourself. Just don't. We forgive you."

And she slumped in his arms, her breathing rapid and shallow, mere whispers of air.

"I promise," Caspian wept, "I promise."

'_ARGH!' _the loudspeakers came to life, the voice coming through loud and furious,_ 'JILL TAKE THEM AWAY!'_

Up in the observation room, Marcos turned away, curses spewing from his lips as Elias righted himself, hatred in his dark eyes.

"Looks like the human spirit does win out after all," the scientist spat.

Marcos snarled.

"There are exceptions but almost everyone is weak. You'll see just how weak everyone truly is," the false-god said coldly, "I'll show you."  
Grabbing Elias by the shirt, he dragged him out of the room. Elias allowed himself to be led, his head hung as he prayed for Inara. Suddenly he looked up and stared straight into Marcos's eyes.

The madman recoiled from the hate in his old friend's gaze.

"For what you did to her," Elias said slowly and carefully, "I will kill you."

And he turned away, lips clamping shut as Marcos shook himself, unnerved as the guards swarmed around them, leading them towards their next destination and experiment.

AAAAAA

His daughter had been born as a wild sandstorm swept the town, the desert rebelling against the unsightly blemish upon its undulating dunes by unleashing its wrath. People had scrambled for cover, praying frantically as a shrieking tempest battered the buildings, walls creaking and groaning in pain, threatening to topple and let them drown in endless sand.

Nathaniel didn't remember much of that day, only of his nerves and shakes as Quentin, his closest friend, tried to soothe him, joking and laughing as his friend turned paler and paler.

The winds had howled and roared like a thousand stampeding beasts but it was a mere whimper compared to the blood-curdling screams flying out from their bedroom, each cry clamp around Nathaniel's lungs, his courage threatening to give out at any moment.

The labour had been long, the birth-bed bloody but finally hours after the ordeal started, Delilah McLaughlin was welcomed into the world, screaming like the desert itself.

Nathaniel had held her and wept at the beauty of it all, baptising his daughter with tears as the mid-wife chuckled.

"She's got some lungs on her that one!" the old woman crowed, "Looks like you have a handful to deal with now!"  
Quentin had laughed, slapping him on the back as Delilah stared up at him, her little pink face scrunched up as she screamed. And in that moment Nathaniel had fallen in love with another woman.

"She's beautiful," he whispered, his voice breaking, "Just like his mother."

Yolanda had smiled tremulously up at him, sweat-drenched and exhausted.

"Just like his father," she echoed as Nathaniel kissed her again and again.

That had been ten years ago.

"Papa! Papa!!"  
Nathaniel turned, an open smile on his bearded face as Delilah rushed at him, almost tripping in her haste to get to her beloved father.

Delilah was his mother's daughter, beautiful and lively, a chatterbox that charmed everyone and terrified her teachers.

"Guess what?! Guess what?!" she grinned toothily leaping into her father's arm.

Standing in the middle of the street, Nathaniel laughed as he swung his daughter around. Yolanda hurried up the street towards them, shaking her head in exasperation. Passer-bys smiled at her, greeting her warmly as Yolanda smiled graciously back, the dark mutterings of yester-years having faded long ago, the young family now a welcomed part of the whole community.

"Guess what I learnt at school today?" Delilah beamed, playing with her dad's tie.

"What? Did you learn to speak when you're spoken to Ladybug?" Nathaniel teased, jiggling his daughter slightly as she squealed.

"Noooooo…" Delilah poked him the cheek as Nathaniel flinched, laughing at his reaction, "I learnt that…"

And she proceeded to regale him with her whole day, babbling none stop, words running together in her excitement.

"Did you give her sugar?" Nathaniel accused, turning to look at his wife.

Yolanda laughed, the melodious sound tinkling down the street as everyone nearby grinned despite themselves. Men still looked jealously at Nathaniel but it was a look of envy rather than domineering greed.

"No but Uncle Quentin did," she said dryly.

"Quentin…" Nathaniel muttered, rolling his eyes.

His best friend doted on Delilah, spoiling her outrageously. It was no wonder that his daughter loved him like a second father.

"Speaking of the devil himself…" Yolanda chuckled.

Quentin jogged up to them, dressed neatly in a dark suit, his fedora jammed on top of his messy curls as always. Delilah instantly stared squirming in her father's arms, eager to go greet him. Nathaniel sighed, letting her go as Yolanda slid smoothly into her face, kissing her husband warmly.

His arms slid around her, the kiss deepening as Delilah gagged, Quentin laughing uproariously.

"Mama! Papa! Yerk!" Delilah squealed.

"Ignore her," Nathaniel whispered as Quentin gagged with Delilah, "If we ignore them, they'll go away."

Yolanda rolled her eyes and turned away as Quentin beamed at them, Delilah still gagging beside him.

"That's disgusting!!" Delilah moaned.

"Yeah!" Quentin agreed.

Nathaniel and Yolanda rolled their eyes.

"Don't you just love her?" Quentin grinned, ruffling his goddaughter's head.

"So when are you going to get one?" Nathaniel asked wickedly.

"What?!" Quentin squawked.

"When are you going to get your own children?" Yolanda joined in sweetly, "I know Lily's looking for a huge family. Of course…"

"You have to get married first," Nathaniel joined in smoothly, an unholy smile on his face.

Quentin turned a delicate shade of green, the normal reaction to questions about his bachelor status despite him courting Lily, the local schoolmistress, for two years now.

"I…" he fell over his own words, "Well, there's…"  
"Coward," Nathaniel taunted as Quentin flushed.

A sudden silence fell over the bustling street as a stranger walked amongst their midst, people freezing in their paths. The small family and Quentin turned, the adults stiffening as the tall enigmatic stranger looked to them, sharps eyes piercing their bodies.

Yolanda clutched at her husband suddenly deathly afraid as Nathaniel quaked, trying to avoid the man's eyes but they followed him, drilling deep and mining a vein of fear.

"Papa…"  
Quentin gently touched Delilah, hushing her as the man walked by. His cloak flapped in a sudden breeze, pulling back to reveal two curved razor-sharp daggers that gleamed in the sunlight. He turned the corner and disappeared as the crowd on the streets turned to each other, silent and frightened.

"What is he doing here?!" Quentin demanded as snatches of conversation rose in the crowd.

Nervously he pushed his fedora back, moping at his wet brows.

"I don't…" Nathaniel licked his dry lips, "I don't…"  
"Papa?"  
Nathaniel looked to his daughter, still alarmed. Delilah was looking at him curiously.

"Who was that man?"

It was Yolanda who spoke, her smooth face drawn into a frown.

"That was someone you don't want to meet my dear," Yolanda said gently, hugging her daughter to her with one arm, her worried eyes finding Nathaniel's, "A Seeker."

AAAAAA

The five prisoners were emaciated, bleak eyes protruding from faces that were almost skeletal. They moved painfully, their joints grinding with each move as their skin dangled from stick-thin bones, their breath rattling in their lungs. They sat on the ground staring blankly ahead, waiting, begging for death to touch their shoulders and take them away. All of them had been viciously tortured, all lame and bleeding, their heads shaved and riveted with deforming scars from terrible experiments and surgeries, their skulls having literally been pried apart.

'The game is simple. There are five of you. Not all of you can leave alive. There are two options,' Marcos explained calmly, his voice harsh through the loudspeakers, 'One of you sacrifices yourself and the other four are free to leave.. Or you fight each other to the death and the last survivor leaves. If you do nothing, you all die. Decide. Now.'

The five prisoners stared at each other, suddenly ablaze with a hope that turned them all into hungry demons.

"One of us should sacrifice ourselves…" a man croaked.

The group stiffened, one woman's face contorting in a feral mask, her fingers curling into claws as she whirled on him.

"What?!" she barked, spittle dribbling from her lips, "Are you offering yourself?!"

The rest of the group instantly turned on him, following the leader, ugly in their fury and hate, desperate to save their own skins. They looked at him with hunger in their eyes, hands twitching as some began to lick their lips.

"NO!" the man protested frantically, backing away from them, "But come on four leaves compared to one. We've got to think about this!"

He looked at them, begging them with his eyes to consider, to think logically but the others returned his gaze with snarls and curses.

"I'm not sacrificing myself! No way!" another man screamed, dementedly, "If you want to do the right thing go right on ahead!"

"Me neither!" one of the women shrieked, jumping in hurriedly, "I've got three young children to think of!"  
"I've got a dying mom!" another man yelled desperately.

Like a pack of dogs on a runt, they turned on him, mocking and snapping.  
"Oh as if!!" the fifth man spat, "You wish! You're all liars! You're just cowards!"

"Then why don't you do it!" the first woman jabbed her fingers at him, "GO ON! BE THE HERO!"  
"Why don't you go to hell you wench!!" the man screamed back, "I don't see you offering!!"

The five people glared at each other, sizing each other up. The biggest of the men bit right through his lips, blood dripping down his jaws as his eyes narrowed, singling out the slightest woman. The woman flinched, making herself smaller trying to make herself seem harmless as the man's hungry hot gaze turned to men. Dark looks flew across the room, the women looking at each other and nodding, a silent alliance forming as all of their minds cracked under the impossible pressure.

Suddenly a hole in the ceiling opened and a single knife fell from the roof.

It hit the ground with a clang and the five prisoners stared at it. The blade glinted, their lone key to freedom.

"MINE!!"  
One of the man leapt at the blade as the others lunged to stop him, the whole room descending into madness.  
"ARGH!"

One woman fell back, blood gushing from her gut as the other four trampled her to death in their insanity. They were little more than animals, playing the bloodiest game of all – survival.

Two more men fell, holding their throat as the final man and woman stared at each other, the female holding onto the blood-slicked knife. The man screamed at her, trying to shake her nerves as the woman's eyes bulged.

"GARRGGGHHHH!"  
With a bellowing scream the woman lunged forwards, stabbing at the man. He punched her, breaking her nose before tackling her to the ground. Pinning her down, he punched her again and again, her body twitching as blood coated the man's hands.

It took seven more minutes of mindless brutality before he staggered back, dazed. He looked around at all the dead bodies and looked up, laughing, cackling with glee, his eyes bright.

"I'm the only one left!" he screamed, his voice shooting up and hitting the ceiling, "LET ME GO! LET ME GO!!"

'_No.'_

A stunned silence caught the man's throat, stilling his words. His eyes bulged as he staggered.

"WHAT?!? YOU PROMISED!" the man screamed, his body shaking as tears spilled from his eyes, "YOU…"

'_I promise nothing,' _Marcos said softly, dangerously, _'But thank you anyway. You just proved my point.'_

His voice faded leaving the man to fall to his knees, staring blankly at the four bodies around him in utter confusion, gazing upon them with a child's confused stare.

"What…" he whimpered, sobbing, tears and mucus and blood pouring down his face, "What…"

Marcos turned to Elias, the scientist white and utterly still.  
"See?" he sneered, "I gave them a choice. One of them could've been brave, one of them could've been a hero and saved the others. But see what they did? They fought each other? They killed rather than do the right thing!! See how utterly ugly the human spirit is?!"

Elias blinked and when he spoke, his voice was a viper's hiss.

"You tortured those poor people," Elias spat, his voice as cold as a knife against skin, "You broke their spirits and you turned them into monsters. You made them what they are. You made them into monsters."

His voice shook, Elias weeping for the pointless loss of four lives and the destruction of a man's soul.

"No human is born evil. Monsters are not born, they're made," Elias growled, "And you… you made them into demons. You're the monster here."

Marcos was furious, stamping his feet as he screamed in Elias's face.  
"NO! I am a leader! I am enlightenment!" Marcos raged, "I am the light that is shining the way! LOOK! LOOK!"  
He jabbed his fingers down at the room at the weeping man and the four dead bodies.  
"SEE?! I simply gave them a little push and they turned on each other like sharks!!" Marcos screeched, "Where was your human spirit? Where was your decency and righteousness?! Where are nobility and compassion! If you were right one of them would've sacrificed themselves for the others and yet they chose not to! They didn't even think to! They just know how to kill and hurt! And look!"

Elias was still as a statue, his eyes hot on Marcos's face.

"You're not anything but a depraved man who enjoys the pain of others," Elias hissed, "You're the one who made them kill each other. They're not wrong, you are."

Marcos stared at him, genuinely shocked before calming.

"So you won't believe me then. So be it," Marcos smiled coldly, "Alright. Then let's keep experimenting!"

"It doesn't matter what you do," Elias whispered, "I still believe."

And grabbing Elias's arms, he dragged the scientist out the room as the man they left behind wept, his mind slipping into insanity.

AAAAAA

Jill laughed straight at Inara's greying face.

"Oh, you fool," she sneered, "You noble, stupid fool."  
She turned to Caspian, her black eyes flashing with amusement.

"So… how does it feel big boy?" she taunted, "Enjoy watching you friends die?"  
Chuckling she forced the two of them down the hall, Caspian supporting Inara as she leaned against him weakly. Jill continued to mock them, her taunting words slicing into Caspian as he gritted his teeth, struggling to hold onto his calm. The possessed girl laughed wildly as Inara stumbled, Caspian grabbing her to keep from her falling.

"Shut up!" Caspian whirled on, furious, "JUST SHUT UP!"

Jill rolled her eyes.

"I'm not sure how this works back where you're from," she waved the gun at him, "See? Weapon. Me. Weapon. Me have power!"

Caspian gently leaned Inara against the wall before turning to Jill, hate in his eyes.

"I am going to…"

Jill coolly raised her gun and jammed it into his chest, her dark eyes flat.

"Come on," she hissed, "Attack me. I dare you!"

Caspian merely smiled at her.

"You should never put the gun up against someone," he said calmly, "It puts it within arm's reach. Really easy for them to…"

Before Jill could react, Caspian grabbed her wrist forcing her hand to the side.

"BANG!"  
The gun went off, the bullet harmlessly slamming into the wall as Caspian swung at Jill, catching her with a right hook. She stumbled, the king wrenching the gun from her hands and kicking her down.

He towered over, breathing fast, the gun now is his hands as the possessed girl looked up, a smug wicked smile on her face.

"Oh come on," she taunted, rolling her eyes despite the danger she was in, "You're not going to hurt a downed girl are y…"  
"BANG! BANG! BANG!"

Without even blinking Caspian fired point-blank into her belly, Jill's body jerking with each shot as blood splattered the walls.

"You're not a girl," Caspian hissed coldly.

And he didn't feel guilty. There was a monster here that needed to be destroyed just like he should've destroyed.

Stooping he rifled through her pockets, coming up with a strange circular object. Dismissing her, the king turned as Inara looked at him, dazed and disorientated as the poison continued to flow through her veins, attacking every organ in her body.

"Wha…" she shivered, her body suddenly ice cold.

"Come on," Caspian said gently, hooking her arms around his shoulder, half-supporting, half-carrying her, "We have to go."

He led her down the hall, his face thunderous as Jill's blank black eyes watched him leave.

AAAAAA

There was a brilliant flash of light and suddenly a stack of crates in one corner of the docking yard exploded, hungry blue flames stretching up and hastily gulping air and fuel as the pilots cried out in alarm.

Claxons and sirens instantly went off, adding to the chaos as the men scrambled to control the blaze.

"What happened?!" one of the pilots demanded frantically.

The dock's automatic sprinklers turned on dousing the flames as the pilots flinched, cold white seeping under their jumpsuits and chilling their skins but the fire was quickly erased, smoke hanging heavy in the air, foul with the stench of melted plastics.

"Glad I don't have to clean this up," one of the men smirked.

"Yeah, the plebs will," another laughed.

His voice rose, becoming higher.

"What?" he screeched, shaking with laugher, "Malik Industries wants me to do what? I loved Malik Industries! Please sir, tell me what to do! Can I lick your boots?"

The group of rough-looking men chortled as the actor finished by putting on the blank stupid smile that was the staple of this world.

"God they sicken me," one of the other captains smirked, "Glad I'm not Fixed."

"Even in a world of endless peace," the last two words were muttered with disdain, "Somebody needs to do the dirty work."

The captain shook his head.

"Oi, Jim! Check the hold! Make sure nobody's where they're not supposed to be!" he barked.

A scruffy looking young man moaned but nodded, walking up to one of the airships, the craft's wings folded up ready for take-off. He climbed up the ship's ramp towards it cargo bag, a small device held in his hands. Grumbling he waved the object around, the screen flickering a little before flashing green.

"All clear boss!" he tossed over his shoulders.

The captain grunted and tossed aside his cigarette before nodding to his fellow fliers. Ten minutes later the airship unfolded its wings and rose swiftly into the air, angling up towards the great blue sky.

Unknown to the crew two castaways, both royals of Narnia were aboard, hidden by a veil of shifting air.

Susan nodded at Peter as she clutched her bow to her.

'_Hang on,' _she said silently, praying, _'We're coming!'_

Peter's mind was carefully blank, a crackling storm boiling in his veins as he waited for what was to come.

AAAAAA

"Papaaaaaaaaa…" Delilah expertly stretched the word into seven long syllables, her pink lips pointed out in a pout, "PLEASE?!"

Nathaniel looked up from his books, an ink pen in hand as he looked over his daughter's head as his wife exasperatedly. Yolanda smoothed a smirk with one hand as she turned back to her cooking.

"Please?"

Nathaniel groaned, trying to avoid his daughter's eyes knowing he had already lost.

"Pleaaaasssseeee?"  
"Alright! Alright!" he threw up his hands in disgust, cursing his inability to say no to his daughter, "I'll get it for you!"

Sighing he stood up, tossing his pen aside as Delilah cheered, grabbing her tall father around the legs (the highest place she could reach) and hugging him tight. Nathaniel's ire instantly faded as he bent, kissing his beloved daughter on the head and ruffling her hair.

"You better head off now if you want to get back before sundown," Yolanda smiled as her husband glared at her.

"This is your fault you know," he muttered as Delilah skipped around their house, cheering on top of her lungs.

Yolanda gave him the most innocent of looks, eyelashes battering as she clasped her chest, letting out a loud theatrical gasp.

"Me?"

"If you haven't made our daughter so damn adorable I would be able to say no," Nathaniel muttered disgusted even as a smile raised his lips.

"Oh, poor baby…" Yolanda cooed.

She sashayed up to him, swinging her arms around his neck and drawing him into a tender kiss.

"Want me to make it all better?" she asked huskily.

Nathaniel's eyes darkened as a low groan rumbled his chest, pressing her closer to him, his lips finding her again as he ravished her.

"ERK! MAMA! PAPA!!!" Delilah shrieked, "YUCK!!"

Nathaniel groaned again, pressing his face into his wife's neck before looking up at his disgusted daughter. Laughter bubbled out of his throat at the cross look on her face before he let go of his wife.

"Alright," Yolanda straightened his tie as he spoke, "My beautiful princess and queen. I'll be off. And you Ladybug…"  
He pointed at Delilah.

"Be nice to your mother."  
Delilah grinned at him angelically.

"And you," he quirked his eyebrows at Yolanda, "Have my dinner ready woman!"  
Yolanda laughed and swatted him. Chuckling Nathaniel strolled out of his house, heading back towards town.

He frowned seeing Quentin jogging up the path towards him.

"Hey!" he called out.

Quentin looked up startled, his movements jumpy and erratic. His friend's usually open, smiling face was pale, his lips tinged with green. Nathaniel stopped, frowning.

"Are you feeling fine?" he asked.

Quentin tried to smile but it collapsed. He snatched his fedora from his head, turning it nervously in his hands.

"I'm great," he rasped out, eyes darting from side to side, "Just come to drop in and say hello to your darling wife and demon spawn. Where are you heading off to?"

"Town," Nathaniel sighed, "Delilah saw a ribbon in the shop and just had to have it."  
He rolled his eyes but laughed good-naturedly.

"Well just in case I'm not there when you get back, goodbye," Quentin tried to smile again, this time it held but didn't reach his eyes, "Have fun!"  
Nathaniel looked at him, concerned, but let it slide, whistling as he walked the familiar path to town.

It took him an hour to return, his daughter's azure ribbon tucked into his pocket, his coin pouch slightly lighter. Nathaniel looked up at the starry night sky and grimaced, knowing he was late.

A rush of heat swept down the path, hitting him hard as Nathaniel stumbled, taken by surprise.

"What?" his blue eyes widened as smoke drifted from around the sand dune, blotting out the night's sky "No…"

He sprinted up the hill, his jacket flapping in the wind as he pounded up the sand path. Gasping for breath, his lungs on fire, he whipped around the corner and…

"NO!!!"

The scream ripped itself from his throat, harsh and guttural as he fell to his knees.

"NO… YOLANDA?!? DELILAH!?!" he scrambled forwards, tripping, sprawling, "YOLANDA!!!! DELILAH!!"

He screamed, floundering through ash and embers, searing his hand on a piece of glowing red metal but still he searched, tears spilling down his face.

"YOLANDA?!?!"  
"Over here."

Nathaniel's head snapped to the side. Quentin was crouched amongst the flaming debris of his once cosy house, the man's usually laughing face pale and shell-shocked.

"Quentin!!" Nathaniel spoke the word like a prayer, "What happened? What?!"

Quentin turned and Nathaniel's eyes were immediately drawn to the limp bloody bundle in his arms.

And that's when the accountant's world collapsed.  
"No. Please! NO! THIS CAN'T BE REAL!!!" Nathaniel screamed at Quentin.

The man flinched but said nothing.  
"NO!! NO!! DELILAH!! DELILAH!!! LADYBUG!!!"  
Nathaniel lunged forwards shoving Quentin aside before scooping his little girl up. Her eyes were closed as though in sleep, the blood on her dress giving lie to that illusion. Nathaniel touched her cheeks with shaking hands.

"Delilah. Delilah. Delilah."  
He sobbed and cried and cursed for hours, days, years, rocking his baby back and forth, his screams piercing the desert and flying over the long dunes of sand like a bird in the night.

"Delilah…"

He turned to Quentin, his eyes wide and filled with madness. In the light of the flickering fires, he was a demon.

"What happened?!" he spat, "WHAT HAPPENED?!"  
Quentin looked away, his face ashen, shamed to his core.

"I'm sorry," his best friend whispered, "I had no choice."  
Nathaniel froze, his bloody daughter still clutched to his chest.  
"What did you do?" Nathaniel demanded, "LOOK AT ME DAMN YOU!!! WHAT DID YOU DO!?!?"

His words were like spears, swords, an army battering Quentin, forcing him to speak.

"They had Lily… they told me if I didn't help them. If I didn't trick Yolanda into letting them in…" Quentin sobbed brokenly, "I'm sorry Nathaniel! I'M SORRY!!!!"  
Nathaniel stared at him for the longest time, his body utterly still. When he spoke, his words were flat and emotionless.

"Where is she? Where is Yolanda?"

"She's alive," Quentin croaked, "They took her. And Delilah… oh god! Delilah!!"  
He reached for his goddaughter but Nathaniel punched him in the face, knocking him away.

"Who took her?" he hissed.

"Whittaker. He's mad and he's drunk and… he…." Quentin stopped.

He began mumbling, desperately, his words melting into each other as he shook.

"He… I never meant for this to happen," he finished stupidly.

"I hate you."  
Quentin look at his friend, stunned but he quickly nodded, crying brokenly.

"I'm sorry…" he begged, "I never meant for…"  
"NEVER MEANT?!?" Nathaniel shrieked, "YOU LET WHITTAKER INTO MY HOUSE!! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU THINK WAS GOING TO HAPPEN!"

"They had Lily!!" Quentin begged, naming his beloved, "THEY HAD HER AND THEY WERE GOING TO… OH GOD!! I WAS TRAPPED! I…"  
Nathaniel rose to his feet, Delilah still in his arms, her body cold against his chest. He looked down at her, weeping, his tears falling on her face like when she'd first be born and he held her for the first time.

Memories, terrible taunting memories haunted, his laughing, loving daughter dancing through his head.

Nathaniel screamed.

"YOU KILLED HER!!!" he bellowed like a god delivering judgement.

He pointed and white fire flared from his fingers. The power that Nathaniel had been cursed with all his life rose in him, hot and hungry, baying for blood. He did not flinch, did not hesitate, he took every single drop of power and threw it all at his friend, striking him down.

Quentin gave one terrified shriek as the power ripped through him. His body flopped to the smoking round as Nathaniel wept.

"Delilah… Delilah…"

He knelt, gently laying his daughter on the sand. He gently stroked her cheeks, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the ribbon she'd so desperately wanted.

He stared at it, confused.

This was it. This single innocent piece of fabric had been the reason why he had left his family in danger. The reason why he had not been there to defend her, protect her as he had vowed to do so many times in his life.

"I'm sorry baby… I'm so sorry…"  
Gently he gathered her hair and tied it with the ribbon. He smiled at her, hardly seeing her through his tears.

"You look beautiful."

He rose, pointing at the ground and concentrating, his powers coming to him, as easy to control as his own limb. The ground shuddered and gave way, a rough grave opening up in the ground.

He lowered his daughter into it before covering it up again, his power sweeping sand and dirt over her, sealing her into the earth forever.

Like a zombie, Nathaniel turned, vaguely aware that his hair was smoking, singed by the cinders that still leapt from the flaming ruins of his house.

Almost absently he reached down and grabbed his dead friend's beloved fedora and jammed it onto his head.

"I hope you burn in hell," Nathaniel whispered before turning and marching off into the desert, his powers directing him towards the one shining light left in his life.

AAAAAA

Jill sat up, gasping for breath.

"Son of a – " she cursed, coughing up blood.

She staggered to her feet, wincing as she dug her fingers into her own body digging out the bullets.

'_Miss there's been a breach in security,' _a voice stammered nervously, her walkie-talkie turning on, _'I have visual on the escapees. Should I call security?'_

"Damn right there's been a breach!" Jill screamed into the phone, furious, "I've been shot! You know how much that hurts."

The man on the line wisely stayed silent as Jill straightened, black eyes flashing.

"Don't call security. I'll handle it," she spat, "And if you even think about telling the boss remember how I grabbed the man's head and ripped it from his neck."

A long silence came through the line.

"Remember?" Jill hissed.

'_Yes…' _the man's voice was shaking.

"Good, because that would only be a taster for what I do to you if you fail me," Jill spat, "Got it?"

'YES!'

Jill sneered and marched down the hall, fists clenching as she salivated at the thought of having Caspian in her hands.

"You're dead," she muttered, "You and your little friend."

Howling in fury, the possessed girl clenched her fists and took off in hot pursuit.

AAAAAA

Zaru whimpered as the scientist jammed the electrode into his chest, laughing as the leopard convulsed wildly, shrieking in pain.

"Dance!" the man cried, clapping, "DANCE!!"  
Zaru screamed, his fur singed, his whole body aflame with agony. But still he held on. Susan would come and save him. Susan would come and save him.

It was his mantra, his belief, his lone hold on sanity.

Susan would come and save him. Susan would come and…

"ARRRRRRRGGGHHHHH!!!!!"

The leopard bucked, hissing furiously. A set of hardened steel cages to his left shook, the bolts attaching them to the walls jingling loose from their moorings as the creatures within howled and screamed, battering themselves against their cage.

"Sir!"

The scientist looked up, the sparking prod held in his hands as one of assistants rushed towards him.

"Something's happening with the tube," the assistant said urgently, "There's some sort of neural disturbance."

"External?" the scientist barked.

The assistant flinched as the creatures in the cage screamed again, howling at the top of their voices.

"Damn Pretas," the scientist muttered as the assistant hurriedly recovered.

"Negative sir," he said quickly answer his superior's previous question, "Some external source is interfering with the tube. You have to look at it now!"

The scientist cursed before turning back to Zaru, the leopard slumped on the cage floor gasping desperately for breath.

"Alright, we'll play later," the scientist promised, "Cage close!"

The cage slammed shut, trapping Zaru once more. The scientist laughed before tossing the prod away, burnt fur clinging to its tip. Through bleary eyes Zaru watched him leave.

"Bastard..." the leopard groaned.

He looked up, praying it would work.

"Cage open!" he boomed.

And the cage door instantly slid open. Allowing himself one pained smile the leopard slid out, crawling as every muscle in his body shrieked in protest.

Susan would come for him but who said he had to wait for her?

Zaru turned and look at the cages all around him, all the snarling, howling, roaring beasts within and a wicked smile curved his lips.

AAAAAA

He walked through the desert, the cold and his hunger nothing compared to the ice in his mind and the fire in his heart.

"Whittaker. Whittaker. Whittaker."

Why had he come back? Why had the brute struck after so many years?

But the questions were swept aside as Nathaniel walked, his powers whispering to him, telling him where to go.

"Stop."

Nathaniel looked up, his face blank as a shadowy figure emerged from beyond the crest of a dune, staring down at him.

It was the Seeker, his daggers gleaming in the moonlight.

"Why?" Nathaniel screamed, the winds and the sands responding to his fury, "What are you doing here!?!"

"I've been hired."  
Nathaniel's eyes widened.  
Seekers were notorious in Lawless, solitary bounty-hunters and mercenaries, men and women had lived at the fringes of society, above and beyond normal law, despised and feared as much as they were respected and needed.

Each Seeker was a deadly warrior in his own right, his prodigious skill with fists and blades matched with a quick mind and tracking skills that allowed them to hunt their quarry down like hounds after a rabbit.

They were also capricious, free of any code of honour or mercy, taking jobs that offered the most money whether it be killing those who deserved it or those who were innocent. Lords, sheriffs, workers, women and babes had all fallen to their blades, the pages of history stained by the works of Seekers.

It was always about the coin.

They were the creators of new powers, destructors of kingdoms, slayers of the rich and the bane of the poor. They were chaos, wherever they went change inevitably followed.

Little was known about them, where they came from, where they trained, how they came to be it was all part of the enigmatic myth that shrouded the Seekers, those mere mortals elevated to the pedestal of angels and demons.

"To kill you," the Seeker said calmly, unsheathing his long curved daggers.

"Okay," Nathaniel whispered.

Power flared in his eyes and from his body, a sandstorm roaring to life as the Seeker blinked, faltering for the first time his life.

Wreathed in white light and in a cold deadly purpose, Nathaniel merely blinked.

"Try your best," he stated flatly, "And the victor walks away."

The Seeker gritted his teeth and charged, screaming but he was nothing compared to the fury incarnate that Nathaniel had become. The grieving father pointed his hands, white power shooting forwards and impaling the mercenary straight through the chest.

The Seeker's eyes widened, blood drenching the desert sands as Nathaniel waved his hands, the white fire fading away.

Slowly he marched up the dune to tower over the dying Seeker. The bounty hunter screamed, slashing at him with his daggers but Nathaniel pointed and invisible hands pinned the man down to the sand, grinding him into the grit.

"Where is Whittaker?" he demanded.

The Seeker laughed.

"You think I'll tell you?" he screamed at him.  
"Where is he?"

The Seeker clamped his mouth shut and Nathaniel sighed, white power flaring once more.

"Then be punished for you sins," Nathaniel hissed.

And he immolated the helpless man on the spot, deaf to his screams. When it was all over, Nathaniel knelt and scooped up the Seeker's fallen curved daggers, eyeing their razor edge.

He thrust them through his belt and turned continuing his march into the desert.

AAAAAA

"So what is this now?" Elias asked contemptuously, "Experiment number three?"

Marcos smiled at him, his grin slick and oily. The doors in front of them slid open revealing a cavernous chamber.

"So what sadistic rubbish have you come up with this time!?" Elias snarled.

"Just this," Marcos hissed.

Elias stumbled as Marcos shoved him in the back. The scientist tripped, sprawling into the ground as Marcos cackled. The thick metal doors slammed shut with a resounding bang, sealing the man in.

Cursing Elias rose, turning away from the door and peering cautiously into the darkness all around him.

"Help…" a low moan filtered through the air, "Help…"

"Hello? Who's there!" Elias yelled cautiously.

"Please sir… help me…" the voice groaned.

Gritting his teeth, Elias stepped into the darkness, his eyes slowly adjusting to the gloom as he shuffled forwards, his arms swinging wide around him as he floundered forwards.

He stopped, the meagre light bouncing off something before him.

"Please…"

The groan had dropped to a croaking whisper as desperate sobs reached Elias's ears.

"Don't worry," Elias called, "I'm coming. I'll…"

He stopped. And do what? He was trapped in this room as much as the poor suffering soul calling out to him. Terror rose but Elias forced it down, strolling resolutely into the shadows, following the direction of her whimpers.

He stopped, his jaws dropping as he finally found the source of the voice.

A woman blinked at him, her eyes feverish as blood pooled at her feet. She was stripped bare, her naked skin marked with a thousand lashes and cuts, the same deforming scars etched into her skull.

Chains gripped her thin wrists binding her spread-eagled to the wall.

"Oh…" Elias rushed forwards, tugging at the shackles to no avail, "I'll…"

'Elias.'

The woman whimpered, recoiling as Marcos's voice suddenly boomed in the darkness, grand and dreadful.

'_Let me introduce you to your new playmate,' _Marcos cooed, _'Her name is Mary. Mary is a mother of five who had a nasty habit of finding my paradise less than perfect.'_

Mary whimpered as Marcos laughed, shrill and dark with insanity, drunk on his own power.

'_Elias. You honestly believe that people are good, pure and decent at heart. That everyone is intrinsically good and will always do the right thing,' _Marcos laughed, _'Fine. If you pass this test, I'll believe you.'_

Elias tensed as Marcos continued, rambling on.

'_Even back at the Institute when we were mere children we argued about this. I believed the way forward was with the iron fist. You need to breed the aggressiveness out of people using any means possible,' _Marcos hissed, the loudspeakers screeching with static, _'You need to genetically manipulate them. Brainwash them. Do anything to create peace and harmony. The end justifies the means.'_

"And I believe differently," Elias said stoutly, refusing to compromise what he believed regardless of the dangers, "You cannot control people like that. You cannot play games with them like that. The human mind is a sanctity we as scientist cannot ethically touch."

His words were hurled forwards as a challenge.

"To build a paradise? You need to trust the people. Yes, they will stumble, they will fall but eventually they will learn. All people are pacifists are heart. Yes, there are murderers and rapists and all manners of evil," Elias continued, the words flowing from him now, heated, passionate, "But these are exceptions. These are those who have been so twisted by their own experiences and other monsters that they become monstrous themselves. We must heal them. We much teach them."

Elias held his ground, his voice reverberating off the walls.

"And all it takes is a hero. A person to stand up and show them the way. That is the path forwards. Not through trickery or lies but through showing, teaching, trusting."  
Elias stopped, his eyes wide, chests heaving. And in that moment he saw just how monstrous the Great Darkness was. Yes, it had dreams, grand dreams of peace and joy but the methods it had chosen, the brutality. Elias had believed the Great Darkness could be spoken to, could be brought to change its mind. But it was deluded, an insane as Marcos was.

The Great Darkness needed to be stopped, no matter the price, no matter the reason.

Marcos chuckled.

'_Impassionate,' _he noted dryly, _'Impressive. Very well. I will let you show me how good people are.'_

Lights flooded the chamber, blinding Elias as Mary screamed, her eyes unused to the light. The chamber was stark, four high walls and a ceiling and nothing else.

'_The human spirit cannot be showed for what it is unless you test it. Unless you throw people in the lion's den. Then all lies are stripped away. And you see the true person,' _Marcos hissed, _'So Elias. This is your den. The rules are simple.'_

Mary fell to the ground with a yelp as her chains loosened, letting her free.

'_There are two of you. Only one may leave alive. If you are what you say you are, this will be simple,' _Marcos cackled as Elias's eyes widened, _'Be that noble hero, Elias. Change the world! Show me just how strong the human spirit is, show me how pure and perfect we all are! SHOW ME!!'_

Mary looked at Elias in shock, trembling.

'This is your chance… make it count!'

Elias was lost, his mind reeling, trying to make sense of it all as the two of prisoners stared at each other for the longest time.

AAAAAA

Author's notes: So you finally get what you want – the truth behind Jason's past... hope you enjoy it!

Also thank you very much for past reviews! I'm glad so many of you enjoyed the change of pace as well as the more philosophical side of this arc.

So thank you Autumnia (You hit it on the head – this is exactly what I wanted to do, show what the Great Darkness is doing but on a much smaller scale), Lanzecki (next episode!), MyLuckyWhistle (yeah cheery people freak me out as well), Holly-Batali (thank you for being a long-term reader and reviewer!), lilbanili (what happened to your pictures?! They were awesome!), Emmaplease (1984 baby!!!), hisanachan (Jason's past! Voila!), Lissie1994 (first time reviewer eh? Keep it up!), Marie (glad you like the story), khajit (thanks always for your essays), bon (always reviewing – always appreciated) and ray1 (thanks always for your encouragement) – anyone I forgot to mention sorry but don't think you're unloved.


	57. Project terminated

I apologise! SORRY! SORRY! SORRY! But unfortunately uni has started again and I'm once again fighting off 7 different types of sleep deprivation. GAAAAAAAAH! Anywho please enjoy this latest chapter and I will try to get the next one up ASAP

Disclaimer: You know who belongs to CS Lewis and what belongs to me

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 57: Project terminated**

"BANG! BANG! BANG!"

Caspian whirled, a cry on his lips as the doors all slammed shut, before him soft hisses permeated the air as some of the doors slid open.

"What…" the king jammed the disc he had stolen from Jill onto the panel near the door.

The screen let out a loud beep before flashing red, denying him access.

"What…"

Inara's head lolled on his shoulders, the girl now slumped fully against him, the king juggling her, the disc and his gun as his eyes darkened.

They were trapped.

He glanced over his shoulders at the multitude of open doors available, they could go back and going forwards was now an impossibility.

"Damn it!" Caspian growled.

He had known sooner or later the headquarters would turn their security measures against them but he had hoped for later. The king tensed, ears pricked for the sounds of the thundering footsteps and harsh cries, expecting a platoon of guards to sweep around the corner at any moment.

But there was only silence, Caspian's nerve stretching tauter with each second.

"What's going on…" Inara croaked.

Caspian glanced at her, grimacing at her paling face. His shoulder was wet with her sweat, the king staggering as she leaned heavier and heavier against him, her legs giving out as the poison took hold.

"Quiet," Caspian urged, "Just rest. I'm handling it."

The Telmarine winced at the falseness of his words but Inara let out a wordless murmur before her eyes fluttered close once more.

They were trapped inside their enemies' stronghold, weapon-less except for one measly gun, the whole headquarters was not doubt under surveillance and one of them was incapacitated.

"Of course," Caspian muttered disgusted, "We don't want things to be too easy!"

There only hope was for someone to rescue them.

"Susan…" Caspian whispered.

She would get to them in time, she and the High King, they would come, Caspian knew they would but the question was when?

Gritting his teeth, Caspian hurried away, carrying Inara as she murmured deliriously under his breath.

He was sick of being rescued, sick of watching those around him fall and suffer as he walked away unscathed. Was that his curse? To watch those around him burn, hold those who died as he himself remained unharmed.

Caspian would give anything, anything in the all the worlds to take Inara's suffering into himself. It seemed right, payment… punishment for all of his sins.

Caspian stiffed, suddenly aware of eyes on him, the hair on the back of his neck rose as he tightened his grip on the gun, turning slowly.

"You are a nasty little bugger aren't you?"

Caspian's eyes widened as the breath left his lungs.

"You're dead!" he spat as if saying those words would make it true, "You're…"

Jill chuckled nastily pulling up her robes to reveal her bullet-ridden gut.

"You wish," she sneered, "I'm built to last."

"BANG!"

Jill crumpled, blood splattering the walls as Caspian's bullet took her in the head. The king instantly fled, carrying Inara in his arms. He whipped around the corner, fleeing as Jill suddenly let out a huge gasp, her limbs flailing as her eyes blinked rapidly.

She pushed herself up, wincing as she probed the wound in her skull. She turned and glared in the direction that Caspian had run, scowling furiously.

"Oh that does it!" Jill barked, "You are so dead!!"  
Leaping to her feet, Jill took off in hot pursuit, her black eyes ablaze as she licked her lips, hungry for bloody revenge.

AAAAAA

Elias was the first to break his stare, turning and glaring up into the darkness of the ceiling, his face furious.

"MARCOS?!" he barked, "WHAT THE HELL?! YOU CAN'T SERIOUSLY EXPECT ME TO DO THIS!?"

'_Why not?' _Marcos spat back, _'You're alway so damn sure about how great humanity is!! So show me! Show me just how great you really are!!'_

Elias opened his mouth but stopped, knowing it was helpless. He was a facing a madman and you couldn't reason with the deranged not when they were drunk on their own power and delusions. He was trapped, death of a human beingq his only option.

"This is insanity," Elias whispered.

He remembered Marcos as the boy he once was, the boy he had first met years ago at the Institute, the pride of Metech, a school where only the most talented and gifted was accepted.

Marcos had always been solemn, quiet unless his passion was ignited than he would become a demon, ranting and degrading until everyone else submitted to his beliefs. Even at an extremely young age, the boy dreamt big, always talking about how he would change the world.

Elias was vaguely aware of some tragedy in Marcos' young life for the boy lived permanently in the Institute's dormitories, a thing only done by those unwanted or orphaned. But Marcos had filled the hole in his life with his wild plans and ruminations, the teachers letting his eccentricities slide as he rose rapidly up in the ranks of the school. His amazing intelligence and thirst for knowledge was unparalleled, rivalled only by Elias himself. The two boys had been rivals then quickly friends. They challenged each other, arguing about nuances of theories, models for experiment and their most passionate and fiery topic – the way to save the world.

Marcos believed all man to be beasts at heart, monsters with masks of civility, that the way forward was with any means necessary to tame the darkness that lived in all man. Brainwashing, genetic manipulation, all tools had to be exploited. But Elias argued for free-will and choice, believing in empathy and understanding to cure the ills of the world.

Their arguments had been the stuff of legends, the younger students fleeing from their screaming matches, the older students rushing to pull them apart. Their teachers had despaired but did nothing to curb the two brightest stars they had even taught.

And despite the arguments, despite the rift it set between them the two remained friends, graduated together, worked and continued to argue together until that fateful day. The day Marcos had been lost.

Elias blinked, pull from his memories as Mary began to cry, noisily and pitifully. He turned to look at her, sick, his mind desperately trying to think a way out of the mess they were in.

'_Hurry up Elias,' _Marcos taunted, _'Times running out. Show me just how human you really are.'_

"Please…" Mary begged, "Don't kill me! Please!"

"CLICK!"

Her chains fell to the ground as the woman stumbled forwards, Elias rushing forwards to steady her. She stiffened at his touch and instinctively spat in his face. Blinded, Elias staggered back as Mary shifted into a pathetic fighter's stance, her limbs trembling with exhaustion. He looked at her, almost in confusion as she wept bitterly.

"Please sir," she begged, pitifully "I have small children to think of… please don't make them orphans… please…"  
Elias swallowed heavily.

"I…" he stopped, voice dropping to a whisper, "I'm not going to hurt you."

She looked at his outstretched hand like a caged animal, teetering on acceptance and lashing out. Elias took a sudden step towards her and she instantly flinched, eyes hardening as she backed away, wary, her body twitching as she continued to weep. Her beady eyes were fixed on him, her lips pulled back into a primeval snarl. She was a rabid wolf, cornered and willing to sell her life dearly.

"We can get out of this," Elias said soothingly, his eyes kind and gentle, "We can both get out of this alive… just… just trust me."

But Mary's sanity had been crushed under the weight of the torture she'd endured, her mind an endless loop of remembered suffering. She was nothing more than a bundle of nerves and paranoia, knowing only how to communicate in the language used against her – violence.

"TRUST?!?" her eyes bulged, "You really think I'd fall for that?!"

Elias desperately cast his mind around, trying to think of something, some way to get out this without having to kill or be killed. Mary watched him closely, her eyes picking him apart, looking for the slightest opening, the slightest weakness.

"Three children," she chanted the words over and over again, "I have three children t look out for. I'm all they have. Please… I need to go back to them!!"

"Marcos! Stop this!" Elias yelled desperately, watching Mary warily, "What the hell do you hope to prove by doing this?"

'_You were always the one regaling me with tales of sacrifice and bravery, of people giving all they had to illuminate the world. You believed so much in those heroes,' _Marcos sneered, _'Well, here's you chance to be that hero. Rise up Elias! Do not let fear stop you! Sweep them aside and become that beacon! Show me the way Elias! Show me!!!'_

"This is not the way!" Elias screamed back at him, "This is madness! This is nothing more than brutality and sadism! You can't do this! YOU CAN'T!!!"  
_'Why not? Imagine this is one of your stories Elias,' _Marcos taunted, triumph in his oily voice, _'Show the world how you're willing to lose everything for your morals and beliefs! Enlighten me!!'_

Elias felt sick, his world yanked out from under him as he stared at Mary and stared at the twisted test Marcos had set. His life or Mary's… death was the only key that could unlock this fiendish lock, his life or Mary's…

All that he believed, all that he wanted to be duelled wildly with the most basic of human instincts – the will to survive. The man, the one who thought and dreamed and philosophised waged a vicious war against the beast that all humans really were beneath their veneer of intellect. The developed fought against the savage, Elias torn apart as Marcos watched, his sick grin widening as he saw his hesitation.

'_What? Are you willing to admit that all men are monsters?' _Marcos howled with laughter, _'Can you see what I mean now? Take a man from his comfortable life and put him into danger and he'll kill his own mother to survive. See how diseased and violent our race really are?'_

"No, I refuse to believe that! I won't!" Elias snarled defiantly.

He made his choice.

Elias turned to Mary, spreading his arms wide, his hands open.

"If dying means that you survive than so be it!" Elias yelled, "KILL ME!!!"  
A knife instantly fell from the ceiling, hitting the floor with a clang. Mary, hardly knowing what was going on, snatched up the weapon. She stared at him, watching him carefully for any signs of trickery but even though the scientist shook, he held firm.

"I promise you Mary. You will live. You will see your children again," he jutted his chin out stubbornly, "DO IT!! KILL ME!!!"  
_'What?!?' _Marco was genuinely was shock but he had no time to react as Mary threw herself forwards, her knife lancing towards Elias's chest.

AAAAAA

Lawless's twin moons stared at him, the distant eyes of an accusing watcher, every bleak shadow on the silvery dune pointing towards him like fingers. The night should've been silent, the air cold and still as the world held its breath, luxuriating in the short-lived coolness. But this night, the desert was alive, insects and animals fleeing from the walking pyre that moved in their midst.

Nathaniel McLaughlin marched through the desert, his dead friend's fedora on his head, the slain Seeker's daggers in his hands, his eyes ablaze with the white fire that flapped and whipped around his body like a banner on a pole.

His mind reached out, the sand quaking in its wake as he found his targets. The desert sand smoked underfoot, sand fusing to glass as stray bursts of his power lashed out, stabbing up into the sky like a reversed lightning bolt or blasting sand dunes apart, his very presence reshaping the land around him.

His power died, simmering against his skin as he crested the final dune and stared down, down, down at a small camp sheltered behind the embracing arms of a cul-de-sac. Orange flames flickered, casting shadows over the steep cliff-faces as harsh laughter and jeers floated up the dune towards the accountant.

He gripped his daggers tightly, head cocked to the side as he surveyed the scene.

"Yolanda…"

Was she down there? Her face was like a splash of cold water against the fire raging in his veins, a moment of clarity cutting through all the rage and hatred. He couldn't rush in and kill everything in sight as was his first thought, he had to…

Nathaniel paused, a cold smile flickering on his face.

He raised his hands, a column of white fire spinning around him and shooting up into the sky.

There were cries of alarm from below as Whittakers' men leapt to their feet, weapons in hand.

"WHITTAKER!" Nathaniel boomed, his voice guttural and low, nothing like his usual timid self, "NATHANIEL IS DEAD!!"  
With his daggers and his fedora and the white flames obscuring his form, the accountant looked like a demon re-incarnate.

Whittaker rose drunkenly to his feet, swaying on the spot.

"Is he… hic… did you… hic," he hiccoughed, his eyes glazed, "DID YOU MAKE HIM SUFFER?!"

"JUST LIKE HIS FAMILY!!!" Nathaniel's voice thundered through the night, the cliffs shaking with his cry.

"GOOD…" Whittaker stood and almost fell, "So you want your money?!"

"BRING IT UP HERE!!" his voice was hard and commanding, "I DON'T TRUST YOUR PEOPLE!!"  
Whittaker cursed and nodded at two of his men, they stared back at him apprehensively terrified of the flame-wreathed form on the dune.

"Go give the money to the Seeker!!" Whittaker snarled.

He drunk sloppily from a rum bottle spilling half of it on himself. His men hesitated but scrambled up the hill as Whittaker roared at them.

Nathaniel watched the two men climb cautiously towards him, both of them holding small sacs of jingling coins.

"Here you go Seeker sir," one of the cringing men whimpered as Nathaniel turned to glare at him through the maelstrom of power.

He reached out with a hand and a thought and the man was pulled screaming towards him, ripping through the wall of power as white fire seared his skin.

"Is she alive?!" Nathaniel barked into his terrified.

The man was blubbering as he fought to get out of Nathaniel's grip. The accountant gripped his neck tightly, crushing his throat as the man screamed.

"IS SHE ALIVE?!?"  
"WHO!?!" the man screamed.

"Yolanda! The woman you took! Is she alive?!" Nathaniel yelled at him.

The man went limp in his hands, looking away as ice slid into Nathaniel's heart.

"No."

Nathaniel forced the man to look at him, weeping tears of white fire, begging the man to lie to him.

"No…"

"The boss took her into the caves. There was a scream and he came out all…" the man quailed, "He was covered in blood. A lot of it."

Nathaniel screamed, the desert shaking with his rage. The man screamed as Nathaniel glared at him, his powers plunging deep and ripping his heart apart.

The second man had fled screaming down the dune but Nathaniel's powers stabbed out, taking him through the back.

"WHAT IN THE UNHOLY DEVIL?!" Whittaker screamed.

Nathaniel threw his power aside, uncloaking himself as he slowly walked down the dune, Whittaker and his men scrambling to mount some kind of defence. Crossbows twanged, feathered shafts flying towards him but Nathaniel incinerated them in the air, his pain fuelling his powers to dangerous new levels.

He reached out with one hand and three men fell screaming to the ground, clutching at their throats as white fire swept down the embankment and towards the camp, Whittaker leaping out of the way as another man was immolated where he stood.

The rest of the men tried to flee, Whittaker alone in his defiant but Nathaniel butchered the runaways, holes opening up in the sand and swallowing them up. The men's screams were choked off as the pits sealed shut, entombing the men.

Nathaniel finally reached even ground as Whittaker glared at him, sword in hand.

"Hello Whittaker," Nathaniel said coldly, "I believed you took something of mine."

AAAAAA

Susan forced the porthole open with a grunt, sliding the metal cover away as sunshine blazed in the dark holding. Peter blinked, blinded by the sudden light but Susan's eyes were completely unaffected, the queen pressing her nose against the thick glass as she peered at their destination.

"What in the name of Aslan?" she gasped.

The fortress gleamed in the sun like a gem, light refracting off every angular edge and razor spike. Susan knew next to nothing about guns and whatever monstrous weapons mankind would one day dream up off but even she was terrified by the seemingly thousands of gun turrets and cannons protecting the hovering ship.

Peter studied the fortress frowning as his Gifts pointed out the numerous satellite dishes slung across the headquarters' underbelly, his head throbbing as he was besieged by a wild cavalcade of static-laden screeches and screams, whispered words whipping through his head too fast to comprehend.

He hissed in pain, closing the connection as Susan gripped her bow tightly, grimly preparing herself for the battle ahead.

The airship they were stowed on was slowing, angling up towards the fortress, the closer they came, the more they were dwarfed by the sheer largeness of Malik Headquarters.

Susan and Peter exchanged wry glances knowing what each was thinking, two people against a machine millions of times their sizes, housing Aslan knows how many weapons, soldiers and monsters. Hopeless did not even begin to describe their situation.

"Ready when you are," Susan said lightly.

The cargo area was plunged into darkness as their airship slid smoothly into an opening in the fortress, gliding towards its docking bay as two royals nodded at each other.

Peter gathered his Gifts to him, sparks of electricity gathering in his palms.

"Su?"

Susan looked at him as Peter smiled wryly.

"It was nice knowing you."

She laughed as the airship landed with a jolt and a hiss. Peter instantly grabbed his sister by the arm, his Gift welling up and knitting a shimmering cloak of air and invisibility around them as the cargo door opened, a ramp hitting the ground.

They were instantly off, weaving around the clueless crewmembers before stepping into the docking bay proper. Susan cursed silently, her blue eyes scanning the massive dock, the world shimmering through the cloak around them but she could easily make out hundreds if not thousands of airships arrayed on floating platforms all around them, every ship arranged with precise military order.

The bay was alive with activity, crews unloading supplies and loading machinery, the whole port resounding with the whir of motors and the clanking of gears. Every now and then the docks rumbled as an airship took off, immense blast doors sliding smoothly open as they flew back out into open sky.

"By the Mane…" Peter whispered, awed, trying to take it all in.

The two Pevensies stood there for a long, long time, mesmerised and terrified by the sheer largeness of it all. Susan's bow suddenly felt very, very inadequate.

"Come on," she hissed, "We have to go!"

Peter tore himself out of his shock and nodded, both royals hitting a ramp and moving down the ground level, more and more floating platforms rising up to greet them as they descended.

They slid between two closely parked ships finally reaching the great doors that led deeper into the fortress.

"Wait," Peter stopped before a glowing display panel, lights flashing as a data glowed through the screen.

He placed his hand against it and closed his eyes.

His mind quickly invaded the fortress's system, launching multiple attacks from different locations, tricking the protection programs to attack wildly as he slid beneath their walls like a thief in the night.

The screen flashed red as Peter opened his eyes, moving his hands away. He smiled in satisfaction as the massive blast doors slammed shut behind them, metal bolts hissing into place as on the other side of the bay, the exits to the sky did the same.

The crewmembers all leapt up in surprise, shouting in alarm as they were sealed into the dock. They grabbed phones that hung from the walls, desperately trying to contact the fortress but their only reply was ear-piercing screeches. Others were firing weapons uselessly at the doors, bullets bouncing off the tempered steel with absolutely no effect at all.

"Am I the best or what?" Peter boasted.

Susan rolled her eyes.

"Can you locate the others?" she asked unsurely, still a bit mystified by his Gifts.

"Zaru is in an experimental ward on level 6, Jason's located on the same level on the opposite side of the ship," Peter reported quickly having lifted such information during his invasion of the system, "I can't find Elias, Caspian or Inara."

"We'll rescue Zaru first. He can lead us to the others," Susan said decisively.

Peter frowned but nodded leading the way as Susan kept her bow ready.

The first step of their plan was complete but now came the infinitely trickier one – rescue their friends and get out alive.

Susan groaned.

"Elias is right," she muttered, "All of our plans just involving charging in, bashing things and getting out before things go to hell."

"Simple plans are the best," Peter said confidently, "We can do this."

Susan held her tongue as they approached the stairs. As they plunged into the dimness of the stairwell, Susan braced herself for a titanical battle.

She just hoped they would all get out alive.

AAAAAA

Elias screamed as he twisted at the last second, Mary's blade flashing across his chest. The wound was long but shallow, an agonising wound but endurable.

"STAND STILL!!" Mary screamed at him, frantically, eyes wide, "YOU SAID YOU WANTED TO DIE!!! SO STAND STILL!! YOU PROMISED!!! YOU PROMISE ME!!!"

She lunged at him and Elias staggered back as she punched him, dazing the scientist. She slashed wildly finding his leg and sending him crashing to the ground.

Elias watched, barely clinging to consciousness as Mary towered over him, the small blood-slick knife clasped in her hands.

She stood over him like an Aztecan priest, a fanatic that would send him swiftly to death.

'_ELIAS!' _Marcos screamed as Mary plunged the knife down.

Elias screamed, his back arching as the blade took him in the chest. It deflected off a rib, Mary stumbling as the scientist writhed on the ground, his mouth suddenly filled with blood.

The crazed woman righted herself, staring down at him, still crying.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered, "But it's you or me… and… and I… I have children to think off!!!"

Her face hardened and she rose once more, knife pointing down at Elias.

"I'll make it quick," she promised.

And she stabbed down again at his neck.  
Elias watched the move with darkening vision, barely hanging onto consciousness. His body went limp as he waited for death, accepting what he had to do.

"NO!!!"

Mary stumbled back, startled and Elias blinked, his mind reeling.

Who had yelled? Who had stopped her?

Mary was staring at him in astonishment as Elias slowly realised it had been him.

He stopped, astonished.

What? How?

He had accepted it! He had known he was about to die and he had accepted it! But something, some part of him still fought back, still wanted to cling onto life.

Instinct. He had acted out of instinct, reflexively, without meaning to.

"YOU PROMISED!!!" Mary screeched, stamping her feet like a petulant child, "YOU PROMISED ME!!!"

Hope was wonderful but sometimes it was a dangerous thing, an addiction that drove the most sensible of men to perform the most deadly and sinful of deeds. Mary had seen her freedom, ever so tantalising close and she would do anything – kill, maim and destroy – to get it.  
Elias closed his eyes and tried again, willing himself into stillness. He accepted death, embracing the knowledge he could at least save one more life with his own.

Slowly he stood up.

"Do it!" he hissed, terrified despite his thoughts, "Do it! Do it now!!!"  
Mary charged, foaming at the mouth, knife flying towards him. She suddenly screamed as she stepped into a pool of Elias's bloody, her eyes bulging as she skidded forwards.

Elias screamed as she flailed, the knife stabbing him in the shoulder.

Pain overrode all else as instincts and reflex honed from his numerous battles took over.

He was under attack and he did what every sane human would do – he fought back. Blinded by agony, Elias wrenched the knife free from his shoulder and stabbed forwards, screaming and utterly without thought.

Mary's eyes bulged as Elias blinked, coming back to reality.

"No…"

'_AHA!!!' _came Marcos's accusing, triumphant cry.

"No…"  
"You…"  
Mary coughed out blood, spraying Elias's face with it.

"You… you…" she looked lost.

Elias cradled her, weeping, screaming and praying for it all to be undone. But time moved on, deaf to all his cries, marching incessantly forwards, the dead falling where they died.

"You promised," Mary finally managed to gasp out.

And she went limp in his hands, the knife protruding out of her gut. Elias was bleeding heavily but he did not notice, did not notice the pain ripping through him, his eyes, his mind focused solely at the dead woman in his arms.

"I… I killed her," he whispered, not wanting to believe, "I…"

The door to the chamber slid open and Marcos was there, framed in the light, dramatic in his disdain.

"See?" he howled, "See? Take a man, strip everything away and what do you have?  
He pointed at Elias, pointed at Mary, at the woman he had just killed.

"A monster."

And he laughed as Elias's anguished screams echoed in the tiny chamber.

AAAAAA

Caspian burst through the door and slid to a halt, his jaws dropping as the current crisis was blown straight out of his head by the… by the….

"What??!" the Telmarine squawked, struggling to even describe what was before him, "What is this place?"

The boy turned to smile at him with the blank sweet grin that was on every face in this Aslan forsaken world.

"Hello."  
Even thought the boy was immersed in a glowing sickly yellow fluid and bubbles rose from his mouth as he spoke, Caspian could still hear him clearly.

Thick bundles of dark grey cable snaked across the floor, coiling here in there in loose spools before plunging into the glowing tube in the centre of the room. It rose from ground to ceiling, anchored in place by metal pedestals that blinked with light, data flashing across dozens of display screens.

The boy inside the tube beamed at him, swimming towards him through the alien glowing liquid that filled his home.

"Hello," he called out again, sweetly, "Did you come to visit me?"

Caspian gaped at him, Inara unconscious against his shoulder.

The boy had his face pressed up against the glass, the curvature of it wildly distorting his blank face. Metal bands ringed his head, painful looking needles piercing skin and bone and into his brain as thick cables connected the strange steel halo around his head to the roof of the tube, anchoring the boy to his home like a fantastical umbilical cord.

"I like you," he giggled emptily, "Will you be my friend?"

His breath stilled, Caspian stepped closer to the glass, one reaching out to touch the glass. Pity ran through him as the boy smiled emptily back and the king didn't even know why. But there was something about the boy, some hint of helplessness exploited, of innocence abused that lit a fire inside the king, he wanted to smash the tube and snatch the boy away, the made urge screaming to be obeyed.

"What are you doing here?!" a voice suddenly thundered.

Caspian whirled as a tall man with thinning hair swept into the room, his white coat flapping behind him like royal robes.

"Doctor…" the boy whined plaintively instantly turning towards the newcomer, "My head hurts."

The scientist nodded at him briskly before whirling back to Caspian, his narrow face proud and flushed with anger.

"You have no right to be here!" he barked, "Wait till Marcos hears about this!"

He stopped as if waiting for a reaction but Caspian merely met his gaze, his hard eyes causing the scientist to flinch. The man recovered, hiding behind a leer.

"Maybe he'll give you to me," the scientist licked his lips, salivating at the thought, "I would make you scream for days…"

"Oh zip it, Thomas," Jill said smoothly as she stepped into the room.

Caspian hurriedly threw an arm around Inara, shielding her as he raised his gun at the possessed girl. Inside he was reeling, didn't he shoot her before?! Jill ignored him, her dark eyes trained on the scientist.

"JILL! JILL!!" boy cooed, grinning like a dolphin as he twisted in his tube, "You came!"

Jill smiled lazily at him, a gun in her hands.

"Hello boyo," she cooed as the boy blushed in reply.

Thomas flushed dully.

"Who the hell do you think you are?!?" Thomas spat at Jill, "Did you allow these two to get in here?"  
Jill shrugged, completely unaffected by his outrage.

"Not really. I sort of sealed them into Sector 8 and released all the other doors open. You know, a good old fashioned game of Cat and Mouse," she laughed.

"Sector 8?!?" Thomas roared, "Are you stupid? You led them right here!"

Jill rolled her eyes.

"Thomas… be a dear and just die."

"Wha?!"  
"BANG!"

Blood splattered against the tube's wall as Thomas dropped to the ground, his eyes wide, straddling the bullet hole in his head.

Adam laughed and clapped his hands, his face pressed up against the bloodstained glass.

"Do it again Jill!" he cheered enthusiastically, "That was so cool!"  
"What are you?!" Caspian gaped at the perpetually smiling child.

The boy giggled, turning a somersault in his liquid home. He laughed at Thomas's body, pointing and chortling, not out of malice or cruelty with the simple naïve innocence of a babe.

"Wake up doctor!!" Adam cheered, "Wake up!!!"

The boy simply did not understand death, thinking it was all a game that Thomas had collapsed. Caspian stared at him, the child's utter blindness chilling him to the core.

"The doctor's just tired Adam," Jill smirked, "Let him sleep."  
Adam pouted but nodded as Jill turned to Caspian.

"Howdy!" she waved with her free hand.

"I shot you," Caspian gritted out.

She rolled her eyes.

"Haven't you met Eustace?" Jill smirked, "We always come back."  
Inara muttered wordlessly against his shoulder, her body ice cold as Caspian cursed, holding her tighter.

Adam was pressed up against the glass, his eyes bulging as he took in the scene before him, cheering like a kid watching a movie.

"Why don't we make this special for Adam?" Jill asked, "You know brighten up his day? Spaghetti Western shoot-off? Count of three?"

Adam clapped loudly, jiggling with excitement. Caspian tensed, his trigger finger twitching.

"One…" Jill said with relish, "Two…"

"ROOOWWRRR!!"

And the door burst apart as something dark and clawed leapt at Jill with a powerful bloodthirsty scream.

AAAAAA

Whittaker was drunk and that was probably the only reason why he could stand right before Nathaniel without flinching.

"You mean my girl?!" he spat, drooling.

Nathaniel's glared intensified, power flaring as white fired danced on sand forming a burning ring around the two men.

"She was my wife!!!" Nathaniel screamed.

Whittaker laughed.

"You were too weak to keep her!!" he barked, pointing at him, stumbling over his own feet, "Finders keepers!"  
"YOU BASTARD!!" Nathaniel roared.

Invisible hands grabbed Whittaker raising him off the ground as Nathaniel screamed. The drunken man was shaken violently, his laughter cut off as Nathaniel flicked his hands, his nemesis smashed into the ground over and over again.

The once mild-mannered accountant blinked and Whittaker was hauled up, eye-level to the grieving man.

"You murdered her," he hissed.

Whittaker still managed to cackle, blood bubbling from his split lips.

"YOU MURDERED HER!!" Nathaniel screamed, "YOU MURDERED HER!!!"  
"BAM!"  
Whittaker hit the ground again and was dragged up once more.

"Why?!" Nathaniel boomed, "WHY?!?"

Whittaker opened one black eye and leered at him.

"Because it was fun," he managed to rasp out.

Nathaniel's eyes widened, bloodlust and hatred blotting out all else.

"ARGH!!"

He screamed, his voice shaking with his anger as Whittaker was pinned to the ground.

"I'm going to kill you," he hissed.

Whittaker laughed wildly, helpless as he was.

"You haven't got the guts boy!!" he sneered, "You couldn't…"  
"SHINK!"  
Nathaniel pulled out the Seeker's dagger and dragged it very slowly across the man's leg causing Whittaker to scream in pain.

"I'm going to make you pay," Nathaniel whispered, "Slowly. Very, very, very slowly."

With another gesture, Whittaker's battered brow coat was pulled from his body and tossed aside revealing his bare hairy chest. He dug the dagger into Whittaker's flesh, twisting, smiling at his pain and cries. It went on for hours until the moons set and the triple suns rose. Whittaker screamed and screamed, his mind shattering as Nathaniel systemically mutilated every square inch of his body.

He straightened, bloodstained dagger clutched in white-knuckles fists. Whittaker looked up at him, blubbering like a child.

"Please…" he croaked, eyes wide in his scarred and bloodied face, "Please… stop. Please… stop. Please… stop."  
He said the words over and over again, a mantra to a god that had refused to listen, divinity itself fleeing from the avenging demon that had reaped its bloody price. Nathaniel looked down at the man, remorseless as Whittaker continued to beg for a life that was already over.

But he felt nothing. No tears, no regret but also no joy or satisfaction. Yolanda was dead and even if this man were to suffer a thousand terrible deaths, it would never bring her back. This was a hollow victory, bitter in his mouth and utterly worthless.

Either way Nathaniel had still lost.

His face set in a grim mask, the accountant flicked his hands and Whittaker screamed as the sands shifted around him. They become almost like liquid, sucking the man in halfway and solidifying again, trapping Whittaker in the grit. He struggled, screaming in a broken voice but Nathaniel ignored him, straightening slowly. He was suddenly aware of the sun beating against his bare back, his shirt having been shredded and incinerated long ago by the power whipping around him.

Slowly Nathaniel reached out and snatched up Whittaker's fallen battered jacket, slipping it on. It fit him perfectly almost as if tailored purely for him, its hem flapping at his booted ankles. Wearing the jacket, the Seeker's daggers at his hips and Quentin's fedora on his head, Nathaniel stepped over Whittaker's trapped body and walked through the destruction he'd wreaked to the cave mouth in the cliff.

He walked slowly as if chained to great weights, needing to see yet dreading it all the same.

He stepped into the coolness of the caves and instantly saw her.

"My love…"

He fell to his knees, his anguished screams echoing down the length of the cave, the whole desert roaring with his grief.

"My love…"

White fire flared, shooting out from the cavern's mouth like flames from a dragon, sandstorms springing to life as Nathaniel's screams shook the world.

"My love…"  
She was beautiful even in death, her dress clinging blood-soaked to her pale body, her face empty and serene.

He crawled to her, weeping bitterly, reaching out and touching her cold, cold skin.

She was dead.

The words were like a blade, stabbing his heart and twisting, ripping him apart. He welcomed the pain, welcomed anything that would distract him from his bitter loss. He held her, weeping, questioning the senseless of it all.

Why hadn't anyone stopped this? Hadn't anyone cared? She didn't deserve this! She didn't –

But words were useless. It was done. She was gone.

He held her for hours, screaming and weeping, not knowing what else to do. Finally he stood, his wife in his arms, a hideous parody of their wedding night. He stepped out of the cave and into the light, stepping over Whittaker's trapped body.

White power flared and black hungry crows instantly dropped from the skies, a dense black cloud of feathers and hungry beaks.

Nathaniel marched on, white-faced, deaf to Whittaker's final screams as he clung to his wife.

White power blazed in his eyes as his tears dripped hot and wet down his face, the suns themselves pale against the storm of white fire that tore the desert apart. He walked and walked, not knowing where he was going, what he would do next… how could he? He'd lost everything.

And so with the suns at his back, Nathaniel continued his exodus into the desert, his tears falling to the burning golden sand.

AAAAAA

"BOOM!"  
The lock was blown off the door as lightning flared from Peter's fingers. Susan wrenched the door open, deafening screams instantly spilling out into the hall.

"What is that!? A zoo!?" Peter yelped.

Susan stared at the cages that lined the walls, each one open and showing nothing but empty space.

"What the..." she frowned, blue eyes wide, "Where did they go?"

Peter opened his mouth.

"BANG!"

They moved jumped as gunshots rang out. Without a single word, both siblings charged out of the room and into corridor following the sound of the gun.

AAAAAA

Marcos stepped towards him.

"How does it feel?" he taunted, "How does it feel to be dragged down to our level?"

"Our?!" Elias turned on him, hissing, "So you're a monster just like them… just like me?!"

Marcos laughed.

"Of course," he stared down at Mary's blank face, "Why do you think I enjoy such experiments? Why do you think I enjoy such power? I never imagine myself to be something I'm not."

He looked squarely at his former friend.

"I'm a monster just like the rest of humanity. When I cure this world, I will leave it even if it means my death. So does that mean I have the great human spirit you're always carping on about? I'm willing to sacrifice myself for everything. Because I am a god! I am more than your poor human desires and wants," Marcos laughed, triumphant, "You couldn't sacrifice yourself to save one lousy girl."

Elias stared down at Mary's bloody body, his mind caught in a maelstrom, his whole world, his whole system of beliefs collapsing in on itself. Nothing made sense anymore, nothing felt real except for that deep crushing guilt that pressed down on his chest.

He had killed a woman. He had killed an innocent, wretched woman. Murdered her. How could he live with himself?!?

"What you're doing here is still wrong," Elias said numbly, "Brain-washing people, eliminating those who resist. This is not the way."

"This is the only way," Marcos said flatly, "If a great moralist like you couldn't resist the beast inside, what hope is there for the rest of us poor bastards. Everyone succumbs to the demons in their heart. It's inevitable. It's human nature."

Marcos looked to the skies, his eyes glittering with a mad light.

"And if suppressing all that is human in us removes that nature then so be it," the false-god proclaimed, "I have no qualms."

"You've murdered thousands of people for this," Elias whispered.

He was arguing, treading the same old paths as he struggled to deal with the ugly crime he had just committed.

Mary had attacked him… it was in self-defence… thousand of excuses but Elias knew better. He had never wanted to kill her, he had even been willing to let himself die for her but Marcos, damn his soul, had been right. There was a monster inside of him, a caveman that couldn't allow death to take him and so it did what was perfectly naturally, it had killed his attacker, destroy the threat savagely and as swiftly as possible.

Elias had always believed in morals and human goodness and to discover such ugliness inside of him, such potential and capacity for sin, it ripped his world completely apart. He had lost his rules, lost the things that had defined his life for years, all of it disappearing in one senseless death and he had no idea what to do next.

What was he? He thought he had been a moralist, a man of dignity and honour but when it came down to it, it was all a façade, Elias as capable of murder as any man. He was what Marcos saw in everyone, an evil in man's clothing.

"And millions more get to live in peace," Marcos dismissed, "The greater good Elias. The bigger picture."  
"Still doesn't make it right," Elias said stubbornly.

Marcos sighed like a teacher scolding a stubborn student.

"Open your eyes Elias. Mankind cannot make the right choice. Why do you think there are wars and cruelties and all the abominations in between? Somebody has to stop the madness and I am that man."

"Who's going to stop you?" Elias asked.

"I'll stop myself," Marcos said.

"Liar."  
Marcos blinked, eyes widening as Elias whirled on him, wrenching the knife from Mary's gut.

"You've created a world of peace. It can continue on without you. Others can take your place and police the paradise you've made. You've set the system in place and it can function with you," he ranted, "You're not needed. You're a monster who has no place in this new regime. So…"  
Elias pointed the knife at Marcos.

"Kill yourself," the scientist said bluntly, "Remove your taint from this world. No heaven can exist whilst you're still around. So take your life. Make this place one step closer to heaven."

Elias rose as Marcos stumbled back, shocked.

"Because I see it now. You preach about the weakness of man and how you can save it. What makes you special? What makes you different to us so you can decide what is right and wrong?" Elias hissed, "Admit it, you're just as flawed as we are. You're just as much of a monster… so what makes your decisions so right? Is it because you're a god."

Marcos was backed into a wall, his eyes bulging as Elias stalked towards him.

"And even if are you're right. You still exist. The world is still imperfect. So here's your chance. Make your paradise. Sacrifice yourself for it," Elias spat, "Go on! DO IT!!!"

"I…I'm still needed!!" Marcos cried desperately like a child, "There are projects. There are…"  
"RUBBISH!" Elias howled, "If you're so vital, you should've been busy today not escort me around and play these twisted games with me!"

He saw the truth and he wielded it, stabbing Marcos with it again and again. He screamed at the man, trying to tear him down.

"You're done. There is nothing for you to do here. You've created the world and now it can exist without you, all gods must step aside and let their people go. That's something nobody can change!" he barked.  
Elias pointed the tiny blade at Marcos, beside himself with fury.

"So the question is are you god enough to see that you're unneeded, to see past mortal pride and dot what is needed, do what is needed for the betterment of the world. Can remove yourself from this world to make a better place?" Elias spat, "Or are you still a human? Still flawed?"

Elias laughed bitterly as Marcos's eyes bulged.

"And if you're flawed. And if this world was made in your image… then that means this creation is flawed as well. So which is it?" Elias snarled, "Did you create a false paradise? Or are you a true god? Are you ready to sacrifice yourself like a matyr for your dreams? Or are you as weak as the rest of us?"  
He aimed the knife at Marcos's gut.

"WHICH ONE?!?" he screamed.

Marcos's eyes flared as he straightened.

"I AM A GOD!!!" he screamed, "I AM…"  
His eyes bulged as Elias stabbed him deep.

"Good," the scientist whispered, "I was hoping you would say that."

Marcos screamed and shoved Elias away as blood spurted from his deep belly wound.

AAAAAA

Nathaniel handed thousands of coins over for liquid oblivion, alcohol searing his throat every night as he tried to forget everything. He lived on the fringes of society, doing whatever job necessary, whatever was needed to get a few more coins for the grog that wiped his memory clean every night.

He had fought and captured, killed and maimed, doing whatever was needed to keep the alcohol flowing. A Seeker in all but name.

"You poor man…"  
Nathaniel looked up, sobbing as Yolanda and Delilah's face smiled in his mind.

They both would be so ashamed of him. So ashamed of the shuffling, drunken wreck he had become. Nathaniel wept, hopelessly even the barkeep staring at him in disgust as the old man before him clucked his tongue.

"What happened to you?"  
Maybe it was the alcohol or the crushing loneliness but Nathaniel told him everything, the whole sordid tale slipping free from his lips. The old man clucked and wept at the right times, clapping his shoulders as they tale ended.

"What if I told you there was something I can do…" the old man began hesitantly, "Something… to take it all away."  
Nathaniel stared at him.

"How?!" he begged, desperate for any salvation.

"I can make you forget. Lock all your pain away but with it goes your memories," the old man warned, "Memories of your wife and child."  
Nathaniel stared at him for a very long time.

"Do it," he choked, "Please."  
"Are you – "

"I can't live with their faces inside my head," Nathaniel wept, "I can't go on knowing how I failed them. Just do it… please!!!"  
The old man nodded and Nathaniel recoiled as his eyes turned completely black.

"Hold my hand," the elderly man ordered gutturally.

Shaking Nathaniel slowly reached out, hardly daring to believe. His fingertips touched the man's and suddenly –

He was on a strange street, blinking dazedly up at a trio of suns as a young boy stared curiously down at him.

"Hello mither!" he lisped, "Who are you?"

He pushed himself up, blinking around stupidly, wondering where he was, how he'd gotten into this strange new town.

"I'm not too sure," he searched his memories, frowning as absolutely nothing came to him.

"What's your name mither?" the boy asked suddenly.

He blinked at the boy, blind-sided by the question.

"I'm… I'm…" he licked his lips, frowning.

Why was he drawing a blank?"  
"I'm…"  
And suddenly like a pulse of light illuminating the dark, it came to him. He smiled confidently, dark blue eyes flashing.

"I'm Jason. Jason Sierre. And you are?"  
And back in the real world Jason's eyes snapped open. He was still strapped down to the table, the electrodes still humming against his skin.

"The shields have been broken mam," a timid voice said.

"Very good," the woman was talking in the shadows, "Dig deeper. I want more. I want to find out…"  
With a scream and with a burst of white fire, Jason shoved his power outwards and the room was instantly destroyed in an almighty explosion.

AAAAAA

Jill staggered back, screaming as Caspian watched in astonishment, the bear ripping at the possessed girl with enraged bloodlust. She screeched as claws tore her chest apart, ribs starkly exposed as poured down her side.

"JILL!!!" Adam beamed, clapping effusively inside his tube, "This is the best game ever!!"

Jill lashed out, punching the bear away as it roared in pain. The possessed girl snarled before her arms shot, snaking around the bear's neck.

"CRACK!"

The bear fell, its neck snapped clean as Jill towered over its body, chest heaving, bloodied, lips pulled back into a fierce snarl.

"What the..."  
"BANG!"

Caspian's bullet took her in throat and she fell back, eyes wide, blood splattering the walls. He stood, gun ready, staring at her, waiting for her to recover.

"Who is she?"

Caspian whirled as a familiar form limped into the roof, fur singed, blood dripping down his face.

"Zaru!"

The leopard was badly hurt, flesh burnt, each movement causing a wince of pain. The king rushed to him, dropping down to his level, running a worried hand over his fun.

"Are you – " he began.

"Alive?" Zaru smirked despite his pain, "Barely. The bear was all me by the way. Who is she?"

"TING!"

The bullet sailed from her lips, bouncing off the wall as Jill straightened, the massive wound in her throat slowly closing up.

"That was cheating," she rasped, shooting him a dirty look.

"You would've done the same," Caspian snapped back.

Jill shrugged and laughed, wiping the blood from her neck.

"True," she raised her gun, "THREE!!!"  
Zaru roared as Caspian threw himself to the side taking Inara down with him as Jill fired wildly. Hot blood soaked Caspian's shirt and he froze, expecting pain to hit him at any moment. But there was nothing, not even a twitch. Caspian frowned, looking down.

"No!"

Inara groaned, stirring slightly, blood dripping down her arm. She was paling, fading fast as poison and the wound in her shoulder leeched her life away.

"Can't protect her huh?" Jill mocked, "You – "  
Zaru lunged at her in a flash of gold, tearing at her as the girl screamed in rage, trying to fight the leopard off.

Caspian cursed, trying to stem the flow of Inara's blood. Despair rose in him, threatening to crush him as he stared into Inara's troubled face, her skin now burning hot. He felt inadequate, useless, haunted by all his failures as a king, as a knight and as a man.

Zaru hit the ground with a cry of pain as Jill roared, raising one foot to stomp at him. Zaru leapt out of the way, recovering his balance and lunging again, the possessed girl screaming as his claws tore her Achilles tendon apart. She hit the ground as Zaru backed away, gasping desperately for breath.

"Again kitty! Again!!" Adam cried from his tube, "Do it again!!"

Caspian gently placed Inara down on the ground and rose, gun pointed straight at Jill. She rolled her eyes as Zaru hissed.

"What don't you realise bullets are completely…"  
"BANG!"

Her head snapped back, Caspian's bullet hitting her straight in the face. She twitched, as Caspian stalked towards her, his face dark as he fired at her again and again, her body convulsing wildly.

"CLICK!"

"Caspian?" Zaru could smell his rage, the black edge of his insanity, "CASPIAN!"

His gun went dry as he physically hauled the girl up and hurled her straight against the wall, completely deranged.

"CASPIAN!!"

Jill's eyes suddenly snapped open as she smacked Caspian's hands away, head butting him before kicking him clear across the room. The Telmarine smacked into the ground but clawed his way back, punching the possessed girl as she charged at him.

Jill rolled with the blow, flipping neatly onto her feet as she twisted, facing Caspian with a mocking grin on her face.

"Awesome!" Adam giggled, "Jill this is so cool!"  
Jill lunged at Caspian, the king ready to meet her blow but a golden streak slammed into the girl tackling her to the ground. Jill screamed as claws opened up her cheeks, vicious fangs tearing into her face.

She kicked out, catapulting Zaru off her. Caspian and Zaru glared at her, the two allies tensed, ready for the next bout.

"Two against one?" Jill sneered, "Isn't this kinda unf- "

Her eyes widened as something hard slammed straight into her gut. Blue crystals flared and light engulfed the girl. Jill screamed, blasts of energy ripping through her body as she writhed. She was illuminated from within, the attack burning through her. "BOOM!"  
Jill was hurled backwards, smashing into the tube as energy lashed out. Adam screeched as the tube's wall cracked under Jill's body, the liquid boiling as crackling blue tendrils wreathed the tube.

"BOOM!"  
There was a second deafening roar as the tube exploded, Zaru and Caspian blown straight off their feet as huge chunks of solid glass flew everywhere. Yellow fluid spewed from the blackened tube, pooling on the ground as Adam was torn out of his home, screaming like a birthing babe.

"Uhh... oops?" Susan lowered her burning hot sceptre, eyes wide.

"Inara!"

Peter was down by Inara's side, staring worriedly into her face.

"Caspian? Zaru?" Susan called, trying to see through the smoke.

She glanced to her left and froze, grimacing. Jill was slumped against the wall, a huge chunk of glass spearing through her body and into the wall, pinning the girl in place.

"Is everyone…" Susan began.

"Fine..." Zaru emerged, coughing as Caspian staggered beside him.

Susan opened her mouth to apologise profusely once more but froze as a sound, not entirely human but something angelic and warm filled the air. She frowned looking around frantically before she realised it was Peter.

She stood dumbfounded as he continued to sing, his voice soaring as a feeling of comfort, of returning home stole through her.

She watched as colour seemed to return to Inara's face, her wound already closed. Zaru straightened, his burns healing, his pain melting away as Caspian stood and stared, mesmerised.

Peter reeled back coughing frantically as Susan rushed at to him.

"What was – "

"His Gift..." Caspian smiled, "His ability to heal."

Peter nodded weakly as Susan stared at him amazed.

"Is she..." she asked looking down at Inara worriedly.

"I couldn't get rid of the poison," Peter cursed, "But... she's stable."

Susan swallowed, some of her fear melting away.

Adam was keening wildly, flopping amongst the debris and liquid of the destroyed tube as Zaru stared at him in utter bewilderment. The boy's scent was sweet, innocent and beguiling, completely free of any taint from anger or hatred.

"Who's he?" Zaru asked curiously.

Before anyone could speak a single word, the fortress shook as a might explosion rang out. They all stumbled as the fortress shook again, smoke billowing down the halls. Zaru froze as fire and fury and a horribly familiar scent reached him.

"Jason!" he barked.

"What?!" Susan stared at him.

"That's Jason!" Zaru winced, "And he's furious... and possibly out of control."

And as if to prove his words, the fortress shook again. Peter instantly leapt to his feet.

"Watch her," he barked, pointing at Inara.

"Peter, what – " Susan began.

"I'm the only one with the powers to match him," Peter said flatly, "Go get Elias. I'll handle Jason."

And before Susan could protest, her brother was already gone running towards the smoke and flames.

AAAAAA

Down below, thousands of miles down on the floating islands that made up this world the people suddenly stopped, clutching at their heads, their empty smiles fading as they all grimaced in pain.

"I…" one woman fell to her knees with scream, "It hurts… it hurts… IT HURTS!!!"  
She screeched, rocking violently to and fro as others rushed to help her, their blank smiles fading. It spread like a plague, every person suddenly collapsing and writhing on the ground as their screams echoed far and wide.

AAAAAA

'_The tube has been breached. Warning. The tube has been breached,'_ a cool voice announced all over Malik Headquarters.

Even with the dagger in his gut, Marcos reacted to the news, gasping in horror.

"NO!!!" he screamed trying to push Elias, "NO!!!"  
"The tube?!? What's the tube?" Elias barked at him.

Marcos turned to stare at him with haunted eyes.

"The tube is the centre of this world. It is the centre of everything!" He said hopelessly.

He writhed around the blade in his stomach, his breath coming out in short, sharp pants. He looked at Elias, his eyes wet with tears.

"Take it away," he begged, "Please… stop…"

Sickened, Elias wrenched the knife away, horrified at what he had just done. Marcos slumped to the ground, smiling up at him weakly, stomach acid and blood drooling from the wound in his gut.

"You're right… I'm weak. If I was a god I would not hesitate in dying for this world…" Marcos laughed bitterly, blood dribbling from his lips, "I'm just a human. A simple mortal. A weak, pathetic human and how can I create a paradise… how could anyone who is flawed and monstrous a heart create an utopia? It is folly! Mankind is doomed to live in hell forever!"

"One person can't," Elias said quietly, blood dripping from his fingers.

He had stabbed him in a moment of utter outrage and now his anger had cooled, the scientist felt only disgust and self-loathing.

"But many, bounded together by a common goal and singular belief can. Their flaws are counteracted by the strengths of others. No man can create peace by himself, not even one as intelligent and ambitious as you," Elias stopped, his words caught in his throat, "I'm sorry."

Marcos coughed weakly, laughing.

"Don't be," the false-god said weakly, "You showed me the truth. You finally won our little argument friend."

He straightened, looking at Elias squarely, every breath causing him agony.

"And you have to get out of here," he said strongly, "Go!"

"What?!"

"The tube is destroyed. This world is finished. And the one who helped me start all this will want to end it. This project is terminated. It's done."

"Project?" Elias was flabbergasted, "Terminated? Marcos… what?"

Marcos opened his mouth and began to explain.

AAAAAA

_Flashback_

"This is dangerous," Elias argued, "This is crazy!! You have no idea what's going to happen!"  
Marcos shot him an impatient glare.

"Well, someone has to do it. So you can either support me or move out of my way!" the man snapped.

Elias sighed but shook his head as his friend grinned, triumphantly. They mounted the stairs, sparks flying down towards them as engineers finished welding the last bits of equipment in place. The particle accelerator was a bizarre and complex bit of machinery, a long metal tunnel arrayed with strange sensors and detectors, a complete enigma to all but the wisest.

Elias stopped watching his friend climb the last flight of stairs and into a small booth anchored to the side of the tunnel.

"Initiating sequence," the scientist announced grandly.

Marcos flipped a set of switches, grinning as the accelerator turned on, super-magnetics humming as they came to life.

"Begin parameter check. Initiate particle launch!" Marcos cried.

It happened in the blink of an eye. Sirens suddenly screamed into life, lights flashing as Elias's eyes bulged.

The readings went off the charts, every safety procedure and fallback utterly failing as the tunnel began to turn white-hot with heat.

"MARCOS!!" Elias screamed, charging up the stairs, "MARCOS!!!"  
"BOOM!!"  
The following blast landed Elias in hospital for the next three days and sent Marcos hurtling through time and space, the very fabric of existence itself fractured by the implosion. He flew through the walls between the worlds, travelling further and faster than was ever imaginable before slowly coming to rest on a earth about to die – Ataraxia.

It took a long, long time for Marcos to finally open his eyes.

"Where… where am I?" he croaked.

He crawled to his knees, freezing as he saw malikstation wherever he looked. Cities were burning, mobs sweeping down the streets, pillaging and destroying without thought as Marcos scrambled to his feet, terrified.

"What…"  
"Marcos."

The man whipped around and frowned at the strange figure standing before him. The young boy smiled at him, grinning, his eyes completely black.

"Welcome. This world needs you."

"Who… who are you?"  
The boy grinned, Marcos's jaws dropping as thousands of eye blinked back at him, all of them housed inside the child's innocent gaze.

"You've always wanted to change the world, haven't you?" the boy asked, "Create a paradise whatever the means?"

Marcos stared at him silently.

"Well, I'll give you the means," the boy said, "All you have to do for me is… to run some experiments."  
Despite himself Marcos was intrigued as the boy's grin widened, knowing he had the man ensnared.

"Do you want to hear more?"

_End of Flashback_

AAAAAA

"Thousand eyes…" Elias froze, "The Great Darkness!!"  
"He gave me Adam… a child completely devoid of all hate or anger. The perfect human being," Marcos continued deliriously, "I constructed a home for him, a way to transmit his brainwaves to the whole world."  
"The subliminal messages," Elias realised, "You invaded everyone with Adam's thoughts to turn render them docile… but how?"  
"Microchips inserted in everyone's brain at birth," Marcos coughed weakly.

He smiled, his grin quickly crumbling as pain shook him.

"My best invention ever."

"But there are genes, anomalies of the brains… some would reject the chips!"

"I know," Marcos grinned, "Why do you think I had those who resisted captured? I was studying them, trying to perfect my invention. I've been trying to breed the resistance towards the chips out for many years. I was so close… so close…"  
His face hardened.

"In turning this world to my vision… my flawed, flawed vision," Marcos wept bitterly, "Elias… please… I never meant for this. I just wanted to save the world."

He wept, brokenly, his dreams crumbling before his eyes.

"But you're right. I am a monster just like all of you. And a monster can never create beauty, this world is a reflection of my flawed thoughts and desires. It's tainted… just like me. I'm no god. This place is wrong and it's disgusting," he clutched at his bleeding gut, coughing weakly, " Please… please… forgive me."

Elias stared at him sadly as Marcos begged for salvation at the end of his life.

"I'm sorry but it's not mine to give," Elias gestured at Mary's dead body, guilt crushing him, "You need it from people like her."  
Marcos wept at his words, wracked with remorse, regretting everything he had done, lamenting the fact he had ever been born.

"Get out Elias… for the sake of our old friendship… get out. This world is finished. My benefactor warned me what would happen if I failed to protect Adam…"

"What…" Elias was afraid of the answer.

Marcos looked up at him, eyes bleak.

"If I failed… this world would die…"

And Marcos, head of Malik Industries, false-god and attempted saviour of the world, slumped to the ground, dead. Elias stared down at him, not knowing what to do.

AAAAAA

Hot flames gushed down the hall towards Peter, the High King jumping and weaving around the fire as sirens continued to scream.

'_Warning. The tube has been breached. Warning. The tube has been breached.'_

"What…"

Peter froze, his eyes widening as white fire flared up ahead, sweeping the real flames aside.

"Ja… Jason?!"

The Seeker stormed out of the inferno, his eyes blazing with light, his face contorted into a mask of hate and fury, utterly inhuman and devoid of mercy.

"Jason?!?"

The Seeker pointed at him and Peter screamed as an invisible force slammed into him sending him cartwheeling across the room.

"What the hell?!" Peter yelped, crawling to his feet.

Screaming, Jason pushed his hands forwards, a sheer wall of white fire surging towards the High King. Peter retaliated, shrieking bolts of lightning striking the wall down as he was pushed back by the force of the blow.

"Jason!!!" Peter screamed.

Jason roared, his voice completely bestial and feral as he stomped on the ground. The walls blew outwards, disintegrating.

Peter gaped as the walls collapsed, a gash revealing the open sky. The sudden change in pressure instantly sucked out everything that was unanchored, him being unfortunately one of them.

"NO!!!"  
Peter lashed out with his Gifts, trying everything to save him. It was his power to control technology which saves his life, electric cables coming to life and whipping around his body like vines as his legs flailed wildly in the air, the pressure slowly equalising.

Finally he fell limply to the ground, gasping for breath.

Jason glared at him and bellowed wrathfully, white fire stabbing at him like spears. Peter cursed and threw more lightning, deflecting the attacks.

"I'm getting a little…"  
He threw himself to the ground as a slash of white fire tore the wall behind him apart.

"TIRED OF THIS!!!"  
Peter's mind reached into the ground and cables instantly came to life, bursting out of the ground like snakes and twining themselves around Jason's legs, immobilising him. The Seeker instantly burned the wires into nothing but it gave Peter the opening he needed.

He pointed and yelled, throwing his Gift forwards.

A single brilliant streak of lightning cut through Jason's power and slammed straight into his chest. The Seeker convulsed, screaming as he was hurled backwards, his whole body paralysed.

The white fire died as Peter staggered to his feet gasping for breath. Jason's body was smoking, his head lolling back but before he succumbed to his injuries, his power reached out one last time and dealt its final blow.

The sirens instantly died as a new message was broadcasted over the speakers.

'Self-destruct sequence initiated. Countdown beginning. You have five minutes to evacuate the area.'

Peter turned and glared at Jason as the Seeker finally fell into unconsciousness.

"Urgh," Peter groaned, "YOU SUCK!"

AAAAAA

The lab assistant turned and was immediately speared through the chest by a jagged chunk of crystal. He fell, eyes widening as Eustace stared calmly down at him.

"What…"

The possessed body ignored him, gesturing as slender forms bounded to his side. The assistant's eyes widened in horror.

"NO!!!" he managed to scream out, "Not the Pretas!!!"

Eustace pointed with one finger and the monsters leapt forwards. They were stick-thin, their limbs mere bones, their claws long and ending in deadly tips. Round bellies bulged obscenely from their fronts, their gnashing mouths filled with needle sharp fangs and belching out fumes that stank of sewerage and refuse.

"No…" the assistant screamed as Eustace watched on, "NOO!!!!"  
The Pretas leapt on him, stabbing, chattering away wildly as their beady eyes glittered.  
"NOOOOOO!!!"  
His nails broke as he scraped desperately at the floor trying to get away. Screaming he was pulled into their grasps and with a screech, the Pretas tore to him to shreds, feeding noisily, their eyes ablaze with a hunger that could never be sated.

"Good," Eustace said calmly, "Come on. We have a world to destroy."  
The Pretas all howled and scurried across the floor on all fours as Eustace led them down the hall and deeper into the fortress.

AAAAAA

"HAVE YOU GOT HER!?"

Caspian nodded, Inara in his arms as the four of them charged down the hall.

'Self-destruct sequence initiated. Countdown in progress. You have three minutes to evacuate the area.'

Susan cursed, Zaru loping tirelessly in front of her as he led the way.

"Wait!" he froze, hackles raised, "ELIAS!!!"  
Susan's eyes widened as the scientist suddenly lurched into the corridor, clutching against the wall for support.

"Elias!!" she cried, rushing forwards to help him.

The scientist flinched at her touch, a deep disturbing light in his eyes as Susan looked at him.

"Are you…"

"We better hurry," Elias whispered, refusing to look at her, "Or we're all going to die."

"I know I can hear the sirens," Susan said dryly.

"No…" Elias looked at her, eyes bleak, "This place. This world… it was all an experiment. The Great Darkness was using this place for something… I don't…"

Susan stared at him blankly, pieces of the puzzle falling into place as she remembered all she had learnt about the origins of the Great Darkness.

Gavin had wanted to save his world from itself, to eliminate the flaws of the past and create a kingdom of absolute peace. He had moved to the other worlds as a way to experiment, to perfect the method and if what Elias was saying was right…

"By the Mane!" Susan gasped, seeing it all now, "The Great Darkness… this is one of his worlds!!"  
Elias slumped against her, bleeding from wounds in his shoulders and chest as Susan struggled to deal with his weight.

"Here!" Caspian passed the barely conscious Inara to her, "I'll take him."

Supporting the lighter girl, Susan nodded as Caspian helped Elias. Hampered by the two injured, progress was slow, Susan feeling sick with fear and nerves as the countdown continued, getting closer and closer to the destruction that would kill them all.

"PETER!!" Zaru suddenly barked, "JASON!!!"

He whipped around the corner and blinked at the sight that greeted him. Peter ran down the hall, Jason's prone body borne on top of a writhing sea of thrashing cables, the power-lines following him like a serpent to a snake-charmer.

"We have to get to the docking bays!!" Peter yelled, "This way! Go! Go!"

He had tried to disable the self-destruct sequence and the protections were so strong, so powerful that it was completely impenetrable even to his Gifts. Peter cursed as he saw Elias but stumbled as he caught a glimpse of Inara's prone form.

"INARA!!" he yelled.

"No time!!" Susan screamed at him, "We have to go!!"

'Self-destruct sequence initiated. Countdown in commencement. You have two minutes to evacuate the area.'

"There's not enough time!!!" Peter yelled.

Susan, Zaru and Caspian looked at him hopelessly, all three of them completely clueless about what to do next. Peter froze.

"Wait…"

He reached out with his mind and suddenly smiled.

"We're directly above the docking bay now!" he yelped, "We can…"

"Oh you've got to be kidding!!!" Zaru yelped as Susan reached for the bag at her side.

The two Pevensies had returned to their destroyed house, salvaging what weapons they could. Luckily Elias's supply of orbs had been completely unaffected by the blast, hidden under some loose debris.

"Let's hope this works!!!" she yelled.

"BOOM!!!"

She hurled a handful of orbs at the edge of the floor, huge craters gouged into the ground. Peter attacked as well, lightning slicing through metal and concrete as cables came to life, breaking the ground up like vines destroying rock.

The floor creaked, sagging dangerously as Susan hurled more orbs.

"I think it's going to…" Caspian began.

His eyes widened.

"HOLD ON!!!"  
The whole floor collapsed taking them down with it as Peter reached out with his Gift. Cables twined around them, forming a loose net around them, saving them from the dangerous plunge to the ground before slowly lowering to one of their floating platforms inside the dock.

The crew there stared at them in shock.

"This whole fortress is going to go up," Susan snapped, "Get out of here now!!!"

Peter quickly opened the blast doors open, wind rushing in as the crew instantly leapt into action. Airships began to rise, rocketing out of the fortress as Susan herded her family onto the nearest ship, the crew too panicky to even protest.

The cargo area slammed shut, sealing them in as the airship rose into the sky and blasted out of the fortress as the countdown entered its final seconds.

AAAAAA

"Jill."

Eustace yanked the glass away, freeing the girl as Jill staggered back, gasping in pain.

"Son of a!!!" she screeched.

"Jill…" Adam was weeping, "What's happening?"  
"Yeah," Jill turned to her companion, "What's happening?"  
"The Master wishes for this project to be terminated. Marcos broke the agreement," Eustace said calmly.

Jill laughed and clapped her hands, ignoring the snarling Pretas all around them.

"Finally! Can I have the honours?" she grinned.

Eustace nodded as Jill turned to Adam. The boy looked at her, smiling absently.

"Jill…" he began innocently.

Jill's face was alight with mischief.  
"Sorry boyo," she grinned, "Just doing my job."  
And she reached out and snapped his neck with a sickening crunch.

All over Ataraxia, citizens slumped, their eyes going blank as their connection to the boy was severed. The chips inside their head fried, killing them all, unable to handle the shock to their system as an entire civilisation was wiped out in a single second.

"Now…" Jill turned to Eustace, dusting his hands and practically bouncing on her feet, "Let's roll!!"

The two strolled calmly out of the room, the Pretas prancing around them as the speakers spoke one last time.

'Countdown complete. Self-destructing…'

The whole fortress shook, light blazing between every seam and joint.

'Now.'

AAAAAA

In an airship fleeing Malik Headquarters, Susan turned and gaped as the whole fortress suddenly detonated, the colossal airship torn apart by flames, metal simply disintegrating in a single breath as shockwaves sent the airship reeling through the air.

Alarms blared as the captain desperately tried to bring the bucking ship under control.

Smoking chunks of debris fell from the sky in a deadly shower, crushing whatever laid before as Susan turned and looked at her allies, friends and family.

"Well…" she looked at Inara, Elias and Jason's prone forms, "That's it then."

She felt numb, their victory coming at such a heavy price. Caspian looked at her bleakly, a rare openness in his face as Susan saw the raw anguish and guilt that wormed through him.

Peter was bent over Inara, singing as he tried to push the poison back. As his voice built, power thrumming through his song, the airship slowed and lowered itself gently onto the one of floating islands. The ramp-door hissed opened and one of the crew appeared in the opening, ashen-faced and trembling.

"They… they…" he burst into tears, his words dying as Susan and Zaru instantly leapt to their feet, roughly pushing past him, ready to tackle the latest disaster.

Susan's steps faltered as her blue eyes swept the street. People had died where they stood, their bodies sprawled broken on the ground, some still smiling the blank grin that had marked them all their lives. Everywhere she looked, all over the streets, Susan saw cooling bodies – no one had escaped.

A gentle breeze rushed through the unbelievable scene, stirring hair and clothes, chasing a loose sheaf of paper through the utter stillness. There was a solemn serenity to the whole thing, the electronic screens dead like their watchers, the distant sound of crackling flames the only sound as the smoking remnants of the fortress tumbled to earth.

Susan sat down heavily, her breath hitching. Her eyes were wide as she continued to stare at all the smiling dead around her.

"Gavin…"

And all hopes she had of turning the boy around, of making him see sense, of helping him heal himself and all the worlds faded.

Only a true monster could do this and feeling nothing. Only a monster who deserved nothing but death could do this.

And Susan began to cry.

AAAAAA


	58. A tale of two witches

Update.... sorry about the huge delays. Please continue to read me!! Please!!!

Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah read previous chapter please

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 58: A tale of two queens**

"How is she?"

Peter looked up wearily, his voice hoarse, darkness ringing his eyes.

"I've done all I can," he laughed bitterly, "Which still isn't enough… typical."

Peter coughed weakly, his voice breaking as Susan grimaced, not knowing how to reassure him.

"I've managed to stop the spread of the poison," Peter said down, leaning against the tree gratefully as Susan handed him a bottle of water.

He twisted it open and gulped it down thirstily before opening his eyes, looking at her at bleakly.

"But that's it… it's not going to hold. Unless we find an antidote and fast…" Peter stopped, swallowing heavily.

He didn't want to say it, didn't want to put words to the dreadful truth.

"She'll…" Peter stopped, fumbling.

Inside he was bewildered. Why couldn't he say it? Why didn't he want to admit it? But the thought of it, the mere idea of it terrified him. Peter struggled with his new feelings, completely confused. After all he had seen, all he had suffered why did this affect him so much? Why her?!

"Die," Susan finished his sentence for him flatly.

Peter blinked, snapping back to reality. He looked down at Inara's limp form, her breathing shallow, her chest barely moving with each breath and that deep irrational fear stabbed him once more leaving him breathless and reeling.

Susan touched his arms, her eyes wet but the queen refusing to let the tears fall. That would come later for now she had to stay strong and in control even if was just an act.

"Watch her," Susan whispered, "Please?"  
Peter smiled wryly.

"Do you even need to ask?"  
He drew the sheets tighter around Inara's body, trying to make her as comfortable as possible on the forest floor.

They were back in the Woods between the Worlds, Zaru patrolling the small clearing, almost invisible in the dappled light. Sunshine fell through the thinning canopy, splashing the leaf-littered floor in random golden spills.

The trees were dying in droves, their limbs and trunks twisted into grotesque shapes, suffering like arthritic old men, groaning as branches threatened to fall at any moment. The sparse greenery left was curling and alchemically turning to gold before drooping and falling, becoming one with the millions of the dried dead.

Susan's eyes swept the forest, unease deep in her bones as with a thunderous crack, a tree toppled, falling with the keening cry of a downed animal, its death-cry echoing far and wide.

The ground jolted as the tree slammed into it, Inara stirring and moaning weakly as Caspian looked at her, his eyes darkening with pain, blaming himself for everything she was going through.

"We can't stay here."  
Zaru slid up to her side as Susan sighed.

"I know," she whispered, "But Jason and Inara needs time to recover and Elias…"

She glanced at the scientist and fear clenched her heart.

Something was horribly wrong with him. He should've been running around the forest ignoring her orders to the contrary, examining the dying trees, cataloguing everything he saw, poking and prodding, theorising wildly as he attacked the problem with the hyperactive enthusiasm of a sugar-fuelled child. But the scientist was practically catatonic, staring blankly ahead as his nails dug into his palms, his lips bloody as he bit down on them again and again.

He had been bandaged up, refusing to speak about how he had gotten his wounds. Zaru crinkled his nose as he caught the complex turmoil of scents drifting off the man, pain and anguishing roiling together, shot through with an acrid stench of pain and loathing.

Elias was staring blindly ahead seeing through the woods and into a nightmare visible only to him. Mary and Marcos's face hovered before him, blood-stained, their wide blank eyes mocking him in death.  
Elias tasted blood, his lips torn to shreds by his teeth. The metal tang immediately resonated in his mind, terrible images of gaping wounds and bloody hands rushing back to haunt him. He clamped his eyes tightly shut like a child, praying the faces and memories would vanish but they were seared into his brain branding him forever as a monster, as a being unworthy of even the light on his face.

A low moan bubbled from his lips.

"Elias…"

His eyes fluttered open as Susan peered at him worriedly.

"What…"

"Leave me alone!" he gasped.

He didn't deserve her pity or her help. He didn't deserve anything. He had murdered a woman despite all his promises to her, he had turned on a friend and killed him in a fit of rage and vengeance… he, Elias Denton, the moralist, the man who believed in compassion and mercy, who had tried to live his life with dignity and truth and honour had done all that.

He was nothing but a liar, a coward and a monster just like the rest of the dregs of humanity. No… he didn't deserve love or pity, he deserved to be locked up and punished, his soul burning in hell for all eternity.

He looked up and saw his reflection in Susan's eyes and it burned him, tore him apart to realise he had become what he had most despised –a traitor, a murderer who had thrown away everything he had lived and fought for, everything he believed in.

Who was he? Was he the same Elias Denton that had argued so passionately with Marcos about the sacredness of human life and existence? Was he the same Elias Denton who had been sickened by all the death and war he had seen so far?

A part of him was wondering why these deaths were affecting him so much as much as it killed him to admit it Elias had done his fair share of killing and destroying. But not like this.

He had only ever retaliated, striking second and only to defend and protect and save. He had never stabbed an unarmed man before, never killed someone he had promised to help and protect. He had never –

Elias slumped, the strength flowing out of him, completely defeated.

"Elias?"

He flinched from her touch.

"Just… just leave me," he mumbled almost incoherently, "GO! JUST GO!!"

Caspian and Peter swivelled to stare at him in astonishment as Elias suddenly leapt to his feet and charged blindly into the woods unable to handle his dark thoughts anymore. Susan nudged Zaru and he was off, flashing through the trees, giving the scientist his space but keep an eye on him.

"What… what was that?" Peter stammered.

"He hates himself," Caspian said lowly, recognising the look in Elias's eyes for it was reflected in his own.

Susan turned to look at him sharply but the king avoided her gaze, his long legs sprawled casually in front of him as he sat with his back to a tree.

As always Susan could read him like an open book, this wasn't something word could take away, this was a lifetime piling up. Caspian was an honourable man and honourable men were conceited, seeing themselves in the centre of every mistake and disaster. The Telmarine had lost a lot already in his young life and he blamed himself for most of it, questioning his every move, his every action.

Susan had seen Caspian weep bitterly after the battle at the How, hiding it from his companions and his soldiers. She had stumbled upon him by accident but had hung back, watching him grieve. He had hated himself, condemning his every action during the battle, wondering aloud if he could've done something different, done something more.

Susan had been shaken by the depth of his doubt but had held her tongue knowing it was something he had to get out of his system.

The Narnian and Telmarines who had fallen, Miraz, Persephone, hurting Mallory and her and now Inara… Caspian placed a lot on his broad shoulders, he expected way too much for himself, placing himself teetering on a sky-high pedestal that he was doomed to fall from.

She wanted to say so much, to hold him and comfort her, to make him see the truth but she couldn't. She was afraid of pressing him, afraid that something she might say or do might trigger the collapse of the walls inside his head and he would be lost again in a mire of madness and rage. And so she stood silently by, watching him tear, unable to do a single thing to help him.

Inwardly she wept but outwardly she kept her control. Things were bad and as the leader it was her job to keep everyone from flying apart.

Peter was now bent over Jason, peeling back an eyelid and peering into his eyes. Back in Finchley and London, back before all of this madness started, Peter had been studying hard to achieve his dream of one day becoming a doctor (a military doctor he added silently, knowing how much the mere thought of him going to war would've horrified his parents). He had read voraciously about the topic, absorbing anatomy and microbiology and pharmacology in hungry gulps. Professor Kirke had helped him as best as he could, regaling him with tidbits and interesting facts.

Even with no formal training or education, Peter still knew a lot more than the average person about the workings of the human body.

Jason's eyes were unfocused, the man still caught in the grips of unconsciousness. Peter grimly remembered the feral rage that had rampaged through those dark blue eyes, the maelstrom of white-hot power that had whipped the man, destroying every in sight.

He placed a hand on the Seeker's chest and began to sing again, his Gift flowing out of him and into Jason's body, flowing through his veins, unfurling into tendril-fine branches, his powers repairing the damage throughout the Seeker's body. Peter could feel the Seeker's exhaustion dragging at him like an undertow, hungry mouths biting at his power, drinking it in with parched desperation trying to replenish the Seeker's depleted stores.

With a gasp, Peter tore himself away, his Gifts slamming back into his head with painful force as he stumbled back.

Jason's eyes snapped open as Susan gasped.

"Jason…"

The Seeker sat up and looked at her, his face stony.

"Princess."

"CRACK!"

A tree nearby instantly disintegrated, the trunk blown apart as Susan took a step back, unnerved.

"Jason…" Susan began.

The Seeker rose without a word, slipping his jacket back on, his fedora back on his head, his daggers were sheathed at his hips once more.

"Where are we?" Jason snapped icily.

"The Woods," Susan said quietly, trying to gauge his emotions, "Jason… are you…"  
"Just fine," he said flatly ending her question.

His eyes fell on Inara and he froze.

"WHAT HAPPENED?!"

Susan, Caspian and Peter all jumped at the sudden volume. Jason whirled on them, furious, his gaze and fingers accusing as he glared at them.

"What happened?"  
"Poisoned," Caspian whispered.

He smiled bitterly.

"And it's all my fault."

It happened before Susan could even react.

"BAM!"  
"JASON!!"

With a snarl Susan had her bow out, an arrow aimed straight at the Seeker. Jason's hands were pointing forwards, power thrumming through his body as a crushing force pinned Caspian to the tree, grinding him against the rough bark.

Jason's narrowed his eyes at the king.

"Why didn't you protect her?!" he spat, "Why didn't you SAVE HER?!? YOU'RE JUST USELESS AREN'T YOU?!"

His voice was deadly, his whole body trembling with fury. Susan pulled back on her bowstring as Jason clenched his fists, invisible hands choking Caspian off. The Telmarine glared back at him, reddening as he struggled to breathe.

"You think I don't ask the same questions?! You think I don't hate myself?!" he rasped out, "I know it's my fault! I know I should've done something!! I DON'T NEED YOU BLAMING ME!!"

"Drop him!!" Susan roared.

Peter was up, lightning arcing between his fingers, his gaze promising pain. Jason snarled and Caspian flopped to the ground.

"You are a failure!" the Seeker spat at Caspian, "You – "

"JASON!!!" Susan roared, "ENOUGH!!"

Jason whirled away from Caspian and stalked over to Inara as Susan and Peter glanced at each other.

"When we did we become the sane ones?" Peter muttered lowly just for her ears.

Susan groaned as Caspian rose to his feet, his face thunderous.

"Casp – " she began.

"Stop."

Her voice faltered as Caspian turned away and stalked to the other side of the clearing.

Susan looked to him and to Jason and to Elias who was already lost amongst the trees.

"What…" she looked at Peter, dazed, "What happened?!"

AAAAAA

Peter's voice drifted through the night on the caress of a wind, the darkness softening, easing as his dirge of sorrow swelled, resonating through the night. The woods were hushed, breathless as they listened, every bough and every leaf caught mesmerised in a timeless hold.

Suddenly his voice cracked, shattering like crystal glass as Peter coughed wildly, gagging as he tried to regain his breath.

"Your voice broke… guess you're a man now…"  
The voice was faint and weak but the sarcasm and the bite was all there.

"And you've finally decided to get your lazy behind up," Peter grinned back, "Slacker."

Inara coughed, trying to sit up as Peter gently pushed her back down, his cursed hands convulsing at the sudden movement. He grimaced as his arms slowly stilled.

"Where are we?" she asked, glaring at him.

"The Woods," Peter whispered back, humming below his breath as his Gifts probed her.

He grimaced as he detected the poison, a dark taint that was being held back by his powers but threatening to break through and kill her at any moment. Inara lived on the brink, balanced delicately between life and death, the smallest change easily plunging her toward dea –

"That bad huh?" Inara whispered seeing his face.

"We'll find a cure," Peter said strongly, "We will."

"Might want to say that with more confidence Petey," Inara smiled wryly, still ghostly pale, "Otherwise people might think you're scared."

She coughed again, clutching at her chest as Peter gently pulled the sheets around her, trying to warm her.

"Thanks…"

With her head bent Inara didn't see Peter's eyes on her. The High King bit his lip, hating his useless, hating not been able to save her, to protect her.

"Loudmouth!!!"

Zaru bounded through the darkness, whooping loudly as Inara rolled her eyes.

"Kitty," she laughed as the leopard thrust his head towards her, nuzzling her.

Peter stood up and quietly retreated brushing past Susan as the queen went to see her friend.

Silently Peter sat by their campfire, staring into the flames. Suddenly he scowled furiously, lightning leap from his hair and into the fire.

"DAMN IT!!!"

AAAAAA

Susan felt helpless. Her team was falling apart around her and she didn't know what to do.

Inara was incapacitated, Peter forced to use his Gifts on her almost every hour just to keep her walking and talking. Elias was caught up in his own dark thoughts, his face haggard, despair carving deep lines around his eyes. He was twitchy, always on edge, tense like a coiled spring, Susan constantly watching him with a narrowed eye.

Twigs snapped as Jason marched through the forest floor, Caspian behind him, daggers flying from his eyes. She was deathly afraid of getting between the two, the simmering tension and hate ready to ignite at any moment. And what Jason might do in his current state… Susan really, really didn't want to find out.

Their group was splintered, fractured to the core. Elias had shut himself off, Jason doing the same, both men unable to deal with whatever had happened to them at the hands of Marcos and Malik Industries. Whatever it was, it was festering, poisoning the two men against their companions.

Caspian wasn't much better, wracked with guilt and self-loathing, deliberately avoiding her and Inara like the proverbial plague.

Zaru loped at her side, scanning the forest, still bearing the scars from his torture at the hands of his captors but the leopard as always had bounced back quickly, humour and hunger still intact.

Susan smiled at him, wishing the others were as resilient but her grin quickly faded as she brooded over the current state of things.

She needed to bring them back together, mend the rifts and reunite them once more as the tightly knitted group that had come to be more than just allies and friends. But she didn't know how. It was her job as the queen, as the leader to keep morale up and keep them whole and sane and healthy. Her family was falling apart around her, slipping through her hands like sand and she couldn't do a single thing to stop it.

Susan smiled bitterly.

"Some queen…"

"There it is!!" Zaru called, his eyes picking up the faint glimmer of light in the distance.

They crunched through the layers upon layers of dead leafs, the sweet smell of rot clinging to them and making them gag violently as they trekked to the glowing pool.

Susan frowned as her eyes, enhanced by Artemis's gift, easily saw through shadowy glades and the pool that nestled there. Many were pitch-black, their surfaces hard and glistening like ice or obsidian.

She frowned wanting to go examine them but they had already arrived at the glowing pool, the water's surface shimmering with a mother-of-pearl sheen.

Susan stared down at the portal into another world and suddenly felt very, very tried.

"Shall we?" she asked.

Shift. The Yin. Vampires. The Sisters. Monsters. Nazis. Malik Industries… they had faced so much, fought demons beyond imagination and yet they were no closer to their goal. Edmund and Lucy were still lost, Aslan was still held prisoner, Narnia was still in danger and…

Susan stopped, her spirit flagging with each thought. She straightened, gritting her teeth and forcing herself to stand straight and tall.

"Come on," she called, eyes flashing, "Let's go!"

Grabbing Inara's hands, she plunged into the pool, the others holding on them as they fell down, down, down through water and space and through to another world.

AAAAAA

The dwarf screamed, his face contorting into a terrified grimace as the crowd cheered wildly, the ground shaking as they stomped their feet and hollered at the top of their lungs.

"NO!!!!"

Light flared and the dwarf instantly stiffened. His heart stopped, muscle greying and hardening as magic surged through every fibre of his being.

The long slender wand was pulled away and the dwarf, petrified to stone forever, was left frozen in an eternal scream, his blank eyes staring at the majestic, terrifying form of his murderer.

"This –" the word was said with a hiss and with relish, "Is what happens to traitors!!"

The silver wand smashed into the statue, shattering the stone dwarf as the crowd roared in approval.

"My will shall not be ignored!!" the slim woman raged, her temper an almost tangible thing amongst the crowd.

They bellowed with her as she shook her fist into the air, her dark eyes wide in her alabaster face.

"I am Jadis!!" the witch screamed, "I am queen!!!"  
The mountains themselves shook with the force of the returning cry, icicles falling as the White Witch smiled in triumph.

Minotaurs, dwarves, wolves, hags, ghouls, creatures all from the darkest corners of the world bayed and howled, cavorting around the platform on which their leader stood, egging her on, urging her to higher plateaus of cruelty and perversion.

Jadis held out a single hand and the crowd instantly fell silent.

Standing amongst so much ugliness and twisted unnatural forms, the queen was a mesmerising figure of glacial beauty. Cold light seemed to suffuse her form, her skin glowing in her silvery flowing robes, ermine fur, white as the snow itself, draped from her shoulders and down to the ground giving her a magnificent train.

She would've been ravishingly beautiful if not for the inhuman look in her eyes, sharp intelligence and bloodthirsty savagery warring for dominance. She wore arrogance like a second gown, distant and utterly alien as aloft and incomprehensible as the stars themselves.

"And now," she smiled, "I have a treat for you all!"

She turned, her movements effortlessly graceful, beckoning a troop of feathered monsters forwards. The mottled troop marched through the crowd, the sea of creatures parting hurriedly to let them through as Jadis' face lit up with expectant exultation. An awed hush swept through the tableau as Jadis smoothly slid to the side allowing the monsters to amble onto the stage.

"BANG!"

The cage hit the ground with an echoing thump as Jadis turned to her followers, her voice loud and dramatic. She was a powerful orator, her words sparking the heart into frenzies of violence and madness, seeping into the mind and exciting them to more depraved and monstrous acts.

"See here!!" she roared, "See our guest!!"

Metal clanked as their prisoner turned to stare at her, empty darkness swallowing her up. The meagre light poking through the dense clouds seemed drawn to his armour, hitting its dark tempered surface and disappearing as he stirred in his cage.

The Black Knight was a fearsome figure, his jet black armour frilled and spiked at every joint, his helm fringed with a crown of metal horns. The polished metal was embossed and engraved with thousands of twisting snakes, sinuously winding around each other all over the armour's surface. It seemed to shift under one's gaze, the whole armour seemingly alive as the tiny etched forms moved with their own sinister life.

"The Black Knight! I have captured the champion of my dear sister!!" the words were thrown out with acidic venom.

The crowd came to life, wild victory cries knifing the cold air as Jadis threw back her head and laughed contemptuously.

"Look!" she thundered, "Look all who dared question my might! Look at this moment! Look at my victory!!"  
She raised her wand and turned to the Black Knight. He sat, crouched in his cramped cage, the black slit of his visor a window into a soulless bleak plane. He showed no fear, uttered no word and moved no muscle as Jadis slowly lowered the crystal end of wand to his face.

"This is my vic – " she began, gathering her powers.  
"BOOM!!!"  
Jadis whirled, her pale eyes widening as a sudden explosion tore through the stadium. Bodies were thrown through the air as fierce roars shook the crowd.

"SISTER!!!!" Jadis hissed, her icy skin flushed with fury.

Green fire lashed out from the smoke incinerating all it touched as it flew at the White Witch. Jadis slammed her wand into the ground, a shimmering bubble of energy winking into existence and turning the flames away as the Black Knight watched calmly, not stirring a muscle.

"SHOW YOURSELF!!!" Jadis screamed, power coursing through her voice.

Green flames continued to assault her magical shield, blue light flickering wildly as the wards threatened to collapse. Jadis howled and the winds instantly responded whipping around and shredding the streams of flames as ice and snow flew in its wake.

A giant reptilian monster, one that spewed oil and fire from its mouth was instantly stuck by the frigid blast, screaming as it was instantly snap frozen, encased in a solid tomb of ice.

"ATTACK!" Jadis screamed, her panicking army reacting to her cry, "ATTACK!!"  
More creatures were emerging from the smoke, fantastical beasts and monsters with eyes that glowed like coals and skin that were armoured hide. The two armies smashed into each other with little co-ordination or thought, hacking and slicing anything they didn't recognise as their own.

"BOOM!"

Green flames surged skywards, burning corpses thrown away from the blast as Jadis screamed, stomping down the stairs of the stone dais, icicles springing up at every step.

"AITA!!!" the queen thundered furiously, eyes flashing, "REVEAL YOURSELF!!!"  
A wall of green flames burst into life right before the White Witch, the earth searing and cracking as a shadow flickered amongst the emerald brilliance.

"Sister…" a soft musical voice flitted through the air as pleasant to the ears as a bird's song, "How are you?"

"I think you should return to the hole that you rule," Jadis growled, "And leave the proper queens alone."

The flames faded as an enchanting figure strolled through the ashes and charred bodies, gossamer green fabric flapping at her heels. The Lady of the Green Kirtle, Queen of the Under Lands was a sight to behold, beguiling and hypnotising, a figure to inspire love and obsession.

Aita laughed her lilting trill, uncaring of the bodies she stopped over with her delicate silver shoes. Her long fingers played over the strings of her lute, the instrument all warm russets and gold like an autumn forest.

The two sisters were a study in contrast, Aita soft and welcoming, everything about her inspiring love and trust whilst Jadis was as cold and impenetrable as the ice fortress she ruled. But the hard looks of hate in their eyes were the same, both sisters tense, poised to attack at any moment.

Jadis struck first slashing the air with her wand, a shrieking gale of icy wind ripping towards the green-clad witch. Aita strummed her lute and green fire blazed clashing the blizzard and burning it out.

All around them their warriors raged, hot blood melting ice until the ground was a slush of red frost.

Jadis backhanded Aita sending her spinning to the ground before stabbing her wand down at her sister. The Green Lady kicked out, blasting Jadis away. The White Witch screamed, her backs slamming into the stone dais, jolting the Dark Knight's cage.

Furious Jadis slammed her wand into the ground, a giant wall of smooth ice instantly growing from the ground, mist clinging to the mirror-like surface.

"A wall?" Aita laughed scornfully, "Really sister, this is just embarrassing."

"Ice-Wraiths!" Jadis ordered, her voice betraying no fear, "Kill her!"

Aita took a startled step back as images began flashing through the ice, terrible gnarled faces growling at her. Jadis rose smoothly to her feet, completely unruffled as the ice began cracking in a million places.

"Aita, if you wanted to fulfil your death-wish you didn't have to come out all this way," Jadis taunted, "I would've been happy to wipe you out in your pathetic filthy hole!"

The ice shattered, exploding outwards as thin skeletal monsters, horned and spiked on every surface, hands and feet ending in long curved claws flew from the debris. They landed before the Green Lady, spitting at her revealing rows upon rows of tiny fangs. The mystical monsters were made purely from ice, roughly hewed, not a single soft plane or smooth curve to their jagged forms.

They screeched and leapt at her as Aita straightened, her hands stiff on her lute.

"NAGAS!!!" she thundered, the guttural cry nothing like her normal sweet voice.

A minotaur roared as he was literally torn apart, swords slicing through him with blinding speed. Five tall form were instantly by Aita's side, bowing to their queen before rushing to meet the Ice-Wraiths.

The Nagas were Aita's personal guards, snake spirits made into flesh, caught between reptile and human forms. For the most part they looked human, bronze and olive-skinned, their skins faintly tattooed with scale-like watermarks. They hissed, long purple tongues flicking out between long curved fangs, their eyes flashing a brilliant green, slitted and narrowed.

They were all lithe and muscular, their movements swift and graceful, predatory and deadly. Their mouths opened to cavernous proportions as some of the Nagas' necks bulged, hoods of scaled skin opening like a cobra's.

"HSSSS!!!" one of the women spat, an Ice-Wraith stumbling as a milky white fluid sprayed its face, eating away at the ice.

The Nagas and Ice-Wraiths clashed, chips of ice flying everywhere as the serpent warriors hacked at the demons with long gleaming swords.

Three Ice-Wraiths pounced on a hulking Naga, tearing him apart as he screamed. He staggered back, his stomach torn apart as Aita screamed in fury.

She incinerated the three demons but before she could do more, Jadis sent her flying with a flick of her wand.

A Naga charged at the White Witch but a single blow petrified the snake-woman to stone before a single kick shattered the statue into a million fragments.

Aita rose smoothly, green fire billowing around her as she played a loud jangling note on her lute. Huge flaming balls streaked towards Jadis like comets as the White Witch summoned another bubble of shimmering energy, the two magical spells colliding with an almighty explosion.

Jadis' motley army roared, surging forwards as Aita's monsters, some truly dragonish in nature and appearance, lunged forwards, talons and fangs clashing with steel and armour.

A werewolf howled ripping into a stunted man with a single horn on his head as others of the same kind hurled spears at it, slaying the beast. A hag tossed spells at Nagas as she whirled, beaks clacking before falling dead, a sword through her chest.

A pale luminescent creature with small blinking eyes and a wide squad body screamed, its toad-like tongue lashing out and sweeping its enemies aside before a dozen arrows tore into its head slaying it instantly. A Naga fell, the snake-warrior buried under a mound of troll flesh as the insanity continued.

Icicles flew through the air like spears as Aita ducked, the shards spearing a giant in the gut. She played a quick note on her lute and a spiralling stream of fire gushed forwards. Jadis leapt out of the way, Nagas and Ice-Wraiths burning swept up in the blaze as it wash over the dais, the Dark Knight sitting calmly through the conflagration as it struck the sides of other cages.

The prisoners, more of Jadis's hapless victims, screamed pitifully as they were immolated, greasy black smoke belching across the field.

The wounded giant, icicles gleaming from his flesh roared stamping at Aita. The Lady of the Green Kirtle deftly spun away from his massive foot, delicately balanced even as the earth shook around her.

Flames lashed the giant's face, the behemoth crashing to the ground as a Naga finished him off with a sword thrust to the neck.

"Charn is mine!!" Jadis snarled, all cold fire and arrogance, "I am its queen!!!"

Aita smiled beguiling flipping her raven-dark hair back.

"Nonsense! Charn only has one queen," she smirked, "And I am she."

The two sisters glared at each other, the winds and the earth reacting to their fury. A tempest sprung to the life, the skies themselves roaring as a blizzard swept the grounds, slivers of ice slicing at exposed skin. The battlefield was awash with white, those who tripped instantly trampled as the enemies and allies blinked through the haze.

An earthquake cracked the ground, ravines and rifts opening, splitting the ground as the deep heat of the earth rose, melting the ice away. High-pitched squeals could be heard as some stumbled into the cracks, falling to their doom as the earthquake built in strength, the fighters struggling to gain a steady foothold.

The warriors screamed scorched from underfoot and froze from above but still they raged, their feets blistering, their arms and faces freezing.

A pair of wolves double-teamed a snarling troll tackling it to the ground as it screamed, club flying around wildly. A polar bear slammed into a monster that was a grotesque mix of rhinoceros and crocodile, fur and scales flying as they ripped into each other.

Aita's fingers flew across the strings of her lute, her green eyes flashing as Jadis calmly spun her long slim wand in her hands.

Flames surged from Aita's body in a blisteringly hot geyser of shimmering emerald. The ground boiled and cracked as it swept through the battlefield, swallowing air and fuel in crackling gulps.

Aita laughed as the flames swept towards her sister, the White Witch merely rolling her eyes as the sheer wall of magical fire slammed straight into her. The queen's slim white form was instantly lost amidst the blaze as Aita continued to play, the inferno building in intensity.

"ENOUGH!!!"

The stream of fire was split in two like a river diverged by a mid-stream rock. Jadis marched towards her sister, her ermine train flaring behind her as her wand burned with light. Aita's eyes widened as the White Witch easily cutting a path through her attack.

"You think you can defeat me using magic?!" Jadis spat, dark eyes bulging in her head, "You were never the witch I was!!"

Wielding her wand like a sword Jadis sliced the earth and a jagged spike of ice instantly exploded right in front of Aita's feet. The Lady of the Green Kirtle was taken by surprise thrown violently backwards as Jadis dispelled her flames with a whispered word.

Aita slowly rose to her feet, a wound in her thigh bleeding sluggishly as she placed her fingers once more on her lute-strings. Jadis calmly raised her wand. All around the two warring sisters, their armies continued to kill and maim, trampling and tearing their enemies apart but in the space between and around the two queens there was utter stillness.

"AARRRRGGHHHH!!!"  
Bellowing fierce war cries the two sisters charged at each other and clashed, their magic colliding in an earth-shattering explosion.

AAAAAA

"No."

Susan looked at Peter. His eyes were wide in his suddenly pale face, the blue depths holding his disbelief and anguish.

"Not her," Caspian was stunned as well.

His mind flew back to the How, to standing before a wall of ice and the witch had lurked within. He remembered her siren's voice in his head, calling him, beckoning him to take her hand and release her forever.

He shuddered as his eyes darkened, another memory of another failure, another proof of his shortcomings. His fists clenched as his body shook.

"It's cold…" Inara mumbled, her lips blue.

She was shaking, wincing as the cold wind cut her to the bone. Silent Jason shrugged off his battered coat and handed it to her. It was a sign of how sick she was that Inara took it without a single comment.

"We need to find shelter," Zaru hissed.

The group was standing on a ridge overlooking the fight, the screams of the mortally wounded, the bellows of exertion and the crackling power of the two witches rising up towards them.

"How is this possible?!" Susan squawked, her mind racing with very unpleasant memories.

Peter's arms twitched as he remembered Jadis stabbing him at the battle for Narnia. He had been pinned, helplessly as the White Witch, resplendent in her armour and wearing Aslan's shorn mane, stared down at him like a savage goddess, condemning him to death. He had closed his eyes, readying himself for the deathblow when Aslan had arrived and saved the day.

In the end it wasn't the work of a mortal that had slain the witch, it was the might of the Great Lion, something that Peter was desperately praying for now.

But like at the battle at the foot of Mount Olympus, Peter realised with a sick feeling in his gut that there was no Aslan to save them now, they had to win this battle themselves.

"She's the darkness," Peter said with a confidence he did not feel, "We have to destroy her."

"Peter! She killed Aslan!!" Susan's eyes were wet as she remembered that terrible night at the Stone Table, the terrified look on Aslan's beautiful face as Jadis stabbed down with her stone cruel knife, "How… how…"

She felt dizzy, off-balance. Of all the monsters and demons she'd imagined, Jadis had not been one of them, it was too terrifying, too much for her to comprehend.

"We will kill her," Caspian rumbled, "We have to."

Zaru was silent, his tail twitching as he remembered the legends of yore. Jadis, the White Witch, tyrant of Narnia for a thousand years, the land locked in perpetual winter during her dreadful reign. Some Narnians still refused to even talk about her, she was the phantom that stalked all of their darkest nightmares, a demon who's power and might was bloated with myth and mistruths.

"How?"

None of them knew the nightmares she endured of that night, seeing Jadis's triumphant face as she murdered her mortal enemy upon that table and hearing the cheers of her army. The fire-lit table and the flickering shadows, Aslan's limp form, the screeches of winged monsters and the roar of the grounded… it was emblazoned in her mind, with her til death and beyond.

She felt weak and helpless, like the young girl who had hid in the bushes as a Lion died for her brother.

"By punching her a few times?" Zaru suggested helpfully, "That usually works."

"Shoving a fire orb up her a…" Inara coughed violently as Peter's head snapped towards her worryingly.

She regained her breath.

"I'm pretty sure that'll work. Plus it'll also look like a very disgusting fireworks display," she finished, her voice gravelly.

Elias and Jason were silent, Elias's eyes bleak whilst Jason's were completely inscrutable.

"You can do this," Peter said gently.

Susan looked to him, her breathing quickening as Peter looked at her squarely, warning her with his eyes to keep it together.

"We can do this," Caspian cut in.

Susan nodded, willing her heart to slow.

"Of course," she tried to smile, "We can."  
She turned and stared down at the battle as Aita and Jadis' powers clashed, an explosion rocking the entire world.

"Sure," her smile faded, "Definitely…"

And she gulped, praying with all her might.

AAAAAA

Aita crawled to her feet, her lute still securely in her hands. She was soot-streaked, bloodied, her sister faring little better as she too rose.

Aita's forces roared, a troop of armoured men leaping into the fray as Jadis screamed in fury. Feral roars tore through the wintery air as a fresh wave of wolves and bears poured out of the forest, the fighting escalating wildly.

"Why have you come here?" Jadis barked, "Did you honestly think you could defeat me now?!"

"No," Aita was perfectly poised, a soft smile on her face as she strummed her lute, "I came for him!"

Before Jadis could react a black shadow streaked through the air, arrowing straight towards the Black Knight's cage. It slipped between the bars of his prison as the knight's gauntlet shot out catching the dark object.

Jardis whirled but it was too late. With a terrible screech of metal on metal, the Black Knight swung his sword and the cage was instantly torn apart, the blade shearing through steel with startlingly ease.

"NOO!!"

The Black Knight leapt from the dais, his sword flying down towards the White Witch as she dodged the blow, blasting him back with her wand.

"NOOO!!!"

Aita laughed, clapping her hands against the smooth polished wood of her lute as Jadis flushed.

"Kill her," the Lady of the Green Kirtle sang out.

Nagas leapt at her, the snake-warriors hissing violently as the Black Knight charged. Jadis screamed a guttural word and Ice-Wraiths seemed to appear from nowhere engaging her enemies as Jadis pointed her wand at her sister.

Aita rolled her eyes, somehow making that simple movement gracefully beautiful.

"Fine," she sighed, plucking a single string.

"BOOM!"  
Green fire rippled out from her body as breakneck speed engulfing the whole battlefield. The magical attack quickly faded, Jadis' army looking around in confusion, lowering their weapons slowly. Every single one of their enemies, Aita and her Black Knight amongst them had vanished.

"FIND THEM!!!" Jadis roared, "FIND THEM!!"  
The wolves and the bears surged forwards, sniffing the air. Suddenly one of the polar bears looked up, growling under its breath.

It was a savage beast completely incapable of speech but it knew enough to recognise the scent of humans. Growling it tore up the side of the mountain, foaming at the mouth as its eyes shone red with bloodlust.

AAAAAA

"Oh bugger!" Zaru barked suddenly, hackles raised, "Bear! Incoming!!"

They all stared at him, puzzled.  
"Bear?!"

Razor black claws tore furrows through the dirt as the massive bear charged at them. Susan instantly raised her bow ready to fire but instantly saw her folly.

"NO!"

She slapped Peter's hands down as lightning gathered at his fingertips. Jason and Caspian looked at her, angry and confused.

"We kill that thing here we're going to alert every one of those damn monsters that we're here!" Susan shouted.

She turned and looked at the frosted forest before him, branches groaning under the sheer weight of snow that rested upon the trees.

"Come on!!" Susan yelled desperately.

Ignoring the cries of protest Susan plunged into the forest, snow squeaking under her step, ice cracking loudly as she ran. It was a harried flight into the trees, the dense groves and slippery ice forcing the group to split up. The polar bear roared ploughing into the forest after them.

"Now can we kill it!?" Zaru yelled.

"A little further!!" Susan shouted back wanting to get the bear as far away from its comrades as possible.

Jason was practically trembling with the need to unleash his powers, white wisps of light clung to his body as he turned and glared at the bear, struggling to reign in his powers.

Ever since his memories had been unlocked his powers had grown dramatically. Before a huge portion of it had been used to construct the walls inside his own head, the barriers that had held his memory back. But like a broken dam feeding into a river, the power was now free, his strength a tempest compared to the zephyr it had been before. The Seeker was still reeling from all he had remembered, self-hate and guilt rising up in him but he shoved it all aside, refusing… unable to deal with it all.

"GO!" Elias yelled suddenly, "I'll hold him off! All of you go!!"  
"WHAT?!?" Zaru barked at him, "ARE YOU CRAZY?!?"

Susan ignored them as she skidded to a stop, spinning, her silver bow raised.

"NOW!!" she yelled.

Her first arrow thudded into its shoulder, the bear's dense fur and blubber turning the blow into one of mere annoyance. The huge beast sent snow flying in its wake as it thundered towards them, a tree toppling as it hurtled straight at them, ploughing through every obstacle.

Susan fired again as lightning zipped through the trees, missing the bear and slashing into the earth.

"Over here! Over here!" a shrill cry rose above the din of the bear

Susan turned and blinked. A fat little red robin gazed down at them, wings flapping frantically as it chirped loudly trying to get their attention.

"Over here!!"  
It flew away. Susan instantly followed it, trusting the small bird as she had done on her first trip to Narnia. Caspian was supporting Inara, dragging the girl through the snow as they raced after the robin,

"ROOOOOWWWRRR!"  
The polar bear screamed at them, lips pulled back to reveal yellowed incisors as the robin fled them deeper into the forest.

"NOW! NOW! NOW!!" the bird cried.

A heavy brown object fell from the canopy enveloping the enraged bear as small figures emerged from the woods.

"Okay…" Inara blinked, coughing slightly, "What is this? Disney?"

Woodland animals – deer, boars, smaller brown bears, birds and dozens others burst out of the trees, shrieking as they saw the ensnared beast.

"Kill it!!" a boar grunted.

Dwarves and satyrs emerged wielding weapons as they fired arrow after arrow at the white bear. Shafts pierced deep but yet the polar bear fought on, tearing at the net, entangling itself further.

"Oh bloody…" Jason muttered, "MOVE!!"  
Startled the forest-dwellers leapt out of the way as Jason pointed at the bear. He let go of his power and it was like coming home after a war. It felt good… it just felt right. This was the power he was meant to the wield, this was his birthright.

The bear was instantly caught in a flash of eye-searing bright light and when everyone could see again there were only cinders left. Jason staggered, his whole body shaking, drained from that single attack as everyone stared at him in complete shock.

"What – " Susan stared at him in shock.

"By the Dragon!" a mouse suddenly squealed, "HUMANS!!:

"HUMANS!!"

The dwarves instantly circled them, bows raised as the companions inched back, forming a tight clump, defending each other. Peter narrowed his eyes, lightning dancing along his arms as Zaru growled at them, hackles raised.

"Look we're not here to hurt you," Susan tried to reason, "We're travellers from far away…"

"A likely story!" a satyr snorted, "We know you work for the Green Lady!"

Susan winced. Trust their cover story to fail them now.

"Green Lady?" Elias asked startled.

"I'm guessing the crazy one with the green flames," Inara muttered to him, barely moving her lips.

Jason straightened, slowly recovering from his previous attack as the colour returned to his face.

"Look if we wanted to kill you…" he jerked his head towards the smoking spot where the bear had been, "You'd be dead."

The crowd of animals, dwarves and satyrs froze as Susan sighed, her bowstring still bent back.

"Not helping," she growled acidly.

"So why don't you just put away your little toys," Jason continued, ignoring her, "And we'll talk."

The two sides stared at each other, the silence in the clearing thick and static-charged. Slowly one of the satyr lowered his bow.

"Do it," he ordered, "Let them – "

"But Bach! They might – " a young dwarf squawked nervously.

"They're right. They wanted to kill us we'll be dead before we even knew it," Bach grunted, "Put it away boys!"  
The bows were slowly lowered, the animals still growling and ready to attack as the dwarves relaxed.

"Lower your weapons," Susan murmured, relaxing the string of her bow.

Her arrow slid back into her quiver even though the queen knew she would never run out. Peter shook his hands, the lightning fading as Zaru relaxed into a more casual pose, his smoky eyes still watchful.

A squat form waddled out from amongst the trees and Susan and Peter instantly stiffened, their eyes widening.

"Well we better get a wiggle on then," the creature said with a slight accent, his eyes watching the group of odd humans carefully, "Grubs on."

The beasts inclined their heads in respect turning and trotting back into the trees as the creature turned towards them, grinning toothily.

"So…" Beaver beamed at them, "How do you feel about fish?"

AAAAAA

Jadis' face was stormy as any of her minions with half a brain fled from her presence. Statues lined the halls, a harsh reminder of those who were too slow or stupid to stay in her way.

She marched down the icy hall, her steps sure and confident despite the slippery ice. A very withered and ugly dwarf cringed at her, following his mistress as she raged.

"She humiliated me!" Jadis spat.

Her ice fortress seemed to response to her rage, the outer walls suddenly jagged with spikes. The White Witch's castle was a thing to inspire awe and fear, a single massive blade of ice perched on top of a frozen lake, luminescent with an eerie light that shimmered like the Aurora.

"Yes your majesty but you will have your revenge," the dwarf soothed.

Jadis looked at him icily.

"Be gone from my presence," she commanded, "Or you will die."  
The dwarf's eyes bulged and he immediately fled as Jadis pointed, the ice wall before her simply melting away. She stepped through the threshold and strolled forwards as the ice reformed, sealing her into the chamber.

She studied the thing before her, a smile lighting up her glacial face.

She moved forwards touching the giant chunk of frozen ice with a single hand, stroking its surface reverently. The chamber was bare accept for that one thing – a roughly hewn block of ice, non-descript and no different from the fortress itself accept dimly, through its multi-faceted face a hint of colour could be seen, something entombed in the ice.

"With you," Jadis said softly, cruel and low, "I will topple her and rule Charn forever."

Stepping back, she raised her wand and plunged it deep into the centre of the ice. It instantly lit up with light, Jadis smiling as she stepped forwards and with a grunt impaled herself on the other end of the wand.

She stood, trembling connected to the glowing ice as she raised her hands.

"TO ME!!!!" she screamed.

The whole fortress shook as her wand burned red-hot, the glowing ice shuddering as tendrils of light unfurled, reaching across and wrapping around her body. Jadis arched her back and laughed, her eyes wide as she drunk in the power.

"More!" she cried, "MORE!!!"  
The light flared as Jadis was hurled backwards. Slowly she straightened, her limbs trembling as the wand came away from the glowing ice. It hit the ground and rolled towards her as Jadis looked up, her eyes blazing with light.

She smoothed her dress down and calmly picked up her wand. Without another glance behind her, she stepped through the wall, a portal opening up for her. The light in the ice flickered and died as the chamber sealed shut behind its queen, silence falling over the room once more.

AAAAAA

"This is our village," Beaver said, puffing his chest out, proudly.

Jason raised a brow, his eyes sweeping the tiny cluster of rough huts and shelters, built against a cliff face, caves providing more shelter against the ice and the harsh winter winds.

"This it?" Jason grumbled.

Susan stepped very carefully onto his foot earning her a dirty look.

"It's beautiful," she said diplomatically.

Beaver's chest puffed out even further but he waved her comments away cheerfully.

"Tis nothing, tis nothing," he said humbly, "You should see it when it's done!!"  
The words were so much like the Beaver Susan and Peter had known all their lives in Narnia that the two Pevensies had to stifle their laughter.

"Great, it's fantastic," Inara muttered, teeth chattering, "Can we get under cover? Now?"

Beaver waddled forwards, the satyrs and dwarves still watching them carefully as they were led to the largest of the caves.

"Beaver? Beaver?"

At the sound of that very familiar voice Susan was just about ready to burst into tears, an insanely happy smile on her face as the plump form of Mrs. Beaver (funny how Susan had never found out her really name…) appeared.

Mrs. Beaver glared at her husband, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Where have you been?" she scolded, "The food's getting colder by the moment. You should've been – "

"But…" Beaver began.

" – home hours ago!" Mrs. Beaver ploughed on.

The dwarves sniggered as Beaver was soundly scolded by his wife, every word he said ignored as he was given a right dressing down in front of everyone. Peter was smiling crookedly as he remembered very similar lectures from the Talking Beast. Mrs. Beaver hadn't given a single whit they were the saviours of Narnia and technically ruled over her, ever ready to dispense common sense and good old fashioned mothering regardless of their thoughts on the matter.

"We had company mam," Redfern rumbled.

Mrs. Beaver froze suddenly realising who was with them. Her eyes widened.

"HUMANS!!?" she shrieked.

She whirled on her husband furiously.

"What in the name of the Queen Dragon are you doing?! You brought humans here?! We've got enough to worry about with the White Witch without bringing the Lady of the Green Kirtle into this as well!!" she bellowed.

Beaver groaned, burying his face into his paws.

"They're not…"

"Are you crazy!?" Mrs. Beaver continued.

"They're not with the Green Lady," Bach the satyr said gently.

Mrs. Beaver blinked.

"Not… not with the Green Lady?" she stared at Susan with a pursed lip, "How?"

"Travellers," Caspian began.

"Far away," Zaru continued quickly.

"Very far," Peter added helpfully seeing their hosts' disbelieving faces.

"They're lying," Beaver supplied trying go get back on his wife's good side.

Susan sighed as Inara sneezed, her face almost blue with cold. The poisons were taking its toll again, fatigue gripping her as Inara longed to lay down and sleep but knew enough about hypothermia to know it was a one-way ticket to death if she even closed her eyes for a second.

"Can we please get out of the snow?" Susan said, "One of my friends is sick."

"Sick?" Mrs. Beaver gasped, "Of course! Beaver why have you left them to stand in the cold?"

"Me?!" Beaver squawked, "What – "

Completely ignoring him Mrs. Beaver herded them into the cave, a merry fire instantly chasing the chills away as Zaru's eyes bulged at the laden table before him. Fish, pies, plate upon plate of vegetables and sauces, flagons of wine and beer they all stood invitingly in the glow of the fire, Susan's stomach immediately rumbling as she flushed.

"Well?" Mrs. Beaver looked at them, her previous hesitancy fading, "Dig in!!"

Susan had to step onto Zaru's tail to stop the leopard from pouncing on the food. He yelped glaring at her but the queen ignored him.

"Thank you very much," she said primly, "For your hospitality."  
"It looks very good," Caspian said smiling at her charmingly.

Mrs. Beaver flushed, beaming up at the handsome king as Beaver, Peter and Jason all muttered various insults under their breaths.

"Come! Come!" Mrs. Beaver urged, "We can talk later! For now we feast!"

"YESS!!!"

Zaru bounded forwards as the rest of his companions followed at a more dignified pace, Caspian sitting Inara closest to the fire. She smiled gratefully at him, leaning against the wall and closing her eyes as Mrs. Beaver peered at her with an expert eye.

"What happened to her?" she asked.

"Poisoned," Elias said flatly before Susan could say a thing.

"Poisoned!?!" Mrs. Beaver looked at Inara who hadn't stirred, her breathing slowing as she slipped into a light sleep, "By the Nagas?"

Susan frowned, her mind turning over the unfamiliar words.

"Nagas?" Susan asked.

AAAAAA

"Nagas!" Aita commanded, "Bind him!"

The snake warriors leapt forwards, hissing as the Black Knight fought back, swinging at them violently.

"NO!!!" he screamed, "NO!!"  
"My dear," Aita played a few chords on her lute as the Knight stilled, the Nagas grabbing onto his limbs, holding him down, "You must rest."

"No…"

The Nagas began dragging his body towards the centre of the courtyard, the man inside the armour moaning pitifully as Aita walked behind them, her hands never pausing in their play.

Her kingdom was both dreary and magnificent, underground and dank, lit and warmed by the red light from the liquid magma below, the molten rock welling up through deep cracks in the rock. They hissed and spat as they flowed down to the edges of the vast underground lake, strange pale creatures with no eyes lurking beneath its surface. Jewels were embedded into the cavern's roof, glowing like stars. Monopods, men with a single horn on their heads were hard at work, picks chipping away at rocks as they enlarged their mistress's empire, gouging at the hard unmovable rocks.

A large ship sailed across the lake's placid surface, bearing armoured men and Nagas across its vast surfaces.

Aita's voice was like spun gold and honey, pure and warm as she spoke, her lute invoking the most haunting and mesmerising of songs.

The Black Knight, her champion, still struggled, weeping as the Nagas bore him to the courtyard.

"Time for your demons to be dispelled my lord," Aita said softly.

The courtyard held the only greenery the Lady's vast kingdom, a square patch of soft grass growing healthily despite the complete lack of sunlight.

"Bind him to the chair," Aita commanded sharply before continuing to talk, her lute still playing its enchanting song.

The Black Knight was limp, the armoured man whimpering as the Nagas, with their pupil-slit green eyes, wrestled the man into a delicate silver-wrought chair that nestled in the shade of the single tree in Aita's whole kingdom.

The tree and the chair echoed each other, both silver and delicately beautiful. The tree's trunk seemed to be made of thousands of silver wires twisted together, its branches unfurling from this main part, its leafs thin beaten sheets of silver. The chair was slim but strong, beautiful designs worked into its back and it was in this seat that the Black Knight was bound, ropes strapping his wrist and ankles to the chair.

"Leave us," Aita commanded softly.

The Nagas instantly dissolved into the shadows as the Lady of the Green Kirtle reached out and touched her champion's helm.

"Rest my love," she whispered, "Rest my dearest heart and I will sing to you as you fight your demons.'  
"Get away from me!!" the knight shrieked helplessly, "Get away…"  
She began to sing, her music holding him tighter than any rope or chain as his movements stilled and his cries faded away.

He wept and wept as she continued to sing, subduing his will once more.

AAAAAA

It was dark, not just the normal shadowy blackness of night but the darkness of oblivion – a complete absence of all light and hope.

With Artemis's gift and blessing, Susan could see through the darkness as she walked through this strange featureless world.

"So time for another one huh?" she muttered, "Come on Viola… what do you want to show me now?"

She stopped, eyes widening as a very familiar form appeared before her.

Gavin laughed, his body covered in thousands of blinking eyes as he pointed straight at her.

"Are you ready?" he asked, blood leaking from every single one of his eyes, "Are you ready for it?"

"What?"

Susan turned at the flapping of wings and shrieked as a large screaming bird swooped at her face. She fell to the ground, avoiding its talons. She stayed there for several long minutes, hands over her head before looking up cautiously.

Eustace stared down at her, eyes as devoid of emotions as always.

"You killed me," he said.

Guilt stabbed her but Susan scowled, fury rising in her like a wall, blocking it off.

"You threatened my mother!" Susan spat back, "I had a right to kill you!!!"  
Eustace cocked his head to the side.

"Do you know what happened to me?" he said, his eyes completely black, "This body was a frightened little boy and you killed him."

Susan closed her eyes, not wanting to hear his words, not wanting to hear the truth. She clung to her reason like a safety blanket, desperately hoping it would protect her.

"I don't care!!" she screamed, hands clapped over her ears as Eustace watched her, "I don't care!! I was defending my mum!!"  
"Mum!"

"Mum!"

"Mum…"

The words echoed in the darkness around her making her look around in confusion. When she looked back Eustace was gone.

"What… what…"

She fell to her knees, a single tear streaking down her cheek as she closed her eyes, her voice was a mere croak, stifled with emotions.

"I had to do it…" a voice rumbled suddenly, grave and sad.

Susan instantly looked up, looking around, her eyes widening as her heart sung at the sound of the beloved voice.

"ASLAN!!"

She leapt to her feet, practically weeping in joy. Aslan was here! Everything was going to be all right! Jadis would fall to Him like before, the darkness would be destroyed and… and… and…

"I'm sorry dear one," Aslan growled, Susan trying to desperately find him in the darkness, "I had to…"  
Susan blinked, not understanding.

"What…"

The darkness was suddenly alive with a thousand flapping wings and piercing bird cries, Susan crying out as feathers touched her face. She ducked instinctively as Aslan continued to talk.

"It's for the best… sometimes for you to grow…"

A huge bulging eye stared at her as cruel beaks snapped at her arm.

"… you have to be apart."

And Aslan's voice faded leaving her stumbling in the dark, disorientated, alone.

"Aslan… please…" she begged, "Don't leave me… ASLAN!!!"

She was suddenly thrust through time and space, flying for all eternity until she was hovering over a very familiar place, a castle that held the sweetest of memories and the bitterest of losses.

"What's the latest news?" Glenstorm, leader of the centaurs, member of the Narnian council and close friend and advisor to King Caspian the Tenth, demanded.

The Telmarine castle was as foreboding and forbidding as ever but Susan could see changes here and there, the most prominent being the bright red flags that whipped in the breeze each proudly showing the coat-of-arms of Narnia – a rearing golden lion on a red field. This was no longer the home of the Telmarines, this was now as stronghold of a newer, united Narnia.

"They're everywhere," the young Telmarine scout reported wearily.

His face was haunted, pale beneath the tan that all Telmarines bore.

"They… they have no mercy," he wept, "They just kill and kill and kill…"

Glenstorm clapped a hand on his shoulder and bade him rest as an attendant came to take the boy away.

"It's looking grim isn't it?" Cornelius, tutor and advisor to Caspian asked, "What says the stars?"

"The stars are clear. Our king still lives and he is far from here but fighting to get home," Glenstorm stopped, "But there're are other messages. Ones I cannot even being to decipher. I…"

Trufflehunter slipped into the courtyard, rearing up as Glenstorm and Cornelius turned to him.

"Reports from Archenland!" the badger said desperately, "The Calormens have declared war on Narnia and have begun marching against us."

They all stared at the badger in horror.

"NO!" Cornelius cried.

But a small figure leapt from one of the high walls landing deftly before them before Cornelius could continue.

"We'll deal with them as we have dealt with all monsters who dared cross our blades!" Reepicheep said grandly, flourishing his blade, "To the death!"

"It is not enough. Not this time," Glenstorm look exhausted, "We are besieged from all sides. Monsters from the sea, creatures in the woods and now a threat from the desert."

Cornelius glared at him, rising to his full unimpressive height.

"We cannot give up!" he said stoutly, "If Caspian still lives we have to hold this land until his return!"

"Yes!" Reepicheep said instantly, "If we must die to the very last man to defend our land so be it!!"

The sound of footsteps made quartet turn. Trumpkin limped into the courtyard, a very familiar object held in his hands.

"I don't know why you persist with such folly," the mouse knight said primly, "We…"

"People need hope," Trumpkin said wearily.

He held his hands out, Cornelius gently taking the legendary hunting horn of Queen Susan the Gentle from him.

"Why haven't they come?" Trufflehunter whispered.

"Because they can't," Glenstorm said darkly, "The stars have warned about more than one prisoner being taken."

"The majesties!!" Reepicheep hissed, "The cowards! Taking away non-combatants! The very nerve!!"

Trumpkin was quiet, bruised and battered as he watched his friends bicker amongst themselves.

Suddenly a horn called from the distance making all of them jump.

"The patrol from Cair Paravel," Glenstorm murmured, his hoofs clacking off the flagstones.

"Come," Cornelius sighed, "We have to greet them whether it be good news or bad. We cannot hide."

The group moved quickly out of the courtyard leaving Trumpkin by himself. Susan's heart broke for their DLF, the sad and worried look on his face making her heart clench. The Red Dwarf let out a long sigh.

"Lucy," he whispered gruffly.

Slowly he turned and joined his friends as Susan dissolved.

She reappeared in a fortress of ice, suddenly realising what her dreams had been trying to warn her about time and time again. How many times had she walked this very dream hall, stumbling along the frozen walls, completely dazed, utterly unaware of what terror her future held?

"Jadis…" she whispered, shuddering to her core, "The White Witch."

Memories… dreadful, dreadful memories rose. Two faces haunted her – Aslan's as he laid upon the Stone Table, majestic even in the face of inevitable death and Edmund's as he laid upon the battlefield, green and pale, her brother mortally wounded, hanging to life only on the most tremulous of threads.

She wiped tears from her face as she treaded down the hall, moving towards something she only dimly recognised but it called to her, drawing her deeper into the White Witch's stronghold, deeper in the darkness and all it held. A wall of ice before her crumbled and fell away as Susan stepped into a chamber she had been in numerous times before.

A chunk of ice stood implanted in the floor before her, its crystal-like surface blazing with light. She reached out and touched it and the light died away, Susan pressing her face against the cold.

Her eyes, enhanced by the gods' gifts, could just make a figure inside the ice, trapped within forever.

"Who are you?" Susan whispered, "Who…"

"Ssssssssilver…"

Freezing, Susan stiffened afraid to looking behind her.

"Sssssssssilver…"

She turned and stared into the eyes of an abomination. A giant snake, vile and poisonous grin hissed, tongue flickering out.

"Ssssssssilver…" it hissed again, "Tree and chair."  
It reared up, long fangs glistening as venom dripped from its fangs. Susan stared up at it, knowing it was all a dream but still terrified.

"Tree and chair… ssssssssilver!!"

"I'm sorry."

Aslan's voice again, infinitely sad, full of so much sorrow it made her want to weep.

"YOU'RE MINE!!!"  
Susan shuddered as a new voice tore through her, demanding and terrifying.

"YOU'RE…."  
A huge monster lunged at her and Susan screamed frantically trying to get away but her back exit was blocked by the snake as it hissed and spat at her.

"MINE!!!!"

Susan shot up, screaming as Peter whipped to look at her, the High King kneeling beside Inara's bed, the song dying on his lips as he saw his sister's terrified face.

"Again?" Zaru grumbled, waking up, "What was it this time?"

Susan stared at the leopard and her brother and willed her heart to stop pounding.

"I…"

She looked at her shaking hands and frowned.

"I don't know…"

AAAAAA

"We have to forage beyond these frozen woods. We have to step onto the lands of the Green Kirtle where food plants still grow," Mrs. Beaver explained, "Otherwise we would've starved long, long ago."  
"But going onto the other queen's land…" Elias stopped, "Isn't that… dangerous?"

Mrs. Beaver laughed, a bitter edge of her voice.

"Of course! But what choice do we have? Here everything's frozen, there is no sun, no crop can grow," she waved her paws around, the scientist looking at the perpetual winter, "Beyond the White Witches' land, there is still the seasons but the Green Lady's troops have been known to hunt and eat us. It's a harsh life but we have to survive."

Elias looked at her, a strange look in his eyes.

"So these foraging parties… they're dangerous."  
"Life-threatening."

Elias suddenly sat up.

"I'll go then. I'll get food for you all."  
Mrs. Beaver frowned.

"Wait! Did you hear – "

"I know," Elias cut in, 'But I want to go."

The scientist stared at the female beaver as she stared back at him, unnerved at his apparent disregard for his life.

"Uhh… you have to talk to the others about it," she said swiftly before waddling off.

Across the cave, Caspian was in deep conversation with Redfern and one of the satyrs.

"The White Witch hunts us down," Redfern explained, his young ruddy voice showing his pain, "Either conscripted into her armies or killed on the spot. The wolves hunt us for sport, the bears for food. It's a grim life."

He stopped, squaring his shoulders as painful optimism flittered across his face.

"But it won't last," he said with a shaky voice, "Someday… someone would defeat them. There's the prophecy."

"But that's not going to happen any time soon," Bach the satyr muttered.

"You don't know that! When it come tr –"

Bach looked at him and Redfern grimaced and fell silent.  
"What about the centaurs?" Caspian demanded, only half-listening to them, "Surely they will – "

"Slaughtered," the satyr said, "Once Charn was a lush green land until the two sisters came. They bound the King Phoenix and Queen Dragon and the war was over in a night. The White Witch then turned her kingdom into a frozen wasteland and many tried to fight back at the beginning but she was… she was too strong."

Bach paled as Redfern looked away, tears in his eyes.

"She slaughtered all who dared to stand against her. She exterminated the centaurs down to the very last foal… they were… they were some of her most vocal dissenters."

Caspian's eyes widened in horror as Bach chuckled, the sound almost like weeping.

"But that's ancient history," he said swiftly.

"So this Green Lady…" Caspian prodded.

"The other witch, Jadis's sister," Redfern explained helpfully, "The Queen of the Under Land. She has a vast kingdom carved deep underground. Her army is massive with dragons and strange cave animals and the Nagas."  
"Nagas?"  
"Snake-people," the satyr said, lips pulling down in a deep frown, "They used to be our companions and friends but one day…"  
"They turned on us and became trusted allies and guards to Aita," Redfern said, "Their dark betrayal broke whatever hope we had of fighting off the witches."

"So ever since," the satyr finished, "We've lived in fear. Hunted. Our days are numbers. It's just a matter of time now."

His shoulders slumped, the goat-horned creature standing and speaking with the air of a dead man walking. Redfern looked away, ashamed as his hands tightened on his bow, enraged but helpless against the tyrants that ravaged his people.

Caspian's temper flared as he heard and saw the defeat that lurked in their minds. His own fears about this world, his own fears about going against the White Witch rose but he beat them down savagely, unwilling to let them control him.

Ironically it was their fear that helped him fight his, the king unwilling to live like them, hiding and dying like fugitives.

"NO!" Caspian snapped, "You cannot give up!"

Redfern and satyr stared at him in astonishment. Caspian rose to his feet, his eyes blazing, his firm stance, his shoulders set. He was king once more, no longer besieged with doubt and guilt, ready to lead his people once more into battle.

"If you give up you might as well fall on your swords now!" Caspian spat, "You want to live! You must fight! There must be something… anything you can do to weaken the witches' rule!"

He looked at them squarely, speaking a lesson learnt harshly a long time ago.

"A rebellion is never truly started with a single act. It simmers for years, building, injustices festering, unspeakable crimes witnessed and catalogues, emotions building until it all comes to head," Caspian said slowly trying to get through to them, "But still it needs a moment. A blazing moment of glory to unite the people and bring them to arms."

Caspian reflected on the rebellion against his uncle. It had taken years of suppression and brutality until the Narnians were furious enough to do battle against the tyrants but the moment that had sparked it all had been him. It had been him smacking his head into a branch and blowing the horn – that had been the moment the rebellion had truly begun.

"You can be that act!" Caspian urged, his voice reaching into them all and sparking their courage, "You can… there's must be something. Anything."  
The Telmarine looked at both of them, Redfern and the satyr staring back him in equal measures of awe and fear. Caspian gritted his teeth.

"You have got to prove to yourselves and the world the witches are not invincible. There must be something. A single act that will change this world."

Redfern and the satyr looked at each other before turning to Caspian.

AAAAAA

Susan looked up as Peter sang to Inara, healing her with song. She blinked seeing Caspian standing before her, his face grim.

"I have a plan," he announced.

Susan and Peter glanced at each other, worried at the strange look in his eyes. Caspian looked at them both squarely.

"We're going to raid the White Witch's prison."  
A half second of disbelief then…

'WHAT?!?!"

AAAAAA

Author's notes: hope you enjoy this new arc – I couldn't wait to reach this point cos White Witch! Green Kirtle!

Thank you very, very much for all your continued support and reviews – words cannot express how much I love each and every one of your thoughts and comments!


	59. An act of war

New chapter get it whilst its hot!

Disclaimer: Blaaaaaaaaaah – just read previous

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 59: An act of war**

Blue gazed at him adoringly, a wide toothy grin showing several gaps here and there.

"Papa!"

The cry resonated in his mind, disturbing memories best left alone.

"Delilah…"

Jason wept uselessly, hot tears running down his battered face. He smiled through his tears remembering holding her in his arms when she was still a babe, he remembered her laugh, her smile, her tears, her joys, her life… and he remembered her cold, still body.

Snow fell noisily from a treetop, hitting the ground in a puff of powdery white as the trees nearby shook, Jason losing control on his powers once more. He gritted his teeth, struggling to stop the fire burning through him but it raged against his grip, demanding to be let free, screaming to be unleashed and destroy everything in its path. His body felt hot as the power raged, ice sizzling and melting in a wide circle all around him.

With a cry, Jason pointed at a nearby rock and let it fly.

"BOOM!"  
The rock was instantly pulverised, flying apart in a million smoking fragments as the Seeker slumped back, gasping for breath, his face greying.

"No…"

White fire blazed in his eyes Jason trying to push it back down, trying to retain some semblance of control but it was like trying to suppress a volcano, the power simmering and spitting, ready to explode at any moment.

Secretly he was terrified at how little control he had over his powers but despite all his efforts it fought him, a power that had first been awaken by rage and hate it would response to little else, driven by a ravenous lust to hurt and rend.

He clenched his fists, gritting his teeth as white light ghosted across his skin, shimmering like heat before fading.

He knew there was only one way to wrest control back but he was too much of a coward to do it. His lips curled back into a bitter grimace.

"Yolanda."

His wife, his darling beautiful dead wife. He had promised her forever, promised to protect her and their child forever. Memories, bittersweet and painful, played before him, taunting him.

He remembered their first meeting, he had stuttered and blushed his way through the whole night as Quentin had laughed uproariously, teasing his friend's nerves.

The second time had barely gone better until Yolanda had pulled him aside and with a soft kiss on his cheek, everything had been made perfect between them.

He was Nathaniel, shrewish accountant and family man and he was Jason, arrogant, overbearing and one of the deadliest Seekers to have ever transversed Lawless's many deserts.

He had been feared, never failing to hunt down his quarry, his reputation and notoriety growing with every new man he had dragged in.

But who was he really? Was he Nathaniel or was he Jason? Was he the gentlemen who always ran from a fight or was he the Seeker who plunged into battle without thought?

He didn't know. He honestly did not know.

Who was he?

Tears were pouring down his face, dripping down his throat, falling everywhere until Jason felt like he was bleeding to death.

He was confused and hurting, not knowing who to turn or what to do.

The wounds were still fresh, the scars still raw as he swept for his wife and daughter. He asked the question that haunted him and the billions of other people who had ever grieved and sorrowed.

Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?

Why Delilah? Why an innocent little girl who had done nothing but loved her parents and loved life?

Why Yolanda? Why his gentle wife who had laughed and loved with an open heart, her kindness boundless, her life devoted utterly to her family?  
Why?

If there was a god up there, if there was someone or something who decided who lived and who died then Jason hated him. God was a bastard.

His power flared and a tree was instantly felled, toppling, its stump smoking, Jason's power slicing through it like a burning blade.

Jason screamed and let his power flying out of him, it felt cathartic, felt right as he sent it soaring high up into the air, the clouds boiling away as thunder rumbled, snow falling heavily on him.

Slowly his power faded as Jason sat back, tired to the bone.

And there was Quentin… his best friend, his daughter's godfather, the traitor who had killed his family.

Like all the questions flying around in his head, Jason didn't know what to do.

Rage and pity locked horns and warred inside of him, Jason feeling dizzy and sick. He loved his friend and he knew his friend had loved his family. Quentin would've never willingly betrayed them, he had been forced to but his family had died because of him and nothing, nothing would ever make that right.

Still despite all he had done, Jason… Nathaniel mourned him, mourned the good man that had been twisted and lost.

"Whittaker!!"  
The air itself was thrust away from him as his power exploded outwards, three more trees falling as the winds howled.

His eyes blazed with power as Jason screamed into the sky. He had killed the man but the bloody act had given him no satisfaction or reprieve.

Revenge was empty.

Jason saw that now, it was nothing more than a knee-jerk reaction, nothing could be accomplished from it or by it. But still, he hated that man, hated that monster, wanting nothing more than to bring him back to life and torture him for all he had done.

Jason was torn in a thousand different directions by a thousand different thoughts and memories and he was lost.

What should he do?  
What could he do?"

"Jason?"

The Seeker looked up, still weeping as Susan looked down at him.

"Jason…"

She didn't know what was wrong with him but knew him well enough to know he wouldn't speak to her until he was ready so she did the only thing she could.

She bent and kissed him gently on the head, the Seeker freezing at that small loving gesture.

"We love you," she said softly, "When you're ready."

And she rose and walked away.

Jason stared after her.

With her blue eyes and long dark hair, Susan was the splitting image of his Delilah. Was that why he was so over-protective of her? Susan with her too-old eyes and graceful poise had connected with him in a way the Seeker had thought impossible. Even before he had learnt the truth, Jason felt a deep-seeded urge to protect her, to shelter her from all harm and keep her safe forever. Was this way? Was it because she reminded him of his beloved Ladybug?

Regardless of the reason like Elias, Jason loved Susan like a daughter even as he looked to her as a queen.

His fists clenched and his power boiled once more.

He had failed his wife and his daughter. But he would not fail Susan and his new family. He would do anything to protect them even if it meant his death and eternal damnation.

He may not know who he was truly was – he may not know if he was Nathaniel or Jason or some mix of both but the two different people in him, the accountant and the Seeker agreed on one thing.

He would not fail them. He would not fail his family. Not again.

And Jason swiftly rose, shaking the snow off him as he went to join his daughter.

AAAAAA

The cave was rife with noise, their voices echoing off the walls as they argued and bickered with each other.

"This is insanity!!" a rabbit squeaked, "We can't seriously…"  
"We can and we will!" a mouse knight said grandly, waving his sword around.

Susan was forced to wonder if all mouses were as insane as Reepicheep as the knight's comrades cheered with one voice.

"Oi!" Beaver yelled, smacking his tail against the table loudly, "Order!!"

Caspian rose smoothly, completely in control, completely unfazed by all the arguments and recriminations hurled his way.

"You cannot honestly expect to live like this," he said mildly.

He felt like he was back on the Dancing Lawn, talking to a rabbling crowd of Talking Beasts and Narnians trying to persuade them all to accept him as their own and lead them into battle. He looked at each creature's face, his dark eyes glinting as he showed them wordlessly his courage and determination.

The room was suddenly utterly silent as everyone was drawn to his words.

"Make no mistake," Caspian said softly, "The White Witch will hunt you down one by one until there is no one left. There is only one recourse. You need to strike back. You need to defeat her."

"Impossible!" a deer squealed, 'She's a witch! She's more powerful than any of us! She defeated the Queen Dragon!! What hope do we have?!"  
Several of the dwarves and satyrs nodded as well, Redfern and Bach, the two Caspian had been talking to before, looking helplessly at the king. He would receive no help from their quarters.

"We have already risked a lot just by defending ourselves!" an angry looking squirrel thumped his fist on the table, "We cannot risk what little we have left by entering into a war we cannot win!"

The cries of support were instant and loud.

"RIGHT!"

"HE'S RIGHT!"  
"We must retreat into forest!" the squirrel continued, "Deeper! To the hearts where no one can reach us."  
The crowd seemed swayed by his arguments, half of them ready to just leap to their feet and depart at once. They weren't necessarily cowards but they were afraid and frightened people took whatever leader they could. Listening to orders, any orders made them feel secure and safe.

"And what if she finds you?" Caspian cut in softly, "What if her wolves sniff you out."

The squirrel flushed unable to find a single retort as Caspian turned back to them all.

"I know this is dangerous. I make no promise that this battle will be without loss but you have a choice," Caspian carefully chose his next words, "You can hide in cowards and be hunted down one by one or you can try one last time to free your lands."  
"How?" Bach the Satyr snapped, "How? You've seen them fight! How we do fight against them?"

"She's not the only one with powers," Peter spoke up suddenly.

He and Susan had been silent, watching Caspian as he took on the crowds himself. The Telmarine had been adamant he be the one to talk to them. Susan knew why, knew Caspian needed this chance to prove himself to him.

Peter held up his hands, focusing as electricity leapt between his fingers in a jerking dance of light and ozone.

Caspian nodded at the High King before turning back to the forest dwellers.

These people needed a leader, someone to guide them through the darkness they were facing and Caspian desperately wanted to be that man. He had failed his kingdom, Susan and his honour. He needed to redeem himself and the sight of the White Witch and the shameful memory of his succumbing to her powers only piled fuel onto that fiery desire.

He could do this. He had to. He was a king, he was meant to help and lead. This was his destiny.

"We can do this," Caspian said, his voice low and ringing with confidence, "And we can strike the first blow by freeing your people."

"The prison is impenetrable!" a dwarf shouted, "We'll die in the attempt."

"Yes!' another creature replied, "We just have to wait! Have a little faith! The prophecy will come true and we will be liberated!!"

Bach whirled on the speaker.

"We can't wait for something that might never come true!!" the satyr yelled, "These people say they have a way and I trust them more than any fanciful mutterings!!"

Redfern flushed at those words, mortified by what Bach had said as more dissenters spoke up.

"But the White Witch… she'll eat us alive!!" a badger cried, "We don't have their powers!!"

Susan sighed and felt the leather pouch around her neck and stood swiftly. By the fire of the light the queen was a radiant figure and the bow she held so expertly in her hands made her look like the veteran she was.

"We're not travellers from faraway," she said softly, "We're warriors from another world."  
Everyone stared at her, the forest dwellers stunned by her news, her allies stunned by her blunt honesty.

"And we're faced countless demons and monsters before," Susan continued swiftly, "We've destroyed creatures that made your White Witch look like a mere child."

She was lying. Her heart was thundering, his hands sweaty as she imagined facing the queen once more in battle. She still had nightmares about her, nightmares of never-ending winters and finding her family and Aslan turned to stone.

And she had only recently suffered that same death herself, petrified by Medusa's gaze. Susan shuddered, thankful as ever for Viola and Artemis's intervention and her narrow escape.

"You can do this," she said, "With our help."

"The prison is close to her fortress," Beaver explained wearily, "It's guarded by walls of ice and by towers and guards at every corner. There's no way you can break in."

"Break in no…" Caspian smiled, "But sneaking in…"

Redfern looked at him sharply as Bach's eyes widened.

"Of course!" Marmaru the mouse said, leaping onto the table, "Good plan!!"

"Alright…" Beaver sighed, regretting what would come out of his mouth next, "What do you propose?"

AAAAAA

"Are you people nuts?!" Inara squawked as Caspian finished talking.

They were back in the hut that served as their quarters. Inara was still sitting up in bed, the poisons still flowing strongly through her veins. Susan had been disconcerted to see how frail her friend was, her cheeks sunken, her throat bulging in her neck as she tried to breathe, each breath wet and laborious.

"I like it," Zaru admitted, "Nice, clean and simple."

"Almost slightly on the wrong side of the sanity line," Inara snapped back.

"Let's do it."

Everyone looked at Elias, the scientist's face grim.

"We have to do this," he said flatly, "I'm volunteering for the initial team."  
"They kill humans on sight," Susan reminded him, shocked at his willingness to plunge into such life-threatening danger, "Elias…"

"Then I'm in the strike team," Elias snapped, "I'll do it."

Susan frowned, wanting desperately to know what was going through the scientist's head. He was pale, fanatical, demanding and longing for death with each word and gesture.

"Okay… when I'm the lone voice of reason you know we're in trouble," Inara coughed wildly, Peter touched her, grimacing as he felt the poison rallying once more, "You can't do this!!"

"We will!!" Elias shot back savagely, "Even if I have to do this alone! We can't leave those prisoners to die!!"

"Yes, I'm all for the noble, honourable stuff. In fact I'm usually in their stands waving my pom-poms round and doing high kicks. But I also like life very much," Inara shot back, "This is dangerous, in fact borderline suicidal. You have to think about!!"

"Susan should stay behind," Jason said suddenly.

The queen felt like she was reading a book with half the pages missing, not really understanding what was driving those closest around her. Her breath fled at his words, her back instantly stiffening.

"What?!" she snapped.

"You're too important to risk on this," the Seeker said flatly, power simmering behind his blue eyes, "You're staying."

"NO!"

"Yes."

"NO!!"

"Yes."

Susan grounded her teeth together and shot him her darkest glare but Jason met her squarely, refusing to budge.

"She needs to come," Caspian said suddenly, "She's the best archer we have. We need her."

Hate flashed in Jason's eyes as he turned on Caspian, everyone took a step back as white fire rose from his skin, the temperature in the room rising wildly. Zaru hissed, fur raised but Jason ignored him, his power spilling out of his skin, longing to tear the young king apart.

"Or maybe you want her there to brighten up the scenery Pretty Boy," he growled, "Or do you just want to sta…"  
"JASON!" Susan barked cutting him off.

She did not need the Seeker reminding Caspian about his possession, terrified it might lead to an awakening of the madness she had fought so hard to defeat. Caspian glared back at Jason, hands clenched around the hilt of his sword, the Seeker daring him silently to attack.

Susan placed her between them, furious.

"I'm going," she snapped, "That's final."  
Jason growled at her but held his tongue, shifting back as Susan and Peter glanced at each other, bewildered.

"Sooo…" Zaru spoke into the tense silence that hung between Caspian and Jason, "Any chance for a feast before we leave?"

"How about we stick a pole through you and spit-roast you over a low flame?" Inara muttered, "Feast enough for you?"

"Me?" Zaru snorted, "I'm all skins and bones."

As always Inara and Zaru managed to lighten the moment, Susan smiling as Caspian's lips twitched. Jason and Elias remained close-faced, their jaws clenched as they wrestled with whatever emotion that ailed them.

"You know the plan?" Caspian asked looking around.

They all nodded back at him, Elias's movements jerky and wild. The king nodded and looked up at the sky, night was fading into morning, the blizzard winds dying slightly.

"This night…" Caspian looked back at them, his face hard, "We strike."

And they nodded again, determination written all across their faces.

AAAAAA

A flash of gold fur streaked across the snow and the troop instantly swung around.

"THERE!!" a goblin roared, tongue flicking out to touch his razor teeth.

A minotaur bellowed, wielding a gleaming broadaxe as it pounded through the snowdrifts towards the lone animal.

The cat yowled loudly, falling over its own limbs as the minotaur pounced on it, grabbing it by the scruff of the neck and shaking it violently. Its captive shrieked, flailing around wildly as the minotaur hauled it back to his snarling group.

Zaru was dumped unceremoniously onto the middle of the track, hissing violently as the goblins and hags laughed wildly.

"He's a feisty little thing isn't he?" the hag cackled, waving a dagger around, "Should make a nice treat!"

The lead goblin casually backhanded her across the face, spinning her to the ground.

"Remember what happened to the last group who ate their prisoner?" he spat.

Even the minotaur shuddered as unpleasant memories of bloody screams and whimpers flashed through all their heads.

"No prisoner can be killed without interrogation first," the goblin recited, "Her majesty wants to find out where those woodland critters are hiding out."

He turned and gestured at Zaru as he spat at them, hackles raised.

"Bind him," the goblin ordered, "And hurry. These forests unnerve me."

Zaru howled as the hag quickly looped rough chords around his limbs and mouth, gagging and muzzling him. The minotaur tossed him around one shoulder and the troop marched on, the snow turning to dirty-streaked slush beneath their stomping feet.

The snow was so tossed up and ruined that the troop failed to notice the faint footsteps crunching down through the flurry as an invisible phantom trailed them all the way back to their stronghold, the winds neatly covering up any tracks left behind.

AAAAAA

Elias stared blankly ahead, his eyes ringed with darkness, the folds around his mouth haggard.

He hadn't slept in three days.

"Why?" he begged, "Why?"

Every time he had closed his eyes they'd been there, staring at him with blank accusation. His hands would feel warm and slick, the air suffocating. He would thrash, his sheets wrapping around him like shackles binding him as he suppressed his screams.

Mary, her face contorted into a horrified grimace, her life bleeding out of her in torrents of red would stare at him, bewildered and angry. She would lurch towards him through the darkness as he staggered back, hands held up in a pitiful defence as she pointed at him, her mouth opening and closing without sound.

But he knew the question she was asking. Knew what she wanted to know.

Why? Why had he killed her? Why had he stabbed her when he had promised she would be saved?

Why?

He didn't have an answer but Marcos's – he was a monster, a demon at heart like all men. And he had succumbed to it, murdering not one person but two.

Marcos's face haunted him as well, triumphant and pain stricken, rapturous and utterly devastated. Delighted his friend now saw what he had so long believed in, utterly desolate as he realised the folly of his false world.

Elias felt tears on his face and he scrubbed them angrily away.

He had stabbed his friend, murdered him, driven by pure rage. There had been no mercy, no compassion in his thought just a thirst to see him bleed and hurt.

For all that he imagined himself as a good, compassionate man Elias now knew the truth. He was just as capable of butchery and blood as any murderer, as capable of violence and torture as any tyrant.

Elias felt weak, his world collapsing around him, his rosy-viewed of himself shattering like glass allowing the final horrible truth to reveal itself.

What now? What should, what can he do now? Elias was a genius and even he did not have the answer.

AAAAAA

The prison glittered in the sun, incandescently beautiful from a distance, a soul-crushing hell up close. Zaru began to hyperventilate as he saw the prison he would soon be held in. The walls were sheer expanses ice-glazed stone, eerily beautiful despite the jagged icicles that jutted out at every odd angle, making climbing a life-threatening impossibility.

The walls were strung up between long gleaming towers, guards, many feathered and winged perched in each one, sharp eyes sweeping the compound below. More monsters, armoured and bristling with weapons patrolled the walls, their pounding footsteps ringing through the prison.

The cages were out in the open, exposed completely to the frigid elements. Cold steel bars, each cruelly barbed and coated in a thick layer of ice froze the flesh that rested against it, meagre protection against the slicing icy winds.

Prisoners huddled in tight groups, some weeping, some broken beyond repair, their eyes staring blankly forwards as they waited for death.

All had been savaged in some way or another, those with broken bones and gaping wounds far outnumbering those injured. Many had been beaten to a senseless pulp, struggling to breath as their tormentors howled and spat at them, mocking and taunting.

Monsters paced outside their cages, poking their hands through the bars and laughing as their prisoners recoiled, the spikes in the cages tearing their flesh apart.

A boar died, his heart having finally gave out and he was summarily dragged out of his cage and devoured on the spot by a pack of rabid wolves, prisoners screaming in horror as blood flew high into the air.

A rampaging bear was killed by a sword thrust to the belly, her body heaved on top of a cage as those imprisoned below tried to avoid the deluge of blood that rained down on them.

Ice-Wraiths cackled, their grips blackening flesh and spreading frostbite revelling in the misery all around.

This was a place built on hate and sadism, compassion and mercy a mere fanciful delusion in this forsaken hole. Survival was counted in seconds, the ultimate power of life and death held in the hands of the fickle and the cruel, many killing just to see something bled. The monsters embraced it, drunk on it, loving the fact that they alone decided who lived and who died. In this place there was no god – they were the gods.

Those who lived pitied the dead, those who were dead fed the murderers. This was hell, cold and blood-drenched and terribly, dreadfully real.

"Here you go," the hag cooed.

The mighty steel gates had opened for them, allowing them entry into this frozen hell. The goblins had laughed and immediately joined into a pack of beasts tormenting a dwarf as the hags and the minotaur led Zaru to his new home.

The leopard snarled, his stomach revolting as the stench of blood and death and festering diseased wounds punched him in the face. A cage door was wrenched open and Zaru was tossed in, a lethal spike tearing his flank open.

"ARGH!!"

He flopped to the ground bleeding profusely as the hags laughed. They departed, Zaru groaning as he climbed to his feet, the wind slicing into his body as he staggered.

The only other prisoner in the cage was a pine marten who cringed away from him, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Zaru…"

The leopard looked up, hissing in pain as the familiar voice reached his ears.

"Come here."

Teetering, darkness clawing at his vision Zaru managed to crawl to the cage's side, spikes stabbing him in the paw with every move.

An invisible hand carefully reached through the gap between the bars and touched his head. Softly, very, very softly, audible only to Zaru's hypersensitive ears, a low warm tune was hummed.

Strength instantly flowed through the cat, the gash in his side closing as the steady stream of gushing blood slowed to a sluggish gurgle before disappearing altogether. Zaru righted himself, daintily placing his paws where they won't be hurt by the cage's spikes.

"Thanks Petey," he smirked.

"Don't call me that," the voice growled as the hand withdrew.

"Be careful," a second softer voice warned.

Zaru nodded, his tail twitching. It was only thanks to Zaru's sharp eyes and the fact he was actually looking for it that he spotted the two faint sets of footprints leaving his cage. A strong gust of wind swept through his cage, Zaru biting down hard and hissing to distract himself from the numbing cold as fresh snow fluttered across the ground, covering the tracks up.

The leopard relaxed into a more casual pose knowing his first part of the task was over and all he had to do now was wait.

The fun would come later.

Yawning, Zaru waited as somewhere in the compound Peter and Susan began their work.

AAAAAA

The mice slipped out of their pockets, squirreling away into their hiding places as Susan warned them one last time to be silent. The tiny warriors all nodded, promising on their honour to wait till the signal to attack as Peter and Susan walked the length and breadth of the compound, dodging and hiding from monsters at every turn.

Peter was grey with exhaustion, struggling to mould the air around him as the day dragged on. Several times he slipped, the invisibility around them fading abruptly as Susan almost had a heart attack. But each time they were lucky enough to avoid detection, Peter tiredly calling upon his hiding-veil once more.

"Are you…" Susan began worriedly.

"Just dandy," Peter muttered, a migraine pounding away at his temples.

He was leaning slightly over her, coughing weakly as he struggled to hold the distorted air around them. The world convulsed wildly around them as his Gift condensed and twisted the air, light refracting away from them making them invisible as they climbed the stairs up to the walls.

They had already struck the kitchens, poisoning whatever supplies they could get their hands on, using the herbs and brews Mrs. Beaver had supplied. Foxglove, monkshood and belladonna, dried and crushed or stewed and concentrated were slipped into every water casket and boiling stew pot, not enough to kill but enough to incapacitate anyone who tasted it.

Oil soaked rags were stowed in the filthy living quarters, fire orbs dropped wherever the prison guards congregated.

Even now the mice were hard at work, disabling every portcullis and winch in the prison. They crawled into every room, stowing more orbs away in cracks and crevices they found in the walls. Some of the bravest and most capable scaled the towers on the walls, hiding away in the guard rooms until the signal came.

Susan's gut turned as she saw another animal die, torn apart by a minotaur as the crowds cheered, their heads upraised to taste its blood. A satyr was being flayed alive screaming as the goblins mocked his pain. Everywhere she looked she saw suffering and death and pleasure in pain.

"Monsters…" she hissed, vowing bloody revenge, "I'm going to…"  
She stopped as from their vantage point on the wall they saw the spire of ice that was Jadis' fortress. It was a mirror image of the one in Narnia, a sight that struck a chord of fear in her.

She remembered the first time she'd seen it, desperately searching for Edmund in the cold only to learn the horrifying truth of his betrayal. The second had been slightly better, Aslan freeing the petrified from their stony prisons before they had charged to defeat the Witch.

Aslan…

Now more than ever she needed Him but He couldn't come, it was all up to them.

"We can do this," Peter whispered, "We can."

Susan nodded and shoved a fire orb into a small chink between two blocks of stone. They flattened themselves against a wall as a goblin marched by, Susan's hands on her dagger ready to silence him if needed. The ugly creature passed and the two Pevensies continued.

Like an insidious disease they infiltrated the whole prison, preparing it for the invasion to come.

As more death-screams and cries of agony drifted up towards them, Susan clenched her teeth.

Tonight.

Tonight justice would be had.

Tonight vengeance would be dealt with sword and flames.

Tonight the banner would be raised and the war against the White Witch would begin.

She just hoped they could endure what came next.

AAAAAA

"We're leaving."

"Good luck," Inara smiled weakly.

She felt lethargic, her energy completely depleted as Caspian looked at her, guilt in his eyes.

"Stop kicking yourself," the girl muttered, "Wasn't your fault. Remember? I was the one who tricked you."

Caspian's face darkened.

"But you shouldn't have had to," Caspian snapped, "I should've been protecting you not the other way around."

Inara opened her mouth to speak but cold air rushed into her throat making her cough violently, her chest heaving painfully as she fought for breath. Caspian cursed and instantly rushed towards her, snatching the cup of warm medicine beside her bed and gently feeding it to her.

Inara swallowed the foul concoction with a grimace, her breathing calming as she glared at him.

"Shaggy, you're just lucky I'm too sick to kick you for that chauvinistic comment," she snapped, "Stop beating yourself up over it! I did it. I gave the antidote to you. You didn't ask me to. You didn't force me to. It's my fault more than anyone's els…"  
She stopped, frowning.

"No scratch that," she growled, "It's Marcos's fault. He's the damn one who played that twisted ue game on us."

She looked at Caspian squarely as the king flinched but refusing to look away.

"I seriously don't know why you like to blame yourself for everything," Inara said flatly, "But everything that's happened so far? Narnia. Susan. Me. Not your fault."

Caspian was silent for a very long time.

"I know."

Inara blinked.

"Wait, what?!"

Caspian looked at her. She was dying, suffering because she lived he could be a king, could fight and win when she could not. If he let himself succumb to his guilt, if he let himself indulge his self-loathing... he would be failing her, making a mockery of her sacrifice and he couldn't do that, not when she had paid so heavily for it.

"It's not my fault."

It was hard to say, even harder to believe but he said it.

Him being cursed, him causing Susan pain, attacking her, failing Inara... they were tragic, terrible acts... but they were not his fault. And even if they were so what? Should he hide himself away? Crawl under a rock?

There was only one thing that could fix those mistakes and that was to fight, to hold his head up high and try to be better.

"Thank you."

Inara frowned at him.

"What?"

"Thank you for everything," Caspian rose, steeling himself for what was to come, what he had to do, "Thank you."

"Caspian..."

But he turned and left leaving Inara to stare after him in bewilderment.

"Uhh... my pleasure?"

AAAAAA

It happened in the dead of the night when the goblins and minotaurs and the hags were fast asleep and only the guards and the wolves were awake. The prisoners were slowly relaxing in their cages, the night the only time they were free from torment and taunts, the only time they could even remotely call their own.

The night was silent except for the soft howl of the winds and the rustling of the trees, angry snores filling the air as the monsters slept.

Zaru licked his lips, his eyes turned towards the sky.

There!

A single shadow flitted across the night's sky, a song trilling from its tiny throat as every creature left awake instantly looked up in astonishment. The fat little robin flapped as fast as it could, blitzing across the sky as it sang.

And suddenly the whole prison compound was under siege.

"FOR THE FOREST!!!"

The mice sprung out of the hiding places in the guards' towers, falling from the ceiling and springing up from the floor as their tiny rapier blades slashed through the air.  
Trolls and goblins fell to the ground, clutching at bleeding throats as every tower was simultaneously attacked, the tiny mice dealing death with swift silence. They leapt onto the walls, climbing and leaping, ambushing the patrols before they could react, their tiny blades vicious and sharp, blood splattering on the frozen stones.

Peter and Susan dashed through the compound, the stealth-veil still around them as Susan fired her bow, her eyes easily seeing through the darkness as wolves yelped, dying where they stood. They howled, panicking as arrows flew from mid-air, their numbers dwindling as the two Pevensies raced for the gates.

Other mice quickly jammed wedges beneath every door, sprinting to joining the two royals as Peter dispelled the thickened air around him, visible once more to the eye.

Many of the prison guards were moaning in their beds, the poisoned food disagreeing with them violently as many vomited where they lay, too weak to move. Others, the most greediest of the bunch, laid dead, foam and spittle drying around their mouths, having consumed enough of the poison for it to be deadly.

Swaying with exhaustion, Peter held up his hands, a brilliant burst of lightning arching between his fingers as the wolves and Ice-Wraiths snarled and flew at him.

The mice and Susan retaliated, beating them back as the lightning grew between Peter's fingers.

"AWWWWOOOOOOOO!!!"

"BANG! BANG! BANG!!"  
The compound was coming to live, the wolves howling, sounding the alarm. But no help came from the walls or the towers, every guard laying dead, their eyes wide and reflecting the stars.

Monsters hurled themselves at the doors that refused to budge, any of the gates that required a winch and pulley utterly useless as the ropes had been neatly severed.

A wolf snapped at its jaws at Susan but the queen bashed it away with her bow, firing an arrow smoothly into its side before switching to her sceptre.

Blue light blazed, an Ice-Wraith exploding into smoking shards as Susan whirled to her brother.  
"PETER!!!" she roared, "HURRY!!!"

He grunted, sweat pouring down his face as the lightning throbbed and grew, amplifying itself as it bounced between his hands, the light so bright now that the whole compound was illuminated by its electric light.

The mice worked as one group, parrying and retreating, watching each other's flank as wolves yelped, stabbed time and time again by their razor sharp rapier, the Ice-Wraiths faring better against their blades.

A mouse was sent flying as one of the ice demons swiped at it. Susan roared and smashed its head open with a single blow, blasting another wraith apart as the air suddenly became hot and charged, hair and fur raising as Peter cried.

"NOW!!!" he roared.

He hurled the lightning at the immense steel gates and it flew like a living lance, striking the towering doors with an almighty roar. Fire orbs, lined near and around the doors instantly detonated adding to the destruction as lightning blasted stone and ice apart cleaving into the gates like a searing blue axe.

"BOOM!"

The gates were instantly tore asunder, ripped from their hinges as fire rained down to earth, sparks flying everywhere. When the smoke cleared, the gate hung weakly from its twisted hinges, completely open, not a single obstacle left to the outside world.

Gasping for breath and pale with exhaustion, Peter stumbled backwards and almost fell as the mice rushed to protect him.

"FOR ASLAN!!!"  
The second wave struck, an invading force bursting through the ruined gates as Susan whirled, her face a mask of concentration as feathered death flew from her bow.

Wolves and Ice-Wraiths and whatever monsters were alive and free lunged at the invading force but the warriors gave no quarter.

Caspian cleaved a wolf in half, kicking its body away before hacking into the Wraiths, chips of ice flying everywhere. Bowstrings twanged, monsters falling under a hail of arrows as the beasts lunged, tusks and talons and claws dealing bloody death with each blow.

"Free the prisoners!!" Caspian barked, fighting off a goblin and a troll at the same time, "GO!! GO!!!"

The prison guards were completely taken by surprise, never expecting some a bold move. They struggled to respond, their delay costing them all dearly.

He ducked as the troll swung at him with its massive club straightening and meeting the goblin's blade with a loud clang. He back-pedalled as the goblin lunged, dodging and slashing down at the monster. It fell with a cry, the troll trampling it as it charged at Caspian again.

The king jumped, the club thudding into the ground as Caspian's blade sliced through the night. The Telmarine twisted finding new enemies as Elias ran deeper into the compound all by himself.

Bodies were searched, keys found as those with hands and fingers instantly raced towards the cages.

The prisoners stared at them dumbly, unable to comprehend what was happening as their doors were unlocked.

"Come on!!" Bach yelled, "Come on!! You're free!!"  
Some stumbled out on their own accord, weeping in joy as others sat stupidly, all gumption beaten out of them, fearing freedom like it was a poison. Others were too injured to walk, others barely alive.

Zaru sprung from his cage with a roar instantly flying across the compound towards his queen but Jason was already there protecting her as his curved daggers whipped around him in a dazzling whir of silver.

The Seeker was a demon, everywhere at once, white light wreathing his body as his control slipped, his power bleeding out of his skin.

"NOO!!" he roared trying to push it down.

A blast flew from his fingers, hurling three wolves against a cage, the spikes slicing them into ribbons as Jason stomped his foot, shaking his head wildly.

"NO!!"

Susan whirled as his cry and gasped.

"Jason?" she reached out for him, "What's wrong?!"

"YOUR MAJESTY!!"!  
Susan whipped around, screaming as a wolf lunged at her. Zaru roared and leapt but he was too far away as the wolf snapped at the queen's neck, Susan desperately tried to bring her bow around.

"BAM!!!"  
The wolf fell to the ground, sliding across the ice as Redfern lowered his hand, a dagger buried into the lupine's side.

"Thanks," Susan gasped.

"Your welcome!" Redfern said, trembling violently, his eyes swallowing up his face.

More and more prisoners were freed, their rescuers herding them towards the ruined gates as Caspian and a small contingent held the exit free.

Caspian kicked the snow, blinding a wolf before stabbing at its head. A Wraith flew at him, shrieking wildly. He dodged, dancing around the demon as it slashed wildly at him. He saw an opening and lunged, his blade cracking its chest apart as the rest of its body crumbled.

"BOOM!"

Elias were firing his orbs at the buildings, an enraged look on his usually mild face, the stone structures exploding in geysers of flames as the orbs and oil rags hidden within ignited, mushrooms of fire billowing up into the sky.

"HURRY!" Susan yelled.

A mouse threw a set of keys at her and she swiftly opened every cage she could find, Zaru at her side.

He slammed into a wolf, tackling it down, both animals wrestling, jaws snapping as cat and dog fought to the death. Susan fired an arrow, the shaft zipping through the bars and through the other end taking a hag in the throat as Peter lurched towards her, barely conscious.

"Come on!" Jason grabbed him from behind, dragging him along as Zaru looked up, the wolf's limp body before him.

The four ran down the row of cages, unlocking each other, their group swelling as they tried to protect the freed prisoners.

One of the guards' quarters burst open, the blocked door torn to splinters. A small crew of monsters, a minotaur amongst them stampeded out but it was only a fraction of the full number, many lying groaning and vomiting in their beds. Some of the monsters were weak, their steps faltering, the consumed poison leeching them of their strength.

Elias growled and hefted his crossbow and fired. A flash of silver struck the side of the building and instantly detonated, the hapless guards were blasted apart as the booby-trapped building simply vanished in a flash of searing flames.

Susan fired a single arrow and the only survivor, the minotaur died screaming, a shaft in its eye.

"NOOOOOOO!!!!"

A satyr went down, screaming bloody murder as two goblins fell on him, blades flashing. Susan's arrow found one's gut as Zaru accounted for the other but it was too late, the satyr's eyes blank, his head bent at an impossible angle.

Susan grimaced and closed his eyes as fear ran through their small herd of prisoners.

"Come on!" Susan ruthlessly pressed on, not giving them for panic to set in, the adrenaline in their veins blocking out all else, "COME ON!!!"

Blistering hot winds suddenly washed over them as another set of buildings exploded, the monsters trapped within burning to death as Susan gaped at Elias.

"What…" she was confused.

Why was Elias acting like this? He was acting like a madman, a murderer with no mercy. Elias had always been the voice of reason and compassion and to see him like this… it left her breathless and reeling.

"They deserve to die!" Elias snapped, "They're monsters!!"

"Su!" Peter yelled, dragging her attention away.

Grabbing Elias, Susan dragged him back into their group, monsters besieging them from every side.

They fought their way back to the gates, Susan firing arrow after arrow into the wolves and Wraiths as Jason and Zaru beat them back away from the queen.

Another wild burst of power escaped from Jason's control. Careening into a cage and shattering it, shards of steel and ice flying everywhere as the Seeker grunted, gritting his teeth as his head throbbed with pain.

"That's everyone!!!" Susan yelled at Caspian as the two groups met and merged, falling into a rough cluster as the guards continued to batter them.

The king instantly whirled.

"GO!!" he bellowed, "GO!!!"  
The mice, Redfern and Bach instantly led the freed prisoners away, the monsters renewing their struggle as they saw them escape. Caspian, Susan and their companions held the line, giving the prisoners them to flee as their enemies slammed into them again and again trying to break through.

"GO!!" Caspian yelled again.

The prisoners were leaving, melting back into the forests as the wolves howled desperately trying to get to them. Susan drove them back with a quick flurry of arrows buying as much time as possible.

"BOOM!"

They were all knocked off their feet as a sudden burst of bright landed in centre of the compound like falling star coming to earth.

What is this?!"

The light faded and a tall imposing figure stepped out, her eyes flashing.

Susan froze, fear choking her.

"JADIS!!"  
With a furious snarl, the White Witch marched forwards, wand and sword in hand as they all stiffened, preparing themselves for the bloody fight ahead.

AAAAAA

"GO!!" Redfern roared.

"The Witch!!" Bach screamed, terrified.

The satyr's goat-like legs snapped forwards as if on springs propelling the horned man forwards.

"They can handle it!" Redfern bellowed with a confidence he did not feel.

The young dwarf led the mindless charge into the forests, the prisoners following his lead like sheep, frightened out of their wits.

Behind him Redfern could hear the thunderous din of battle and he quaked.

The young dwarf was an idealist, a dreamer whose head was stuffed with nonsense about legendary heroes and epic quests for good. He had dreamt often of a saviour coming amongst them and liberating from their witches and had wished inside his heart of hearts that he be the one that would save his people.

But for all his wishing and dreams, Redfern had little battle experience, trained in self-defence like all who lived in his village but to actually plunge into battle? This was his first and Redfern felt weak, ready to collapse at any moment.

"COME ON!!!" he yelled fleeing from the fight like a coward but he had his orders.

The motley group fled into the woods as wolves howled giving chase but Caspian had already accounted for this.

"DUCK!!" Bach screamed.

Archers, hidden in the trees all around them instantly took aim.

"WHIP! WHIP! WHIP!!"  
Leaves fell, severed from their branches as arrows flew.

"ARGH!"  
Wolves screamed and yelped as the shafts found their mark, the forerunners of the pack summarily slaughtered as the group ran for their lives, those who were whole carrying those unable to walk.

More wolves appeared, howling but more arrows flew forcing them back.

"NOW!!" Bach screamed as he sprung over a large boulder.

The wolves lunged forwards but stopped, freezing as a loud creak filled the air.

"TIMMMMMMMMBBBBBEEERRR!!!" Beaver's voice boomed.

The wolves were thrown backwards as a whole grove of trees suddenly collapsed, falling on top of one another like a stack of dominos. The night became a nightmare of falling shadows and violent creaking, everything a blur of movement and sound. The wolves righted themselves with a snarl, many of the pack crushed beneath the avalanche as those alive turned only to be met by an impenetrable wall of solid timber.

They roared in fury, scratching at the wood to no avail. They howled and howled, baying at the moon but it was all a uselessly defiant act.

The prisoners had all gotten away.

Whining the wolves turned and raced back to the prison compound where their queen waged war against the intruders.

AAAAAA

Peter lunged forwards, lightning flying sluggishly at Jadis. It was a feeble attack, the High King exhausted from all his previous use of his Gifts.

The White Witch sneered and walked straight into the path of the attack, the lightning exploding into a firework of sparks that washed uselessly over her.

Susan fired an arrow at her but Jadis twisted, snatching it from mid-air and hurled it aside.

"How dare you?" the witch snarled, "Do you know who I am?"

Zaru rolled his eyes.

"No, we don't. We're just raiding your prison because we hold absolutely no grudge again you," he spat, "But please. Enlighten us."

Susan grimaced as Jadis flushed.

"You will all die like worms," she growled.

"DOWN!"

The White Witch slashed the air and a brilliant burst of blue light flew at them. They leapt out of the way, the spell colliding into the ruined gates and instantly blasting the doors away, the massive steel panels cartwheeling into the forest.

Elias fired an orb at her and Jadis was taken by surprise.

"BOOM!"

She was shoved backwards as the orb exploded, hot flames washing over her as she screamed, enraged that these mortals even dare attack her.

Icy winds sliced at them, their teeth chattering loudly as Jardis straightened, soot-streaked but completely unharmed by the blast.

She pointed her wand at them and screamed, a second spell streaking towards them. It smashed into the ground, gouging a deep furrow into the icy dirt as they were all knocked backwards by the shockwaves.

Peter hit the ground, falling on his cursed arm as he yelped in pain but he twisted, lashing out with a second burst of lightning. It streaked forwards, Jadis holding her wand out to defend herself but it swerved, diving to the ground and the pool of melted snow that gathered at her feet, a result of Elias's orb.

The water instantly sucked in the lightning and with a loud crackle and pop, Jadis was paralysed, convulsing as lightning ripped through her.

In a spray of sparks she was hurled backwards, the stench of burning hair and cloth lingered before being swept away by a cold wind as the White Witch was hurled into a snow drift.

Caspian and Zaru lunged forwards, teeth and sword bared as Jadis rose from the snow with a scream of fury, power boiling the ice into vapours. She roared at her attackers and stabbed forwards with her wand, a brilliant beam of crackling power lancing forwards.

Jason slashed the air with his hands, his own power flying as invisible hands grabbed the witch's wand and hurled it across the prison compound.

Jadis' eyes widened in shock as Caspian and Zaru speared straight into her. Susan raised her bow, gritting her teeth as she tried to get a shot but everything was a tangle of white, black and gold, the three forms blending together.

"CASPIAN!!" Susan yelled.

Jadis twisted around Caspian's thrust, backhanding Zaru as he lunged at her. The leopard skidded across the ground before finding purchase, throwing himself back into the fight.

"ARGH!"  
Jadis screamed more in fury than pain as Zaru's claws slashed open her arm. Blood, cold as ice flowed freely Jadis swinging her hand around and blinding Caspian with a spray of her own blood.

The White Witch was a terrifying warrior, her movements blindingly fast, her blows hitting with all the force of a falling rock. Her teeth was bared, her eyes almost purely black as she spun and twirled, graceful as a dancer, her gossamer gown floating around her lending ethereal beauty to her movements.

Caspian hacked at her, lunging with an overhead swing. Jadis leapt back, shouldering Zaru away as the blade sliced deep into the earth.

"OOF!"

A swift kick cracked Caspian's ribs sending him stumbling back. Zaru snapped at her, forcing her away giving the king time to recover before he stabbed at her again.

Her hand flashed out and the king's eyes widened as the witch grabbed his blade in her bare hands, blood gushing from her palms but Jadis barely noticed her wound.

She glared at him, her face alit with a savage beauty.

"Die," she hissed.

She wrenched his sword away, tossing it aside before flying at Caspian, her feet barely touching the snowy ground.

"CASPIAN!!!" Susan screamed, "ZARU! GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!"  
The leopard instantly leapt aside as Jadis slammed into Caspian, her strong arms wrapping around his waist as she tackled him to the ground. Viciously she grabbed his head and smashed it hard into the frozen earth, dazing him.

She rose, triumphant as one hand flashed down, her fingers aiming straight for his exposed throat.

"TWHIP!"

The witch was tossed aside, an arrow in her ribs as Susan fired again. Jadis twisted, grabbing the shaft in mid-air and snapping it with her hands.

"Weapons will not work against one such as me," she growled, her voice as cold and terrifying as a blizzard on an open tundra, "You are fools to fight me."  
Zaru leapt at her and though was leopard was quick, he was no match for the witch queen. She grabbed him by the neck and with a yell hurled him straight through the air.

"ZARU!"

The leopard barrelled into Susan with a yowl, taking the wind from her lungs as Jadis rose, a wild gale sweeping across the field, tossing snow in their faces.

Elias fired an orb at her but she batted it aside without blinking, the explosive detonating as it struck a wall.

Caspian staggered back to his companions, bleeding as Jadis' eyes swept them all, haughty and proud, amused by such pitiful efforts to destroy her.

Peter was grey with exhaustion, barely awake, Zaru and Caspian injured and winded. Susan raised her bow, the freezing winds and darkness no obstacle to her sight as she struggled to regain her breath.

The wind seemed alive with a thousand malicious creatures, cold fingers poking and prodding them, howling voices mocking their futile stand. The cold seemed to seep through skin and bone and into their minds and hearts, hopelessness setting in as their skin blued.

They looked at each other their eyes all showing the same defeat as slowly one by one they began to lower their arms, their faces falling.

"It's hopeless…" Peter moaned, "It's…"

"We should just give up," Caspian whispered, "Just give up and hope for mercy."

"No…" Susan's voice sounded weak, "No… we can't…"

"We have to," Elias whimpered.

Jadis smiled, stepping forwards as she licked her lips.

"No…"

"There's no other way," Zaru wept.

Even Jason was wavering, his daggers slowly drooping as something in Susan snapped.

"NO!!!"

She whirled, her bow swinging up. Jadis started as Susan screamed.

"Your spells won't work on me!!" she barked.

She fired an arrow at the witch, the feathered shaft flashing through the snowing air like quicksilver.

"SNAP OUT OF IT!!" Susan roared, whirling on her companions, "STOP BELIEVING HER!!!"

Jadis nimbly dodged the arrow but something seemed to shift in the air, the cold subsiding as they all shook themselves, blinking as though waking from a dream. The White Witch cursed, her eyes raking Susan.

"I hate it when people don't appreciate my mercy," Jadis snarled.

She twitched her fingers and her wand sailed smoothly back into her hands. She flicked the end casually at the empty cages around her and they sprung to life, bars twisting and melting to form ice-thorned limbs. The cage-creatures shook their heads, shaking the snow off them like dogs before twisting to look at their enemies with eyes that didn't exist.

"Kill them," Jadis said softly, her voice cutting through the air like a whetted blade, "Now."

With soundless roars the enchanted cages lumbered forwards, their footsteps shaking the earth.

Susan was shaking. Jadis had been a formidable and powerful enemy in Narnia, her strength and magic unsurpassed but this version of her, this Jadis made her sister-copy look like a weakling in comparison. She performed spells and curses that should've been impossible, wielded snow and ice and wind as a weapon and was as swift and strong as any trained soldier. The blue-eyed queen was terrified and trying to hide it, standing strong as Jadis's creatures stomped towards them.

"GO!" Elias yelled.

Susan blinked as the scientist placed himself before her, his crossbow raised.

"Go! I'll hold them off!!" he shouted, "GO! GET AWAY FROM HERE!!"

"BOOM!!"  
One cage-monster fell, crashing to its knees as a huge chunk of its torso blew away, ice and steel crashing flaming to the ground.

"GO!!" Elias yelled.

"WHAT ARE YOU CRAZY?!?" Susan barked at him, "WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? BLOCK THE WAY WITH YOUR DEAD BODY!?"

"SHUT UP!!" Elias snarled, whirling on her.

She stopped, the scientist was almost weeping, his eyes alit with a look that frightened her.

"I HAVE TO DO THIS!!!" he roared, "THIS IS MY…"

The rest of his words were swallowed up as the cage-monsters stomped at them, Susan tackling Elias away. They fell in a tangle of limbs, landing right below the cage-monster's belly as Susan leapt to her feet.

"Elias. Stop," she snarled, "I don't know what's your problem but just… STOP!!"

She pulled her sceptre free and with a scream unleashing its powers. The cage-monster was sliced in half, blue power erupting into the sky.

"You don't get it," Elias mumbled, shamed, "You just don't…"

Jadis deftly weaved between her summoned monster's massive feet, her wand held high as she descended onto her enemies with a fierce bellowing cry.

"CLANG!"  
Jason stared at her, his daggers meeting her wand. She smiled at him, her grin cruel and bloodthirsty.

"You cannot win," she growled her wand pushed hard against his daggers.

Peter collapsed into a coughing fit, lightning tearing through another cage-monster as Caspian and Zaru covered Susan and Elias, blue power and fire mowing through the cursed cages.

Jadis shoved the crystal point of her wand into Jason and focused, willing the petrification spell to life but Jason struck fast, shoving his open hand into her face.

"Neither can you," Jason said coldly.

And for the very first time since he had come into his full powers Jason simply let go, striking the witch down with every ounce of his power.

It was almost a relief, his rigid control fading as his power exploded out of him, burning and shrieking, driven by blind fury as it lashed out at its enemy. White fire burst from his body and hit the witch square in the face with all the might of a bomb.

Jason staggered back, gasping, reeling as Jadis flew through the air, arcs of white light cutting through the night and through the cage-monsters, destroying every one of them in the blink of an eye.

"By the Mane…" Susan whispered, awed.

His powers seemed to scream with triumph, relishing its release. Controlling them was like bottling fire and now that Jason had let it all out the Seeker realised it was almost a living thing, ablaze with its own desires and thoughts and every single drip and dram of that power wanted nothing more than to destroy everything in its path.

Wolves suddenly emerged at the cages, howling and barking, lunging at the humans but Jason whirled, his power surging forwards and every lupine was instantly swallowed up, vaporised from existence.

Jadis smashed into the back wall of the prison, the whole stone and mortar structure cracking and shattering, falling on her like an avalanche.

Susan and Peter gaped as she was buried from sight, the freezing winds instantly dying.

Jason fell to his knees, screaming, his power burning him out as he desperately tried to cram it back into the cage inside his head. It fought him every inch of the way, shrieking as his mind flailed, his vision fading as he slumped

"No…"

His body shuddered as it all snapped into his head, rebounding as though on an elastic and crashing back into its home.

"Anyone else deathly afraid of him?" Zaru asked.

Susan looked around, everyone looked as stunned as she felt, gaping at the Seeker as he groaned and stirred. The prison was silent, every creature within dead, the twisted remains of the cursed cages jutting from the ground like awkward spears.

Nothing stirred in the rubble that had buried Jadis but Susan knew in her gut the White Witch was far from defeated.

"Come on…" she grabbed on Elias, not trusting him at all, "Let's go."

Caspian hefted Jason up and they all ran deep into the forest, a sudden bellow of demented rage chasing them into the trees.

The first blow had been struck, the war against the White Witch well and truly declared.

AAAAAA

That night the forest was alive with the sound of laughter and music, a cheery bonfire lit defiantly against the winter's winds as song rose around the fire, lifting spirit and heart as all drank and feasted deep into the night.

"No casualties from our side," Bach reported, "We lost a few prisoners but…"

"It turned out a lot better than we ever could've hoped!" Redfern said enthusiastically.

The young dwarf's eyes were alive with hope, his face ruddy as he scoffed his ale down.

"With more victories like this we can have the witch defeated in a week!" Redfern roared drunkenly.

Caspian sighed and placed a hand on the dwarf's shoulders.

"It won't be this easy," Caspian said pensively, "We were lucky. The prison guards never expected anything like this to happen. They were ambushed. Now the White Witch will be on guard, I fear any victory from now will be hard won and hard to come by."  
Redfern sobered as Bach nodded, his eyes darkened. Beaver suddenly snorted, whacking Caspian across the arm with his rudder-like tail.

"Stop it," he scolded, stuffing a roll into his mouth as he spoke, "We've won for tonight so let's celebrate that. Whatever comes will come but for now let's enjoy what we have!!"

Caspian burst into laughter, nodding as he scooped up a tankard of ale and drank thirstily knowing Beaver was right. Tomorrow the war they started would continue but for now there was short-lived peace and joy and by all that was holy in Aslan's eyes he would enjoy it whilst it lasted.

Peter, revived by food and a brew that Mrs. Beaver had boiled, was coaxed into singing, the High King flushing as Susan and Inara wolf-whistled.

Peter closed his eyes and sang, his voice rough but rich, filling the ears and heart with pure warmth. He sang in an alien tongue, wordless and overflowing all at the same time.

He finished, his voice lifting in a final high note as the gathered animals, dwarves, satyrs and humans cheered and stomped their feet in appreciation. Peter flushed and almost fled from the crowd as Inara and Susan cackled, Zaru joining them.

Jason sat slumped against a tree, drained as Elias watched the crowd with bleak eyes, lost in his own world.

A rabbit stumbled over her own feet, completely drunk as Susan shook her head in exasperation taking the bottle off her.

The prisoners were sitting around the fire, many still in the infirmary being cared for by Mrs. Beaver and her workers. Many of the prisoners were shell-shocked, still stunned that they were actually free whilst others wept freely, grinning and laughing through their tears.

The freed and their rescuers sat together, sharing food and stories, warmed by their success and the fire. They chattered wildly, talking about everything under the sun, jokes and laughter punctuating the air.

Susan looked to her side and froze as she found Caspian staring at her. She smiled at him and was relieved to see him grin back. But cold fear suddenly washed over her, remembering the madness that lurked within him. She remembered Gaspar and Mallory's warnings that it could be triggered at any moment by almost anything.

She hurriedly turned away, a hurt look flashing across his face.

Inara coughed, her body seizing as the poisons running through her continued to wreak havoc.

"Peter!" Susan called desperately, holding her friend as she wheezed.

"S'okay…" Inara mumbled, "I'm fine…"  
"Yes, because cough your lungs through your mouth is the picture of health," Zaru drawled.

"Yeah, what he said," Susan said as Peter pushed his way through the crowd towards them.

Inara glared at them.

"Don't you have a scientist with an obvious death-wish to bother?" Inara muttered, still spluttering.

"No, I have an idiot with a terminal case of stubbornness to beat into submission first," Susan responded easily.

Peter instantly sang to Inara, his face grim as he administered his Gift once more, halting the flow of poison. His worried face said it all, Inara was getting worse and with no cure in sight Susan was starting to pray fro her friend.

"I'm fine! I'm fine!" Inara growled waving Peter and Susan off, "Go! Enjoy this victory party! Go!"

Peter, Susan and Zaru stared at her as Inara stared back. All around them the revellers danced, whooping and calling as instruments broke out.

Inara sighed, her façade falling as her pain and fear shone through.

"Please?" she begged, pale, "I… I don't want to think about it. Please. Don't make me."

Peter grounded his teeth together but nodded, his shoulders slumping. Inara smiled in gratitude and looked to Susan, scowling at her worried face.

"Go," the once-warrior urged, "Go! Get something to drink! I want to see you couple miles south of Inebriation Town and on the fringes of Soused-ville! That's an order!"

Susan sighed heavily but let it go, losing herself to the celebrations as it lasted well into the night.

AAAAAA

"I'm sorry…"

"What? Aslan… what do you mean?" Susan begged.

She was once more in the ice chamber, looking around in confusion as Aslan's voice rumbled all around her.

"I'm sorry… I had no choice. It's the only way."  
"Way?!? WHAT WAY?!?" Susan yelled, "ASLAN!!!"

His presence faded as Susan whirled and stared at the growing chunk of ice before her, the person frozen inside still a complete enigma.

"Who are you?" she begged, touching the ice, "Who…"

"Silver."

Susan whipped around and the other witch, the Lady of the Green Kirtle smiled at her enchantingly, the towering darkly armoured knight by her side.

"Tree and chair. It's how I rule," Aita smiled serenely, beautiful beyond measure as the Black Knight raised his sword threateningly, the two a study in contrasts.

The queen was utterly breath-takingly beautiful, everything in her begging obedience and love as her champion emanated nothing but malice.

"Don't you just love me?" Aita asked, beaming at her.

"I'd rather impale myself on a pole," Susan snapped.

The knight lunged at her, black blade whistling but Susan stood defiant, holding her ground. She glared at him, her eyes flashing purple and the Black Knight disappeared, fading into a puff of streaky black smoke.

"It comes," Aita said softly, uncaring her champion had been vanished, "It comes for you."

"Who?" Susan demanded.

Damn Viola. Damn Viola and her visions. Damn Viola and her cryptic dream messages. Susan was frightened and unsure and all she wanted to know was what all this meant. What were her dreams trying to tell her?

When Aita spoke, she spoke with the deep golden voice of Aslan.

"I'm sorry. I had to."

A dark shadow fell over her and Susan gasped, dark malevolence hitting her almost like a tangible blow. A waft of rot and decay blew through her hair as she choked, her eyes stinging with tears. She looked up and saw nothing but darkness.

"What…"

"YOU'RE MINE!!!" a terrible voice shrieked and Susan shot up in bed, soaked with sweat and terrified.

Suddenly she stopped, her head cocking to the side as something called from the night. Frowning, Susan slipped out of bed and padded to the mouth of the cave and looked up into the starry night's sky.

The call was getting stronger, the night itself beckoning her forwards. She felt safe and happy going towards that call, the pull akin to a mother's warm arms reaching for her child.

It was like returning home.

Almost in a dream she stepped out into the cold and to the edges of the dying bonfire, nothing but ashes and embers left.

"I'm sorry…"

She raised her arms and waited, her mind drifting between sleep and wake, a pleasant warmth cocooning her as all fears and apprehension melted away.

"I had to."

And the thing descended to meet her.

AAAAAA

Caspian sat up and looked at Peter. The High King looked back at him, his face pale.

"What…" the Telmarine began, shaken and unsure.

The night seemed to be alive with a thousand voices and eyes, something in the darkness calling to them, singing to them like a siren, urging them to come. It overwhelmed their doubts, soothing all else to sleep but a sudden urge to walk out into the night and towards the song.

"It calls…" Peter said dreamily.

Dazed the two men climbed out of their beds and walked to the cave's mouth, Elias and Jason half a step behind them.

Inara and Zaru did the same in a cave nearby, their eyes blank as they left the shelter of the cave and into the winds.

All six of them blinked as they saw Susan alone in the dark, standing with her arms raised as though beckoning to the sky. Her face was blank and dreamy, a small smile tugging at her lips.

"Susan," Caspian called, some of his senses returning, "Su – "

It struck, its immense form eclipsing the moon and stars.

"Wha…" Peter blinked, his eyes clearing, "WHAT'S HAPPENING!?"

"URGH!" Zaru coughed, shuddering.

They all staggered back, the spell on them breaking as they gagged violently, the stench of burning hair and rotting meats punching them hard in the nose. The monster shrieked as it dropped from the sky, giant black-feathered wings pumping mightily as grasping claws fell on Susan.

"SUSAN!!!" Elias screamed flailing for a weapon he did not have.  
The queen was docile, stretching out for the creature to grab her.

"SUSAN!!!" Zaru howled, hackles raised.  
"QUEENIE!!!" Inara bellowed, paling by the second.  
They all dashed forwards, lunging for the queen. The beast turned and snarled at them spittle flying through the air. They recoiled, eyes bulging at its hideous face.

It was a bastardisation of nature, animal and humans parts stitched roughly together into a single monstrous form. Its body and breast was vulture-like, winged and taloned and feathered like the carrion-eater but its body was a cesspool of rot and decay, maggots writhing in open wounds like worms through dirt. Human-like arms jutted bizzardly out from its breast, wielding swords and shields that gleamed in the moonlight.

"SU!!!" Peter roared, blue eyes wide as he grabbed for his sister, "SUSAN!!"

But Susan ignored him, her face joyous. She reached for the creature as it reached for her.

Malice glowed from the monster like red from an ember the sheer force of its malevolence driving them back. The forest was suddenly alive, trees creaking as winds howled, leafs drooping to the ground. Ice melted beneath the creature's shadow, sizzling as nature itself rebelled against the wrongness that marred its world.

The monster screeched, its wings scything the air as its human arms flailed, daring them to attack.

"SUSAN!!!" Zaru lunged at the creature but the human-like arms tossed their weapons at him, the leopard forced to dodge as blades thudded shivering into the ground.

The monster's neck and head was that of a woman's, a bald-headed crone that cackled in glee, her mouth impossibly wide. She grinned seductively at them, the smile showing lines of black and foul teeth. A thick tongue flicked out, tasting the air as it shrieked at them again.

"MINE! MINE! MINE!!" its voice thundered in the dark, "MINE!!!"  
It gripped Susan in its terrible talons and its wide wings flared, the creature flapping as it rose clumsily into the air.

"SU!!!" Peter raised his hands and lightning shot forwards at the monster.

The woman-head roared and deflected the blast away with a wing as Jason pointed at it, white fire spilling from his eyes.

"LET HER GO!!!" he thundered, the monster shaking with the force of his voice.  
The ground shook, cracking beneath the Seeker's feet as white fire danced in a wide circle around him, a crater gouged where he stood.

The monster swivelled to look at him, its eyes sly.

"LEAVE!!" the vulture-woman screamed, "LEAVE!!!"  
Her blood-red eyes widened and its bald head thrust forwards.

"COWBOY!!!" Inara screamed as rush of air shot forwards.

Jason was there one second and next he was simply gone leaving nothing but footprints behind.

They all stared at the spot where he had been, too stunned to even react.

The vulture-creature giggled wantonly as it rose once more, Susan limp in its clutches.  
"WHAT…" Peter whirled, lightning spinning in his hands once more.

He roared, outraged and terrified.

"NO!! LET HER G –"

"LEAVE!!!" the monster shrieked.

Inara screamed as wild winds battered her.

"No!" Caspian gasped lunging for her.

Peter and Inara suddenly vanished as sudden and as inexplicable as Jason leaving Caspian, Elias and Zaru behind.

"What…" Elias was pale, "No… this is… this is…"  
The terrible condemning cry came again.  
"LEAVE!!!"  
"NOOOOOOO!!!!"  
Zaru's howls echoed through the night as he too was gone, vanishing into absolute thin air.

"STOP!" Caspian screamed whirling on the monster, "STOP!!"  
He unsheathed his sword brandishing it uselessly as the vulture-creature laughed at him, cackling in the face of his misery.

"STOP!!!" Caspian bellowed, blinded by tears.

"LEAVE!!!!"

Elias's bulged.

"Eli – "  
Caspian lunged for him but his hands met nothing as the Telmarine was suddenly the only one left in the snow.

"NOOOOOO!!!" his screams tore through the air echoing far and wide, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!? WHERE ARE THEY?!?! WHERE DID YOU TAKE THEM!?!?!!!"

But the monster ignored him, howling with laughter as it rose into the air, Susan its captive.

"NOOOOOO!!! NO!!"

Desperately he threw his sword at the monster but it fell way short, falling back to the ground as the monster mocked him, its high-pitch laugh razors to his ears.

Caspian fell to his knees, shocked, stunned, reeling, not believing what he had just seen. He was alone, all alone in the snow, nothing beside him but air and wind as Susan was taken into the night right before his eyes.

With one powerful flap of its wings the monster's black form merged into the night as Caspian clutched at the snow, the searing cold his only anchor to the world.

"No…"

The monster's foul scent faded leaving no trace behind.

"No."

Redfern and Bach flew out of their huts staring at the king in confusion as Caspian looked at them, weeping.

"They're all gone…" he looked around stupidly, "They're all…."

He looked to the horizon, looked to where Susan had disappeared, looked to the ground, looked at the snow where his companions and friends had stood.

He felt cold. Numb. Dead.

"They're gone… they're all gone…"  
And his screams rippled far into the night.

AAAAAA

Author's note: First of all a big thank you to all my reviewers and a big apology. I know I haven't been responding to your comments but please don't hink i don't read them or I don't care. It's just that I' vebeen swamped with real life and by the time I'm ready to post it's usually early in in the morning - so dead tired. I promise next chapter I will answer some ofyour questions. Please keep reviewing. Again I love each and everyone of you and your comments and I am sooooooooo sorry.


	60. Scattered

New chapter! Get it whilst its hot! New chapter!

Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah, blah

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 60: Scattered**

The snow fell thickly, his matted hair white and stiff with frost but yet he barely noticed the cold, treks of salt frozen onto his face as he stared numbly up at the sky.

Caspian was mute, his face blank, the nightmare of the last few hours looping endlessly inside his head.

Susan. The sight of her limp form in those terrible talons haunted him, his own failure killing him. She had taken by the hideous monster into the night, snatched right before his very eyes as he had stood helpless, unable to do a thing to save her.

He choked back a pained cry.

Peter. Zaru. Elias. Inara. Jason. Each one vanished, disappeared into thin air as he had reached for them, desperately trying to pull them back. Their shocked faces were like a punch to his gut, leaving him breathless and flailing for strength.

All his pathetic attempts to save his friends had utterly failed and they had been taken right before him, all of his cries and frantic actions ruthlessly tossed aside as the monster had struck again and again. They had slipped between his fingers and were now in only Aslan knew where.

They were probably dea –

Caspian stopped, unable to put words to the fear.

He was alone in the snow now, slumped, defeated, uncaring of the cold that nipped at him and chilled his flesh.

The Beavers, Bach and Redfern had retreated leaving him alone in the snow as he mourned his friends, despair threatening to drown him.

Everything had been going so well, they had managed to strike a blow against the White Witch, freed all of her prisoners. Everyone had been celebrating, happily ignoring everything they had endured already and everything that was bound to come. This night had been a flickering flame amongst the shadows, a brief interlude where everything had seemed possible and the war they were fight seemed that little less darker and dangerous. But amidst such joy tragedy had struck.

Caspian was stunned, reeling from everything that had happened in last few hours. Questions haunted him.

What was Susan doing alone in the dark?

What was that… that… thing?

Where were they?

Were they… were they even alive?  
He felt crushed, suffocated by the depth of his own ignorance and helplessness.

"Sir?"

Caspian looked up, his lips blue as Redfern looked at him cautiously.

"Are you…" the young dwarf stopped, "Are you alright?"

Caspian fought down the urge to answer cuttingly.

"They're gone," he said numbly still staring at the night sky, "They're…"

He stopped.

"What's going to happen to us?" Redfern asked, his voice trembling, "We… we…"

Beaver waddled up towards them, his face stern.

"We've started a war," he said roughly, "And now half our soldiers are gone."

Caspian looked at him as Beaver stared at back severely, his eyes solemn, sympathetic but his mind focused on the present crisis.

"What are you going to do?" he demanded, his wide tail flicking the snow aside.

Bach and Redfern looked at him, terrified of his answer.

What was he going to do?

Caspian opened his mouth to speak but cold air rushed in making him cough violently.

What was he going to do?

His despair and fears faded as that simple and yet most difficult of questions echoed in his head.

He looked at Redfern and saw the young dwarf's fear as he trembled in the snow.

He looked at Beaver and saw the toughness and the willingness to forge on.

He looked at Bach and saw the despair, the satyr expecting everything to just fall apart around him.

He would not fail these people. He would not abandon them.

Caspian sucked in a sharp breath as the answer came to him in moment of crystal clarity.

Susan and the others, his friends and his family – they would find a way to survive, to strike back against the darkness. He had fought with them and he knew their strength, their stubbornness, their selflessness. He would not let despair overtake him. No matter what danger the others were in, they would live. He didn't have to worry about them because he trusted them, he knew them inside and out.

And that left only him to consider.

It was the Telmarine in him, the boy raised to manhood through loveless discipline and the way of the blade that gave him the strength to stand and square his shoulders.

He remembered what he had told Inara. What the girl had made him finally see.

He had hurt a lot of people. Susan. Inara and before that Ruy and Shirona and even before that his aunt and his nephew.

There was so much he was ashamed, so many times he could have been a better man, could have been a better king. But tragedy and mistakes happened, it was inevitable as part of life as the sun rising and falling. What counts, what really matters wasn't what happened but what you did in the aftermath.

And when the others returned he wanted to be able to look them in the face and not feel ashamed.

Caspian had always felt handicapped by his Telmarine childhood, felt bereft and derived of something important because of the harsh world in which he had been raised. But now he welcomed it, embraced his past because it gave him strenght that might otherwise not have existed.

Telmarines were not not people, they were warriors, born and bred for the battlefield. And Caspian had learnt from the cradle the harsh philosophy of the Telmarines – in war fears would get you killed, doubts would get your men slaughtered, worries and despair would lose you your kingdom and lands.

Caspian had a war to win and to do that he had to live by the code of his ancestors.

"This is what we are going to do."  
His voice was calm and measured, ringing with authority. For the first time in a very long time, Caspian held himself like the king he was.

"We're going to win this war," he said, "We are going to strike the White Witch down."

He looked at Redfern and Bach and Beaver and the sheer force of his will seemed to flood into them, filling them with hope as they gazed upon their king and believed.

He was now the leader, the figurehead of this army and his emotions and words were just as important as his skills on the field. Armies rose and crumbled with their leaders and in this moment Caspian was unshakeable.

"No more," he said, voice rough, "No more fears. No more hiding. No more doubts. We have now become an army. We have now declared war."

He looked at each other and seemed to peer into their very hearts.

"I am tired," Caspian said lowly, "I am as tried as you are but these are the days that will decide whether your race lives free and lives under the shadow of the witches forever. This is the moment where you can choose to make a stand or fall aside. This is history and you all have the quills, it is up to you to write what is to come."

Caspian snatched his sword from the grand and glanced down at its gleaming edge, the blade reflecting the blue light of the moon.

He stood amongst the glittering snow, tall and proud, exuding power and majestic might. He was general, he was war leader and he was king of these people and nothing could or would ever change his mind.

"You have looked to me as your leader and I promise you this. We will win. We will look into darkness and we will stab it through the heart. We will face the witches and regardless of what spells or elements they throw at us, we will stand strong," Caspian raised his blade.

Creatures were crawling out from their dens, mesmerised by his words as Caspian spoke, looking at them all.

"I know I ask much of you," Caspian continued softly, "I cannot promise there won't be death. I cannot promise you that all of you will survive the war to come. But know this."

Caspian sheathed his sword, the sound of sliding metal loud in the utter silence.

"Victory or loss, we stand together. Hope or despair, we are united as one. Life or death, we will march as one army," Caspian took a deep breath, "This is your forest and I will defend it to the very last breath!! THE WITCHES WILL FALL!!!"

His voice rose into a thunderous war cry as the animals and woodland creatures cheered, spurring him on as in that cold dark night hope was reborn and the army of the forest was forged into history.

_AAAAAA_

"LEAVE!!"

The vulture-monster's voice boomed in their ears, stabbing their eardrums as Peter and Inara screamed, grabbing each other as wild winds and darkness grabbed at them.

The world segued, becoming a tempest of colours and fluids, the two of them tossing in a sea of utter chaos. Slowly, very slowly everything calmed and became solid once more.

Peter's eyes widened.

"Where…" he looked around slowly, "Where are we?"

"I swear to god if we've accidentally crushed a witch and there's singing and dancing midgets everywhere I'm out of here," Inara groused as she glanced at their new surroundings, "I don't care which bloody Lollipop Guild they're from."

Somehow the two have been transported to a completely different place, yanked from the snowy moonlit village to a place of fire and water and rock. They stood on the lips of a great ravine, a deep wound in the earth that throbbed with red as the molten rock far, far below simmered, long curls of smoke and poison sulphur drifting upwards like steam from a pot.

"We're underground," Inara murmured.

She coughed weakly, ashes stinging her already weakened lungs as Peter's head snapped up. Just like Persephone there was no sky just a great expanse of rock, stalactites the only adornments to the smooth basalt and granite. The polished stones glittered with flecks of crystals mimicking a twilight sky the vast illusion held high on great columns of rock.

The light in this world came from below, lava bleaching everything an eerie blood red as oozing streams of molten rock boiled here and there.

They were perched on the plateau of a cliff, a rough winding path leading down into a massive underwater lake that was as smooth and as dark as obsidian. Across the water Inara could just make out squat shapes that could've been buildings.

"What happened?" she demanded, unconsciously leaning on Peter as her legs trembled.

"I think… I think we've been teleported to another place," Peter said slowly.

He looked around frantically, the memory of Susan's capture branded into his mind. But everything he looked he saw only rock and water, his sister was nowhere in sight.

"Great!" Inara clapped her hands, breaking him from his thoughts, "Now un-teleport us already! Don't you have anything in your bag of tricks that can help us?"

Peter glared at her.

"It doesn't work that way," he gritted out.

"You took Kage's Gift!" Inara argued, "He could teleport!"

Peter sighed, suppressing his exasperation as he saw the panicky look on her pale face. He touched her gently as she flinched.

"It doesn't work that way either," Peter paused, trying to explains something he only understood on an instinctive level, "I only got some of his powers."

"Well if I was you I'd go get a refund," Inara muttered smothering a violent cough, "What's the point of being a super-powered mutant if you can't abuse your powers?"

Peter rolled his eyes before draping a careful arm around Inara's shuddering body. He hissed. She was ice cold again, a symptom of her poisoning, her temperature fluctuated wildly, swinging from fever highs to frozen colds.

He summoned his Gift, sending lightning flowing through his body like a filament in a light bulb. He grunted his body aching from the charge as his skin warmed up, Inara sighing in relief as her body stopped shaking.

"So I guess we explore this wacky rabbit's hole?" she asked, nodding at the path at their feet.

Peter nodded as his mind bent the air around them. Inara started as he wove the veil of shimmering air around them, both figures disappearing from sight.

"I'm getting seasick," Inara groaned, her vision blurring as she tried to see through the twisting world around them.

They walked down the path reaching the lake's edge, light beckoning them from beyond the water. They skirted the shore, freezing water lapping at their feet as strange luminescent creatures wove beneath the smooth surface leaving trails of light behind. Bats screeched overhead, swarms darting to and froth in clouds of wings and fur as Inara grimaced.

"Girl," Peter teased.

Inara punched him, Peter wincing at the blow. Sick though she was Inara still hit hard.

"Hey! You want to get rabies go right on ahead!" she snapped, "I saw Ol' Yeller! I know what happens!"

They fell silent as they came to the fringes of a large stone town. Every building was uniformly bland, dark stoned and squared, the whole city devoid of softness or beauty. Strange creatures walked the street, many carrying short spears and round shields, the motley crew united by the blank hopeless look on their faces.

Short stunted men with a single curved horn on their heads walked side by side with dwarves and trolls, strange creatures draconian in nature and appearance worked as beasts of burden, heavy carriers strapped to their broad spined backs.

Peter and Inara walked amongst the crowd, invisible to the eye, silent as they took everything in.

To the south far away from the lake green light glimmered hauntingly, flickering, always moving as though the light was dancing, the only brilliance among the drabness

The creatures worked by the light of tallow candles, the small light spluttering and smoky, meagre to work by, soul-draining to live in. They toiled endlessly, mining a steep cliff face, brilliant gems spilling out with every blow of the pick but they made no reaction simply carting them off towards some unknown destination.

Suddenly a loud trumpet broke the silence, loud voices booming through the cave.

"Make way!"

A towering armoured man, his face alight with the dark fire of obsession, swept down the street, casually kicking all those who failed to get out of his way.

"Make way! Make way for the queen of the Under Land and the queen of Charn!!"

Peter and Inara quickly ducked into an alleyway and watched, fascinated and horrified as a grand procession marched down the street, the one-horned men and all the dwellers of the Under Land falling to their knees as soldiers marched by.

Slitted green eyes blinked lazily at the ground as an honour guard of Nagas, the snake-warriors of the Under Land, strolled down the street with arrogant casualness. Swords hung from their waists, their scaled arms and legs strong and capable.

Up close they were even more serpentine than they had first appeared, their mouths a wide slit across the bottom of their faces, one Naga yawning as his jaws dislocated with a loud pop, fangs flexing. They hissed, moving with sinuous grace, tongues flicking out as their green eyes swept across the bowing followers with contempt.

Hooves clacked against the stony ground as a large black mare with burning white eyes cantered down the street, shaking its head wildly. The Black Knight, champion of the Lady of Green Kirtle was a blood-chilling figure, the darkness that dwelled in the slits in his helm gates into soulless evil. The one-horned men, the monopods, all shuddered as he rode by, his form seeming to drain the light away from the city.

"My beloved people…"

Aita was a beacon amongst the bleak realm of her kingdom, her face shining with an angelic light, her slim form wreathed in an emerald halo. The crowd instantly reacted, their faces lifting up like flowers to the sun, drinking in her form.

Aita laughed and the crowd echoed her, their faces joyous as she rode amongst them upon a sweet mare of pure ivory.

"I have returned," Aita took out her lute and balancing it upon her knees she began to play as she rode.

Peter and Inara stiffened feeling the magic in the song as it flew through the air. People laughed freely, falling in love with the beautiful emerald queen as she beckoned towards them, teasing them with soft smiles and gentle touches.

"Fear not," she called out, singing the words, "I have returned and Charn will still be ours."

She tossed her raven-black hair over one shoulder, the cascade of perfect black hair releasing sparks of green that delighted the ground. They screamed her name and title, leaping on top of one another, struggling to get to her.

"Remember," she sang as the Nagas glared at the crowd, their gazes doing little to quell the excited back, "I love you all."

The process ended with her appearance, her music-spell hanging long in the air after she left. The crowd lurched to their feet, returning to work with smiles on their faces and a lightness in their steps.

Peter let out a long held breath, shaky.

"Did you feel that?" he asked.

"You mean the sudden urge to throw myself before her and lick her stylish shoes clean?" Inara replied with nothing of her normal bite.

She trembled, feeling the song getting to her, the magic in it suborning her hesitation and will, enticing her to go towards the queen.

"Yeah…" Inara finished weakly, her eyes searching desperately for Aita despite her fears.

The kingdom suddenly seemed like a giant hive, every worker, every beast and every warrior enthralled and their minds enslaved to Aita, worshipping the very ground she walked on. This was how the Green Lady controlled her masses, binding them to her rule through magic and song, every creature mindlessly devoted to the queen.

"We've got to get out of here," Peter said slowly as though speaking through molasses.

His Gifts fought against the spell trying to bind him, his knowledge of magic gleaned from Gaspar's mind identifying the nature of the spell. It was an enchantment, one made to inspire unquestioning love and adoration. It crawled under his skin, burrowing away, eating at his resistance as fantastical urges and fantasies flittered through his mind.

Inara nodded numbly, spellbound despite herself as Peter grabbed her arm and began to pull her away.

He froze as shadow appeared at the alleyway, the towering form blocking out all light.

"They're here," a Naga appeared beside the Black Knight, her tongue flicking out, "I can taste them."

Peter's eyes widened as Inara took in a sharp breath. The Black Knight raised his sword as the Naga chuckled, her green eyes narrowing.

"Get them!!" she roared.

The alleyway suddenly came to life, snake-warriors leaping from the roofs as Peter hurled his stealth-veil away. He summoned his Gifts to him, a crackling cocoon of lightning springing around him as he snarled, blue eyes flashing.  
"INARA!!" he bellowed, "RUN!!!"

Lightning exploded from his body spearing several of the snake-warriors as Peter whirled on Inara. She stared back at him, stunned, shaking her head violently.

"RUN!!!" he yelled.

"NO!!"

She grabbed his arm, ignoring the jolts that ran viciously through her. Peter roared, hurling a lance of lightning that blew a Naga back.

"INARA!" Peter spat, "DAMN IT! RUN!!!"

She stared at him, eyes wide.

"I can't leave you!" Inara shouted back desperately, "You'll…"

Peter roared, neon blue sparks flying from his hair.  
"I can fight," he snapped coldly, "YOU CAN'T!!! GO!!!!!!"

Lightning tore down the alleyway throwing all of their enemies aside, Peter giving her a precious chance of escape. He shoved Inara towards it as the girl fought him but Peter was ruthless, jolting her violently.

"GO!!!" he screamed pushing her again.

Inara looked at him desperately, eyes flicking to the alley mouth and back to him, completely torn. Peter glared at her, his flat eyes showing his decision. Hating herself she made her choice and ran, Peter buying her time as the Black Knight rushed towards him, sword raised. Peter screamed and a crackling barrage of sparks and flashes exploded forwards.

"BAM!"

The knight bulldozed through Peter's lightning bolts, his armour deflecting the High King's attack. Before Peter could react the knight rammed into him, hard metal hitting soft flesh as the king was sent crashing to the ground. His head cracked against the flagstone, blood splattering the rocks as he groaned, barely clinging to consciousness.

"Wonderful…"  
Aita's voice flowed into Peter's ear like amber honey, sweet and welcoming..

"Bind him," she ordered, a glint of steel in her voice, "And take him to me."

Groaning and bleeding, Peter was defenceless as rough hands grabbed him, rough rope thrown around his wrist and ankles. They dragged him away, pulling him through the streets of the Under Land as the crowd cheered at their queen's victory. Peter, High King of Narnia was led deeper into the Under Land kingdom, now a captive of Aita, the Lady of the Green Kirtle and the Snake Queen of Charn.

_AAAAAA_

"LEAVE!!!"

Zaru moaned, stirring weakly as strange alien scents tickled his nose. He stiffened, freezing in mid-move. The scent of pine and snow and musky fur had changed, not a trace of it lingering. Now all he could smell was decay and rot, death and dust.

"When I open my eyes I better be looking at a land of never-ending peace and food," he muttered.

Zaru opened his eyes and stared at a desolate wasteland. He promptly closed them again.

"When I open my eyes I better be looking at land with some food," the leopard tried again.

He re-opened his eyes and was greeted with the same scene as before.

"Urgh!" he muttered, "I hate you whoever's up there as long as you're not Aslan who I adore above all else."

He crawled to his feet, his razor sharp eyes raking his surroundings. The place he was in was dead, it was the only possible way to describe it. The sun hung fat and red in the sky looking like it was about to fall to earth at any moment. A thin layer of soot covered the ground, not a single blade of grass or an iota of greenery anywhere to be seen.

Zaru's tongue tasted the air and he grimaced at the stringent bitterness he encountered.

"Hello?"  
The sky was a deep wine-red, splashes of brilliant crimson slashing the heavens. It made the whole world seemed mortally wounded, its lifeblood leaking into space as everything on earth withered and died.

"Hello?"

Zaru padded through the ashes, his dark eyes spying massive shadows up ahead. He loped effortlessly forwards, stopping as an incredible sight came to his eyes.

He instantly gagged violently, his infamous iron stomach rebelling as he staggered back, eyes bulging from his head.

The lake before him was a cesspool of death, filled to be the brim with bodies and blood. The water lapped against the shore, pulling back, depositing bones and streaking bloody red amongst the rocks.

"What on…"

The bodies were all ghostly white, horribly bloated by water and the rot. The corpses had all been mutilated, their eyes gouged out, millions of blank sockets staring at Zaru. Their mouths had also been sewn crudely together, their ears ripped from their heads. Men, women and children… they were all there floating in a sea of endless blood and beached on the shore in their thousand and millions.

Zaru felt sick, gagging violently as he tried to push the stench of death away.

A wind swept the surface of the lake, the crimson waters splashing against the massive petrified forms that loomed out of the lake and into the red sky.

The stone giants jutted out from the blood, half submerged in the liquid red. Their faces were grotesque and insect-like, equipped with bulging compound eyes and massive horned mandibles, brimming with stiff bristles and antennas. Their bodies were human, strong and muscular, the whiteness of the stone tinged pink by the red sun and sky.

"What is this place?" Zaru gasped, "WHAT IS THIS PLACE?!"  
He whirled, terrified and angry.

"SUSAN!!!" he screamed, "ELIAS!!! JASON!! ! INARA!!!"

The only answer was the sound of wind and moving blood.

"PETER!! CASPIAN!!"  
Tears spilled down his face as he turned and stared at the mangled bodies, weeping brokenly. The ugliness of this place, the sheer desolation and loneliness it stole into his heart weighing him down as Zaru wept for people he did not know. These could've been monsters, they could have been the cruellest, vilest creatures to have every walked the earth but no one had deserved to die like they had, in agony and torture.

"Where am I?" he begged, "Where…"

He stiffened, feeling vibrations under his paws. Something was moving towards him and fast.

"Hello?" he called out cautiously.  
Zaru turned, sniffing the air but the scent of blood drowned out all else.

"Hello?" he bared his fangs, his tail flicking ash aside, "Who's there!!"

His eyes widened as red glinted off diamond-like forms.

"What?!"

Ice-Wraiths raced towards him, shrieking as their talons tore the earth open. Zaru's eyes bulged as he spotted the demons, bewildered.

Was this the White Witch's work? Was this an elaborate spell of some sort? Just what the hell was going on here?!

He had no time to answer his question as the Ice-Wraiths neared, keening in high-pitched screeches. Zaru's eyes swept his enemies and he hissed as he saw the massive numbers swarming towards him. He was outnumbered massively, dozens of ice demons against his lone self.

Zaru spat and whirled, tail twitching as he broke into a desperate run, the Wraiths chattering loudly as they gave chase, their thin stream-line forms cutting through the air.

Ash rose with every step, puffs of grey flying into the air as Zaru ran for his life. He threw a desperate look behind him and cursed as the Ice-Wraiths drew nearer. He lowered his head, fur flying back as he poured everything into a frantic spurt, his lungs screaming for breath as he pushed on.

He swerved, darting to the left as Ice-Wraiths lunged at him, smacking the ground, their ice bodies cracking as Zaru hissed, his ears pinned back as he sprinted for his life.

Where was he? Where were the others? What were the Ice-Wraiths doing here?!

Questions yammered at him, screaming to be answered as he thought of anything and everything, trying to distract himself from the fire in his muscles and heart. His eyes teared up, his tongue lolling out as he fought through the agony, trying to outpace the demons.

"FOR THE UNDER LAND!!!"

Zaru's head snapped out and his eyes bulged as a barrage of arrows flew at him. He threw himself to the side, tucking and rolling as crossbow bolts slammed into the Ice-Wraiths. The White Witch's minions hissed, screaming as they lunged at their attackers.

Armoured men and Nagas, one of them bearing an emerald banner thundered towards the Wraiths, the two sides colliding in a titanical struggle.

A Naga staggered back, blood gushing from his neck as the Ice-Wraith screamed, hot blood melting its claws. It jammed its talons into the snake-warrior's gut and ripped sideways, the man's gurgling form disappeared under the trample of the battle.

Zaru crawled to his feet, his fur stiff with sweat as he stared at the two warring sides.

"Where am I?" he whispered.

He looked up, ears pricking as a faint buzzing sound hummed through the air.

"Oh what now??!" Zaru demanded angrily, yelping.

He fell into a crouch, ready to pounce as dark forms descended from the blood-red skies. Humans, Nagas and Ice-Wraiths all screamed in fear as the newest arrivals fell on them in a whirr of wings and claws.

Zaru suddenly wished he was blind as he saw the creature's monstrous faces. They were exactly like the petrified giants Zaru had seen before, insect heads married to human bodies, gossamer wings beating a thousand times a second as they hovered in the air, long sickle-like claws shooting out and tearing flesh.

A human soldier screamed, a mantis-headed creature shredding him apart as its mandibles snapped forwards closing around his head and –

Zaru winced as the Ice-Wraiths turned tail and fled, flying insect-men pursuing them across the flat wastelands.

The Nagas hissed, venom spraying from their fangs as the insect-creatures shrieked, their delicate membranous wings shrivelling under the onslaught. They fell to the ground as the Nagas and men pounced, hacking into the monsters as thick goo flew everywhere.

"ROWWWRR!!"

The men screamed, ambushed as the ground bulged upwards, insect-monsters exploding out from the ground and grabbing at them. The Nagas screamed, strong hands grabbing their legs and pulling them underground as the sound of crunching bone and wet ripping flesh sickened the ears.

Zaru was snapped from his paralysis as the ground beneath him bulged, he leapt back cursing wildly. He should've fled when he had the chance but he had been too stunned, too terrified by what he'd seen and now he had to fight for his life.

His muscles locked, ready to spring as he hissed warningly, eyes and teeth gleaming.

The insect-monster burst from the ground, dirt cascading from its body as thousands of tiny arms reached for him, the creature worm-like and armoured with carapace.

Zaru leapt out of the way as its spiked tail exploded out from the dirt, slicing up into the air narrowly missing his body. He landed and slashed at the creature finding a gap between its armour as thick yellow fluid splattered to the ground.

The worm-monster roared, writhing as it swung to glare at him.

"MOVE!!!!"

Zaru sprung backwards as a gangly thin form slammed into the ground, a torch held on a pole before him. The figure tossed a handful of power into the torch's flame and a puff of thick yellow smoke instantly sprayed forwards. The worm-monster screamed, its human like face contorted around its mandibles as the smoke attacked its senses. Writhing wildly it burrowed back into the dirt and disappeared as Zaru's rescuers turned towards him.

Beyond his shoulder Zaru could see the bloody remains of Aita's soldiers, Naga and human flesh disappearing into gaping holes as the insects gathered whatever food they could.

"You Zaru?" the figure said laconically, "But knowing my luck I've probably saved the wrong cat."

Zaru stared up into the strange morose face, the man's skin a mottled shade of mud and moss.

"If you're not going to eat me then yes," he said slowly.

"You'll probably learn to hate me," the figure said glumly, "I'm Marshtrom and you're here to beat the witches to their prize."

Zaru blinked and considered his next words very, very carefully.

"Uhh... okay?"

Marshtrom shrugged apathetically and wandered off, Zaru following him unsurely as the dying red sun began to set into the grey lifeless land.

_AAAAAA_

"LEAVE!!!"

That was the last thing Elias remembered before he woke to find ice in his face and something wet pressed against his neck. He cried, lashing out as his fists smacked something solid. A startled yelp hit the cold air as Elias hurriedly scrambled to his feet, eyes wild.

"Where – "

The words curdled in his throat as a ring of yellow eyes stared back at him, some curious, some with clear hostility. Elias's breath caught, the scientist freezing up as every instinct is his body yammered loudly, screaming at him to flee. But he stood paralysed, too frightened to even breath.

"How did you get here?" a voice barked at him.

Elias tried to speak but his voice came out as a squeak. The creatures snarled as the scientist swallowed heavily, his heart thunderously loud in his hears. The creature growled at him, lips pulled back to reveal cruel fangs, fright finally loosening his tongue.

"I… there was a monster… I… didn't mean to," the words spilled out of him, jumbled and running together as the scientist blanched, struggling to reign himself in.

Finally he managed to stop his rambling, forcing his voice and heart to slow. He coughed, struggling to keep some semblance of control.

"I'm not too sure."

A part of his mind was frantically at work trying to decipher how he'd gotten here, who these creatures were and what they were going to do with him. He struggled to think clearly, still disorientated by his sudden inexplicable arrival in this place, his fear turning his throat and mouth into an ashy desert.

"Is he one of hers?" a female barked.

"No," a male answered swiftly, "He doesn't smell like it."

Elias shifted back, trying to understand what they were saying but stopped as warning voices growled at his back. He stiffened, fear rolling out him in sweat and stench as the creatures snapped at him, the scientist too terrified to even look over his shoulders.

"Should we kill him?" another female asked, "The pups are hungry."

Elias felt the blood rush from his head, the world suddenly spinning as some of the creatures licked their lips, eyes glinting as they anticipated a fresh meal.

"Human flesh is disgusting," another answered haughtily, "Might as well eat a Naga."

They padded around him, studying him intently as Elias recoiled from their gaze, his mind absolutely blank for the first time in his life.

"We do not have time for this," the biggest of the creatures growled, "We have a task to be done."  
"So let's just rip his throat out and leave," a scarred and battered figure snapped, "The trees can do with some food."

To Elias's horror the biggest of his captors, the leader, seemed to seriously consider this suggestion.

"NO!!" he yelled, his hands upraised, "Look! I… I…"

He searched for words, for an idea, for anything that would save him.

"I can help!!" he shrieked finally.

The creatures laughed at his words, barking, as some snorted, amused. Others grinded their teeth, eager to rip his throat out and watch him blood.

"You…" a sleek female demanded, furiously, "What can you do? You're just a human!"

Elias licked his dry lips trying to think of a way out of this.

"What is it that you have to do?" he asked instead, stalling.

The leader narrowed his eyes, his laser gaze stabbing deep into his soul before he spoke, the rest of the group falling into respectful silence.

"It is not for man to know our business but to answer your questions when we do is deadly serious," he paused, head cocked as he considered his next words, "It is a matter of lost honour."

Honour.

The word struck a chord within Elias as he stared at his captors.

Honour. Integrity. Dignity.

How much of those had he lost lately? What honour did he have after so coldly murdering Mary and his friend? Did he even have any left? Did he have the right to hold his head high and walk in the sun or did he belong in the darkness like all the monsters he'd met?

He looked at his captors feeling a sudden kinship with them.

He smiled bitterly, all his defences falling as his anguish and pain rose, clear across his face.

"I know something about honour," Elias said softly, his voice raw, "I've lost mine as well."

The leader looked at him critically, weighing the man up in his mind.

"What we do is dangerous. Amongst our kind it is known as Running Death," he growled showing long gleaming fangs, "We risk our lives so that we may restore our names and our place in the pack."

One of the younger creatures nodded enthusiastically.

"For redemption," he whispered, bobbing his head.

Elias stared at them, captivated.

Redemption.

The word resonated within him with a pang, lighting up his world as he found the answer he was looking for.

Redemption. He tasted the word and was instantly held by it.

He needed to pay for his sins, needed to make amends for what he had done to Mary and to Marcos.

This was the way. This was why Elias had been brought here. He smiled and felt more secure and more sure of anything he had ever felt in his life. He thanked whatever power had brought him to this place, to his moment because he had now found the way forwards.

This was where he was meant to be.

"Please," he begged, his voice soft and desperate, "I can help you. I want to help you. I need to help you. I need this Running Death as much as you do."

The creatures hissed, glaring at him suspiciously as the leader studied him quietly. Gold eyes met brown and whatever the leader saw in there made him nod. His followers all froze, staring at him in astonishment.

"Balefur!" one of the females snapped, "You can't be – "

"I am leader here Shiver," Balefur snapped, his voice as cold as the lands he roamed and rule, "And you will do well to remember it."

Shiver quailed, her arguments quelling as Balefur stared at his pack daring any of them to argue against him.

"Come human," Baleful beckoned, turning away from him, "You want Running Death? It begins now!"

The massive wolf loped away, his pack following him as Elias hurried to catch up, floundering through the snow.

"What's happening?" he demanded.

The younger wolf who had spoken the word redemption before turned to look at him. He was darker and smaller than the rest of his pack, his fur soot and black, his paws too big for his body.

"We're going to war," he said, eyes dancing with mischief as his red tongue lolled out.

"Shut it Fenrir!" an icy-eyed she-wolf snarled.

Fenrir winced almost tripping over his own feet as the wolves bounded effortlessly through the snow, Balefur leading the way.

"Why?" Elias demanded, his curiosity piqued.  
Fenrir turned and glanced at him but instantly looked away as the alpha female snapped at him. She turned hot hungry eyes on Elias, loathing in her grey depths.

"Because we have shamed on our people!" she growled, "RUNNING DEATH!!!"  
She raised her shaggy head to the moon and howled, the rest of the pack letting out their own blood-chilling calls.

Elias shuddered at the primeval sound. Their cry went on and on, a requiem to the night, a call to arms and a mourning song for their lost brood. Something in Elias woke at the sound and for a long held breath it was like the scientist had regressed to a time before science and progression, back to the days of stone axes and spears. He was the earliest of men, just fallen from the trees, hunting with the hounds that he had just wrested from the forests, working in unison to fill their bellies.

Elias blinked, feeling as if something in his world had just changed, a minute shift that was almost unnoticeable and absolutely transforming all at the same time.

He felt a bond, a connection to these wild beasts, the scientist feeling some primal kinship with these hunters of the woods. He couldn't explain it fully in words, couldn't even begin to understand it properly but he trusted it, he trusted them. He and this pack was one, moving with a singular purpose, striking forwards with a united goal. When one fell all would rise to help, when one charged into battle all would rush to join. It wasn't affection or love, not the familial one Elias felt for his companions, this was something enigmatically different altogether. Whatever it was he simply hoped the feeling was mutual.

"Silence," Baleful snapped and the howls died on the winds and the moment passed.

Elias tried to keep up with the wolves but fell steadily behind, without a word or even an acknowledgement Balefur slowed his pace allowing the scientist to catch up, the wolf not even glancing at him.

The rest of the pack seemed uneasy about Elias's presence, some shooting him furtive speculating gazes, others in total bewilderment whilst a small number was like the she-wolf, eyeing him like free fresh meat. Fear stabbed Elias but the scientist knew Balefur would keep them in check, stopping them from doing anything but looking.

They came to the base of a slope and moving low and fast they stealthily crested the peak. Elias looked over the edge, cold wind rushing to slap his face as below he could just make out a steep ravine with a narrow path winding between the two cliffs.

Balefur sniffed the air once more, his air that of a seasoned veteran, calm even in the face of a battle.

"They come," he dropped low to the snow, his grey and white pelt blending in with the ground as Elias peered below, squinting to see.

The winds shifted, the snow blowing away from the ravine and Elias could saw dark huddled forwards shuffling towards the path between the cliffs. Trolls and goblins and leathery things with horns and claws, struggled through the snowdrifts.

"What…" Elias began, confused.

"We kill," Balefur growled.

Elias stared at him as the wolf stared back.

"But… the ravine… it's a death-trap. Once you get in, you can't…"

"Running Death is about facing your shame with no fear!!" the she-wolf snarled, her fury like a red hot thing against Elias's skin, "We bought shame and exile for serving their mistress…"

"Mistress?" Elias's eyes widened as his mind leapt making the connection, "Jadis!!"  
The wolves bristled at her name, snapping the air as their blunt claws dug at the snow.

"And we will buy back our honour with blood and death!!!" Balefur howled, "DEATH TO THE QUEEN!!!"  
Howling and barking, the wolves slid down the steep embankment towards the White Witch's soldiers as Elias watched on, eyes wide.

"RUNNING DEATH!!!"

Baying the pack of wolves slammed into the monsters as blood and fur flew thick and fast into the air, the scientist left to watch in stunned horror as bodies began to hit the ground.

_AAAAAA_

"LEAVE!!!!"

Jason opened his eyes and stood slowly, white fire wreathed around his left clenched fist.

"Who the hell are you?"

The wizened old man shot him an amused look, his hands lingering on the surface of a clear pond, his fingers rippling the crystal waters.

"Welcome," the man said softly, still moving the waters.

Jason blinked as strange patterns seemed to emerge in the ripples, waves resonating and cancelling out in each other in complex shapes. Colours emerged, shifting through the waters, faces and creatures flickering in and out of existence.

"Stop that," Jason growled.

"Why?" the man looked up at him, bemused, "It's harmless."

He flicked the water and the illusion changed, a snarl dragon glaring up at him through the cataract of water, smoke spiralling from its nose.

"Where. Am. I?!"

Jason's power lashed out, rage loosening his control as a smoking furrow was torn through the earth right beside the strange elderly man. The sage barely blinked, rising to his feet as he dried his hands on his voluminous cloak.

"I am known by many names. You may call me the Hermit of the Southern Marches," the man said with a slow smile, "Or the Hermit."

"How about I give you two seconds to explain where the hell am I before I start extracting vital organs?" Jason spat.

The Hermit sighed, his long beard flicking in the wind.

"Fine, you were sent here by a being beyond your understanding," the sage said, a cold hard note in his voice, "I am your teacher."

"A being? You mean the Great Darkness?!?" Jason roared, shifting back, readying for a fight.

The Hermit rolled his eyes and let out a long exasperated sight.

"You think the Great Darkness is the only power out there?" he said haughtily, "No…"

He touched the pond again and Jason froze as pure obsidian darkness flooded the waters, a screeching tearing form flashing through the waters like a shark before everything disappeared back into pristine blueness once more.

"My master is completely different."

The Hermit looked at him and Jason felt the power in his eyes and withered form. The elder stepped forwards and grass grew where he walked, dying and fading as he left.

"Who are you?" Jason whispered, his hands going to his daggers, knowing it was a futile act.

"I am your teacher," he repeated.

"For what?!"

The Hermit smiled enigmatically.

"It's time you learnt," he said slowly, "Time for you to understand."

"I've known you for a grand total of ten minutes and already you're grinding my last nerve," Jason spat, "Just say it!"

The Hermit's returning look was cruel and flat, his smiles melting from his face as something ancient and utterly devoid of humanity stared back at him, eyeing him as a bird eyes a helpless worm. He blinked and the moment passed, kindness twinkling in his eyes once more.

"Your wife and daughter," the Hermit said, "It's time you learnt to forgive yourself."

"WHAT?!?" Jason glared at him, "Who the hell – "

The Hermit cut him off with a wave of his hands.

"If you do not control your guilt and rage you will never learn to control your powers," the sage said flatly.

Jason bristled, glaring at him. The man spoke plainly, no hyperbole or dramatics in his tone or words and that was the part that sent a shot of fear running through the Seeker. The Hermit had seen clean through him, saw his weakness with a clarity that confused and unnerved him and Jason hated being unbalanced, it made him angry.

"My powers – " he began with a snarl.

"BOOM!"  
A smoking crater was torn into the earth as the Hermit raised a brow. Jason stared back at him stubbornly as inwardly he raged with his powers trying to press them back.

"Are fine!" Jason continued as if nothing had happened.

His powers fought against him, his mind trying to shackle them back into the place where they belonged but it fought him like a thrashing snake. Born of fury and hate, the true might of his power would response to nothing else, reason and control mere paper shackles to hold back the raging flames. Jason grunted, blood pouring from his nose as pain hammered his temples, the Seeker struggling for dominance.

"Really?" the Hermit said calmly as Jason clutched at his head, his body shaking.

With a small sharp gasp, he finally succeeded pushing the boiling fire so it simmered under his skin but he had no illusion about his control, it would come out again and once more he would have to face his own demons and force them back down.

But the Hermit didn't need to know that.

"I'm fine," Jason growled, too stubborn to admit his weakness.

The Hermit merely shrugged before moving with impossible speed. Jason blinked and the old man was suddenly before him, his hand shooting out and clamping around Jason's arm before the Seeker could even react.

His eyes bulged.

"ARGH!"

A piercing screech invaded his mind, all his senses and thoughts going numb as pure rage flowed through him like lava, burning away everything else. He stumbled but the Hermit's grip tightened Jason screaming as the fury drove into his mind like a hard fist, obliterating everything in his path.

Something in him answered the call, horrible memories rising as suffocating guilt and self-hate swamped him.

Yolanda.

Delilah.

Quentin.

The faces of his family flashed through his mind as Jason fell to his knees, groaning.

"Please…" he begged, choking, "Please…"

Yolanda. Dead.

Delilah. Dead.

Quentin. Dead.

All his fault. All his fault. All his fault.

His mind was under siege from within, everything he had suppressed and ignored blooming, grown stronger by festering.

He was walking through the desert once more, fury personified, marching towards his enemies as power ruled his body and thoughts. Jason thrashed, his mind rebounding wildly from present to past as his powers rose, potent and heavy, splitting his skull open and surging out in a fiery geyser.

"NOOOOO!!!"

An invisible force swatted the Hermit away as Jason wrenched himself backwards, breathless and wet with tears as white flames burned in a circle around him. Trees had been toppled, falling away from him as though blasted apart by an explosion.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!?" Jason screamed, stabbing a finger at the Hermit.

Like a bullet from a pistol a small burst of power streaked at the old man. The sage calmly raised his hand and caught the fire in his palm with a grunt, showing only fierce concentration as he closed his fist and quenched the power leaving nothing but smoke behind.

"I've merely opened you up," the Hermit of the Southern March said serenely.

"WHAT – "

Jason screamed, his back arching as more power was ripped from him, arching up into the sky and slashing at the clouds before he slumped, his body smoking, his limbs and bones aching.

"What…" he croaked weakly, "What…"

"Now do you see?" the Hermit said not with unkindness, "You can't suppress what you're feeling forever. You of all people should know what happens when things are left to brew in the dark."

Jason looked at him, feeling something he hadn't felt for a very, very long time. He was terrified of this man, scared to his core of this Hermit and all he embodied. He was his guilt, his rage, his hatred personified, all his careful defences shattering at one casual hold.

Jason stared and stared at him, wanting nothing more than to run but too stubborn and weary to do it.

"Who are you?" he asked instead.

"I am a servant of my master," the Hermit said his voice as lofty and cold as the highest peaks, "He and the one you serve have an…"

The Hermit paused, searching for the right delicate words.

"Understanding."

"The one I serve?!" Jason snapped, seeing red.

He pulled himself to his feet, his fedora falling from his sweat-soaked hair as he reached for his daggers. Power blazed from his eyes as his anger slipped the Hermit watching him with cold eyes.

With visible effort Jason calmed his rage and spoke in a voice leeched of all emotions.

"The one I serve?"

"The one who sent you on this journey across the worlds," the Hermit said softly, "You may not believe Him or want to believe in His existence but He has been watching you for a long, long time and you were chosen for this."

Jason roared, pure power lancing forwards. It struck a grassy knoll, the small hill exploding as the Hermit merely shifted aside to avoid the spray of deluge.

"Who the hell are you going on about?!"

"Aslan."

Jason froze, the word reaching deep. He had heard Susan and Peter and Pretty Boy talk about the Great Lion many times before but always with jaded and cynic ears. He had scoffed at the very notion of it, not understanding the awe and love the three royals held for a mangy cat. But now spoken by a stranger who saw so easily through him, the word was like a spell of power. It shone in his mind, changing him in some way as his heart opened ever so slightly.

"And who do you work for?" the Seeker demanded in a soft voice.

"He-who-exists-opposite-Aslan," the Hermit said, "I dare not sully his name with my voice."

The Hermit shook himself, his flowing cloak moving like water around his body.

"Enough of this," he said, "Time is short. We must begin your learning."

"Learning?"

The Hermit sighed.

"To help you reign in your powers and dispel the demons of your past."

The old man walked swiftly across the glade, flowers blooming in his wake and dying as he left. Jason followed, wordlessly drawn as the Hermit fled him into the trees fringing the clearing and pushed through them, the proud oaks seemingly bending out of his way. Their branches wove together, forming walls and a roof, becoming a green tunnel as the Hermit moved with the swiftness and grace of a wild thing.

"Here is where it will happen," he said softly.

They stepped out of the trees and silence and into clear light and thundering water. A black rock face, sleek with falling water peered down at them. A black hole sat at its bottom, the hungry darkness gulping every drop of water that cascaded from the cliff, its whole façade shaped and smoothed by the powerful waterfall that fell from its peak.

"Welcome," the Hermit said gently, his voice audible through the power of the water, "To the Southern Marches."

_AAAAAA_

Inara tore down the street, her movements erratic and uncoordinated, coughing explosively as angry tears spilled down her face streaking dirt down her cheeks.

"Coward," she muttered hotly, "You bloody coward!!"

Behind her she could hear Peter's defiant scream then utter silence. Fear almost made her fall, the girl clutching at the walls as her vision doubled and tripled before greying.

"No…" she whimpered, stumbling forwards, "Not now…"

The poison was at work again, half her body drenched in ice, the other in searing flames. Feverish and shuddering, Inara staggered down the empty street, lurching from one wall to another, her hands slipping as thick sweat broke out.

"No…"

"Find her."

Aita's musical voice flowed towards her the soft words her doom and damnation. Inara groaned, clutching at her painfully beating heart as she tried to walk straight let alone run.

"Can't…"

Weariness grabbed at her, beckoning her into oblivion but still she clung on stubbornly. Peter had bought her chance to escape dearly the High King now in god knows what danger because of her. Guilt assaulted her but she fought it off. If she wanted to repay him she'd have to get away first, she would not let his sacrifice be in vain.

"She's sick…" a high cruel voice announced.

Laughter taunted her as her pursuers slowed to an easy walk.

"Maybe we should give her a fighting chance," another voice cooed, "It's only fair."

"Agreed," a third rose calling to her, "We'll give you a minute to get far away from here as possible but after that…"

"No mercy," came the cruel hiss.

"No mercy."

Inara almost tripped over her own feet, her limbs limp and rubbery, the once-warrior leaning more and more against the walls as she fought to keep going.

"Damn you!" she hissed at herself, "Get up! Get up and run!!"

She pushed herself off the wall and fell painfully to the ground. The world around her spun as she dragged herself across the street, her fingernails breaking on the hard stone as she crawled on her belly, barely aware of where she was going.

"Ten…" came the cry.

Inara moaned, willing strength into her limbs.

"Nine…"

"Damn it. Damn it!!" Inara growled in a barely audible voice, "Why are you so damn weak!?! Get up!!!"

But she could only crawl forwards, her fingers scraping bloody against the ground.

"Eight…"

Her elbows and knees were raw, the pain barely registering as the poison numbed her.

"Seven…"

She began to cry and despised herself for it but she had nothing left, nothing left to fight with or give. She could only lie there and wait.

"Six…"

Footsteps came towards her, soft hisses permeating the air as Inara tried to lunge forwards one last time but her arms gave out, her chin slamming painfully into the ground.

"Five…"

She was bleeding from a dozen scrapes, her blood exciting her pursuers as their tongues flickered out tasting it in the air.

"Four…"

Inara closed her eyes and waited for the end to come.

"Guess…" she tried to smile but it fell, "Guess I'm just not strong enough…"

She sobbed.

"Three…"

"Sorry…" she coughed, blood rushing into her mouth, "Sorry…"

"Two…"

"Sorry Peter."

"ONE!!!"

"ATTACK!!!!!"

"SILVER-EYES!!!" came the replying bellow.

Everything was a blur of sound and shapes, Inara's head lolling back as she tried to see what was happening.

Blades flew at each other, clanging loudly away as the sides fought.

"SILVER-EYES!!! SILVER-EYES!!!" a Naga shrieked staggering back, bleeding from her arm, "SILVER-EYES!!!"

A second figure, small and lithe, rushed forwards, hacking the Naga in two. The attacker twirled and Inara frowned seeing another Naga, blood-splattered, long tongue flickering the air.

"I thought this street was meant to be deserted!" this new Naga barked.

"It was!!" a tall male Naga yelped back parrying two blade strokes at once, "It was!!!"

"ROOOOOOOOWWWWWRRRRR!!!"  
A massive pale luminescent creature bellowed at the mouth of the street and charged forwards, splayed claws skidding off the flagstones. The two Nagas whirled with a curse, bloody blades held high.

"Who's this?"

Cold hands turned Inara over as she blinked blearily up at them, blood dribbling from her lips.

"Leave her!" a cold voice snapped.

"No…"

A Naga thrust his face into Inara's, studying her carefully.

"I think she's sick," the snake-man called out.

Close now Inara could finally see the different between these Nagas and the ones that had stalked her before. They looked almost the same, the identical bronzed scaled skin, the wide slash of a mouth equipped with fangs and forked tongue, the loose way they held themselves. But the difference were in the eyes, the ones Inara had seen before all had the same slitted emerald eyes, the ones looking at her now were silver, the irises a darker slate grey.

The silver-eyed Naga touched her face gently, his tongue flicking out tasting the air around her.

"Poisoned," he said slowly, "She's been poisoned.

"I don't care if she's stuffed full of gold and riches?" his companion growled again, "We're kind of under attack here!!"  
The bellow squat monster suddenly leapt up, long legs springing the creature forwards. It crashed onto one of the roofs of the building, a long white tongue shooting out. The silver-eyed Nagas, splattered with the dark blood of the dead green-eyed snake-warriors, leapt out of the way, the creature's tongue slamming into the pavement and cracking it.

"Throw me!!!" a female Naga yelled.

"WHAT?!"

"JUST DO IT!!!"

A bulky male Naga instantly dropped to his knees, his hands weaving together to forming a rough foothold. The female Naga ran at him at full pelt, leaping and landing squarely in his hands as he straightened with a cry, arm snapping upwards. The snake-woman was hurled through the air as she twisted, the pale creature's tongue shooting past her.

"DIE!!!!"

She reached the peak of her arc and fell, her sword slicing forwards. Thick white blood gushed from the creature's severed neck as its head fell, hitting the roof with a splatter. The Naga woman hit the roof and lightly bounced off, flipping through the air and landing on bent knees beside the one who had thrown her.

Inara watched this all through a haze of pain and grey as the Nagas turned and looked down the street.

"Why have you come to disturb my home?"

They all froze as the graceful form of the Lady of the Green Kirtle appeared, her autumn-coloured lute held in her hands. The ominous form of the Black Knight towered beside her, soldiers and Nagas ringed behind them.

"Well, this plan isn't going to work," the silver-eyed male Naga muttered.

The female Naga grunted, falling back into a stance as she held her sword up high.

"What should we do?" a third silvereyes asked.

"What else?" the female Naga muttered, "RETREAT!!!"

Aita sent stream of green fire at them as the silvereyes fell back, the Black Knight leading Aita's soldiers in a charge towards them.

"LEAVE HER!!!" one of the silvereyes snarled.

The Naga studying Inara shook his head.

"No… I'm going to bring her with us," he said firmly.

"WHAT?!?" his companion barked, "Are you crazy?! You don't know where she's been!!"

"No…"

Gently he slid his arms beneath Inara and lifted her, her head and legs lolling out the sides of his cradle.

"I have to…" the Naga stared at her face almost curiously, "I just know it."

His companion stared at him and cursed.

"Whatever! Let's just GO!!!!!" he yelled dragging his friend away.

Arrows zipped towards them but the silvereyes were amazingly swift, jumping and dodging each shaft with unerring instinct.

The Black Knight lunged, his sword almost skewering a Naga through the chest. The silvereyes whirled, kicking him stoutly in the chest and he fell backwards, crashing to the ground with a thunderous boom.

Aita screamed and green fire instantly engulfed the Naga, the silvereyes incinerated where he stood.

"NOO!!!"

The female silvereyes, the one who had slain the monster instantly whipped around, her face contorted into a furious snarl as she made to attack.

"NO!!!"

One of the males slammed into her and bodily propelled her down the street as enemies came thick and fast.

"LET ME GO!!!" the female shrieked, "LET ME – "

"JUST SHUT UP!!" the Naga screamed back.

Pursued by monsters and soldiers and green-eyed Nagas, the small troop of silvereyes tore down the street.

Jolted in her rescuers arms, Inara blinked as she saw a shaft of sunlight piercing the roof and down into the cavernous kingdom of the Green Lady.

"GO! GO! GO! GO! GO!" one of the Naga's screamed.

A rope ladder was hung in the sunlight, the silvereyes instantly leapt onto it and clambering up as quick and as capable as monkeys.

"PULL US UP!!! PULL US UP!!!" a silvereye yelled.

"BOOM!"

Green fire flashed the cavern roof barely missing them as the flames dislodged huge chunks of rock. Inara's eyes widened as a stone fell towards her, plummeting down like a bomb.

"CRACK!!"

It glanced off her forehead, tearing her scalp open as darkness punched her in the face and she knew no more.

_AAAAAA_

The last thing Susan remembered was standing in the falling snow and raising her arms to the heavens. The next thing she knew she woke upon a blighted land, the ground black stoned and cracked, poisonous smoke uncurling from the deep ravines.

"Where…"

Lightning flared, illuminating the lonely land all around. A few twisted trees grew, their branches raising to the sky like accusing fingers, silhouetted against the momentary light of the lightning.

"Where am I?" she whispered.

She stood slowly, shivering in her thin shift. She was standing on a plateau, a path weaving torturously between craggy rock faces and to a distant point below, Susan's eyes clearing the darkness and just making out a rough square block in the distance.

She narrowed her eyes trying to see clearer.

Fog swirled hazily around that strange shape and Susan gasped as she made out spires and towers, it was a castle but she didn't know if it was reality or just a figment of her fancy.

"Peter?" she called, "Jason?"

She looked around slowly and save only plains of charred earth and fused dirty glass, a few oily pools reflecting the meagre light that seemed to come from nowhere. Storms raced across the land, lightning tear and reshaping the earth, the only source of light in this forsaken world.

She felt exposed on this peak, her body thin and frail compared to the darkness that hovered over this place like a funeral pall.

"Zaru? Inara? Elias?!" Susan was getting desperate, her voice swallowed by the boom of thunder as she looked around wildly hoping to see a glimmer of snow amongst the bleakness, "CASPIAN!?!?"

She patted herself down looking for a weapon but her bow, her daggers, her sceptre were all gone from their usual sheaths and straps. Susan blanched as she realised she was weapon-less and alone in this fearsome place. She looked around again, her blue eyes flecked with gold and brown as she looked for any signs of life. But this was not a soft place. Everywhere she looked she saw only dust and black hard dirt, every square inch of ground and air bereft of life.

"What happened?" Susan closed her eyes trying to remember, "What happened.

'_I'm sorry.'_

Her eyes flew open as in a whirlwind of fragmented images and words, bits and pieces came back to her.

'_I had no choice.'_

Her lips moved repeating the words silently.

'_It's the only way.'_

Susan stopped, stricken, her face pale.

"Aslan…" she looked around slowly, "What have you done?"

She fell to her knees, one thing clear in all her confusion.

"Aslan…"

Hot angry tears stung her eyes. Somehow Aslan had done this. He was the one who had brought her to this hellish place. He was the one responsible for her being all alone in this nightmare. She let out a sharp gasp, betrayed, pained and angered.

Why? What had she done? Why was He punishing her? What…  
She stopped, gritting her teeth, her nails digging into her palm.

"Faith," she whispered, her anger leeching out of her.

She had to have faith.

She had hated Him after He had torn her away from Caspian. She had loathed His memory and even His name, weeping uselessly as she longed for and denounced Him in the same breath.

Susan's face crumpled as she wept remembering the last she had seen Him, in pain as He had warned her about the long dark journey ahead, watched as He had faded right before her eyes but not before giving her His forgiveness. Because that was Aslan, eternally loving, eternally full of grace, selfless and ready to endure pain and place Himself on the altar death for the meanest of creatures.

She might not understand what He was doing but she had to trust Him. She had to have faith that things would work out.

But it was hard for her to just let go and place her fate in someone else's hands even if it was Aslan's. She wasn't Lucy, she didn't have the ability to just close her eyes and let go and trust Aslan would catch her. She wasn't Edmund, she didn't have Aslan make the ultimate sacrifice for him. What she did have was resentment, however small, however petty but there was still that small seed of doubt inside her mind. Because whether Aslan had intended to or not, He had hurt her when He had taken her from Narnia that second dreadful time.

She now knew that everything had happened for a reason, that she had been torn apart and her belief lost so the Great Darkness would not take her. That she had to travel down that torturous path so that Narnia would have one tiny hope for salvation left. She knew all that but somehow as selfish and as immature as it sounded, a part of her still resented what the Great Lion had put her through.

Susan sighed.

Faith did not come easily to most and perhaps belief that was hard won after a long arduous trek through doubts and fears was sometimes all the more sweeter and truer than blind devotion. That those who had suffered were somehow more than those who believed utterly without hesitation.

She looked around and nodded slightly, making the conscious choice to accept what will come and place her trust in Aslan, knowing the Great Lion had acted for the best.

She would believe. No matter the pain.

"Kreeeeee!!!" a piercing screech ripped her thoughts out of her head as Susan gasped.

She whipped around, heart leaping into her throat as a dark form descended, wings flaring landing perfectly poised onto a large boulder. Lightning flared showing the monster in all its ugly glory.

"YOU!!" Susan barked, stunned.

A crone's ugly face leered at her as the human hands jutting from her breasts waved in the air like insect feelers. Talons scraped at the rock, dislodge sheets of slate as wings flexed lazily, mites crawling through the features sucking on the monster's foul blood.

"Hello dearie," the vulture-monster spoke for the first time.

Susan's jaws dropped.

"You can speak?!?" she demanded.

"What?" the vulture leered at her, her human arms wielding a veritable armoury of weapons, "Surprised? Come sweetheart, my master awaits."

Susan froze, instinctively moving into a fighter's stance as the vulture-monster laughed, amused by her daring.

"Master?! The Great Darkness?!" Susan spat, ready to sell her life dearly.

"No," the vulture cooed, "My master isn't that tantruming man-child. He is something much, much more."

She hopped down from her rock, bobbing her head as some of her hands gestured towards the far-off shape Susan had seen before.

"This way," she urged, cackling, "This way! This way!!"

Susan clenched her fists, ready to resist but the vulture-woman sneered at her, her massive talons furrowing the earth as her bloodstained teeth gnashed noisily. Susan grimaced and nodded as the monster laughed.

Leaping and soaring from rock to rock Susan's captor led her down the narrow path and towards the faraway object.

Time was lost in a mire of exhaustion and desperation, Susan's soul flagging as she walked for miles along the thin path sometimes between cliffs, other times standing on a knife of rock overlooking bowls of dark ash and stunted trees.

"By the Mane…"

Her eyes widened as she finally got close enough to see what she was heading towards.

"Cair Paravel…"

The words slipped from her lips before she could stop herself as her vulture guide laughed sadistically.

"No," she taunted, flicking mites from her wings, "This isn't your little castle. This is my master's castle, a true reflection of your pathetic home.'

Susan stared up at the castle, gritting her teeth in anger. It was like a twisted bastard of her beloved home, the warm sandstone and ivory of Cair Paravel tainted into dark basalt and cruel steel spikes and blades. It was built into the side of a cliff, jutting out over a deep fall into an endless abyss, the only path a narrow stone bridge leading to the its gates, the doors wrought into the shape of an angry fanged mouth, greedy eyes peering down at her, alive with malevolence.

"What is this place?" Susan barked.

How dare they defile her home?! How dare they take her Cair Paravel and twist it into… into… into this abomination?!? How dared?!

"My master's home," the vulture-monster laughed.

She spread her wings and flew low over the bridge as Susan marched towards the gates, her fear forgotten in her fury.

Giant monsters, stone gargoyles come to life barked at her, straining its thick metal leashes as Susan swept past the creatures without blinking.

What laid beyond the threshold made her freeze, her eyes widening, shock blowing her anger away.

"YOU!"

She grabbed at her waist and back but quickly remembered she was defenceless, swiftly settling for an aggressive stance, her fists clenched and ready.

Miraz, uncle to Caspian, despot of Narnia, glared at her, his face as haughty and as cruel as in her real life.

"Ahhh… so my nephew's bed mate has to come to join us," he spat.

"Leave her alone!!"

A giant shaggy white form stepped into the light, blue eyes looking at Susan as tears spilled down his furry face.

"Imar," Susan whispered, remembering his face from long ago.

The white tiger wept bitterly as Susan looked pityingly at the traitor who had almost cost them all their lives before their journey had even began. He was mangy, his once lush white coat a dirty grey, his powerful body now nothing more than shrivelled meat clinging stubbornly to bones.

"I sorrow to see you here your majesty," Imar growled lowly.

"That is because she is as damned as the rest of us," Miraz snapped, his tanned face furious.

The resemblance in that moment between uncle and nephew was startling draining Susan of her breath.

"What is this place?" she demanded.

"The home of the traitors and the murderers," Imar whimpered, "Hell to those that must be punished."

Susan looked at her, frowning, not understanding.

"Come! Come!" the vulture-woman shrieked, "Come!!!"

Imar and Miraz turned, moving down the long dark hall as the vulture herded Susan before her. They led her deeper into the castle past tapestries depicting the most torrid of wars and sadism, past armour dark and cruel, past displays of torture devices and blades, each stained with blood.

Finally they came to a door. Susan froze, if this hellish place had duplicated Cair Paravel's plans then this chamber would be throne room.

"ENTER!!!" a voice boomed.

Imar wept as Miraz snorted in disgust. The doors swung open and Susan stepped in, her three companions letting her go through alone.

Susan looked up and stared into a face of a god. Her eyes widened as a name from Narnia floated to her lips.

"Tash."

Tash the Death-God. Tash the Taker of Traitors. Tash the Bane of Kin Slayers. Tash the beloved of the Calormens. Tash the Feared. Tash the Dreadful. He was deserving of every one of his titles.

He twisted his massive head, looking at her with one unblinking eye that showed the very fires of hell itself. He was deathly thin, his body gaunt and almost desiccated but all the more terrifying for it.

His great vulture-like head, its beak cruel and rouged with blood, swivelled again, looking at her with his other eyes and Susan seemed to be staring into a torture chamber, thousands of souls screaming as they were pulled on racks and burned at the stake.

She shook and almost vomited as Tash turned again and looked at her head on.

"Welcome…"

Her body was like ancient silk, his voice like a tempest, tearing through her, ripping her apart.

"Queen Susan," Tash said pronouncing each world carefully.

His four arms unfurled, each ending in bird like talons that curled in on itself. In his hands, he clutched four very familiar items.

Susan's eyes widened as she saw her bow and her quiver dangling from two hands, her daggers and her sceptre in the other two.

Tash rose from his throne of bones, of bodies contorted and twisted together, his long legs straightening as his cloak, a flowing train of tattered red, whipped behind him as though strung by a breeze.

Gold and jewellery dripped from his body, almost Aztecan in style from the sun-shaped crown on his bird-like head and the glorious neckpiece that hug his human-like neck and shoulders.

"So what has been foreseen has now come to pass…" Tash hissed.

Susan froze.

"No."

"Yes."

Three blessings. Viola had predicted she was receive three blessings from three different gods.

From Viola, she received the sight and all the visions and dreams that entailed.

From Artemis, she received the hunt, embodied by her bow and arrows and her enhanced sight.

And now…"

"From me," Tash moved, his outline hazy as though he was made from smoke, "You will receive your third blessing…"

He brought her sceptre to his beak and a large tongue flicked out and licked its crystal end.

"Death."

And Susan fell to her knees as Tash's laughter echoed all around the chamber and into her ears, triumphant and deadly as Miraz, Imar and the vulture-woman looked on.

'I'm sorry…'

Susan swallowed thickly.

'_I had no choice.'_

She opened her mouth.

'_It's the only way.'_

And she screamed with all her might.

_AAAAAA_

And this ends the latest chapter. Gaah.... too tried to say anything much. Just once again I appreciate all of your reviews and thank you so much for spending the time to give me such wonderful feedback. I cannot express how much it means to me. Thank you once again guys!


	61. Running Death

Sorry about the long delay! Study is getting in the way of writing. Please accept my deepest apologies!

Disclaimer: What's mine is mine, what is C.S. Lewis' is C.S. Lewis'

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 61: Running Death**

"AWWWOOOOOO!"

Death came in a flurry of snow and fur and fangs. Jadis' soldiers, a ragtag group of creatures with even more pathetic-looking weapons, taken completely by surprise. The pack of wolves slammed into the White Witch's minions, hitting them hard and fast. A horned monster screamed as Balefur leapt at it, snatching its throat with his jaws and crushing it as the pack leader sailed to the ground, landing firmly. The she-wolf was fury incarnate, bloody chunks of muscle flying through the air as she ripped into her enemies again and again. The others wolves leapt, hamstringing victims before killing them where they fell.

The monsters tried to fight back with rusted blades and bows that were rotted through, the wolves easily sweeping their futile attempts aside. Fernir, the youngest of the pack, snapped forwards his long fangs clamping down on an ape-like creature's arm, arteries severing in pulsing sprays of hot blood. The monkey lurched back, foam flying from its mouth as it screamed before a second wolf tore into its stomach, disembowelling the creature. The monkey flopped backwards, entrails steaming on the snow as the wolves continued their relentless assault.

It was breathtaking in its wild beauty and savage ruthlessness, the wolves earning their fearsome reputation a hundred times over as they visited death upon the hapless creatures.

"RUN! RUN! RUN!" a troll screamed, scrambling through the snow.

Panic swept through the survivors like fire through tinder, the already slapdash ranks falling apart as the monsters turned tail and fled, trampling over each other as they floundered through the snow, easy pickings for the wolves. The she-wolf howled as she pounced onto a hag's back, killing the bird-like creature as Balefur tore into a screaming goblin. The monster screamed as the wolves lunged forwards, their muzzles red with blood.

A troll slashed out wildly, screaming as it was besieged by three snarling wolves. The swing was a wild desperately move born of instinct and fear rather than design but silver flashed across fur as one of the lupines howled, staggering back, bleeding from its flank. Its companions turned deadly eyes as the beleaguered troll as its eyes widened, grunting stupidly.

"ROOOOOWWWWRRRR!"

The troll was torn apart, the injured wolf's rump hitting the ground as it sat, blinking dazedly. The she-wolf whimpered and instantly slid up to its side, licking its wound clean before gently pushing it down into the snow, the cold ice sealing the cut shut.

Elias watched, horrified and mesmerised all at the same time.

So this was redemption, a journey paved with blood and hurt and sacrifice.

"Running Death…"

Elias tasted the words and it felt… right. He was one with these wolves, all of them carrying a similar burden. They had all sinned, hurt and killed innocent people, they had walked the earth leaving bloody trails behind and they all had to pay what was due.

There was no prison for people like him, no judge, no jury to find him guilty only his conscience and soul. There was no supreme being that dealt out judgement and allotted punishment, there only yourself. And that was worse than any shackle, any torture, to live with yourself day in day out and live with a shame that burned you hollow. Death would be the easy way out. It was the coward's way because dying did not wipe your slate clean. There was no tabula rasa with death, the bloody act merely stayed staining your name and memory for all eternity.

Before Elias could not see the way ahead but these wolves had shown him how, they were showing him right now how redemption was achieved, how arduous the journey was to regain what you had lost. And in that moment Elias nodded and committed himself to this Running Death, to this path to redemption.

It would be hard and he would suffer, Elias knew that but in order to balance out the two lives he had destroyed he would risk his very soul and sanity by striking out time and time again against the darkness. That was how he would learn to live with himself and his sins – throw himself into the path of danger and madness, to do what he can to balance out the scales that had tipped so wildly against his favour.

He felt a great weight lift off his shoulders as he made that decision, commit his life to that goal.

It was foolishness to do this but Elias did not see it because Elias was a moralist, a man of high ideals and honour and such men always placed themselves on impossibly high pedestals. When their stands rocked and they fell, such men always fell far and hard, all balance and footholds lost. It was inevitable in many ways and expected, the fall that came and it always left them confused and bewildered latching onto anything that would give them structure and anchorage and meaning.

Their self-belief in their own ethical superiority was almost a type of arrogance and overweening pride because such men and women always believed themselves to be above the squabbles and weaknesses of their fellow beings. But they never truly realised that everyone was as flawed as the next including them and it was the choices that people made that made them better or worse. And sometimes such choices were uncontrollable and made for those who it affected the most. But moralists never saw that, they believed every sin was a weakness of character and did not understand the bigger picture sometimes. That was not to say they were bad people just occasionally very blind.

Balefur howled, his shaggy head raised to the lightening sky as his pack responded, their echoes answering them as the winds struck their own response howling mournfully through the slaughter-field the snow had suddenly become.

Elias let out a long held breath and looked up and to his left. A stray beam of light struck a metal barb and the scientist froze.

"WATCH OUT!" he screamed, running towards the glint of metal.

His side of the ravine suddenly came to life as goblins and darkly clad dwarves exploded out from the cover trees and even from the snow itself. The wolves' heads snapped up, eyes widening as the ambushers pulled back their bowstrings.

"RUN!" Elias bellowed.

"AWWOOOOO!"

"TWHIP! TWHIP! TWHIP! TWHIP!"

The air was suddenly thick with metal and wood and feathers in flight. The wolves howled in thwarted fury and pain, snapping at the arrows. One wolf went down three shafts in its side as Balefur screamed, taking the death as his own. The lupines began to claw up the steep sides of the embankment treacherous snow giving way beneath them sending them slipping and sliding back down. The ravine was filled with pained yelps and screams as more and more arrows found their mark.

"NOOOOOO!"

Without thinking, without hesitation he threw himself at the first creature he could reach. The dwarf screamed as Elias barrelled into him pitching the short man into the abyss. His body hit the side of the cliffs on the way down, his limp form thudding into the snow below.

"ROOOOWWRRR!" a minotaur roared in his face and swung a massive club in his direction but Elias ducked, a goblin taking the blow with a sickening crunch. Fuelled by adrenaline and overwhelming fear, Elias was like a rabid dog, striking where he could and darting back at the first sign of danger.

He threw himself sideways, hip and shoulder finding hard bodies as a hag and thing with writhing tentacles were sent plunging down into the ravine.

"BOOM!"

Elias jumped backwards, the minotaur's club thudding into the snow. The beast roared, bloodlust in his eyes as he swung at Elias, the scientist throwing himself out of the way as the bovine felled another of his own allies.

"ROOOOOOWWWRRR!"  
Elias scrambled to his feet and jumped backwards, crying out as the edge of the club clipped him in the side. He instantly reeled backwards, coughing out blood as the minotaur sprung forwards. Elias hurriedly backed away from the monster, drenched in muck sweat as the horned

"AWWOOOOOOO!"

The minotaur whirled, its dull eyes bulging as Balefur with the she-wolf by his side exploded out from the edge of the cliff and sailed into the air, both dogs slamming hard into the bull-headed beast.

Elias watched, breathless, shaking as more and more wolves escaped the ravine, clawing their way back up to flat land as the archers suddenly found themselves under attack. The scientist's moment of madness had bought enough time and gave enough distraction for the wolves to make their escape.

The minotaur died noisily, the snow drenched with his blood as Balefur lifted his heads, splattered with crimson, his eyes fixed coldly on Elias's pale face. The ravine and the cliffs were silent, bodies cooling in the wind, those of Jadis' army still left alive having fled as their companions died.

"You."

Elias swallowed heavily as Balefur padded forwards, fangs gleaming.

"What…"  
Elias's eyes widened as the pack leader suddenly snarled and lunged forwards, teeth snapping together. The scientist cried out as fangs bit into his flesh, drawing blood. Balefur instantly pulled back as Elias gasped at the sudden sharp sting. The bite was superficial, Balefur's teeth marks imprinted into his arm, only his canines sinking in deep enough for blood to well.

"What –" Elias gasped at their wolves as they stared back at him, enigmatic looks on their furry faces.

The pack leader suddenly thrust his head forwards and began licking at the wound, his rough tongue lapping up the blood, the sudden move strangely tender and intimate.

"You have been marked with the sign of our pack…" Balefur looked up at him and bowed his head, "Brother."

"Brother…" the pack echoed his words, the sound dying on the wind as a solemn silence fell over the cliff, Elias staring at them in shock.

"BROTHER!" Fernir bounded forwards, tackling Elias to the ground as his tongue found the scientist's face again and again.

Elias laughed and tried to push him off as Fernir's tail beat a tattoo against his legs.

"FERNIR!" the she-wolf barked instantly.

But she was ignored as the rest of the pack joined in, laughing and cheering, as playful as puppies as Balefur shook his head in disbelief. Elias laughed as he was quickly covered by fur, their celebration chasing night away into morning light.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Jadis marched down the ice hall of her castle, her hair dishevelled, her dress torn and splattered with her own. She touched it, fingering the holes in the fabric before pulling her hand away, studying the blood on her fingers.

It had been a long, long time since she'd last bled, a long time since anyone had hurt her enough to. She rubbed the blood between her fingers as though it was an alien thing.

"ARGH!"

The ice rippled, reacting to her rage as spikes exploded out from the walls. There was a pained scream as one of her own creatures was unlucky enough to be impaled. Jadis ignored it, stepping over the beast's twitching body as she swept down her corridor, her anger swelling around her like a stormhead.

One arm dangled uselessly from one shoulder, limp and bloody but Jadis barely noticed as the wall before her dissolved. She stepped through the threshold and into the chamber beyond, a cruel smile flickering onto her face as she looked at the jagged block of ice before her.

"Still sleeping?" she mocked.

The White Witch moved forwards and touched the ice. Its diamond-like surface lit up, a form silhouetted in the rime, the person trapped inside an enigmatic shadow unknown to all but the woman who stood before it.

"Amazing isn't it?" Jadis asked, talking to the imprisoned soul, "Years ago I found you in the coldest parts of my kingdom, following portents and signs I alone could read. I found you and I found the power that you possess and I learnt to tap into it."

Jadis reached into her thick ermine fur coat and extracted her wand.

"I thought the war with my sister was over," the witch hissed, "I felt your power burning through my veins and suddenly the stars themselves were no longer immortal to me and yet my sister and her army still lives."

She raised her wand, pointing at the illuminated ice.

"And now comes strangers that have managed to wound me…"

Jadis snarled.

"Perhaps I have been too easy on you!" she spat, "Perhaps I have not used you to your full potential!"

The chamber shuddered as Jadis raged, cracks splitting the ice beneath her feet before zigzagging across the walls, the White Witch burning with a fire that was blue and green.

"I should drain you," Jadis scowled, "I should plunge my dagger into your heart and extract every last ounce of power you possess…"

She stopped, the room calming as she spat on the ground, her saliva burning a hole through the ice.

"But no, I need you," she shook her head, "I need you… how pathetic is that? But I need you to sustain my powers. I need you to keep the way open into the Dead World so that I may take its secret for myself. I NEED YOU!"

Enraged by her own weakness and clingy dependency, Jadis lunged forwards stabbing her wand deep into the ice, its tip punching deep into the person trapped within.

"SO SHOW ME!" Jadis screamed barely coherent, "SHOW ME WHY I NEED YOU!"

Power blazed from the ice and into the White Witch, filling her up as her cackling cries shook the fortress to its core.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Kingdom of the White Witch was a fearsome place, a bleak frozen wasteland untouched by spring or summer, shrouded forever in cloaks of blizzard and grey nothing ever growing, just death and decay. It was a sword and shield all at the same time, the bitter winds driving invaders away as effective as any army but it had one major downfall – all creature even those who marched under Jadis' banner starved, harvests impossible, every possible source of food exploited under it was gone, precious resources drying up by the day.

All this meant that Jadis' army of goblins and dwarves and hags and trolls and a thousand other creatures with no names at all had to spend a great deal of their time foraging and hunting, eking out the meanest of existences.

"Cold…" a dwarf muttered darkly, teeth chattering, "I hate the cold!"

He was crouched behind a snowdrift, a curved bow clutched in his blue numbed hands as he waited for anything remotely edible to stray into his line of sight.

"You want to complain to her majesty go right on ahead!" a scaled monster laughed

The creature dug around in the dirt, claws scraping against ice-hard mud as he looked for roots and tubers.

"I'm sure she'll love one more dwarf statute to go into her gardens!"

The scaled beast yanked out a fat worm and sucked it up greedily, blunt teeth mashing the frugal meal as the dwarf grumbled.

"Anything?"

The dark dwarf looked up as more creatures, withered and stunted from malnourishment crept into the small clearing.

"Nothing," the dwarf laid his bow aside, spitting on the ground, "This isn't what I signed up for?"

"What did you expect?" the scaled creature taunted, "Nubile nymphs feeding you grapes as you sail on a sapphire sea?"

The dwarf glared at him.

"No! But definitely not this!" he kicked at the snow sullenly, "Cold, starving, hunted by wolves and Tash knows what else! I hate this!"

A goat-headed man bleated with laughter.

"Sure, I dare you to go up to the queen and hand in your resignation," the man sneered, "Just make sure to scream loudly when you do so the queen doesn't have to announce your untimely end."

The dark dwarf opened his mouth to fire back a retort.

"TWHIP!"

He dropped, a shaft embedded in his eyes. The creatures looked stupidly down at him for a stunned moment before looking around wildly panic setting in swiftly. They pushed each other to the ground, stomping on hands and feet as they fought to get away.

"HOW ARE YOU?" the goat-creature screamed, "SHOW YOURSELVES!"

There was a moment of silence then –

"TWHIP! TWHIP! TWHIP!"

Arrows flew from the trees cutting the small hunting group down. A spear hurtled out from the woods and lanced the goat-man through the chest, the creature stumbling forwards as he coughed up a great clot of blood.

The scaled creature threw himself to the ground, hands held over his head as every one of his companions were killed, their bodies thumping to the ground. He closed his eyes as they fell but opened them as a footsteps crunched through the ice towards him. He whimpered, scrambling backwards before his back slammed into the snowdrift, stopping his cowardly retreat.

"No… please…" the creature blubbered as a shadow moved towards him, "MERCY!"

He looked up and blanched at the horrible face that stared down at him. The monster had a human body but his face was feathered and cruelly beaked, horns and hooks sprouting cruelly form every inch of its green and blue face.

"Mercy…" the scaled monster begged, "Mercy…"

"I am the Guardian of the Forests. I will slay any who trespass my home!" the voice thundered, Jadis' creature wailing in fright, "I let you live for one reason and one reason alone… SPREAD THE WORD! No creature can hunt or forage without my leave and those who trespass…"

The Guardian whirled and fired an arrow into a whimpering troll taking it in the throat.

"LEAVE!" the Guardian roared, "LEAVE!"  
The scaled creature screamed and clawed over the snowdrift, fleeing deep into the forest as the Guardian watched him run.

"Good show."

Beaver emerged from the trees and waddled towards the mighty Guardian, completely unafraid. The Guardian chuckled and pulled his mask off, Caspian blinking into the light.

"Do you think this will work?" Redfern asked dropping from the trees awkwardly, the young dwarf shaking as he viewed the death all around him.

"It will," Caspian said flatly, "An army fights on its stomach. If we can scare Jadis' army away from their hunting grounds we will starve them all. And believe me…"

He pointed at the dead dwarf, the one who had complained about his lot in Jadis' ranks.

"When that happens he won't be the only one contemplating abandoning the witch," Caspian smiled, "We will bleed her dry in weeks."

"Cowards," Mamaru, leader of the mouse knights, muttered.

Caspian grinned at the mouse's disgust before turning to his troops.

"Alright," he clapped his hands together, "Good job. Let's hide these bodies. The more mysterious we make ourselves the more the fear will grow."

He grabbed the goat-headed creature by the legs and began dragging him towards the undergrowth.

"Marmaru, Bach," Caspian ordered as he heaved the body away, "Scout the woods. Let's see if we can thin out Jadis' numbers anymore."

The satyr and the mouse saluted him before darting off, slipping into the trees silently as Redfern and Beaver looked at the king.

"More?" Beaver asked, bewildered, "But we already hit a dozen of these parties already!"

"Jadis' armies number in the thousands," Caspian said calmly.

Redfern blanched, shuddering as he realised the enormity of the situation they were facing. The young dwarf lived half the time inside his imagination, believing courage and honour would be enough to defeat the witch not realising that war was a messy affair that needed both sides to get their hands a little unclean.

"A dozen is a good start," Caspian continued.

The creatures looked at him and nodded. They had already learnt to trust and follow his lead, his cool head and lethal blade in the few skirmishes and ambushes they had sprung earning him their loyalty and respect. But it was more than that, Caspian was compassionate and a caring leader, willing to put risk his life to save any of them and had already done so, throwing himself at three wolves to protect Redfern. He was their beacon, their one hope against the might of the White Witch, he had lifted them from their hopelessness and despair and they loved him for it. It had taken only a night and a morning but they were an army, united under the banner of the Narnian King ready to march with him into the hell itself if he willed it so. They were Caspian's soldiers til death.

The king smiled at them, his grin wolfish.

"But let's seen if we can make them bleed a little more."

And he threw the body into the bushes.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elias's breath misted before him. He looked slowly around, everything shrouded in darkness except for the gold eyes of those around him. They moved constantly in the dark, the golden irises swimming in and out of the shadows, flashing, flitting, darting as Elias tried to follow them, his breath stopping as fur brushed his arms and face, the scientist flinching and welcoming the warmth all at the same time.

"We invoke Running Death to balance our shame…"

Balefur was a powerful orator, his low voice holding a hint of a growl as it revibrated all around Elias, his heart pounding a strange rhythm that matched the one in the wolf's voice.

"Long have we served the White Witch…"

The she-wolf appeared right in front of Elias and the scientist lurched back gasping as the frosty white lupine licked her fangs.

"Never again!" she growled.

"Never!"

"Never!"

The words were spoken from a dozen wolves, swelling and growing in the tight confines of the cave until a thousand whispers confirmed the pledge.

"And many atrocities we have wrought," Balefur continued, "But we broke the Great Taboo…"

The wolves howled, their shame plain to hear.

"We murdered our own kind with no provocation. We killed our brothers and sisters and our pack mates for no reason but to satisfy the bloodlust of the witch…" Balefur sounded like he was weeping, "Wolves did not kill kin without just cause… it is our shame."

Fernir stumbled against Elias, howling.

"Shame! Shame!"

Elias looked around, unnerved despite knowing he would not be harmed as the wolves threw themselves on the ground and against the walls, screaming out their anguish.

"Running Death is not a thing to be invoked lightly," the pack leader continued, "It means plunging into battle and facing death itself without hesitation until we have redeemed our spirits."

Elias sucked in a breath as Balefur emerged from the darkness before him, his golden stare fixed on Elias's face.

"We will not stop until the White Witch is dead or until we are dead and even so if we have failed our spirits will linger on this earth, forever in torment until Running Death is done," the wolf growled, "Pack brother, do you swear to follow our laws and run with death itself? Do you swear to carry this burden of redemption until it is done and you may stand and call yourself without sin once more? What is your answer?"

Elias took a deep breath and nodded, Mary and Marcos's clear in his mind. He was like those wolves, he had broken his own taboo, his own rules. He had murdered woman to whom he had promised life, he had murdered a friend who had been unarmed and not in combat. He had sinned and he needed redemption.

Elias bowed his head.

"Yes," his voice was a dry whisper.

Balefur nodded.

"With blood you shall repay your crimes and with blood you can invoke Running Death," the wolf snarled, "With the blood of yourself…"

Fernir snapped forwards and Elias grunted as his sharp canines sliced his palm open, drawing blood.

"And the blood of a pack mate…"

The she-wolf appeared on his other side biting her tongue and slathering his other hand with her blood.

"And the blood of a enemy…"

Balefur leaned forwards and rubbed his muzzle, still bloody from the fight before against his forehead. Elias sat, cross-legged on the ground, blood on his hands and head, staring blankly ahead as Balefur settled back onto the ground.

The scientist had been anointed, cleansed and ready for the next step.

"I bind you to Running Death," Balefur howled as the wolves picked up the cry, the mournful sound bouncing in the caves, "May you reach the end and not fall."

And in that moment Elias was one with the wolves and bound to their destinies until the very end.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mrs. Beaver tutted up at him, somehow domineering him despite the fact that Caspian was about ten times her size and then some.

"Where did you get that?" she demanded.

Caspian winced.

It almost defied belief that in the middle of a war Caspian felt lighter and more himself than he had felt for a long time. Before he had burdened with his own perceived failures and despairs, worrying about everything that had gone wrong. Strange it took the taking of Susan and the disappearance of all his companions to bring himself back but Caspian felt once more like the king he was.

He laughed ruefully rubbing the bruise on his forehead.

"Funnily enough I got this because someone let go of a branch too quickly," he smirked, shooting a look at Redfern.

The young dwarf spluttered and looked away, mortified as the rest of Caspian's troops laughed. The morning had been a bloody one, the group routing out two dozen hunting parties all without loss. It was shocking to see how savage and ruthless they could be but resentment had festered after so long under the oppressive yoke of the queen and the forest dwellers were more than ready to exact revenge.

"Anything to report?" Caspian asked.

Mrs. Beaver's workers continued to move through the group looking for injuries as the beaver matron herself pursed her lips.

"One of the younglings thought he saw something poking around near your quarters but none of us could pick up a trail," she reported, "Probably just an overactive imagination more than anything."

Caspian nodded briskly, pulling his gloves off.

"So what now?" Redfern asked eagerly, chafing at the bit, "More battles?"  
Caspian gave him a quelling look.

"Now we rest," he said gently, "We cannot have this war won today. We must preserve our strength and strike when it is right to."

Redfern looked disgruntled but nodded reluctantly before shuffling off.

"He's an enthusiastic little bugger isn't he?" Beaver said somewhat loudly.

"Beaver! Language!" his wife snapped, swatting him with her tail.

Caspian chuckled, amazed as always to talk so easily with two of Narnia's most famous inhabitants, the Beavers of the Golden Age. Beaver winced as Bach guffawed. The rest of the band soon dispersed but not before clapping their leader on the back, thanking him profusely as Caspian blushed slightly, deflecting their praise with jokes and self-conscious comments.

"You shouldn't do that you know."

The crowd had dispersed, families reunited with laughs and tears of relief. Caspian watched them, smiling himself before glancing down to Mrs. Beaver. She was staring up at him with narrowed sharp eyes.

"Pardon?" Caspian asked quizzically

"You know how long we have lived without hope?" she asked, "These people look up to you now, they love you. You should accept what they give with grace and let them thank you… it soothes them."

Caspian rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably but nodded slowly.

"Now go get some rest," Mrs. Beaver ordered, "You look like you're about to keel over."  
"Thank you," Caspian said sourly but the female beaver merely pointed at his quarters with a glare.

The king shook his head strolled across the village grounds, well aware of everyone's eyes on him. He made sure to walk strong, tall and proud, not showing his fatigue or fears about Susan and the others. He felt sick worrying where they were and wondering if they were even alive, stricken with terror for them. But as much as he longed to go out and search for them, he had made a vow to help and lead these people and he would see that through until the death of the witch or himself. His word was his bond no matter how tight and painful they could be. He just had to believe the others would find a way.

He glanced around with a sharp eye and smiled as he saw the lightness in everyone's step, the determination on their faces. The flames of hope had been fanned and it was infectious, spreading everywhere, creatures going about their activities and new duties with pride and anticipation, quivering with excitement. They had already struck blows against the witch, the mightiest of which was freeing all her prisoners, the freed beasts throwing themselves into the war effort with an enthusiasm that surprised the king. But like the beasts of Narnia, the talking creatures of this world were made of stern stuff, able to take a beating and still stand strong, ready to face whatever comes next. Their spirit and courage buoyed him and gave him hope for victory however small. Caspian jutted his chin out stubbornly and refused to let doubts drag him down, he had wallowed in misery for long enough to realise the futileness of regret. Life was sadly just way too short for that.

"SIR! SIR! SIR!"

Caspian blinked, his thoughts lost.

"SIR! SIR! SIR!"

His head snapped up as the fat little robin fluttered onto a branch nearby chirping wildly, feathers ruffled, choking and tripping over his own words.

"There's… there's…" the robin sucked in a deep breath, eyes wide, "There's…"

Caspian sighed and held out a hand, one finger extended. The plump little robin instantly bobbed and leapt onto his finger, still shaking.

"Slow down," the king advised calmly, "What's happened?"

"There's an owl! He wanted to see you but… but…" the robin screeched, "He's been captured!"

Caspian frowned, startled by the news. An owl? Why would an owl want to see him?

"Captured by whom?" Caspian demanded.

"Goblins… nets… oh it's terrible! Terrible! Terrible!" the robin squawked, turning pale, tail and wings flailing, "TERRIBLE!"

The bird's frantic voice drew a crowd as the creatures watched Caspian talk to the robin, anxious and exchanging worried looks, dreading whatever calamity had now befallen the forest.

"Where?" Caspian asked, his voice strong and cutting.  
"I'll show you! I'll show you!" the robin flew from his fingers and into the sky, "HURRY! HURRY!"

Caspian cursed lightly under his breath and glanced around him, his hands going to the hilt of his sword.

"Marmaru," he ordered, "I…"

A small sleek figure pushed through the crowds and saluted with his rapier, tail twitching with excitement.

"At once sir," the mouse knight said quickly, anticipating his order, "A contingent of my men and I are ready to leave at once."

Caspian briefly wondered if all mouse warriors were like Reepicheep, dangerously fearless and thirsting for battle as other beasts thirsted for water but he only nodded outwardly.

"I'll come," a giant bear rumbled rising to its feet as Caspian looked at the beast surprised, only a day before the bear had been one of the opponents to the idea of war, refusing to help in the prison breakout.

The crowd instantly roared, shouting to be heard. Caspian looked them all realising for the first time just how much the thought of freedom had inspired them all, it shone in their faces and eyes, all of them ready to sell their lives to help destroy had hamper the witch in whatever way possible. Caspian's arrival had been the peddle to start the landslide and once started it had swept the whole village taking everyone with it.

"Me too!" a satyr cut in.

"Me too!" a squirrel stomped his feet stubbornly.  
"Hey what about me?"

Caspian was suddenly inundated with volunteers, overwhelming him for a brief second as the animals pressed in around him, arguing and yelling.

"STOP!" Caspian's thundered.

The animals instantly froze, looking at him expectantly, awaiting his words. The swiftly named his troops ignoring the disgruntled outcries before turning back to the robin who was still trembling wildly.

"Lead on," he commanded, "HURRY!"  
The robin twittered and flew out of the village, Caspian and his squad in hot pursuit. The other animals watched them go, some disappointed, others worried as the robin let out a shrill cry leading them deeper into the woods.

"HERE! HERE!"

They pushed past thickets and groves, leafs slapping as dislodged snow chilled their flesh, their footsteps grinding ice into the dirt.

"HERE! HERE!" the robin shrieked.

"QUIET!" Caspian hissed.

He slowed to a jog, his ears pricked as his eyes caught movement up ahead. He turned back to his people and placed a finger against his lips warning them. The mice scurried ahead, scouting the way as Caspian hung back with the rest of the troupe, the robin alighting on a bush nearby.

They were silent, hardly daring to breath as they heard excited growls and curses up ahead.

"What Guardian?" a voice snorted derisively, loud in the silent forest,, "I don't see him stopping us!"

"But what about – " another voice began.

"Superstitious nonsense," the original speaker barked, "I bet you those greedy guts made the whole thing up just to stop us from getting food! You know how they are!"

There was a thump and a pained hoot as one of the speakers cackled loudly.

Caspian stiffened as a nearby bush rustled, his hands going to his hilt. A whiskered nose stuck out from the leaves as Marmaru returned, Caspian relaxing as the mouse emerged.

"Report," he ordered quietly.

"Three creatures, lightly armed," the mouse knight said quickly, "Shall we attack?"

Caspian smiled, his hands going to something clipped to his belt. He slipped the mask of the Guardian on becoming once more the feathered and the horned bane of the forest.

"I believe one of those creatures didn't believe in me," Caspian said mockingly, "Shall we prove him wrong?"

Marmaru nodded eagerly and slipped away as Caspian turned to his troops, many of them now wearing masks similar to his.

"No prisoners," the king said softly.

Like shadows through the night, Caspian melted into the forest, his dappled white tunic blending into the snow and trees all around, the king pushing through thick bushes without rustling a single leaf. He had been taught to track and travel through woods by the best in all of Narnia and he worked hard at it until he could even sneak past Reepicheep much to the mouse's consternation. He put his training to good use, his footsteps inaudible as he moved lightly through the snow, ducking behind a tree before risking a look at his enemies.

The first thing he saw was a huge snowy wing jutting out from a jumble of rope and chains, soft hoots filtering out from the bundle of feathers on the ground. Three creatures, all a bizarre mix of animal and human poked and prodded the downed animal, delighting in its pain and misery.

Caspian held up his arm without looking behind him before swiftly bringing it down like an axe.

"GARGH!"

One of the monsters fell, arrow slamming into its side as the two other whirled around, gaping in horror.

"Hello," Caspian stepped fearlessly into the clearing, "I believe you've heard of me."

"THE GUARDIAN!" the creatures screamed seeing his mask.

"SHINK!"  
His sword was in his hands as the king lunged forwards. The first creature died, sliced open before the duo could even react. The second managed to pull out his axe and parry Caspian's blow but the king was faster, ducking a swipe and chopping at his enemy's legs. The cat-faced thing screamed, staggering back, blood oozing down its leg as Caspian sprung forwards, stabbing out.

"CLEAR!" he yelled.

The king kicked the body off his sword before turning to the feathered thing caught within the nets. Pulling out a small dagger he sliced the bonds apart, the mice helping him.

"Thank you kind sir," a somewhat pompous voice hooted.

The owl straightened blinking at Caspian as the forest folk crashed through the trees, ringing their leader, eyes roving the trees checking for any other monsters.

"I have come to see you," the owl said self-importantly, shaking himself, "Unfortunately these brutish fiends waylaid me. Thank you kind sir for rescuing me from such a dreadful end."

Caspian coughed to stop himself from laughing as the owl pecked at his feathers, smoothing them as he tutted under his breath.

"And why have you come to see me friend?" Caspian asked lightly.

The owl looked up at him, tawny eyes narrowing as he studied the king.

"Because there is something you need to know," the owl flexed his wings, "You, dear sir, will liberate these people from the White Witch."

Caspian blinked, not knowing how to response as the owl continued speaking, puffing himself up importantly.

"And to do that you need the objects of powers spoken of in the prophecy…"

Gasps of shock and amazement swept through the ring of animals as Caspian blinked, confused.

"What?"

The owl looked at him unblinkingly.

"I've come to lead you to the horn so that you may wake the Queen Dragon."

A stunned silence fell over the clearing as everyone looked at Caspian as though he was god personified, the king utterly bewildered, looking around in confusion. There was the sound of unsheathing swords as the mice suddenly bowed to him deeply, steel bared. Quickly the other forest dwellers did the same, bowing to her deferentially as Caspian shook his head desperately, holding his hands up as he stared at them.

"I… I'm sorry but…" he began, stuttering, his accent thickening.

"It's you," the bear whispered looking up.

Caspian turned to look at him. Seeing the king's eye on him, the bear flushed and swiftly ducked his head, bowing again.

"It's you…" the words were taken up by the rest of the crowd, repeated again and again.

"What – "

"Come," the owl hooted, "Lead me to your abodes! We have much to talk about!"

Helpless and still confused, Caspian was swept up in a cheering wave of animal flesh and borne back towards the village as cries of triumph and joy boomed through the air. The king could only watch blankly, desperately trying to work out was going on as he was led back to the village, the animals celebrating wildly all around him.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The creatures of Jadis' army came from the mountains and fen, born from shadows and caves in the darkest of nights. They crept into the light, fully grown, sniffing the air before heading almost instinctively towards the fringes of her frozen kingdom. Some others went the opposite way heading down to the lowlands, to Aita's realms seeking entrance into her forces.

Both queens had stationed recruiting posts on the edges of their lands, vast camps where creatures were sorted and tested, those that were found lacking brutally slaughtered on the spot and fed to the strong. But despite the dangers like moths to a blazing flame the creatures came, gravitating towards a darkness more crueller and vile than themselves. But such was the way of evil, like calling like, the weaker herding towards the strong to snatch some shared glory and might, to shelter themselves in the darker shadows of their master, hating it as much as they revelled.

The output was both a recruiting centre and a training camp merged as one, a rough wooden structure bereft of comfort, utilitarian and rough, a melting pot of the horned and tusked and furred, monsters all, wraiths that stalked the bleakest of nightmares and darkest of places.

The newly arrived came to the seven rough wood gates that led into the compound, minotaurs watching over them with twitching hands and heavy clubs as goblins and dwarves weighed and tested the new recruits, the creatures bearing their examination with ill-grace and tempers. Those that passed were allowed through to the barracks where targets were set, monsters firing arrows as others punched and kicked, sparring with moss-stuffed dummies and each other. Metal blades hummed through the air, some creatures lithe and graceful, others stumbling and tripping, knocking into others as fights broke out.

Jadis was a cruel mistress to serve, the witch delighting in games and treachery. Food was always scarce in her camps, distributed unevenly as some had plenty whilst others went without. This was all a deliberate ploy, the camp constantly at war with each other, the weaker starving or killed as the stronger ruled with an iron fist, the only ones to survive the gruelling months of imprisonment in the camps. It ensured the witch's soldiers were all sadistic, twisted monsters, the strongest and the most violent and cunning.

Three wolves join the end of the line, growling as the minotaurs snuffed wetly at them, the instincts of the bull fighting to take over whatever little reasoning the beast had.

"Hurry up! Hurry up!" a stunted dwarf bellowed, "HURRY!"

Nearby a goblin shrieked as it was clubbed to death, the rest of its brethren chuckling nastily before strolling arrogantly deep into the camp.

"Names?" the dwarf asked.

"No business of yours, we've come to serve the queen," the she-wolf snarled.

The white wolf was the colour of snow and ambiguity, her scarred and battered countenance made all the more terrifying by the terrible contrast to her beautiful sleek form.

She snapped at the dwarf as it squawked and back-pedalled away, the other two wolves chuckling at his shock.

"Just go through," the dwarf stammered, "Just GO!"

Snorting in disgust, the she-wolf pushed past him leading her two charges into the camp. Trolls and tigers and foxes looked up, eyeing them three but snarl the she-wolf gave made them quickly look away.

On the training grounds, a dwarf stumbled bumping into a towering ogre. Without a thought the massive beast casually decapitated the small creature, the others nearby hooting and cheering in delight.

"Disgusting," the she-wolf growled scornfully.

Stealthily the trio padded to behind the barracks, sniffing the air, eyes darting to check they were alone.

"Hurry," one of the other wolves urged.

The she-wolf snapped at her own fur, combing through her thick neck ruff to reveal small glints of silver here and there, one of her companions helped her the female grunting as he yanked the small silver orbs that had been woven into her fur.

"How long?" the younger wolf asked biting down slightly on the orb before dropping it behind the building.

The orb blinked with light as the she-wolf sniffed at it, shuddering as she smelt the promise of fire and death the innocent ball held.

"Not long," she urged, "Hurry!"

They went everywhere inside the compound, dropping their deadly loads as high above on a ridge overlooking the camp their brethren waited.

"Are you sure this will work?" Fernir said, the dark youngling licking his paws.

"It will," Elias said flatly.

Balefur looked to his pack, fifteen wolves in all, a meagre handful to throw against the numbers down below. Before the Running Death wolves had only targeted small groups, ambushing maybe ten at most at a time but with Elias and all his deadly crafts on their side, the wolves were ready to strike a real blow against their mortal enemy, eradicating hundreds in a single attack.

"It's time," Balefur growled, unerringly keep track of the time.

He bunched, Fernir copying him as all the others of the pack growled in response.

"Running Death," the pack leader rumbled, a vow and a threat in his voice.  
"RUNNING DEATH!"

"BOOM!"  
"BOOM!"  
"BOOM!"  
The whole tundra shook, ice falling from the mountainsides as massive explosions blew the compound apart, Elias's orbs detonating as blue flames and debris flew high in the air the heat tangible on the ridge.

"NOW!" Balefur roared.

The wolves swept down the slope towards the burning compound as Elias followed, his hands reaching into the bag of orbs at his side. Fernir had managed to sneak into the hidden forest village, stealing the explosives from right beneath Mrs. Beaver's nose.

The whole back of the compound was ablaze, the wall crumbling into ashes and cinders as the creatures within rampaged, driven by instincts and fear as they fled from the fire.

"ROOOOOOWWWRRR!"  
A minotaur was trampled to death, an ogre mashing him into the ground as the seven gates were suddenly choked with bodies, bottlenecking the stampeding crowd as the flames spread quickly. The fire licked the wooden buildings with scarlet tongues, vermilion claws snatching up timber, the inferno gorging and swelling with every second.

"ARGH!"

The minotaurs panicked, blinded by smoke and searing ash as they swung wildly with their clubs trying to clear a way through the crowds. Creatures were crushed against walls, trampled underfoot as they screamed, their death cries lost in the crackling roar of the flames and the bellows of the creatures.

The she-wolf and her wolves wormed through the crowd, their smaller forms allowing them to slip through the forest of legs towards the cold air of safety and freedom.

"NOOOOOO!"

The buildings began to collapse, flaming timber crushing the vanguard of the crowds.

"AWWWWOOOOOO!"  
Balefur and wolves slammed into the three central gates, hamstringing and ripping out throats as attack came from both sides, the creatures screaming.

"RUNNING DEATH!"

Still caught in the crowd, the she-wolf's fangs clamped around the back of a orc's calves tearing at tendon as the massive oaf screamed, flailing, his arms pinned to his side by the crowd.

"BOOM!"

Burning bodies flew as one of the seven gates exploded, Elias hurling an orb into the crowd, a feral look on his face.

"RUNNING DEATH!" he bellowed.

He was long Elias the scientist, the savagery of the wolves, their strange honour now stealing into his blood as he glared at his enemies, visiting death upon them. Marcos had showed him the beast that was in the core of all people and Elias was using that now, losing himself to it to help him on the bloody path to redemption. His world having been fractured and disjointed now found clarity in the simple code.

The monsters were slaughtered, the wolves holding the gates, the monsters forced to come at them one at a time and were promptly dragged to the ground and killed. Fire took those too hesitant to risk the wolves, too slow to flee the conflagration. The monsters attacked each other in their frenzy, felling as many as the wolves did as the smoke blinded them, driving them insane.

Elias hurled another handful of orbs another gate burned, taking the monsters thrashing within with it.

"AWWOOOOO!"  
The she-wolf dragged a goblin, pinning it as others tore out its throat or ripped its belly apart. The snow melted, the water reflecting the blaze in slick pools of orange and crimson. Blood flew and bodies piled, staining faces and snow.

"ROOOOOOWWWRRR!"  
A minotaur and a giant managed to smashed one of the gates apart, the monsters spilling out as the wolves lunged, snapping at them.

Elias hurled an orb, the giant falling as fire wreathed its head, its thrashing limbs crushing anything that lingered too close.

Balefur spring-boarded off a fallen dwarf grabbing the minotaur in mid-air as the she-wolf and Fernir ripped at its stomach, fangs slicing through leather and fur.

"GET BACK!" Elias yelled.

The wolves instantly responded, pulling back, snapping and snarling as Elias threw another orb into the flood of monsters streaming towards them.

"BOOM!"

Bodies flew and the wolves mopped up the rest, yipping to each other as they moved into the position driving enemies to the ground as they screamed helplessly, lost beneath a huddle of fur.

The whole camp was ablaze by now, a hag screeching as she stumbled out through one of the gates, her cloak ablaze. She fell, writhing as she was swallowed up by the fire before stilling joining the dozens of other charred bodies cooling in the snow. The stench of burning flesh and hair clung to the body like smoke, rolling every stomach as the last surviving dregs threw themselves at the wolves, desperately fighting for their lives.

"ELIAS!" Balefur roared.

The scientist whirled as a dwarf charged at him, gibbering. Elias reached into his bag and pulled out a rough stone dagger, gritting his teeth as his training from the Temple, from Jason and from all the fights he had fought flowed into mind and body guiding his movements.

"DIE!" the dwarf screamed stabbing forwards with his short sword.

Elias kicked the snow, blinding him before stabbing out with the dagger. The dwarf screamed taking the thrust in the arm before slashing at the scientist.

Elias threw himself back, landing heavily into the snow as the dwarf charged, shrieking.

"AWWWWOOOOO!"  
Fernir appeared from nowhere, pouncing on the dwarf from behind and dragging him to the ground. There was a sickening crunch and the dwarf went limp.

Balefur padded over to Elias, sniffing the air for his blood before nodding, satisfied his pack mate was safe.

"It's done," the leader growled.

Elias looked slowly all around him, at the still burning camp, at the bodies that littered the ground like fallen angels, twisted and broken.

He should've felt sick, horrified at such a brutal slaughter but his heart had hardened, the moralist in him dying away and all he saw enemies that had deserved to die.

"Our biggest victory yet!" Fernir cheered.

"A trifle," the she-wolf snarled, "The White Witch still lives. We are still Running Death."

Elias picked himself up, pulling the dagger from the dwarf's body.

"How many of these camps does the Witch have?"

"Five more large ones," Balefur growled licking blood from his paws.

The pack had survived, singed and battered but every one of them alive and still on their feet. They howled to the sky, victorious, not a single survivor having lived between the wolves and the flames and the panic rampage that had broken out.

"That should keep us busy for awhile," the she-wolf snarled.

"We're going to destroy all of them?" Fernir yelped.

"We have to," Elias nodded, "The White Witch will lose face in front of her followers and she will lose any new numbers to her army weakening her further. When people in power are scared…"  
Balefur growled as one of his wolves sniffed at a minotaur, wondering if she should take a bite. The wolf yelped as his warning cry and backed away before Balefur turned his golden eyes to Elias.

The pack leader was bigger than his followers, his fur the colour of mist and fog, greyer than ever as ashes clung to him. He sneezed, the smoke tickling his nose as the others waited respectfully for his opinion.

"And when people are scared they do stupid things," Balefur growled, "And we may have our chance to kill the queen."

He turned and howled, his wolves streaming towards him.

"Away," he ordered, "And rest. Tomorrow we shall continue our quest!"  
Loping tirelessly through the tundra, the wolves and Elias left leaving only bodies and flames behind as the war against the witch and the path to redemption continued with no end in sight.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"So… prophecy," Caspian said flatly, "Explain."

The owl opened his beak but Redfern beat him to it, his eyes glittering.

"A guardian to the forests, a watcher to the plains. Sealed by the sisters, soon to walk again. Horn for the dragon, lyre for the king, play to free the royals and welcome back the spring," Redfern said, his voice hushed, "You… you are the waker."

Caspian stared at him, stared at the creatures who looked back at him half of them expecting him to conjure up the magical artefacts kill the White Witch right here and now.

"Ahem," the owl cleared his throat noisily drawing all attention back to him, "AHEM!"

Caspian blinked, his shock fading as he looked back at the owl who blinked at him, feathers puffed out in his irritation.

"As I was about to say before being so rudely cut-off…" the owl shot a glare at Redfern who snorted rudely, "You are the liberator of this land. You will be the one to play the horn and awake the Queen Dragon, Mother of the Flames, Protector of the Forests. And – "

"The White Witch will fall," Beaver chuckled, "Darn! I never suspected this! You are just full of surprise aren't you?"

The beasts cheered, roaring Caspian's name as the king froze, not knowing what to do, his mouth opened and closed a few times before he found his tongue.

"I… I… I…" Caspian spluttered as Beaver whacked him on the back, "I don't understand… what Dragon? What Phoenix? What is this?"

"Before the witches came, the plains and the forests were a peaceful place," Bach said wearily, "Protected by our king and queen, the father of light and the mother of fire, the Phoenix and the Dragon. But then the witches came from the far north and the first thing they did was seal our beloved rulers away in the darkest places imaginable."

"They worked a great curse upon the two and the focus of these spells was a lyre and a horn," the owl lectured in an excited voice, the bird animated as he talked, "Legend has it when the horn and lyre are played, the spells would break and King and Queen would return and rout out all usurpers to the throne."

Caspian blinked, sorting out the pieces of the puzzle, everything falling and snapping into place.

"So Jadis and Aita imprisoned the true rulers of this place with a spell and to break it we have to find this horn and lyre and play it?" he hazarded, "And only then can the witches be defeated."

Every beast nodded swiftly as Caspian stopped, taking a few seconds for it all to sink in.

"Where are these instruments?" the king demanded.

"The lyre is in the kingdom of the Green Lady but the horn is in the Winter Witch's possession," the owl explained, "My family has kept track of it for centuries. It currently rests in the very centre of Winter's Fang."

Every face in the cave fell, despair descending like night as Caspian blinked at the unfamiliar words.

"Where?" he demanded.

"Winter's Fang," Bach groused, "Is one of the witch's strongholds. It's built on a frozen lake miles from here, it's the biggest training camp for her soldiers."

"Why would she not keep it with her in her fortress?" the king asked.

Bach shrugged helplessly as the owl hooted, flapping his wings slightly.

"Because it's presence hurts her. It is a thing of power and to those who hear its call it is like thunder in a kettle," the bird said somewhat smugly, chest puffed out self-importantly.

Caspian frowned, one thing still teasing his thoughts.

"Why didn't you tell me about this before? Why did you despair when you had this to believe in?" he questioned, his dark eyes looking at Marmaru and Redfern and Bach and Beaver, "Why?"

It was question he himself wanted to know himself. Why did people give up? Why did people succumb to despair and drown themselves in doubts? Why did people submit to slavery and oppression? It was a question that haunted him after all he had gone through, the king trying to understand what flaw had driven him to distraction and insecurity, driven him to doubt his own abilities. He needed to know why so he may avoid it forevermore.

"Because there was no proof," Marmaru said shame-faced, "It is hard to believe when there is no sign that it might come true."

"It is hard to have faith when the whole world tells you otherwise," Bach added quietly, "To have others doubt and second-guess all around you… it drags you down as well."

"But that should not stop us," Redfern said firmly, "Even if the world falls around us… we should hope and believe because that's all we have."

Caspian looked at the young dwarf with an awe and respect that was reflected in everyone else's face as Redfern stuck his chin out stubbornly, willing to be ridicules from his beliefs but no insults came, just gratified looks. The king shook himself and turned to the owl, leaning forwards.

"So… this Winter's Fang. Tell me everything you know."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"TELL ME!" Jadis roared.

It had taken exactly a week for her army to disintegrate, deserts leaving in the droves as the White Witch raged, her bloody displays of temper only stemming the outflow slightly. Her troops were demoralised, food running scarce as the blasted 'Guardian' of the forest killed all who dared to forage amongst the trees. Coupled with the utter destruction of three of her recruiting camps, it was no wonder creatures were leaving before they too ended up dead.

Cowards. Coward all of them but the White Witch knew her people, knew they came to her to share in the spoils of her reign, to indulge in murder and thievery and every other crime imaginable. They had not expected to be actually challenged let alone killed. Of all her troops only the Ice-Wraiths, products of her magic and the minotaurs and ogres, both races too stupid to know when to flee, remained completely loyal to her. But the Ice-Wraiths were gone, chasing a weapon that would give her victory against her sister and this latest rebels.

"TELL ME!" she shrieked, the winds howling.

The squirrel before her trembled, shattered stone and broken bodies littering the clearing. The small animal shrieked as a minotaur ripped a doe apart, feasting noisily as Jadis pointed her wand at the pathetic little rodent.

"Where is the Guardian?" she growled.

She had lost many troops to the Guardian already, the man striking like a ghost and leaving no bodies or traces behind.

"I don't know!" the squirrel cried, "But if I knew I wouldn't tell you! Your days are over witch!"

Jadis flushed, her temper flaring.

"Then so be it," she snarled, "If you will not speak then…"

The crystals flared and the squirrel was instantly turned to stone.

"Die," Jadis hissed picking up the small statue and hurling it against a tree, it shattered the squirrel's head bouncing off the trunk as the White Witch turned to her troops.

"Tear this place apart!" she screamed, "I don't care how you do it. FIND THEM!"  
The ogres snorted dumbly and ploughed noisily through the trees, toppling them as goblins and hags and werewolves shot her dark looks before slinking off into the trees. Jadis itched to turn every one of them into stone but she dared not, knowing it would only give more incentive for creatures to flee.

She chafed, her rage building as she thought of the pathetic rabble of animals that dared stand up against her.

Didn't they know who she was? Didn't they know what they owed her?

Jadis gritted her teeth knowing it was only a matter of time before her sister find out about her difficulties, that little trollop would strike, it was only a question of when.

With a cry, Jadis pointed at one of the trees and it was split in two with a thunderous crack.

The Ice-Wraiths had better accomplish their mission. She needed that weapon more than ever, needed the leverage it gave her, if she could claim it for herself the war was as good as over.

She smiled coldly.

And when that day came she would watch every single one of her enemies freeze to death and she would laugh when it happened, drinking their blood. But for now she had to suffer their pathetic attempts to topple her, suffer the indignities they visited. Jadis let out another futile cry and the ground cracked beneath her, the wind slicing branches away.

She strolled swiftly through the trees, dark eyes sweeping the grounds and trees searching for any sign of a trail as her monsters tore the forest apart.

"YOUR MAJESTY! YOUR MAJESTY!"  
Jadis turned as jingling bells tinkled through the air. A darkly clad dwarf, her own manservant, rode a reindeer, his face frantic as he kicked the beast crueely in the side driving it onwards, the horned creature bellowing in pain.

"What is it?" Jadis demanded coldly.

"It's your sister," the dwarf practically fell from his saddle as the reindeer huffed, pawing the ground, "She's attacking!"

"WHAT? Jadis shrieked, "WHERE?"

"Border country," the dwarf reported, "I can as soon as possible. I've alerted the armies and – "

He got no further.  
"You've alerted the armies without my permission?" Jadis raged, "Who do you think you are?"

The dwarf's eyes widened, shuffling back as his mistress turned on him. She towered over him, swaying slightly like an arched cobra as the dwarf whimpered, knees knocking together.

"I just… I just thought…" he began blubbering wildly, "I…"

"You should not think!" Jadis screamed.

She shoved her wand in his face and petrified him on the spot. With a snarl she kicked him, the single blow shattering the stone to rubble. With a huff, she gathered her furs around her and whirled, cloak flying behind her like a cape.

""Away!" she thundered drawing her troops' attention, "AWAY! We have a situation to deal with!"

She stormed through the trees, winds pushing everything out of her wall as grumbling and spitting, her creatures followed her.

High above on a branch, hidden amongst the leafs a fat little robin watched her go before jumping up and instantly taking flight, winging his way to the west.

The moment they had all waiting for was coming and Caspian had to know. Chirping the robin flew as White Witch leapt into her sleigh and whipped her beasts cruelly, the winds howling in a blizzard storm as she raced to meet her sister on the battlefield once more.

"This time," she snarled, "I will tear you to pieces!"  
With a roar, she cracked her whip again.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"They're on the move," Fernir reported.

Balefur nodded as they all looked at the latest target. They had razed two more of Jadis' recruiting camps, each time leaving no survivors behind. This next move was a gamble, the White Witch had increased protections on all of her remaining camps, more and more monstrous guards patrolling the area.

The logical was simple. Winter's Fang was the largest of her camp and the witch would anticipate they would avoid it for softer targets. Paradoxically the strongest of her camps was now the least defended, troops drawn to the other two camps in anticipation of a raid. So the pack was going to strike at the heart of Jadis's operation and show to the world just how weak she really was. The she-wolf hoped reverently it would bring the witch out of her hiding and face them on the battlefield.

"BONG! BONG! BONG!"

The gong called out again and again, the massive gates of the compound swinging open as row upon row of monsters marched out, their footsteps shaking the frozen lake the camp was built on. The procession seemed endless, the soldiers like ants marching off to war, bound completely by their mistress's will.

"Good," Balefur growled, "The more than leaves the least we have to deal with."

"Hopefully the two sides slaughter each other," Elias added dryly, "Makes less work for us."

He had lived for a week amongst the wolves now, adapting slowly to their society. The wolves still found him a bit of an enigma, the two-leg that wore clothes and ate and worked with his tools, his orbs and various creations a source of curiosity for the pack. Strange as Elias was the wolves had seen first-hand the destruction he could cause and they respected him for it, appreciating all he had done and could do and most had already accepted him into their pack.

It had been hard for the scientist forced to lived on raw meat and freezing cold stream water, only able to build fires far away from the pack's den. The night was dreadfully cold but the wolves huddled together for warmth, their bodies and fur as good as any furnace to ward the chills away. The pack looked after each other, bathing wounds, sharing food and water in such an altruistic way that put supposedly civilised humans to shame.

His dreams had eased, the old nightmares about Mary and Marcos fading replaced by dreams of running and fighting with wolves. It shook him a little how utterly uncaring he was towards the wolves' brutality and cruel fangs but the lupines only killed those that deserved it, living by their own rules, any indiscretions swiftly exposed and punished by Balefur and the she-wolf. He had come to admire the lupines, his bond with them growing stronger with each day. Their ways, their love and care for each other and their fight for honour and redemption, it was now part of Elias and he was part of them, linked forever in some strange but natural way.

"This is not going to be easy," Balefur warned, growling to his pack, "They know we are out here and they will have more guards."

"We can handle it," the she-wolf growled, "Those creatures are usually too blind to see us before we are ripping their throats out."

Balefur sent her a quelling look as Elias looked across the frozen lake and at their target.

Winter's Fang, the largest training and recruiting hub in the witch's land was a squat ugly cluster of stone buildings perched upon a circular plane of clear frozen glass, ringed by walls that towered high into the sky. It had one massive gate as its main entrance, worked by a complex design of pulleys and ropes manned from dawn to dusk by ogres and trolls. The camp had twenty barracks, packed to the rafter with creatures and its roost housed flying creatures of all description and viciousness but what truly set the Fang apart from everything else was its forges.

Winter's Fang was the centre of Jadis' armoury, billows powering forges to burning white intensity as monsters tolled day and night with hammer and tong, shaping steel to weapons and shields. The mines were nearby, the earth gouged as the witch's troops leeched what preciousness they could from the dirt.

If the wolf pack could destroy the Fang and eliminate the forges it would all but cripple Jadis' army, depriving her creatures' of their arms.

It was a desperate almost suicidal mission but one that came with vast and immense rewards.

"Is everything in place?" Balefur asked.

Elias nodded having spent the last week carefully testing the ice and identifying natural fractures and cracks in the frost.

"Ready," Elias nodded.

His clothes were dirty and torn, his hair wild, the scientist looking more a savage than the cultured learned man he was but he had began to embrace the ways of the wolf, the simple and direct approach to life, shorn of the denial and self-delusions that human still to indulge in all too often.

"Good…"

Balefur lifted his head.

"AWOOOOOOOO!"

And Elias tossed a fire orb into the crack at his feet jumping back.

"BOOM!"

Fire sliced through the thick ice, white shards spraying the sky as cracks ran deep through the frozen surface.

"BOOM!"

Another explosion rang out, triggered by the first as cracks joined, merging as a large break began to form, zigzagging through the ice, travelling along the ground like a writhing snake.

"BOOM!"

The crack streaked towards Winter's Fang's great wall, building speed and momentum as more explosions rang out, craters punching deep as each exploded.

"BOOM!"  
"GET READY!" Balefur roared.

"BOOM!"

The crack finally slammed into the wall as a final orb dropped into the ice detonated. The smoke cleared and the world held its breath for a half a second as the wall stood strong, charred but otherwise apparently unharmed by the forces that had just torn through it. Then –

"BOOOOOOOOMMM!"  
Stones fell, mortar crumbling to dust as the wall fell. It simply collapsed, the whole structure falling into the crack into the ice as Balefur howled.

"RUNNING DEATH!"  
The she-wolf's eyes were red with bloodlust and battle fury.  
"RUNNING DEATH!"  
Fernir and Elias charged forwards, echoing the cry.

"RUNNING DEATH!"

The wolves sprinted across the ice, pushing through the smoke and lingering flames as those left in the compound struggled to respond, dazed by the explosions that had rocked them. Elias threw an orb forwards as the wolves lunged, the invasion of Winter's Fang beginning with a terrifying bang.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Caspian and his troops had camped near Winter's Fang for a week, observing the place, identifying weaknesses and making plans to invade the stronghold and steal away with the horn.

"So it is locked in the central tower?" Caspian questioned.

The owl bobbed his head as Beaver whistled lowly, looking at the place.

"That will be a tough nut to crack,' he predicted, "I just hope we have a hammer big enough."

"Don't worry," Redfern said stoutly, "I'm sure Caspian has a way."

The king had grimaced at his words, knowing that everyone looked to him for ideas and for a way to snatch the horn from their enemies. He had sent Marmaru and his mice into the stronghold, sent birds to fly over the place and report as slowly the layout of the place came together as well as patterns of activity and some noted individuals. Slowly from the mess of information, a plan had begun to emerge, Caspian waiting for the right moment to strike and that moment had finally come today.

The robin fell from the sky and landed onto the snow, chattering loudly as Caspian waited, grim-faced.

"The Lady of the Green Kirtle has attacked!" the red bird cried, "The time has come!"

The camp instantly froze, for all their planning and anticipation and chafing for the wait, the moment still shook them all. A charge went through the beasts, adrenaline and nerves getting to them as Caspian swiftly rose to his feet, the picture of a leader, calm and in control, his nerves carefully tucked away.

"Get ready," he ordered, "We move at once!"

He led his people down to the shores of the frozen lake, watching as thousands of creatures spilled from Winter's Fang's gate, the place draining of its soldiers. Up close the stronghold looked as impenetrable as ever but now that the moment had arrived Caspian felt calm, secure in the knowledge he had done all he could to prepare him and his men now it was time for battle, all worries laid aside as blade and instinct did all the thinking and talking.

"You remember the plan?" Caspian asked.

"Yes sir!" Marmaru saluted as Redfern, Bach and Beaver nodded.

"Remember this," Caspian said softly looking at them all, "This is our one chance to free your lands. This is our one chance to drag the horn from the witch's cold hands. We cannot fail because if we do not succeed Jadis with place the horn far away from us and we might lose our chance forever."  
He unsheathed his sword, holding it up to the light.

"Do not let this chance pass you by," he continued, unblinking as he gazed at his troops.

His words calmed them, his passion buoying them. He was like the sun, radiating confidence and courage filling his men up with it as they responded, standing taller and stronger. In battle battles were sometimes lost before the charge, soldiers giving up before they had even begun fighting. Caspian knew the odds they were up against, knew the forces that threatened to crush them but he refused to give up and he refused to let his army surrender.

"The world is relying on you," Caspian continued, "All that you love is relying on you. Do not shame them. Fight with all you have, give all you have if need be but do not give up."

He raised his sword, the blade glinting in the sun.

"AND THIS DAY WILL BE OURS!" he roared.

He charged onto the ice, his army following him but suddenly the ice shook and cracked.

"What…" Caspian began, frowning.

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"  
He watched, wide-eyed as explosions tore the ice apart before slamming into one of Winter's Fang's walls, crumbling it in one might blow. White and grey figures streaked across the frozen lake, a very familiar figure amongst them.

"ELIAS!" Caspian gasped.

He stood, paralysed with shock as his army shuffled, unnerved. A million thoughts and questions ran through his head, Caspian shaking his head as he realised he had no answers to any of them.

"Sir!" Bach yelled, his voice screechy with panic, "What – "  
Caspian blinked, shaking himself. He looked resolutely at the broken wall and smiled coldly.

"Well, that just makes our job easier," he said casually.

His troupe relaxed, reassured by his words as Caspian pointed his sword forwards as determined and hard as ever.

"CHARGGGEEEE!"  
And the army sprung forwards, sprinting and skidding across the ice as the liberation of the horn of legends began.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Author's note – again sorry about the long delay. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	62. Lessons

Sorry about the long wait. But apparently my holiday stopped becoming a holiday once I realised I had to study or risk failing my next exams (GAAAH!) But here it is. Enjoy! And please, please, please review – they are fuel for my muse!

Disclaimer: Narnian characters belong to C.S. Lewis, everything else is all mine!

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 62: Lessons**

The scent of perfume hung thick and rich in the air, lingering on the velvet drapes that so prettily covered the windows barring view to the bleak lands outside. Candles flickered, their glow giving warmth to a place that was utterly bereft of it, beauty caked on this place like rouge on a hag. A string quartet played, soft music humming through the air, both lifting and mourning at all the same time. Guests richly robed in velvet and silk and lace spun serenely in wide circles, women clutched to strong chests as they waltzed across the smooth polished floors graceful and mesmerising.

Suddenly the huge doors swung open, a slim figure framed in the threshold as the Master of Ceremonies lifted his staff and tapped it importantly against the ground, the sound ringing out and bringing silence in its wake as the guests turned.

"Presenting," the stout man said grandly, "Her majesty, Queen Susan the Gentle of Narnia!"

Dressed in a rich wine-red gown that hung loosely from her shoulders and swept down her body to end in a long royal train, Susan held her head high as she marched into the ballroom to the accompaniment of polite applause. Sapphires dripped her from ears and throat but they were no much to the brilliant fire in her blue eyes as she instantly found the target of her ire.

"Bastard," Susan growled under her breath.

Sweeping grandly through the crowd, cutting through them like a shark through shallows Susan was every inch the grand queen, bowing to no one, her sharp tongue and displeasure ready to cut her enemies down.

"What is this farce?" Susan thundered.

The guests quickly pulled back from her, bland looks on their faces as they all decided there were more important places to be.

Eyes showing flames and torture and death peered down at Susan, piercing her in a thousand places but Susan held strong, her fury her shield.

"What is this?" she demanded through gritted teeth.

"You do not enjoy this celebration in your honour?" he replied, his voice all fangs and treachery.

His words shook with power, embodied with a thousand screams and a thousand bloody blades sliding into flesh, they struck Susan like a physical blow, bruising her as she held her ground.

Aslan's face rose into her mind, a shield against the malevolent power that crashed against her and he instantly hissed, thwarted and furious.

"I refused to take your blessing before and I refuse to take it now," Susan hissed.

Tash laughed, his castle, his Cair Paravel shaking with his mirth.

"You think you can refuse?" Tash demanded, his arms twitching as his claws dug into his skeleton throne.

He looked at her, his vulture head bald and ugly except for the golden crown that perched upon it. He clacked his beak together, the foulness of a field of bloated corpses sweeping over Susan like poison itself. She blanched, her stomach fighting the tightness in her throat. She kept silent not trusting her own body.

"Why do you think Aslan sent you here," everything was said with a serpent's hiss, "He knew you needed me."

"I don't need anything from you," Susan spat.

Tash looked amused, the guests were still dancing, everyone ignoring the argument that was taking place right before their eyes.

"You think you can fight fate?" Tash mocked, "Viola, herself, a goddess foresaw this would take place. You think you can fight her? You can fight me?"

Susan clenched her teeth.

"You are facing two of the strongest darknesses that little man-boy has crafted," the Death God chuckled, "He gave them gifts to make them stronger than the witches you remember from your own little lives. You will need me to break them."

"I don't need you… I have my friends," Susan spat back into his face.

Tash rolled his great eyes and leaned back, his hands moving to his sides and stretching up. Susan gasped as his claws closed and seemed to snatch some grey shifting mass from thin-air. Without even blinking Tash popped the mist into his beak and bit down, screams filling the air as he swallowed whatever he had just devoured.

"Your friends are scattered. The one you call Jason is in my care tutored by one of my own. That mangy cat is with an agent of the gods travelling across a strange land to acquire a treasure," Tash said flatly, "The others remain in the world you left, separated."

Susan's eyes widened as fear punched her hard.

"What? Take me to them! AT ONCE!" she barked.

Tash smiled cruelly, relishing her shock.

"No."

Susan bit down hard, accidentally slicing her tongue open. Blood rushed into her throat but she refused to show it, glowering with fury.

"Why not?" she asked in a high cold voice.

"Because this is where you are supposed to be," Tash pointed at her with all four hands, "You need my gifts to destroy the witches."

"Why would you help me? You never do anything without it benefiting you," Susan said icily, "So the legends say."

Tash chuckled amused more than angered by her accusations.

"Well read," he urged, "Yes, I need your help in return. So do we have a bargain? I give you the gifts you need to destroy the witches and let you free and from you I demand a simple boon."

"Simple? I highly doubt it," Susan said dryly, "And it's not like I have a choice."

She looked up at Tash's terrible face, wondering why the Calormens would worship such a tyrannical deity. She felt sick, knowing what she had to do. Making deals with the devil himself…

"Yes, this will end well," she muttered.

But she had no choice. The witches had to be destroyed, she had to be reunited with her friends and family and she had to do it fast. Susan closed her eyes and the words came like poison to her throat.

"Yes."

Tash laughed as Susan looked away, ashamed and knowing she had just sold a part of her soul away.

"Now just give me my blessing and see my off," she commanded coolly.

"You think it's that simple?" Tash hissed, "No…"

He punched the walls and every guest in the room instantly screamed, burning and melting like wax as Susan recoiled, gagging on smoke and stench.

"We have to get you ready," Tash laughed, "Come!"

And he unfolded himself from his throne and stalked away, his cloak flying behind him like night as Susan followed, walking very, very slowly.

. . . . . . . .

"Sooo…" Zaru coughed trying to draw Marshtrom's attention.

But the… the whatever he was refused to look at him, silently plodding his way through the fen. They had been travelling for about three days, Zaru's nerves raw as everywhere they went the fluttering of gossamer wings and the clacking of hardened mandibles chased them, driving them deeper into the swamplands.

His blue-grey eyes flicked upwards his skin crawling as he stared at the strange wounded red sky, the sun seemingly dimming before his very eyes. He shuddered and scanned the marshes, the soupy land as bleak and dreadful as everything Zaru had seen in this blighted place.

Mist clung to the blood-red water, shifting and moving as though alive as the water frothed and boiled at random turns, the ground sucking at one's feet with each step.

"What is this place?" Zaru demanded.

His strange companion was taciturn more giving to mumbling to himself than talking to the leopard but this was one of the few times he deigned to answer.

"It's a backdoor," Marshtrom said almost monotonously, "It shall lead us to where we need to go whilst avoiding the Swarm. They don't like to linger here, the humidity affects them."  
"I think it's affecting me as well," Zaru muttered, sweat turning his fur into a sticky mess.

He spoke up.

"And where exactly are we heading?" he growled.

The almost-amphibian looking man turned to look at him, his face glum like his namesake.

"Doesn't matter," he said morosely, "We'll probably die 'fore then."

"And in the off-chance that we will do make it?" Zaru demanded.

Marshtrom shrugged.

"Then we'll just die there instead of here."

Zaru blinked as Marshtrom forded through the waters, uncaring that the red waters was staining his clothes. Zaru retched at the stench of rot the movements stirred up, his ears pricked as he listened for the tell-tale clicks and screeches of the Swarm. They had been lucky to escape them thus far, Zaru's senses their only saving grace as sometimes they had fled only minutes before the immense plagues of insect monsters descended.

Jadis and Aita's armies continued to search, sweeping across the wastelands as Zaru and Marshtrom watched from afar. The leopard was now incredibly sensitive to the glimmering aurora that betrayed the Ice-Wraiths' presence, the frost-demons moving in vast shimmering packs, the air freezing in their presence. Nagas and human soldiers marched in straight lines, disciplined, bearing grand smoking and flaming torches that held the Swarm at bay. But already Zaru had witnesses the fury of the insects and had been repulsed by their ferocious nature, the monsters simply overwhelming their enemies and tearing them to pieces as they screamed, feeding as the insects flew and crawled into battle, carapace and claws as deadly as armour and swords.

He had seen a Naga thrash as he was disembowelled, giant compound-eyed creatures feeding noisily as he had gurgled on his own blood.

Zaru swallowed and sent Marshtrom a resentful look. He still didn't know what he was doing here or where he was meant to go. He simply followed Marshtrom aimlessly, unsure if the man was leading him towards salvation or doom. His nerves were shredding, falling apart as hunger and exhaustion took his toll and finally the leopard had had enough.

"STOP!" Zaru barked.

Marshtrom swivelled to look at him, foot raised in mid-step. Zaru hissed at him and the man dropped his feet, his hands raised to show he was unarmed. Zaru's eyes narrowed as his tail twitched, his claws scraping the dirt.

"Either you tell me what's going on or –"

The man's mouth clamped shut as stubbornly as all the times Zaru had asked before but the leopard was not in the mood for games.

"… I roar and bring the Swarms down on us," he growled savagely, "And be quick about it!"

Marshtrom blanched.

"You don't want to do that," he said, emotions finally in his voice, "We'll be killed!"

Zaru licked his lips, his eyes betraying no fear or hesitation.  
"Well, I need to know what's happening or I'll be killed!" Zaru snapped back, "Marshtrom! Who are you? What are we doing here?"

The lanky mottled man looked at him before sighing, tipping his straw hat back, muddy eyes staring at him.

"We don't have muc – "

Zaru opened his mouth, preparing a roar and Marshtrom panicked.

"Okay! Okay! Just listen!" he said, "I was sent here… by Aslan."

The leopard stared at him, stunned.

"Aslan? You're a Narnian?" Zaru barked incredulously.

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously hackles raised as suspicious arose, his claws unsheathed as he readied himself for treachery.

"How come I haven't heard of your… whatever you are?" he demanded.

Marshtrom ignored that last statement and ploughed on hurriedly.

"I was chosen because… well it's because I'm too frivolous. I can't teach my son the seriousness of life. I'm just too happy – "

Zaru choked at that. Happy? Happy? What was wrong with him?

"And this will help me learn to settle down and be a proper father," Marshtrom said a lot less dourness than usual, possibly enthused for the glum creature, "I was brought here to guide a person… which I'm guessing is you, to something which the witches and hence the Great Darkness searches desperately for."  
"The Great Darkness?" Zaru bristled, "What could he…"

"The Deplorable Word," Marshtrom said grandly.

He peered at the leopard expecting the cat to scream and break down into tears but he was only rewarded with startled blink. Zaru suddenly hissed, ire rising.

"A word? You've got me slogging through all this for a word?" he yelped, "Alright that does it! We're turning around and you're getting me the hell out of here!"  
Marshtrom smiled, a strange peculiar stretching of the lips that looked very peculiar on the man's usually pinched and solemn face.

"It's a word… that if spoken would destroy the world forever," he said with relish, "Can you imagine it? Even knowing such a thing would make a person more serious!"

He beamed at Zaru but the leopard was choking, his eyes wide as he took in that little titbit.

"Destroy a worl – " he stopped, his body trembling, "Oh."

His shoulders slumped as the enormity of the situation crushed down on him. Someone, Aslan or whoever, had decided he would be the one to snatch this prize from the Great Darkness, to stop the monster from possessing such dreadful power.

Zaru grimaced realising how much was at stake here. If he failed the war might be lost by tomorrow. He looked at Marshtrom and despair set in, a cat and a toad-man against the armies of the White Witch and the Green Lady, not to mention the ravenous insects that stalked this land… he really, really didn't like those odds. Despair rose threatening to drown him but the leopard stiffened and held his head high.

'_I will not fail,' _he promised himself, _'Aslan… Susan… I will not disappoint you!' _  
"As for who I am…" Marshtrom trailed off and looked at him, realising the leopard wasn't fully listening.

He stepped into the water, his webbed feet splaying out and pressing down on the liquid red splashing it everywhere, the noisy step drawing Zaru's attention back.

"How about this?" the man offered, "I tell you my story of how I ended up here and you tell me yours."  
"Bird. Big bird. Sent me here," Zaru said flatly.

Marshtrom sighed, a long sad expulsion of the breath that seemed like a defeat and a cry for help but it just made Zaru want to tear out his throat.

"I mean how you came to travel the worlds," the tall man corrected.

Zaru grumbled under his breath and looked all around him. For leagues ahead all he could see was more red waters and more swamp, no trees or mounds in sight to break up the dreary monotony. It would be several more days travel at least and Zaru wasn't particularly well-known for his patience or ability to handle boredom. He looked back to Marshtrom and sighed, regretting what he would say next.

"Fine," Zaru growled roughly, "You first."

Marshtrom nodded and they began to move once more, treading through the depending waters, Zaru's fur stained orange and pink by the blood-red waters as death clung all around him.

"I am a Marsh-Wiggle. Lived in the marshes all my live until Aslan came to me and brought me here. I waited then you came," Marshtrom stopped, "Done."

Zaru started, almost falling over and drowning himself.

"WHAT?"  
"That's it," Marshtrom mourned, "My life has been to enjoyable to date.'

"But surely – " Zaru stopped as the Marsh-Wiggle's shoulders slumped, "Oh fine! I'll you my story!"  
And opening his mouth, Zaru began.

. . . . . . . .

It started from clear pools high in the mountains, the waters the colour of sky and earth, reflecting and transparent as it streamed down the slopes, veining dead rocks with the blood of life. Brooks became streams, streams merging and twining to form rivers that carved through earth, flowing with the power to grind down mountains if given the gift of time. One river roared mightier than the rest, its waters churning with rocks and silt as it crashed down the slopes. It flew over the edge of a precipice, plummeting down in a sheer wall of thundering water. Rainbow shimmered through the curtains of water, its beauty masking the falls raw strength as it fell only to be swallowed by a dark crack in the ground entering the gullet of the earth and disappearing from the light of day.

It was not a peaceful place to be, besieged by the roars of the falls and wild splashes that left one gasping from the sudden chill. But just a hand-span away, Jason sat awkwardly cross-legged as he tried to regain his control, growling furious as he sought to reign in the powers that now burned his soul. It fought him, thrashing against his will, wanting nothing more than to lash out and kill. Jason let out a scream, his eyes blazing with power as it broke out of his control, a slash of fire obliterating a tree as Jason leapt to his feet, clawing at the air as though trying to pull it physically back.

"BAM!"

He fell, groaning as the Hermit of the Southern Marches shook his fist.

"Enough of that!" the sage snapped, "Concentrate!"

A hateful glare struck him but the Hermit was unruffled, merely raising a brow.

"It's a bit hard to!" Jason snarled, "You know with the waterfall right in my ears!"

The Hermit whacked him again, the Seeker glaring down at him but he had suffered enough from the sage's craft to know better than to strike him. The first time he'd tried he had been unconscious for half a day.  
"You wish to use your powers in battle?" the Hermit demanded scornfully, "Do you think your enemies will be nice enough to be quiet when you kill them?"

"ARGH!"  
Jason pointed and a huge smoking crater was blown into the earth. He staggered back, gasping for breath as the Hermit glared at him.

"Now that you've had your moment of childishness," the Hermit pointed at the ground, "FOCUS!"

Grumbling and still fuming, Jason sat heavily closing his eyes and reaching for his powers once more. The Hermit called the white fire the ruach or neshamah and he a serafine but would not explain beyond that.

Jason cursed in his head, his anger and frustration fanning the white embers of the ruach to an inferno. The exercise was simple - draw enough power to change the flow of the water without disrupting it completely. Before he had unlocked his true strength, Jason could've waved his hands and had it done in a thrice but now trying to refine his powers was like capturing a single drop of rain and no more from a storm. Every chink he put into his rigid control, the power would explode forwards. Already the ground and cliff was gouged in dozen places and Jason was exhausted.

He growled and focused once more, delving deep and going to the place where his power was seated and guarded. He floated there observing its brilliant blaze, its potential for destruction and its thirst for it.

He probed it with his mind and knew this was a thing that had awoken the moment he had seen his dead daughter, a monster that had been conjured to do what was needed for vengeance. So how could he control such a beast?

Jason cursed as the Hermit circled him, watching closely, his own powers drifting and observing the man.

"Find your centre. Find an anchor," the Hermit repeated the words again, "It is the way. You need to find some solid in all the madness that lingers there. Find it."

Centre? What bloody centre?

Jason cursed and the power instantly reacted, slamming into his shields and causing him to grunt in pain.

"Something precious to you," the Hermit continued in that low deliberate voice, "Something that makes you keep going when you should've dropped dead a long time ago. Something that… inspires you."

Inspire…

That was only one thing Jason could think, a slim blue-eyed girl (no… a woman…) who had earned his respect and awe a thousand times over with her grace and her strength and her charity. He had seen her weep over lost lives, blood-splattered as she stood again hordes of monsters, seen her love and laugh and seen her broken and yet still trying to keep it all in.

Susan.

The words lingered in his mind and to his shock the ruach, the white fire, his power, seemed to die, flaring before slowly claming, its broiling surface smoother than before.

Triumph flared and Jason fed more images and memories into the fire, showing it things he would never dare say aloud.

He gave them a loud-mouthed leopard who was loyal and true and sharp-eyed in more than one way, a creature he was proud to call friend and brother-in-arms.

He bequeathed the flames intelligence and curiosity tempered by morals and dignity, showed them a father's love and guiding hands.

He forced the ruach to accept wit and sarcasm and courage, gave them a person who was powerless and yet never gave up.

He gave them two kings, both noble and stubborn and proud and the flames responded.

Jason smiled.

He had found his centre, his anchor… his constant.

"Good," the Hermit saw the change and smiled, "NOW! GO!"  
Jason's eyes snapped open and he pointed at the falls. No fire flew from his hands but something unseen pushed the curtains of water apart, splitting it down the middle. The fire played to his tune and orders, fury quelled.

"Good! Good!"

Jason rose and whirled on the Hermit, his eyes blazing with power but now gleaming with confidence.

"Great, I'm done," Jason snarled, "Now let me go back to my companions!"

The Hermit smiled at her with a grin that did not reach his eyes.

"I'm sorry but we're only just beginning," the old man said.

"WHAT?" Jason barked, "LOOK!"

He pointed and a single leaf was cut from tree, fluttering to the ground, its neighbours not moving a single inch.

"I have control," Jason gritted out, white fire dancing along his fingers.  
He twisted his hands and it died out.

"Really? Complete control?" the Hermit's voice was deceptively soft, a blade in the back as one defended the front, "Are you willing to put a wager on that?"

"What – "

Before Jason could react, the Hermit grabbed his hands and memories came to life. Jason screamed, buckling as that terrible night came back to life, the Seeker surrounded by all those he loved as they laid dead on the ground.

"YOLANDA!"

Her blank eyes stared up at him, wondering why he hadn't been there.

"DELILAH!"  
His daughter limp in his arms.  
"NOOOOOO!"

"BOOM!"

A tree was thrown into the air, uprooted as white fire burned in Jason's yes.

"No…"  
The guilt. The crush, suffocating guilt. How he hated himself. How he…

"STOP!"

The Hermit stumbled back, a vicious force punching him in the chest. Jason stood, quivering, his breath choking as the sage looked at him sympathetically.

"See?" the Hermit said, "If you leave that wound untouched, the poisons within will fester and go stronger and one day you will meet one who would use it against you."

Jason looked at him, dead-eyed.

"Come," the sage said gently, "Your training continues."

And he led the Seeker away.

. . . . . . . .

"You have two gifts already," Tash's face and voice told her how pathetic he viewed those blessings, "And yet you had shied away from them never mining their true potentials."

Susan held her tongue, merely glaring at the god as he rose. They were standing on the thin stone ridge leading to Cair Paravel, Susan barely bringing herself to use that name, below them a steep fall into utter darkness.

"The gift I offer is one of death and darkness, if you are not strong it will burn you up from the inside or pull you towards something you might not wish to become," Tash growled under his breath, "Humans and their morals. So sickening!"

Tash swivelled to look at her and Susan's breath fled as she stared into his eyes and saw the torment of a thousand souls, each locked in their own personal eternal hell. She tried to tell herself they deserved it, that all of them had been murderers or worse but nobody, not even the most bloodthirsty of tyrant deserved that as their punishment.

"You need to build the strengths of your own two gifts because they will counteract what I offer, fighting against my will so that you are caught in the middle like a prisoner tied to horses stretching in opposite directions," Tash laughed, his foul breath ghosting over Susan's face as she gagged, "They will stop your descent into what you call darkness and what I call superiority."

"Stretched?" Susan hesitated, "What if break?"  
"Then you die," Tash said flatly, "And I will find another to take you place."

Susan glared up at the god, terrified of his foul countenance and endless cruelty but she forced herself to talk, forced herself to be defiant and uncowed. As always Tash seemed amused by her efforts, chuckling to himself as four arms flexed and stretched.

"You need me," Susan growled, "You need me for something. If I die… you won't get a single thing."

Tash was delighted, shaking his great hand as his clawed talons stamped the ground, the god laughing as thunder and winds responded to the sound, Susan almost pushed off the ridge as gales howled through her.

"You dare threaten me?" Tash cackled.

He looked at her, moving with a seducer's slow and purposeful gaze as Susan felt her heart stop.

"Oh… I like you."

It was an intimate whisper, for her ears only. He licked his fanged break as sweat poured down Susan's ashen face.

"The first gift you must work on is the one Artemis gave you."

He seemed to pluck the hunt goddess's bow and quiver from thin air, handing it to Susan. The queen was careful to avoid his filthy hands and hooked claws but Tash shifted, brushing her with them and laughed as she squeaked.

Susan flushed, furious at her lack of control as Tash straightened.

"You think it's only the weapons. You think it's only the ability to see in the dark," Tash shook his head, "It's much, much more than that. You must become one with it to realise."

He rose to his full height, his eyes burning in the darkness like coals as all four hands pointed at Susan, condemning her.

"So what? You're going to teach me?" Susan demanded, quailing but refusing to stop it, "We're going to have little lessons?"

Tash laughed, throwing his head back as lightning speared through clouds and into the ground.

"There are some things that cannot be taught," he chuckled, "Some things have to be lived through.

"What…" Susan looked at him in shock, clutching her weapons, "What… what do I – "

"Hunt down my men. There are three in total," Tash said flatly, "Don't die."

And he shoved Susan in the back sending the queen sprawling forwards. With a cry she tripped and fell over the edge, plummeting into the darkness as Tash's laughs chased her down to the end.

. . . . . . . .

Zaru bowed his head, his voice hushed as he gave words to a tale he had not told to anyone before. Marshtrom continued to walk, pushing through the waters as Zaru followed, gagging at the stench of blood.

"It was near the end of the Telmarine's thirteen hundred years of reign that I lost my family," the leopard said softly.

Marshtrom made some incoherent noise but surprisingly his lack of concern was a balm to Zaru's raw feelings. Too often people were quick to sympathise and cry and offer a dozen apologies and condolences. This lack of reaction was almost refreshing and it didn't drag up dark memories like anything else would.

Why was it when you lost someone everyone expected you to cry and beat the earth and scream to the heavens the injustice of it all? There seemed to be some rules that Zaru was ignorant of that dictated what was and what wasn't acceptable. Apparently wanting to forget or wanting to laugh was treated in turn with rumours and spite, apparently wanting to play and revel in what was left instead of curling up into a ball and wanting to die amounted to a crime in itself.

The more dramatic and loud you were the more acceptable your grief was, all others forms and nuances were shunned, treated like a leper in a village.

Zaru sighed and let his anger go.

"War was in the air," he said softly, Marshtrom straining to hear him, "King Caspian the Tenth, then Prince of the Telmarines had struck the first blow against his own people. And the Telmarine reacted savagely and with fire and sword…"

* * *

_Flashback_

Zaru lifted his head and sniffed.

"Smoke," he whispered, eyes wide, "SMOKE!"  
His shrill voice carried far into the woods as the rest of the creatures looked up, confused.

"Are you sure?" a stag asked, "I don't sense a thing."  
"He's young," a fox soothed, "Probably just imaging things."

Zaru glared at him as the animals seemed to calm, soothed by the fox's suggestion but the leopard knew better.

"I smell smoke," he growled, "We need to get away from here! NOW!"  
He roared turning to run but a bear grabbed onto his tail jerking him. Zaru hissed, whirling and trying to slash at him, furious and humiliated.

"Listen young one," the bear snorted, "We will not go gallivanting off into the woods because you can't tell smoke from wind. There's…"

"What's going on?"

A male and female leopard, older than Zaru and more sleek and elegant and deadly joined the small troop of animals, frowning at their son. They were all heading towards Aslan's How chasing rumours of lost kings and queens and magical horns. Zaru personally thought it was all a load of rubbish. Aslan was a myth, this King Peter and Queen Susan rubbish was just that and don't even get him started on the Telmarine prince who had defected…

"Quiet your son!" the fox scolded glaring at Zaru, "He's frightening everyone with his tale of smoke and – "

"SMOKE?" Fleet turned to her son, eyes wide, "Are you sure?"  
Zaru sent a sneer at the astonished fox before nodding to his mother, careful to put a humble look on his furry face. Rakash cursed loudly, ears pinned back.

"GO!" Rakash roared, the older leopard turning swiping at his friends, "RUN!"

"But – " the bear began as some of the animals protested loudly.

Rakash and Fleet howled claws unsheathed.

"GO!" Fleet screamed, "Or I'll tell your throat out where you stand!"  
Terrified by the two deranged cats, the animals turned and fled. The fox suddenly froze in mid-step, turning back as he sniffed the air. Acrid and foul it floated towards them, heat shrivelling the leaves as the fox cursed loudly.

"SMOKE! SMOKE!" he yelped.

"Yes," Zaru snapped, "Because I didn't so say already!"

"Quiet!" his father scolded, "RUN!"  
The three leopards flew through the woods, their lithe bodies weaving between bushes and trees, leaping onto the roots and leaping off, ducking and dodging as they led the animals away from the flames that had appeared on the horizon. The fire came like a row of monsters, each glow burningly bright, munching through the foliage with greedy maws as trees fell and shrivelled, becoming fuel tot the inferno.

The animals were panicking, shrieking in fear as fire came from their flanks, knifing through the trees in a blade that killed one with a single stroke. The winds changed, driving the fire onwards with terrifying speed as they crashed through the undergrowth, racing for their lives.

"THIS WAY!" Fleet screamed, "THIS WAY!"  
Zaru could barely see her, the air clogged with black and grey. He followed with his ears, bumping into other running forms as terrified screams told him others had tripped. He grimaced, the heat forcing him on. Suddenly his eyes widened.

"NO!"

He sniffed again and instantly picked up a fresh scent on the wind, overlaying the smoke that choked his lungs.

"MOTHER! FATHER! TELMARINES!" he screamed.

They exploded out from foliage covers, all around them, the men monsters of gleaming armour and crossbow.

"RUN!" Rakash screamed, throwing himself at the first man he saw.

"FATHER!"  
"GO!"  
Fleet and the bear lumbered forwards, bellowing their war cries as they crashed into the ambushers.

"TWHIP! TWHIP! TWHIP!"  
"GARGH!"

Creatures fell, screaming and shrieking as Zaru looked all around in confusion, blinking as tears came to his face.  
"MOTHER! FATHER!"  
He leapt back, a Telmarine crunching to the ground as the bear screamed, swinging his heavy paws around.

A satyr fell, his chest sprouting a dozen shafts as a squirrel was knocked from its perch on the tries falling into the flames that began to ring them.

Zaru was terrified, too scared to lunge forwards and join the fight, too paralysed to flee.

"MOTHER! FATHER!"

"COME ON!"  
Zaru whirled and hissed, slashing the fox across the face as the russet-coloured animal howled in pain.

"COME ON!"

Screaming with fury, the fox snapped forwards snagging his tail in sharp teeth.

"RUN!" the fox jerked him away.

Confused and choking on smoke, Zaru whirled and followed the fox as the forest burned all around them. They ran, leaping over fallen logs, ducking as embers flew at them like falcons.

"WHERE –" the fox looked around desperately, fire all around, "WHERE DO WE GO?"  
Zaru tried to sniff the air but yelped as heat seared his nose. He staggered back, eyes blinking furiously against the sting of smoke as he looked around.

A strange figure seemed to emerge in the twist and play of flames, grave eyes staring at him as a mane fluttered with the fire. The lion in the fire turned and walked away, disappearing into embers as Zaru blinked.

"THIS WAY!" he yelled plunging into the fire where the lion had gone, "THIS WAY!"

Fresh air smacked them as they burst through a screen of fire and raced to a riverbank, scrambling through the icy water and onto the other side. The fox slumped to the ground, coughing as Zaru twisted, his eyes reflecting red and gold.

His face contorted.

"MOTHER! FATHER!" he screamed, looking back at the inferno, "MOTHER!"

"Zaru…"

The leopard whirled on the fox and saw his tears.

"NO!" Zaru screamed, "DAMN YOU! NO! THEY'RE NOT… THEY'RE…"  
He stared at the blaze and knew in his heart of hearts that they were gone.

"No… they're…"  
The fox licked his face as tenderly as a mother as the young leopard broke down and cried in a world where he was all alone.

_End of flashback_

_

* * *

_

Zaru stopped, his throat choking him.

"I'm sorry," Marshtrom said quietly.

Zaru shrugged apathetically, attempting casualness before he continued on as they continued to march through the marsh.

. . . . . . . .

Susan walked slowly, the ground beneath her covered in treacherous shale that crumbled underfoot, the queen losing her balance time and time again.

"Gah!"

She hit the ground, rough gravel slicing into her knees as she cursed, rising slowly, blood dripping down her leg.

"I hate you Tash…" the queen gritted out, trying to balance on the ground as the rocks shifted and moved beneath her weight.

She used her bow as a walking stick, grunting as she limped to a patch of solid ground.

"Damn it," she hissed, probing the wound.

It wasn't deep but it bleed profusely, a trail of blood glistening in her wake. With a sigh she tore a strip of her own shirt away and fashioned a rough bandage, brushing her wound clean before binding it tightly.

She looked up, slowly scanning her surroundings. The sky high above was dark and chaotic, stormheads colliding as lightning sparked between, their wild flashes the only light in this twisted place. But she had seen enough to know she was in a forest of stone, huge columns of wind-shaped monoliths sprouting from pebble-covered ground. Some cliffs soared leagues overhead shaping the land into a natural labyrinth as lightning flared against, shadows becoming a sharp of knives along the ground.

Susan cursed.

She had been taught to track and was better than all her siblings at it, her eyes sharper and more attune with the world around her. But any hunter knew that tracking pray through water or on solid hard rock was almost impossible, no quarry leaving no track or sign. She turned slowly on the spot, eyes flitting to the ground as she looked desperately for anything, an upturned stone or… or… or…

She stopped and sighed.

"I'm really grasping at straws," she muttered disgustedly.

At least the darkness wasn't a barrier to her, Artemis's gift enabling her to see as well in the gloom as in the light. But being able to see didn't mean anything if she couldn't find a trail.

Susan looked around her and sighed, randomly picking a direction and walking towards it, her senses sharp as she kept an arrow to her bowstring.

Something clicked in the shadows, her head snapping towards it. She instantly swung her bow around, ready to fire as she inched towards the noise, carefully keeping her balance on the uneven ground.

There was a hollow in the stone block, the inside so pitch black even her enhanced sight could not penetrate its darkness. She swallowed, her hands steady as she pulled back smoothly on her string, ready to fire, ready to –

Lightning flared and a form came from her left, blindsiding her as fierce war cry punched the air.

"BAM!"  
Susan smacked into the ground as hard armour cracked her ribs before she rolled with the blow, swinging her bow around and cracking her attacker hard in the knees. He stumbled as she leapt to her feet.

Her heart was mashing itself around her chest, her mind in an uproar. Where did he come from? How come she didn't hear or see or notice a single thing?

Her attacker roared and charged again.

"DIE!"

"CLANG!"  
Her metal and wood bow was knocked aside as Susan leapt back, a silver sword slicing through her shirt, barely missing her skin.

"DIE YOU NARNIAN FILTH!"

Miraz's dark face flushed, his eyes bulging from his head. Susan blanched, she had seen the king on the battle field and his skills with the sword was one she did not want to test. Worse for all her skill and speed and grace, she was fighting in tight quarters, the man's superior strength and hard armour enough to crush her if he landed a single blow.

"CLANG!"

Susan twisted her bow around his sword, knocking the point of the ground but she had to lunge back as Miraz punched at her, his gauntlet barely missing her face. He pulled his sword free and chopped at her, Susan dancing backwards to avoiding getting sliced at two.

"YOU!" Miraz was beside himself with fury, "YOU AND YOUR BLASTED SIBLINGS! YOU COST MY PEOPLE THEIR LANDS!"

Susan's eyes flared as Miraz swung at her, the queen diving out of the way and almost smacking into a boulder as the sword struck the ground, sparks flying.

"Your land?" Susan mocked, taunting him, "I think I have a prior claim… usurper!"

She watched as molten murderous hate fell over his face.

"I AM THE RIGHTFUL KING!"

The next flurry of attacks came with blistering speed, Susan's wounded knee bleeding freely as she ducked and twisted, sword missing her flesh by mere whiskers. Miraz was a demon, possessed by his anger, attacking with six arms and a dozen swords. Susan spun and his blade flashed past her, Miraz's boot slipping ever so slightly. Susan twisted and lashed out, her bow flying out.

"CRACK!"

She broke his nose, the hard metal of her bow slicing into his face, blinding him. Grunting she kicked out, knocking him back, buying precious distance as she reached into her quiver and pulled up an arrow, aiming it straight at his face.

Miraz glared at her, drenched with blood, his eyes as hateful and murderous as ever.

"You and your people!" he spat, "Savages!"

"I'm sorry but I don't remember invading another race's country and slaughtering them all," Susan snapped.

"You think you brought peace!" Miraz jabbed a finger at her, "Do you know how many died on the fields of the How for you precious victory? Do you know how many drowned at Beruna? Do you know how many fell to mobs and lynches afterwards?"

Susan and Miraz circled each other wearily, lightning illuminating the deadly scene from above. It flashed, plunging them into light and darkness in flickering turns.

"Do you know how many Narnians died?" Susan countered, "Your hands are bloodier than mine."

Miraz snarled at her.

Light. Darkness. Light. Darkness. The lightning continued to arc, the constant change playing havoc with Susan's vision as she tried to adjust, her eyes watering as she fought to keep her arrow trained on the despot.

"Do you know how many you led to their deaths?" Miraz smiled coldly at her, "Do you know how many we slaughtered when you tried to invade my castle?"

Susan glared at him, not wanting to relive that terrible night, her nightmares still occasionally plagued with the screams of the trapped as crossbows flew at them, she safe on the other side of the gate, watching her people killed right before her eyes.

"I've made my peace!" Susan growled, "I've mourned and I've made my peace with the dead!"

Susan glared at the king.

"What of you?" she demanded, "WHAT OF YOU? Do you know why you are rotting in this forsaken world? Why you belong to Tash? Because of what you did, you killed your own flesh and blood for profit you – "

"And you haven't?" Miraz taunted.

Susan stopped.

"What?" she hissed.

"You haven't killed your own flesh and blood?" the unlawful king mocked, "What of Eustace? What of your cousin?"

Susan froze, her bloody chilling.

"SHUT UP!" she roared, screaming at him.

But he was relentless, scenting blood and wanting more.

"He was just a boy," Miraz smiled, enjoying her anguish, "And you put him into the ground… you must be so proud. He needed someone to rescue him and you put a dagger into his heart."  
"I had no choice," Susan snarled.

"And I had no choice but to kill Caspian to ensure the honour of my bloodline!" Miraz crowed, "We all have our excuses!"

"Caspian," Susan was talking about both of them, fury rising, "Didn't deserve what you did to them!

Darkness became light as another bolt flew, this time lancing into the ground as a stone column was suddenly torn apart, rubble flying everywhere. Susan flinched as thunder drummed in its wake and Miraz lunged at her.

Her blue eyes widened as death flew at her in steel and rage.

"NO!"

She let go of the bowstring in panic, hardly aware of what she was doing but the string instantly snapped forwards, propelling the arrow into the air.

"TWHIP!"

Miraz stumbled, crashing to the ground as his blood-slicked hands grabbed at the shaft in his throat. Susan stared at him, her bow still vibrating slightly in her hands. The false king stared up at her, choking on his own blood but dark delight in his eyes. His mouth opened, blood dribbling out.

"No!" Susan took a step back, stunned at what had just happened as Miraz continued to mouth the same words over and over again.

"I'm…" Susan read his lips slowly, "I'm free?"

Miraz gave one last blissful smile before stilling, Susan's silver fletch in his flesh. She stared down at him and felt nothing and it frightened her. She had become so anaesthetised to fighting and to death that sometimes it seemed none of it mattered anymore, just another obstacle to her final goals.

What was she becoming? These blessings… these gifts… were they really a curse? Were they just removing more of her humanity, a thing already steeped in so much blood and suffering?

She wished she could have felt sad or pity but she had hated Miraz and that only allowed satisfaction. She was no longer the Gentle Queen, more warrior than lady-like.

What was she becoming? What would she become if she accepted Tash's blessing? She didn't know and she didn't want to know.

"Rest, wherever you are…" Susan whispered, "I hope you are at peace."

She closed his eyes for him before standing, careful not to put pressure on her injured leg.

"One down," she whispered, another arrow coming from the quiver and to the bow, "Two more to go."

A wolf howled in the distance, a deep chilling noise that promised a grand game and challenge. Susan jutted her chin out and moved through the blocks of stone, ready to play this one to the very end.

. . . . . . . .

The Hermit touched the pond's surface and the water rose into the air, weaving and coalescing together to form a wall. The centre of it was utterly calm, transparent so he could see beyond, shimmering and distorted

"What is this?" Jason demanded.

" Your next test," the Hermit looked at him and sighed, "I cannot teach you no more. What lies beyond is what you must find for yourself. You will face your demons and you must learn to overcome them."  
Jason's face was carefully blank as the Hermit slowly considered his next words, testing them before saying them out loud.

"Know this… sometimes fighting isn't the way."

"Actually I found fighting is usually the only way," Jason smirked, "You'd be surprised how much problems violence solves."

The Hermit narrowed his eyes and merely pointed at the wall of water. Jason looked at it suspiciously but shrugged, strolling confidently forward. He had his powers, the ruach, under control so what could possibly harm him?

He touched the water and it rippled as his hand slid through but it didn't emerge from the other side stranded in some place in between. Narrowing his eyes, Jason took a deep breath and plunged straight into the wall. The chill took his breath away, water cascading over his head and down his back, fiery needles stabbing him as his flesh froze but it was soon over, the Seeker passing through the thinnest of veils and into a strange new world.

"What…"

White.

Everything around him was featureless and white, just a great expanse of floor that stretched to eternity.

"Is this the test?" Jason spat, "Bore me to death?"

He held out his hands and white fire gathered as he spun on the spot, seeking, searching for anything. He realised dimly he was completely dry, nothing to show he had moved through water just moments before. He whirled and cursed seeing the wall of water was gone.

"What…"

"You killed me."

Jason froze, ice stabbing his spine as the familiar voice drifted into his ears.

"No…"

The word stumbled from his lips, shocked, the man standing paralysed.

"No…"  
"You killed me."

"Shut up! SHUT UP!" Jason roared, fire exploding from his hands and slamming into the ground with no effect, "SHUT UP QUENTIN!"  
He whirled and his best friend was there, looking at him with dark accusing eyes. Nathaniel's best friend pointed at him, his finger stabbing straight into his soul.

"No…" Jason tripped over his own feet and hit the ground, looking up as Quentin's stared down at him like the sun, harsh and unforgiving.

"You killed me," Quentin whispered.

Blood oozed from his lips, falling onto Jason's face.

"You killed me."

"You failed me."

"You let me die."

The other two faces were much, much worse. The blood leeched from Jason's face as his mouth opened wordlessly, desperately trying to form anything resembling words but he was stricken, terrified and sick.

"No…"

Yolanda's beloved purple eyes were ablaze with hate, her alabaster face contorted, her hands like claws as she pointed at him.

'You let me die!" she hissed.

He reached to touch her, reached to feel her skin and lips but she pushed him back, spitting in his face.

"Papa…"

Delilah was confused, bewildered as she stared down at her beloved father.

"Why? Why did you fail me?"

"No… sweetheart… I…"

She stared at him, stared at him as if he was something she'd never seen before. Jason closed his eyes, clapped his hands over his ears and refused to listen. He screamed and screamed trying to block out the voices, trying to…

"You killed me."

"You let me die!"

"Why?"

"NO! NO! NO!"

The voices came like ravens, screeching, attacking him, tormenting him. They found every single raw wound and old scar and tore them open, bleeding him dry.

"NOOO!"  
"WHY? WHY?"

The same old guilt, the same old crushing hate rose like a monster from its slumber. Jason was weeping, too weak to fight, too weak to do anything but scream.

Anger.

Hate.

Guilt.

Torment.

The ghosts of his loved ones tore him down, driving him into the ground and he wanted nothing more than to it end, even if it meant his death.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!"

His eye flew open as his power reacted, roaring as it fed on his despair and became a monster born.

"NO!"

"WHY?" Delilah screamed at him, "WHY?"

"ARGH!"

White hot power exploded from his eyes and mouth, pouring out him like a thousand litres of blood shooting up into the air and slamming hard into the ground. Jason rose to his elbows, terrified as the white fire warped and twisted, taking form and face. His eyes widened as the new figure walked towards him, reaching one hand out.

"You failed them."  
He was staring in a mirror and into a window to the past. The man looked back at him with his dark blue eyes ignited by rage, his hand running through his dirty blonde hair. But the figure was neatly dressed, hair slicked back, immaculately dressed, neat and tidy. He lacked the roughness and the hardness the life of a Seeker and loneliness that brought with it. He had lived a soft life, one easy and untroubled. This man was untested, still innocent. This man was him and it was a stranger. It was him as he had once been in Lawless, his former self, the one who had a wife and a child and who had let them die… Nathaniel.

"You failed them," Nathaniel hissed.

Jason stared at his former self, stared at what his anger and despair had created. He felt sick, he knew this was not a real man but power and illusions brought to life, his grief and fury and guilt given form and voice. This was him, his demon and his hell and he was powerless before it.

"YOU FAILED THEM!"

"YES!" Quentin, Delilah and Yolanda howled, "YES!"

Nathaniel pointed and white fire exploded forwards, invisible hands grabbing Jason and hurling him across the white expanse. The Seeker crashed to the ground as Nathaniel marched towards him.

"I hate you!" the fake man spat, "I hate you!"

Jason looked up, bloodied, cornered and terrified. Yolanda shrieked with laughter, blood straining her dress as Delilah's arm began to rot, flesh melting away into bone.

"No…" Jason looked at them all, bile rising to his throat, "No… NOOOO!"  
His ruach, his power surged out of him and slammed into Nathaniel, spinning him to the ground. Nathaniel howled, a cry of pure rage and punched the ground, a thin veil of fire lashing out. Jason leapt over it and unsheathed his daggers, snarling, instincts shoving his disgust aside.

"You killed us."  
Quentin whispered in his ear as Yolanda's hands touched his cheeks. The ghosts were behind him, caressing him with their tormenting voices. For a brief second Jason forgot himself, leaning into that beloved touch, feeling his heart break.

"Yolanda…"

Nails bit into his flesh and he yelped.

"You failed us!"

Delilah was dancing before him, skipping and laughing, a sight so familiar it made him want to die.

"Why?" she shrieked, "Why?"  
"Because you're weak!" Nathaniel thundered rising, "Because you were a coward! YOU SHOULD'VE KILLED WHITTAKER YEARS AGO! YOU WERE WEAK AND YOU LET THEM DIE!"  
Balls of white fire flew at him like comets and Jason took each blow, stumbling back as Yolanda and Delilah haunted him, whispering to him, haunting him.

He struggled but a part of him wanted to give up, a part of knowing and realising he deserved everything and anything these ghosts dealt. He had let his family die… he had been too weak… he had…

"YES! I KNOW!" Jason bellowed, tears spilling down his face, "I KNOW!"  
He screamed and his ruach lunged forwards as Nathaniel countered. Twin streams of white fire smashed into each other and a massive explosion rocked the white world. Jason was hurled backwards, his head cracking into the ground as he landed. Yolanda stared at him weeping. Delilah looked at him confused. Quentin glared at him loathing him as he blacked out and plunged into blissful unconsciousness.

. . . . . . . .

Zaru breathed in, cringing at the familiar scent of blood and death. It clung to everything in this world, drowning him in it until it was branded into Zaru's mind forever.

"I was raised to believe in Aslan," Zaru continued, his eyes dark with pain, "My parents always believed the Great Lion would come and rescue us from the Telmarines. That was the sole purpose of our lives, to wait until that glorious moment and then to rise and fight the invaders with Him as our general and king."

Zaru sighed, his tears spilling down his face and rippling the bloody waters. A nearby pool bubbled lazily, belching out strands of poisonous green smoke, Zaru's flesh crawling just at the scent. He skirted it as more of the ponds of water began to bubble and froth, mud oozing to the surface as Zaru coughed, gagging at the fumes that rose.

"And?" Marshtrom seemed completely unaffected by the coloured smoke, peering at him expectantly.

Zaru sighed and continued, fatigue and hunger dragging him down but the story continued to spill form his lips.

"And once realised the Lion in the fire was Aslan Himself… I was so angry," Zaru hissed, "I wanted to scream, I wanted to know why He had saved me and not my family. Why…"  
He stopped.

"I lost all meaning in my life at that moment," Zaru confessed softly, "I limped into the How two days after and I didn't know what to do. All my life I had expected Aslan to save us all, all my life that was what my parents told me to believe in. And I realised…"

He hurriedly side-stepped as a small geyser of neon blue gas erupted from the ground beside him, his ears pinned back as he smelt death in the air.

"… I thought Aslan didn't care about us. That Aslan had abandoned and I suddenly didn't know what life was all about," Zaru shrugged, "I sort of…"

He winced.

"I thought if life didn't have a meaning why should I suffer? Why should I toil? If there was no point, no grand purpose than I was just going to enjoy my life as much as possible."

He laughed bitterly as Marshtrom turned and looked at him, his muddy face blank.

"Why should I try? Why should I fight? Why should I care if we were all going to just die anyway? There was no one to look out for us, no one to guide us, no one to save us," Zaru stopped and let out a long sigh, "I just stopped caring…"

* * *

_Flashback_

Zaru lazily opened one eye as the army returned, Peter the High King walking slowly in front like a man condemned.

"What…" the dwarf beside him whimpered, "What happened?"  
"Looks like they were defeated," a deer said slowly, "But… but… how?"

They were returning from the attempted raid on Miraz's castle, limping back home, every face ashen and saddened. Zaru yawned and turned his head to the side. This was of no concern to him. This war, this battle… who cares? If Narnians or Telmarines won it wouldn't change a thing, it wouldn't bring a single drop of meaning to his life so why should he even bother.

There were screams of rage as Caspian and Peter swung at each other, Susan and Lucy screaming in fury.

Zaru snorted.

Stupid humans. Why fight? Why try? Aslan wasn't going to come save them. Aslan didn't even care about them so why should they? Lives had been lost, it was sad but really everyone just ended up dead anyway.

The screams and cries and weeping were bothering his sleep so Zaru rose and padded back into the How where dwarves were hard at work, forging and tempering steel into weapons. He pushed through the crowd and found a silent nook to nap in, curling up and sleeping.

He slept and woke in turn but didn't get up. He felt empty, weak, numbed. There was no meaning. There was no purpose.

"Why try?" Zaru grumbled, going back to sleep.

He was dimly aware of animals rushing past now and then, news coming from the cries on their lips.

The White Witch had tried to return but King Edmund the Just had destroyed her.

The Telmarine army was coming, marching in thousand strong. There was no hope.

King Peter the Magnificent was going to challenge the Telmarine King to a duel.

Queen Susan and Queen Lucy were going to…

Zaru opened his eyes as the How was suddenly silent. He frowned.

"How long have I been…"  
He loped easily to the exit of the How and stepped out into the sun. His blue-grey eyes widened as he took in the spectacle before him.

Armies cheered and roared as two armoured figures duelled, swords clashing. Beyond them stood regiments of Telmarines, their iron-wrought faces gleaming in the sun.

Zaru was paralysed.

"By the Mane!" he gasped seeing the numbers they were fighting.

The Narnians, all brave foolish souls, were outnumbered ten to one and even more, trained soldiers against an unruly forest rabble. Trebuchets and catapults stood ready to launch their deadly loads at the How. The swords, the pitiful caches of weapons the Narnians had amassed, it was a needle to the sword that was the Telmarine might. It was too much… too many…

Zaru blinked and realised they were all going to die.

"Hopeless… it's hopeless," he swallowed.

"GET HIM!"

King Peter had the advantage, hacking into Miraz over and over again as Zaru watched, cold and frozen.

"No."

He was not going to die for this. He was not going to waste his life for this. Why did it matter? Were they fighting this for Aslan? For a king who stood by and watched his people burn?

Aslan… he hated Him, hated His very name. He didn't exist, He didn't care so why? Why this battle? Zaru looked all around him and saw only hollowness and stupidity.

"I will not waste my life on this," he growled, "Not on Him!"

He turned and ran, his lithe gold form disappearing into the forest. He sprinted mindlessly, ducking and leaping over branches and roots, running as far away. He would find somewhere peaceful to live, he would find somewhere where he can be happy and enjoy his life all by himself. There was no higher power, there nothing to aspire to so why try at all?

That was meaning of life, Zaru told himself, was to just enjoy it. Who cares about responsibility and duty? Who were they trying to impress? Aslan? Pft! Nonsense... all of it!

"My child."  
Zaru froze as a huge form emerged from the trees, melting through leafs like liquid gold.

"ASLAN!"

The revelation was like an axe blow to the cold wall around his heart. Zaru trembled, not knowing what to expect or do. Was he going to be punished? Was he going to die? Was he –

The Great Lion looked at him sadly.

"Why do you run?"

Hot fury flowed through Zaru and he stiffened, hackles raised.

"Why did you run?" he spat, "Why did you let my family die? Why should I believe in you? Why should I believe in meaning? You were meant to protect us! LOOK! LOOK! LOOK AT WHAT'S HAPPENING! Look at the good people who died! Look at the evil that still exists!"

Zaru was beside him, screaming and not caring who heard or what he said. He wanted to hurt Aslan, wanted to tear him apart just as he had been torn apart.

"Why should I believe in you? Why should I believe I fight when we are all just going to die anyway!" he screamed, "There is no good in this world! There is no bad! There's nothing!"

He screamed himself to silence as Aslan watched, His great liquid gold eyes seemingly weeping with him.

"Things are sometimes even beyond the control of one such as I," He said finally.

Zaru bristled, furious.

"Stop it! Stop refusing blame! You're meant to look after us! You're meant to – " he was screaming and crying all at the same time, some dark pool of poison in him breaking and spilling out.

"There is good and there is evil in this world and there are things which are neither," Aslan continued ignoring his outburst, "But there is also a pattern. A reason. I could not save your parents because they were meant to die. There is no greatness in it. It was simply meant to be."

"No…" Zaru was weeping, "No… you… you…"  
Somehow knowing it was all in vain, knowing his parents were doomed from the beginning make it that much worse.

"It is hard," Aslan granted, "But you cannot lose hope. You cannot lose faith. All things have a place and a purpose. You have to believe not just when things are good but when things are dark and at their most terrible."

"Why? Why should I care?" Zaru hissed ,"Why should I look to you? YOU LET THEM DIE! YOU LET THEM ALL DIE!"

Aslan looked at him sadly, wanting so much to rescue him but sometimes even the greatest power cannot do a thing, sometimes it was all up to the individual.

"Belief is not a shield against tragedy. It cannot prevent it, sadness and loss is inevitable. You cannot take it away without destroying all that is good," the Great Lion said grimly, "Belief is a means of dealing with that loss so that you come to accept it and grow from it rather than let it destroy you."

He shook his mane as Zaru watched, numbed.

"You must believe there is meaning because it is what drives you and me and all of us," Aslan continued, "Locking yourself away does not solve a single problem. Inevitably you will suffer the pain sooner or later. Blaming and acting in anger does nothing but give you poison and petty satisfaction."

Zaru stared at him and Aslan sighed.

"You do not believe me," the Great Lion padded into the forest, "Come. I will show you belief. I will show you what it means to fight."

And silently Aslan walked, the young leopard trailing in his majestic wake.

_End of flashback_

* * *

Zaru stared blankly ahead, memories reliving themselves in his mind.

"What did he show you?" Marshtrom prodded, curiously.

"He led me to a clearing. Queen Lucy and Queen Susan had rode into the darkest heart of the forests following nothing but their faith. They were willing to sacrifice themselves in that vain hope Aslan would listen," the leopard said slowly, "She who had lost her kingdom and lost her people still believed in Him."

He blinked and fresh tears fell.

"Queen Susan pitted herself against a dozen Telmarine soldiers, buying her sister time by placing her own life in danger," Zaru whispered, "I watched from the trees as she fired arrow after arrow in her enemies, fighting and ready to die for hope and for that one chance of salvation for her people. In that moment…"

Zaru smiled, his mind back in that clearing so long ago, hiding in the bushes, heart in mouth as the Gentle Queen had made her stand for what she believed in.

"I loved her. And I knew I would die for her. She showed me how powerful faith really was, how it was at the heart of all things. How a life without it meant nothing but despair and emptiness."

The leopard let out a long breath.

"The rest is history. Aslan returned and we won the war," Zaru looked at Marshtrom, "But I learnt what it means to lose and what it means to go on. Believing in Aslan, loving him does not mean we can expect sunshine everyday."

He stared up at the blood-red sky and smiled wryly.

"Darkness will come, we will lose people but we cannot lose hope. Because without hope armies falter, without hope there is no chance of breaking that darkness and finding a way forwards," Zaru bowed his head, "I learnt that when I watched Queen Susan fought for her faith against impossible odds. She was ready to die for it…"

The leopard snuffled gruffly.

"I've never told her this but she saved my life."

He laughed at how dramatic he was sounding but continued, honestly and without guile.  
"I was lost. I was ready to give it all up and hide myself away because I wanted to blame Aslan for everything. I was so angry," the leopard said shaking his head at his own stupidity, "But I realised that my parents were killed and there was not a thing anyone could've done about it."

Zaru continued to walking, still lost in his thoughts, trying to put words to them. He didn't know why he was telling a stranger this but once started it could not be stopped. There was something good about it, some cleansing about spilling it all out into the open.

"But there was a meaning to it. I was meant to lose my faith, meant to find it again and I pledged myself to help Aslan and to help Queen Susan anyway that I could," Zaru squared his shoulders and lifted his head proudly, "That's why I was chosen to help her. Because Aslan knew I would die a thousand times for her."

Marshtrom looked at him, a hint of awe in his face as Zaru shifted uncomfortably.

"So… yeah… there's my story," he finished awkwardly, "Uhhh… hope you liked it."

Marshtrom nodded and looked up.

"We're here."

Zaru blinked.

"What?"

Marshtrom looked at him and smiled, the expression strange and awkward.

"Our destination. We've arrived," he did a strange little jig, beaming, "It's time to face the Swarms again!"  
Zaru's jaws dropped as he stared at the Marshwiggle and began to feel very, very worried.

. . . . . . . .

Jaws snapped at her and Susan hurled herself down the embankment, rolling and skidding down the gravel. She landed awkwardly at her attacker growled at her and dropped to all fours, loping back into the darkness.

She was being hunted by a werewolf and a manticore, both creatures ambushing her time and time again. She had barely escaped each time, almost dying from claws and fangs and poison stings.

"This is stupid!" Susan hissed, climbing to her feet.

She waved her bow around, her quiver still fat with arrows.

"I should be hunting you!" she screamed, "I'm the one with weapons here!"

A howl and a growl answered her words echoing through the tight valleys and chilling her bones.

"There has to be something," Susan whispered.

She had been lucky with Miraz, the king too driven by rage to think clearly. But the werewolf and the manticore were intelligent monsters and they were waiting, striking at her weakest moments, trying to wound her and bleed her and then drag her to the ground.

Susan looked all around her but all she saw was stone. There was nothing to track. No way to find her enemies.

Susan cursed.

"Damn you Tash," she spat.

He had pushed her into his hellhole and expected her to find her enemies and hunt them down but how? It was impossible to find a trail on solid rock, she was no bloodhound (or Zaru, she amended quickly) she couldn't pick up a scent. So…

Artemis.

Susan blinked.

All this was a ploy, a way for her to strengthen her blessings and the gifts they bestowed upon her. She could see in the dark but if she could believe Tash (and it terrified her to even consider trusting the Death God) then there was something more.

"But what?" she whispered.

She looked around, a plan forming in her head. She hesitated but nodded, knowing she had to risk it. She couldn't afford to stumble around in the darkness hunted by monsters she couldn't find, her luck had to run out soon or later.

Limping across the loose shale, stumbling as rocks and pebbles slid and moved past each other, she made it to a good-sized boulder. Digging her nails into cracks in the rock, she crawled to its top, grunting with each move scraping arms and legs raw. And finally with a final heave she was there, safe out of reach for the moment.

"Artemis…"

She did something she had been taught to do in the Temple and by Jason during their lessons with her sceptre. She had to think clearly. And she was too frightened and too angry to do so, her mind too clouded and she needed to have her wits if she would unravel the enigma before her. She closed her eyes and quickly fell into a steady pattern of breathing, invoking an image in her mind.

She breathed in and took in calmness and serenity.

She breathed out and expelled rage and confusion.

Slowly it all bled out of her, her thoughts and her fears and she was suddenly alone in utter silence.

"Artemis…"

Susan tried to envision the goddess, her tawny wild gold eyes, her long fiery hair. Like weaving a tapestry she began with the barest of images that built on it, spinning a person then a scenery then a story.

It took on life as Artemis ran through the woods, her golden-horned deer by her side. Her mind threw up more and more images, adding to it as a horn came to the goddess' lips and hounds responded.

She held onto that moment, held onto the moving pictures of Artemis and her creatures hunting in a dark forest. The goddess was relentless, strong and sure in her movements and no matter where her prey went and how it tried to dodge her, the goddess knew where to go. Like a compass drawn towards north, the goddess was drawn to her quarry.

But how?

She took in a deep breath and her throat tightened at the cold air. She felt the wind whispered against her skin, felt the shaking of the air itself as lightning passed in the sky overhead.

How?  
She continued the story of Artemis inside her head. The goddess looked up, tasting the air before looking to her left and continuing the hunt.

Susan felt a shot of thrill as she locked onto that moment, onto that one brilliant image of Artemis finding the way, tracking her prey without hesitation.

But how?

She breathed in again and her eyes fluttered open.

THERE!

With a cry, Susan whipped out her bow and fired. A silver shaft slashed through the shadows and a creature staggered out, clutching at the arrow in its heart.

"AWWWOOOOO!"  
The werewolf fell, twitching as Susan sat on her rock, gasping for breath.

"I…" she looked at the dead wolf, "I knew."

Moments before the wolf had been just metres from her and she had been completely oblivious and would've remained so until the wolf had lunged at her. But she had known, some part of her had known where the creature had hidden and knew where to strike.

And she suddenly had it.

Susan took a deep breath and looked around, her right eye gold and brown, the colours of autumn and deer fur and of wood shaped into a hunting bow.

She was suddenly aware. Aware of the world around her, felt its breath, felt its churning fiery heart and she saw things she did not seen before.

It wasn't like Zaru's hypersensitive eyes, she couldn't see more clearly or further but she just saw things that had escaped her before. The world was a perfect place, undisturbed and whole and what she saw was the changes in it, the minute disturbances that living creatures imprinted onto the land, seeing tracks and trodden paths as though they were painted in red.

An overturned rock became the start of her trail. A slight scratch against a stone became a beacon.

She cocked her head to the side and felt the shifts in the wind as it flowed around rocks. She heard a howl and knew it wasn't the breath of the sky whistling through valleys but the cry of her enemies. She followed it, tracking it to its source.

Susan saw the world and saw how everything came together, saw how earth and wind and water melded and blended forming all she could see. And she saw the imprints that everyone made, saw the tiniest things and realised their significance.

Susan crested a hill and slid down its side, moving to her left as she listened and saw, tracking the manticore as it in turn hunted for her.

This was a game and one she had played millions of times before. Her heart was slow and steady, her breathing calm as she selected an arrow and pulled it smoothly from her quiver.

She could see through darkness, see the form loping in front of her.

Any moment…

The manticore, the bizarre mix of human and lion and scorpion raised its head to air and sniffed. But Susan was downwind, her scent blowing away from the monster as the manticore growled, its scorpion tail arching high overhead.

The monster thought it was still in control, still the one who would taste her flesh and blood but it had no clue, no idea that the rules had changed that Susan was now the one that stalked it through the darkness.

She reached for her connection to the world, to the wild power of nature and knew when and how the winds would turn, how the rocks would shift underfoot. She avoided certain sections of land knowing her step would be noisy and give her away.

She smiled as she circled the manticore, always out its reach and senses before putting herself into the perfect position.

The hunt was over.

The manticore loped out from the shadow of a rock and Susan fired. The barb took it straight between the eyes, punching through its skull and spearing into its brain before it even knew what had happened.

Susan leapt out of the way as its lion paws and scorpion tail lashed out, the creature's death throes violent and deadly. Its convulsions died to a twitch then to completely stillness.

The monster was dead.

"Very good."

Tash walked out from the shadows, clapping with its four clawed hands as Susan turned to him, one eye still gold and tawny.

"You have passed the first test."

"TWHIP!"

Without blinking he swatted the flying arrow aside as Susan grumbled and lowered her bow.

"Now for the second."

Before Susan could react, he grabbed her and pecked at her and she was gone, pulled into the darkness and far away.

. . . . . . . .

Jason threw a wall of power before him but Nathaniel's attack clubbed through it, smashing into him and sending him flying.

The Seeker was barely able to stand, clutching at his chest as he coughed up blood, weak and dazed.

"Die!" Quentin hissed.

"I hate you!" Yolanda screamed.

"I believed in you," Delilah whispered.

"SHUT UP!" Jason bellowed, "SHUT UP!"  
He was mindless with rage, torn apart in a thousand directions as Nathaniel cackled. His former self was the one who had been born on that terrible night, a Fury in human flesh.

"Why don't you just die?" Nathaniel spat, "You're too weak to save them and you're too weak to save your friends now."

Jason's eyes widened and Nathaniel struck, invisible hands grabbing him and lifting up off the ground.

"Look at where they are now. Scattered. Lost. All of them in danger and you're absolutely useless in helping them," Nathaniel's lips pulled back into a snarl, "Stop wasting their time and hope. Why don't you…"  
Jason's eyes bulged as hands tightened, strangling him. Nathaniel howled, triumphant.

"JUST DIE?"

Yolanda placed a caring hand on Delilah's shoulders as Quentin grunted, all three ghosts staring up at the Seeker as he was slowly choked to death right before their eyes.

. . . . . . . .

Author's notes: Sorry about the long delay. I'm really, really, really sorry! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the last (even thought not many people reviewed... damn it). In this chapter we see the growth of Susan's Gift, Jason starting to learn to control his powers and Zaru's backstory! I hope you enjoy our favourite leopard's story – I wanted to keep it simple and to make it philosophical. It's not as exciting as say Jason's but I thought it resonates deeper than that.


	63. The silver tree

Yay! New chapter. But balance that with a side-note of ugh university killing me. Sorry this took forever to produce but I'm crazy studying for my end of year, everything hangs on this exam. Again sorry!

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 63: The silver tree**

The dark hand reached out to touch him and Peter was gone. He was suddenly on his back and looked up into the night, the sky devoid of all light, every star and every moon quenched and swallowed by the darkness.

He groaned and slowly pushed himself up, his body aching from the battle.

"Where…" he looked and saw only twisted trees growing from darkened earth, "Where am I?"

Narnia? Was he in Narnia? But Narnia was a place of trees and rivers, a land of green and bounty, this place… this place was hell. Everything was bleak and cold as if the thin shell of air that separated earth from space had vanished letting the supreme darkness of the void swallow every last creature up.

Peter swallowed, licking his lips as he slowly walked towards a random direction, treading lightly, his eyes restless as he looked for any signs of life.

He trekked for hours, coming upon a tiny brook that glistened with water. Crouching, he scooped the water up with his hands, his fingers numbing at the freezing cold. Like an animal he drank, water dribbling down his chin as his eyes darted everywhere, ready to flee at the slightest hint of danger.

His thirst quenched if not his hunger, Peter rose drying his lips on the back of his arm. He pulled his jacket closer around him, trying to stop the cold from stealing his warmth as he fought to keep himself from shivering.

"What the hell is going on?" he demanded.

Peter wasn't known for this patience or his good-temper and his patience was wearing thin. He marched grimly ahead, arming himself with a stout branch as he pushed on.

"Look…"

He froze as a voice reached to him from the darkness.

"Who's there!' he demanded.  
He turned but all he could see was trees and shadows.

"Isn't he pretty?" the voice cooed.

"He looks like he's about to cry," a second voice mocked.

Peter tensed, looking around wildly, his stick clutched tight to his chest.

"WHO ARE YOU?" he bellowed, "Show yourselves!"

Three figures emerged from the trees, sashaying and moving with slow seductive grace. They laughed and giggled, their ghostly dresses clinging to their pale bodies.

"Hello."

The central figure was petite and ravishingly beautiful, her eyes amused as her tongue flicked out and brushed her lips as she winked at him salaciously. Peter blinked in surprise before scowling at her, not giving an inch.

"Now what's a pretty little boy like you doing in a nightmare like this?" she asked, spreading her arms out wide.

"I think he wants to play!" her red-headed companion laughed.

"Let's just kill him," a steel-faced blonde said flatly.

Peter gritted his teeth and held his puny weapon up as the three women stalked towards him, sniffing the air. They circled him like wolves, chuckling as he flinched away from their touches.

"He smells like peppermint," the red-head clapped her hands excitedly.

"All I smell is fear," the blonde woman growled.

Peter swung at them but the redhead danced out of his way, laughing at his nerve.

"Relax Shivonne," the middle woman smirked, "We'll teach him what real fear is."

Peter narrowed his eyes, shuffling back as they regrouped as one and stalked towards him.

"Who the hell are you?" he spat.

"I'm Charlotte," the leader of the trio smiled, "Shivonne and Desiree."

She pointed at her companions as Desiree squealed with laughter and Shivonne merely blinked. Charlotte turned back to him, fluttering her eyelids.

"I must say I'm very awed. I've never met a High King of Narnia before."

Peter blinked, surprised, his branch dropping and the three women lunged forwards, their beautiful faces shifting into ghoulish miens.

"What…"

He screamed, claws slicing his arm open as he dropped his branch. Desiree lashed out and punched him, the force of the blow making Peter see stars. He fell, crashing to the ground as Desiree laughed, licking his blood from her fingers.

"Ooo… I love him!" she cooed, "Can I keep him?"

"Sure," Charlotte began easily.

Peter made to rise but the dark-haired woman lashed out, stomping ruthlessly onto his chest and pinning him down. He grunted as she grinded down with her hell.

"Master wants him as our guest anyway," Charlotte continued, smiling at his pain.

Desiree giggled, dancing with joy.

"Then I'm going to keep him and play with him and feed him and dress him!" she squealed, "Pony! We're going to have soooo much fun!"

Peter's eyes widened as he realised what they were.

"Vampires!" he gasped, horrified.

Charlotte's grin widened showing her long deadly fangs.

"Shivonne?" she pointed imperiously at him, "Please. We want our guest to be rested up for the big meeting."

Shivonne stepped forwards, her cold face blank, and Peter cried out as she stomped down straight on his face, her foot knocking him into unconsciousness.

. . . . . . . . .

Peter gasped and tore himself away from the memory.

"Stop it!" he snarled, "STOP IT!"  
"Whatever for?"

Aita emerged from the shadows, grinning as Peter struggled against his bonds, sweat pouring down his face.

"I'm not doing anything," she smirked.

"DAMN YOU!" Peter screamed feeling her magic nip at him, eating away at his mind, "STOP IT!"

He raged, pulling at the leather straps than held him down but they refused to budge pulling him back. He sat down heavily, wincing as the cold cruel silver spikes dug into all of his softest spots.

"Stop what?" Aita chuckled, strumming her lute slowly.

The song was a lazy one, thick and syrupy. It drifted towards Peter, filling his mind with clouds and fogs as he cursed wildly. His mind fought back, lightning raging through his veins but it hit an invisible wall, turning back before he could hurt. The Lady of the Green Kirtle had worked a spell on him, binding his Gifts and stopping him from using it.

"STOP IT!"

Aita hummed under her breath as Peter licked his dry lips and sang but his voice cracked, holding no power. He cursed, pulling at his bonds as they chained him to the delicate silver chair.

"Wouldn't it be easier if you just gave up?" Aita said softly, "You're sick."

Peter screamed at her, thrashing as her voice slid into him like poison, weakening him.

"You're very sick. You're feverish. I can help you. I can heal you."

Her voice was like water dripping on stone, slowly wearing him down.

"Stop fighting."

To his horror Peter felt himself relaxing to the sound of her music and voice.

"No…"

The cry was weak, barely there.

"Just relax."

She moved to him like a dancer, lithe and flowing.

"Just let me help you."  
She touched him and he flinched as though it was a brand.

"Relax my king," Aita whispered, "Let me…"

"NOOOOOO!"  
It cost Peter everything to put power into that scream. The music stopped as Aita staggered back as though struck, a flash of anger tearing the serenity from her face. Peter smirked up at her, slumped in the chair, gasping for breath.

"Nice try," he coughed.

"ARGH!"

Pain exploded as she viciously backhanded him, her nails tearing his cheek open. Peter slowly turned back to her, gritting his teeth as he levelled another glare at her, spitting out blood.

"So much for helping me huh?" he coughed.

"I will break you," Aita snarled, hissing at him.

She whirled, her green dress floating around her as she stalked to the chamber door. She pointed and it swung open with a bang.

"Hurt him," she hissed.

The Black Knight stepped into the room, his head cocked to the side as he studied the king tied to the chair. Peter let out a low moan and his chin slumped to his chest as his body shuddered, knowing and dreading what came next.

"This should be pleasant," Aita grinned, her poise back, "I believe you have experience in torture so that means we can skip the introductory phase. My champion… make him scream."

And she floated out of the room, strumming her lute, the door slamming shut and sealing Peter in with the Black Knight. The High King stared up at the armoured man defiantly, a snarl on his lips.

"I don't bloody care what you do to me!" Peter spat, "You won't –"  
"POW!"

And his head snapped back as the Black Knight punched him.

. . . . . . . . .

Inara retched, her stomach clenching violently as she gasped for breath, pain tearing through her as she fought to throw up what she hadn't eaten.

"Shhh…"

A wet towel was placed against the back of her neck, a soft hand soothing her back as she coughed weakly.

"Are you – "

Inara shot him an unamused look, the Naga chuckling as he held up his hands in defence. She grimaced as she coughed violently, wheezing for breath as she clapped a hand over her mouth, struggling to keep it in.

"Still hanging in?" her carer asked.

"And still looking damn fabulous," Inara muttered.

Asclepius, the Naga who had saved her from the Under Lands, chuckled under his breath, skilfully sorting through a pile of dried herbs. Deftly he shredded a handful of crinkled purple flowers and dropped it into a clay pot of hot water, making a thick dark tea. Inara gagged, her stomach rolling at the strong smell of the brew as Asclepius stirred it slowly, murmuring under his breath.

His silver eyes flicked towards her face, grimacing slightly at her sunken features. Inara was suffering, growing gaunt as fever ravaged her, her breath coming out in short sharp gasps. She coughed weakly, staring in horror at her hands as red blood splattered her palms.

"Here," Asclepius said quietly, handing a steaming mug to her.

It was mark of how tired Inara was that she took it without a word and sipped the tea, barely twitching at the bitter taste. The Naga healer watched her carefully as a little colour returned to yellowed cheeks but she was still as skeletal and weak as ever.

Inara suddenly swayed as nausea gripped her in a sickening spin, vertigo swung her world upside down as she groaned weakly, sweat dripping down her face.

"It hurts…" she moaned, her stomach on fire.

Every organ in her body was now being attacked by the poison, her muscles shrivelling, her mind and body shutting down.

"It hurts so much…"

If she had been healthy she would've slapped herself for how weak and needy she sounded but the poison had pushed her past her breaking point, the girl wanting nothing more than to curl up and sleep or die, whichever one was easier and quicker.

Asclepius cursed, picking up another combination of herbs before brewing them. He forced fed Inara the toxic green mix. She coughed, almost throwing up half of it but grimly he fought her, not stopping until the cup was empty.

"Please," she begged.

Inara slumped to the ground, clutching thick blankets around her, now shivering from cold, her lips and fingers blue.

"Just kill me," she rasped.

Asclepius rolled his eyes.

"No," he said flatly, "I've wasted way too much medicine on you already."

His hands as brown and bronzed as her brethren reached for her hair, stroking it gently.

"Just sleep," he said softly, "And rest."

The green-tinged scales on his arm rippled as Inara closed her wet eyes and curled into a ball, darkness claiming her as fine shivers continued to run through her body.

Sighing Asclepius rose and walked out of his tent.

"Still playing with your little pet?" Najash demanded.

The leader of the silvereyes was a petite figure, her hair closely cropped around her hard angular face. Despite her slim stature she seemed to tower over him, her hands on her hips, concern hidden behind a mask of supreme indifference.

"She's endangering us you know," Najash spat.

Asclepius merely looked at her mildly as Najash grimaced and sighed, her façade cracking.

"How is she?" she muttered, looking away form him.

"Not doing well," Asclepius looked back through his tent folds and at the sleeping girl, "The poison in her… I've never seen it before."

Najash hissed, her silver eyes flaring as skin folds on the back of her neck flared, unfolding like a cobra's hood.

"Aita's? Has she – "

Asclepius shook his head.

"No, there's no trace of magic," the Naga healer's tongue flicked out, tasting the air as Najash relaxed.

"So what now?" she asked.

Asclepius looked at her, carefully considering his next words.

The silvereyes camp was built on top of a wind swept mountain, overlooking the dry lands all around. To the south, the White Witch reigned, forests frozen forever in endless snow but here in the realm of the Green lady everything was dry baking beneath a searing sun, the soil dried to mere red dust. But still life was a stubborn thing and here and there, in the shelter of rocks meagre plants grew, fed by vast underwater lakes. Oasises and springs gave water and life. But all this were a mere façade for deep in the earth was Aita's kingdom, the vast Under Land, a realm of monoliths and lakes and molten rock, where slaves and prisoners mindlessly sang her praise and worshipped her every single moment of their waking day.

The Nagas were the natives of this land and they had fought against the Green Lady when she had first arrived, led by their leader the Great King Phoenix, the Father of Light. The war had been terrible and a thing of myth and legends, bodies crushing under the marching feet of the two armies, magic and flames singeing the fertile land to the dust bowl it had now become, blood mixing with dirt until everything was ochre and red.

Nagas and monsters had fought for months, blades clashing until they broke and the armies came at each other with bare hands. But finally Aita had worked her deadly craft and in a single spell sealed the King Phoenix away forever. The Nagas had quickly crumbled as Aita led her armies to victory after victory, battles becoming slaughters, duels becoming mindless murders of innocents and the surrendered. The insanity had raged for another year, the Nagas almost driven to extinction as every bolthole, every stronghold was raided and prisoners executed on the spot. Many had fled over the border to the forests but already Jadis had seized control and the White Witch held no love for the snake-people.

Millions had perished at the hands of the witches, entire generations wiped out of existence.

The final blow had come when Aita crafted a second spell and suddenly half the surviving Nagas were held under her sway, their silver eyes turning green as they bowed to a new mistress. The snake people became two races overnight, the free fugitive silvereyes and the spellbound green-eyes, friends and family suddenly the deadliest of enemies.

The silvereyes had fled to wherever there was safety, Aita driving her army underground as the Under Lands grew, the land above fading to nothing. The remaining pockets of silvereyes barely clung to existence, isolated clans slowly rebuilding their shattered lives as suspicious grew and rife inevitably followed when two tribes met.

Aclepius and Najash's tribe were the Elapidae, a group famed for their venom and mastery of poisons and antidotes. All groups had their own unique traits although Aclepius only knew them through legends – some were swift swimmers, others able to detect heat and yet others who were impossibly strong. But the age of the Nagas were waning and only fragments of their once mighty glory remained.

"You know what we have to do," Aclepius said.

Najash's eyes widened.

"No!" her voice cracked out, "No!"

"It's the only way," the healer said.

"But why?" Najash demanded vehemently, "Why her? There's too much risk. If she succumbs…"

"She has to be given the chance."  
Aclepius looked squarely at her.

"I dream-walked and I saw her and I saw a broken tree all wound together," the healer swallowed thickly, "She's a part of it."

Najash sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes wondering as she peered at the sick girl.

"Her? HER?"

Aclepius shrugged as Najash cursed, closing her eyes as she turned it all over in her mind.

"We have nothing to go on but legends," she pointed out.

Aclepius nodded.

"I have everything we need," he promised.

Najash winced, her arguments fading as Aclepius anticipated and countered each one.

"What happens if you're wrong?" she asked, "What happens if Aita wins her over?"

The two of them stared at each other, Najash the head of the warriors, Aclepius their spiritual and mystical guide. They were the leaders, everything decided between them but this decision was bigger than them or the Elapidae tribe. This was a chance to break the Green Lady's tyranny.

"I think she's strong enough to handle it," the healer said firmly, "I also think we really don't have a choice here. Somehow… she's a change-bringer, either way our victory or the witch's an outcome will be decided."

Najash winced but nodded. All doubts and fears fled at that decision, she had made her choice and the warrior was infamously stubborn, her mind and opinions as set as the stone on which they were perched upon.

"So how gets to be the lucky Naga?" she asked dryly.

"You."

Najash sighed, afraid of that.

"Why?" she needled anyway.

"Because the stronger the Naga, the stronger the outcome," Aclepius looked back at Inara as she tossed under her sheets, grimacing, muttering feverishly under her breath, "We don't have much time."

Najash nodded and snapped her hand imperiously, a warrior immediately springing to her side, eager to help. Aclepius rolled his eyes as Najash whirled on her soldier, commands firing rapid-fire from her lips. The warrior quickly left as Najash turned back to Aclepius, her silver eyes glowing.

"Alright," she hissed, her hood stretching once more as her nerves got to her, "Let's do it."

She stepped into the tent after the healer and both Nagas looked down at the weak and sick young woman. She was feverish again, sweat drenching her body as she fought against whatever nightmares plagued her, her skin yellowing as her liver continued to die.

"She can do this," Aclepius said softly knowing what Najash was thinking.

"She better," the Naga warrior hissed, "Or otherwise we're all dead."

Bending both Nagas gently took Inara between them and carried her out of the tent as she groaned softly, dying as the two Nagas led her away.

. . . . . . . . .

"CRACK!"

Memory and moment bled together, Peter caught between past and present linked by pain and torment.

"CRACK!"

Desiree laughed, wielding a whip as his back was torn open, the High King screaming as she tore into him again and again, his blood spraying through the air as Desiree reached out with her tongue to catch the crimson drops.

"CRACK!"

He was snapped back into the present, the Black Knight punching him over and over again, his hard gauntlet tearing his skin open. Peter groaned, his lips mashed against his teeth as blood dribbled out. He reached desperately for his Gifts trying to grab them but again a cold wall turned him away, Aita's enchantments binding his power like he was bound to the silver chair.

"CRACK!"

The attack came from within and without. The Black Knight pounded him as the silver chair worked its own insidious powers, voices and ideas creeping into Peter's head as he bucked and writhed, the enchantments crawling across him like thousands of tiny ants.

"BAM!"

He screamed, blood flying from his lips as the Black Knight punched him straight in the gut. He slumped forwards, his pain weakening his resolve as the silver chair crept into his mind.

"No…"

The moan came out low as blood dribbled down his chin. The Black Knight reared back as Peter looked up, bloodied and barely clinging to consciousness. His eyes widened as the knight's hard fist flew straight at him. Peter twisted his head, the blow glancing off his cheeks instead of breaking his nose but it was enough to rattle his brain, the world spinning crazily around him as Peter blacked out.

He was dimly aware of more punishing blows raining down on him as magic attacked one once more.

"Pony…"

In his pain and delirium, Desiree appeared before him, Charlotte by her side.

"No…"

He was pulled back into the dungeons of the Western Castle, to the stronghold of vampires.

"Desiree," Charlotte jeered, "I think Pony needs a little encouragement to get up."

Desiree giggled in joy and swung her whip down, the thick black strap flying at his flesh. Peter cringed.

"CRACK!"

Past and present became one as Peter writhed from remembered pain and the agony of having one rib broken. He screamed writhing as like a ribbon winding through hair, the silver chair spun its spell, soft words and motherly touches urging him to just give up and give in.

It would all be over the voices promised. The pain, the suffering… Peter only had to let go and it would all end.

"No…"

Desiree laughed as the Black Knight swung again, the High King disorientated and confused, everything a mess of pain and demons.

"CRACK!"

The blow took him in the temple and Peter was punched straight into darkness.

. . . . . . . . .

"Heed my call spirits of the earth and come unto this purified space."

One of the Nagas walked slowly around the circle, swinging a smoking lantern on its chain as billows of blue spewed forth twisting and unfurling high up into the air.

"I call upon the spirits of fire…"

Aclepius read from the scroll, his voice high and loud as two Nagas, each robed in crimson threw oil onto a fire. The flames instantly gulped down the fuel, rising to a white hot blaze as heat suffocated any who stood close.

"I call upon the nymphs of water…"

Two women, each trailing trains of iridescent mother-of-pearl sheen, danced around the flames and the smoke, shaking gourds of water as drops fell to the red earth turning dirt to clay.

"I call upon the guardians of the earth…"

Aclepius threw a handful of soil into the air, the wind scattering it all over the plateau. They fell over Inara as she laid in the centre of the ring, strange runes and images etched into the earth around her as she stirred weakly, coughs shaking her weakening body.

"And I call upon the ghosts of the winds…"

Four Nagas spaced evenly all around the circle instantly threw burning tapers into the bronze pots of herbs before them. They smoked, the plants releasing their cloying scent as the winds picked up, drawing it around the plateau like a scarf, the bonfire rising up to greet the sky with crackling claws.

"Attend!" Acelpius yelled into the winds.

The Nagas stumbled as the ground shook and the skies roared. Fire turned blue and white as the smell of rain came, the earth itself responding to his cries. Aclepius felt a charge running through him and all who was present, Inara's body stiffening as every muscle in her tensed. Her eyes and mouth were clamped into tight lines, her whole body sealing itself like a chrysalis, waiting the transformation yet to come.

Aclepius licked his suddenly dry lips, apprehension gripping him as he read on, performing the ritual he knew off by heart.

They had unearthed it years past on a raid of the Under Lands, pilfering Aita's own personal library. It was a spell from eons past, crafted by the might Naga mages of old, lost to time itself. They had never dared perform it but now with all portents and dreams leading them to this moment Aclepius spoke the spell, hardly daring to believe. It was a ritual of the highest magic, a spell for turning a mere human mortal into something that was almost a Naga.

Embers and smoke, wind and dust and the promise of rain swirled around them, dancing in ever-tightening circles before drifting over Inara, the girl not stirring as she lied locked in a dream that was not a dream.

She dreamed of fire searing her flesh, of water scrubbing her clean, of dirt coating her thickly and of wind blowing it all away leaving her newborn and soft, as helpless as a babe and yet as powerful as a lord.

"Who amongst you dares?" Acelpius thundered, "Who dares to give this mortal the blood of the serpentine? The kiss of life? Who dares bestow her with the gifts of our people?"  
The Nagas watched, silently, all carefully controlling her emotions as Najash stepped forwards, her face set, her silver eyes blazing.

"I dare! It is my wish!" she roared back the words of the ritual, "It is my honour."

"Then step forwards," Aclepius nodded to the Nagas stationed and dancing around the circle in feverish blur of limbs and movement, their forms mere shadows against the smoke and the flames.

A beat seemed to come from nowhere, a tattoo of drums that shook earth and air coming from nowhere and everywhere at once. Rain fell in pour sheetings, lightning splitting the sky but yet the smoke and fire still held strong, spluttering and sparking as the elements came to life.

"And give her what you wish," Aclepius finished in a whisper.

Najash stepped into the ring, stepping through the fire as it licked at her, searing her scaly skin and kissing her with soot. She did not flinch as the rain washed the ashes away and soothed her woods, wind throwing mud at her. She reached Inara and knelt beside her.

"Accept my gift," she whispered.

Aclepius chanted under his breath in a tongue long dead, screaming to be heard over the storm that raged and the tremors that heaved the earth. Like a river that words flowed, building momentum and strength into a terrifying crescendo.

Najash glanced at him before gently cradling Inara's head in her arms, lifting the sick girl halfway up. She did not stir, her eyes and mouth still pressed into tight impenetrable lines.

"Well…" Najash brushed the hair tenderly from Inara's neck, "Here goes."

And with a cry, she lunged down, her fangs unfurled as she bit Inara right in the neck.

"BECOME!" Aclepius screamed, "BECOME!"

Lightning lanced down burning a fiery line around the circle as rain fell with painful force. The earth gave one thunderous roar and ravines were split open as valleys sealed shut. The wind was everywhere, whistling and whispering, howling and screaming as Inara's eyes snapped open and she screamed.

. . . . . . . . .

Aita stumbled, her face turning white with rage as the Under Lands rocked, the underground lake splashing violently as waves swept whole houses into its depths. The lava churned and spat, melting earth and forming islands as the roof itself shook, rocks plummeting to the ground.

"They dare?" she hissed feeling the world change and shift around her.

"Your majesty!" a monopod, a one-horned man, grabbed at her, steadying her, "Are you – "

With a whispered word the monopod fell dead.

"NAGAS!" Aita screamed.

The snake warriors seemed to emerge from thin air, appearing before their mistresses and bowing deep, their emerald eyes drinking in her form with unquestioned adoration.

Aita closed her eyes, her magic cutting through the earth and to the land above, testing and feeling the chaos that now claimed the night. Everything was in segue, the threads of nature twisted and wound dementedly around a central spindle as Aita sought the source, her lips pulled back into a furious snarl.

She opened her eyes and she had it.

"GET THEM!" Aita screamed, her mind and voice in their heads telling them where to go.

She dared not attack the spell herself, everything was spinning around it like a whirlpool, nature itself pulled into its maws. Even now her magic fought her, drawn by the pull of the spell, her very existence longing to lose its individuality and join the pure power that lit up the night. Aita grunted, sweat pouring down her face as the call and pull compounded, her magic slipping between her fingers like air.

"NO!" she hissed, "NO! KILL THEM!"

The Nagas nodded and disappeared, whistling as more creatures emerged from the shadows. Aita watched them go with real fear in her eyes.

"What…" she clutched at her chest, staggering back as the chaos grew, the very rules and order of nature collapsing under its sway, "What's happening?"

. . . . . . . . .

Inara stood in a ring of green fire, the flames burning as hot and bright as the sun, sealing in her as effectively as castle walls.

"Where…"

She turned on the spot and the only thing within the ring was a silver tree. It glowed with ghostly light, a thing of delicate beauty. It seemed to be made of a thousand silver wires, its trunk a cyclonic twisting of all the strands, its branches unfurling as silver leafs hung from their ends.

"What…"

She was drawn towards the tree, her feet moving on their own accord but a some instinct, some premonition pulled her back, warning of the terrible, terrible danger.

"What is this place?"

"It is a test…"

She turned and a shadow flickered in the green flames. She stiffened recognising Aclepius's voice.

"What?"

"This is a dream that is not a dream. A reality that is not a reality but a void in between," Aclepius said, his voice weakening and strengthening like an out of tune radio, "It is a test made by Aita, the Lady of the Green Kirtle herself to ensnare our kind."

"What…" Inara frowned, "What are you talking about?"

"Nagas come in their full power at the age of ten. When that moment happens they are taken to this place by a spell we cannot combat," Aclepius said softly, "The tree is sin and temptation personified. You will go forth and you will face what it offers you or be doomed to be trapped for all eternity."

Inara's eyes widened as she whipped around and stared at the beautiful tree, its light calling to her once more with a thousand dulcet voices.

"If you fall to temptation then you fall under her spell," Aclepius paused, "And we will have to kill you."

Inara glared at him.

"Oh great, no pressure at all huh," she snapped waspishly, "What kind of healer are you?"

Aclepius faded away as the green flames flared. Inara turned back around and stared at the tree, cold sweat on her neck as she swallowed thickly. She screwed up her courage and took a step towards it.

"Alrighty tree," she cracked her knuckles, "Time for you to meet someone who beats up hippies in her spare time."

She walked slowly towards the tree as it seemed to twist and looked at her, branches reaching forwards and beckoning her forwards. Fighting her fear Inara stepped into its grasp as the twigs wove together and formed a tight silver cocoon around her.

. . . . . . . . .

Peter was pulled up by his hair as green flames danced before his eyes, Aita pointing one finger dangerously at him as her magic blazed on her nails.

"Aita, what a pleasure," he said sardonically, "May I say you're looking as – "

"CRACK!"

The Black Knight backhanded him as Peter's world tilted wildly, pain and blood his own meaning. It slowly subsided as Peter turned and glared at the pair.

"I am going to kill you," he hissed.

"The vampires broke you once," Aita spat, "I will do the same."

Peter laughed.

"See that's the thing about sequels… it's harder to impressive the second time round," he spat out a mouthful of blood at Aita's feet, "But please, do keep trying. It's amusing."

Aita roared and green flames seared Peter's cheeks, the High King refusing to scream or make a sound as his skin blistered and bubbled and charred. The Green Lady glared at him before stepping backwards letting the Black Knight take her place.

"Bleed him," she ordered.

The armoured man held out a small dagger as Peter tensed. Aita reached into the folds of her gown and pulled out her lute.

She had come here to distract herself from the chaos broiling on the surface above, fleeing the storm that threatened to swallow her whole. She revelled in her power here, shrouding herself in it and denial as she began to play.

Peter gritted his teeth, his mind still fuzzy as the Black Knight reared and –

"ARGH!"

The first cut struck vein and dark blood oozed out as Peter cursed, thrashing in the silver chair as its magic crept into his mind. It promised salvation if he would only just give up, relax and let the beautiful queen help him from his sickness. He would be whole and healthy and sane if only –

"SHUT UP!" Peter spat.

His Gifts slammed into the walls that held them back as Peter writhed. Sheer force of will and stubbornness was what held him together, he had been broken once more but never again. He would not succ –

"AH!"

The second cut sliced his thigh as Aita played a song of jangling darkness and pain. It stabbed into Peter's skull like a thousand needles, unleashing memories and nightmares as the past fluttered before his eyes.

"PONY!"  
A whip cracked his flesh as Peter flinched from the remembered pain, tears in his eyes.

"STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT!"  
"BAM!"

The Black Knight punched him in the mouth, silencing him as Aita continued to play, her beautiful force contorted into a demon's countenance as the dagger slashes came faster and closer together, Peter still covered in his own blood.

"Pony… time to play…"

The prison cell shuddered and Peter was back in the vampire's castle, Desiree cackling as she licked his blood from his neck, gently digging in with her fangs.

"Pony… please get up? For princess?"

"Uhhh…"

He moaned as the Black Knight cut him again, Aita's song building and climbing into a symphony of torment and lament.

"Please Peter," she begged in her musical voice, the silver chair amplifying her will and sliding into him, tinkering with his thoughts, "Just let me help you."  
"GO TO – "

Desiree and Black Knight became one as whip and dagger flew at him. Peter cried out and slumped in his chair, his mind fragmented in a thousand pieces as pain became his only existence.

Aita cursed and put her lute away.

"Leave him," she ordered.

The Black Knight's arm froze in midair and he immediately stepped aside as Aita played a final note, the chord echoing loudly in the tight chamber.

"Let's leave him in the darkness," she ordered cruelly, "I hear he loves it."

Grandly she swept out of the room as her champion followed her out. The door slammed shut, Peter plunged into the shadows as Aita's final note shook in his ears, the High King weeping.

"No…"

Nightmares came to life, phantoms given flesh as Desiree and the Black Knight continued to torment him.

"No…"

He flinched from imagined attacks, from memories as he continued to bleed, the silver chair stained with his blood as it continued to whisper to him, offering safety and love.

"Not the dark…"

Peter slumped, his whole world falling apart as outside Aita and the Black Knight strolled down the wall, the Green Lady's face alit with malice.

. . . . . . . . .

Inara tensed as a branch came to rest by her head. The trunk seemed to unwind and a hole was opening, a long poisonous green form slithering around and wrapping itself around the branch before ducking its head to her ear.

It opened its jaws and a siren's voice sprung from its throat.

"Inara…"

Inara didn't even blink an eyelid, her fists clenched.

"Snake."

In this place she was whole, the poison in her veins vanished, leaving her as strong as ever. She refused to flinch or move away from the snake, defiantly glaring at it as the snake recoiled from the anger in her voice.

"Why do you hate me?" the snake asked, sounding genuinely wounded.

"Uhh… where do I start? The whole trying to tempt me thing? The whole I'm trapped in here with you thing? Or the whole trying to convert me to the dark side thing?" Inara demanded, "I've seen Star Wars! It never ends well and I'm not going to call myself Darth Inara for anybody!"

The snake seemed to smile, its tail dangling from the branch.

"I am not darkness," the snake hissed, "I am – "

Inara rolled her eyes, her temper mounting.

"Do you hones–"

"Silence."

Inara's mouth clamped shut as she blinked, startled. The snake's tongue flicked out before it rose up into the air, undulating slowly.

"I can help you," it whispered to her.

Inara was drawn to its green eyes, help captivated in them as it stared into her and seemed to know all of her secrets and desires. It smiled again and there was a warmth in the grin, a tenderness.

"I know you better than you know yourself," the snake continued, "I've seen your heart and I've seen the strength that lies in there."

It reached out for her and Inara took a step back but the silver tree responded, branches knitting together behind her, closing her in and pressing her towards the snake. She stood, paralysed as it winded around her neck and placed its head against her cheeks. It was warmth, its scales enigmatically soft as it stroked her.

"I know how frustrated you are. You don't want to be the victim anymore," it cooed, "You want to help your friends. You want to save the worlds."

It turned and looked into Inara's eyes earnestly. It bowed before her, humbled as images, her hopes brought to life, flickered into her head.

She stood with a sword in her hand against a vast darkness, fearless as she tore into her enemies again and again.

She stood at Susan's side, laughing and smiling as the queen bowed and accepted a crown on her head.

She looked down at her father as he laid bloodied and battered at her feet, a triumphant grin on her smile.

She saw her and Peter and –

Inara blinked, shuddering.

"Get away from me," she said but her voice was reedy and thin, weak.

"You know you want it," the snake whispered sounding like her thoughts, "I can help you Inara. I can help you with everything you've ever wanted."

It rubbed against her again and Inara shuddered but it was not from the feeling of its scale against her skin, it was from the feelings it invoked in her – trust, love… desire.

"No…"

"Inara. You are strong," the snake told her in a mother's worried voice, "Remember the Temple? Remember the power of the monks? That was stripped away from you… I can give it to you. I can give it all back to you and more."

The snake's tongue felt like a lover's finger against her skin.

"Just trust me," the snake wept for her, "Please Inara… just trust me."  
Inara's mouth opened almost of its own accord. She stood paralysed as her feelings shifted and churned, everything in chaos and flight except for one thing, except for the snake that leaned against her cheeks.

"I do. I do trust you."

And she did. She didn't know how and why but in that moment she knew she would trust this snake with her life. It spoke with such power, spoke with such knowledge and truth. It knew her, knew how to articular the dreams that had yet to form inside her head, it knew where she was, where she had been and where she wanted to go. And Inara knew the snake could give her everything as it had promised.

'_It must be a god…' _Inara thought dreamily, all her doubts and fears slumbering away, _'God…'_

Who else could do this to her? Who else could quell her fears and worries with a single word? Who else would know her like this? Who else would forgive her for all the pettiness and darkness in her mind and still offer her the world.

"God…" she whispered.

The snake hissed gently, more coils going around her neck but she welcomed them, wanted more.

"Inara… just let me in," the snake whispered, "Let me help you."

"I…"

"Let me in," the snake begged.

A part of her, a part pushed under by the force of the snake's voice, hesitated.

"I… I can't," she wept, "I can't… not fully. I just can't…"

Everything in her life, her family and all the monsters and treachery she'd faced, it had turned a part of her bitter and hard. She always held back, always believed that smiles hid blades, that love was just hatred and envy in disguise. There were only a small handful of people she trusted but she only trusted them with her life, not her heart and not her deepest desires.

She felt mean and miserable, taking all they gave and giving only crumbs but nothing could loosen her tongue, nothing could open her completely. The risk was just too great.

"No," Inara whispered, "I…"

Aclepius's face flashed in her mind, his words echoing through her head and suddenly everything, the tree, the snake, her own feelings… it all seemed wrong. The snake stiffened, let out a long hiss as though it sensed the sudden change.

"I can't," Inara said flatly, "This…"

The snake instantly reacted, rubbing against her, staring into her eyes as Inara faltered, confused as her words died in her mouth.

"They need you…" the snake whispered, "They need you to be strong. Look Inara."

It urged her like a gentle teacher or a loving mother, pushing her towards the tree.

"Look. Look at how they love you. They need you. They need you to save them."  
The trunk continued to unravel, more and more holes opening as Inara peered into them, hesitant but reassured by the snake around her neck. She peered into the holes and peered into windows to the worlds.

Susan walked upon a desolate land, a… a something beside her. Inara gasped at the vulture-headed creature, his four arms spreading wide as Susan tensed. He pointed at Susan and she fell to the ground screaming, her limbs twitching as the monster laughed, taunting her.

"NO! SUSAN!"

Inara reached into the hole, grabbing at her friend but the image faded like a dream, the tree roaring and twisting. Inara pulled her hand back as the hole sealed shut, almost taking her fingers with it.

"What is this?" she glared at the snake, frantic, "WHAT IS THIS?"

"You cannot leave here unless you make a choice," the snake sighed, "I'm sorry but…"

Its head pointed at another hole but Inara hung back terrified of what she might see.

"No…" Inara whispered, stepping back.

But the branches prodded her like a stern teacher's finger, forcing her forwards.

"Your friends need you,' the snake continued, "So make your choice. Do you want to be strong? Or do you want to let them die?"

"Please," Inara was weeping, "Don't make me…"

Almost against her will she was forced to look into another hole.

Elias ran with wolves, throwing orb after orb into a sea of monsters as explosions tore them apart but still they came, marching across solid ice as the wolves lunged, jaws snapping like traps.

Inara's eyes bulged as a troll swung at Elias and he was sent flying, hitting the ground hard as hags and werewolves swarmed over him.

With a cry, she wrenched herself away from the image as the tree sealed that portal shut as well.

"Why are you showing me these?" Inara screamed, "WHY?"  
"Because you've got to understand what is at stake here," the snake said calmly.

Inara's mind was reeling, filled with the snake's voice and disjointed words and sentences that didn't make sense. She frowned trying to remember herself, trying to hold Aclepius's words inside her head but it all escaped her like water from a sieve as the snake smiled again.

"Don't you see Inara? Everyone's in danger…" the snake rubbed against her, soothing her, "It's all up to you… so what are you going to do?"

And Inara froze staring at the snake in horror.

. . . . . . . . .

"THEY'RE HERE!"

Najash cursed wildly, springing as Inara continued to mutter in her dreams, her eyes clenched shut as Aclepius watched her closely.

"DAMN IT!" Najash screamed, "ACELPIUS!"

"Hold them off!" the healer barked, "I can't move her until she's out of it!"  
Najash nodded and leapt over the circle, her warriors streaming behind her. From her perch she could see an army of green-eyes sweeping towards them, hissing violently as they brandished their weapons.

Najash spat at them, the hood on the back of her neck unfolding as she unsheathed her sword.

"We can't let them past!" she screamed at her warriors, "ATTACK!"

Whooping and calling the Nagas of the Elapidae tribe plunged down the slope as the green-eyes of the Under Land charged up towards them.

The collision was violent and deadly, bodies already falling as blades clashed. Najash howled, venom spraying from her fangs as she blinded a trio of green-eyes, kicking them all down before stabbing them all through the chest.

Najash spun, blocking a slice and backhanding her attacker. She snapped forwards her fangs tearing through flesh as the green-eyes staggered back, screaming in pain. A swift high kick to the throat silenced the man as she whirled, more whitish venom flying.

The Nagas tore into each other with hesitation or mercy, limbs and bodies falling as Aclepius continued to watch over Inara as she continued her talk with the snake.

. . . . . . . . .

Peter shuddered, rocking in his chair as the darkness continued to torment him.

It was almost laughable, High King Peter the Magnificent, veteran of a dozen wars and a thousand raids and battles, Peter the Wolfsbane, Knight of Narnia was afraid of the dark.

He let out a hiccoughing laugh.

But the night held more terrors for him, the vampires had always came during the night, their whips and their claws slicing into his flesh as they laughed. He had seen Shivonne snap other prisoner's necks as Charlotte fed on their blood, their eyes mocking him to even try and stop them.

Desiree had called the night her playtime and her game had always meant pain. He had been left to rot in the darkness, his skin bloating and bleeding and flowing with pus. For a long, long time he had though he would die in the darkness as Draken towered over him laughing at his misery.

Aita's music hung in the air, the dark magic in it bringing the memories to life.

Peter tried to scream but only a moan left his lips as the four vampires appeared before him, ghostly but as solid as flesh. He struggled as Desiree lifted her hands, a whip held between her clawed fingers.

"You call yourself a king?" Draken thundered, scornful and terrifying in his rage, "No wonder your whole kingdom is dying!"

"Pony! Pony! Dance for me!"

Charlotte laughed, clapping her hands as Peter screamed, writhing as imagined whips fell on him, memory and flesh fusing to one as marks and cuts began to appear.

"There's only one escape my king," Charlotte opened her fangs, blood dripping down her incisors, "You want a taste?"

Shivonne kicked him, his ribs breaking, her face displaying only cold indifference.

The memory took on its own life, the dark chamber becoming a prison cell, others wretched souls shackled to the walls as more and more details were pulled from his head and painted into reality.

"No…" Peter whispered, "Please… no…"

"PONY! LOOK AT ME!" Desiree screamed, stamping her feet in anger, "LOOK!"

"CRACK!"

His burned cheek was sliced open, fluid draining out as he screamed. Draken carved into his chest, Peter screaming as the king flicked the blood away, deeming it too below him to even taste.

Charlotte suddenly lunged forwards, burying her claws into his gut and Peter could only groan as she pulled her talons out, laughing as blood flowed from him like wine from a keg.

"No…"

Despair was setting in as the silver chair whispered into his mind once more.

'_Let go,' _it beckoned, _'Just relax… let go and the queen will save you. Just let go. You're sick. The queen can heal you. The queen loves you. Just let go…'_

"No…"

A part of him grabbed at the chair, clinging on as it promised him everything – hope, joy, peace.

"No…"

'Just let go… let go…'

Peter slumped, moaning as everything in him just crumbled away. The chair got louder, faster as it continued to coax him, the High King too weak to even fight.

"I… I…"

'_Let go. The queen can heal you. Let go.'_

"PONY!"

He barely flinched as Desiree whipped him again.

'Let go…'

He wept, confused and lost. He knew he had to hold on, keep strong until help came but the vampires, the darkness. It was too much. His nightmares had come to life and it all ganged up on him, breaking him down.

"Pathetic," Draken spat as Shivonne tore his shoulder open, "Look at you… what kind of king are you?"

Charlotte grabbed his hair and wrenched his head back, licking the blood from his face, her tongue and fangs scraping against his blistered cheeks as Peter only managed to moan lowly.

Desiree laughed and whipped him again before cutting into his skin with her talons working little flower patterns into his skin.

"Pretty Pony!" she cheered, "Pretty!"

Shivonne shoved her talons into his wounded shoulder and dug deep, scraping bone as Peter gasped for breath.

'_Let us help you. Let her help you,' _the chair begged, _'Let her heal you. You're sick Peter. You're very, very sick.'_

Desiree and Charlotte and Shivonne and Draken towered over him, cackling as te darkness pressed in one him, crushing him beneath its weight.

'_Please Peter… let us help y –'_

"O…" Peter worked hard to shape the words, "Okay."

. . . . . . . . .

She saw Jason being choked to death by a phantom she could not see, saw Zaru run for his life as bug-faced monsters flew after him, saw Caspian lead an army into battle. She looked into every portal, every window and all she saw was death and destruction and people crying out, lifting their hands up for an angel to save them.

"See? Inara…" the snake hissed, "See?"

Inara stumbled away from the tree as it sealed all those windows shut leaving only one gaping one behind.

"They need you. With my help you can save them," the snake said sadly, "Please Inara… don't let them die. Save them. Save the worlds. Be a hero."

Inara looked around her in confusion.

She had changed so much she suddenly realised. Before, before all of this, before Aslan had dragged her into the Woods between the Worlds she would've turned her back on everyone if helping even cost her a moment of annoyance. She had been raised in the harshest of homes and she had adapted, surviving with whatever means possible. Even at the beginning of this journey she had only wanted out, wanted to go back to her life.

This wasn't her fight and she had wanted to run away, far, far away. But somewhere, somehow it had all changed.

Susan, Jason, Elias, Zaru and Peter and Caspian had become the centre of her world. She fought not for herself but for them and for all the people who suffered and died needlessly. Somewhere along the way she had become a hero.

Inara's world was not a happy one, she knew that, could see it even as she tried not to care. Her world was too full of emptiness, of pettiness, everyone turning a cold eye away from the genocides and diseases that claimed millions, from the inequality and injustice that ran rampant in their own streets.

And what did they care about? The superficial world of celebrities, where the latest misadventures of some talentless blonde meant more than the suffering of millions.

How often had she herself watched as a mother cradled a starving babe, screaming to a world that did not care before turning to her favourite T.V. show and forgetting it in that instant?

How many people paid thousands for computers and clothes and a million frivolous things when children starved for the want of a cent?

Mistrust and suspicion ruled the world. People were separated and labelled based on colours and culture. Those with certain beliefs branded as terrorists whilst those who proclaimed to protect freedom sometimes little better than the true villains. Religion had twisted to become a weapon, to slice society apart and seed doubt. Ignorance and blindness suppressed the search for truth and answers, everyone so confused and caught up in the need to be right, to be the supreme authority on everything that most didn't even truly know what they believed in any more.

Inara saw it now. Her world was lost in many ways, heroes a thing of fiction and movies, of scripts and screens.

But her world needed them more than ever, visionaries to illuminate the way and give people a reason to hope and believe and dream. Everyone dreamt too much of fame and money but what of peace and compassion? Did that not matter anymore? Was the world so drowned in make-up and magazines that the simplest yet most fragile of things were forgotten? What happened? How did it happen?

Her world and a thousand others needed heroes, needed people who would stand up against the wrongs of the world and fight. Her friends, her family needed her to be that person.  
But could she do it?

She looked at the snake.

"Please Inara… please… accept my gift."

And she smiled.

"Yes."

. . . . . . . . .

The door swung open and Aita strolled in beaming, her luminescent form chasing the shadows away.

"My king…" she cooed, "Finally. You see sense."

Peter merely looked at her, broken as Aita strummed her lute, playing a vibrant tune that woken his heart.

"Just sleep my lord," she whispered, "I will do the rest."

Peter closed his eyes, relieved to have just given it all up as all of his pain began to drain away, siphoned by the song that Aita sang.

He floated sleepily as Aita continued to sing, her music reaching into his soul as he smiled lazily.

How could he have ever thought of her as evil? She was wonderful, beautiful and strong, a thousand times more magnificent than he could ever be.

Those that spoke of her should die he thought darkly. They were jealous of her, envied her grace and beauty, didn't everyone realised that she just wanted to save them all? Everyone should just bow to her, bathe in her glory.

Peter's grin widened as he imagined him by her side, her glorious champion as he led her armies into battle as he liberated the lands of the White Witch and brought them to the beauty of his queen.

"Shhh…" Aita soothed, "Rest."

He fell deep into a slumber, her words curling around him and binding him as she continued to sing.

She was beautiful.

She was great.

She was magnificent.

And he was hers.

Peter smiled as everything of his life faded into nothing.

His friends greyed then became dust as all he had ever known was Aita and her love.

Memories of London and Finchley and the home he had lived in and the schools he had attended warped into the Under Lands, the only home he had ever known.

His father, his mother, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, his whole family faded before Aita's face like the moon before the sun, chased away into the night.

He smiled and drank it all in, curling himself into her warmth and love and let it all go.

Everything…

Narnia became a land of lake and stone, becoming the kingdom he would defend to his life.

He knew no other love, knew nothing, his memories locked behind a door he could not breach. Mr. Tumnus, the Beavers, Caspian…

Peter's eyes snapped open.

"ASLAN!"

And like a blade sheering through silk, Aita's spell was broken.

"What?" Aita laughed, "You speak in tongues my lord. Who is this Aslan?"

Peter stared at her, horrified at what he was about to become.

"Aslan…" he whispered, "ASLAN!"

He threw it at her, a challenge and a war cry.

"ASLAN!" he bellowed.

Aita's eyes flashed with fury but she tried to reign in her temper, tried to smile as she continued to play her lute.

"Who is this Alsan?"

"He is the Great Lion. The king of the forest."

"Really? What is a lion?" Aita asked.

Peter blinked stupidly, his anger dying on his tongue as he fought to answer her.

"It's a cat… but bigger… with a mane…"  
"Really? Where did you see this… cat?" Aita quizzed, her features soft as her eyes blazed with triumph.

"I…" Peter stopped, "A forest."  
"Which forest? The one of my sisters?" she laughed as if he had said some great joke, "You will see no cat there."  
"No…" Peter stammered, trying to fight her spell but the chair was helping her, shutting down his mind and thoughts.

"Why is this cat so important to you?" Aita asked.

"He is Aslan. He… I was lost," Peter frowned, "He sent people to rescue me. They will save me."

Steel entered his voice.

"They will save me from you?"  
"Really?" Aita asked, "We found you all alone. You have no family. No friends. Do you remember their names?"

Peter opened his mouth but there were no answers to be found.

"They… they… they have names… I…" he glared at her, "Stop meddling!"  
"Me?" Aita laughed, "I'm not doing anything!"

Peter growled at her and grasped for the answers but it was like swimming through molasses, everything slowing down to almost a stop.

"Their names… their names…" he stumbled over the words, "I… Aslan. Aslan. Aslan."

He saw it like a mantra, a golden shield against the crafts of the Green Lady. But Aita's music was powerful, her spell cunning at even as Peter tried to hold Aslan's beloved grave face in his mind it began to fade under her powers.

"No… Aslan…"

"Who is your friends? Who are they?" Aita chuckled, distracting him.

Names. Names. Names. What were their names? Su – ARGH! No he lost it! What were their names?

"See, you have no friends. No family. There is no Aslan. Only me. Please my king, let me heal you of your delusions. I can save you," she whispered.

Peter stared at her, opening his mouth and a single name came to his lips.

"Inara."

His eyes widened as memories flooded into his head. Of Inara mocking him, of Inara laughing, of Inara frowning, of Inara fighting for her life. Memories of her came like a flood bringing with it memories of the others as Aslan's face strengthened and became like rock.

"Aslan. Inara. Susan. Jason. Caspian. Zaru. Elias. Ed. Lucy. Professor Kirke. Ms. Polly," he pushed those names against her spell and they began to break, "I REMEMBER!"

Aita screamed as her spell collapsed. Howling in fury she kicked him, the chair skidding across the chamber as she whirled around and stormed out of the room, sealing him into the darkness.

Slumped over, coughing and gasping for breath, Peter smiled.

He had won.

. . . . . . . . .

The snake opened its mouth and an emerald fell out and into Inara's hands.

"Just put it to your head and it will be done," the snake said, "It will be done."

Inara frowned at the gem then at the silver tree. A single hole was still open, a single portal.

"What… what's that?" she asked.

The snake froze but Inara was already moving, peering into the hole. A single face swam out of the darkness as Inara's eyes widened, a horrified gasp on her lips.

"PETER!"

He was hurt, bleeding and cut in a thousand places, slumped in a silver chair, as pained and as broken as when Inara had first seen him in the vampire's dungeons.

"He is being hurt," the snake whispered, "He needs you. Quickly! He may not survive!"  
Inara's heart leapt into her throat and she instantly tightened her grip on the emerald, raising it as the snake smiled and urged her on.

"Just place it to your head, just place it…"  
Peter's face haunted her as she closed her eyes, ready to accept the gift.

'_For you,' _she whispered in her mind, _'Peter.'_

"Just place it and you will know never-ending power. That I can promise you," the snake said excitedly, "You will be stronger than ever. You will know power denied to you now. And you will hold it forever. You will be strong forever."

'_Forever…'_  
Inara frowned, her hand stopping in mid-air.

"Take that power," the snake hissed, "Take it. I've seen into your heart. I know what you want. This is what you desire above all else. This power. Take it. It is yours and it cannot be taken away from you."

"Oh."

Inara suddenly smiled and with a cry hurled the emerald to the ground. The snake reared back surprised as Inara stomped on the gem, cracking it beneath her heel. Green light flared as flames spurted from the crystal before dying to smoke.

"What?" the snake howled, "WHY? DO YOU KNOW – "

"Power is not everything," Inara said flatly and her voice was strong, "I had powers and I once thought that was everything."  
Her hand flew up and grabbed the snake around its neck, wrenching it away from her body. She stared into the snake's eyes as it glared back at her, trying to enthral her like before but Inara was not fooled.

She had seen through the façade and once she had seen the truth, it broke whatever illusions this place held over her.

"I defined myself by those powers once. I saw myself as Inara the warrior, Inara the fighter. I thought that was my purpose, my reason for being," Inara said calmly, ignoring the snake's thrashing tail, "But then it was taken from me."  
The silver tree rustled as the green flames that ringed the clearing climbed higher and higher becoming an inferno.

"And not to sound like I'm writing really bad emo poetry or heart-rending pop songs but I was lost. I wondered who I was, why people would even want me…" Inara took a deep breath, "It took me a long time to figure it out and you know what I worked out?"

She grabbed the snake's tail with her own hand, stretching the serpent taut as it let out a choked cry.

"Power is power. It's meant to fade and go away. You can't keep it forever so you can't rely on it. It isn't a constant," she spat.

She remembered Siren's funeral in the world of the Kraken, remembered her thoughts and the revelation she had uncovered as she watched the Magi's coffin sink into the ground.

"Power is not forever," she spat, "Only egomaniacs and sociopaths and certified morons believe that."

She held the snake up to her face, smiling as it spat and bit at her, tongue flicking out furiously.

"I see you. I see your game," she spat, "I know what happens. New Nagas come in, you promise them the world, you promise them they can save everyone from Aita and you give them power and they're your slaves for life. But what you didn't count on was little old me."

She lifted her hands and stared at the trunk of the silver tree, a single hole still remained there, gaping and wide. The snake's eyes widened thrashing wildly as Inara gripped it, fighting its movements.

"I know power. Me and power are old friends. And I know him well," Inara smiled, "You can't promise someone power for all eternity and it isn't everything…"  
With a cry she hurled the snake into the hole and the silver tree shuddered. Its trunk twisted, the hole sealing shut as the spitting green serpent was lost to sight. The branches behind her, fell away, shrivelling and retreating back to the trunk as Inara brushed her hands calmly.

"And oh by the way just in case you didn't get my message," her voice turned cold, "Go to hell."  
She turned and she saw the green flames ringing her fade away into mere embers. Laughing she walked away from the silver tree and the snake imprisoned within and into the darkness.

. . . . . . . . .

She sat up and her eyes flashed silver, slitted like Alcepius's as he stared back at her. Inara looked at her hands, feeling strange, renewed and reborn.

"What the hell…"

She gasped, her eyes widening as she felt something new and something very, very familiar inside her head.

Inara almost wept as she realised what it was.

The fire, the urge to battle, the needed to protect and destroy was burning in her once more. The power she had won from the Temple, lost for so long because of Siobhan's curse had returned, coursing through her veins with a strength that took her breath away.

"How…" she whispered, awed, "How?"  
She welcomed it like an old friend, embracing it but unlike before she did not lose herself to it. She was older, wiser and saw it as a tool, a means to an end rather than her whole existence.

She smiled and felt the new force inside of her, letting it flow through her almost curiously.

She gasped and she was suddenly a predator, a thing feared and worshipped in the same breath. She was swift death, she was movements too fast to see, she was lithe and graceful but strong and brutal. She crawled on her bellies and yet stood on her feet. She was the deadliest of all the hunters in the world but yet she hid in the grass, crawling lower than the meanest prey. She tracked with eyes and tongue and killed with body and fangs.

Inara felt the cold logic of the snake take, a snake felt no anger, simply purpose and what had to be done. She revelled in it as the snake twisted around her body and constricted, sinking and melting into her flesh and becoming one with her.

She was a snake but she was a human, a walking contradiction She was Naga.

"Not completely," Aclepius whispered.

Inara touched her teeth and felt no fangs, she brushed her hands along her harm and felt no scales.

"The spell was powerful but nothing could make you what you were not," the Naga healer said slowly, "We made you into a hybrid, half-Naga, half-human. You possess some of our traits but others are as mysterious to the ways of the stars to you."

"No, not half-Naga,' Inara smiled, "Me."

She felt the power from the Temple and the snake inside of her twist and twine, fusing and mating to form something the worlds had never seen.

She was Inara, smart-mouthed and brash.

She was a monk, steady and serene in battle even as battle lust burned her soul.

She was Naga, snake and human, a predator and a bane to her enemies.

She was all of them and more, the sum of her parts lesser than what she had become.

Inara stood and froze.

"The poison… what happened to it?" she demanded, "I feel…"

She was healthy and strong and whole, her body still thin and malnourished from her sickness but fitter than she had ever been.

"Nagas are immune to poison. You are cured," Aclepius said calmly.

Inara smiled but her head turned as cries drew her attention. She cursed seeing the battle taking place below her. Najash led her people against their enchanted brethren, hacking and slicing as death flew through the air in crimson arcs and splatters.

"What…"

"Green eyes. The Corrupted," the healer explained, "Aita sensed what we were doing and tried to stop us."

Inara tensed, her body stiffening as all her training and all her knowledge from the Temple and from her companions flowed back to her. She clenched her fist and felt her strength. Gone was the girl who could not fight, gone was the girl who was powerless, she was now stronger than she had ever been in her life.

It was time to join the battle once more.

"Cover me," Inara grinned impishly.

With a cry she leapt from the rocky plateau and crashed right on top of a green-eye Naga, tackling her to the ground. Inara rolled to her feet, kicking out and knocking the Naga out before she spun on the balls of her feet, falling into a crouch.

A green-eyes charged at her and Inara flowed through her movements, twisting around him and slamming her palm into his chest, all her force directed inwards cracking ribs and bruising organs as the Naga screamed in pain.

She grabbed him into a head-lock and tossed him to the ground before wrenching his sword from his hand and stabbing him with it.

"So you decided to join us!" Najash howled with laughter as she appeared beside her.

The Elapidae leader was blood-splattered and revelled in the chaos, her fangs glistening with venom. Inara grinned back at her and winked, hefting her sword up.

"First one to twenty gets bragging rights and a plaque saying how utterly awesome they are?" she asked with relish.

"I'm on fifteen," Najash said flatly.

Inara blinked.

"Well then…" Inara cracked her neck, "Time to play catch up."

With a cry the two women stabbed forwards as the green-eyes crashed into them once more.

. . . . . . . . .

Aita stormed down the hall, green fire leaping from her hair and hands as her creatures scrambled to get out of her way.

"That… that…" the Green Lady howled.

Her Black Knight followed like a shadow, mirroring her every move as Aita vented her displeasure.

"I can't believe," she whirled on the Black Knight, "I've never failed! My magic has always worked! How? How did he fight me? How did he beat me like that! It's impossible! Impossible!"

She whirled and pointed and an unfortunate monopod became a pyre as she screamed in fury.

How? How he fought her? She had him! She had him in her spell, she had felt him weaken and falter but somehow, in some inexplicable, enigmatic way he had resisted her and pushed her away.

She screamed, punching the wall, leaving a crater in the solid rock.

"Your majesty."

She whirled as the wolf before her yelped and retreated, bowing and scraping.

"What is it?" she thundered.

It was one of her many spies within her sister's ranks.

"The rumours are true," the wolf said hurriedly, "Someone has destroyed her recruitment camps. Her troops are starving and many have fled. She's weak."

Aita smiled, her green eyes blazing with triumph.

"Yes!" she screamed, "YES!"

She pointed at the wolf, green fire wreathing her hands.

"Go!" she barked, "Get my spies ready to strike."  
"Yes, your majesty!" the wolf instantly nodded, his eyes wearily watching the flames.

He turned and loped away as Aita whirled on her champion.

"The time has come!" she laughed, "It has finally arrived. And all without the Deplorable Word!"

She laughed, unable to control her excitement and glee. Aita spun on the spot and a soaring note flew from her lute, hitting the air like a gong cry.

"TROOPS!" she thundered, "WE MARCH AT ONCE!"  
Nagas and soldiers and beasts of the darkest cave instantly flowed to the edges of the Underground Lake as vast galleys were rowed into place. Aita laughed and turned to the Black Knight.

"Stay here," she smiled, stroking his armoured face, "Just in case this is a trick I need the anchor you provide. As long as you're here…"

The knight bowed to her.

"I can return with a single spell," Aita finished.

She turned and surveyed her army as they marched onto the boats, horns and drums breaking out as the Green Lady grinned.

It was here… finally. Today would be day when she would crush her sister once and for all.

"WE MARCH!" Aita screamed.

She swept towards the shore of the lake as the Black Knight turned and disappeared into the city of the Under Lands.

. . . . . . . . .

"Report?" Najash asked wearily.

"Green-eyes are all dead mam," the Naga said swiftly, "We lost only two."

Najash nodded, taking comfort in the fact that victory had come cheaply for them this time. She surveyed the damage, whispering a prayer for the fallen silvereyes and green-eyes, those that had been corrupted by Aita's dark arts.

"Bitch…" Najash hissed, reaffirming her vow to wipe the witch off the face of the planet.

Aclepius hurried tending to the wounded as those still healthy began dragging the bodies away to be burnt later, their ashes becoming one with the earth as was the Nagas' sacred practice.

"So what now?"

Inara strolled confidently towards her, smiling as her old powers and the ones she had just acquired mingled, feeling her with a strength she had never imagined. Her dark eyes flashed silver as the Naga in her took over briefly, shifting within her skin, testing its new host.

Najash narrowed her eyes, her own keen senses picking up the conflicting nature of the warrior before her. Human and Naga and… something else the Elapidae leader couldn't pick out but her strength was clear, radiating from the girl as though she was the sun. She grinned, showing her fangs, impressed as she shifted her body subtly into a challenge, eager to test her out.

Inara merely smiled and nodded, ready when she was. Najash reached for her sword as Inara reached for hers and –

"Stop that!" Aclepius whacked them both on the back of the head, "We have the wounded to take care of."

Najash hissed as Inara rubbed the back of her head.

"So when do we march against her almighty promiscuous?" Inara demanded, "She still has my friend and I have a sudden urge to ensure her head takes a vacation from her neck."

Najash rolled her silver eyes.

"We have to wait," she snapped, "We can't just charge in. We have to wait for the perfect – "

"NAJASH! NAJASH!"  
She turned on the spot as one her scouts sprinted towards them, tripping over stone in his haste.

"What is it?" she demanded.

"It's… it's…"  
The scout stopped almost collapsing at her feet as Aclepius and Inara tensed, their silver eyes watching the young Naga carefully.

"It's Aita!"  
Najash's eyes widened, hissing reflexively as her fangs unfurled.

"Is she coming for us?" Najash demanded, "Is she – "

"NO!" the scout took a deep breath, "She's leaving the Under Lands with a vast army. A massive one! I've never seen anything like it! She's gone to fight against her sister!"

Najash and Aclepius stared at each other, startled by the news as Inara grinned.

"A vast army huh?" she flicked a look towards Najash, "How very handy…"

Najash gritted her teeth.

"Someone up there or very down below must like us," Inara continued, "So what do you say? Did you wake up with that good ol' kamikaze spirit?"

The Naga leader look to Aclepius.

"We won't get a chance like this again," he pointed out.

Najash cursed before look at Inara.

"You get your wish," she snarled, "NAGAS! WE LEAVE AT ONCE FOR THE UNDER LAND!"  
The leader stalked off, yelling for messengers and scouts as Inara cracked her knuckles, relishing the powers and strength that filled her body. But inside she was worried, terrified.

'_Hang in there Peter,' _she said silently, _'Just hang on. I'm coming.'_

And she walked away, sword in hand as Najash rallied her troops together.

. . . . . . . . .

Author's notes: And I think this was one of the wordiest chapters I've ever written. Light on the action but hopefully more heavy on the character development!


	64. And all that could've been

Finally new chapter! I am so sorry about the horribly long delay but the exams took it out of me but yay! Holidays are now here and hopefully I can update much more often.

Disclaimer: Yeah don't own Narnia and everything else associated with it.

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 64: And all that could've been**

Nathaniel flicked his hands and the crushing hand around Jason's throat instantly hurled him across the white expansive floor, the Seeker crashing and skidding across the ground.

"Pathetic," Jason's doppelganger snarled, "No wonder you couldn't protect your family."

Jason slowly rose to his knees, coughing and choking as the three ghosts that haunted him – Yolanda, Delilah and Quentin hissed in agreement, flowing towards him their voices like knives to his ears and heart.

"Failed," Yolanda whispered.

"Why?" Delilah begged, tears wet on her face.

"Murderer," Quentin accused.

Jason flailed wildly, his arms passing through the phantoms around him, desperately trying to fight off the demons that haunted his every waking moment. He remembered that terrible night, remembered the feeling of cold flesh and hot blood on his hands as in one terrifying stroke everything he had ever loved and known had been wiped out of existence.

A fluttering blue ribbon appeared in his mind, that innocent scrap of cloth the reason why he had gone, why he had abandoned his family to the night and to Whittaker.

"You are pathetic," Nathaniel snarled.

He chopped the air with his hands and Jason roared in pain as his shoulder was sliced open, blood gushing forth from the wound. He reeled backwards, clutching at the gash as Nathaniel glared at him, baleful and hate-filled.

"You let them die," Nathaniel hissed.

"You let me die," Yolanda spat.

His wife, his beautiful wife towered over him, arms crossed as Jason looked up at him, dazed and helpless.

"Yolanda…" he whispered brokenly, "I love you."

There was so much he wanted to say, so much he wanted to beg forgiveness for but words failed him just as he had failed her. The infamous cool impenetrable Jason Sierre was gone, he was one massive bleeding raw wound, a mess of fears and disgust. He reached for his wife, weeping as he remembered her body, wanting to hold her and have her chase this nightmare away.

"I hate you," she spat.

Her black hair seemed to spark as her eyes burned like ember. Jason flinched as he clenched his eyes shut but Nathaniel laughed and waved his hands, invisible hooks prying his lids open. He stared at his wife as she spat at him, a towering column of hate and rage.

"I wished I never met you," Yolanda snarled, her purple eyes piercing him through and through, "I wished I had taken a pillow and smothered you in your sleep."

"No…"

The voice was not his own, it was the meek squeak of a terrified child, of a broken man completely lost. Old fears wracked him as Jason writhed on the spot, tortured by her mere presence and words.

"You are a mistake," Yolanda howled, "I HATE YOU!"

Jason screamed and his ruach, his power exploded out of him. Yolanda snorted contemptuously as the white fire rushed through her ghostly form with no ill effect. Nathaniel waved his hands and dispersed it with a laugh.

"Why?" Delilah begged, "Why?"

She looked down at him with his eyes, the blue depths holding confusion and disappointment. She reached for him and like a nightmare a ghastly dark form appeared behind her, shadowy and obscured.

"Why?"

"Delilah… Ladybug…"

His eyes widened as bile and vomit rose in his throat. He reached for her but he was suddenly paralysed, unable to help as his daughter came under attack.

"NO!" he screamed.

His mind was reeling. What was happening? Why was this happening to him? Why wouldn't it stop?

"PLEASE!" Jason didn't even know who he was begging to anymore..

Nathaniel laughed as the dark phantom reached out and grabbed Delilah by the throat. The little girl screamed, thrashing wildly, reaching for her father as Jason lurched to his feet, screaming and begging.

White fire gushed forwards but the phantom was unaffected, its cruel dark fingers digging into Delilah's pale neck as the girl struggled, weakening with each second.

"Why?"

She went limp as Jason staggered back. He reached for her, weeping brokenly as he remembered holding her body on that fateful night.

"Delilah…"

He blinked and her body was gone.

"I was so scared…"

She reappeared beside him, looking up at him, her blue eyes wide in her small. Jason stared down at her, not knowing what to say, what to do. He had failed her. She was dead. She was dead because he had failed.

The words looped around inside his head as rage and loathing filled him. He stared at Nathaniel, stared at his own mirror. Nathaniel flashed Jason a sickening grin knowing what the Seeker was thinking.

Jason wanted to kill him. Wanted to kill himself. All these ghosts, all these deaths… they were his fault. His shame. His guilt. His failures.

"I was so scared. I screamed for you Papa… I begged for you to come and save me," Delilah wept, "Why didn't you?"

Her voice was like salt against a raw wound, everything inside Jason curling up and dying as he struggled to speak, staring at her as tears came in salty rivers.

"I'm sorry," he whispered hoarsely, "I'm so, so sorry…"

"That's not good enough," Nathaniel screamed at him.

Invisible hands grabbed Jason and crushed him to the ground as the Seeker closed his eyes and let it happen, guilt crashing down on him like a mountain. Quentin, Yolanda and Delilah stood over him, pointing at him, screaming at him.

"Why?" Delilah screamed as the dark phantom behind her choked her over and over again, "WHY!"

"Mistake!" Yolanda screamed.

She was more beautiful and terrifying than anything Jason had ever seen in his life. She held herself like a seductress, her black hair flailing behind her as her purple eyes brimmed with fire.

"I could've chosen a dozen men over you!" she screamed.

Jason bucked and roared as ghostly arms wrapped around Yolanda's form, his wife throwing her head back and laughing as her husband screamed.

"You murdered me," Quentin spat.

"NO!"  
Jason cracked his head against the ground, thrashing as he fought for something, anything to stop this nightmare.

"STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP!"

His voice cracked and broke yet Jason still screamed in a rasp, closing his eyes as blood gushed from his head.

"STOP!"

"COWARD!" Delilah, Quentin and Yolanda screamed as one, "YOU DISGUSTING FILTHY – "

"ENOUGH!"

The three ghosts disappeared and Jason was all alone with Nathaniel, his own former self. The Seeker wept, flinching as Nathaniel strolled towards him, cocking back a fist. The doppelganger punched him, Jason's head snapped back, blood flying from his lips but the Seeker didn't even raise a hand to defend himself. Nathaniel punched him again, Jason's world spinning wildly as his head rocked from the blow but still the Seeker was limp, refusing to fight.

"Fight me damn you!"  
Nathaniel's face twisted, hate flooding his features. He stomped the ground, white fire flaring from his foot and surging around them, ringing them in a circle of bleached flames. Jason screamed as invisible pins stabbed him over and over again but still he refused to fight back.

"FIGHT ME!"

Nathaniel hurled him across the strange white world they were in. An unseen force grabbed Jason in the mid-air and hurled him into the ground. Nathaniel screamed and gestured wildly as Jason was pulled from ground to air and smashed into the earth over and over again.

"Why won't you fight?" Nathaniel screamed.

Jason looked up at him wearily, bruised, battered and bleeding. His eyes were bleak and utterly blank.

"Because I deserve it," the Seeker whispered.

It was the truth. He was a coward, a coward who had let his own family die. He deserved to be punished. He deserved to hurt and be put through hell. He deserved to die. He wanted to die.

Nathaniel froze at his words.

"NO!" Jason's mirror double jabbed a finger at him.

Jason choked on a scream as Nathaniel's ruach, his power, stabbed him in the throat, crushing his windpipe.

"YOU DON'T GET TO SAY THAT!" Nathaniel roared, "YOU DON'T GET TO JUST GIVE UP! FIGHT ME! FIGHT ME!"

He clapped his hands and the three ghosts were back.

"HURT ME!" Nathaniel's words ran into each other, bleeding into each other, the man completely incoherent.

"What?"

Jason stared at his former self, bewildered at his words as the three ghosts flew around him, whispering poison into his ears.

"HURT ME!" Nathaniel bellowed, "HURT ME!"

"You deserve it," Quentin snarled, "You deserve it for killing me!"

"Mistake!" Yolanda spat, "You were a mistake!"  
"Papa…"

Jason turned his head slowly and stared into Delilah's blue, blue eyes.

"You let me die."

"STOP IT!" Jason roared, "STOP!"

Tears burst from his eyes and their hotness made Jason feel like he was bleeding to death. He pointed at Nathaniel, at his family and screamed, every drip and dram of pain and self-loathing and disgust exploding forwards in a geyser of white fire.

"STOP IT!"

Nathaniel was sent flying back, crashing to the ground and the man laughed.

"YES!" he bellowed, "YES! ATTACK ME! DO IT!"

"Mistake! Mistake!" Yolanda screamed.

Jason whirled on her, his fury cracking the darkness that had swamped him. His blue eyes became twin pools of pure white fire, his body wreathed in a pyre of power.

"YOU ARE NOT MY WIFE!" he bellowed.

Yolanda's jaws dropped and she vanished as Jason whirled on Delilah.

It had been her blue eyes. It had been his eyes that had awoke him from this nightmare. He had been right, Delilah did remind him of Susan and in that split second when he had stared into dead daughter's blue depths he had remembered the queen's incandescent gaze.

He remembered a time back at Mystic Lake and the world of the Sisters of the Moon and the Plague Man. He remembered when Selene had died and Susan had blamed herself for it all, crushing herself with imagined guilt and crimes. He remembered the words they had spoken to her, the wisdom they had tried to bestow to her.

It hadn't been her fault. The monsters were the one who had killed that woman and Susan had never been to blame except in her own twisted mind.

Delilah. Quentin. Yolanda. Senseless, needless deaths. He should've been there, he should've stopped it but he hadn't… and it wasn't his fault.

Whittaker had killed his family. Whittaker had stripped him of all that he loved. That man was to blame for everything.

And in that moment of utter crystal clarity, Jason found absolution.

"I'm sorry," Jason whispered, "I loved you all and I failed. I'm sorry."

He stood tall, shoulders squared, spine rigid as strength and surety flowed through him.

"I love you."

And with a screech Quentin and Delilah disappeared.

"NO!"

Jason turned to Nathaniel and saw what the man really was – a shell, a cesspool of hate and disgust, a glutton for punishment and death… a coward.

Slowly Jason walked towards him.

This man was an embodiment of everything he had once felt. The hatred, the guilt… this was the demon that lurked inside of him give legs and flesh.

"NO!" Nathaniel screamed, "YOU… ME! We deserve to be hurt! We deserve to die!"  
Jason's dark blue eyes were flinty.

"We deserve peace," the Seeker said coldly, "We deserve to move on and live our lives. I've found new meaning. New family. This is over."  
"NO!"

Nathaniel's power flew at Jason but the Seeker's own ruach shot forwards, cutting through the flames like scissors through paper.

"You are pathetic," Jason whispered.

Ghostly hands grabbed Nathaniel and dragged him towards Jason. The doppelganger glared at him with hate in his eyes.

This man was him. This man was the weakling who had failed his family. This man was the failure who had let them die.

"Kill me," Nathaniel rasped, "KILL ME!"  
"No."

And Jason did something he would've never dared possible. He hugged Nathaniel, hugged his former self, hugged his guilt and disgust and gave him a gruff kiss on the cheek.

"And I forgive you," he whispered.

Nathaniel's face twisted and he screamed.

"NO!"  
And Nathaniel was gone and all the poison that had welled and pooled inside Jason's soul seemed to leech away, draining to nothing.

"I forgive you," Jason whispered once more.

The white world disappeared and the Seeker was back in the Southern Marches, back to the oasis of verdant greens and crashing blues as the Hermit nodded his head in satisfaction.

"It is done," the old man said, "Congratulations."

And slowly, very, very slowly Jason smiled.

. . . . . . . . .

Zaru and Marshstrom crested the hill, the swamp arrayed behind them and looked upon a slaughter field.

"What…" the leopard began, eyes bulging from his head.

"Hives," Marshstrom groused, "The biggest in this world.

Strange hexagonal holes dotted the earth and the cliff sides, each interconnected and arranged like a honeycombs but instead of being a rich amber gold, these were bloody red. Skulls and bones, remnants of past victims were embedded into the walls, death wafting up to Zaru as the leopard gagged at the foul stench.

"BZZZZZZZZZZZZ!"  
Massive plagues of insect monsters, the Swarms, descended from the skies in frenzied packs, gossamer wings beating a thousand times a second, stingers and claws jutting out from human-like torsos each other armoured and armed by jagged carapace. More creatures exploded from the ground, thousand-legged and segmented like centipedes, their tails ending in massive cursed stingers and hooks.

They came from everywhere, pouring out from the blood-red hives as Ice-Wraiths crashed into them, Aita's Nagas and soldiers just a step behind.

"ROOOOOWWWRRRR!"

A massive squat beetle-like monster, a long deformed horn jutting out from its face rampaged into a pack of Ice-Wraiths, the demon's brittle ice limbs cracking and shattering as the Swarm-beast flailed its horn.

Fire flared Aita's soldiers charging into the Swarms with torches that spat fire as the Nagas streamed all around them, weapons slicing and cutting as twitching Swarm-flies fell from the skies.

"Where…"

Marshstrom pointed silently and zaru sucked in a breath. In the distance a tall stone tower dominated the land, it was white-stoned and impenetrable, its peak stretching to a thousand leagues overhead, pressing into the blood-red sky. And for leagues in every direction the only feature of the land were more holes, more hives of the Swarms.

"That tower is the keeping place of the Deplorable Word," Marshstrom explained lowly.

The Marsh-Wiggle watched with vague interested as a Swarm-beast with flailing feelers was speared through the face by a Naga, its own insect brethren ripping it to pieces as white goo splattered the desolate earth.

"What's inside?" Zaru demanded.

Marshstrom shrugged.

"Nobody knows," the Marsh-Wiggle pointed at the Swarm, "Nobody has ever lived through this."

Zaru grimaced as flying Swarm-beasts armed with grotesquely over-sized stingers swept into the ranks of the Nagas, impaling the snake-warriors with their barbs.

"What do we do?" the leopard growled.

"There's an underground river that passes under much of this land but we will surface with about two leagues to run," Marshstrom grinned, "Then things will start getting more serious!"

"Nut job," Zaru muttered under his breath, "Where's this river?"

Marshstrom turned and led him back into the swamp, mist and fog swirling around them as they moved, waters gurgling and bubbling away sluggishly as they pressed through the grey.

"Here…"

The pond was unimpressive, coated in a thick layer of scum. Behind them the din of battle still raged, death-screams and war-cries flittering through the mist from every direction. Zaru flicked a gaze towards the bloody sky slashed with red and sighed.

He hated this world. He hated being away from his companions. Worries besieged him as he imagined Susan helpless in a thousand tragedies but the leopard had no choice to continue the quest that was now set out before him.

The Deplorable Word had to be won by him, if the witches and by extension the Great Darkness won that terrible secret entire worlds would be wiped out in a single breath and all worlds, Narnia and all the others would be lost. The Great Darkness would win.

"Alright," Zaru nodded, "Let's go!"  
Marshstrom waded into the pond and took a deep breath before sliding into its murky depths, the water swelled the troughs and peaks catching the light of the red sky and refracting it in a thousand shades of blood and crimson as Zaru gritted his teeth and slid silently into the water.

His skin crept with revulsion as the leopard took a deep breath and sunk beneath the surface. Water, luke-warm and strangely thick, pressed down on him from all sides, he coughed choking on bitter water as he floundered, diving deeper and deeper into the darkness.

Suddenly a strong current grabbed him and Zaru was gone, pulled by an irresistible force into a long cramped tunnel that twisted and turned, the leopard's body flung against hard rock as the river surged towards its goal. Zaru clenched his eyes shut, grimacing at each blow of the body as he was spun and turned, twisted and twirled through the waters.

His lung was on fire, his eyes tearing up as his body gasped and reached for air that was gone. His body convulsed, everything in him demanding he open his mouth and breathe as Zaru struggled, bubbles dribbling from his mouth. He thrashed through the waters, choking and spluttering, his lungs threatening to drag in water and drown as the river bore him deeper and deeper into the earth.

Panic rose, fears mounted as Zaru thrashed. He felt numb, his vision dimming as his head lolled back, lethargy swamping him. The cold water became warm as the pain in him drained away.

Tired… he was so tir –

Webbed hands grabbed his tail and pulled as Zaru yelped, his eyes snapping open. Water gushed into his mouth, choking him as the leopard spluttered, flailing wildly. He was being pulled against the flow of the river as above a circle of reddish light danced and shimmered.

What… what was happening?

The cataract of light swelled as he pushed up against it, the current threatening to pull him to his death as the leopard screamed.

"ARRRGHHH!"  
The water broke and Zaru sucked in air in greedy gulps.

"ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?" he yelped.

Marshstrom let go of his tail and shrugged, treading water expertly as the leopard flailed towards the edge of the pool.

"You can't swim?" Marshstrom asked needlessly.

Zaru's answering glare would've been enough to burn the Marsh-Wiggle alive and scatter his ashes to the four winds. Grumbling the leopard clawed himself back onto the dry land and coughed explosively, expelling water from his lungs.

"Where are we?" Marshstrom asked, wading next to Zaru.

The leopard stuck his head over the ring of boulders and instantly caught side of the white-stoned tower. It was within an easy jogging distance but with every patch of earth and rock pored with the Swarm's hives it would be a terrifying head-first sprint into the most deadliest of dangers.

"Still want to be more serious?" Zaru asked dryly.

Marshstrom's eyes lit up and he nodded eagerly as the leopard sighed.

"Alright," he tensed, sucking in a deep breath, "Here… we… GO!"  
Like a flash of lightning Zaru streaked across the earth, Marshstrom tripping and stumbling behind him. The first few metres were silent, the sound of their footsteps impossibly loud, echoing in the narrow valley. But then they came.

"RUNNNNNN!"

A thousand dark forms exploded out from the hives, compound eyes and pincers and horns and scythes pouring out from the holes as they were ambushed from every corner, the Swarm sweeping towards them in a ferocious wave of savage death.

. . . . . . . . .

Susan looked around slowly and all she saw was smoke.

"What is this?" she demanded.

"THIS IS YOUR NEXT TEST!" Tash's voice boomed around all her.

She was standing in a world of mist and obscurity, everything hidden in swirls of grey and white, all fours points of the compass pointing and stretching out towards an infinity of ambiguity.

"Where am I?" Susan spat.

"Relax," Tash spat, "And the rest will come."

His presence vanished, the mist-laden world cooling as Susan's breath smoked in front of her, mingling with the fog.

"What…"

She turned and her eyes widened as a sliver of white light sliced the air in a long line. It opened, stretching out into a rectangle of pure brilliant as Susan frowned.

The previous ordeal had taught her how to tap into Artemis's gift, how to harness the savage thrill of the hunt, to use nature itself to track her prey and rain down death upon them. She had to strength all of her gifts until she received Tash's blessing, something that still made her skin crawl with revulsion.

But she had no choice. She needed his powers to destroy the two witches and to strengthen herself against Gavin and the Darkness he had become. And if she received the Death God's blessing.

"Caspian…"  
That thought alone gave her the courage to walk towards the door of light. The mist streamed away from it as though chased by the light as Susan stretched out a hand and touched its surface. Her fingers slipped through the light, she tensed expecting pain, expecting an attack but nothing happened. She stood, her heart hammering, her throat constricting as she teetered on indecision.

"Don't be a coward," she spat at herself, "You have to do this!"

Taking a deep long breath she closed her eyes and recklessly charged into the light.

. . . . . . . . .

"We're almost done. You have learnt to control the full strength of the ruach. You have learnt to relinquish the guilt you have needlessly burdened yourself with," the Hermit said.

The sage looked at him, milky-white eyes peering into Jason's face and beyond. The withered old man smiled, showing cracked and yellowed teeth as the Seeker tensed, sensing the amusement in the look.

"So I can go now?" Jason spat.

He felt powerful and more secure in himself than ever. No longer did a blankness of memory haunted him, no longer did the ghosts and demons of the past stretched out to suffocate him.

He knew now what had taken place, he knew the family he had lost and he had learnt to accept it and move on.

He would always love Yolanda, always treasure Delilah and always be connected to Quentin but those bonds had been severed and they were lost to him until the end of all things. He had new friends and a new family to protect and Jason vowed he would not fail them as he had failed those that had come before.

The ruach, his power, boiled and churned inside of him, responding to that vow but it was kept completely in his control, an inferno that could be unleashed as a spark to destroy his enemies.

"Not yet," the Hermit said calmly.

Jason glared at him. He should be grateful for all that the Hermit had gone but Jason had been put through hell and back and the Seeker did not forgive easily. White fire gathered in his palms, Jason glaring menacingly at the old man but the Hermit ignored him.

"You still have to learn the truth," the Hermit said softly.

Jason froze, his ruach dying away.

"What…"  
"I cannot tell you… you have to live it and see."

And before Jason could react the Hermit touched his temples and the Seeker was gone.

. . . . . . . . .

Zaru twisted mandibles gnashing the air as the leopard roared, swiping at the Swarm-beast. Claws tore into delicate compound-eyes and the creature was instantly blinded, spitting as it recoiled. Its delicate wings were torn to shreds by the jagged rocks and the monster fell, crushed as a massive rhino-horned beetle burst from a hive hole.

The behemoth was a thing of utter terror, a massive insect head married to a human oaf's lumbering body, twitching segmented legs exploding out from a muscular chest. The beetle-beast screeched and swung its horn around, Zaru leaping away as a furrow was gouged into the soft earth walls.

Marshstrom's long legs were like springs launching the Marsh-Wiggle high up into air as he sailed over the horn, landing in a crouch like a massive mottled frog.

The beetle trumpeted as flying Swarm-beasts descended, screeching and tearing, stingers and claws flashing at the pair.

"GO! GO! GO!" Zaru roared.

He ducked low and threw himself forwards, skidding on his belly as the Swarm turned on him in a screeching, ravenous wave.

"WATCH OUT!" Marshstrom boomed.

A section of the ground gave way as a large white squirming form exploded from the earth. Zaru was thrown to the side, gritting his teeth as he tried to right himself as the gargantuan pale worm writhed through the air. Its massive circular maw was lined with thousand of tiny fangs, hungrily sucking in air as some of the flying Swarm was devoured with terrified screeches.

"RUN!" Zaru screamed at Marshstrom who stood transfixed by the grotesque sight.

Zaru ducked a swipe from a claw and leapt up, pouncing on the flying Swarm-beast before it could react. The leopard drove it to the ground and tore its neck apart, coughing at the rancid taste of the goo that exploded from the severed flesh.

More massive worms burst from the ground, the earth itself birthing dozens of the monstrous creatures as the red sky was suddenly lost behind a writhing veil of flesh and feelers.

Zaru screamed, his delicate ears assaulted by a thousand whirring wings and buzzes and the clicks and clacks of a thousand mandibles and pincers. The sound vibrated his very bones, rattling him as the cat charged recklessly deeper into the hive grounds, Marshstrom clutching his hat and sprinting after him.

The tower loomed up ahead, a beacon amongst the nightmarish landscape of red earth and monsters as Zaru and Marshstrom sprinted towards it, besieged by millions of insect-monsters.

The earth bulged beneath Zaru's feet and the leopard instantly reacted, leaping away and almost landing into a hive-hole. With a roar he lashed out, his claws sinking into the earth as he dangled over the hole.

Marshstrom cried out and was thrown from his feet as a tail flew from the dirt, a human-faced centipede emerging from the ground. It hissed excitedly massive pincers clacking as it thrust its stunted head towards the Marsh-Wiggle, wicked claws slicing the air.

Zaru flailed trying to find more purchase to pull himself out of the hole. He froze as a deep rumbling roar echoed up the hole towards him.

"Oh come on!" he shrieked.

His left hind leg swung up and finally he found leverage, heaving himself onto even ground as gigantic form rushed up the hole towards him.

"WAH!"  
He was half-out of the hole when a giant worm burst from the hole, its massive slimy lip smacking into Zaru and sending him flying up into the air. Zaru was sent spinning and his eyes bulged as he saw the cavernous mouth that threatened to swallow him whole.

"NO!"

Gravity grabbed him and pitched him towards the mouth as Zaru screamed.  
"BAM!"

A shrieking Swarm-beast flew at him, slamming into the cat as claws reached out to slice him open. Zaru was sent flying to the side, roaring as the insect came at him. The leopard slashed out, blinding the flying insect as the worm surged up and crunched the Swarm-beast in two.

Zaru plummeted to earth, smacking into the dirt as the worm thrashed, devouring the Swarm-beast as its severed top-half splattered to ground.

"RUN!"  
Marshstrom leapt over the body towards him, more monsters coming at the Marsh-Wiggle as Zaru cursed wildly and leapt to his feet. He swung towards the tower and sprinted, shooting forwards in a flash of gold as wind whipped his fur into a frenzied mess.

The Swarm buzzed and howled, flying at the two as the tower's ornate entrance appeared in the distance, a white archway engraved with arcane symbols supporting mother-of-pearl gates that shimmered like a bubble caught in sunlight.

"RARRRGGGHHHH!"

Two glistening forms burst from hives on either side of the narrow valley. Human faces spat at them as scorpion tails and fangs whipped at them.

"DUCK!"

Venom splattered on rocks, sizzling as the Swarm-scorpion shrieked in fury. Zaru and Marshstrom leapt, a claw sailing past underfoot as the Swarm-scorpions stabbed forwards with their tails. Debris tumbled down over the Marsh-Wiggle and the leopard as the rock-faces were battered, cracking and splitting as rock and dust fell on them.

Zaru looked up and froze.

"WHAT?"

"WHOOSH!"  
The Swarm shrieked as a huge glowing blue ball tore through the air. Several of the Swarm were struck by the azure comet, shrieking as their bodies froze and they fell to the ground, shattering like glass against the earth.

The neon-blue comet struck the pearly gates of the tower and both were instantly shattered, sprays of liquid blue light flying everywhere. Everything the light touched froze, imprisoned in thick ice as Zaru and Marshstrom stared in amazement.

The ice shifted and warped, gaining forms as the Swarm screamed as one. The ice blocks disintegrated breaking up into dozens of smaller lumps. The ice rocked as more cracks formed, rough shapes forming as invisible chisels worked the ice. As one the ice unfurled and raised angular heads to the sky and screeched in triumph, the Ice-Wraiths cackling as they rushed through the broken tower gates.

"NO!" Zaru roared.

One of the Swarm-scorpions had been froze by the ice and Zaru instantly leapt on its back, skidding across the ice and sailing over the other side. He landed with a roll and sprinted towards the tower gates.

"ROOOOOOWWWRRRR!"

Marshstrom turned and paled beneath his muddy skin as a poisonous green dragon winged its way through the air, hissing as emerald flames jetted out from its mouth. The Swarm was set ablaze, burnt husks tumbling to the ground as the dragon roared and lowered its head, its long lethal tail cutting a swathe through the Swarm.

"HURRY!" Zaru roared.

They ran helter-skelter over the uneven ground, past frozen Swarm-beasts as the dragon flew by overhead, its shadow swallowing them up. They quickly sprinted up the stairs and through the destroyed gates as the Swarm turned on the dragon.

"TWHIP! TWHIP! TWHIP!"  
Arrows tore through the insects as the Nagas and human soldiers on the dragon's back retaliated with whooping cries.

A skein of green fire drove the Swarm past as the dragon slammed into the side of the white tower, its tail falling to the ground like a rope ladder. The soldiers on its back instantly leapt from its broad back, streaming through the doors and into the keeping place of the Deplorable Word.

The Swarm screeched and rushed forwards but as they neared the tower's walls all of the insects froze, looks of revulsion crossing their faces. Keening and whimpering the Swarm turned away as the dragon huffed at them, watching them balefully.

Inside the three factions had arrived as the final fight for the Deplorable Word began.

. . . . . . . . .

Nathaniel stepped through the door to his house and smiled as Yolanda winked at him. Delilah let out a high pitched squeal and instantly rushed towards her father, hands outstretched.

"Did you get it? Did you get it?" she demanded.

Nathaniel laughed and reached into his pocket pulling out a long length of azure ribbon. Delilah squealed in joy and snatched it from her father's hands.

"Delilah!" Yolanda scolded.

Delilah pouted but threw her arms around her father's neck and gave him a big hug.

"Thanks Papa!" she shouted.

Nathaniel grimaced and rubbed his ears as Delilah turned and raced into her room no doubt trying out her new ribbon. Yolanda laughed and tugged her husband into a tender hug, kissing on the lips.

"You're a good father," she grinned.

Nathaniel smiled ruefully.

"I know."

He glanced out and up through the windows, his dark blue eyes lingering on the twin pearl moons of Lawless.

He frowned a deep sense of unease flashing through him. Something felt wrong, out of place. There was something just slightly off with this night as if the world had holding its breath for something that had yet to happen.

Nathaniel shook his head and smiled at his wife. He was at home with his family… what could possibly be wrong with that?

"Did Quentin stop by?" Nathaniel asked, "I saw him just as I was leaving."

Yolanda frowned, startled.

"No," she said puzzled, "I didn't. Maybe he realised there was somewhere he had to be."

"You mean with Lily?" Nathaniel smirked.

His grin widened as he remembered how smitten his best friend was with the local schoolteacher. Yolanda rolled her eyes and smacked him across the arm.

"Stop meddling!" she scolded, "Who Quentin chooses to court is none of our business."

Nathaniel shot her a wry look.

"So you haven't tried to interfere before?" he pointed out, "That's rich coming from the woman who keeps trying to make Quentin propose!"  
Yolanda sniffed and turned away as Nathaniel laughed but still the unsettling feeling in his stomach refused to leave. He was distracted for the rest of the evening, barely smiling as Delilah danced around their small house, her new ribbon twined through her dark hair. Yolanda had shot him speculative glances the whole night but Nathaniel had brushed her concern away, claiming he had a headache. He barely slept that night, lying awake in bed as Yolanda slept peacefully beside him. He had begun to tremble violently, some sourceless fear gripping him, he had held his wife tightly breathing in her scent as slowly he drifted off into a feverish dream-laden slept where he dream his family dead and Whittaker, a face from his past, laughing in glee

In the morning that dreadful feeling only increased as Quentin rushed in, pale and trembling as he spilt the latest gossip in town – Whittaker and his men had been found murdered in the desert, bearing the arrows of the Wanderers.

Nathaniel had sat back heavily into his chair, feeling dizzy and sick and oddly relieved as though some unimaginable disaster had just been avoided.

"Honey?"

He looked up into Yolanda's worried eyes.

"Are you feeling right?" she asked.

Nathaniel grinned at her and the strange feeling evaporated.

"Never better," he tasted the words, relishing them, "Never better."

. . . . . . . . .

The human died screaming, impaled on an icy claw as the Ice-Wraith screeched in his face. Blood splattered the demon's face as it howled in victory, tearing its claws free and spinning around only to be scythed in two by a Naga's blade.

The chamber was an abattoir of blood and movement, the armies of Jadis and Aita clashing as each fought for dominance of the white stairs leading high up into the tower.

"This way!" Zaru yelped.

Marshstrom kicked a Naga back, powerful legs launching the snake-warrior with all the power of a coiled spring as the leopard ripped his way through the warring mass.

An Ice-Wraith's claws missed him by mere inches, Zaru hissing as bitter-cold seeped into his fur. He lowered his head and rammed forwards, cracking the demon's chest open as the demon sprawled backwards, crushed underfoot as Zaru roared in triumph.

Crossbow bolts flew through the air, Aita's soldiers forming a phalanx by the gateway as the Ice-Wraiths shrieked, metal barbs drilling into their icy forms as cracks formed and joined, many of the demons shattering under the barrage.

"RAARGH!"  
The Ice-Wraiths leapt out of the way as a lone member of their brethren charged recklessly into the Nagas and humans, its icy form pulsing with brilliant blue light. Aita's soldiers shouted out, firing arrow after arrow into the wraith. Its body twisted and flinched, bolts cracking into its skeletal form but still it charged screaming at top of its lungs.

"BOOM!"  
It slammed into the pack of Nagas and promptly exploded, blue light flaring as everyone was hurled back by the immense blast. The tower shook, rocks raining down from below as Zaru and Marshstrom smacked into the wall, blinking furiously to try and regain their equilibrium.

The smoke cleared and light glittered on razor-edges, Aita's army encased in a solid block of ice. The few remaining Nagas and armoured humans stared in horror at their frozen comrades, looks of astonished shock etched into their faces.

"GO!" Zaru hissed.

He and Marshstrom raced for the stairs as the Ice-Wraiths whirled and lunged for the steps in a shimmering pack.

"GO!" Marshstrom screamed as the ice demons hissed and spat, snapping at their feet.

They charged up the long circular flight, the ragtag remnants of Aita's band in hot pursuit as the Ice-Wraiths screamed, flying razor shards of ice at Zaru and Marshstrom.

"DUCK!"  
A spear sailed past overhead, thudding into the wall as Aita's army charged up the stairs, some of the Ice-Wraiths falling back to deal with the new attack.

"ARGGHHH!"  
A Naga was hurled from the stairs, pitched into a long drop at the centre of the spiral stair well, her terrified screams echoing up the tower before being suddenly silenced as a fresh skirmish broke out.

The Nagas leapt onto their human comrade's shoulders, springing forwards and sailing over the thin wall of Ice-Wraiths as their green eyes glittered with triumph. The humans slammed into the Wraiths, engaging them in a fierce close-quarter combat as the Nagas pulled out long hanks of rope, cruel curved hooks swinging freely from the ends.

"What…" Zaru's eyes widened as the Nagas spun the ropes around deftly, the hooks becoming blurred circles of silver as the snake warriors built momentum and speed.

With fierce cries they sent the hooks flying, the rope uncurling and whipping through the air. With loud clangs the hooks sank into the wall and the Nagas leapt, swinging over the massive fall on taut ropes and landing safely on the other side. For the first time in this perilous race Aita's forces were in the lead, the Ice-Wraiths screeching as they barrelled up the stairs, Zaru and Marshstrom caught between the two armies.

The Nagas reached into their packs and pulled out handfuls of sparkling green crystals. Smirking they hurled the crystals down at the Wraiths, Zaru and Marshstrom ducking to avoid the barrage.

"WHOOSH!"

Green fire flared and Zaru was almost incinerated by the conflagration. The Ice-Wraiths screamed charging through the fires as the Nagas rained more crystals down on them, the magical devices exploding as they struck rock.

"ROOOOOOWWWWRRRR!"  
Zaru tore out a Naga's throat as he sailed through the air, crashing through the wall of snake-warriors and ploughing through their line to the stairs beyond. He ducked his head and kept running ignoring the Naga's frantic cries and Marshstrom's screams. The stairs were coming to an end, iron-wrought doors the only thing standing in his way.

Zaru gritted his teeth and hurled himself forwards, closing his eyes for the impact but it never came, the doors swinging smoothly inwards and throwing Zaru into the darkness.

"WAH!"

He smacked into the ground with a grunt, groaning in pain as Nagas and Ice-Wraiths poured into the final chamber, Marshstrom swept up in the confusion.

"NAGAS KILL YOUR ENEMIES!" a towering Naga screamed, his face divided by a single vertical scar, "VICTORY IS OURS!"

The Ice-Wraiths howled and whirled on the Nagas, the two sides ruthlessly hacking at each other as Zaru climbed to his feet.

"Guys…"

His voice was swallowed up by cracking ice and bloody screams.

"Guys…"

A Naga stumbled back, glistening organs bulging against her hands as an Ice-Wraith tore her throat out.

"GUYS!" Zaru roared.

Startled, all of them twisted to look at the leopard.

"Company," Zaru trembled.

Almost comically they turned as one and stared at the three figures standing on pedestals at the far end of the room.

"WHO DARES DISTURB OUR SLEEP!"

A hush fell over the chamber as the three figures looked up, throwing their dark cowls away from their heads. All three were swathed in black cloaks, their arms swallowed up by voluminous sleeves and legs, glistening white hands the only visible part of their upper limbs. Their heads were bald, their faces patch-works of white stitched with brilliant red scars. All three were deformed in some horrible way.

The one on the left had his eyelids sewn shut by thick black cords, his lips pulled back into a fierce snarl revealing dirty black fangs. The pedestal on which he stood was emblazoned with three stark words: SEE NO EVIL.

The one in the middle had had his ears shorn off, the stumps that remained melted into the side of his head leaving only wax-like smoothness behind. His epitaph was as bleak as his brothers: HEAR NO EVIL.

The one on the far right had eyes that burned with contempt, his ears pointed like a bat's. But his lips were pressed together cruel iron spikes driven between the two flaps of flesh and pinning them together. His words followed that of his brethren: SPEAK NO EVIL.

"WE ARE THE KEEPERS OF THE DEPLORABLE WORD!" the blind Keeper raged, "WHO DARES DISTRUB OUR SLEEP!"

The scarred Naga stepped forwards, his movements shattering the stillness of the room.

"WE WILL RIP THE WORDS FROM YOUR DEAD BODY!" the Naga screamed, "AND WE WILL DO IT IN THE NAME OF OUR MISTRESS, THE LADY OF THE GREEN KIRTLE!"  
The deaf Keeper spoke, eerily hearing the warrior's words.

"Fools," he spat, "You cannot hope to defeat us! The word has only been used once and look at the destruction it has wrought on this world!'

The Ice-Wraiths screamed and scuttled forwards as the mute Keeper's eyes glistened.

"Very well," the blind Keeper spat, "Let the trial begin!"

The mute Keeper was the first to move, everyone tensing as his arms raised but all he did was clap his hands over his sealed mouth as though covering a sneeze. The Ice-Wraiths opened their mouths, jaws dropping but not a sound came out.

The demons froze, staring at each other in confusion as they opened their mouths again. Zaru's eyes bulged as his tongue and throat worked but not a sound escaped his lips.

They had all been struck dumb.

The deaf Keeper clapped his hands over his ears and as though the whole world had suddenly been leeched of sound, everything went silent. In that single move the Keeper had made them all deaf.

The blind Keeper finally made his move, grinning in triumph as he covered his eyes. This was the most terrifying of all the changes as every eye in the room went blank, veils of impenetrable darkness falling over every vision as they were all made blind.

Panic set in quickly, the Nagas and Ice-Wraiths letting out silent screams as they thrashed through the darkness that had become their words, unable to use any of their senses to orientate themselves. Their hands met rock and flesh and ice and yet they still stumbled unsure of where to go.

Marshstrom sank to the ground, putting his head between his hands as he rocked to and fro, crying noiselessly. Zaru was only one to remain calm, closing his eyes and slowly letting him adjust. He fought back his fear and panic, knowing only a cool head would save him now.

Grinning at each other the three Keepers of the Deplorable Word unsheathed long curved swords and without a sound leapt from the pedestals and began to feel their enemies like ripe harvests.

. . . . . . . . .

The years had rushed by in the blink of an eye. Quentin and Lily had married and their brood had quickly expanded into the four of the most boisterous and loud-mouth boys to ever plague Lawless. Nathaniel had always laughed at his friend and the karma that had seen him stuck with four versions of his younger self.

Delilah had grown from childhood and ripen into a beautiful and enchanting woman, the envy of all her friends and the target of every young man in town. Nathaniel had guarded his daughter jealously as his wife watched on amused, Yolanda gracefully aging into a woman of infinite kindness and wisdom.

But all things must change and it was with a heavy heart that Nathaniel let his daughter go into the world alone. It had taken only two short years for Delilah to find her heart's desire, a young deputy who adored his fiancée, worshipped the ground she walked upon and as impossibly protective as her father. He was the husband that every girl wished she had and the son every family wanted and Nathaniel had hated him from the very beginning.

The first meeting had been a disaster, Hugh was tongue-tied and flustered before the wrath of his father-in-law to be, failing each and every trap Nathaniel had set for him. Hugh had almost fled the room as Nathaniel plotted his death but Yolanda and Delilah had kept him in check, rolling their eyes over the chauvinism of the men in their lives. But after many, many failed attempts Hugh had finally past Nathaniel's inquisition and met his impossibly high standards and finally after much soul-searching and rip-roaring arguments Nathaniel was ready to let his daughter go.

"I'm getting old," Nathaniel groaned.

Quentin smirked at him, his friend had greyed way before his time, a result of the stress of raising four young boys he'd like to tell anyone who would listen.

"Yes you are," Quentin sneered.

Nathaniel glared at him, unamused as he ran his hands through his dirty-blonde hair. Quentin still wore the same fedora that had been with him almost his whole life, the object of many of Lily's often explosive irate tirades.

"You know your sons are almost at the age to get married as well," Nathaniel pointed out casually.

Quentin chuckled at his friend's hapless attempt at a retaliation.

"Good. I'll be glad to have my wife all to myself," Quentin smirked, "Should make things more interesting!"  
Nathaniel rolled his eyes as the door before him swung open. Yolanda stepped out, resplendent in a shimmering blue gown, her purple eyes dancing with mischief.

"Ready old man?" she teased.

Nathaniel threw up his hands in disgust.

"Why is everybody against me!" he cursed.

Yolanda laughed and stepped aside.

"She's ready. The whole church is ready," his wife said quickly, "So hurry up!"  
With measured steps she walked away, hurrying yet still looking impossibly lovely whilst doing so. Nathaniel shook his head and stepped into the room.

The sight inside took his breath away.

"Delilah…"

His daughter, his little daughter stood before him as a woman on her wedding day, breath-taking, heart-breaking and he had to let her go. Nathaniel sighed even as tears spilled down his face.

"How do I look Papa?" Delilah asked, blue eyes filled with love.

"Beautiful," Quentin answered for the speechless father.

Delilah laughed and pulled her veil over her face.

"Alright Papa, Uncle Quen…" she laughed, "Let's get me married!"

Look many of the most important moments in his life his daughter's wedding was a blur of nerves. Nathaniel was always one step away from a complete breakdown as they entered the church, as Delilah looked up and saw Hugh waiting for her with a smile on his handsome face, as he stopped and let his daughter walk to the man who now the single most important person in her life.

Nathaniel tried to grin and utterly failed as the priest began to talk of marriage and all that it entailed, the church's eyes focused solely at the glowing couple standing at the altar.

It was a perfect day. A perfect moment. Nothing could ruin it. Nothing at all.

"BANG!"  
He spun around as the priest looked up and screamed. The door shattered as two forms tumbled into the aisle, Yolanda screaming in fright as one of them rose, a huge red eyes dominating a face that was all teeth.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?" Quentin screamed.

The church-goers leapt from their pews, scrambling and climbing on top of each other as the beast was knocked away, its muscular black body crashing through a chair as its attacker rose.

"Die!" the slim woman spat.

She pulled out an arrow and fired it smoothly, slaying the beast in a single blow. She turned and Nathaniel's breath caught in his throat. The woman was tall and slim, her face freckles and beautiful if not for the scars that mangled one cheek. She clutched a silver bow in one hand, a quiver across her back.

Nathaniel stared at her and had a suddenly crazy feeling he had met her somewhere before.  
"RUN!" the woman screamed, "GO! THE PRETAS ARE COMING!"  
"What…?" Hugh began.

"ARGH!"  
The back wall of the church was blasted apart and a wild gale swept through the building, knocking everyone off their feet. The priest was instantly snatched up by long clawed hands and torn apart as Delilah screamed in terror.

"LADYBUG!" Nathaniel bellowed, his heart in his throat, "DELILAH!"  
"PAPA!"

Clawed hands grabbed Delilah by the arm as Hugh and Nathaniel lunged for her. With a terrified shout Delilah was gone, pulling into a shrieking vortex of wind as Yolanda screamed.

The winds instantly died leaving them all to stand in the shattered church, staring blankly at the spot where the bride had once stood.

"Nathaniel…" Yolanda whispered.

"WHAT WAS THAT?" Hugh whirled on the blue-eyed woman who had disrupted the wedding, "WHO ARE YOU?"  
"That was a Preta, an Ill-Wind, a reincarnation of greed," the woman said briskly.

She held herself like a queen, with a command and authority that belied her youthful features. Nathaniel stared at her and their blue eyes met and an instant connection, a recognition was forged. Somehow, in some mysterious way they were linked. Nathaniel stared at her and despite everything he trusted her.

"Where has she been taken?" Nathaniel demanded, Delilah's terrified face haunting his every thought.

The woman's eyes were old, they had seen death and destruction, they had seen senseless slaughter and mayhem. These were the eyes of one who had suffered and lost everything and a part of Nathaniel wept for her.

"To the deserts," the woman said simply.

On her left hand, a green ring sparkled next to a simple golden band. She turned and began to walk out of the church. Nathaniel blinked and sucked in a deep startled breath as an urge filled him.

"I'm coming with you!" he suddenly shouted.

"WHAT? NATHANIEL!" Yolanda shrieked as Quentin look at him in shock, "WHAT – "

"Okay," the woman said simply, "Let's go."

The archer walked out onto the streets as Nathaniel pushed through the debris and followed her, drawn by a force he could not resist. Somehow this felt right, somehow following this woman, this girl was the most natural thing to him in the whole wide world.

"By the way," the woman said turning to look at him with her dead haggard eyes, "I'm Susan."

. . . . . . . . .

Zaru smelt blood and felt the minute vibrations of the ground as a body fell. Ice chips hit him as an Ice-Wraith was shattered into a millions pieces by a single blow. The leopard was blind, deaf and mute, supposedly helpless but Zaru had learnt to train all five of his senses a long, long time ago.

His fur itself became a sense unto itself, ruffling and twisting, picking up on the tiny changes and movements in the air itself guiding him towards and away from his enemy.

His nose provided a wealth of information, the Keepers' reeking of death and age, their blades tart with the tang of metal.

This was not a battle of wits or skill, it was a game of instincts and luck, the slightest mistep or the smallest of shifts in body the difference between life and death.

The Keepers were fierce and ruthless fighters, their cruels swords swinging through the air as they hacked ruthlessly into the invaders of their chamber. The Nagas and Ice-Wraiths were far from helpless, each having their own way of seeing. The snake-people used their tongues to taste the air, used their bodies to sense the minute vibrations in the ground. The Ice-Wraiths could feel the heat and cold of the air itself, tracking the three guardians unerringly.

But despite all their efforts neither side could match the sheer brutality and power of the Keepers. They moved too fast to track by such feeble senses as taste or feel, swords and icy claws scornfully dodged or turned aside, bloody cracking blows scything through their enemies.

Deaf and blind, the invaders fell without a sound, their limbs flailing wildly as they died. The blind and deaf Keeper howled with laughter, lifting their heads to the roofs and drinking the blood that sprayed from severed limbs as the mute Keeper's eyes merely glittered with amusement.

A Naga died silently, mouth opening and closing in a silent scream as he was pierced by three swords through his back. He thrashed, swinging blindly at his attackers but three strong boots kicked him off the swords as he splattered wetly to the ground. The Nagas all hissed violently, no sound escaping their lips, as they scented blood in the air, whirling and slashing around blindly unsure of what to do or where to attack.

Ironically it was the fact that Zaru was a leopard that saved his life. The Keepers hacked and slashed their way through the weapon-wielding Nagas and the demonic Ice-Wraiths, perceiving them to be the greater threats. It gave Zaru precious minutes to adapt to his new situation, the leopard fighting back the gibbering wave of terror that threatened to swallow him whole as he sought for the calm that would see him through this impossible trial.

His nostrils flared, the leopard sucking in deep breaths as he scented the room. The Nagas' tongues were no match for his nose where the snake warriors smelt only blood and death, Zaru's senses pierced this thin veneer and detected all that lurked below. The Keepers rage was like ash and fire, moving like smoke in a storm through the room. The Nagas were musk and saliva shot through with the sharp bitter taste of poison and venom. The Ice-Wraiths were brushes of bone-chill against the skin and the smell of water and icy cruelty.

Fear swept through the room in rancid fumes as the Keepers performed their deadly arts. An Ice-Wraith staggered back, clutching a stump of an arm as the blind-Keeper drove his sword through its face, killing it in a single blow.

The door to the chamber had sealed shut, trapping them in with the three Keepers of the Deplorable Word.

A random draft chased mud and water and terror into Zaru's nose and the leopard knew where Marshstrom was. The leopard gritted his teeth and growled under his breath even as no sound escaped and he plunged into the tangle of living and dead, stumbling over chunks of broken ice and severed limbs as the Keepers laughed their cruel laughs, ecstasy building as they slaughtered their victims.

A Naga, the one with the scar down his face, spun, parrying a blow and jumping back allowing the mute-Keeper's blade to crash to the ground. The snake-warrior landed and punched out smoothly, cracking the Keeper in the face before slicing forwards. The mute-Keeper cheeks bulged, his pierced lips blocking any sound he would've made as he staggered back, a cut through his side. The bald and gnarled monster glared at the Naga and exploded forwards, sword flashing through the air. Panic flooded the Naga's blinded green-eyes as he was battered by blows that fell like blows of the guillotine.

With a powerful stroke, the Keeper sheared the Naga's sword in two leaving the snake-man to gape in terror and the second blow beheaded him.

The blind and deaf Keeper was menacing the Ice-Wraiths and panic was sweeping through the pack, the glacial demons somehow connected with their brethren, each fallen shaking the group like leafs in the wind. They rampaged through the chamber, swinging blindly slicing through each other and the Nagas, Zaru forced to twist and duck to avoid death as the Keepers watched on, amused.

The blind Keeper leapt through the air, landing dead center amidst a ring of wraiths and with a violent swing destroyed every single one of them. Only three wraiths remained and of the Nagas only four, the dead littered the ground as Zaru hung back and waited, sniffing constantly, body tensed waiting for an opening.

With a silenced screech, the Ice-Wraiths grabbed onto one another, their hands and claws fusing together as blue light blazed from their bodies. Zaru flinched feeling the power that hummed through the air as the icy teeth of a winter's night bit into his flesh.  
With a cry the deaf-Keeper lunged at the ring of Wraiths, his mighty sword swinging down. It cracked one of the ice-demons in two but like lighting the fuse of a bomb, the blow set the light off.

"BOOM!"  
Nagas, Zaru, Marshstrom and Keepers were hurled backwards, smashing into the walls as powerful forces pummeled their bodies.

Zaru righted himself, shaking himself as the world spun crazily. His ears were ringing, blood pounding inside his head as the only thing he heard was the falling of debris.

Wait…

Heard!

Blinded as Zaru was he did not see what had happened to the deaf-Keeper, the mutilated guardian was frozen against the wall, his mouth opened in a silent scream as a prison of ice entombed his body. A chunk of rock, dislodged by the blast, crashed down onto the frozen monster and the Keeper shattered into a million pieces.

The blind-Keeper screamed as Zaru's eyes widened as sound flooded back to him in an inexorable wave.

He smiled and licked his lips, his ears pricked up. With a silent roar he threw himself at the nearest Keeper as the Zaru made his move.

. . . . . . . . .

"What's going on?" Nathaniel demanded frantically.

Susan turned to look at him, her scarred face thoughtful even as her blue eyes remained completely unreadable. She frowned, confused by the strangest feeling she had met this man before. But she froze her emotions knowing how easily they could get her killed.

"The Pretas are invading," she said brusquely.

"What?" Nathaniel yelped.

Fear gripped him as the memory of his daughter's terrified face flooded his mind.

"Where's Delilah?" he demanded, "Why did they take her? What –"

"Sacrifice," Susan said flatly, "They need a sacrifice to open the way between the worlds and alllow the full force of the Great Darkness to enter."

"Great Darkness?'

Like a stone dropped into a pond that words had a strange resonance and echo invoking half-remembered dreams and disorientating flashes as Nathaniel tried to grab at something that lingered just a little out of his reach.

"What…" Nathaniel looked at her, looked at her battle-scarred cold face and felt a stab of worry and grief for her, "Who are you? What… what are you?"

Susan gritted her teeth and swung away, marching down the sand dune, unbowed by the heat as the rays of the three suns scorched her face.

"I was a queen of a kingdom that no longer exists," Susan said flatly, "I'm Chosen."

"For what?" Nathaniel demanded, frowning as something in his memory awoke at that word.

"Chosen to fight the darkness… I had companions once. I had allies," Susan's voice caught, "But they're dead now. All of them."

Grief swamped her as faces smiled and mocked her memories. Elias… Zaru… Inara… all dead, all brutally tortured and slaughtered and all because of her failings. Her heart had been ripped from her chest, shredded and frozen and thrust back into her broken body. She had failed so many people, so many worlds. Her parents, her siblings… Peter, Edmund, Lucy… all lost. She had buried each and every one of them in a shallow grave, the best she could dig with her bare hands. Her memories were nightmares brought to life, she remembered Inara's shocked face as Shift stabbed her in the back. She remembered Zaru and Elias screaming as they were torn apart by the Yin. She could still see Peter's broken body clutched in Draken's hands… and Ed and Lu… those were memories she did not want to revisit.

'_You will not take this world,' _she vowed silently, _'I will not lose again.'_

Nathaniel opened his mouth, an awkard apology and consolation on his lips but he froze as he stared up into the sky and saw a wound.

There was no other way to explain it, it was a wound in the sky, a gashing scar that bled darkness into the blue and white of the heavens.

"What…"

"The Gateway," Susan whispered, sheathing a sceptre of silver and blue crystals into her belt, "Hurry!"

She still didn't know why she so instinctively trusted him but it was a feeling she could not shake. They were bonded, bound and wound tight around the spindle of destiny, twined together forever. Susan shook herself, all thoughts bleeding into the grim dark pool of anticipation that gathered in her mind.

"Can you fight?" Susan demanded.

Nathaniel stared at her, eyes wide. He was an accountant not a Seeker! But Nathaniel felt the fire that had simmered in his mind since the day he was born, the power that lurked within him, the strength he had locked up and suddenly using them was like breathing. He nodded.

"A little," he said.

Susan nodded and pulled an arrow from her quiver.

"We crest this dune, they're doing to see us and they're going to come for us," the queen said, "Do not falter. Strike them down."

Calmly she walked the last few metres to the top of the dune, Nathaniel struggling up beside her. Below laid a sprawling camp of cages and stakes. Women and men stood bound and gagged, lashed to rude poles as monsters, horned, feathered and clawed, patrolled the narrowed streets, snarling and hissing. All this was done below the dark and purple glow of the scar in the sky, the very centre of the camp a massive pyre that spat red and black flames up into the darkened heavens.

"Get ready," Susan said briskly.

"Wait –"

"TWHIP!"

An ogre went down, an arrow through its eye as Susan charged recklessly down the sandy embankment, Nathaniel standing at the dune top and gazing at her in astonishment.

The monsters looked up at the incoming queen and screamed, charging towards her, one lone woman against an army of nightmares. Pretas, red-eyed and muscular under their oily black skin, loped forwards on squat legs, moving with shocking speed and agility.

Susan fearlessly fired arrow after arrow into the pack of demons, Pretas falling as ichor bleed from their ruined eyes, other creatues clutching at throats and chest. Nathaniel finally mastered himself and stumbled down the dune, blindly reaching for the power inside of him and hurling it forwards.

"BOOM!"

A quarter of the army was wiped out as white fire blazed setting the creatures alight. They screamed, dying where they stood as Nathaniel staggered back, greying and astonished by the destruction he had wreaked.

"Good!" Susan yelled, her eyes blaze with battle-lust, "ATTACK!"

The scarred woman threw her dagger at a minotaur and the blade took the beast in the chest, slaying it in one blow as Nathaniel managed to crawl to his feet, sweat rolling down his face as he wept, his whole body burning up.

"It hurts!" he whimpered, "It hurts!"

"BOOM!"

He vomited out white flames, the power pouring out from his eyes, nose and ears and a whole third of the camp was fused in melted glass, demons and innocents perishing in a single blow. Susan whirled and stared at him in horror as Nathaniel staggered, his power, his ruach flowing out of him like a torrent from a ruptured dam.

"Please…" he begged, "MAKE IT STOP!"

"PAPA!"

Delilah staggered towards him, bleeding from a cut in her head, her white dress ruined. She stared at him in shock, worry written all over her face. How she had gotten free Nathaniel did not know.

"Ladybug…" Nathaniel gasped, "Lady – GET AWAY! GET AWAY FROM ME!"  
"PAPA!"  
"NO!" Susan screamed suddenly.

Delilah let out a single piercing cry as the power exploded out from Nathaniel again, the man the centre of a nuclear maelstrom as everything around him died. Susan's sceptre flared, a bubble of blue light protecting the queen as the white fire washed over her like a tsunami. Delilah was blasted out of existence, slain in the blink of an eye as Nathaniel screamed, his heart shattering into a million pieces.

"No…" he begged, collapsing to his knees, "I… no… this…"

Susan looked up at him, hair dishevelled, the sceptre white hot in her hands.

"You…"

Nathaniel stared at her in horror.

"I… I… I…"

A splatter of blood hit Susan in the face. She could only stand and watch as Nathaniel fell forwards, a sword in his back.

"Well…" Caspian looked at her, his eyes pure black, "That was unexpected."

Susan raised her sceptre as the king pulled his sword from Nathaniel's body.

"Missed me?" Caspian hissed.

"Get out of his body," Susan spat.

Caspian rolled his eyes and without another word lunged at Susan trying to skewer her through the chest.

. . . . . . . . .

The mute Keeper was taken completely by surprise, Zaru's nose and ears guiding him towards the flesh that pumped with blood and rattled with breath. His teeth sank into the Keeper's neck and Zaru twisted through the air, his momentum sending him forwards as the leopard ripped the monster's throat out in a single fluid move.

"NO!" the blind-Keeper shrieked.

Zaru landed and spat out mouthfuls of horrid foul blood as the mute-Keeper sank to the earth, his eyes wide and unseeing.

"NO!"  
With four fierce blows the final Nagas fell, the bodies twisted mangled heaps of red as the blind-Keeper flew at Zaru. The leopard leapt, his fur sensing the movement of wind as he landed and rolled, the blade smashing into the ground beside him.

Marshstrom unfurled himself, looking around blindly as Zaru and the final Keeper danced the final deadly waltz. It was Zaru's hypersensitive senses that proved his saviour, with his sight removed his other senses heightened, compensating for his loss.

He could literally hear the blood pumping in the Keeper's veins and arties, hear the breath rushing through his mouth and nose and into his lungs. He felt the monster's footsteps, heard the curses and rants thrown his way.

With his sight trapped in never-ending darkness Zaru was amazed by just how much he could detect. He could hear the grinding of bone against bone as joints moved, pick up the impossibly minute changes in blood flow as limbs moved. He could read the Keeper perfectly, his only downfall being the debris and bodies littering the ground, the leopard having lost his life many times as he tripped and stumbled over them.

"I'm going to kill you!" the Keeper roared.

"And you weren't trying to before?" Zaru shot back.

He roared, his booming voice echoing in the chamber and the blind-Keeper stumbled, startled by the noise. Zaru swiped and blood flew through the air. The Keeper screamed and stabbed at him, Zaru springing backwards only to land awkwardly on a Naga's body.

"WAH!"  
With a yelp he stumbled and the Keeper surged forwards, howling in triumph.

"NO!"  
"BAM!"

The blind-Keeper was knocked aside as Marshstrom rammed into him, the Marsh-Wiggle somehow managing to co-ordinate his movements. The Keeper hit the ground and Zaru was already on the move, his paws slashing forwards. Claw found flesh and ripped, severing arteries as arcs of blood pulsed through the air. The last of the Keepers died noisily, his body thrashing as Zaru blinked, lighting piercing his eyes.

He could see again.

Slowly Zaru looked around as Marshstrom lurched to his feet, pale beneath his muddy complexion. Ice was melting in the floor, pooling around the Nagas and the Keepers' bodies, the guardians sprawled in bloody heaps on the chamber floor.

"Well," the dour Marsh-Wiggle said flatly, "I think I'm more serious than ever."

Zaru merely shot him a death glare.

Sudden movement in the corner of his eyes made him turn and look. The mute-Keeper's body was twitching. Zaru tensed but blinked as the metal piercings pinning the Keeper's lips together detached and fell to the ground with a clang. The Keeper's mouth moved, mumbling something unheard as Zaru sidled forwards, tense and ready for a trap.

Slowly he lowered his ears to the Keeper's moving mouth and the leopard suddenly became the new guardian of the Deplorable Word.

. . . . . . . . .

Susan was driven backwards by Caspian's blows, his metal blade raining down on her sceptre as the two lovers fought to the death.

"By the way," Caspian hissed, "Your siblings say hi."  
"SHUT UP!" Susan roared.

Their dead, dead faces stared up out of her memories with glassy eyes as Susan screamed in fury. She twisted her sceptre knocking his sword tip to the ground before blasting him with bursts of shimmering blue light. Caspian was hurled backwards, crashing through a tent as it collapsed around him.

Susan flicked a look up at the sky and cursed as she saw the scar was widening, more cracks appearing in the sky as more and more darkness flowed out. Silver flashed and Susan turned, deflecting Caspian's swing. Shockwaves rolled up her arm as Caspian sliced at her again but Susan threw herself to the side, rolling away as the possessed king howled with laughter.

"Open the gateways!" he thundered, black eyes flashing, "NOW!"  
"NO!" Susan screamed.

In the massive pyre in the centre of the camp hags shrieked with laughter as they pushed wave after wave of their prisoners into the flames. The men and women and children screamed as they were pitched to their deaths, the fire shooting up and devouring them in greedy gulps as the stench of burnt flesh hit Susan hard.

Thunder rumbled as Caspian laughed.

"This world is ours!" the dark-eyed king taunted, "You've lost. Just as you've lost in every other world!"

"SHUT UP!" Susan spat at him, "SHUT UP!"  
She had no idea what happened next, it was all a blur of frenzied movements and war cries but at the end of it Caspian stared at her in shock, blood bubbling from his lips as she thrust her sceptre through his stomach. With a scream she tore the sword from his hands and in a single terrifying blow, beheaded him.

Susan fell to her knees, shocked as his warm blood rained down from his severed neck, bathing her in it as his body fell limply to the ground.

Lightning flared and she looked up as a thousand eyes appeared in the rift in the sky as columns of pure shadows fell to the ground in screaming vortexes. The Great Darkness had won this world… Lawless was lost.

And in that moment of sickening guilt and pain, an idea came to her head, swimming through the darkness like a flailing fish. Something was wrong… something was horribly wrong. Her family was still alive. Her friends was still alive. Caspian… Nathaniel… no… none of this was meant to –

"No…" Susan blinked, "This is WRONG!"  
She looked up and the scars on her face vanished leaving her freckled and alabaster once more. She blinked and her left eye turned purple, sparkling like an amethyst.

"THIS IS WRONG!"  
She reached out with a hand and in a single swipe tore the world to shreds.

. . . . . . . . .

Jason bolted to his feet and the Hermit stared at her. The Seeker grabbed at his chest, breathing a sigh of relief as he found no wounds only hard muscle and tanned skin. He looked at the old sage and knew he was crying once more.

"What was that?" Jason demanded.

"What could've been if your family had not been killed," the Hermit said not unkindly, "You had to see the truth."

"My family had to die," Jason said softly, "They had to…"

Or that horrible nightmare of a world would've unfolded instead of the present he was in. He would've been happy, Delilah would've grown and ripen into womanhood but the price was heavy… Inara… Elias… Zaru… Susan's family… they were all dead. And his world and a thousand others would've been lost.

"They had to die," Jason said strongly, "For the sake of all the worlds."

The Hermit nodded and Jason felt for the first time in a very, very long time peace and acceptance.

Susan lurched to her feet and stared up at Tash, her left eye still blazing with purple light.

"So now you see the true power of Viola," the Death-God rasped, "The power to see the truth and break illusions."

The vulture-headed deity drew himself to his full height and stared imperiously down at her.

"It is finished! You have learn the meaning of your two gifts!" Tash crowed, "NOW IS IT TIME!"  
He pointed at Susan as the queen shuddered, her mind reeling from the nightmare she had just lived.

"IT IS TIME TO RECEIVE MY BLESSING!"

And all Susan could do was stare and pray.

. . . . . . . . .

Author's notes: Again so sorry about the delay but hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for sticking around and am looking forward to the new Narnia movie! WOOT!


	65. The horn and the lyre

To celebrate me having watched Voyager of the Dawn Treader here's a new chapter! Sorry it took me so long to write this up but having had months without writing my skills are actually a bit rusty. Hope you don't notice it too much!

Disclaimer: You know the drill by now. I wish I owned everything but I don't. What's mine is mine, what's not is not

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 65: The horn and the lyre**

She was a snake.

She was lithe and silent death, coiled and ready to strike, her enemies completely oblivious to her presence until her fangs were sunken deep into their bodies.

She was a creature worshipped and feared the world over in a thousand different cultures, condemned and exonerated all in the same breath. A single blow from her would crush ribs and crack skulls, her foes dying with blood in their mouths and their faces bloated and blue, bug-eyed and horribly contorted.

Inara clenched her fists and smiled at the strength she felt. Her mind flickered from human to serpent, switching from a mind of reason and thought to a consciousness that was all instinct and fight. This new strength was alien to the powers she had won from the Temple.

The power of the monks had been an urge to fight and to ultimately protect, a strength built around the need to shelter and nurture those around. But the Naga in her was a creature of pure death and destruction, an irresistible force of nature that swept all of her enemies aside without hesitation or thought. Mercy, compassion and the staying of blood was all lost in the cold purpose of survival, a need to wrap limbs around necks and crush.

Inara smiled, revelling in her newfound strength.

"Hurry!" Najash snapped.

The Naga leader was leading her warriors, all members of the Elapidae tribe, deep into the bowels of the earth. They walked down along a spiralling path that rimmed a huge hole bore into the rock, silver eyes flashing as every Naga clutched their weapons, tongues flickering out to taste the air. Being only half-Naga Inara lacked the heightened sense and forked tongue that was a mark of a true snake.

"Any idea how long does this rambling trail towards certain death lead?" she asked instead, brown eyes glimmering.

Aclepius shot her a quelling look as some of the silver-eyes jumped in surprise at the sudden sound. Najash swivelled and glared at her.

"What?" Inara shrugged, "I get bored easily and I've gotten over my gibbering, curl-into-a-ball fear."

Najash rolled her eyes even as the leader silently approved of the girl's foolhardy courage.

"Almost there," Najash snarled.

Inara touched the walls and grimaced as she felt the gentle warmth that pulsed the earth like a heartbeat. Every one of the Nagas felt it, the earth itself seemingly pressing and moving against them until it seemed like they were in the centre of a living heart.

"There," Aclepius whispered.

The path spiralled tighter and tighter winding around a central hole that glowed a fiery red. It was at that moment Inara realised they were walking in the bowl of a dormant volcano.

"We jump?" Inara asked incredulously.

Silently the Nagas pulled grappling hooks and ropes from their bags as Inara raised a brow, sighing under her breath.

"So what's the plan?" she asked wryly, "Swing in, destroy things and get the hell out?"

Najash flashed a quick savage grin at her.

"Pretty much."

"Good! " Inara returned the grin, baring fangs that did not exist, "I've had a lot of experiences with those type of plans!"

With loud clangs hooks were sunk into the earth. The ropes were uncoiled and tossed into the hole as Najash looked at her people.

"Remember we are here for one thing and one thing only," the Naga tribe leader spat, "DESTROY THE SILVER TREE!"

Without hesitation she threw herself into the hole, grabbing onto the rope as she fell as she slid into the Under Land. The rest of the Nagas surged forwards, silver-eyes ablaze as Inara stood to the side, her face grim. The silver-eyes might have their plans but Inara had her own as well...

She had to rescue Peter.

. . . . . .

The borderland between the realms of the two witches was a truly bizarre place. It was neatly demarcated, a impossible line draw into earth and sky. On one side blizzards howled, ice and snow falling to the ground and heaping high as on the other side a fierce sun baked red dirt and sharp winds shaped ravines and valleys. There was no gradual sweeping change from one to the other, just a sharp line were ice ended and red earth began and it was here the two armies stood, banners fluttering in the winds as the two immortal combatants faced each other once more.

"Sister..." Aita laughed as she stood at the head of her vast army of Nagas, monopods, human soldiers and strange translucent underground creatures wrested from the darkest caverns of her kingdom, "Aren't you looking a little ragtag?"

The White Witch's army had suffered blow after blow. The wolves had ravaged her recruiting camps as the cursed Guardian of the woods and his followers rained feathered death on those who scavenged and hunted for food. But they had done more than just that, somehow even with all the protections Jadis had put in place, they had managed to sneak into her food stores and foul their contents. Her army was starving and many had already fled and without a new influx of followers, her military might was severely hampered.

"Aita!" Jadis snapped, "Put your magic where your mouth is!"

Aita laughed musically and strummed her lute as wisps of emerald light wreathed her form. Jadis shrieked and brandished her wand as the two armies trumpeted and roared.

"ATTACK!"

With fierce cries the two side streamed around the witches and slammed into each other, bodies falling and crumpling, monsters trampled to the ground in the initial crash of the two armies.

Green flames shot forwards in a barrage of emerald bursts as wind and ice slashed forwards.

"BOOM!"

Magic twined and pulsed and exploded, monsters incinerated where they stood as Jadis and Aita threw themselves into battle once more, their powers ripping the world asunder.

. . . . . .

Winter's Fang, the largest of Jadis's recruiting camps was a fearsome place, a squat spiked thing of steel and black stone perched upon a frozen lake like some gargantuan poisonous toad. The training grounds remained locked behind sheer walls of rock tipped with razor barbs, the buildings within housing the most dreaded of all of Jadis's creatures. After the sealing of the Queen Dragon, guardian of the forests and the defeat of all her creatures Jadis had erected the Fang, a facility with purpose but also a draconian symbol of her destructive might. Many had breathed their last breath in the site of Winter's Fang, their bodies left to freeze on the frozen lake shores. Within the camp stood a garden of stone, the most legendary of Jadis's prisoners locked forever in rock.

Yes, Winter's Fang was a place of dread and fear, a name parents invoked to frighten their children into obedience and the name a threat unto itself even to the strongest of warriors. But known only to a few the Fang was the resting place of the horn of legends, an instrument when played would free the Queen Dragon from her prison and bring about the end of the witches' days. And it was because of this that Caspian was now leading his army across a sea of breaking ice and into the breached walls of the Fang.

Balefur and his wolves had struck the first blow, Elias and his fire orbs dealing the devastating blow as the explosives gouged the ice and tore the walls apart. The Fang's walls had fallen and the meagre remnants of Jadis's forces, the others sent to battle Aita, streamed forwards in a squabbling rabble to face the invaders.

The scarred she-wolf led the charge, howling fiercely as arrows flew at her from every angle. The ice cracked and fell, the ground becoming a treacherous land of holes and rifts as the wolves ran across a surface, tails streaming behind them as they charged at their enemies.

Elias dropped another orb and it exploded, a crack lancing forwards and striking out towards Jadis's forces. With a thunderous roar that was also a groan, the ice was wrenched apart, the edges cracking and splintering, pitching bodies into the abyss.

"RUNNING DEATH!" Balefur, the pack leader, roared.

The howling wolves collided with Jadis's forces as Elias slipped and stumbled forwards to help them. With a cry, he tripped on an uneven patch and was pitched into a massive crack in the ice. His eyes bulged as vertigo spun his world and he fell dizzyingly forwards to his death, his anguish cries echoing through the ice.

"NOOOOO!"

Strong hands grabbed his flailing arms and wrenched him back. Elias hit the ice and instantly scurried away from the edge, gasping for breath. He turned and looked up at his rescuer.

"You okay?" Caspian demanded frantically.

The scientist could only stare and breathe as the king looked up and cursed seeing the battle between wolves and monsters escalate.

"Wolves?" the king muttered.

He looked at Elias and raised a brow. Elias ignored the unspoken question and rose unsteadily to his feet.

"What are you doing here?" he spat.

"Well I know so people refer to this as saving your life and I think the usual response is to say 'thank you'," Caspian said dryly, "But I could just be confused."

Elias ignored him.

"This is my battle!" the scientist snarled, "My chance at - "

He stopped himself. Redemption. All this was redemption. A chance to clean the slate free of the blood that had stained his hands. Caspian's dark eyes narrowed speculatively but he held his tongue.

"Okay," the king said easily, unflappable, "You distract them and I'll get the horn."

He leapt to his feet and raced forwards, sword in hand as the woodland creatures followed him, bellowing and screaming leaving Elias behind to stare at all of them.

"Horn?"

. . . . . .

The monopod's eyes bulged beneath his single horn.

"INTRU-"

The creature choked on the blade thrust through his throat, Najash ruthlessly kicking his twitching body aside as she looked at her motley army.

"No stopping," Najash snarled, "If you fall, you die. We have a mission to complete. We head to the grove and we destroy the tree. That's all that matters even if we all lose our lives. Got it?"

The silver-eyes nodded, many of the Nagas hissing as white venom dripped from their fangs. Hoods of scaled skin puffed out from their necks displaying fearsome battle scars and patterned colours as each Naga hefted their weapons.

Najash nodded in satisfaction knowing her words had been heard and accepted, she turned to Aclepius, her second-in-command before suddenly stopping. Her eyes widened and she turned back to her troops, her slitted pupils sweeping the small group. She cursed violently, her own hood flaring out.

"Where's Inara?"

. . . . . .

Inara landed deftly in the small alleyway, straightening and brushing her hands clean as she strolled casually down the street as if she had every right to be there. Monopods, dwarves and other creatures rushed around her, carrying sacks of coal or glittering gems as Inara kept her head high and her walk confident, her sword strapped across her back. Slowly in a meandering casual walk, she made it to the west of the lake and towards where Acleipus had told her the prison cells were.

The Nagas may have their own glorious mission to carry out but Inara had something just as important. Her heart clenched as she thought of the hell that Peter might be in, unpleasant memories of his broken body in Draken's dungeons flittering into her mind but she froze her emotions and kept herself strong. Tears and fears would come later, for now she had to kill everyone in her path. And after so much time powerless and out of the fight she wasn't sure she could anymore.

Inara shook herself.

"Easy," she whispered, "It's like riding a bloody bike!"

She stopped and stared at the building she had just come across. The stone structure was dark and menacing, the walls tall and impenetrable and broken by one lone gate with brass rings for door knobs. Lit from below by greasy bonfires the whole place practically screamed dungeon. Inara sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Would it kill you to use some colours?" the girl studied the gate, considering her next move "Didn't you know white is the new black?"

Taking a deep breath she knocked on the metal gate, the booming sound echoing down the deserted street. She barely had time to lift her hand away before the gate opened a creak.

"What?" a ugly-looking goblin glared at her as he stuck his head through the gap.

Inara didn't blink, allowing an arrogant smile to settle on her face..

"Her majesty wants to me to," she cracked her knuckles, "Talk to the prisoners."

The goblin frowned before staring at her angrily

"I didn't hear no orders," he snarled, "What do you take me for an - "

Inara's hand shot forwards and grabbed the brass ring before the goblin had time to react she yanked the gate shut, the hard edge of the door closing on the creature's head. There was a sickening crack and the goblin fell to the ground.

"Why yes," Inara said calmly as she pushed the door open and kicked the body aside.

The Naga in her rejoiced at the death of her enemies, hissing at her to do more, to open her jaws and devour the goblin whol-

Inara gulped, her stomach rolling as the Temple's strength pulsed, gates opening and unleashing floods of power into her veins, the power boiling at the prospect of a fight and fuelled by her need to rescue Peter. She quivered with the strength that flowed through her, snake and monk roiling together to form a being that would ruthlessly kill to protect.

She slipped through the gates and closed the gate behind her. Rummaging through the goblin's clothes she founded a large ring of keys, pocketing them she swiftly entered the dungeon proper. The inside was as torrid as the out, blood hooks jutting out from the walls, iron-maidens and racks of chains and spikes adorning each chamber as Inara ignored the stench of blood and rot and charged down the stairs to the cells below.

Only one cell stood locked.

It took only a few seconds to find the right key and twisting the lock open, Inara took a deep breath, preparing herself for the worse before opening the door and stepping inside.

Peter looked up, his limbs still bound to the silver chair, and their eyes met.

. . . . . .

"AWWWWWWOOOOOOO!"

Fernir staggered back, dazed from a blow to the head as the ogre roared and swung at him again.

"DOWN!"

The young wolf, just grown out of pup-hood, flinched as a sword flashed past his ear and stabbed deep into the ogre's gut. With a cry Caspian wrenched his sword to the side, slicing the monster deeper and unleashing a torrent of blood. Both king and wolf leapt aside as the ogre crashed to the ground, flattening a dwarf into its fall.

"Who?" the black-furred wolf turned and gaped at Caspian, "Who are you?"

"A friend of Elias," Caspian said grimly, "Woodlanders! FIRE!"

Caspian fell back, Bach and Redfern by his side as all three stabbed and parried with their blades buying their archers precious time. The monsters roared and charged forwards as bows swung up, feathers put to string.

"TWHIP! TWHIP! TWHIP! TWHIP!"

Jadis's creatures tumbled, chests, faces and throats sprouting arrows as Caspian wrenched a spear from a fallen troll. With a cry he hurled it forwards and a hag fell to the ground, her stone dagger flying from her hands.

"GIANT!" Beaver screamed, pushing through a forest of legs to be by his side.

Balefur leapt onto a dead troll's back and sprung forwards as the giant twisted to swing his club down at Caspian and his army. The shaggy wolf's jaws snapped forwards and the giant screamed as his leg tendons were sheared in two, the behemoth stumbling to one knee as Balefur landed and rolled, muzzle red with blood.

"ARROWS!" Caspian screamed as the giant hefted his club, "ARROWS!"

"BOOM!"

The club fell from the giant's hands as arrows tore into his face. The giant fell backwards, his body shattering ice as the already weakened lake, trembled more cracks and rifts forming.

"TO THE CENTRE!"

Caspian looked up as the owl swooped down, calling at the top of his voice.

"THE HORN IS IN THE CENTRE!" the owl shrieked.

Caspian grimaced but nodded, saluting to show he had heard.

"You hear the owl!" he bellowed, "TO THE CENTRE!"

Mamaru and his mouse knights streamed towards him, their swords bloody, bodies lying in their wake.

"AWWWOOOOOOO! RUNNING DEATH!" the she-wolf spat.

The wolves overwhelmed a cluster of monsters, driving them to the ground and ripping out throats as Caspian threw himself at a boar-faced creature, kicking it down before running it through.

There was no strategy, no finesse in this battle, just wild movements and thrusts, bodies falling by the will of chance.

"THIS IS CRAZY!" Redfern looked exulted and on the verge of tears at the same time, the young dwarf struggling to reign his emotions in.

Beside him the much older satyr, Bach, was grim-faced, killing where he had to but not relishing this fight. Caspian merely grunted, hacking down from an overhead swing as a minotaur twisted and took the blow on an armoured shoulder that sent shocks up the king's arm.

Caspian staggered and leapt back as the minotaur thrust at him with massive broadsword. Tiny feet scrambled up Caspian's body and before the minotaur or the Telmarine could react Mamaru threw himself forwards and slashed at the minotaur's bovine face.

"ARGH!"

The monster stumbled back, blinded and Redfern lunged, thrusting his short sword through the creature's chest.

Towards the rear of the insanity Elias stood, two wolves at his side. The scientist hefted his crossbow, stolen from a barrack and modified to his needs. Narrowing his eyes he aimed and fired and the whole frozen lake shook as a trio of buildings were wiped from existence, an orb unleashing a pure wave of liquid flames.

"RUNNING DEATH!" the she-wolf snarled.

A dwarf screamed in terror as the she-wolf pounced on his back, knocking him down.

"Please! Mer... mer... MERCY!"

Elias looked away as the she-wolf lunged, setting another orb into his crossbow. A red-eyed bear stampeded towards him but his lupine guards, slid forwards, attacking the beast as Elias aimed again.

"BOOM!"

A huge smoking chunk of stone and steel cartwheeled through the streets of Winter's Fangs, smashing through buildings as another section of the wall fell. Ice melted, puddles of clear water, turning red and black as soot and blood splattered to the ground.

"RUNNING DEATH!" Elias boomed, "FOR REDEMPTION!"

Marcos's and Mary's face flashed in his mind but Elias shoved it aside, shoved their accusing hands and faces away from his mind as he fired again. He grunted as a giantess fell, her hair ablaze.

This was his battle, his fight, his salvation. Running Death - he would face death over and over again, stand pitted against nightmares and wars until he destroyed an evil vile enough to balance out the senseless deaths he had caused. A life for a life. An eye for an eye. It was cruel but strangely very appropriate.

"RUNNING DEATH!" the wolves answered his cry, "RUNNING DEATH!"

A hag rushed him and Elias brained her with his crossbow, knocking her down as he flung a fire orb into a howling pack of furred human-like beasts. A mushroom of fire puffed up into the sky as they were consumed by the blaze.

The frozen lake shook, its surface breaking and splintering, cracks joining cracks, merging until they formed ravines that furrowed the whole ground. The creaks and groans of the breaking ice were lost in the roar of battle but slowly, every so slightly Winter's Fang began to sink.

With a yell, Caspian broke through the last ranks of Jadis's army and he was inside the broken walls.

He roared, slicing down with his sword. They had made it. A goat-faced creature fell as Caspian leapt over its body and charged forwards.

The first part was done, now he just had to get to the centre of the Fang.

. . . . . .

"Peter."

She gaped at him, horrified at the scars and bruises that marred his face but the grin he shot her and the fire in his eyes instantly soothed her even as tears blurred her sight.

"Took you long enough," he rasped.

He had been tortured, beaten and assaulted time and time again. They had locked him and trapped him in the darkness and brought his worst nightmares to life but Peter was still unbroken. Ironically Aita had helped him. He was no longer afraid of the dark, the nightmares and his hellish memories of the vampires no longer haunted him. Not now, not when he knew he had a sister and friends and allies who would march through hell itself to rescue him. Their faces were like talismans, crosses that warded off the dark. The fears of the night were nothing compared to that single truth - he was never truly alone. Not now, not ever.

He had faced everything he had feared and he was still standing and that was enough to break the very last hold the vampires had over him.

Inara tried to smile.

"Jeez Petey, they roughed your pretty face up bad," she smirked, "If you wanted to be spanked you could've just asked."

Peter grinned.

"You think I'm pretty," he taunted.

Inara flushed, her eyes widening for a split second before a wicked smile crossed her face, her equilibrium regained.

"Pft," she snorted, "Caspian's much cuter."

Peter's jaws dropped.

"You don't believe that!" he protested.

Inara sniggered.

"Well maybe just a little," she quickly crossed to him, hissing as she saw the extent of his injuries, "Why didn't you heal yourself?"

Peter shot her a withering look.

"I would if I could," he growled.

Deftly Inara sliced his bonds apart and Peter instantly wrenched himself free from the enchanted chair, the tiny voices yapping in his head fading, their whispered commands to surrender to Aita disappearing into nothing as he stumbled forwards into Inara's arm. She grabbed him, supporting him as pain roiled through his body, his cuts and gashes unleashing fresh spurts of blood as he coughed weakly.

"Peter!" Inara gasped, "Are you..."

He closed his eyes, a look of utter contentment on his face as the spells holding his Gifts back vanished. He savoured them, revelled in them, drinking them in like a parched man as he clenched his fists, sparks leaping from his skin.

His grin widened. He was whole once more, connected with his powers and alive in a way he had never felt before. Courage and strength filled him as a storm blazed behind his eyes, filling his skull with fire.

"Never better," he growled.

He twisted, breaking Inara's hold and pointed at the silver chair. Inara jumped back as an eye-searingly bright arc of lightning stabbed forwards. The silver chair instantly sucked in the lightning, the metal turning white hot as the chair was lit up in a crackling halo. An unearthly screech echoed through the room as the chair buckled as though writhing in pain. Peter screamed as the lightning flared and with a final ear-piercing scream the chair was torn into two smoking halves.

Silence descended onto the room as Peter staggered back, Inara supporting him even as she stared at the broken chair.

"What the hell was that?" she demanded.

"The chair from hell," Peter muttered weakly.

The High King closed his eyes and summoned one of Gifts to him, a gentle sweet melody flowing swiftly into his head. Like an aria Peter opened his mouth and gave voice to the wordless song, his voice breathtakingly sweet. A motherly warmth filled him, nurturing him as blood receded from open air and flesh knitted shut. Shattered bones fused together as a hundred different types of hurt healed as he sang his song. Peter's voice soared, Inara gasping as she too was filled with liquid strength, refreshed and renewed like never before. Slowly and reluctantly he let the song die.

Peter opened his eyes and he was whole once more.

"You have got to bottle that stuff," Inara gaped at him.

Peter studied his hands, grimacing as the now familiar varicose black veins stared back at him. A fine tremor ran through them as the cripplingly weakness returned but he sent lightning leaping from his fingers and knew he was ready for a fight.

"Come on," he said quickly, "We need to –"

A shadow filled the doorway as Inara whirled, her instincts and heightened senses screaming at her. The Black Knight, champion of Aita, stared down at them, his black steel sword clutched in his spiked gauntlets. Peter and Inara tensed.

"Petey," Inara growled, "Get behind me."

"WHAT?" Peter squawked, insulted, "ARE YOU - "

Inara shoved him before her and unsheathed her sword, pointing it straight into the Black Knight's face.

"Alright Tin Man," she said slowly, "Engarde."

She grinned.

"Jackass."

And the Black Knight charged.

. . . . . .

"WHAT ARE THEY DOING HERE?" the she-wolf roared, furious, "THEY ARE RUINING EVERYTHING!"

Elias recognised some of the woodland creatures he had so briefly stayed with but he was surprised by the fierce war-like looks on their faces as they plunged fearlessly into the battle. He had thought them gentle creatures, more interested in etching out a mere survival than fighting against their tormentors.

In a brilliant flash of intuition Elias realised why. Hope, these peaceful creatures had their first taste of hope and it made them thirst for more. Tyranny was a funny business, Elias had learnt that much from his history lessons back in Metech's glorious Institute. You conquer a race and the more you beat them down over and over again, trying to snuff out every last trace of resistance, the more the population remembered and resented. Hatred and grudges would fester and gather, the whole civilisation rotting from the inside until a single event, a spark would ignite and the whole empire would burn. Such was the way things had been for thousands of years and such was the way it would always remain. It was unchangeable.

Caspian was that spark in this world and he would be one to bring change.

Elias smiled, proud of the boy but the scientist did not help him, he had his own fight to carry out.

"They want to bring down the witch as well!" Elias yelled, "Let them be!"

The she-wolf growled, her ears pinned back as she turned and took her fury out on all those who reached her jaws. Balefur continued to lead the pack into battle, dealing bloody death as Fernir wove deftly through the melee to Elias's side.

"Have you got it?" Elias demanded frantically, dark eyes darting to and fro as more and more monsters smashed into the wolves' ranks.

The young black wolf nodded quickly.

"Hard to pick out in all this mess but that's the one!" Fernir pointed with his muzzle, "I can smell the oil from here!"

Elias instantly swung his crossbow up and fired. The silver orb arced through the air, unnoticed until it slammed into its target.

In a single blink of an eye, a whole storeroom of oils, charcoal, exploding powder and other high-powered magical weapons disappeared in an almighty blast.

"BOOOOOOOOM!"

Everyone was blasted off their feet and the whole frozen surface sank a full inch as a massive crater cracked the lake. The ice groaned, splitting apart as Jadis's army froze, their eyes widening at the terrifying grinding sound.

The blast had destroyed almost a third of Winter's Fang, charred bodies littering the ground. More from luck than design none of the woodland invaders had been killed, the explosion going off in the epicentre of Jadis's forces. Towering infernos gutted the rest of the camp, the rough wooden buildings fuelling the blaze as the ice began to melt under the intense heat. Elias could feel the frozen lake weakening, the ground buckling beneath him.

He growled. Caspian didn't have much time left, not if he wanted to get out of the Fang alive.

"NOW!" Balefur roared.

The wolves struck the still stunned monsters, their terrible canines inflicting the most terrifying of wounds. Some of Caspian's forces, Beaver amongst them were cut off from the king by the blaze. They didn't hesitate joining in with the wolves' attack, arrows and blades finding their mark as melted ice mingled with blood.

"RUNNING DEATH!" Fernir screamed.

Elias was one with the wolves, one with their pack and their minds. That was the strange thing about wolves Elias had learnt, during the hunt and the kill they were almost like one creature, all their minds and all their thoughts were so strongly focused onto one desire, one point that they seemed to merge to become one being. Co-ordination was carried out with a word or a sound, they just knew when to attack, when to retreat, when to assist and when to step aside and let others step in. They worked as one, they lived and died as one and Elias was now part of that intricate flow.

He fired his orb and Balefur led the charge, the she-wolf taking down a fleeing hag as fire knocked a giant off his feet, Fernir and two other wolves ready to tear into his now exposed face.

The pack roared as a wild blow slain one of their own and the goblin who had deal it was instantly lost under a sea of growling fur, shrieking as he was torn from limb to limb.

There was no fear of pain, no fear of hurt, no fear of death, only cold calm purpose. Elias slid his orbs back into his bag, knowing the ice could not take much more punishment. Balefur swivelled to look at him, his icy grey eyes narrowing as he understood his actions. He let out a low yipping growl and the pack instantly pulled back a little, snapping at their enemies.

Elias looked at the besieged Winter's Fang, the camp burning steadily to the ground and cursed.

Where the hell was Caspian?

. . . . . .

"Everyone okay?"

The whole ice sheet tilted wildly, weaken almost to breaking point as buildings burned and crumbled. Caspian looked around slowly, grimacing as water pooled around his boot. The frozen lake was about to collapse at any minute and they still had to get to the centre of the Fang.

He looked up, down the straight lane and saw a spire of dark rock twisting up into the sky. This was the spindle that the Fang wove around, the centre of the camp.

They were almost there.

"COME ON!" Caspian roared, "FORWARDS!"

Dazed his troops followed him as they pounded down the street, goblins and trolls and animal-men harried down, shrieking as they leapt from buildings and streets to block their way. Skirmishes broke out, Caspian seemingly three men as he was everything at once, blocking and killing, driving the monsters back.

It was the mice and squirrels that saved them, the smaller and more nimble creatures scaling walls to vantage points before unleashing barrages of arrows from their smaller but still as deadly bows. The way to the centre of the Fang was a bloody way, each inch paid for with clanging steel and lost lives.

Flagstones paved a square around the central spire, Caspian roaring as he speared a shrieking beast through the chest before stepping onto the stones.

"HURRY!" he roared as the whole Fang shook, massive cracks splitting the ice underfoot, "HURRY!"

He turned and froze. Blue light blazed in straight lines between the stones, the spire lit up from below by the glow.

"What?" Redfern gasped.

Massive icicles grew from the ground, the air itself freezing to form the icy blocks as Caspian took one big step back. The ice shuddered and cracked and with a roar a pack of Ice-Wraiths were born before his eyes, the icy demons hissing violently they formed a wall of cruel talons and fangs around the spire.

"NO!" Bach yelped, "NO!"

Caspian's forces faltered, fear and uncertainty creeping into their hearts. Even Caspian himself was shocked into silence, his mind whirring as he tried to deal with this new and unexpected threat.

"STOP IT!" Redfern screamed, "DON'T GIVE UP!"

The young dwarf hefted his sword ready to throw himself at the demons.

"We can do this!" he yelped, "We are heroes! We are going to be the ones that will liberate this land! We will be remembered and we will have ballads made about us and be celebrated for all time! DON'T GIVE UP!"

Redfern lunged and his sudden move knocked them all out of their shock. Caspian growled and raised his sword, shamed and buoyed by the young dwarf's courage. Inwardly he was berating himself. How could he give up? Didn't he promise he would win this war no matter what? No more hesitation, no more whinging. All that was over!

Caspian steeled himself, turning his fury into fuel for the fight.

"CHARGE!" he commanded in a thundering voice as his forces answered his cry.

Ice-Wraiths shrieked and bounded forwards as Caspian, Redfern and the woodland invaders rushed to meet their charge.

. . . . . .

The tiny confines of the cell meant there was no room for swings and slashes, only short jabs and thrusts. Inara cursed and dodged, twisting her body out of the way as the Black Knight's jet-black sword slid past her. She grabbed his outstretched hand and twisted, smashing it against the side of the wall as his sword fell from his numbed grip.

Inara grinned savagely and twirled her sword in her hands, slamming the pommel into his helm and sending him stumbling back.

"INARA!"

She dropped to the ground as Peter hurled a fistful of lightning at the knight, blasting him back out through the door and into the hallway beyond. Inara leapt to her feet and glared at the High King.

"What are you doing?" she barked, "This is my fight!"

"Okay, when I think you're a stubborn arrogant brat you really have a problem!" Peter shot back.

Inara narrowed her eyes at him but had no time to bicker as the Black Knight crawled to his feet, still slightly smoking. Inara threw her sword at him and the champion swatted it aside in a single blow but Inara was far from done. She leapt up, grabbing onto the edge of the door frame and in one fluid movement swung out and double-kicked the armoured man in the chest. The Naga and monk in her roared in approval as the knight smacked into the wall, Inara dropping down and spinning on the ground, leg-sweeping him.

She rolled, snatching her sword up as she came smoothly to her feet. She staggered back, clutching her head.

"Whoa! Head rush!" she muttered as memories of learnt techniques and past battles flooded into her head, her powers from the Temple returning with full force and painful clarity.

She righted herself and stabbed forwards, sword flashing through the air, aiming straight for the knight's chest. With blistering speed the knight clapped his hands together and somehow managed to trap her blade between his gauntlets.

"What – " Inara could only stare at him stupidly as the knight cocked his head to the side.

He twisted, swinging her into the wall and Inara hit the stone hard, bouncing off as she lost her grip on her blade. A booted foot sent her stumbling back as knight threw the blade into the air and deftly caught it, twisting in his hands and lunging at her.

Inara twisted, the sword bouncing off the wall as she backhanded him across the face.

"OW!"

The blow hurt her more than him, her knuckles torn open by the hard metal as she stumbled to the side, the knight coming at her again.

A streak of blue and white light slashed into the knight, electricity surging through the man as Peter came to her rescue, lightning streaming from his fingers. The Black Knight convulsed but somehow still managed to turn and slashed at Peter, the sword slicing through the lightning and breaking the attack.

The High King was caught completely off guard as the knight stabbed at him but Inara was quicker grabbing on his outstretched arm and kneeing him hard in the gut. The attack seemed to have an affect as the knight keeled over and Inara twisted her leg, kicking him straight in the face. The Black Knight hit the ground but instantly came back up.

Inara and Peter backed away, both of them gasping for breath.

"What is this guy?" Inara yelped, "The bloody Terminator?"

"INARA!"

She turned and Peter's eyes darted towards one of the open cells. She instantly got his signal, lowering her head and ramming hard into the Black Knight before he could fully regain his balance. Her shoulders rammed into his torso knocking him back as she leapt away, Peter piercing him with another bolt of fierce crackling electricity.

"NOW!" he roared as the knight struggled against the flow of lightning like a fish fighting upstream.

Inara spun and kicked the knight straight into the chest and sent him flying back. He sailed through one of the cell doors and Inara instantly slammed the door shut.

"KEYS!" she yelped, "KEYS!"

Peter rushed forwards, the ring of keys clutched in his hand as the knight inside began to recover but the two were quickly, shoving the key into its hole and locking the door with a loud click.

"Stand back!" Peter snarled.

The door buckled as the knight slammed into the thick wood. Inara edged up warily as Peter pointed at the lock and focused his Gift. Lightning shot forwards and in a fierce burst of power welded the hole shut. He stepped away as the door continued to shake, the knight hurling himself into the wood over and over again.

"Go team!" Inara wheezed.

Trembling she picked up her sword and sheathed it once more.

"Come on Petey," she said heading for the exit, "We've got places to be!"

Peter rolled his eyes but followed her as the Black Knight continued to batter at the door, the ring of keys stuck in the hole jangling loudly with each blow.

. . . . . .

The two Ice-Wraiths slammed into each other and fused, ice melting and blending into each other as Caspian cursed wildly. With a roar a new Ice-Wraith was formed, larger than any of its brethren and bristling with icy spines and horns. Its frilled face glared at the woodlanders, its clawed hands swiping the air.

"ATTACK!" Mamaru barked.

The squirrel and mouse archers unleashed a flurry of shafts but the metal heads merely glanced off the icy behemoth, chipping horns and armour but doing little to stop the gargantuan Wraith.

The other Ice-Wraiths snatched the short distraction and lunged forwards, howling and screeching. Caspian let out a thunderous war cry and with a single blow hacked a Wraith in two as more demons swarmed towards him. At his back the inferno still raged weakening the ice with every passing second as the ground turned to water and began to split.

They didn't have much time left.

Caspian cursed wildly and plunged deep into himself, finding a reservoir of calm as his limbs moved into an intricate battle dance he had learnt from his first days on the training field.

The woodlanders gaped as the king slashed and sliced the air, each blow shearing through ice and felling Wraiths. The ice demons shrieked and lunged at him but Caspian was impossibly fast, dancing out of their reach, spinning and sliding into the embrace of their claws, death missing by only whiskers before crushing them with razor slashes. Bodies fell, ice shattered as Caspian, King of Narnia, the Restorer of the Old Ways, made his stand.

"WATCH OUT!" Bach roared.

Caspian turned, his eyes widening as a glowing Wraith, its body burning with liquid blue light, charged at him, shrieking wildly. Caspian spun, the Wraith flashing past him as the king sliced across its exposed back, the demon stumbling and crashing into a trio of woodlanders. The glowing creature promptly exploded, the shockwaves knocking Caspian back as the king's heart leapt into his throat.

"NO!"

The smoke and mist cleared and he was staring at three creatures trapped perfectly in ice, their shocked looks frozen forever on their faces.

A shadow fell over him and Caspian leapt away as the massive Ice-Wraith stomped on him, cracking stone and ice underfoot. He landed and rolled to his feet, eyes narrowing as more of the Wraiths began to light up, their crystalline bodies iridescent with blue light.

"What do we do?" Redfern yelped.

"We?" Bach snapped, "You're the one who kept yapping on about legends and stuff! You fix it!"

The invaders backed away as the glowing Wraiths stalked towards them, triumph on their spiked face. The behemoth Wraith stood at the back, towering over the rest, watching them with cruel satisfaction as a massive icy tongue licked its fangs.

"Caspian!" Redfern turned to the king, "WHAT DO WE DO?"

The young dwarf was head-strong and stubborn, his mind stuffed with grandeur tales of legends and heroes and undiluted quests for truth and honour, believing that evil always inevitably fell and those who were good would always triumph and live happily ever after. He had been one of the first to pledge himself to Caspian, seeing the king as one of the story-tale heroes he had worshipped from his boyhood. But now faced with death and uncertainty Redfern began to finally realise that such stories were just that... stories.

"WHAT DO WE DO?" Redfern yelped, paling as the Ice-Wraiths neared.

"SIR!"

Caspian turned as Mamaru raced frantically for a dark object that stood on the corner of the street. It was an iron barrel, battered and soot-streaked, one of the many oil containers from the now destroyed storerooms. But somehow miraculously, through an act of divinity or sheer luck, the keg had not exploded. Its top had been blown off and a fire now raged in its confines but it was still brimming with oil.

Caspian smiled and instantly raced for the barrel.

"GET BEHIND ME!" he yelled stopping behind the burning oil barrel, "NOW!"

Redfern, Bach and the others streamed towards him as the glowing Ice-Wraiths gave chase, their light pulsing and growing stronger with every passing second. They roared and dropped to all fours, charging at their enemies as Caspian bared his teeth in a vicious savage grin and kicked the oil barrel down.

"ARRRGGHHHHH!"

The Wraiths shrieked as a wave of burning super-heated oil swept down the street. Caspian yelped as ice melted and water was thrown into the deadly mix of fire and oil, the flames spitting everywhere. Blisters formed on the king's arms and face as he was hit but the Wraiths were already falling, their limbs reduced to nubs as they crashed to the oil-slick ground, their faces.

With a deafening boom some of the Wraiths exploded, ice shards flying everywhere as Caspian and his troops hit the ground and sheltered their heads. The explosion faded and they looked up at a frozen street, jagged pikes of ice stabbing up in every direction, the behemoth-Wraith their only enemy remaining. Silence fell as the monster glared them at them all, the woodlanders sooty and weary.

Suddenly Caspian took off his jacket and twisted it around his sword as the monstrous Wraith screamed and stomped its massive feet, the ice buckling beneath its weight. The king stood as his soldiers started, staring at him in shock.

"Caspian... what..." Bach croaked.

The king strode calmly to the oil barrel where a small reservoir of crude black liquid continued to burn. Without hesitation he plunged his cloth-wrapped sword into the flames and it was instantly sent ablaze.

Caspian looked at the final Wraith, his flaming sword held in his hands.

"For Aslan," he whispered.

And he charged forwards, swinging his sword in a fiery silvery arc as the gigantic Ice-Wraith screamed its challenge and thundered forwards.

. . . . . .

The streets of the Under Land were void of all warriors or soldiers, every last one drained from the kingdom and taken far away to fight a war between two sisters. Silence hung over the whole land like a pall, suffocating and miserable. Peter and Inara charged down the streets, heading towards the one shining light in the whole realm, a grove that shimmered with emerald light. The few creatures around, ignored the, diligently carting materials here and there. The two of them reached a cliff face, a long flight of stairs carved into the stone and without a single word instantly flew up the steps, cool air rushing down from above to chill the sweat on their faces.

Both of them froze as a strange reverberating growl swept down the steps as the sound of distant battle reached them in a clang of metal and painful screams. Inara cursed and began sprinting up the steps.

"What is this silver tree?" Peter demanded.

"It's a spell," Inara said quickly, shuddering as she remembered the enchantments Aita had tried to work on her, "It corrupts the Nagas. If we can get rid of it, we can gut Aita's army!"

Peter smiled savagely, his blue eyes darkening as he relished the thought of hurting the Green Lady. The High King was now free and Peter swore he would get revenge on the smirking queen of the Underland. He clenched his fists, sparks flying from his hair. She would pay, he silently vowed and pay dearly.

"THERE!"

They reached the top of the stairs and were staring down into an earthy bowl of heavenly greens. A small gasp left their lips as their eyes rejoiced at the sight of greenery after so much bleakness, a lush garden growing in the clasps of the rocks, wild grass and orchids twining together and up towards a sun that did not exist. It was a picture of perfection, every blade of grass perfectly sculpted and laid in an wild artistic sprawl that captivated the soul.

Peter shook himself remembering Aita's beautiful face and knew darkness lay behind glorious light just as much as ominous shadows.

The centre of the grove was the silver tree, its branches and trunks thousands of wire twisted together, its leaves the finest forged silver that no man could hope to reproduce. It glowed with its own light and life, beckoning and welcoming but Inara knew better, gritting her teeth as she remembered the menacing spells it embodied.

A battle was raging in the gardens, the silver-eyed Nagas clashing frantically with mammoth creatures of the deepest earth, foul translucent beings that were luminescent and glowed like the palest moon. There was a massive toad with a film over its beady eyes, white fluid oozing sluggishly from the pores in its body as its tongue lashed out, snatching a Naga before swallowing her whole. A transparent spider, its organs visible through its glass-clear shell, scuttered to and fro, cruel fangs outstretched and tearing as Najash and Aclepius stabbed at its eyes.

There was a creature that was almost krill-like, another a mere white blob with rudimentary arms and legs and a dozen others Inara couldn't even begin to explain.

Peter narrowed his eyes and held his hands up, lightning leaping between his palms. With a cry, he threw the spark forwards and it speared a walking fish through the head killing it in a single blow.

The Nagas looked up, terrified and stunned as the underground creatures letting out gurgling cries, thrashing frantically in the tiny garden. Inara plunged into battle, stabbing the spider through a chink in its carapace as the arachnid reared, claws clicking frantically. Inara wrenched the sword free, leaping away as the spider slammed back down to earth before slashing down, beheading the creature in one strong stroke.

"WATCH OUT!" Aclepius roared.

The blob-like monster opened its slimy mouth and a spray of white liquid flew from its lips. The Nagas leapt out of the way as the fluid hit the ground and sizzled, grass withering into nothing as a smoking hole was eaten into the earth. The blob let out a deep booming cry and turned to face Peter but the High King was gone, nowhere to be seen.

"WHAT ARE THESE THINGS?" Inara yelled.

"Aita's monstrous pets," Najash spat, hood flaring, "Her beloved guardians."

"And puppies don't exist in this world?"

A massive bat, its fur so white it was practically translucent, fell from the ceiling, long talons splaying out. A Naga was torn in two as the ghostly bat let out a piercing cry, the Nagas staggered back, clutching their ears in pain.

A lizard-like monster charged at Inara and Najash, the Elapidae leader gagged and spewed a mouthful of venom at the lizard and it screeched, poison burning its eyes. The Naga warrior stabbed forwards, her sword punching the skull between the lizard's eyes and slaying the beast.

"How many of them are there?" Inara growled.

She hit the ground as the bat swooped overhead, keening loudly.

"Too many!" Aclepius shouted dodging a thrashing tail.

The bat came at them again, wings and talons outstretched as Najash cursed wildly. Inara hurriedly scooped up a good-sized stone and waited, leaping out of the way as the bat dived at them, talons scratching the earth. With a cry Inara hurled the rock at the bat's delicate wings, punching through the thin membrane as the flying creature howled in fury and pain. It crashed to the ground, limbs snapping as it barrelled into the rocky walls. It whimpered, blood oozing from its lips as a Naga hurled a spear and pinned it through the back.

"Get to the tree!" Najash screamed, "The tree is all that matters!"

Inara turned and cried out as an invisible hand touched her shoulder. She was instantly sucked in a world of distorted shapes and colours, the air around her buckling wildly as she glared into Peter's face.

"A little warning next time?" she yelped hidden behind Peter's veil of shimmering air.

His Gift confounded the senses, bending light until they were invisible to the outside world. Peter shrugged, a smirk on his lips.

"What? Scared?" he taunted.

In a spectacular display of childish temper Inara stomped on his foot and Peter yelped.

"Come on!" she snapped, "We have to get to the tree!"

They charged head-first into the battle, Peter focusing hard to maintain their invisibility as they dodged Naga and the underground monsters. The toad's tongue flew at them, piercing the veil of twisted air as Peter started. Inara growled and hacked the tongue in two, leaping over the thrashing sticky muscle as the toad let out a bellowing scream.

The huge blob-like creature leapt into their path and Peter instantly reacted, thrusting deadly burst of electricity through the monster and electrocuting it where it stood. Gagging at the violent stench, the two pushed through the dying creature and made it to beneath the spread of the silver branches. Here a lone pool of calm lay amongst the insanity, none of the underground creatures daring to stand near the tree.

"So..." Inara hefted her sword, "Timber?"

Peter nodded.

"Timber."

With a cry Inara hacked at the tree and just as blade struck trunk, a deafening scream echoed through the caverns.

. . . . . .

The behemoth Wraith punched the ground missing the king as Caspian hacked at the beast with his flaming sword. The fire sizzled and spat, melting the ice as the ice demon screamed.

Arrows flew through the air, worrying and damaging the Wraith's face as Caspian danced out of its reach, waiting for the right opportunity. The creature roared and stomped the ground again, the weakening ice cracking.

With a thunder roar a massive split tore the street in two, Caspian almost pitching into the rift as the flagstones around the central spire tipped into the crack, the twisted tower of rock teetering. The Wraith leapt into the air, landing onto a building, the whole structure almost tumbling under its weight as Caspian righted himself, staring up at the monster in breathless anticipation.

"ROWWWWRRRR!"

It leapt, its huge form plummeting as Caspian dove out of the way. Ice claws ripped the earth, just missing him as the Ice-Wraith slammed to earth.

With a deafening groan and roar the ice broke under the behemoth's weight and sent it plunging down into a gaping hole. The Wraith screamed in surprise, its claws lashing out and biting down into the ice, just managing to stop its plunge towards death. A look of relief unfurled across its ice-spiked face as it grinned.

"HEY!"

It looked up and its eyes widened as Caspian spun on the spot and with a cry hurled his flaming sword straight at the gargantuan Wraith. The burning sword tore straight between its eyes, burying itself deep as the fire gushed and melted its face. The creature roared, blinded as in a moment of unthinking instinct it reached for the blade, letting go of the ice.

Caspian grinned as the creature let out a shocked roar and plummet down into the ravine, disappearing from sight as its screams echoed up and boomed into the air. The king turned and looked at his troops who stared back at him in awe.

"Come on!" the king yelled, "We don't have much time!"

The whole Fang was breaking up, sections of frozen lake plunging down into gaping rifts as buildings and walls fell with them. The spire shuddered as Caspian leapt across cracks and crevasses, grinning in triumph.

With a thunder roar the stony spire collapsed, huge stone blocks tumbling to the ground, and the king instantly let out a small gasp, a strong pull tugging at his whole being. Losing himself to the call Caspian dived into the rubble and debris of the broken spire and plunged his hand deep into the wreckage, his numbed fingers instantly closing around a smooth cold object.

Silently he pulled it out and stared at the twisted black horn, its pointed tip sheared and worked into a mouth-piece. Caspian clenched his hands and felt a fiery warmth flood through him and he smiled.

"That's... that's..."

He looked into Bach's stunned face and held the horn aloft as the woodlanders let out a thunderous cheer. They had the horn!

. . . . . .

Aita and Jadis froze, fire and ice dancing on their fingertips as both felt a sickening wave of dark premonition. Their armies continued to tear into one another, the whole land drenched in blood as the sisters stared around in horror.

Aita's eyes widened.

"NO!" she gasped, clutching at her heart and staggering back.

Her face was drained of blood, her beautiful eyes wide and frantic.

"Impossible!" she snarled.

The Green Lady whirled and stared in the direction of her kingdom, her mouth agape.

"IMPOSSIBLE!" she shrieked again, "HOW?"

Jadis screamed and suddenly thrust her wand at her sister's arm, two ranks of Under Land soldiers petrified to stone as the White Witch raged. Her pale face was flushed as a fear flickered in her eyes, the wind and ice responding to her emotions as they picked up, piercing skin and armour with their terrifying cold.

"THIS CAN'T BE!" Jadis shrieked, "NO!"

The two sisters turned and stared at one another. Aita screamed as her fingers tore through the strings of her lute and Jadis raised her wand.

"BE GONE!"

In a rush of green flames and biting cold the two sisters were gone leaving their armies to stare at each other in utter confusion.

. . . . . .

Balefur's head suddenly snapped up and he sniffed the air. Elias's teeth chattered as a sudden wave of a cold chilled his flesh.

"What..." he managed to get out, "What's happening?"

Jadis's forces had fled as the Fang continued to fall, sections tumbling into deep cracks in the ice. Every wolf was still, sniffing the air as the wild frigid gust swept through the flames gutting the Fang and disappeared.

"What was that?" Fernir gasped loping to his pack leader.

The she-wolf's eyes widened and a savage grin crossed her lips.

"SHE'S HERE!" the alpha female growled, "She's here!"

The cry was instantly taken up by the rest of the pack.

"RUNNING DEATH!" Balefur roared, "THIS IS OUR CHANCE! RUNNING DEATH!"

Elias's eyes bulged.

"NO! WAIT! WAIT!"

But the scientist was knocked out of the way as the she-wolf barrelled past him, leaping over cracking and falling ice and into the flames of the Fang as the pack followed her. Elias started forwards but slipped as the ice rocked beneath his feet, the fierce heat of the flames drove her back as he cursed wildly.

"NO! STOP!"

But he could do nothing but watch as Balefur led his wolves into their chance for redemption.

. . . . . .

An invisible force blasted Inara and Peter off their feet as the tree seemed to shake itself, a deep gash torn into its trunk by Inara's blade but it still stood tall and strong, still undefeated.

Inara and Peter climbed to their feet woozily.

"What was that?" Inara yelped, her sword smoking in her hands.

"I don't think you can just cut the tree down," Peter muttered, clutching at his throbbing temples.

A sudden hush fell over the garden as every one of Aita's underground monsters suddenly froze and dipped their heads in an obvious sign of submission. They shuffled back away from the Nagas as the silver-eyes stared around in confusion.

"HOW DARE YOU?"

Peter and Inara stared at each other.

"Oh sugar," Inara muttered.

Fear entered Najash's eyes as Aita appeared at the rim of the garden wall, the Black Knight by her side. The Lady of the Green Kirtle was spitting mad, her face crimson as her eyes promised slow bloody death.

"HOW DARE YOU?" she snarled, "YOU... YOU PATHETIC WORMS! YOU THINK YOU CAN DEFEAT ME!"

She played a note on her lute and a streak of green flames instantly immolated one of the Nagas.

"KILL THEM!" Aita screamed, "KILL THEM!"

The Black Knight leapt from the rim slammed into the Nagas as they scattered. The underground monsters charged forwards as Aita glared at them all, naked hate in her eyes.

"DIE!" she bellowed, "DIE!"

A pained scream ripped through the air as Inara and Najash turned.

"ACLEPIUS!" Najash screamed.

The Naga healer was staggering back, clutching a slash across his chest. He defended himself clumsily as the Black Knight hammered into him again and again, turning his blade aside with each blow.

"ACLEPIUS! NO!" Inara screamed, "STOP!"

With one swift blow the Black Knight sliced Aclepius's hand off, his sword clanging to the ground as Najash and Inara let out twin cries of despair. The healer fell to his knees and stared up at the Black Knight with dazed eyes as the champion's black sword flew for his neck.

"NOOOOO!"

Inara hurled herself at the knight as Peter cursed wildly, rushing to stop her. Najash got there before the two of them, screaming and weeping but the Black Knight backhanded her aside, the tribe leader spinning to the ground as the champion kicked Aclepius's headless body away.

"NO!"

"CLANG!"

Inara and the Black Knight clashed, the girl screaming in fury and anguish. Tongues of green fire lashed through the ranks of the Naga, incinerating the warriors as Peter cursed throwing lightning at the queen, she deflected the blasts with a contemptuous snort glaring at Peter.

"GET HER!" Inara screamed, "GET HER! I'LL HANDLE HIM!"

She ducked dodging a swipe from the Black Knight as Aita descended down into the garden, green fire spitting forwards. Peter vanished from sight as Inara continued her deadly duel with Aita's champion, slipping and stumbling back as his blade crashed into hers again and again. She spun, his sword slicing into the ground and Inara kicked him back, leaping up and slashing at his neck. He twisted, the sword glancing off his armoured shoulders as Inara landed, spun and kicked him in the chest.

It took every ounce of all her powers, Temple and Naga and every skill she possessed to keep up with the Black Knight, fatigue turning her limbs to rubber as Inara clung on grimly.

Aita laughed as two more Nagas fell to her flames.

"You thought you could creep into my kingdom like rats and defeat me?" she shrieked, "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?"

"High King Peter..."

She turned, eyes widening as Peter appeared right behind her, blue eyes flashing.

"... the Magnificent," he snarled, "And you are?"

Before Aita could react Peter's black-veined hands shot out and latched onto her face. With a roar he summoned his very first Gift to him, the ability to drain powers and unleashed it on the queen.

Aita's high-pitched screams froze the entire Under Land, every creature stopping in mid-movement to stare at the source as gold light blazed from Peter's hands. Tendrils of green light exploded out from the queen's eyes and mouth and plunged into Peter's as his own eyes burned with gold light.

"NOOOOOO!"

With a burst of green flames Peter was shoved backwards, breaking the connection as Aita staggered back, ghost-faced. Peter looked up, the gold light slowly fading from his eyes, an enigmatic look on his face as Aita gaped at him.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" she shrieked furiously, "WHAT DID YOU DO?"

She hurled a ball of green fire at him but Peter merely raised his hand and caught it in his palm, the green flames curling around his fingers like a purring cat.

"Aita..." he pointed at the silver tree, "Burn."

And Aita shrieked as the green flames leapt from Peter's hands and consumed the tree. It went up in a single second, silver leaves falling to the ground and curling to ashes as the trunk and branches blazed. It took only a few breaths before the entire silver tree was reduced to ashes, its trunk unravelling and falling away revealing a ball of light that slowly faded.

"No..." Aita stared at the tree then at him then back, "NO!"

Hovering where the tree had stood, a delicate instrument wrought of pure gold and ivory hung in the air. It was a lyre, a small harp-like instruments, its frame crafted into the figurehead of a screeching phoenix, ruby eyes burning with magical life.

It was the lyre, the lyre of legends. The lyre Aita had used to seal the King Phoenix. The lyre when would reawaken the king and sweep the witches from the land or so the legends said. It was the lyre Aita had tried to keep hidden, knowing and fearing its powers.

And now it was free at last.

Peter laughed and smiled coldly at Aita.

"Well... wouldn't you just hate to be you at the moment?"

And as Aita gaped at Peter, he hurled fire and lightning at her and blew her backwards.

. . . . . .

It came with a howl and a rush of bitterly cold wind, icy blades slicing into flesh and vein, frost forming on skin as they all staggered back on a ground that was melting and cracking, threatening to crumble at any second.

Winter's Fang was falling, flames gutting most of the camp as huge sections of ice caved, pitching buildings and helpless screams deep into the abyss. Monsters, Jadis's cronies, were fleeing in the droves, terror on their terrible faces as they fled from defeat battering past wolves and arrows in their haste to escape with their lives.

"YOU!"

Caspian looked up and terror flooded his veins as Jadis's cruel and beautiful face glowered at him. He shuddered as memories filled him. He remembered that smile, remembered the way it had called to him, haunting him like a siren's song as she beckoned him towards a wall of ice and his doom. The king quivered remembering his weakness, remembering how easily he had fallen under his spell, how readily he had been to doom his own soul and his people.

'_Not again. Never again,' _he vowed.

Caspian stiffened, his spine turning to steel as he gripped his sword tightly, his eyes burning.

Jadis looked at the twisted horn clutched in his hands and a dark flash of fear crossed her features, her mouth opening in a small astonished gasp. Quickly she recovered, haughty anger falling over her once more but Caspian had seen her slip and a sliver of a smile twisted his lips.

"HOW DARE YOU?" Jadis shrieked and a blizzard exploded from her words, freezing the ground solid once more, "HOW DARE YOU?"  
Caspian calmly thrust the horn through his belt and raised his sword.

"I dare madam," he said smoothly, "We are merely taking back what is ours."

Redfern, Bach and Mamaru stiffened, ready to join the fight but Caspian placed himself in front of them, blocking their way.

"This is my fight," he said, eyes simmering.

Jadis's eyes widened, her face white with rage. Without a single word she thrust her wand at the king, light exploding from the crystal end.

Caspian leapt, a single bar of burning white light simply erasing a building out of existence as Jadis screamed.

A golden sword flashed and appeared in her hands and Jadis was charging at the king like an avalanche, inexorable, unstoppable. He raised his swords and the blows came with bone-rattling force and viper speed, Caspian calling upon every inch of his knowledge and skill just to stay alive.

"You have made a grave mistake my foolish friend," Jadis spat.

"No mistake," Caspian countered coolly, "Your days are ending."

Caspian staggered back at her sword and wand smashed into his own blade the force of the blow knocking him several steps back.

"I am the queen of this land!" Jadis bellowed, "Thousands have trembled before me. Thousands have bend knee to me! I am Jadis! I am the White Witch!"  
Caspian ducked as she sent another brilliant slash of white light at him, the tips of his hair burning as the energy consumed a section of the falling Fang wall.

"Who are you to challenge me!" Jadis screamed, "You are a worm! You are nothing!"

"CRACK!"

Blood oozed down Caspian's face and down his neck as the White Witch clubbed him with her wand, the crystal end tearing into his skin. He staggered clumsily, head ringing as Jadis screamed in triumph.

"I am invincible!" Jadis raged.

Caspian blinked and his limbs seemed disconnected from his body, his movements wooden and laboured as he struggled to fend off the powerful strokes that flew at him.

"I am a god!" the White Witch screeched to the world as the sky darkened and a winter's wind stole his breath away, "I AM YOUR GOD!"

She kicked him hard in the gut and Caspian reeled back, clutching at his stomach as he gasped violently for breath. Jadis glared at him, venom in her dark eyes.

"I AM JADIS!"

She stabbed forwards, her gold sword lancing the air and Caspian could only stare helplessly as death came at him.

"NOOOO!"

Blood splashed the ice and Jadis's sword fell to the ground, falling from her twitching fingers. Caspian and her both stared at the bloody blade protruding from her gut in utter astonishment, neither believing what they were seeing.

"Wha…"  
Jadis turned and Redfern stared up at her, pale and trembling.

"Die," the young dwarf said in a voice that was a squeak, "Die!"

"NO!" Caspian screamed, "REDFERN! RUN!"

The White Witch twisted, her wand swinging around and in a single blow she petrified Redfern to stone and shattered his statue into a million pieces.

. . . . . .

Aita crashed to the ground as the Black Knight let out a silent cry and flew to his mistress's side but Inara was there, knocking him back with a powerful kick. He staggered as Inara hissed, baring her teeth at him as her dark eyes flashed and became silver and slitted, unblinking as she glared at her prey.

"This is for Aclepius," she spat.

She flew at him, her sword carving the air as the Black Knight steadied, his black sword flying up and parrying her blows.

Aita froze to her feet, her gold and russet lute still in her hands as she gaped at her attacker. High King Peter the Magnificent, known to some as the Saviour, glared at her, his hands stretched out. In one palm an orb of lightning crackled, jagged spikes stabbing the air as in the other a shimmering undulating ball of green flames blazed, flickering and building.

"How?" Aita gaped at him.

"You're really getting on my nerves," Peter snarled, each word a judgement unto itself.

Gold light continued to bathe the garden, the lyre hovering over the smoking detritus of the silver tree as Aita's eyes darted towards it, the queen licking her lips nervously. She dove at the lyre, arms outstretched desperately but a burst of light drove her back.

Across the grove the Black Knight grabbed Inara by the throat and hurled her hard against the wall of the cul-de-sac garden. She landed on all fours and exploded forwards, ramming hard into him knocking him off-balance and off his feet as they both tumbled to the ground. She sprung up, the Black Knight weighed down by his heavy armour as she reached out and tore a large rock from the soft dirt of the wall.

"CLANG!"

Brutally Inara smashed the stone into the side of the knight's helmet as he tried to rise, the rock crumbling in her hands as the Black Knight crashed to the ground, a dent in his armour. Inara snatched up her sword and tried to stab down at him but his legs lashed out, catching her in the chest and sending her sprawling back.

Slowly the knight crawled to his feet as Inara lurched to hers, shifting into a battle stance.

"I know you probably wouldn't believe this…"

She ducked, the Black Knight's sword slicing wildly overhead. The rest of the silver-eyed Nagas, ragged survivors of Aita and her monsters' attack, dove out of the way as the Black Knight stomped towards her.

The translucent underground monsters the Green Lady commanded hissed and spat, inching forwards as their queen and champion duelled with the invaders of the Under Lands.

"But me?" Inara pointed at herself, "I'm not just an unbelievably hot face…"

She jumped back, the Black Knight's sword tearing into the ground. She leapt up, bouncing off the walls of the garden, launching herself into the air and kicking the knight straight in the face. He staggered to the side as Inara landed and slashed forwards, cutting a gleaming line across the Black Knight's armoured chest.

"I'm a warrior!" she spat.

A bulging newt-like monster, red frills around its neck and gummy jaws wide open sprung at her but Inara leapt out of the way, the creature barrelling hard into the wall, its stumpy head mashing against earth and stone. The silver-eyed Nagas charged, gleaming spears tearing through the creature's flank and stabbing into its body as it wailed and died, thrashing as life left its eyes and body.

"WATCH OUT!" Inara boomed as the Black Knight flew at the Nagas.

She lunged forwards, their two swords colliding with an almighty crash as both combatants were sent staggering back. Inara hit the wall and righted herself, leaping back and onto the dead newt's body as the Black Knight stood tall and strong, a dent in his helmet and a tear on his torso. Inara let out a screaming war cry and leapt down from her perch, her sword slashing down in a wide arc of silver.

Aita played her lute and whips of green flames cracked the air, the queen wreathed in thrashing arms of fire as they punched and stabbed at Peter. The High King swept his arm around and a crackling spur of electricity cut through the flames as his other hand shot forwards.

A line of fire, a narrow vortex of spinning green flames, more controlled and refined than anything Aita could've have formed flew through the air like an arrow. The Lady of the Green Kirtle screamed and stomped the ground, an earthen wall surging up but the bar of fire punched straight through the dirt like paper and struck her hard, Aita wailing as she was flung painfully backwards.

Peter pointed and more green flames flew from his fingers, wrapping around the gold and ivory lyre and before Aita could react the High King pulled the instrument towards him. His flames burned with light but no heat, caressing the lyre gently as Peter snatched the golden harp from the fire's clutches.

The High King held it aloft triumphantly and Aita screamed again, her roar of fury shaking her entire kingdom.

. . . . . .

Author's notes: And there you have it, the further crazy adventures of Caspian, Elias, Peter, Inara and co. Thank you for all your wonderful reviews guys much appreciated! And please, if you've just finished reading this please review (that's a lot of pleases...). Thank you for sticking with this despite the huge delays in update and despite the fact this has been going on for 2+ years (WHOA!)

As for the movie? Hmm... I'm a lot bit confused on what to think. The whole mist thing was weird and I think they could've done a lot better in fleshing what the heck it was a lot better. But Eustace... yeah that part blew me away. Will Poulter did a great job and it gives me some ideas for my Eustace... And I know the serpent wasn't like in the books but I liked that scene! Eustace vs. Serpent!

Okay enough rambling. Hoped you like the chapter (and the movie) and review!


	66. A call to arms

A new chapter – my special present to you all for Christmas/Christmas Eve (I cannot be bothered figure out the different timezones)

Disclaimer: Nope, this hasn't changed. Blah blah, Narnia is a sandpit I'm just playing in it

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 66: A call to arms**

Zaru looked up from the dead Keeper, his furry face contorted into a heavy frown as the secret that he now knew crushed down on him. He staggered.

So much power… so much might… so much potential for disaster. It wasn't a secret mortals were meant to know, it was too much but to save the worlds Zaru now had to carry the Deplorable Word, jealously guarding it lest the worlds fall to the Great Darkness.

He sagged, breathing harshly as he shook his head, wanting to wipe out the knowledge of the Word from his mind but knowing it was useless.

He stared at the three dead Keepers and knew the mantle had been passed on, it was now his burden, his treasure and his curse.

"Zaru…"

The leopard looked at Marshstrom as the Marsh-Wiggle limped towards him.

"Do you have it?" the lanky man asked.

Zaru nodded silently, the Deplorable word resounding in his head.

Too much… it was too much…

A sudden brilliant light filled the room and Zaru turned, ears pinned back, hissing violently as a line of light slashed down one of the walls. A wild wind from an unknown source swept the room stirring Zaru's fur as he sniffed the light and smelt nothing but fire.

"What is that?" he snarled.

Marshstrom stared at the light, an apologetic look unfurling across his muddy face.

"That's your exit," the Marsh-Wiggle said quietly.

Zaru whirled on him, eyes widening.

"WHAT?"

"Your quest is over," Marshstrom said, meeting his eyes solemnly, "It's time for you to leave this world and rejoin those you have travelled with."  
Zaru turned back to the light and Susan's face was instantly in his mind. The last he had seen of his beloved queen was in the dead of a winter's night, a grotesque vulture-like monster snatching her away. His fur and ire rose as the cat's tail flicked dangerously. He would find her and rescue her and whatever monsters or demons wanted to get in his way… they had better watch out.

"What about you?" Zaru demanded.

Marshstrom shrugged.

"Knowing my chances I'll probably die here."

The line of light was growing, becoming large and forming a door of blinding brilliance, a nexus into an unknown place.

Zaru stared at his odd companion.

"What?"

"But don't worry," Marshstrom grinned but it was such a hideous expression that the leopard recoiled, "I don't want to die."

Zaru merely blinked.

"I want to go home and teach my son everything I've learnt. If this doesn't make him properly serious nothing would!" Marshstrom did an odd little dance on the spot, it looked like he was flailing his limbs in a lopsided manner, the strange creature still limping from his injuries.

"Son?" Zaru asked incredulously.

"Yes, Puddleglum," the Marsh Wiggle made a dismissive gesture, pointing at the door, "Do not worry. Aslan sent me here. Aslan will make sure I return to my abode so I can teach my son."

Zaru smiled wryly, remembering what he had told the Marsh-Wiggle of his own past. He nodded knowing that the glum man was safe.

"Well…" Zaru turned to the light, his eyes burning, "When I return to Narnia…"  
"We'll see each other again," Marshstrom finished.

Zaru nodded and without hesitation ran forwards and plunged straight into the door of light.

. . . . . .

"It is done."

Jason looked at the Hermit of the Southern Marches, the spray of the nearby waterfall splashing his skin and nodded.

He had learnt all he had ever needed. He had found his peace, his serenity, his absolution. His power, the ruach, was under his control and Jason smiled savagely as he felt it burning inside of him, stronger and deadlier than ever before.

The dark journey, the winding road to Narnia was still as bleak and hopeless as before but with his power Jason knew he would burn a way through the darkness and return Susan to her rightful home.

And his past… his losses still haunted him but they no longer consumed him. Their deaths had been tragic but they were not of his doing, the blame should lie with Whittaker and all of his soulless men. And though he still mourned Yolanda and Delilah and Quentin, their deaths had not bee for nought. If not for their loss, their unknown sacrifice Narnia and a thousand other worlds would've already been lost. Like Susan losing her faith, Jason… Nathaniel had needed to lose his family for the better of all the worlds.

His suffering, his pain and his guilt was nothing compared to all that had been gained and there was a measure of solace in that thought. Jason smiled coldly at that as practical as ever.

"It is time for you to rejoin the Great Battle," the Hermit said.

The elderly sage pointed at a pool of water and the crystal liquid within rose forming a shimmering skein that pulsed with light. Jason looked at the semi-transparent depths and nodded.

Susan was still in danger, the witches were still a deadly a threat to all that Jason loved. He was needed once more and Jason re-affirmed the vow he had already made a hundred times – he would not fail his new family.

"Good," Jason growled, "I've got more important things than to talk to an old geezer like you."  
The Hermit smiled wryly, accepting the silent thank you.

"Go forth my son and conquer," the sage said, "Defeat the darkness. May the eyes of Tash see you through the storm."  
Jason ignored him and stepped forwards, plunging himself into the watery veil. He fell and floated all at the same time, hanging for a brief second between a thousand worlds, dangling and spinning over infinite possibilities and places, the Southern Marches fading behind him. White and cold rushed towards him but before it could take form and substance, a face swam through the haze of a millions worlds into his line of sight, bloated and terrible. Jason's eyes widened as a boy with a thousand eyes in his gaze glared at him.

"Yolanda…" the boy hissed, darkly triumphant and Jason was lost.

His body turned, his eyes blank and his ruach exploded out of him, tearing through the wall of water.

"Wha –" the Hermit began, eyes widening.

Before he could even consider moving, the sage was immolated by the white flames of Jason's power, his body crumbling to ashes as the whole of Southern Marches burned with him. Jason saw but did not remember, his face devoid of all emotions as he was pulled away from the burning realm.

The Great Darkness smiled and faded and reality returned as Jason was dumped into the middle of a snowy field, oblivious to all that he had just destroyed. He sat up and looked around.

"Yes…"

A fierce smiled crossed his face. He was back and his ruach was baying for the witches' blood.

. . . . . .

Redfern was dead.

Caspian could only stare at the cracked stone legs that stood before him, the only standing remnants of the petrified dwarf.

"Redfern…"

Memories of the loyal, naïve dwarf filled him and fury flooded him, hot and potent, filling his limbs with new strength. He had promised to save the forests, he had promised them all salvation. Caspian roared in fury and anguish, mourning Redfern even as his eyes stayed dry.

"ARGH!"  
Jadis screamed as she grabbed the hilt of the sword protruding from her back and in one mighty heave wrenched the blade free, tossing it aside with a contemptuous snort. Blood and a peculiar burning white light oozed from her wound as she snarled in fury.

"You think that would kill me?" her eyes were dark and insane, "Pathetic!"

Her wound knitted shut, her flowing white gown stained with her blood as she whirled on Caspian. The king slowly rose to his feet, shaking his head, focus returning as he stared at the queen with naked hate.

"I will kill you," he vowed.

Jadis laughed.

"Do you know how many have said that to me?" she demanded, "Do you know how many have died promising me that? Those words are like the braying of an ass, stupid and misguided."

Jadis's eyes darkened, the whites swallowed by her pupils as she seemed to grow taller and more imposing by the second, towering over Caspian. The woodlanders cried out, shuffling away as Jadis laughed but Caspian stood unafraid, his eyes burning.

"Very impressive," he snarled venomously, "But you might frighten the little children Jadis!"

"Try me," she spat, her wand glowing, grabbing her golden sword from the ground, "TRY ME!"  
"RUNNING DEATH!"  
Jadis's eyes bulged as wolves leapt at her, ambushing her from behind. She screamed as their teeth found her calves and legs, tearing deep, muscles and tendons snapping as she fell to her knees.

"NOOO!"

"RUNNING DEATH!" Balefur howled as Caspian stared at the pack of ravaging wolves.

"SHINK!"

In the confusion Jadis stabbed up and impaled a wolf through the chest, slaying it as the she-wolf snarled, leaping onto the queen's back and driving her to the ground.

"NO!"

Jadis screamed as Fernir clamped down onto her wrist, severing arteries as her wand fell from her fingers. She flailed, shaking him off as Balefur and the she-wolf snapped at the queen's neck. Jadis ripped her head back, their teeth marking her flesh, drawing tiny points of blood as the pack howled as one.

"NO!"

Caspian lunged forwards seizing an opening and his sword punched into her shoulder.

"So you do bleed," he spat, twisting the sword and eliciting a scream from her, "How very mortal of you!"

The besieged queen screamed and a wild tempest swept around her in a roaring vortex, snatching and hurling her enemies away.

Jadis rose to her feet, blood streaming down her ruined legs, her injured arm, shoulder and neck. Caspian blinked as lazy globs of light leeched from her wounds, oozing into the air and fading away as Jadis screamed.

"What…" the Telmarine whispered, "What is that?"

Even though bones had been shattered, tendons torn to shreds, the queen still managed to use her limbs, raising her hands to the air.

"DIE!" she screamed.

Ice cracked and splintered, huge chunks of clear glass rising into the air as Jadis glared at them all.

"DIE!"  
She pointed and they were suddenly running for their lives as slivers and shards and boulders of ice flew at them. Caspian was knocked off his feet as a massive block crashed to the ground near him, the king crying out as a blade of ice sliced his shoulder open.

"RETREAT!" Caspian roared.

They had the horn. They had what they come for. Caspian was a brilliant strategist and he knew when to fight and when to retreat. He wasn't like Peter, blinded by his rage and drive, bull-headedly ploughing forwards, Caspian had learnt almost from the cradle that wars were won with cool heads and even colder nerves. Each battle was a mission, you charge forwards and once the blow was struck you retreated, pulling back and planning for the next strike, each campaign methodical and logical. Caspian knew they couldn't win this battle, not against an enemy this strong without an iron-proof plan so that left only one option.

"PULL BACK!" Caspian bellowed, his voice booming through the confusion, "PULL BACK! THAT'S AN ORDER! PULL BACK!"

Mamaru and his mouse knights were instantly by his side, their tiny forms easily evading the barrage of ice as Bach raced towards him, his faces haggard at the fall of Redfern. Caspian felt a stab of pain as well but such sorrows would come later in the calm, now he had to focus on getting his people out alive.

Everything melted away, his fear and his pain vanishing as his mind focused on the one thing at hand.

"NO!"

A massive sheet of ice crashed down the heavens slicing into the earth, embedding itself as Caspian's ice widened, a wall of clear ice inches thick blocking their escape. Mamaru instantly leapt forwards, his tiny rapier hacking uselessly at the ice as Caspian whirled, Jadis stomping towards them, still bleeding blood and light, her face contorted into a furious snarl as ice spun around her in a dizzying circle. She laughed and pointed at them. Caspian's eyes widened.

"DUCK!" he screamed, terror in his voice, "DUCK!"

"Die," she hissed and ice flew forwards like bullets.

"AWWWWOOOOOO!"

The she-wolf flew through the air, a sleek form bristling with glistening fangs as Jadis twisted, eyes bulging. Her wand and sword flew through the air but somehow the lupine managed to evade them all, snarling as her jaws snapped down like a trap.

Jadis tried to scream but blood bubbled from her lips as the she-wolf tore the witch's throat out. The ice missiles and walls instantly crumbled to nothing as the White Witch fell to the ground, clutching at her throat.

She looked up, light spilling from her between her fingers as the she-wolfed smiled in satisfaction. Jadis returned the smile, her eyes becoming completely black. She whispered a single word and the Fang was torn asunder.

Beaver's eyes widened as cracks exploded out from Jadis's body, tearing through the ice and spider-webbing the whole frozen lake.

"RUN!" he bellowed, slipping and sliding across the ice as the frozen lake caved inwards.

A wolf screamed, pitched into a ravine as Balefur howled and pulled his pack back, the she-wolf snarling in fury.

Jadis slammed her wand into the ground, burying its tip into the ice and light swallowed her, the queen disappearing as the Fang continued its collapse. Mamaru darted forwards, running on all fours as a crack chased him forwards.

"SIRE!" the mouse bellowed, "The walls!"

The wolves were gone, disappearing into the madness as a massive crevasse opened swallowing the walls as the entire Fang was ringed by fissures, severing the camp away from the rest of the frozen lake.

Caspian paled cursing as he realised they were completely cut off, helplessly trapped as Winter's Fang continued to tumble down into ravines and valleys.

"NO!" Bach screamed, the satyr wild with terror, "WHAT DO WE DO? WHAT DO WE DO?

"SILENCE!" Caspian snapped, his face cool and collected, a splash of water on the burning panic sweeping his soldiers, "CONTROL YOURSELVES!"  
The woodlander's mouths snapped shut as Caspian looked around carefully, looking for something, anything to save them. Panic rose as all he saw was falling buildings and crumbling ice. There was nothing but hopeless death.

"No," he cursed, refusing to crumble into despair, "There must be a way! There must be!"

He stepped forwards but fell to his knees as the frozen ice they were standing on pitched sideways, one end tipping as the woodlanders cried out, slipping and sliding towards a gaping hole.

"NO!" Bach screamed, grabbing onto Caspian's leg as the king stabbed his sword into the ice, clutching as the ice continued to tip, "NO!"

Caspian lunged and grabbed onto a dwarf, saving him. His lone arm, clutching onto the sword burned, acid building in his muscles as he began to cramp, dangling over a fall to death. He gritted his teeth and clung on, refusing to let go. He would not fail them. Not now... not ever.

"HELP!" he yelled, not knowing who he was calling to, "HELP!"

"THE QUEEN!" a powerful voice boomed, "FOR THE QUEEN!"

Caspian blinked, confused.

"What…"

"QUEEN DRAGON!" a dozen voices returned.

Caspian looked up and gasped as the owl who had started all this swooped towards him, a dozen hawks and falcons flying in his wake. The raptors were massive easily triple the size of a full grown man. Before Caspian could react, the hawks and falcons dived, snatching up the woodlanders in their claws.

"FOR THE QUEEN!" the largest of the falcons screamed, "THE QUEEN DRAGON!"

With powerful pumps of their wings the birds lifted off, bearing Caspian and his troops away as beneath them Winter's Fang fell, tumbling into a pit and disappearing from sight forever.

. . . . . .

Inara danced with the Black Knight and it was a glorious waltz of steel and death, every step breath-taking perfection as they duelled in a wide circle along the edges of the grove. It was a wild dance, a display of sheer skill and brutal athleticism, every twist and turn perfect as slipping meant losing limbs and life. They slashed and clashed, every stroke of the blade met or dodged, death missing by mere breaths. Inara's feet moved and shifted, slid and stepped almost without her thinking, adrenaline and pure power pumping through her body.

Every reservoir of energy, every possible well of power was exploited and used, burning up in her muscles as she strained against the sheer strength of the Black Knight, her bones shaking with every blow that was countered.

Her silver eyes flashed as she laughed. She was loving this! The Temple monk inside of her revelled at the challenge, relishing the chance to test her skills even as the Naga in her hissed and snarled in thwarted fury, wanting nothing more than to see her enemies destroyed. Her body shook at the tidal wave of strength flowing through her but suddenly at the peak of her power, her energy levels dwindled dangerously, flooding out of her as Inara staggered. The blood rushed from her head and she gasped for breath, the Black Knight falling on her with a punishing blow.

"INARA!" one of the Nagas screamed.

She leapt back, the Black Knight's sword cleaving through the grass. She landed awkwardly, her legs twisting and she almost fell, her heart thundering in her ears.

"What the hell is happening?" she barked desperately.

The Black Knight stabbed at her and Inara twisted, dodging his deadly blade. She coughed, her lungs burning as the energy in her limbs faded leaving them weak and rubbery.

"What's happening?"  
"Your powers!" the silver-eyes bellowed, "You haven't learnt to control them yet! It'll keep consuming every ounce of energy you have until it burns you out!"  
Inara swivelled and glared at him, silver eyes flashing dangerously.

"And you didn't think to tell me this before?" she barked, back-pedalling away from the knight as he stomped towards her.

She could feel it now, felt the snake in her body and soul chewing away at her reserves, turning it into strength and fury until there was nothing left. Inara threw caution to the wind and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she quickly fell into the peace and serenity of nothingness, the state of mind Da Long and the other monks had to practically beat into her.

The Black Knight swung at her and Inara dodged instinctively, the sword whistling past as her breathing evened, every part of her body relaxing and slowing. The terrifying drain on her strength faded as Inara opened her eyes, silver darkening to brown. She felt the Naga relax, its awesome power slumbering as her body shook with fatigue.

"Note to self, crazy powers come with drawbacks," Inara muttered, "Typical."

She paused.  
"Also note Nagas are morons."

"INARA!"

She looked up and screamed as the Black Knight slashed at her, the half-Naga taken completely by surprise.

"STOP!"

Loops of green fire grabbed the knight's hand, stopping the blow as Inara whirled, Peter glaring at the dark champion, the lyre still in his grasp.

"Switch?" she asked.

She could still feel the Temple's powers run through her, dimmer than powerful but still potent. Peter nodded tersely and Inara sprung forwards, Aita blinking in shock as she landed right in front of the Green Lady.

"You've got something on your face," Inara grinned.

And before Aita could react Inara punched her straight in the nose, sending her flying.

On the other edge of the grove Peter and the Black Knight stared at each other, the High King wreathed in green flames and crackling electricity as the armoured champion raised his sword, pointing the wicked blade straight at the king in a silent challenge.

"Do you really want to fight me?" the High King spat as the flames flared, "Do you honestly think you can – "

The Black Knight thundered forwards and Peter hurled lightning at him. The knight's armour turned the shocks aside, sparks exploding harmlessly against his bulk as the champion speared straight into the king. Peter was crunched hard against the wall, ribs cracking as he screamed in pain. Green fire surged forwards hurling the knight back as Peter slid to the ground, clutching at his sides.

"Are you alright?" one of the Nagas screamed, reaching his side.

The Nagas continued to wage battle against the monsters of the grove, driving them away from the two battles, Peter fighting the knight, Inara and Aita locked in mortal combat. The two women was trading blows for bloody blows, the witch supernaturally strong as she hurled Inara through the air.

"Just fine..." Peter grunted.

He thrust the lyre into the Naga's hands and spat out a mouthful of blood, rising slowly to his feet. A song springing from his lips, Siren's Gifting healing his wounds as darkness clawed at the edges of his vision. He was trembling, teetering on the edge of exhaustion as the Black Knight rose as strong and as deadly as ever.

Peter cursed, staggering as he summoned his Gifts to him. The silver-eyes backed away nervously, unsettled by the tempest of fire and storm that rose around the king, Peter gasping for breath as he struggled to control the madness.

"Go on!" Peter snarled, "ATTACK ME!"  
The Black Knight charged and Peter threw lassoes of green fire around his feet, binding him shut as fiery shackles closed around the champion's arms. The Black Knight thrashed as Peter hurled the ends of the ropes into the ground, pinning him to the earth as he swiftly thrust every last bit of his strength at the knight, lightning spearing straight through the queen's champion.

"NOO!" Aita screamed as the knight convulsed, illuminated by the spectacular storm as the Nagas froze staring at the attack in open astonishment.

Inara kicked Aita, knocking her down but the queen was fast, jumping back up and backhanding the girl across the face. Inara was sent flying, slamming into the wall as a silver-eyes leapt at the queen. Aita snatched her in mid-air and swiftly broke her neck, tossing the body aside without a second thought. Her emerald eyes were wide as she stared at her besieged champion, her face red with fury.

"NO!" Aita screamed.

"SHUT UP!"  
Najash surged from the ground, finally recovering as her arms slid around Aita's neck. The Green Lady screamed, bucking and writhing as Najash tightened her grip, grim satisfaction on her face.

Peter stomped towards the Black Knight, screaming in pain as more and more electricity poured from his body. He stopped just inches from the knight, gritting his teeth as his Gift continued to assault the armoured man. Peter was grey with exhaustion but still he clung on grimly, battering the man down with all the powers of his Gifts. He flushed, his vision greying.

"WHY WON'T YOU JUST DI – "

The Knight looked up, wreathed in crackling lightning, writhing as it tore through him and Peter found himself staring deep into the darkness of the champion's visor. Two eyes stared back at him from the endless darkness, unblinking, each pools of crystal blue.

Peter's jaws dropped.

"Ed?"

With a scream Aita tossed Najash aside and flew at Peter, punching him across the face and knocking him out in one swift blow. The lightning faded and the Black Knight was free, the green flames around his limbs vanishing as Najash stared at Aita in horror and loathing. The Lady of the Green Kirtle laughed triumphantly, flexing her bare arms as Najash cursed and whirled to her people.

"RETREAT!" the Elapidae leader screamed, terror in her voice, "RETREAT!"

Aita stepped forwards but the Nagas were quicker, each hurling small knitted leather balls at the queen. They exploded, red smoke flooding the grove as Aita screamed in fury. Her lute flew to her outstretched hands and a single tune swept the smoke away but it was already far too late. She turned slowly on the spot and glared at the empty grove, the Nagas and the lyre long gone.

"NO!"  
Green flames lashed out and incinerated her monsters, the creatures shrieking as they burned. Aita bellowed in fury, the grove swallowed by the flames as the Black Knight watching her silently, his hidden blue eyes completely blank.

. . . . . .

It was a bitter victory. They had won what they had wanted to win but the cost had been high, Redfern and a dozen others falling in the madness of the Fang. Caspian trudged wearily through the snow, the horn thrust through his belt, his eyes dark with remembered pain as they wove their way between the trees, heading back towards the hidden village.

A flash of gold fur drew Caspian's attention and he instantly froze, his hand going to the hilt of his sword.

"I know you're there!" Caspian barked, his patience thinning, "SHOW YOURSELF!"

The hawks and the falcons hovered over the snowy canopy, their sharp eyes penetrating through the leafs.

"Do you have food?"

Caspian jumped as Zaru melted out from the trees, his fur ruffled, blood streaking his flanks.

"What..."

The king gaped at the leopard completely stunned.

"Where... where did you come from?" he barked.

Zaru sniffed the air, narrowing his eyes as he smelt death and smoke on the king's clothes.

"Long story, long, long, long story," Zaru said carefully, "One I really, really don't want to talk about on an empty stomach."

Caspian frowned, a question on his lips but a second voice cut him short before he could even speak.  
"Hey it's you!"

Beaver waddled towards them, his face lighting up as he spotted the leopard.

"Come to join in the victory bash?" he said, trying to sound jovial and failing.

Zaru frowned and sniffed the air again. He froze as he smelt fire and storm, his eyes instantly drawn to the horn in Caspian's belt.

"What is that thing?" the leopard growled, hackles rising.

"The thing that's going to help us win this war," Caspian said wearily, "You wanted food right? Follow me."

They trudged through the snow silently, Caspian casting Zaru speculative glances but the leopard refused to talk, shutters falling over his eyes. Inwardly the cat was wincing, not liking the secrets he was keeping but there was no other way not until he figured out a believable story. No one had to know he had possession of the Deplorable Word, no one had to know that he and he alone had the power to wipe an entire world out of existence. Heck... he didn't want to know either!

He cleared his throat.

"Where's Susan?" he demanded, "Is she..."  
Caspian stiffened and that was answer enough as Zaru cursed loudly, his claws shooting out from their sheaths as worry and fear assaulted him. But he clung to the knowledge Susan could handle herself and some of the terror abated. He growled under his breath, hating the fact that he couldn't help her but there was nothing to be done about it, he just had to trust and believe in her.

The mice scouted the way ahead, the troops nearing their home as the eagles and hawks drifted away, the owl remaining with the group, gliding from tree to tree.

"All clear sire!" Mamaru reported darting back to his leader.

Caspian nodded and stopped through the final line of trees and into the hidden village.

"Just in time!"

Mrs. Beaver was there, her eyes grim as she swept their ranks, noting silently the reduced numbers. She closed her eyes, enduring the pain before opening them, beckoning her healer forwards.

"Did you get it?" she asked quietly.

Caspian pulled the horn from his belt and the collective woodlanders instantly fell silent, staring at the twisted black object in awe. As one they fell to the ground, bowing to the king as Caspian grimaced.

"Please!" he begged, "Don't... please! Stand up!"  
His words fell into silence as they continued to bow in supplication.

"STAND UP!" Caspian barked, anger bleeding into his voice, "NOW!"

Slowly they froze, Mrs. Beaver's eyes shining like gems.

"It's returned to us!" she breathed, "It's finally returned!"  
She grinned, her paws rubbing together as her paddle-like tail slapped the snow excitedly.

"Now the White Witch has to fall!"

Several of the creatures heard her words and cheered wildly as Caspian winced hearing the wild exuberance in their voice. The woodlanders were so full of hope and wild dreams that they were ready to charge into battle without thought, expecting victory as if it was their due. He hated to bring them down but they needed to know the war was far from over and that they could still easily lose. He opened his mouth.

"So Pretty Boy has admirers again," a dry voice drawled, "Feeling special?"

Caspian jumped as Jason appeared from one of the caves, dressed as usual in his fedora and coat and arrogance. The king blinked but quickly recovered as the Seeker narrowed his eyes at him.

"You survived," Caspian countered calmly knowing the man would not appreciate any display of emotions, "So whoever tried to kill you did a really bad job... pity."

Jason smirked back at him and gestured at the horn.

"What's with the thing?" he demanded.

"It calls upon the Queen Dragon!" the owl cut in excitedly, "All the king has to do is blow it and she will return and sweep the witch from the forests!"

"CASPIAN!" some of the woodlanders cheered, "OUR GUARDIAN!"

Jason and Zaru raised their brows at the king as Caspian flushed dully, twisting the horn nervously in his hands.

"It's a prophecy," he explained awkwardly.

His eyes darkened as he remember another time when he clutched a horn of magic, ready to summon saviours back to a beleaguered land.

"Isn't it always?" Zaru muttered, "So what now?"

Caspian looked around and noticed that every woodlander was staring at him, waiting for his next words and command.

"Now we go out and search," he said slowly.

"For what?" Bach demanded, "We have the horn!"

The beasts and woodland creatures cheered, many urging the king to charge straight into battle as Caspian raised his hands, forcing them into silence.

"It may not be enough," he said calmly, "We go out and we look for allies..."  
He looked at Jason and Zaru.

"And we build an army," the king continued, his quiet voice loud in the silence, "And when we are done..."  
He looked at the horn and look at his people, seeing the hope blazing in their eyes.

"We'll see the witches burn."  
And the crowd cheered, their cries echoing far and wide as Jason, Zaru and Caspian looked at each other and nodded firmly, ready to plunge into battle once more.

. . . . . .

It had happened in the middle of the battle, the crazed fight between Jadis and Aita's armies. Far off in the Under Land the Silver Tree had burned wreathed in green flames as the Nagas on the battlefield had staggered, clutching at their temples as invisible knives stabbed them deep. They had been pulled out of their bodies, torn through time and space until they hovered around an emerald grove, watching as a stranger hurled green flames at the Silver Tree. Paralysis gripped them, the snake warriors nothing more than ghostly observers as they had stared, bewildered, as branches crumbled to ashes, the whole tree swaying. None of them understood what was happening, none of them realising the greatness of the moment as the tree had toppled, melting and burning into the ground. And as the Silver Tree fell the ancient spell on them was broken.

They were free.

"What..."

Green faded to silver as every Naga in Aita's army stopped and stared around in confusion, blinking at each other with silver eyes.

"WHAT HAPPENED?"

And they were brought back to reality, standing knee deep in icy slush and mud, bloody weapons in hands as Jadis's monsters charged at them, bellowing on top of their voices. The freed Nagas had reacted instinctively clashing with the monsters and killing them, slaying their enemies even as their minds whirled, recovering from the enchantment they had been chained to for years.

"Aita..."  
The name came to every snake-warrior's lips, spreading like fire as realisation dawned.

"AITA!"  
The whispers became a scream, a vow of revenge as the Nagas attacked with frenzied force, their faces alit with hate.

"AITA!"

And as if they had summoned her the Green Lady appeared in a burst of green flames, sweeping her enemies aside as she appeared from thin air, the Black Knight by her side. She looked at the Nagas as they turned to her, bloody weapons raised as they saw their bitter enemy.

Aita cursed and knew they were lost to her, now and forever.

"BIND THEM!" she screamed, "BIND THE NAGAS NOW!"  
A trio of the freed warriors lunged at her but the Black Knight slashed forwards, blocking their blows as Aita screeched, her followers instantly hearing her cries. The Green Lady whirled and fire flew from her lute burning Jadis's forces as the White Witches' army fled in terror before her anger.

"BIND THEM!" Aita screamed turning to her forces, "BIND THEM!"  
Some of the Nagas fled, kicking and punching their way through the rabble of creatures that tried to box them in but most were caught, pinned to the ground by monopods and dwarfs, crushed under translucent monsters as Aita stared at them all, her green eyes fiery.

"They're of no use to me," she said slowly, "Kill them all."

And she turned away as the Black Knight stepped forwards, her army raising their weapons as the Naga's screamed, silver-eyes widening.

"No... no..." one of the Nagas wept, "Please... no! By the Phoenix, I'll serve you Aita! I'll serve you!"  
Hundreds of similar pleas filled the air as others remained silent, stoic in the face of death. Aita was deaf to the cries, uncaring of their screams.

"Now!" she tossed over her shoulders.

And as one the weapons fell and a thousand lives were instantly lost.

. . . . . .

"So close..."  
The she-wolf was limping, blood dripping down her hind leg as Balefur led his limping pack deep into the forest.

"We almost had her!" the she-wolf spat.

"Almost," Balefur reminded her, "We're still not finished. We are still Running Death."

Elias was silent, trudging through the forest behind the pack. The scientist was troubled silent, chafing at how he had been left behind as the wolves charged forwards to face their mortal enemy. He had twined his fate with the pack and his redemption with their Running Death. He needed to kill the White Witch, it was the only way to wash the blood from his hands. Killing that woman, that vile glacial-skinned monster, removing such a blight from the worlds that would erase the guilt he carried, balance the scales and save his soul. He needed this, Elias needed the wolves and their quest, it gave him clarity and a purpose and a way forwards.

"What now?" he asked, bitterness in his voice.

"We wait," Fernir growled, "We wait for another chance then...

Balefur snarled.

"We strike and we kill the White Witch once and for all!"

And as one the pack howled as Elias nodded, clenching his fists tightly as he silently joined their call.

. . . . . .

"My god..."

"That... that... that BITCH!" Najash raged.

Peter was silent, his eyes deadly cold as they all stared at the atrocity before them. Rotting flesh perfumed the air, rolling the gut as fat black flies feasted upon the remains, swarming over the bodies in buzzing clouds.

Inara whirled away and vomited noisily unable to take anymore as she closed her eyes, wishing it was all gone but it was reality, harsh undeniable reality.

Nagas, thousands of them, littered the open plain, their eyes wide and blank in death, their heads speared on metal spikes, their bodies twisted in death. It was endless, a sea of open wounds and spilt blood, the bodies defiled and devoured by Aita's creatures and winged scavengers, tossed in a giant pile like a rubbish tip.

It was sickening. War was brutal and disgusting, Peter had no illusions about that but there was still honour in it, an unspoken code of conduct. And a chief rule was that the dead was sacred, left untouched and alone until they were buried. The scene before him was terrible, not a body left unmolested. Peter clenched his fists as a tremor ran through his cursed arms, sparks flying from his hair as he grinded his teeth together.

This wasn't just a murder, it wasn't even just a slaughter this was genocide of the highest order, heartless and utterly inhumane.

"How could she do this?" Inara asked, stunned.

"She's a witch," Peter spat, "That's what they do."

Najash's hood was open, venom leaking from her fangs as her fists clenched tight. Alcepius's death and the death of those lost in the Under Land had been a hard blow for the leader to endure but this... this was enough to break even the coldest of hearts.

"She will pay for this," Najash swore, fire in her voice and eyeds, "She will pay with her life."

"This is payback," Peter said slowly, "For us burning the tree."

Inara turned to him, knowing him all too well.

"This isn't your fault!" she snapped, "What else could we have done? Let her keep enslaving the Nagas! We did what we thought was right!"  
"And now thousands are dead," Peter said flatly, "The road to hell..."

"Is no doubt very scenic and lovely," Inara growled, cutting him off, "If you want to blame someone blame that silky green trollop. She's the one who did this! It wasn't our fault!"  
She whirled on Najash, her eyes ablaze as the leader stared at her numbly, horrified despite her bravado.

"What are we going to do?" Inara demanded.

She was beyond angry, beyond furious, she wanted nothing more than to stab Aita straight through the heart and watch her die and if she had to die herself to make it happen... then so be it. But they had to move now, things were in the air, teetering, the whole world on the verge of change and she wasn't going to let them sit idly by and drown in despair whilst it happened. Alcepius and all those poor souls below had given their lives for this one impossible chance and Inara was not going to let their sacrifice be in vain.

The way ahead was clear... they had to fight.

Najash shrugged.

"Wait for her to reappear and strike again."

Inara narrowed her eyes, silver bleeding into her irises.

"No," the half-Naga said slowly, "We've got to do more than that."

She turned and looked out again at the mass grave, at the severed heads that stared accusingly back at her.

"We have the lyre," Inara said slowly, "We have the advantage. She's scared of us. That's why she did all this..."  
She waved her hands around as her eyes became pure silver.

"All this is nothing more than a pathetic attempt to rattle us!" Inara roared, "She's trying to prove to herself she's not scared! But she's terrified because of what we have, of what we can do with it."

Inara looked at Peter and Najash as they looked back at her with bleak eyes.

"Aclepius told me about the legend of the lyre, he told me what it meant," Inara jut her chin out stubbornly, "It's clear what we have to do. We have to play the lyre and bring the Phoenix back!"

"That's not going to be enough," Najash said dully.

Her eyes darkened.

"There's only a handful of us left," the tribe leader whispered, "Even with you two, strong as you are it's not going to be enough. The King Phoenix might be able to handle Aita but her army would crush him before he gets close. We need to be able to fight her forces."  
"An army?" Peter said suddenly.

He and Inara looked at each other

Peter was still horrified by what Aita had done and a part of him still blamed himself. He was the one who had burned the tree, he was the one who had started the horrible chain of events that had led to all of this but he was a king in a war, loss was inevitable, loss was the way wars were won and he had to accept that. Aita had murdered these people, slaughtered them as though they were sheep and Peter could not let that stand. She had to pay.

And Inara still didn't know the half of it. He hadn't told anybody what he had seen when he had stared into the Black Knight's helm. Those eyes... he knew those eyes.

Edmund was in there. The Black Knight was Edmund, they were one and the same. Peter's heart clenched as he thought of his little brother trapped by the queen's enchantment, turned into a biddable slave. Bile rose in his throat as he imagined the hell his brother was caught in and he saw red.

Peter clenched his hands into white-knuckled fists and jutted his chin out stubbornly.

"We can get you an army," he said suddenly.

"Or part of one," Inara added helpfully.

Najash looked at them, confused as Inara and Peter stared back, identical fierce smiles on their faces. She licked her dry lips and nodded.

"Show me the way," she whispered.

Inara's silver eyes flashed as Peter's hand shot out and green flames immediately devoured the sea of bodies, the pile turning into a pyre as the trio fell into a respectful silence, watching the bodies burn.

As the flames were reflected in her silver eyes Najash made a final vow to the dead.

She would see Aita burn in hell for what she had done... she staked her soul on it.

Najash turned and walked away, readying herself for the battle to come.

. . . . . .

Word had spread quickly through the forest and the creatures came in their droves, awaiting the day Caspian would arrive with his troops, his guards of honour, the horn held high in his hands.

"We the Falcons and Hawks of the Higher Reaches pledge ourselves to you," the large of the falcons, his feather icy white, growled.

Caspian met the raptor's fierce gold eyes and nodded back, solemn and grim.

"I hear your pledge and accept."

He kissed the bird on the head.

"And thank you for your sacrifice."

From that moment on the birds patrolled the skies, guiding Caspian and his troops, acting as scouts and watchers as the leader of the birds sat on his war of council.

Every day their numbers grew Caspian travelled through the woods to meet more and more forces ready to fight.

On the second day Mamaru led a great army of mouse knights, each wearing burnished armour and wielding razor swords as the forest had fallen silent, watching their tiny warriors in awe. One by one the mouse had vowed their lives to Caspian, the king gravely hearing each of them and bestowing a kiss to show his acceptance of the allegiance.

Zaru spent much of the days away from the village, ranging far as he sniffed the scents on the wind, desperately trying to track down his queen but there was no traces of Susan, her scent wiped clean from the land until it seemed she had not walked upon it all. But Zaru refused to give up, turning a deaf ear to all opinions to contrary as he continued his hunt, running occasionally into creatures that were arriving to see the horn of legends.

Jason was grimly training for the war ahead, hiding his fears for Susan behind a gruff mask that only Caspian could see through. The Seeker trekked each day far away from the village, losing himself amongst the trees before unleashing his ruach, the white fire decimating huge sections of trees as he practiced and vented his frustrations, eagerly waiting for the day he would watch his enemies burn.

Sketchy reports came in, Caspian hard-pressed to keep up with all the news as his birds and his spies fed him information about the White Witch, other watches patrolled the border lands keeping an eye on Aita. So far the news had been one and the same, Jadis barricading herself into her ice fortress, her forces languishing as Caspian's forces continued to harry them, killing any hunting parties and slowly starving the army.

Seven days after the winning of the horn, great lizards had come from the trees, their scales red and blue and iridescent shimmering as the creatures slid towards the village. Marvellous patterns of stylised flames had tattooed the creature's side, the oldest of the lizards naming them as salamanders. They too had come to join the war against the White Witch, joining the ranks of Caspian's army.

The king had been uncomfortable with the honorific piled upon him, wild grandiose epitaphs strung to his name.

He was known as Caspian the Great, Wielder of the Horn, Guardian of the Forests and Leader of the People. He was also Caspian the Swordsman, the Undefeated, the Invincible and other names he didn't even want to think about. Zaru and Jason had snorted at the more ridiculous legends told about him.

"So you were born in the heart of a storm in the coldest of winters?" the leopard smirked.

"Did you get wet?" Jason taunted with a flash of rare humour.

Caspian had sighed and hung his head.

In the brief rare moments when he saw them the king had tried to talk to his companions about their absences, about where they had been and what they had done but the two had kept their tongues. Caspian knew they would talk to Susan and only Susan about their ordeals and accepted it knowing that even though he was leading the woodlanders into battle, Zaru and Jason were not his men to command.

Susan and Peter and Inara haunted his thoughts, worries and fears mounting with each day but like Jason and Zaru he was clinging onto the knowledge that they were all very capable and trusted them to survive. But still his nightmares were rife with their faces, the most dreadful of the dreams terrible imaginings of him stabbing Susan and attacking her like a wild beast. He had woken from each dream in muck sweat, his heart pounding.

Caspian clutched his head, a tremor running through him as the same old confusion returned.

Susan... his love had been burned out of him and yet some ghost remained, lingering, taunting him. He didn't know what to feel. Did he hate her? Love her? As always he shoved those questions aside, focusing on anything that would keep all that at bay. But tried as he might his dreams continued to haunt him, Caspian lost in a nightmarish land, stumbling through a hell where Susan was his own shining light and salvation. He woke each morning, confused, bewildered, torn in a thousand different directions.

He needed to see her. Needed to face her and see how his heart reacted because for now with her lost, he was lost as well.

Caspian shook himself from his melancholy thoughts and marched forwards Zaru and Jason by his side, they were returning to their headquarters five miles east of the hidden village. His army had been forced to move away, forming its own headquarters, building their camp behind walls of wood and stone when they had simply overfilled the village. His army marched in two columns behind him, numbering in the hundreds dwarfs, mice, salamanders, raptors, satyrs and other creatures too many to name.

"Hiya!"

Caspian jumped, his sword in his hand as Jason pointed, white fire exploding from his hands. A gasp ran through the army as a wave of green flames surged out from the trees, slamming into the ruach and neutralising the power as shadowy forms pushed through the leafs.

"AITA!" Mamaru roared recognising the flames.

The army stiffened, bows swinging up as sword were unsheathed. Zaru sniffed the air and blinked.

"WAIT!" he roared, "STOP!"

Jason froze, white fire wreathing his tall form as a very familiar figure stepped right onto the path in front of them.

"Jeez Cowboy over-caffeinated much?" Inara rolled her eyes.

Caspian, Jason and Zaru gaped at her as Peter stepped beside her, green flames dancing along his fingertips. A shorn-head Naga joined the two, more of the snake-warriors ringed behind them. Caspian frowned, not lowering his sword as he studied the troop of grim-faced fighters staring him down.

"What is this?" he demanded.

"This is call getting along and playing nicely," Inara said flatly, "We have a problem. She's green, ugly and has the looser morals than Paris Hilton. We need your help."

"We need an army," Peter said calmly, his blue eyes sweeping Caspian's ranks.

Caspian bristled not liking the casual way the High King expected him to jump through his hoops.

"Is that a cry for help or an order?" he growled.

Peter shifted subtly into a challenging stance as Inara let out a cry of exasperation.

"Go Caspian!" one of his soldiers cried suddenly sensing the brewing fight.

Caspian flushed as more soldiers joined in.

"CASPIAN THE GREAT!"  
"CASPIAN THE GUARDIAN!"  
Zaru coughed, hiding a barking laugh as Jason smirked. Caspian merely stared stubbornly ahead, wishing he could just crawl into the ground as Inara and Peter stared at him.

"Fantastic, first we had Peter the Magnificent Jackass and now Caspian the Great Galumphing Blow-Hard," Inara said waspishly not in the mood for such childish games, "Boys play nicely or I'll get Susan to turn you two into pincushions."

Her eyes swept the group.

"Speaking of which where is Queenie?"  
Caspian froze as Zaru winced. Peter's eyes widened.

"Where is she?" he spat.

Caspian squared his shoulders.

"Still missing," he said flatly.

Peter staggered back, his jaws dropping. Susan and Edmund, his family... all of them lost and in danger. A sense of urgency grabbed him as he struggled to hold back the storm that threatened to explode from his body. He had to defeat the witches, he had to save his siblings... now.

"We have this," Peter growled, pulling the lyre out of a hessian bag.

The whole crowd gasped as they saw the ivory and golden harp, perfectly wrought and crafted into a thing of utter perfection.

"Is that..."

"The harp of the King Phoenix?" Najash snarled, "Yes it is."  
"Well..." Zaru coughed, "This is interesting..."

Caspian pulled the horn from his belt and the two magical artefacts seemed to hum, a trail of golden light briefly connecting the two, both objects recognising each other as kin.

"The horn of the Queen Dragon," Najash spat, "Impressive."

A hush fell over the road as they all stared at the two artefacts each of them slowly realising the days of the witches were coming to an end.

"We need to play those and destroy the witches," Peter growled, "Now."

"Of course," Caspian shot back, "What do you think I've been preparing for?"

His army roared, shaking their weapons as the Nagas watched them carefully, silver-eyes narrowed.

"What about your warriors?" Caspian demanded, "Can we trust them?"  
The Nagas hissed at him, furious as Najash rose to her full height, glaring magnificently at the king.

"We have the broken the spell that has chained our people," she snarled, "We will destroy the Green Lady even if it costs our lives!"  
"Good to know," Jason said flatly, his ruach brewing behind his suspicious blue eyes.

Najash glared at him and the Seeker met her gaze, the two recognising each other as warriors as a brisk nod passed between the two.

"Do you have a base?" Peter demanded.

Caspian narrowed his eyes but nodded.

"Good," Peter's face softened, "We need to talk tactics. No doubt you have a solid plan in mind."  
The Telmarine nodded, knowing the High King was deferring to him... for now.

"This way," Caspian said starting forwards once more, "My camp is just a bit further away."

He emphasised the 'my' as Zaru and Inara glanced at each other and rolled their eyes. Peter nodded and followed the Telmarine, the two kings walking side by side and talking in hushed voices as the Nagas joined the ranks of the woodlanders, the two sides united finally as one.

. . . . . .

A shadow fell across the ground of the cave, a figure blocking the entrance as Mrs. Beaver looked up.

"Hello..."

Mrs. Beaver blanched as she gaped at the White Witch. Jadis smiled coldly at her, her wand and sword in hand.

"I believe you've been trying to kill me," she hissed.

"NO! RUN! RUN! EVERYBODY! RU – "

Light flared and Mrs. Beaver was cut off as Jadis's cruel laughter echoed through the cave and the whole entire village.

"SIRE! SIRE!"  
The hawk spiralled down, diving through the trees before landing clumsily on the icy road before Caspian.

"What – "  
The king froze as the hawk looked up and its terror-filled gaze transfixed him.

"The village... Jadis..." the hawk stopped, crying, "They're all gone!"

Caspian stared at the bird for a second of stunned disbelief before whirling and charging through his own army, a cry on his lips.

. . . . . .

Elias looked up as footsteps pounded towards him. Caspian burst through the trees, his face wild, his sword in his hands.

"I'm sorry," the scientist said quietly.

The king stared at him, horror written all over his face as Balefur and the she-wolf lowered their heads gravely.

"What..." Caspian swallowed his words and slowly stepped forwards, his breath caught in his throat.

He pushed past the ring of wolves and stepped into the village and instantly fell to his knees. The ground was torn up, ice turned to dirt and churned red frost, snowflakes falling gently on bodies that would never rise again.

Every creature, from the oldest doddering woman to the youngest babe was dead.

"No..." Caspian whispered, horrified.

Stunned cries punctuated the air as the others caught up, staring in open horror at the ruined village, every building mere frozen debris.

"I'm sorry," Elias said again, touching Caspian's head, "I'm so, so sorry..."

. . . . . .

"Not again..."

Peter draped his arm around Inara's shoulders and hugged her lightly, offering silent comfort as both of them surveyed the destruction in grim silence.

"No..." Beaver was weeping, clutching his petrified wife as sobs shook his tiny body, "No... my love..."

Others were also mourning, screaming as they found family members amongst the dead and petrified. The village had been filled with women and children, the men living at the new base except for a few guards. Those had been ambushed in the woods, their shattered stone bodies scattered through the undergrowth.

Jadis had attacked with no warning and with astonishing savagery, every house torn apart, every cave collapsed into itself as bodies chilled in the breeze, some killed without a mark, others torn to shreds and strewn around like bloody confetti. Such depravity the world had never seen before was on full display around them, entrails wrapped around necks, hearts torn from chests as blood congealed in the cold.

Zaru hissed, turning away as a pitifully small body tangled from a treetop, a rope around his neck.

Bach looked around numbly, tears dripping down his face.

So many children... so many younglings dead...

"Why?" he begged, looking around desperately, "WHY?"

Jason suddenly roared and white fire flared obliterating a tree as the Seeker's rage climbed.

"JASON!" Inara snapped, tearing herself away from Peter and charging towards the furious man.

The woodlanders looked at him as though he was a witch, terrified by his powers as Inara grabbed his arms, forcing them down as Jason looked up at her, pale with anger.

"I know," Inara whispered, "I know..."

Najash and her Nagas were silent, their memories dark with their own bitter losses as they helped in any way they could.

Caspian was standing by himself, ashen-faced and ashamed.

"I should've protected them better," he muttered numbly to himself, "I should've..."  
He closed his eyes remembering all those that had been lost. Mrs. Beaver and her tender-heart, the children that had given him crowns of flowers to wear, the women that had wept as they thought of a life without the threat of the witches. All of them, their faces bright and hopeful in his mind were gone, destroyed.

Caspian swallowed thickly and the world spun wildly around him, threatening to send him crashing to the ground.

"It's not your fault."  
Caspian looked into Peter's eyes.

"Isn't it? They were my people," the king growled.

Peter refused to snap back, refused to feed into his anger and that hurt Caspian all the more.

"We both know you couldn't have done more."

Some of the soldiers were turning swords into shovels, slicing into the cold earth and trying to dig rude shallow graves for the bodies. Many had fled into trees to vomit, unable to take the butchery that had visited the village.

Statues stood everywhere, silent observes as others sprawled across the ground, the ice pink with blood, others frozen into solid blocks of ice. Not a single survivor had managed to get away, Jadis ruthlessly hunting down those that had hidden in the forests, carefully pinning their bodies to the trees with needles of ice, crucifying them to the wood. The worst were the little children, a whole heap of them nestled together as though asleep if not for the terrible angles of their necks.

"You better not be giving up on me," Peter growled, "Because – "

Caspian laughed bitterly.

"You think I've learnt nothing?" he spat, "You think I'm just going to wallow in my misery and leave my people to fend for themselves?"

Caspian straightened as Peter looked at him, a small smile on his face.

"No," the Narnian king growled, eyes darkening, "I know what needs to be done."  
He turned to his people as they rummaged through the debris, unearthing crushed bodies as Zaru and the wolves helped, their sensitive noses sifting through the rubble. Elias, Inara and Jason pitched in, heaving wood and stone away as one by one corpses were pulled from the wreckage.

"Finish here!" Caspian roared, "We bury the dead then we march!"

He held the horn aloft.

"The time has come to use this!" the king spat, "No more mercy! No more holding back! The queens die!"

And Caspian swept away, his people watching him go as many nodded, their hands tightening on their weapons.

Jadis had severely underestimated her enemies. She had struck hard, holding nothing back, slaughtering the entire village trying to break their spirits. But she had been sorely mistaken on all accounts. The woodlanders weren't broken, they were furious and rearing for a fight, fighting not just for freedom but for those who had fallen. In trying to destroy her enemies she had made them all the more stronger and soon Jadis would learn just how much trouble she was truly in.

Caspian had declared war and his people were answering the cry with relish.

. . . . . .

The ice gates slid open, sliding back into the thick walls, merging with the frozen bricks as massive polar bears roared, stretching at their chairs, their razor claws reaching for the woman who stood at the gates.

Aita rolled her eyes, delicately pulling her long gossamer dress away from the screaming white bears as footsteps ringed out towards her.

"Sister!" Aita laughed stretching her hands out in a friendly hug, "How lovely to see you!"

Jadis roared in fury and shoved her wand at Aita's direction, the crystals flashing dangerously.

"What are you doing here?" the White Witch roared.

Aita gracefully pulled a white silken handkerchief from her gown and fluttered it in front of her.

"Truce?" she offered.

Jadis slashed the air with her hands and a wild gust swept the white scrap of cloth away as Aita huffed.

"Well that was dramatic," the Lady of the Green Kirtle sneered.

"What. Do. You. Want?" Jadis spat, her gold sword appearing in her hands.

Aita looked at her sister and the mockery from her face faded.

"We have a problem," the queen of the Under Land said, casting a disparaging look at the frozen fortress that was her sister's stronghold.

"Problem?" Jadis hissed drawing to her full imposing height.

"There're strangers in the land and they're bringing change," Aita spat, "Change against us. We need to deal with them"

"What makes you think I'm having prob – " Jadis began dangerously.

Aita laughed and slid gracefully past her sister, her dress flowing around her long perfect legs.

"Don't be a fool Jadis," Aita giggled, "It's very unbecoming. We both have spies in each other's armies so let's just skip the polite lies. We have a problem."

Jadis narrowed her eyes but dispelled her sword, the golden blade melting from her hands as she twirled her wand in her hands before sliding it smoothly into a sheath on her silver belt, the length of chain holding her silvery gown tighter around her slim waist.

"Stop," she spat.

Icicles exploded from the icy floor halting Aita in her tracks.

"What do you know of these strangers?"  
Jadis's eyes darkened, black swallowing white as she remembered the defiant young boy who had dared lead an army against her. And the wolves! The filthy treacherous wolves! She would hunt them all down and skin them alive!

"Nothing but that they're pests we must destroy," Aita stopped, "Also one of them has managed to win the Deplorable Word."

Jadis smiled coldly.

"So you too sister?"

"Of course," Aita said calmly, "Any way to defeat you."  
Jadis laughed, her cold voice ringing through her enchanted castle as Aita rolled her eyes, flicking her dark hair away from her face.

"So what do you propose darling sister of my heart?" Jadis hissed, her voice that of a viper's.

"Simple."  
Aita turned and looked Jadis squarely in the eyes.

"We join forces. Just this once, to ensure our survival. And when these strangers are dead and we have bathed in the blood we will continue our own fight," Aita paused, "Any questions?"  
"And what if I refuse?" Jadis snarled.

The Lady of the Green Kirtle's replying smile was cruel and deadly.  
"You won't, " she said confidently, "You're not stupid, you see the necessity of my... generous offer."

"Generous?"  
The sisters circled each other like prowling cats, their movements liquid and deadly.

"I'm guessing you're scared since you lost control of your little pet snakes," Jadis chuckled, "You've always loved things that crawl on their bellies."

"And you're army is starving," Aita returned, "Every since this 'guardian' has your people running scared. And Winter's Fang is gone, crumbled into the lake. Imagine that. You must be so worried."  
Jadis reached out and Aita held her ground as an icy cold finger stroked her cheek.

"Hardly. I'm still sleeping like a child," Jadis hissed, "But enough of this."  
She drew back.

"I accept your offer."

Aita blinked before her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Why?" she demanded.

"Because I see the need as much as you do," Jadis said calmly, "Do we have an agreement? This is temporary truce remember. Once the strangers are gone..."

"We will fight to the death once more," Aita vowed.

The two sisters smiled cruelly at each other and both stretched out their hands, twining their fingers together as white light and green flames mingled, flaring up and licking the ceiling as their laughter shook the castle to its core.

. . . . . .

The camp was a hive of activity, the woodlanders arming themselves as Caspian ran through the plan once more with his war council, the motley group of creatures bowing eagerly as they listened to his plan.

Zaru watched them all with a lazy eye, his nose twitching as he smelt the nerves and fear lingering in the air.

"Sunning yourself?" Inara asked climbing up onto the small snow-covered knoll.

"Want to join in?" Zaru asked drolly as he twisted to look at her.

He narrowed his eyes as her scent flittered towards him, the leopard frowning at her alien smell.

"Something's different," he said abruptly, "You've changed."  
Inara grinned and her eyes flashed silver, becoming slitted as Zaru gasped, death and musk flooding his nose.

"Snake!" he hissed violently, claws shooting out of their sheaths, "What... what happened to you?"

"I'm Neapolitan."

Zaru blinked, staring at her.

"You know the ice-cream?" Inara smirked, "There's three kinds of me. Me-me, Naga-me and monk-me... I'm back!"

"Must you always abuse the spoken language?" Zaru muttered.

Inara laughed and snatched a rock from the ground hurling it through the air and smiling in satisfaction as it slammed into the rough wooden walls of the camp fence, denting the wood. Zaru sucked in a breath as he finally worked out what she was saying.

"Your powers... they're back!"

Inara smirked and nodded.

"So you're not useless now."

Inara looked up as Jason stared down at her, arms crossed.

"Good," he snapped, "You can stop being a dead weight."

Inara glared at him.

"So where did you end up?" Zaru asked lazily.

"Southern Marches."

Inara and Zaru blinked surprised he was even answering them.

"What's there?" Zaru asked.

Jason smiled enigmatically.

"Family."

"Hope your family beats mine," Inara muttered.

Jason looked at them the two of them, looked at Zaru and Inara and even the stoic Seeker couldn't help the small smile that lifted his lips. He had lost Yolanda and Delilah and it still hurt like hell but his new family needed him and as much as he didn't like to admit it he needed them.

"I'm pretty sure you'll like my family," Jason said gruffly.

A comfortable silence fell over the three of them, the quiet broken as a fourth figure joined them, his face uneasy.

"Hey Doc," Inara greeted, "Done with your Wolverine act?"

"I have no idea what you just said but it still sounds lame," Zaru smirked.

Inara threw a handful of snow at him and Zaru sneezed as the cold chilled his nose. Elias sat down heavily, looking grey and exhausted but a fanatical light burned in his eyes. With his badly patched clothes and scraggy beard, Elias looked like a man falling into madness.

"Doc?" Inara asked worriedly when Elias didn't answer.

Zaru slid up to him, his eyes grave as he picked up the fear and guilt that spilled from the man. He was pale, lines ringing his eyes and mouth, his limbs trembling as he rubbed at the beard on his chin. The cat wrinkled his nose as all that he smelt was wolves and the burning ash of obsession.

"Are you – "  
"Just tired," Elias looked at them all and pasted a smile on his face.

He wanted to get away from himself, wanted to shut off all his mind. His memories haunted him, Mary and Marco's face always there every time he was alone with his thoughts. He couldn't sleep, he couldn't eat, all that dominated his thoughts was Jadis and the wolves' Running Death. Kill her and it would all be over, kill her and he would be able to sleep and eat, kill her and Marcos and Mary's death would be erased. That was the only thought in his mind – Jadis had to die.

He looked at Jason and Zaru and Inara and silently begged them to talk, to tease and to laugh, anything to distract attention from him.

"So what do you think about tomorrow?" Inara said, shaking her long hair.

She grimaced at how matted and filthy her was.

"You mean the crazy battle against the witches where we're depending on a horn and a lyre to save our collective behinds?" Zaru sniffed, "Quite good."

"Well actually," Elias pointed out, "The Dragon and Phoenix are just the distraction, we're the ones who are the lynchpin of all this."  
"This world is doomed then," Jason said flatly.

Zaru rolled his eyes.

"Cheery," he noted.

Inara frowned, shifting uncomfortably from her seat on the ground.

"I..." she stopped, "I know this sounds silly but I wish... I just wish Queenie was here. She'd know what to do."

The three men fell silent, each of them lost in their thoughts and worries for their beloved queen.

"I don't know why you're even worried," Elias said suddenly, trying to reassure himself, "Susan missing a fight? Knowing her she'll swoop in and save the day."

Zaru smiled, touched by the faith they all had in the queen.

"Wherever she is I'm sure she's thinking of us," the leopard said slowly, "And if she doesn't arrive in time to save the day..."  
"We'll win this war," Jason growled, "For her."  
The four companions looked at each other and all of them nodded, agreeing with the Seeker's vow.

"For her," Elias agreed.

"For her," Inara smiled, "Don't we just give out the best presents?"  
Jason narrowed his eyes and she yelped as invisible hands shoved her into the snow as Zaru and Elias laughed, enjoying this brief moment of peace before the war began.

. . . . . .

"They're both in there," the falcon reported.

Caspian nodded and looked back at his army, the woodlanders and all their allies lined up in disciplined neat rows, each face grim and ready for battle. Before them Jadis's ice fortress gleamed, a tower of rainbow sheen and razor edge.

"Let's get them blood and vinegar!" Beaver barked at his side.

He had wept all night for his wife but come morning Beaver had been the first to armour himself, grimly readying for the battle. He had given his petrified wife one last kiss before he had marched off with the army ready to battle to the death.

"Aita and Jadis are locked inside their fortress no doubt plotting our doom!" Caspian called, "But we're going to strike them now when they least expect it! Remember there can be no flight in this battle, it's all or nothing! We rise or we fall but we do that as one! TOGETHER!"

The army took up his cry.

"TOGETHER!"  
They stomped the earth, banging their weapons against their armour as Caspian turned to Peter.

"Are you ready?"

The High King nodded as Caspian turned to the third group.

"Are you four ready?"

"I'm in the mood for some good ol' Salem witch-burnings," Inara spat, "Bring it on!"

Caspian nodded.

"Najash?"  
The Elapidae tribe leader stepped forwards, the lyre cradled in the crook of her arms. Caspian pulled the horn from his belt and raised it, the woodlanders roaring as they saw the artefact.

"Ready?"

Najash placed her hands against the golden string and nodded and together as one she and Caspian played the instruments. The horn boomed, a loud trumpeting cry punching the air as sweet melody flew from the lyre.

The woodlanders waited with bated breath as the sounds swelled. There was a moment of silence then the whole world shook with thunderbolts and earthy tremors, heavenly cries shaking the land as the army responded with booming cheers. Peter remained silent, green fire and lightning twining in his palm as he waited.

Jason smiled and unsheathed his daggers as Caspian continued to blow the horn, Najash playing the lyre with expert grace, the answering cries to their calls building with each second.

"Sooo..." he looked at Elias, Zaru and Inara, "Who wants to kill a witch?"

And with a burst boom of the horn and the trill of the lyre the King Phoenix and Queen Dragon was finally set free.

. . . . . .

Author's notes: Wow, I think that was one of my quicker updates ever. Again, thank you very, very much for all your lovely reviews – it's those things that keep me writing!

La Dame du Lac, Autumnia, Phygamlion, Emmaplease, Railway station, libanili, bon, Lady of the Wood, Rihanna – thank you so very much for sticking with this story for so long. Your reviews are always highly anticipated and even more highly appreciated. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Lolism – yeah I knew the serpent was in the book; that was a typo on my part! Fail...

Theoriginalclichedlostsoul – wow, that's quite an honour. Thank you, your review put a smile on my face.

Artemistmg – yeah I agree with you about the Caspian part, he's one of the harder characters to get my head into and I think that's because he's horribly underdeveloped when it comes to the books. But the reason why you don't found him very personable is because of the curse he was under, I mean it did strip him of his emotions and killed him inside so that's why he can come across as being very cold as you can see in this chapter as well. But it gets better! Hopefully...

For anyone else I forgot I apologise but please know I value all feedback – good and bad.

And with this – Merry Christmas everyone, stay safe, gorge yourself on food. GORGE I SAY!


	67. War

New chapter! First one of this year! Hopefully (and this is my aim) is to finish this story up by this year. It's been 3 years since I've started writing this (gulps!). Anywho, enjoy!

Disclaimer: yeah... moving along now. You know the drill

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 67: War**

In false Cair Paravel where glass and sandstone were twisted into cruel iron spires and black rock Tash the Death-God ruled supreme, installed on his throne of twisted bodies and bones. The patron of Kin-Slayers and the Taker of Traitors was a terrifying sight, a monstrous marriage of vulture and man, cruel-beaked and cruel-eyed. One massive unblinking iris was a window into a world of endless fire, the other a door into a torture chamber where millions screamed on metal racks and for the present both of these dreadful eyes were fixed on the lone woman standing before him.

Susan looked squarely at him, her own eyes enchanted as well, her right eye gold-flecked ochre, cold with a predatory light, the other amethyst and blazing with power.

The queen and the god stared at each other, Susan trembling but refusing to look away.

"So you now know your blessings..."

Susan blinked, her strange eye fixed on the twin hells in Tash's gaze as the vulture-god chuckled, a long fat tongue poking out from his beak. She shuddered at the sight of the worm-like muscle as Tash's laugh grew.

"Give me your powers," Susan said flatly, "So I can get the hell out of here."

Tash leaned forwards, his four hands clutching tightly onto his throne as he clacked his beak together.

"Aren't you even a little bit curious?" he taunted.

"Of what?" Susan demanded bristling.  
"Haven't you wondered why?" Tash smirked, "Why would I be interested in the Gentle Cowardly Queen? Why would I give my blessing to you?"

Susan refused to be cowed by the god, straightening as she threw her shoulders back, proud and even haughty.

"Because you want a boon from me," the queen snarled, "It's not a blessing. It's bargaining."

"True," Tash rubbed the underside of his beak, "But there are rules I can't just bless my powers onto everyone..."  
Susan gritted her teeth hearing the amusement in the god's voice.

"You know what I am. You know who I patron."  
"The traitors, the murderers and the worst of the worst," Susan said coldly.

Tash rose from his throne, his long legs unfurling as the golden disc perched on his head glowed like a sun, his black cloak flapping behind like smoke on the wind, the god an anathema to the world and all that Susan held dear.

"And you my dear," Tash growled, "Are one of them."

Susan's eyes widened.

"What..." the word fell from her lips like frozen stone, "What..."

Old fears rose in her as she thought of all that she had become. She was the Gentle Queen no more, a general and a warrior tested on the most bloodiest and treacherous of battlefields. She had fought for Aslan and Narnia and all that was right and good but in doing so she had done things she had not been proud of. Her hands were stained with the blood of hundreds, some deserving, some innocents that had been caught in the crossfire. Some nights she awoke from nightmares of accusing faces and pointing fingers, gasping for breath as she felt the world's judgement falling on her shoulders like a crashing mountain. But she had learnt to live with it and had learnt to live with herself but now to have this god... this monster dredge up the darkness in her soul... it chilled her to the core.

"What are you talking apart?" she spat finding refuge in anger.

"Don't be stupid Susan," Tash snarled, eyes flashing, "We both know what I'm talking about."

He grinned as he said a single name, relishing its sound.

"Eustace."

Susan's eyes widened and the power drained away leaving them blue once more.

"What..." she gasped, fear spilling onto her face like garish paint.

Tash rose and stared down at her like a judge on the verge of a death-sentence, high and grim, haughty and inexorable.  
"Kin-slayer," the Death-God hissed pointing at her, "That is why I can choose you to be my vessel. You're tainted, you've murdered your own flesh and blood! And you possess the weapon of a witch!"

Susan stumbled back from the dark amusement in his eyes, her cousin's astonished face unfurling in her mind as she relived the moment she had thrown her dagger into his chest. She had done it in the heat of battle, unthinking and acting on pure instinct but afterwards... Aslan help her soul, she felt no regret, no sorrow... nothing. What was she becoming?  
"NO!" she cried, her voice sounding hollow, "I had no choice! He – "

Tash clapped his four hands together and the doors to the throne room swung open with a bang, the sound a gunshot in the silence room. Susan whirled and stared into the face of a ghost.

"Eustace..." she whispered, her heart literally stopping, cold fingers wrapping around the blood-filled muscle and squeezing it painfully tight.

Her cousin stared at her, pain and fury on his pinched face as Tash grinned smugly, enjoying the horror in Susan's eyes. The boy was smaller than he'd been alive, withered, the hate in his soul eating away at him like a virus. His eyes, black and burning as lumps of coal were sunken into his almost skeletal face, wisps of thinning hair falling over them. He was pale and ghostly, his physical form a paper shell for the demon of hate that had now become his existence.

"Hello..." he rasped.

Susan's eyes were drawn to the terrible wound in his chest, a massive bloody gash that spewed rivulets of red that refused to be stemmed. Eustace noticed her stare and his lips pulled back into a terrible snarl, his face flushed as his fists clenched in shaking fists.

"You did this..." he spat, "MURDERER!"  
His words bounced around the room, amplifying into a thunderous scream as Susan clapped her hands to her ears, recoiling as the echoes overlapped, a thousand voices screeching her guilt.

"MURDERER! MURDERER! MURDERER!"  
"STOP!" Susan screamed, shaking her head, "STOP!"

She felt to her knees, the screams hammering into her skull as Eustace and Tash watched, eerily similar grins on their faces as blood continued to spurt from Eustace's wound.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ice armoured the mountains, white on black, reflecting the sun with frozen mirrors. It was the highest peak of all of Charn, the tower of rock stretching up into the infinite sky as though the envious earth was trying to stab the taunting heavens and make them bleed. Smoky white fleeced the roof of the world, the plateau lost in mist and fog but sometimes on very rare days when the winds were just right the peak could be just be seen.

The elders, those with the longest memories and the orators of the most legendary of tales called the mountain top the Crown of Misery. The crown was a frill of ice that ran the edges of the plateau, great spears that jutted out from the rock, jealously guarding the loneliest patch of land in all of Charn.

Nobody really knew where the grandiose name had come from, the origin of the epitaph mired in myth and mystery. The wisest of the wise cited a single sentence from a long-forgotten song.

'_At the end of days the Crown of Misery would break and that which is deathless would be laid to rest at last.'_

And as thousands of miles away as a king blew on a twisted horn, the sound trumpeting the air, a single crack ran through the centre of the Crown.

The end of days had finally come.

The ice spears, the immense sheets of frost shuddered as more cracks formed, joining and splitting them apart. With a thunderous boom the entire frill of ice shattered, raining down into the steep valleys and ravines cut into the mountainside, cracking and smashing against the stone like falling mirrors. At exactly the same time symbols, burning and hovering in the air, appeared and just as quickly winked out of existence.

Silence reigned over the shattered Crown, the world holdings its breath. Then...

"ROOOOOOWWWWRRR!"  
The icy mountain top became a volcano, a huge spinning column of fire surging up into the sky as ice became water then steam and boiling away into nothing. Huge blocks of stone were heaved into the air, melting as flames than were hotter than any fire climbed up high into the sky.

The quiet descended once more, steam hissing as a dark form stirred in the lake the plateau had now become, every last trace of the Crown of Misery eradicated from the face of the world.

The creature reared its head and looked to the west, staring at something only it could see. Caspian blew on the horn once more and the call came to the monster. With another terrifying roar, the huge beast leapt into the air and took flight, smoke streaming from its nostrils.

The horn had been played, the Crown of Misery had been broken and the Queen Dragon, trapped for centuries, was finally free to slay her enemies.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

The few creatures left in the Under Land toiled away, building great bridges that arched over the massive lake that dominated much of the kingdom, huge steel cables stringed between the stony arches criss-crossing wildly until a stone and steel cataract overlaid the water. The lake was deep, its colour an impenetrable green. There was no wind in the Under Lands, nothing to stir the glass-like perfection of the lake's surface.

Suddenly a massive bubble rose from deep in the water and burst onto the surface, water spraying everywhere.

Startled cries rang through the massive caverns, the monopods and dwarves working by the light of lamps and magma that welled up from the earth rushing to the site of the bubble.

"What was that?" a monopod screamed.

"We must get ready!" another monopod said swiftly, "The monster the queen warned us about must be coming!"  
Before any of them could do a single thing more bubbles rose, the lake frothing and boiling as the bridges shook, the metal cables whipping the air as they thrummed like musical strings.

"It's coming!" the creatures shrieked in horror, brandishing weapons that were mere twigs to the behemoth that was rising.

A golden light suffused the waters, a single shimmering ball rising to the surface like an immense burning bubble as the monopods drew back bowstrings, arrows trained on the rising creature.

"GET READY!" one of the dwarves barked, "It's almost about to surface!"  
Two massive white eyes burned from the depths of the gold, the lake beginning to hiss and spit like a boiling pot as the metal cables turned white-hot, stream blasting upwards in massive geysers, creatures screaming as super-heated water blistered their skins.

"SHOOT!" the dwarf screamed, "SHOOT!"  
The massive golden form burst free from the water as arrows flew through the air like a swarm of angry wasps. A single flap of the creature's wing set the arrows blaze, burning them to cinders as a deafening screech burst from the thing's throat.

Cables melted into slag, dropping into the lake and hardening into brittle globs as the stone bridges charred. The gigantic thing screamed and the bridges were hurled into the boiling lake, monopods and dwarfs plunging to their dooms as their final cries were drowned out by their killer's heavenly voice.

The massive warships anchored on one edge of the lake went up in flames, sails shrivelling into cinders as every last vessel was burned to the water-line, many sinking deep beneath the lake and disappearing forever as the creature boomed its cry.

The sweet sound of the playing lyre, bending time and space to reach the creature called like a beacon and bound it in an irresistible leash, dragging it towards the source.

The King Phoenix gave another cry before arrowing up to the cavern's roof, punching straight through rock and earth, sand fusing to glass in its wake as it flew up and up into the air before winging its way towards the lyre, its golden form like a moving sun across the clear blue sky.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

The palace's ice gates swung open and a wild frigid wind instantly swept over the ranks of Caspian's army staggering most of them. Caspian tossed frosted hair from his face and frowned at the opened gates, his troops stiffening around him as weapons were unsheathed and bows were made ready.

The doors opened into a massive ice tunnel, the end lost in the gloom. A thousand footsteps suddenly shook the ground as Caspian put the horn back to his lips and blew, Najash playing the lyre, sweat rolling down her face.

Peter was by the Telmarine's side, the High King arcing sparks of pure electricity between his fingers as his blue eyes stared resolutely forwards, both like chips of the hardest rocks imaginable.

The oldest Pevensie had his own fight, he now knew who the Black Knight was. Somehow through enchantment and curses his own brother had been turned into Aita's champion, he had known the moment he had seen those blue eyes inside the helm's depths. Peter had kept it to himself, grimly shouldering the mammoth task of freeing Edmund. The others didn't need to know, the others didn't have the right to know. Ed was his little brother and his responsibility and Peter would die to save him.

"Hang on," he whispered, the sparks coalescing into crackling tendrils, "I'm coming."

Behind the two kings Jason tipped his fedora back allowing the Seeker to stare across the frozen field with piercing blue eyes. His ruach simmered beneath his skin, a river of pure molten power, completely and utterly under his control. Jason smiled, relishing his new-found strength as he remembered his anchor, Susan and those around him, as he prepared himself for the fight ahead.

Zaru sniffed the air and growled under his breath.

"Ice-Wraiths, dwarves, minotaurs, animal-people and every bloody thing under the sun," he spat, his blue-grey eyes darting towards Caspian, "They're coming."

Caspian nodded and gripped his sword tightly.

The woodlanders around him were his people as much as the Narnians were, they had entrusted him with their lives and their freedom and Caspian was not about to be let them down. The fears and guilt that had plagued him for so long, across so many worlds were gone and Caspian was once more the king and general he had always been. Susan's face flittered in his head but even that wasn't enough to shatter his calm. There was no panic, no dread, just purpose, his people had to win and as Caspian blew on the horn again, he knew this day he would triumph... he just knew it.

Elias stood with Balefur and Fernir pressed against his legs, the wolves growling under their breath as they waited for the army to come. There was one reason why they were all here – Running Death and the destruction of Jadis the White Witch, for Elias it was the only way forwards. The scientist made a silent vow with himself, this day one of them would die – the queen or himself, either way there would be death. Elias smiled, serene now that he'd made his choice. The way ahead was blessedly clear and now all Elias had to do was walk it.

He wound his fingers through Fernir's fur and waited as shadows began to ripple across the icy roof of the tunnel.

They were coming.

Inara twirled her sword in her hands and hummed under her breath, her dark eyes lightening to silver as the Naga rose from her the base of her mind and through to the rest of her body, hissing as it settled into her, ready to strike. At exactly the same time the powers from the Temple flooded through her veins filling her with strength as everything she had been taught, every fighting style and move hammered into her by Da Long and the monks rose to the forefront of her mind. Inara smiled lethally, embracing her powers as she welcomed the battle to come.

Beside her Zaru was silent, knowing that if the worst happened and Caspian and the woodlanders fell he alone had the power to destroy the witches and every last being on this face of this planet. It was frightening to be the holder of such a dreadful weapon but oddly empowering and comforting. The leopard shuddered and shoved those dark whispers from his mind, the voices that urged him to use the Deplorable Word and to bend everyone to his will. Thoughts and worries fluttered into his mind, Susan's face emblazoned into his thoughts. Where was she? Was she safe? Was she even alive?

Zaru tossed his head, growling as a terrible image unfurled of Susan alone in desolate land, her skin drained of blood as her empty eyes stared up at a bleak heaven, blood dried to black on her chest.

"No," he spat, "NO!"  
She was alive. She had to be and if she was, she would want him to do one thing, to help Caspian and Peter, to destroy the witches and the darkness. And for her, in her name Zaru would fight.

"Here they come," Caspian said quietly.

And the first figure through the ice gates was Aita, her gossamer green gown floating around her, her autumn-coloured lute clasped in her hands. Her emerald eyes glittered with malice as Najash and the other silver-eyed Nagas hissed at her, hate stamped on their faces as they snarled at the putrid witch.

Peter stiffened as the Black Knight emerged, every muscle in his body tensing as the lightning built and leapt from his hands, spearing into the ground.

The army that followed as a endless sea of black armour and gleaming weapons, fur and human flesh married together into hundreds of different monsters, bestial heads perched on men and women shoulders. Hags cackled and cavorted forwards as werewolves howled and sniffed the air, the true wolves growling at the pseudo-cousins. Minotaurs snuffled wetly as those with pig and goat faces marched by their sides. Ice-Wraiths glittered as they surged forwards in massive packs, slashing and biting at their air.

Huge monsters brought up the rear of the army, their skin pale and almost translucent, rudimentary eyes blinking blearily into the sun, the creatures of the deep earth, slaves of Aita.

The witches' army stopped and Aita looked squarely at Caspian, a mocking smile on her lips.

"Surrender," she advised, "And we will only enslave."

Caspian responded by calmly lowering the metal guard of his helm, glaring at the queen through the slits in the visor.

"Get ready," he said calmly, his voice carrying to the rear of his army.

Aita narrowed her eyes and swept her hands imperiously, her army readying itself.

"ROOOOOWWWWWRRRR!"  
The Lady of the Green Kirtle looked up, startled as a huge shadow descended over the frozen field. A trail of black and violet smoke and power twined together streaked across the skies, bellowing its rage before it came to a stop over them, hovering like a malevolent dark moon. The heavens themselves seemed to twist around the ball, clouds drawn towards the power like water around a drain, adding to the mist and fog.

Aita took a step backwards as two massive red eyes blinked in the centre of the mass of swirling colours. Long razor claws pierced the veil of power and with another earth-shattering roar the power was torn asunder and the beast at its core was finally revealed. Massive bat-like wings, black spined and red membrane pumped powerful as a long spiked tail flicked and whipped, powerful muscles working under steel-hard scales. She was completely black, her mouth a brilliant slash of crimson that flickered with sparks and flames.

She roared and the skies themselves answered her with a thousand echoes, lightning slicing the air as thunder boomed and drummed. The army of the witches swayed, their faces paling as they stared up at the monster that spelt their doom.

Cries punctuated the air as a pair of burning red eyes stared down at Aita. The Queen Dragon was mother and warrior, jealously guarding her brood, accepting no usurpers to her throne. She roared again and a great blade of lightning slashed the frozen fortress, shearing a huge chunk off as her eyes glittered with malice, her open mouth thirsting for blood.

"THE QUEEN DRAGON!" the woodlanders roared, "THE QUEEN DRAGON!"

They stomped their feet and shook their weapons, the Queen Dragon swinging her great head towards them and nodding, acknowledge her people.  
From the east a golden comet blazed through the sky and Aita grounded her teeth together as the ball unfurled, a heavenly voice trilling from the beak of the majestic creature that had just arrived at the palace.

Najash slowed the play of her lyre and smiled, awed.

"The King Phoenix," she whispered as the Nagas fell to their knees in supplication.

The King Phoenix was gold given life, his eyes windows of burning white, his wings and tails glowing with eye-searing brilliance. A halo of gold suffused his form, heat and invisible flames wreathing its regal body. The Phoenix was like the sun, brilliant and endless, life-giving and dangerously burning all at the same time, in the same breath he could nurture a thousand crops into lush growth or burn them to the ground. This was the King Phoenix, protector and giver of life and the taker of it. Thousands lived and perished on his whim and his alone.

He screeched and Aita and the Black Knight staggered as he flapped his massive gold wings, gusts of burning wind slashing through the ranks of the monster, Ice-Wraiths screeching as they were melted and torn asunder.

Caspian's army cheered and roared as the King Phoenix and Queen Dragon wheeled through the air, snarling and spitting at Aita and her army. The two twined around each other as they flew through the air, tail and wings overlapping as they flowed and spiralled around each other in an endless loop, flying in the shape of infinity. They were awe-inspiring and terrifying, power pulsing from their bodies as the Dragon brought with it storm clouds and thunderheads, the Phoenix lances of golden sun, the earth drying and cracking as it was bathed in searing light. They complimented and contrasted each the Queen Dragon was as black as night and the King Phoenix day itself, both sides of the spinning coin, the ying and the yang.

The earth and skies shuddered at their cries and movement, storms springing into life as the sun beat down on them with physical blows, the Ice-Wraiths twitching as they began to melt. A tempest swept the field, the winds ripe with rain and lightning, Aita trembling as her delicate hands tightened on her lute.

"I HAVE RETURNED!" the King Phoenix spoke, his voice impossibly sweet and arresting and yet it held so much power that all almost fell to their knees, clutching at their ears as wild fire and a thousand trumpets stampeded through their heads.

Finally the two royals of the land had returned, the King Phoenix and his consort, the Queen Dragon, released from their centuries old prison and both were ready to seize their thrones once more.

Aita suddenly straightened, an arrogant smile on her face as the two godly creatures glared at her, the Dragon with a storm brewing over her head, the Phoenix with sun and fire in his eye sand throat.

"It's over Aita," Caspian said softly, "Your reign is over."

The Green Lady sniffed as the Queen Dragon and King Phoenix screamed their rage.

"Hardly," she smirked.

And white light flared from the very peak of the frozen palace. The Queen Dragon roared as two beams of light struck the ground, great icy mountains rising. Ice fell away from the two mounds, the frost chiselled by invisible hands and tools as it began to take form and shape.

Caspian stared as two massive statues were formed before his eyes, an icy dragon and a frozen phoenix staring haughtily down at him with blank icy eyes.

"What..."  
A second burst of light struck the two statues and they instantly came to life.

"What trickery is this?" the Queen Dragon raged as the icy dragon rose into the air with ice wings.

The ice-Phoenix shrieked, a blizzard bursting from its beak and slamming hard into the King Phoenix as the golden bird screamed in fury. The four behemoths rose higher into the heavens, thunder rumbling and lightning cracking, illuminating the aerial battlefield as the two enchanted ice statutes charged at King and Queen. The two sides collided with a burst of light, Queen Dragon and her doppelganger clashing again and again, claw and tail glancing over each other as King Phoenix spewed beams of light that struck powerful streams of frozen wind, the two attacks sizzling and spitting where they met, the great blasts neutralising each other out.

The Queen Dragon lashed out with her tail and her doppelganger screamed silently as its great hand was severed, the massive ice block plummeting to earth and crushing a section of Aita's army. Creatures screamed, some crawling on the belly with shattered limbs dangling behind them but the Green Witch barely acknowledged her loss, her eyes trained carefully on Caspian.

The ice-dragon flapped wildly and managed to right its flight. It held up its severed stump, ice flowing through its body and remaking new claws as the Queen Dragon raged, smoke spewing from her mouth as lightning leapt from her eyes. The woodlanders watched in terror, their hearts in their throats as their prophesised guardians were locked into combat, leaving them to fend for themselves.

"Impossible!" Bach screamed, "IMPOSSIBLE!"

As thunder rumbled Aita raised her lute into the air.

"ATTACK!" she bellowed, "NOW!"  
And the great army of the witches surged forwards, yammering and screaming as Caspian held up his sword.

"NOW!" he boomed, "CHAAAARRRRRGGGGGEEEE!"  
And the final battle began.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

"MURDERER!"  
The echoes, the voice of a thousand juries resounding in a thousand courtrooms deafened her, bringing her to her knees.

"Stop..." Susan mumbled, "Stop..."  
The sound built, crashing into her like a tidal wave as Tash chuckled, Eustace licking his lips in anticipation.

"MURDERER! MURDERER! MURDERER!"  
"STOP!"  
Susan looked up and her left eye blazed with purple light, the voices stopped mid-screech as Susan reeled back, blood dripping from her nose as she clutched at her eye, the delicate organ convulsing wildly. Eustace's eyes widened as Tash laughed aloud.

"Good," he hissed, "Your powers are growing."

Susan sucked in a long deep breath as her eye stilled, the purple fading back into its normal crystal blue. Somehow by using Viola's gift she had broken the spell that had assaulted her. She remembered once more the terrible illusion she had been trapped in, the world where Jason and all the others were dead and Caspian was the puppet of the Great Darkness. She shuddered as she remembered killing him, his hot blood on her face and she had felt nothing but satisfaction.

Praise Aslan she had managed to break that spell and now that she had done it again, Susan was staring to understand how it all worked.

The gift of Sight from the goddess of seers and truth-seeking, a single glance from her would shatter all illusion, any enchantment that others tried to put on her. Despite the agony that stabbed her eye Susan couldn't help but smile, another weapon to add to her arsenal, another way for her to destroy the Darkness.

"Why are you here?" she snarled, climbing to her feet.

Eustace flinched and shame swept Susan and the sad thing was she didn't feel guilt over having killed him, she felt sick that she didn't feel anything at all. Eustace had been the enemy, her mother had been in danger and Susan had killed him and that was that. She needed no other justification, no other excuses, they were at war and in war even the most noble of hands were red with blood.

Before her hardness, Eustace melted like snow in the sun, quivering as Susan demanded answers.

"You must pay," he said in a voice that didn't believe.  
"You worked for the Great Darkness," Susan shot back, bulldozing him, "Why?"

Eustace seemed to crumple into himself, his eyes becoming wide and hunted as Susan glared at him, demanding answers. She was implacably hard, Tash nodding his head in satisfaction as he looked upon the once Gentle Queen.

"You know why," Eustace whispered, ashamed, "He locked me into the darkness and broke me again and again..."

Susan swallowed. She dimly remembered Eustace screaming those words at her back in London but now for the first time they truly sunk in. He wasn't the enemy, he was the victim and remorse instantly flooded through her. Tears pricked her eyes as she realised she could still hurt like a real human being.

"Eustace... I'm..."

"He offered me a way out," Eustace continued over her, "And I was weak... I took it."

Susan looked into his eyes and a connection was finally made between the two warring cousins.

"Eustace..." she whispered, "I'm so sorry..."  
He smiled bitterly.

"You know why he chose me? Why he chose Jill Pole? You know why he made us... our bodies into his puppet?"

Susan shook her head numbly.

"Because we were two of Aslan's Chosen. We would've been heroes," Eustace laughed as tears spilled down his face, "And now we're monsters."

He looked up at her and all the anger and hate leaked out of him, he was broken, he was pained and he needed her help.

"The Great Darkness is powerful, more than you know," Eustace whispered, "But please Susan, don't let me and Jill die in vain. Destroy our bodies. Destroy him. Please."  
"I..."

Tash placed a hand on Eustace's shoulders and the boy screamed, weeping as he began to fade like sand before a wind. Susan stepped forwards, horrified but could do nothing as Eustace's voice died, his body completely gone.

The queen hung her head.

"I will," she promised.

Just another reason. Another reason why she had to destroy Gavin and the monster he had become. For Eustace and for Jill and for all the hundreds of worlds and the millions of lives that had been lost. For them.

Susan looked up and stared Tash squarely in the eyes.

"I'm ready..."  
All her fears for her soul and her humanity faded as she looked up into the eyes of the Devil himself. She placed herself in his hands and waited. She needed him, needed the power he would afford her because it was the only way, the only way to avenge all those innocent people and even eternal damnation was a small price pay for that.

"Your blessing," she snapped, "Give it to me..."  
Tashs's eyes glittered.

"Now," Susan growled.

And Tash smiled.

"As you wish."  
And he reached out with his hands, her sceptre clutched in his claws.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Caspian."  
There was an impossible second of sanity and calm as the two sides thundered towards each other. The Telmarine turned towards Peter, frowning.

"The Black Knight is Edmund," the High King said simply, "We must rescue him."

Caspian's eyes bulged.  
"WHAT?"

He gaped at Peter and the High King stared back, blue eyes hard and Caspian cursed realising Peter was speaking only the truth but he had no time to dwell on it.

"CHAARRGEEE!"  
The two armies crashed like boulders down a slope, screaming their war cries as the Phoenix and the Dragon slammed into their icy doppelgangers, frigid cold and razor shards fighting against storms and burning light. The King Phoenix screamed, a beam of pure light shooting out of is both as its twin flapped its winds, a blizzard bursting into life. The winds scythed through the bar of light, splitting it into a thousand strands that shot off in every direction, creatures screaming as they burned where they stood. The Phoenix roared as the gale winds assaulted its golden body, sending him spinning through the air.

Jason swept his hands forwards and his ruach flowed out of him, an invisible force ploughing through the enemies. Beside him Inara hacked and sliced at those who neared, the two clearing a path towards the frozen fortress, Zaru protecting their flank as Elias and his wolves brought up the rear. The four had a simple mission – get into the fortress and kill the White Witch. The others knew it was a crazy plan but Jason had liked it – simple and clean and brutal – just perfect for his ruach and daggers.

Peter and Caspian threw themselves at the Black Knight and Aita, green flames bursting from both sides and clashing, mirroring the Queen Dragon as she sent bolts of lighting flying at the frozen dragon, the magical creature responding with bursts of freezing magic. Ground and heaven shook as the magic slammed into other and detonated, combatants sent flying as monsters and woodlanders duelled.

Bach's leg fired out like pistons smacking two goblins back as Mamaru and his mice swarmed their enemies, bringing them down to the ground under a wave of fur.

"DIE YOU SCOUNDRELS!" Beaver roared, "DIE!"  
The crazed beast charged into a pack of trolls, swinging his sword as the Nagas leapt to help him. Great plumes of fire swallowed whole regiments as the salamanders wriggled into battle, their red and blues scales glowing as they belched out flames. Aita's underground monsters let out garbled cries before leaping to the attack, the massive monsters wrestling together, trampling allies and enemies alike as they thrashed around the battlefield.

Great hawks and falcons swept low, arrows knocking some out of their air as they raked the enemies with their terrible talons. Bodies were already piling on the ground, trampled as the two sides struggled, swords clashing as shields took blows with the sound of gongs.

Peter threw a bolt of lightning that tore through a werewolf and straight into Aita. The Green Lady screamed, her body convulsing as Peter growled, pouring more power into the attack. The Black Knight exploded forwards, slashing down and severing the bolt as the rush of power crashed back into Peter with painful force.

Caspian roared and surged forwards, his blade clashing with the Black Knights as Peter glared at Aita, both wielding handfuls of green flames.

"That's mine," Aita spat, "Give it back!"

The Queen Dragon roared and a lightning swept the field, searing all that it touched as the King Phoenix screeched, the sun burning their skins.

"Finders keepers," Peter snarled.

The witch and the king hurled balls of green fire as Caspian and the Black Knight duelled furiously, Caspian grunting as the knight's sword slashed deep across his arm. He hopped back, twisting around a thrust before smashing the pommel of his sword against the knight's helm sending him stumbling back.

"CASPIAN!" Peter roared, "REMEMBER WHAT I SAID!"  
Caspian grunted and swung at the knight, Edmund if that was who he really was blocking the swing and punching the king straight in the face. The Narnian king was confused, the Black Knight towered over him – how could he be the Just King? He had no time to dwell on those problems as sword swings hammered into him, knocking him back with each block.

"THIS WAY!" the she-wolf howled.

The wolves had worked for Jadis and knew her fortress well, knew the nooks and crannies and the secret entrances that her own personal police, the wolves had used to report to her in the dead of night. A fire orb sent monsters flying as the invasion team tore through the last ranks of monsters and came to a sheer wall of ice. Fernir slid forwards, ramming himself against an unremarkable patch of ice, instantly the lines appeared forming a doorway as a sheet of frost slid into the walls a tunnel appearing from nowhere.

"HURRY!" Balefur roared.

Slipping and sliding, Inara and Zaru sprinted into the secret passageway, the wolves flooding in behind them as Elias and Jason used fire and ruach to beat their enemies back. They whirled and leapt through the hole as the ice sealed shut behind them, the sound of battle instantly cut off as they were suddenly inside the frozen palace.

Zaru and the wolves sniffed the air and all of them growled as felt the power humming through the walls of the palace, a static charge that even the humans felt.

Inara hefted her sword, her silver eyes flashing as the Naga in her cautioned, knowing a kill could only come with stealth and wit and striking at exactly the right time.

"Alrighty then," she said lightly, "Let's go Salem on that witch."

And she stepped forwards, the others flowing as they plunged deeper into Jadis's own personal stronghold.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Najash didn't know what to think. She had grown up as all free Nagas had with grandiose tales of the mighty King Phoenix and his unimaginable powers, his wisdom and his love of his snake children. She had always dreamt of herself as a hero of legends and valour, of finding the lyre and playing it and freeing her people of Aita forever.

She laughed bitterly. Well, part of her feverish dreams had come true. The King Phoenix was flying above her more beautiful and more powerful than she could've ever possibly imagined or conceived but he didn't swoop in and save the day as she had dreamt so many times. She and her Nagas and all the free creatures of this land were still fighting for their lives as their rulers, their royals battled overhead, locked in a titanical struggle with monsters of pure ice and malice.

The disappointment was like bitter ash in her mouth.

Najash whirled and stabbed her sword through the chest of a minotaur, her head twisting to the side and spraying venom in the face of a hag.

Green flames flared and Najash whirled, hissing as she saw Aita and Peter clash.

Aita. The name burned like acid in Najash's mind. She remembered the field of dead Nagas, their twisted and mutilated bodies and rage rose in her in a white hot wave.

The witch had to die.

Roaring, Najash slammed into her enemies, her sword slicing through limbs and loping off heads as she kicked and punched her way to where the two kings were fighting with Aita and her champion.

Caspian was falling back, the Black Knight punishing him with hefty blows as Peter and Aita threw flames and lightning at each other.

"MOVE!" Najash roared.

A swift kick sent the Black Knight stumbling back. The Elapidae tribe leader snarled at the champion as he rose swiftly to his feet, his black sword twirling in his hands. Caspian and Najash glared back at him, their own blades raised, the three fighters staring each other down.

"We have kill him then Aita," the Naga snarled to Caspiah, "It's the only way."  
She had fought the witch a dozen times and each time it was the Black Knight who had proved the different, plucking his queen to safety, his skill with the sword and his swiftness proving deadly to Aita's enemies. Whilst you fought the witch, the knight would stab you from behind, his sword exploding out of your chest before you even realised he was near you.

Najash hissed, her hood flaring as she remembered how many of her people had fallen to the champion's sword. Now finally the time for revenge and retribution had come at last and it tasted unbelievably sweet.

The Naga smiled and embraced death, willing to lose it all in this one final fight.

Peter continued to clash with the Green Lady, neither having the advantage as green flames surged up into a spinning column, the two standing in a rare patch of calmness, no creature willing to stand near such power.

"We can't," Caspian growled tersely

"WHAT?" Najash screamed at him, "WHY NOT?"  
"The Black Knight is a friend of mine held under a spell," Caspian said quietly, "He's just another victim!"

Najash's silver eyes flared and she screamed in fury. Another victim, another prey fallen to the witch. How many were there? How many of the creatures who were dying today were innocent? How many needless lives were lost? How many?

"What do you want us to do? Stand and be killed?" Najash screamed.

A hag rushed at her but she swiftly killed her with a single blow.

"We have to bring him down," Caspian said calmly.

The Black Knight charged towards them and both warriors rushed to meet him, working in perfect unison, Caspian's sword slashing high, Najash stabbing low. The Black Knight blocked Caspian's blade and grabbed Najash's sword with his gauntlet, throwing her aside. The Naga recovered her balance in a single breath and lunged back, hacking into the champion, unleashing all her fury and pain into the fight. He was driven back, put on the defence as the Najash pounded him with all her deadly skill and strength.

Caspian flew forwards, breaking Najash's rhythm as the Naga screamed in fury. The Black Knight kicked the king in the chest, sending him sprawling before swiftly elbowing Najash in the face in the same fluid move. The Naga staggered backwards as the Black Knight stabbed at her. Najash threw herself to the side, the sword punching the air and she rolled quickly to her feet, readying herself for the next barrage.

The Black Knight stood still as a statue as Najash circled him, venom dripping her fangs. Caspian staggered to his feet and Najash's silver eyes flicked toward shim.

"STOP GETTING IN MY WAY!" she spat, Caspian glaring at her.

The Black Knight stampeded forwards and Caspian and Najash flowed to meet his attack, sparks flying as all three swords clashed together. Caspian twisted his sword around the Black Knight's, locking hilts together as Najash sprung free of the tangle, lashing out and high-kicking the enchanted man in the face. Edmund stumbled backwards and Caspian slashed down in a double-handed blow. Metal tore into metal with a deafening screech, the king slicing a tear across the Black Knight's armour, green smoke oozing out of the gash like blood.

He backed away, watching the knight warily as Edmund stumbled back, clutching at the slash as though it was a mortal wound. He stood still, paralysed as Caspian frowned, gripping his sword tightly.

Did he hurt him? Did he kill him? Was Edmund really trapped in there, screaming and dying? Fear and uncertainty paralysed Caspian and he hesitated, his sword lowering as he stared at the Black Knight, unsure of what to do.

Najash cursed impatiently.

"MOVE!" she screamed, shoving Caspian out of the way.

She rushed the injured knight but Edmund, mired in magic and buried in his armour, swiftly came to life, ploughing into her with a brutal kick. Najash's mouth opened in a silent cry as a pain roared through her body. The Naga was sent sailing through the air, crunching into the ground as Caspian turned, a cry of alarm on his lips. That brief moment of distraction cost him dearly as Edmund lunged.

The knight slammed into him, hard armour smashing into the bone and flesh as Caspian hit the frozen ground, ribs snapping as he screamed in pain. He rolled as the Black Knight stomped at him, heavy boots tearing clouts of dirt from the ground. Najash leapt through the air, her silver eyes wild, slashing down at the knight.

"CLANG!"

Edmund turned the blade aside with a single swipe and Najash's eyes widened as he stabbed up at her, driving the blade straight into her body.

Cold steel tore into her gut and she screamed, the Black Knight twisting and hurling her off his sword. Najash fell to the ground, twitching as blood pumped out of the massive hole in her stomach. The Black Knight stared down at her, Edmund's blank blue eyes studying her coolly as he raised his sword, Najash's eyes bulging.

"NO!"  
The Black Knight's head snapped up in a silent scream as Caspian's sword ripped through his armour, tearing his left knee apart. The knight fell to the ground as Caspian rose, blood on his lips.

Najash stared up at him, groggily, her lifeblood spilling onto the ground.

"Finish it," she coughed up blood, red drowning her lungs, "Kill him!"  
Caspian raised his sword looking at the downed knight, unsure. Was Edmund really in there? Was Peter mistaken? Was there any way to really save him? He wavered, sweat sleeking the handle of his sword.

"Edmund?" he whispered, "Are you there? Are you really – "

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"  
A wave of unbearable heat drove him back and suddenly Aita was right in front of him, green eyes blazing.

"NO! CASPIAN!" Peter raced towards them, lightning flying from his fingers, "DON'T – "

He was tackled from the side by a boar-faced monster, slammed into the ground as Aita looked into Caspian's eyes and his whole body was suddenly nerveless, every muscle locked into place. The Green Lady frowned, staring into him and poring over his soul.

"Wait a minute..." she whispered, "There's a spell in you."

Caspian glared at her, his teeth grinding together as he tried to swing at her but his arms were like stone and lead, unmoveable. Najash tried to move and screamed as more blood gushed from her wound, Aita ignored her cries, her beautiful green eyes lightning up and she laughed.

"Oh this is rich," she chuckled.

"Get away from him!" Najash wheezed.

A snarl crossed Aita's lips.

"Shut up and die like a good worm dearie," Aita spat without looking at her, one soft hand going up to touch Caspian's cheek, "I see now. The real you is all chained up, all locked up."  
She leaned up and forwards, her lips brushing his ears as his eyes bulged, his body stubbornly refusing every one of his commands.

"Why don't I twist the key?"  
And she reached into him, green fire pouring into his mouth and eyes and she tore the spell, the wards Gaspar and Mallory had put in place, apart. The madness crashed over him in a dark oily wave and Caspian was instantly lost, screaming mindlessly as Aita freed his body with an exultant laugh.

Festering, curdling rage crept into his veins and mind and Caspian became a monster, falling upon a hag and tearing her apart with his bare hands. Aita laughed her musical trill as Caspian tore the woman apart, blood splashing onto his face as he raised his eyes to the sky, to where Phoenix and Dragon hurled light and lightning at their enemies and roared.

Siobhan's curse was free once more, the dark spell twisted and mutated into a horrible demon that flooded Caspian, killing the man and leaving only madness remained. Aita watched with a satisfied smile on her face as Caspian hurled himself at enemies and allies alike, tearing them apart with blood-soaked hands as he screamed and gibbered wildly, killing without thought, delighting in violence and blood. The woodlanders bereft of a leader began to fold under the press of monsters, forced back by sheer strength and brutality, creatures torn apart where they stood. The lines broke apart, woodlanders and Nagas fighting in small isolated clumps as more fell with every passing second, their bodies piling high, bloody froth spewing from their gasping mouths as battle became slaughter.

Aita strummed her lute and laughed, placing a gentle hand on the Black Knight's shoulders as she watched the carnage.

She just loved winning.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

The inside of the icy fortress was eerily silent, the sound of the battle outside completely lost in the thickness of the walls as their footsteps resounded down the halls.

"This way," Zaru snarled, smelling death and frozen flesh ahead.

The small group charged forwards, skidding across the icy floors as the walls around them pulsed with light, Jason growling as he sensed the power that burned through the air. He had fought Jadis before and thought the witch was undeniably strong but the power he felt now... the Seeker tightened his grip on his daggers and his ruach, steeling himself, filling every nerve and vein with the rich intoxicating power.

The she-wolf snarled, licking her lips in anticipation as they ran. She too could smell the scent of the witch, they were getting closer.

Through silence and bitter cold they ran, their breathing harsh in the air and in their ears as they burst through a frozen archway and into a large ice chamber, a door stretching across the far wall. Inara dashed forwards, balancing expertly on the ice as Zaru's claws tore chips into the frost, the leopard sprinting right beside her.

Balefur suddenly stopped, his hackles raised as Fernir let out a piercing whine.

"WATCH OUT!" the pack leader roared.  
A blue streak flashed across the air, aiming straight for Inara's throat. Her silver eyes widened and her arms shot out, her sword slicing out and batting the projectile away. It slammed into the icy floor, piercing the metre thick ice, glittering blue in the light.

It was a shard of crystal, quivering and razor sharp.  
Inara looked in the direction of the throw and froze, completely stunned.

"YOU!"

Eustace stared back at her calmly, black eyes emotionless as he held up his right hand, another spar of crystal forming in his palm. Elias raised his crossbow, a fire orb in place as Jason summoned a handful of ruach, both men glaring at the possessed boy.

"What are you doing here?" Zaru spat, squatting into a crouch.

"Looking after our master's assets," a light voice drawled.

Jill emerged from the shadows, her straight brown hair draped around her shoulders like a cowl. Where Eustace was calm and blank, Jill was giggling mischief, both clothed in heavy black cloaks emblazoned with the eye-in-an-eye motif of the Great Darkness. Jill moved to stand beside Eustace, the two of them blocking the only door out of the chamber and the only route to Jadis.

Inara and Zaru glanced at each other.

"Go," Zaru growled, "We'll hold them off."

The wolves instantly growled their agreement but Elias stared at them, eyes widening.  
"What?" the scientist yelped, "You can't – "

Jason gripped Elias's shoulder, stopping him. Elias whirled on the Seeker, glaring at the man but Jason refused to look at him, speaking to Inara and Zaru. He hated leaving them behind but Jason was a man of who had lived through a thousand battles using his strength and wit and every tool he could get his hands on, he knew when to fight and when to run and when to use others and this was such a time.

"Don't die," he said dryly.

"We'll try not to," Inara replied flatly, silver eyes still trained on Eustace and Jill.

She remembered Jill from Deva Industries, remembered the way the girl had led her to Marcos's test and had mocked her as she had been dying from the poison. Anger and hate coloured her world red and Inara smiled coldly, the Naga in her relishing the thought of making Jill bleed.

"But no promises," Zaru smirked back.

Jason nodded and closed his eyes, fixing all of their faces in his mind anchoring himself. Wisps of light gathered around his hands as Jill frowned, Eustace merely blinking, his face unchanged.

"NOW!" the Seeker roared suddenly.

The wolves surged forwards as Jill and Eustace were hurled aside by an invisible force, pinned to the wall as Inara and Zaru rushed to attack them. Jason grabbed onto Elias dragging him towards the only door as the scientist let out strangled cries of protest.

"GO!" Zaru boomed.

Physically hauling Elias through the threshold Jason threw one last look behind him and cursed under his breath. He hated running away but there was a witch to kill. He had to trust in Inara and Zaru to look after themselves and trust them to defeat the two demons.

With another whispered curse, Jason shoved Elias towards a flight of frozen stairs as the wolves surged upwards, sniffing the air and baying in excitement as they neared the White Witch.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Tash licked the sceptre and it instantly changed, growing longer as silver darkened to black. The razor end lengthened, gleaming like a sword's blade as the blue crystals flashed and red stained the stones turning them to perfect smooth drops of stony blood. Power burned in the crimson depths, Susan gaping at what her sceptre had become. It was no longer a thing of beauty or a symbol of royalty, this new implement, this jewellery of black metal and ruby was a weapon, a tool forged the sole purpose of destruction and murder. As if to hammer home the point, spikes suddenly sprouted from around the crystals, crowning the sceptre in a diadem of thorns making both ends a deadly weapon.

Tash stretched out and Susan, hardly daring to breath, took the twisted sceptre, gasping as fire and power flooded through her body. Visions flickered before her eyes, vast fields of the dead and dying, ravens pecking at the scraggly flesh that remained on bleached white bones. She saw a family tied up screaming as a madman poured petrol on them and lit a match, saw a sweet looking girl shove a struggling kitten under a bathtub of water. She saw depravity, she saw madness and she sank to her knees, whimpering as a millions years of violence and betrayal from a thousand wounds slammed into her head.

This was the power of Tash, this was his domain and this was his blessing, his curse that Susan was receiving. Death, destruction and depravity, intoxicating and stomach turning, flowed into her, meshing with her until she and it were one and the same. A new part of her was born, a Susan who relished the blood of her enemies on her hands and would gladly see whole worlds burn just to ensure her victory.

"NO!" she screamed, fighting back the insane urges to take her powers and just fly, shedding all her responsibilities and just live for herself, "NO!"

She bucked as sweet dark poison flowed from Tash through the dark sceptre and into her, searing a hole into her soul before leaking inside, twisting her and poisoning her and Aslan help her, she welcomed it, welcomed the power it gave her. She needed it, needed it to defeat the witches, needed it to destroy the Darkness and even as her stomach rebelled, Susan opened her spirit and allowed it all in.

Tash's blessing was like being thrust into a river of molten lava, burning her to the core, smoke rising from her skin as she struggled to take it all in without tearing herself apart.

She was dimly aware of a place of endless darkness where she stood resplendent in the crown and gown of her station, Queen Susan the Gentle staring motionless as three stars were born into the void all around her.

Tash's power hovered before her like a menacing eye, blood-red and alive with menace. To its left a purple light came into being, searingly bright, a merciless star that scoured away lies and illusions to reveal the truth beneath. And to the right a world of gold and autumn rose like the sun, wild and untamed, alive with the sound of burgles and hunting hounds.

Red, purple and gold light shot forth from the three stars and struck Queen Susan the Gentle in the chest and she was instantly erased from existence, reborn as something that was more than human, more than a queen.

Finally after so very long, after so many worlds Susan had received the three-blessings of three gods. The sight, the hunt and death itself was now part of her and she was thrice-blessed.

Drifting in a world of darkness and power, Susan could hear Viola's voice.

'_When all three gifts are bestowed and you become thrice-blessed, a making that will shake the very foundations of reality itself...'_

And Susan felt it, felt her rebirth, her ascension tear through the fabric of existence itself, the worlds unable to handle the emergence of such power. She was like an avalanche tumbling into the ocean, a thousand ripples and waves shooting out and smashing into the worlds, the threads of existence and fate warping and twisting wildly as they shook before her, quivering and bending as Susan laughed, power spilling from her eyes. She was like a storm of fire, tearing through all the worlds, burning them all and remaking them again, her consciousness spread to every single plane of existence and everywhere she went, changed followed.

Susan gasped and suddenly she was back in Tash's throne room, clutching tight to her black sceptre, the weapon feeling perfect in her hands.

"It is done," Tash hissed, "You have my blessing."  
Susan quivered feeling the storm of might inside of her.  
"The strength you feel will not last. It will fade and settle into something milder... but for now you are a goddess in all but name," the Death-God rose from his throne, his four arms lifting to the ceiling, "It is time you returned to the great battle but – "

He stared down at Susan and the queen was transfixed by his gaze.

"Remember there was price for this gift," Tash hissed, "You are mine Susan Pevenise, you are in my debt."

His words would've shook her but cocooned in pure power Susan felt nothing but contempt.

"Return me to my people," the queen snarled.

Tash smiled.

"Of course... but since I'm feeling generous I'll give you a second favour all for free," Tash sketched a design into the air, trails of light following his claws, "I'll give you my army."

And a tear rent the air, power blazing from the wound in existence. Susan hefted her sceptre and looked at the light burning in the tear and smiled. Her fears for her family, her worries about Tash and his plans, they all faded before the inferno raging in her body. There was nothing in her but bloodlust and a desire to see Jadis burn.

"Let's hope your men can catch up," Susan hissed, eyes pure red.

Fearlessly she stepped through the tear, Tash's laughter booming in her eyes as she slipped between the worlds and fell onto a frozen field.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

The mammoth frozen phoenix snatched the true Phoenix in its icy claw and with a powerful scream, hurled him straight towards the icy fortress.

The woodlanders and the Nagas screamed as the King Phoenix smashed into the side of the frozen tower, light and cracks rippling along the walls. Ice came to live, freezing around the Phoenix's wings and talons shackling him to the building as the great King struggled, beams of pure light firing from his beak.

The Queen Dragon roared and swooped to help him but the ice-dragon slammed into her, both behemoths wheeling through the air as lightning flared and thunder crashed, storm-heads gathering thickly as the ice-phoenix flew straight at the imprisoned king.

A piercing burst of golden light shattered the frosty doppelganger's head, a second beam slicing the thing in two as the woodlanders and Nagas roared in approval, cheering their king on as the King Phoenix screeched his victory. But his follower's joy turned in utter disbelief as a split second later the ice fortress rippled and a massive spur of ice exploded out from the walls and straight through the King Phoenix's chest.

"NOOOOOOO!" the screams came from everywhere as burning white blood exploded out from the Phoenix's ruined ribs, splattering the ground as the great bird's head slumped, eyes clenched shut.

"MY LOVE!" The Queen Dragon screamed as she stared at her slain consort.

"Nooo..." Najash, barely clinging to life, could only weep as she saw her salvation die, "Noo..."

Despair crushed the witches' enemies and they faltered, the monsters falling upon them in a screaming wave, animals and other creatures screaming as they were torn from limb to limb. And amidst the madness, Caspian pounced on any who nears, moaning and yelling as powerful hands crushed throats and limbs, the mad king drenched in blood, his and his victims as he choked the life from a helpless satyr.

"CASPIAN!" Peter roared, "STOP!"  
A loop of heat-less green fire snapped around Caspian's arms, binding him but Aita was there, her perfect nails slashing out and slicing through the flames. Peter cursed and whirled on the Green Lady, lightning falling from the clouds ahead and slicing down at her. She laughed mockingly and green flames shot up into the sky, blowing the lightning apart.

Instincts screamed and Peter and he leapt away, the Black Knight's sword slashing the air where he'd been. Peter fell on his cursed arms and bit back a cry as fiery pain stabbed into the varicose veins, his hands twitching wildly. A swift kick to his ribs drew another scream as Aita threw rings of fire around him, trapping his arms by his side and drawing him up into the air.

"You stole my powers," the Lady of the Green Kirtle snarled.

She played her lute and two salamanders were sent ablaze, screaming as green fire consumed their bodies.

"Let's see just how much you can take," she hissed as Peter's eyes bulged, the High King thrashing wildly to break the witch's hold on him.

"Ed..." Peter choked out as Aita sashayed towards him, "HELP!"  
But the Black Knight didn't move, standing and watching as his mistress raised a hand and placed it against Peter's cheek as he flinched, struggling against his magical bonds.

"My gift to you," the Green Lady smirked, "Enjoy."

And Peter's Gift, the ability to drain other's powers, rose opening itself up with a roar. Peter screamed as he suddenly became a sinkhole, a hungry maw that reached out and dragged every living thing with the slightest hint of power towards him, swallowing everything up until pure fire burnt his veins.

The King Phoenix dying as light spilled from his mouth was leeched dry, the power of sun and light slamming into Peter, shaking him as the High King screamed unable to handle the power threatening to tear him apart.

Hags fell to the ground, greying as their wild and vile magic flew towards the king, Peter the black hole that gobbled it all up and screamed for more as his heart strained, ready to give out at any second.

Peter screamed and screamed and screamed, his eyes burning with power, smoke flying from his mouth as light flew from the frozen fortress and speared into his chest.

Aita watched it all, laughing at his screams as a nasty smile slithered across her lips.

"So darling," she said to the Black Knight, "Want to see your brother explode?"  
And she laughed as Peter screamed again, blood flying from his mouth.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

The fortress shook as something heavy slammed into its side almost knocking Inara off balance. She twisted, ducking as Eustace's foot, tipped with crystal blades, narrowly missing her face.

Jill roared in fury as Zaru slashed her across the arm, the leopard constantly on the move, every single one of Jill's blows missing as the craft cat twisted and dodged her blows. She threw a wild punch and the ice cracked under the blow, wisps of light bleeding out from breaks.

"Eustace!" Jill snarled in fury, kicking at Zaru and missing.

Eustace grabbed Inara by the throat and hurled her across the room before whirling to his partner. The girl slammed hard into the wall but recovered quickly rising to her feet, hissing and spitting at the possessed boy as though she was a real snake.

"Don't," he warned flatly looking at Jill.

Zaru barrelled into her, Jill's head smacking into the ice as she was sent stumbling back into the wall. Eustace flung his hand forwards, a spike of crystal narrowly missing Zaru as the leopard backed off, growling at the two, Inara joining him.

"Wasn't crystals Dahlia's schtick?" Inara demanded.

"It was," Eustace said evenly, "I took it."

Jill rose to her feet, blood leaking from the back of her head as she glared at her two enemies.

"And what's your special power?" Inara smirked, "Getting hit a lot?"

Jill gritted her teeth, eyes black eyes darkening even further as Zaru roared, scenting her fury and hate.

"Jill!" Eustace snarled, "DON'T!"  
But it was too late as Jill placed her hands on her temples and concentrated, squeezing her eyes tight. Inara and Zaru gaped as shadows suddenly moved in the ice, streaks of darkness racing along the walls as Eustace glared at his partner. The ripe stench of rotting flesh and filth flooded the chamber in a choking wave. Zaru gagged, threatening to expel his stomach contents as Inara looked around wildly, sword in hand.

"What –"

The ice exploded outwards, a sliver of ice cutting Inara across her arm as stick-thin creatures clawed their way out of the ice, beady eyes fixed on their faces. Drool fell from their gaping mouths as dark tongues licked at their thick swollen lips.

"What are those things?" Zaru gaped.

Jill smiled coldly.

"My schtick."

Screaming the Pretas hurled themselves through the air as Zaru and Inara rushed forwards to meet the new threat.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

The wolves, Elias and Jason stepped into the highest chamber of the frozen fortress and walked into the presence of a demon god. Jadis whirled, glaring at them, a cold smile on her lips as tendrils of light snaked from her skin to the chunk of frozen ice behind her, the block burning like a heatless sun.

Jadis was suffused with the light, power roaring through her as she drank it all in with a laugh, wielding her powers to devastating effect as huge spikes of ice erupted from the ground outside, the battlefield heaving and shaking, icicles impaling her enemies even as she controlled the ice-serpent that soared through the skies, duelling with the Queen Dragon.

She laughed again and the keen edge of madness slid into her voice.

"Have you come to bow before your queen?" she spat.

"We have come to retake our honour," Balefur snarled.

"BOOM!"  
Ice slammed together sealing the chamber shut as Jason summoned his ruach, drawing the white fire around him as Jadis drew more and more power from the ice behind her.

Elias froze as the light shimmered and he briefly caught a smudge of colour amongst the ice.

"There's a person in there!" he barked, staring at the queen in astonishment.

"Oh yes," Jadis chuckled, "A gift from an admirer."  
And she struck pure magic flying her fingers as Jason hurled his ruach right back at her. It was like trying to topple a mountain with a paper fan, the White Witch's attack obliterating the wave of white fire. It was only Jason's fast reaction that saved him, the power decimating the wall and magic swiftly rebuilding it just as quickly.

The Seeker rolled to his feet and Jadis smirked at him, moving her hands as strings of power connected her back to the ice, thrumming with power as she drew in more and more magic, every cell in her body burning with it.

She thrust her hand forwards and a wolf was instantly turned to ice, body stiffening, a shocked look on its face before shattering into a million pieces. The wolves howled, all of them surging forwards as Elias let out a cry of shock.

"NO!" he screamed, "DON'T!  
Balefur was the first to die, impaled through the face by a shard of ice as his yelp of pain was instantly silenced. Two other wolves perished as Elias raised his crossbow and fired wildly, tears streaking down his face.

Jadis whirled and the orb hit her straight in the face.

"BOOM!"  
Liquid hot flames rushed over Jadis, searing her to the bone but a veritable blizzard exploded from her fingers, icy winds slicing through the explosion and smacking into Elias, Jason and the wolves slamming them hard into the war.

Jadis screamed, half her face nothing more than blackened flesh clinging to charred bones. One eye was a ruinous mess of white and black, the White Witch screaming as lines of glowing powers knitted around the gaping wound, filling it with light. She screamed and a burst of pure power exploded out from her, smashing into them and sending them all flying through the way.

"YOU... YOU..." Jadis screamed as magic continued to cover her face like a bandage, "YOU BASTARDS!"  
Invisible hands grabbed her and flung her back into the glowing ice but Jadis stabbed out with her fingers, Jason grunting as an unseen wall slammed into him, sending him skidding down the hallway.

The ice fortress was changing, rippling, spikes and spurs exploding out of the ways as needles of ice pierced the foot, the wolves yelping in pain as they were forced to back away.

Jadis stopped forwards, the threads of light connecting her to the source of her powers weaving and twining together to form one singular cord, thrusting into her back like some fantastical umbilical cord.

"Do you want to see what happens to my enemies?"

Her wand appeared in her hands, the crystal end burning with light.

"Do you?" her voice sharpened dangerously.

She slashed down with her wand and a wolf was caught in her attack, turned to stone as the she-wolf and Fernir screamed, mourning Balefur and enraged as Jadis laughed, losing form and becoming a goddess of pure light.

"Now," she twirled her wand in her hands, "Bow before me!"

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Bach died, pierced in the belly by three troll swords, his eyes wide and astonished as Caspian flew into the fray, screaming as he battered at the trio of monsters with his bare hands.

The King Phoenix's feathers ruffled in the wind as he lay impaled on the side of the fortress, the Queen Dragon and the ice-dragon slamming together again and again, lightning and ice clashing.

Peter was paralysed, caught in fire and the stream of power that was tearing him apart, burning him from inside out as his skin greyed, his breathing grew shallow and his heart tore painfully at its arteries threatening to explode out of his chest.

Great spikes of ice grew from the ground heaving creature upwards or impaling them as the monsters surged forwards, Caspian's armies in tatters, fighting bravely but dying where they stood.

Aita laughed, the Black Knight by her side as she surveyed the battlefield.

"Well," the Green Lady smirked, "This was easy."

"BOOM!"

She was knocked to her knees as the whole world shook, the skies flashing to crimson as the Queen Dragon and her doppelganger stopped, staring around in confusion.

A line light rose into the air from one edge of the battlefield as Aita pulled herself to her feet, staring in confusion as it widened becoming an open door.

Shadows flickered in the light, growing larger and larger as the doorway shimmered and vomited out a single form.

Susan glanced around at the battlefield, paling at the number of the dead and at how few woodlanders remained, besieged by monsters on every side. Her eyes pulsed with power, purple and gold surrounding a single dot of swirling red and blue. Her sceptre, black as the heart of Tash, was clutched in her hands, the queen sweeping forwards as a giant rushed at her, swinging his club with a might roar.

Susan clutched the power that burned through her, drew from the vestigial link to Tash as she shoved her sceptre up and let fly with a cry.

Red light tore through the giant and he fell to the ground, eyes blank as Susan turned and stared at the tear in the world behind her.

"ONWARDS!" she screamed, "CHARGE!"  
Aita gasped as out of the door of light a massive swarm of dark creatures as grotesque and as twisted as her own swept forwards. They slammed into the witches' armies, the fighting sparking and escalating to new depraved heights as monster tore into monster, the woodlanders and Nagas staring around in confusion.

Susan glared at the Green Lady and smiled. Aita saw the grin, cold and predatory and felt real fear struck her heart.

"You're mine," Susan whispered as she walked through the melee, red power flying from her sceptre and incinerating all those who dared near her.

On this battlefield, on this day Susan was a god, a vengeful creature born out of madness and blood and she would not stop until she had won.

"GET HER!" Aita screamed, drawing on her powers.

Peter's head lolled back in his bonds as more and more power was pulled into him, his body failing. Susan's eyes snapped towards him and fear froze her for a few precious seconds before she lashed out, a whip of crackling power slicing through the green flames wrapping his body and Peter was free, falling to the ground as smoke sizzled from his skin.

The Black Knight and Caspian, demented with rage, charged at Susan. Her eyes widened at the sight of the king, blood drenched and crazed and knew instantly what had happened.

"AITA!" she screamed.

She slammed her sceptre into the ground and a wave of red power shot out, sending the knight and Caspian skittling.

Aita screamed and sent waves of green fire at her but with Tash's face looming in her mind, Susan slashed the air and red torn through green, shredding the attack to ribbons.

The Black Knight rose and charged at her but Susan fired a blast of power, striking him hard in the chest and sending him flying through the, crashing to the ground in a tangle of limbs.

Caspian lunged, a stolen sword in one hand and a rock in the other, screaming wildly at her.

"The pain!" he bellowed, "YOU! Pain-bringer! Kill, burn you out, stab you, maim you, choke you, get you out... GET YOU OUT!"  
"CLANG!"  
Susan was knocked by his first blow, Caspian striking down with insane strength, sword glancing off her sceptre.

"Caspian!" she screamed, "STOP!"  
Fear for him choked her as Caspian righted himself, throwing at her. She remembered the world of the Kraken all too well, remembered the insanity that raged inside of him, knowing that the true king was lost, stumbling through a land of madness.

She remembered going into his mind and finding him, broken and dying and terror filled her. How long had he been like this? How long did he have before his mind was destroyed forever? Could she save him?

"CASPIAN!"  
He threw himself at her, hurling the rock forwards and Susan screamed as it slammed into her shoulder, rough edges tearing her skin open. She ducked, dodging his swipe and slammed the sceptre into his gut, knocking him back.

"STOP!" she screamed, "PLEASE..."  
She didn't know what to do. She had to stop him but he was already weak from a dozen gashing wounds, his breathing wet and laboured, another blow might kill him, a strike of her power could wipe him off the face of the planet. Could she do it? If it came down to it could she kill him and live with herself?

Susan screamed, not doing what to do. Caspian flew at her and she leapt out of his way, the king hitting the ground and cracking his head against a rock. He rose unsteadily, blood dribbling down his face, coughing up more red as Susan shook.

He was killing himself trying to get to her and she was letting it happen.

"You..." Caspian croaked, "Must... kill..."

It was him or her. Him or her...

He slashed at her, Susan blocking his blow with her sceptre but she taken by surprise as he lashed out with his fist punching her in the face. She fell back, Caspian letting out a wild cry of laughter as he licked his lips, stabbing down at her. Susan rolled, the blade slicing into the earth as she kicked him in the shin forcing him back.

The king righted himself staring at her as Susan rose to her feet.

She remembered the illusion she'd been trapped in, remembering killing him and feeling nothing but remorse. The part of her that was Tash, the part of her that was darkness and death urged her to do it. It was her life at stake here, him or her and Susan was horrified to find power gathering in the red crystals, ready to lash out and kill the king.

"NO!" she screamed, forcing the power back, "I WON'T!"  
Caspian lunged and Susan cried as he cut her deep in the arm before kicking her heavily in the chest, the queen stumbling back. He slashed at her and Susan threw herself back, merely surviving, frantically trying to work out what to do next.

'_And know this. When all three gifts are bestowed and you become thrice-blessed, a making that will shake the very foundations of reality itself, the curse that holds your lover will break.'_

Susan stopped, her strange eyes widening.

Caspian flew at her and Susan raised her sceptre, tears spilling down her face.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

And she swept his sword aside and stabbed him in the shoulders. Caspian gaped at her, blood spilling from his mouth as Susan stared at him, crying and praying.

She closed her eyes and focused, remembering the dark world she had stumbled through in his mind. She painted it in her thoughts, bit by bit, building it up until it became reality, she remembered the cracked wall of ice and the darkness and madness that lay beyond and as the sceptre's ruby gems flared with light, a connection was forged between them, linked by the sceptre and she was there.

Susan stared up at the wall before and at the malevolent throbbing madness, at the chaotic and dying world around her and clutched her sceptre tightly. It seemed alive, snatching out with grabbing hands and hungry mouths and somewhere in its depths Caspian was there, lost and helpless.

"Viola..." Susan whispered, eyes burning, "I hope you're right.'

And she threw every last bit of her strength and blessings at the curse. Red lanced through the wall, shattering the ice and melting it into steam as the darkness screamed, thrashing as Susan pierced it through and through. It quivered and shrivelled, darkness bleeding smoke that faded into nothing as Susan screamed and sent more and more power into the madness, striking out and slashing wildly, her rage flowing out of her and into the sceptre, exploding out from the crystals and destroying the curse in a soundless blast of fire and sparks.

The curse screamed like a living creature, bucking and writhing as it was boiled away to nothing.

"What are you doing?"  
Caspian appeared before her, bewildered and shocked.

"STOP IT!" he screamed, clutching at his chest.

One eye became red as the blood vessels burst.

"Stop... Susan..." he begged please.

Susan stared at him, her hands shaking.

"Caspian..."

He stared at her and his eyes were filled with love.

"Please..."

Susan slowly lowered her sceptre, the power dying as Caspian smiled, stepping towards her. The curse, the madness, shuddered, watching and waiting as the king stepped towards his queen.

"Susan. I..."

Susan blinked.

"Love..."

She stopped.

"You."

And smiled sadly.

"I know."

And her left eye burst with purple light and Caspian screamed, shaking as he smoked and burned, melting into nothing. Susan glared at him, Viola's gift burning through the illusion as the curse snarled and screamed with a thousand screeching discordant voices.

"You think I'd fall for that?" she snarled, "You think I'm that stupid?"

She whirled and glared up at the blackness that was Siobhan's curse.

"Be gone!" she snarled, raising her sceptre once more , "BE GONE DAMN YOU!"

A massive burst of red power punched through the dark spell and tore it apart.

Susan blinked and the hell she was in faded, the ice wall, the madness all gone and there was nothing left but solid ground and wisps of light that began to take form and shape. Cair Paravel sprung up before her followed by a forest and by the Telmarine fortress.

She was literally seeing his sanity return, saw the healing in his mind as Siobhan's curse was banished once and for all.

Susan could breathe again and she could feel the rightness in the air, felt the stillness and the serenity. She smiled and laughter bubbled from her lips, great gulping splutters that hurt her belly and made her cry. He was healed, after so very long Caspian was healed. He was safe and he was alive and she kept on laughing and crying.

"Thank you," she whispered, Viola and Artemis and Tash in her mind, "Thank you."

She blinked and pulled herself out of Caspian's mind.

"Caspian..."  
He stared up at her, the sceptre still impaled through his shoulder. The madness in his eyes flickered and died and a sweet, gentle smile crossed his lips.

He looked at her as though seeing her for the first time.

"Susan..." he reached for her.

Susan reached out and their hands touched, fingers twining together.

"I love you," he whispered brokenly.

And he slumped, falling into unconsciousness as Susan smiled, tears choking her.

"I love you too."

And she touched his cheeks, beaming through blinding tears.  
"Well, wasn't that sweet."  
With a gasp, Susan pulled the sceptre out of Caspian's shoulder and he fell to the ground. She turned, her eyes back to their normal blue and more frightening and powerful than any godly powers that had filled them before.

"You know what I'm going to do?" Susan asked flatly.

Aita smirked, her hands on her lute. Susan raised her sceptre, all around them Tash's forces were battering the witches', tearing them apart even as the Queen Dragon and her icy enemy clashed again and again.

Caspian was down, Peter was down, the Black Knight was down. There was nobody left to fight Aita but her.

"I'm going to go..." Susan smiled coldly as she remembered one of the many late night conversations she had with Inara, gossiping and chatting about everything useless and frivolous. A phrase Inara taught her stuck in her mind, "... old school on you."  
Aita frowned.

"And you know what that means?" the Gentle Queen snarled, "You know what they did to witches in the good old days?"

Susan struck before Aita could react, crackling red energy lashing out and destroying her lute, splintering it apart before the Lady of the Green Kirtle could even react. Aita gaped at the broken instrument in her hands paling as Susan laughed again.

"They burn them," Susan finished in a whisper, "And now I'm going to burn you."

Aita threw a punch at Susan, knocking her down as a swift kick knocked the sceptre out of her hands. Susan grunted and rolled to her feet, snatching her bow from across her back and striking Aita across the face with it.

"This is for Peter!" Susan snarled.

"CRACK!"

Aita's nose broke.

"This is for Caspian!"

Aita's wrist snapped with a thunderous crack as Susan smashed it down at her with all of her strength.

"And this is for everyone you've ever hurt or killed!"

Susan snatched a silver arrow from her quiver and stabbed Aita through the chest. The Lady of the Green Kirtle stared at the shaft in horror as blood spurted from the wound, staining her dress.

Susan smirked at her as Aita looked up, pain in her eyes.

"I've never done this before..." she said slowly.

Susan's eyes widened as the queen's face shifted, flattening as her eyes rolled to the side of her head, her green dress growing and covering her whole body.

"But it's time you met the true me!" Aita screamed, "TREMBLE!"

With a roar, her mouth was torn apart as scales washed over her pale body. Susan backed away, gaping as arms and legs fused into her body, the witch growing longer and stronger, a forked tongue flicking out of her mouth.

"I AM THE QUEEN OF CHARN!" Aita screamed, vile and poisonous, "LOOK AT ME AND FEAR ME!"  
And Aita was a snake, taller than a minotaur and as muscular as one, hungry yellow eyes glaring down at Susan. Swiftly the queen stringed her bow, an arrow already in place as she stood fearlessly before the snake, ready to fight to the death.

Aita's tail lashed out and a dwarf was sent spinning though the air as she surged forwards, poisonous fangs outstretched. Susan leapt back, firing an arrow, the barb piercing the snake's side and drawing dark blood.

Aita screamed and howled, writhing, her tail whipping around and crashing into the side of Susan's head, knocking her down. Susan blinked, dazed as Aita swayed above her, grinning dangerously.

"I've seen bigger," Susan smirked.

Aita screamed and surged forwards, Susan scrambling out of the way as the snake-witch bit the ground, poison flowing from her fangs.

Susan raised her bow, an arrow aimed straight at the snake's head as Aita hissed softly, glaring at her balefully. She surged forwards with lightning speed and her blunt nose ploughed into Susan's chest, sending her crashing to the ground as a loop of tail fell around her neck and squeezed.

Susan let out a choked cry, snatching at the tail as it tightened, strangling her. Her face flushed, her eyes bulging as she struggled for breath, Aita laughing as she slowly constricted the queen, giggling at her pain.

"Noo..." Susan rasped, beating helplessly at the thick tail around her neck, "Stop. You can't..."

"I'm going to crush you and swallow you whole," Aita said with relish, "Then I'm going to find your little lover and – ARGH!"

Susan blinked as a gleaming sword exploded out of Aita's body, the tail around her neck instantly loosened as the Green Lady writhed, whipping in her death-throes as blood gushed from the mortal wound, spraying the ground red.

Najash glared down at her convulsing form, one hand clutched to her bleeding gut.

"I believe the young lady asked you to burn," Najash hissed.

Susan ripped Aita's tail off her and snatching up a fallen sword, she surged upwards, slashing with all her might. Aita's eyes were wide and shocked in death as her headless body dropped boneless to the ground. Susan and Najash watched grimly as green fire gushed from the gaping severed neck and devoured Aita's body, burning her until there was nothing but ashes left.

The Lady of the Green Kirtle, the ruler of the Under Land was dead.

"Thank you," Susan gasped as Najash fell to her knees.

The Elapidae tribe leader looked up at her. The witches' forces were fleeing, torn apart by Tash's army, their spirits broken by the death of one of the witches. Only the massive subterranean monsters of the Under Land remained, too mindless to run as salamanders and other creatures swarmed them and brought them down.

"Go," Najash whispered, "Jadis is inside the castle."  
Susan nodded and snatched up her sceptre. She looked around and saw the enemy in flight, saw Caspian and Peter sprawled unconscious on the ground. She gritted her teeth, cursing before swinging towards the frozen fortress, knowing that she had to end this fight.

Najash watched her leave with a smile on her lips, darkness dimming her vision.

"I..." she looked up at the King Phoenix, dead and impaled on the castle walls and looked at the smouldering remains of Aita, "I did it."  
And with a smile she fell forwards and knew no more.

And unseen and unnoticed by all the Black Knight shuddered, the armour smoking as cracks tore through the thickened plates of metal. Hissing and spitting the armour fell apart as pale white skin was exposed to the skin.

Edmund Pevensie, King the Edmund the Just was free and he lay still on a battlefield as his sister went off to fight against an enemy that was threatening to plunge them all into the darkness.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Author's notes: For all of you who wanted Susan to come back and kick some major ass... hope this satisfies! Alright finally the Charn arc is coming to a close what can you look forward to in the next arc? A mish-mash of different legends and influences! Woot! Taking any guesses and/or suggestions now!


	68. The last witch of Charn

And finally another chapter – sorry about the delay. Uni has started so yay – looong hours and little time to study and sleep, let alone write. But enjoy the final of the Charn arc!

Disclaimer: What's mine is mine, what's not is C.S. Lewis'

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 68: The last witch of Charn**

Eustace closed his eyes, his hands coming up as a seed of crystal glowed in his palm. The seed grew, sprouting spikes of crystal that twisted and merge together, growing upwards and outwards until the servant of Darkness was holding a crafted gleaming sword in his hand, the crystal blade moulded with his stolen Gift.

"Well, now that's impressive," Zaru noted, eye glittering.

"Kitty! We don't applaud the – "

A pause as Inara leapt back, the Preta's claws crashing into the ground.

" – the enemy!" she finished, twirling and stabbing a Preta through the chest.

The monster screamed, Inara crying out as it raked out with its long claws, cutting her arm. Inara tore the blade out of the Preta's stomach, bile and sludge pouring out, the stench threatening to overwhelm her. Pushing past her nausea, she slashed out, chopping the Preta's head off in one vicious blow.

Jill flew at her and Inara twisted, the possessed girl's fist flashing past. Jill stumbled, her swing taking her off balance as Zaru leapt forwards, his teeth finding Jill's leg and clamping down hard as the girl screamed.

Inara stabbed at her but Eustace's crystal sword sliced down, knocking her sword to the ground. Inara blasted an open palm into his face, knocking him back before charging with a furious yell, swords colliding as the two grappled wildly.

With a snarl Jill kicked Zaru away, the leopard expertly twisting through the air and landing on all fours as the girl cursed loudly, clutching at her bleeding leg. She looked up and glared at him, her black eyes swallowing all light that fell upon it.

"You taste like chicken," Zaru said calmly as Jill's eyes flashed.

"PRETAS!" she snarled.

Three of her grotesque monster instantly leapt forwards, claws slashing the air but Zaru was faster, slipping past them and leaping straight for Jill's throat before the girl could even react. It was only the Pretas that saved her from having her throat torn out, one of them slamming into the leopard and sending him skidding across the frozen chamber.

"KITTY!"

Inara took a hefty blow to the face and staggered back, barely bringing her sword up in time to deflect Eustace's powerful slash, shockwaves rolling up her arm.

"Keep your eyes on your own fight!" Zaru snarled, righting himself as Jill chuckled nastily, flipping her brown hair back over one shoulder.

Eustace kicked at her, claws of crystal gleaming on his boot as Inara ducked, the spurs shattering as they hit the icy wall. She snatched one of the falling shards in midair and with a violent hiss hurled it straight at Eustace, slicing him across his pale and clammy cheeks.

The Naga roared, the Temple's powers pounding through her veins as Inara exploded forwards, silver-eyed, hacking at Eustace.

The possessed boy was driven by the sheer force of Inara's blows, his crystal sword vibrating and shuddering in his hands with each blow, cracks splintering the thing apart as Inara pressed on, backhanding him across the face and sending him spinning to the ground.

She rained blows down on him, the Naga in her hissing in approval as Eustace defended himself, his crystal sword weakening with each deflected blow.

With a cry she shattered his sword, chips of crystal flying where as Eustace's eyes widened by the slightest of fraction.

Inara laughed, stabbing down at him but she suddenly staggered, clutching at her chest as fatigue turned every muscle into nerveless lead.

"No!" she gasped frantically.

The Naga was taking over, burning up every last bit of her energy, draining everything she had and channelling it into the fight. Inara almost fell to the ground, her knees wobbling as she coughed frantically trying to get air into her burning lungs.

"INARA!" Zaru screamed.

Eustace was rising, crystal spikes growing from his hands as Inara dropped her sword, her vision dimming as she desperately tried to break the hold the Naga had on her, struggled to push it away. The snake was fighting her, fuelled by the sight of her standing enemies, furious that she was letting them live.

"STOP IT!" Inara screamed and fear managed to shake the snake away, "STOP!"  
Eustace lunged at her and Inara barely had time to hit the ground, the crystal claws slicing through her hair as Zaru let out a cry of shock.

Jill seized the distraction and kicked him, booting him across the room as Inara scurried backwards, her face greying as Zaru hit the wall and slid to the ground in a dazed heap.

"Sorry," she gasped, her breathing slowly evening out.

Her silver eyes had faded, the Naga slumbering as the Temple's strength welled, filling the void but it was weaker than before some of her strength already consumed by the snake in its mindless quest for destruction.

"You really should learn to control that," Zaru coughed, rising shakily.

Eustace and Jill stalked towards them, the Pretas following them like loyal hounds. Zaru and Inara glanced at each other, battered, bruised, bleeding and weary.

"You got them?" Zaru asked grimly.

Wincing Inara reached into her pockets and pulled out a handful of silvery orbs.

"You think someone up there loves us?" Inara said lightly.

Zaru snorted.

"How can anyone not love me?" he smirked.  
Inara grinned and without hesitation hurled the orbs straight at the two possessed bodies. Eustace and Jill blinked as the orbs slammed into the ground and Inara and Zaru turned, hitting the ground and shielding themselves.  
"BOOM!"  
The whole chamber was torn apart, the ice floor cracking and shattering, flames gouging the ice. The walls were blown outwards as the floor teetered for a brief second before giving way, Zaru yelping as his stomach was chased into his mouth. In the single blink of an eye, everyone, Inara and Zaru, Jill and Eustace, was sent avalanching down in a deluge of ice and smoke.

. . . . . . . . . . .

"MOVE!" Jason roared.

Jadis pointed at them, screaming as a bar of light thicker than a man lanced from her wand punching through the icy wall and blowing it to smithereens. Elias and the wolves scrambled through the wreckage as Jadis laughed, her voice steeped in madness.

"We can't run away!" the she-wolf howled furiously, "We're still Running Death!"

Jason swung his arms around and invisible hands snatched chunks of ice from the ground hurling it towards the queen. The White Witch glared at the flying ice and they instantly vaporised into nothing.

"You want to throw you life away like an idiot?" the Seeker snapped, "GO RIGHT ON AHEAD!"

Jason was the only thing keeping them all alive, his ruach the only effective weapon against the terrifying magic of the White Witch. Jadis strolled forwards, neither quickening or slowing as a thick chord of light stretched out behind her, snaking all the way back to the chunk of frozen ice and the person entombed within, the source of all her powers.

The she-wolf and another of the wolves lunged forwards, barking and snapping and Jadis laughed scornfully, jabbing her wand in their direction. The she-wolf was sent sprawling across the ice as her companion was obliterated, there one second, a wild-eyed growling beast, and gone the next, a smote of smoke twisting through the air.

"We have to fight!" Elias snarled.

His mind was full of thoughts of Marcos and Mary and Balefur, the first two his guilt and his sin, the last a chance for his redemption. He had to kill the queen, it was the only way, the only way to clear his shame.

"We can't stand here!" the scientist roared, "We can't run away."  
Jason's head snapped towards him, incredulous. Where was the Elias of old? Where was the man of logic and brains? Couldn't he see this was suicidal? Couldn't he see this was utterly insane?

"WE HAVE TO FIGHT!" Elias shouted.

And he fired an orb towards the White Witch, Jadis's eyes narrowing, one side of her face made purely of light. She slashed the air with her crystal wand and the orb was seized by unseen forced and hurled straight back at the scientist.

Jason deflected the explosive, blowing a chunk in one of the walls as he glared at the witch. She smirked at him, her wand tracing the air leaving behind a complex sigil that hovered and burned before her.

"Elias," his voice was deathly cold, "Shut. Up."

Jadis shoved her hands forwards and the sigil flew through the air, twisting and growing until a shrieking thing of pure power leapt at them. Elias raised his orb defiantly and fired, the creature charging straight through the explosion and reaching out for the scientist with burning claws.

Jason roared and speared into Elias, tackling him to the ground as the spell smashed into the metre-thick walls, melting into the ice as Jason rolled over the scientist, glaring at him.

"I know you love your death wish," he said acidly, "But some of us actually need you alive!"

"It's my life!" Elias spat back, "I can do whatever I want!"

The wolves watched Jadis wearily, backing away as she stepped forwards them menacingly.

"It's not your life!" the Seeker snarled, "You pledged yourself to Susan a hell of a long time ago. You belong to her! You're her advisor, her confidant, her family and hell even her father! You don't get to die on her! You don't get to die on us!"

Furious and frustrated he slammed his fist into the ground and a wave of pure white flames punched Jadis in the stomach knocking her back.

"You want her dead?" Jason roared bulldozing over Elias's yelps of protest, "SO DO I! But we're not going to kill ourselves doing it! Do you understand me?"  
Elias glared at him.

"I'm Running Death," he spat, "Do you know what I've done? What I need to pay for? This is the only way!"

"I DON'T CARE!" Jason screamed at him, driven beyond furious.

He grabbed Elias, shaking him, rattling him. Elias stared at him bleakly, silent and defiant as the Seeker cursed loudly.s

"YOU WANT TO DIE THAT MUCH?" he hissed, "Then do it! But I'm not sticking around to help!"

He pushed Elias to the ground and rose, white fire whipping around him as the wolves yelped, their noses burning.

"I sense a little division in your ranks," Jadis taunted, "Is this some grandiose plan to lull me into a false sense of security?"  
She laughed lightly more of her flesh melting away as skin and muscle became light and power, the White Witch becoming magic itself.

"Whichever it is, it's very amusing," she chuckled.

"Lady..."  
Jason narrowed his eyes.

"Go to hell."

And Jadis was consumed in a tidal wave of liquid white flames.

. . . . . . . . . . .

Susan stepped into the fortress, the ruby gems of her black sceptre pulsing with light as she scanned her surroundings carefully, every muscle in her body tense and ready for a fight. A dull roar shook the icy walls and her head instantly snapped up.

"What – "  
Her eyes bulged as orange and yellow blossomed across the frozen ceiling before it shatter, raining ice, fire and smoke in an blinding avalanche of thunderous colour and sound. Susan was knocked off her feet, skidding across the ground as sheets and boulders of ice pounded the ground, cracking it as the queen slammed into the wall, dazed and amazed by the destruction she was seeing.

"How –"

A glimpse of golden fur made Susan let out a cry of shock and relief.

"ZARU!" she yelled, "ZARU!"

With a groan Zaru clawed his way out of the deluge of ice, grimacing as bleed oozed from a dozen cuts all over his body, his golden fur stained orange and pink.

"ZARU!"

The leopard blinked blearily in Susan's direction, the world spinning and ringing around him as he wondered how hard he had hit his head in order to imagine Susan there right in front of hi–

The cat stopped.

"YOUR MAJESTY!" he yelped.

He raced towards her, scrambling over huge blocks of ice as Susan laughed and held her hands out. The leopard leapt straight into them, nuzzling her as his rough tongue bathed her cheek, the queen grimacing as she continued to laugh aloud.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU!" Zaru demanded, pulling away slightly, his eyes raking her face.

He sniffed her and recoiled as he smelt death, hovering around her like an unseen cloud of malaise. She reeked of fire and decay and rotting flesh shot through with burning thread of hate and power. Zaru's eyes widened as Susan grimaced knowing why he was so uncomfortable.

"It's the third-blessing..." she said gently.

"Who?" Zaru demanded.

Susan sighed and winced as the name rose to her lips.

"Tash."

Zaru gaped at her, his jaws dropping as his eyes popped out of his head.

"WHAT?" he spluttered, "WHAT? ARE YOU CRAZY?"

"Hey! It's not like I had a choice!" Susan protested.

Zaru was still staring at her as though she was the Death-God himself as more of the rubble stirred. Susan tensed, pointing her sceptre at the shifting debris as a pale arm shot out from the blackened ice.

"Is that Queenie's dulcet voice I hear?" Inara's muffled weary voice muttered.

Susan and Zaru instantly darted forwards, shoving the ice away from the girl as she dragged herself free, flopping onto a sheet of ice as she gasped for breath, her skin black with soot. Slowly she looked up and raised a brow seeing Susan's newest weapon.

"Nice," she wheezed, "Screams 'don't mess with me'."  
"Clearly the look I was going for," Susan said dryly.

Inara smirked and opened her mouth to speak but Zaru suddenly roared, leaping forwards as a dark form exploded out from the ice, spikes of crystal stabbing the air. Susan whirled, her sceptre swinging up as she released a burst of blood red energy.

Eustace was struck right in the chest, his crystal blades shattering under the blast as he was hurled straight across the room, crunching hard into the wall and flopping boneless to the ground. Susan lowered her sceptre with shaking hands as Zaru and Inara gaped at her.

"Impressive."

Eustace rose slowly to his feet, the front of his cloak a burnt mess of singed cloth and melted flesh, the boy showing no signs of pain whatsoever. He cocked his head to the side, studying the queen as Susan gritted her teeth, her sceptre glowing ominously.

"Where did you get that?" Eustace asked.

The real Eustace flashed through Susan's head, the queen remembering the last thing she had promised her cousin.

'_The Great Darkness is powerful, more than you know. But please Susan, don't let me and Jill die in vain. Destroy our bodies. Destroy him. Please.'_

Susan's fingers tightened around the sceptre, the blood draining from her knuckles as she forced a smile onto her face.

"I don't know who you are," she said softly, dangerously, "But the real Eustace says hi."

Eustace's eyes flashed as Susan shifted into a fighter's stance, her eyes drilling into the Darkness's servant. Inara and Zaru stared at each other, stunned.

"Susan..." Inara began.

"I did this," Susan said slowly.

She remembered throwing the knife watching it sink into her cousin's chest and feeling nothing but satisfaction and relief. It sickened her but yet she felt no shame. It was a battle and she had won it, she had lived and she had saved her mum. That was enough. But that single blow had made this monster standing before her and how many had suffered b because of that? How many had died?

This was her mistake. Her problem to fix.

"And now I have to get rid of it."

"Yes lovely, grudges are always good but need I remind you there's a super-powered deranged witch running around?" Inara demanded.

Susan didn't even blink.

"I'll make it quick then."  
And before Zaru or Inara could stop her, Susan charged forwards with a cry.

Beaver looked slowly around, the battlefield suddenly illuminated by a lightning bolt's blighted light as the Queen Dragon roared overhead. He was shivering, trembling uncontrollably as it all hit him.

So many of his friends were dead, Bach's blank eyes staring up at him as his hands curled around the blades stuck through his gut. Great feathered forms littered the bloody field, the hawks and falcons losing as many as the woodlanders.

In the centre of the field a glowing jagged tear hovered, a doorway to another world as more monsters continued to spill out, ignoring the shell-shocked woodlanders and Nagas and falling on the witches' army. They killed without mercy, hags screaming as they were torn from limb to limb, minotaurs roaring as they fought to their lost breath, bloody foam spewing from their throats as they tumbled to the ground.

The Black Knight lay in a motionless heap on the icy ground, Aita's body a smoking blackened heap of bone. They were dead or incapacitated but that victory gave Beaver no joy, the price he had paid, the price they had all pay was too high, much, much too high.

"Who are these devils?"

Mamaru was at his side, his rapier stained with blood as Beaver stared at him, dazed, looking at the mouse through a haze of misery and exhaustion.

"I don't know," Beaver said gruffly as sky became land and land became sky, "I don't..."

The Queen Dragon screamed and her voice was like a hammer blow to his skull, Beaver stumbling as he looked around and saw nothing but death and twisted bodies. The ice-dragon answered with its own roar, the two behemoths still clashing violently as Tash's monsters tore into the ragtag remnants of Jadis and Aita's army, more and more of their minions fleeing as the battle died down to frantic duels, those stranded fighting for their lives as Tash's creatures swarmed them from all sides crushing them to the ground.

"I don't know."

His wife's face swam before his eyes and Beaver collapsed, Mamaru crying out as he scampered to help his friend.

. . . . . . . . . . .

Jason lowered his hands and water sizzled and spat, the ice floor melted halfway through as silence fell over the hall. Where the White Witch stood there was nothing but air and water and ice, not a single hair or ash left behind.

"Did you kill her?" Fernir asked.

Elias and the she-wolf let out identical snarls, enraged at having been thwarted. Jadis had been theirs, theirs to kill and theirs to finish their Running Death. Elias felt a brief second of sheer panic, wondering what to do, Marcos and Mary's face dominating his thoughts as they stared and pointed at him accusingly.

"Worms."

Jason whirled and Jadis rose from the icy floor as a pool of light that gathered shape and form as she moved.

"Like worms fighting the birds," the White Witch hissed, her body more magic than flesh, "Everything you throw against me is..."

"BAM!"

A single punch sending Jason flying, the Seeker smashing into the wall as Jadis laughed cruelly.

"Useless."

She whirled and the wolves lunged at her. Jadis threw up one hand, one of the wolves biting down on an arm that was all light. There was a blinding flash and the lupine was burned out of existence.

"STOP!" Elias yelled frantically, "STOP!"

He threw a fire orb at the witch but she gestured and the explosive folded it on itself, crumpling and disappearing into a dot of light as the wolves reluctantly backed away, eyes watching the mortal enemy warily, a measure of fear in their gaze. Jadis smiled and her teeth were like fangs in her mouth.

"Although I must thank you..."  
She stalked forwards still trailing the line of light that sprouted from her back and snaked off, twisting and winding along the corridors of her frozen fortress. The White Witch touched her cheek and it was swallowed by light, more flesh dissolving into pure power as she continued to change, growing stronger with each passing second.

"If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have become this strong..."

She touched the wall and it dissolved into water.

"... this powerful..."

She pointed at a wolf and with a yelp the lupine was changed, fur shrinking into skin as bones and organs grinded and shifted until a young man stood crouching on the ground looking around in a wild confusion.

"I'm a god," Jadis lifted her face to the sky and laughed, more flesh turning into magic, "The real queen of Charn."

She pressed her hand against the other wall and smirked at them.

"And I'm everywhere."

The fortress shook as Jadis's body stiffened, her eyes going blank. Elias and the wolves looked around wildly as light blazed from every span of ice. They yelped, blinded as they stumbled back. It took several seconds to blink the points of light from their eyes and what they saw next drew horrified gasps from their throats.

Jadis laughed at them, mocking them from every angle. There were a thousand of them, a thousand faces within the ice, the fortress and the queen now forged as one. She hovered inside the walls and ceilings and floors like ghosts, power burning from her body as the fortress stilled, cracks and walls reforming as the witch made her home whole once more.

"You will die here," Jadis promised, "This is your tomb."

She laughed, swimming through the ice, a thousand White Witches winding and floating past each other as the wolves let out low terrified growls, Elias almost dropping his bag of orbs as he stared around in stunned disbelief.

"I hope you like it."

And the thousand ghostly Jadis's raised her arm and the fortress came to life, massive ice spikes exploding from the walls as the wolves turned and ran for their lives leaving Elias and the she-wolf to face the witch's assault alone.

. . . . . . . . . . .

"QUEENIE!"  
Susan and Eustace clashed, chips of crystal flying as the sceptre and the crystal sword clashed again and again, Susan driven back by the sheer force of Eustace's blows.

Inara scrambled through the ice, snatching her fallen sword as she charged towards the fight, Zaru already in front of her.

Eustace threw a punch, spikes glittering from his knuckles and Susan cried out as they tore her cheek open. She staggered back, Eustace's sword raining down on her sceptre as she struggled to fend him off, pain almost blinding her.

"NO!"  
Zaru slammed into Eustace knocking him away as Susan snatched a dagger from its sheath and hurled it across the room. It flew in a streak of steel and light hitting Eustace dead in the chest as the possessed body stumbled, Zaru roaring as he clawed the boy across the arm, Eustace crying out as his sword fell from his hands and shattered against the hard icy floor.

"MOVE!"

Inara leapt through the air and slammed into the ice right before him, screaming as her eyes flashed silver. She stabbed him straight through the gut, twisting her sword as Eustace's black eyes widened.

Without stopping Inara ripped the sword free and swung at his neck but crystals grew on skin, a hard collar forming, protecting him as her sword bounced off, chipping the hard mineral but failing to crack the ring.

Shockwaves rolled up Inara's arm and she stumbled, Eustace surging forwards, claws sprouting from his fingertips.

"TWHIP!"

He reeled back, snatching at the silver arrow in his throat as Susan coolly shot him again, her second shaft drilling into his heart. But still Eustace refused to fall, crystals rippling over him forming an armour as he calmly tore the dagger and arrows from his body.

"Say if I give you fifty bucks would you please just drop dead?" Inara demanded wearily.

Eustace merely blinked, his crystal armour sprouting spikes and elaborate frills, his appearance reflecting the demon in his soul as the servant of the Great Darkness slowly took a step forwards.

Susan, Inara and Zaru tensed as Eustace held out his hands two crystal swords forming, growing from his skin before detaching themselves with an audible snap of shattering minerals.

"Well..." Zaru winced, "Bugger."

Eustace twirled his crystal swords with an elaborate flourish, his face unchanging even as more horns and spikes grew from his crystals, the boy armoured in a monstrous suit as intricate designs etched themselves into the green-blue crystal, faces contorted in howls of pain, demons laughing as they tormented their victims. The eye-in-the-eye symbol blossomed across his chest as silent figures raised shackles hands, screaming as demons tore them apart. The pictures were moving showing scenes of utter depravity as the blood drained from Susan's face.

"Well I'm sufficiently intimidated," Inara whispered, "Want to –"  
She never got a chance to finish her sentence as the ice floor beneath them buckled and writhed, surging up and connecting with ceiling as a sheer walls separated them and Eustace. A ghostly figure hovered in the ice, floating there as a cruel smile lit up her face.

Susan's jaws dropped as horrible memories of the How flooded her head. She remembered bitter disappointment she had in her own brother and Caspian, the mind-numbing terror at the sight of their old enemy and Lucy in danger.

"Jadis..." Susan whispered.

The White Witch smirked at her, trapped in the ice and a part of it.

"That name is no longer suited to me..."

Zaru choked as a dozen more witches appeared in the ice, all mirror copies of each other right down to the cruel and taunting twists of the lips. The thirteen ghosts of Jadis laughed, their voices echoing high and loud in the chamber.

Zaru looked to his left and his right and behind and all he could see were Jadis's face, flittering and swimming through the ice, the whole fortress suffused with her spirit.

"What... how?" Inara gasped.

"I am a god," Jadis hissed.

And the wall of ice shattered, shards flying at them like arrows and bullets. Susan yelped as her arm was cut open, dropping her bow as she snatched for her sceptre. A line of red light cut through the barrage of ice as Jadis's faces shrieked in rage, eyes bulging as the walls blew inwards adding to the deadly spray.  
"GO!" Susan screamed, "GO IF YOU WANT TO LIVE!"

Grabbing her bow and awkwardly juggling it with her sceptre as she ran, tripping and stumbling over the debris as the whole chamber threatened to collapse.

"RUN!" she roared again.

They burst through the open archway chased by a roaring plume of ice and frost as the walls buckled, the chamber toppling as Eustace was trapped in a crushing tomb of frozen water.

. . . . . . . . . . .

Elias hurled an orb into the rushing wall of spikes and it detonated, the scientist ducking as fire and ice lashed his skin. Without a sound he plunged through the crumbling wall and raced down the hall, the she-wolf roaring after him as the scientist fell to his knees, skidding across the floor and to Jason's side.

"WAKE UP!" he roared, shaking the downed man, "WAKE UP!"  
He slapped him and Jason's eyes fluttered open.

"Get off me," he muttered darkly.

"GET UP!" Elias roared at him. "NOW!"  
Jason pulled himself to his feet and pointed at the wall of ice rushing towards them, a crack running through the spikes and shattering the frost as Jadis's faces howled in fury.

Elias, Jason and the she-wolf looked all around them as Jadis's bodies floated in the ice, hands outstretched, reaching for them as the ice rippled, smoothing into pristine panes of glass-like perfection.

The she-wolf sniffed the air and growled.

"FIRE!" she roared.

"WHAT?"

Jets of burning light exploded from the ice, reflecting off the walls and bouncing around wildly as Jason and Elias scrambled for their lives, Jadis laughing as they ran. Elias tripped and it saved his life, magic scything through the air missing him by a mere breath.

"ELIAS!" Jason shouted.

He turned, white flames shooting from his hand and forcing the magic away as Elias stirred, gasping for breath.

"ORB!" the Seeker roared.  
"What?"

Before Elias could react Jason held out his hands and three fire orbs lifted up from Elias's bag, the scientist gaping in open bewilderment. Without hesitation the Seeker swung his hand down and all three orbs slammed hard into the ice.

"BOOM!"

The explosion pushed the magic away, flames flying as Jason wrapped his ruach around them, protecting the three from the blast. The ground beneath was cratered, splintering and falling apart as Jason stomped hard with his foot shattering the floor in a single blow.

The she-wolf yelped as they were tumbling down to the floor below Jadis screaming as they escaped.

"NO!" she roared.

They slammed hard into the floor, bruising themselves as Jadis's image flickered in the ice around, the White Witch instantly appearing as the floor became spikes. All three of them screamed in pain, pierced in a dozen places as their blood instantly froze on the floor.

"You think you can escape me?" Jadis roared.

Her ghosts merged into one massive face, eyes burning through the ice.

"I AM EVERYWHERE!" she bellowed, "I AM – "

"Annoying," Jason said coolly.

He hurled his dagger at the witch's face, the blade wreathed in his power. Jadis stared almost cross-eyed at the rushing weapon and screamed in pain as it slammed into the ice right between her eyes as power burned, sizzling as the witch's face writhed, her screams turning walls and ceilings into jagged blades.

"GO!" Jason yelled, "RUN!"

They turned and sprinted for their lives, ice moving like a living thing forming hands as they snatched at the ruach-sheathed blade embedded into the eye. The fingers melted as Jadis continued to scream, her eyes bulging inside her wraithlike head.

With a deafening yell she wrenched the dagger free and hurled it aside, glaring at her fleeing enemies.

"FALL!" she bellowed, "FALL!"  
The she-wolf pumped her legs, her paws pushing against the floor and propelling her forwards as she suddenly found herself running on thin air. Her golden eyes bulged in her scarred face as the ice simply vanished from under their very feet, all three suddenly hovering in the air.

Elias paled.

"No..."  
And they fell plummeting as a spear of ice shot up from the ground underneath. Elias's eyes bulged as he saw the point gleam, calling for his blood as his mouth opened in a wild, terrified scream.

.Hewasgoingto –

"BOOM!"

The ice shattered, sheared in two and his ribs slammed into the edge of the flattened ice, almost breaking them as he slid to the ground, his side a bruise of fire and agony.

"Say weren't you meant to have killed the witch?" Inara's familiar voice drawled.

He looked up and stared into Susan's worried face.

"Su – " he coughed, spluttering loudly, "Susan, you..."

"Later," Susan said with a soft smile.

Her face hardened.

"First we have to deal with her."

She helped her up, Elias's eyes boggling as he saw the sceptre she carried, his skin crawling as the blood-red rubies throbbed with light, the weapon filled with a malevolent life force that screamed for blood. Jason merely raised an eyebrow as Susan's eyes flicked towards him.

"You want a hug?" he demanded as Susan smirked.

"Later. We still have to deal with Jadis," the queen said calmly.

Jadis's face appeared before them, massive and monstrous as she screamed, bulging out of the ice.

"I WILL – "

Red light and white fire stabbed her face and the ice exploded, the witch shrieking as she re-emerged as a dozen ghostly bodies, flashing through the walls cursing and snarling at them.

"This is a spell," Susan said.

Her left eye flashed purple, Viola's blessing rising in her as a cold fire, her gaze piercing the dozen illusions and seeing nothing but ice.

"Where is she?" Susan demanded, "The real Jadis?"

"She's still up in the highest chamber," the she-wolf growled scenting her mortal enemy instantly.

Inside she was furious at how quickly the rest of her pack had run. Cowards all of them! Did they have no honour!

"Highest chamber?" Zaru demanded.

Elias's eyes widened.

"The room with the glowing ice... the chord connecting her," he smacked himself.

How could he have not made that connection before?  
"There's someone frozen in the ice! That's the source of her power!" Elias said in a garbling rush, "We have to sever it!"

"Frozen?"

Susan gaped at him as her dreams filled her remembering the palace of ice and the person entombed within, the person she could never make out before she woke up.

"Where is this place?" Susan demanded, "Take me there! Now!"  
Jadis screamed and spears of ice flew at them. They ducked running as Jadis appeared before them at every turn. Inara screamed as an ice hand shot out from the ground, latching onto her heel. Teeth chattering against the burning cold, Inara shattered the ice with a single blow of the sword.

Jadis screamed and magic flared, tongues of burning light lashing them as Jason and Susan sliced through her magic, white and red flying from their bodies as the whole fortress turned against them, the floor cracking and tumbling, disappearing behind them as they sprinted for the stairs.

"NOOOOO!  
The stairs cracked in two, split by an invisible axe as the ceiling collapsed burying the only way out. The group turned and Jadis howled with laughter as the fortress shuddered and a lump of ice grew from the floor, twisting and shimmering as it formed limbs and a face.

"Last chance to bow before me!" the Jadis-shaped Ice-Wraith snarled.

Her wand appeared in her crystalline hands, the point glowing ominously.

Susan slashed down with her sceptre, her fury and hate flying forwards in a burst of red as the Ice-Wraith and all the spectres in the walls laughed scornfully. The Ice-Wraith Jadis shrieked with laughter as red light sheared her form in two, both halves standing frozen to the ground as ghosts pointed and jeered and cackles.

"Pathetic!"  
"Fool!"

"Mortals!"

"NO!" the she-wolf howled.

The two broken halves of the Ice-Wraith shuddered and grew, crystals of frozen water shooting out from the cracked and splintered edges. Slim skeletal arms writhed in the air, thickening as ice water flowed as blood, skeins of frost forming frozen muscle and skin as the arms stilled and flexed.

Two Ice-Wraiths, each shaped and formed like Jadis, glared at them, the witch's wand clutched between the two. Their mouths opened revealing row upon row of needle fangs and they spoke the same word in a voice that shrieked like blizzard on the highest plains.

"Die!"

"DOWN!"

Like a cannon the wand shuddered and a colossal burst of light blasted forwards, the air itself shrieked and burned, ionising as the magic streaked forwards wreathed in envelope of violet flames. The fire and magic shot past they all hurled themselves to the side, yelping in pain as needles of ice stabbed their hands and arms.

"BOOM!"  
The magic smashed straight through the broken stairwell, ice simply vanishing as they were swallowed up by the light, the attack punching through the thick walls of the fortress, the Jadis Ice-Wraiths howling with laughter.

It surged through the air, flying just as two massive shapes plummeted from the skies grappling with each other, crying with lusty roars.

"GAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!"  
There was a piercing pained screech and one of the combatants was wiped out of existence, the magic surging into its body and tearing it apart in a blinding flash of light.

The Queen Dragon roared in triumph her icy doppelganger destroyed by its own mistress as Jadis, all of them, screamed in rage, her face contorted into a demon's mien, her pale skin flushing red and burning with it.

"HELP US!" Susan screamed.

The Queen Dragon whirled in mid-air and her red eyes widened, glaring at the tiny human who had dared talked to her. Susan rose to her feet, her back iron-strong, her eyes flinty as she met the dragon's gaze without flinching.

"As one queen to another I beseech you..." she said calmly as Jadis's faces screamed all around her.

Susan curtsied, dipping to the exact angle that one royal should bow to another. She straightened, her hair flapping wildlys in the strong snow-laced breeze that rushed in through the giant hole in the wall. The Queen Dragon's eyes narrowed.

"HELP US!" Susan thundered, raising her sceptre into the air, "JADIS HAS TO FALL!"

The Queen Dragon smiled, showing all her teeth in one dangerous grin.

"Uhhh... Queenie?" Inara began slowly.

With a roar the dragon pumped her wings and shot towards them as Jadis screamed, a thousand froze arms shot out from the outer walls, each clutching a spear of ice. Jadis shrieked and the air was suddenly a wall of shimmering rainbows and diamonds.

The Queen Dragon whipped her tail forwards and lightning exploded from her spikes, vaporising each and every icicle. She smashed into the side of the fortress, strong hind legs tearing into ice and finding purchase as she thrust one hand through the hole in the wall.

"GET ON!" she snarled.

Without hesitation Susan leapt up onto the scaly palm as the others gaped at her. Susan turned and stared down at them with an expectant look on her face, the Queen Dragon flexing her clawed fingers around her. The two Jadis-like Ice-Wraiths screeched and rushed forwards, long talons spurting from their fingertips.

"What are you waiting for?" Susan demanded, "An invitation?"

She pointed and a line of red light cut one of the Ice-Wraiths down. Tash's powers were still rushing through her, filling her head with fury and light as something alien seemed to exist with her inside her skin. But it would fade, such power... it couldn't last.

"HURRY!" the Queen Dragon snapped.

With a deafening screech, the hole her closed around hers like fanged maws, icicles glancing off her thick black scales as the others hurriedly leapt onto the dragon's hand, putting their lives in her hands. Jason pointed and his ruach surged forwards tearing the wall apart as the Queen Dragon bunched her muscles and with a deafening cry launched herself from the fortress wall.

"TO THE TOP!" Susan screamed as the Queen Dragon rocketed up into the air, her precious cargo clutched inside her hands.

Zaru yelped, clinging as tight as he could to the dragon's scales. For a brief second the whole fortress twisted into Jadis's face, screaming at them as a wild blizzard tore the field apart.

. . . . . . . . . . .

Beaver looked up and gasped as he saw the Queen Dragon fighting against the gale, lightning striking at the fortress. All movements on the battlefield stopped everyone turning their gaze to the sky and the flying dragon.

A giant bolt of lightning plummeted down from the grey heavens like a great none blue hammer and the fortress was the anvil on which it struck. They were all blinded, dazed as the whole roof of the fortress was reduced to nothing more than melted ice, the entire top floor exposed to the world.

In the centre of it all the giant chunk of ice and the prisoner it entombed within blazed like the globe of a lighthouse, a beacon to all those who dared to challenge Jadis the White Witch.

"CRUSH HER!" Beaver screamed, his cry echoed by hundreds of others all around him, "DESTROY HER!"  
With hope in their heart and eyes they all watched as final fight began.

. . . . . . . . . . .

"GO!"  
The Queen Dragon swooped low, her hands opening and all of them, Susan, Elias, Jason, Inara, Zaru and the she-wolf dropped to the icy floor.

"BREAK THAT ICE!" Susan roared.

The Queen Dragon shoved her hands forwards and lightning flew, spearing the glowing chunk of ice. The ice throbbed angrily, sparks charring its surface before it sucked up every last volt and in a burst of pure power hurled it straight back at the draconian queen. The Queen Dragon was hit straight in the throat and she plummeted from the sky, careening into the side of the fortress before slamming to earth with a ground-shaking thud.

Susan blanched but gritted her teeth.

"GO!" she boomed.

All six of them skidded across the ice, Jason hurled a handful of ruach at the glowing ice.

"NO!"  
The ruach was caught by a bare hand and quenched as the fingers were curled into an iron-hard fist.

"You dare challenge me?"  
Jadis emerged from a pool of light before the frozen prisoner, not a ghost nor an Ice-Wraith but the real her, a mesh of light and flesh as the White Witch continued to become magic itself.

"No," sarcasm dripped like acid from Inara's voice, "We're storming your pretty little castle because we want to have a tea party with you."

Jadis roared and slammed her wand into the ground and a howling, shrieking, slicing blizzard swept the icy plateau, threatening to push them off the edge.

"JASON!" Susan yelled, her voice struggling against the winds.

Jason clapped his hands together and a ring of ruach, of wild white flames encircled them, jerking and flaring spectacularly as they struggled to hold against the winds. In the eye of the fire there was calm, the six of them stared at each ashen-faced.

"We have to break the bond between Jadis and whoever's inside the ice," Elias said flatly, "That's the source of her power."  
"Are you sure?" Susan demanded.

Elias nodded.

"Are you let's-bet-our-lives-on-it sure?" Inara asked blithely.

Elias glared at her.

"It's not going to break easily," the she-wolf snarled, "It's a line of power."

"We have power," Jason snapped, eyes flicking towards the ring of fire that kept Jadis's attacks at bay.

She launched wave after wave of magic, shrieking as they failed to breach Jason's defences.

"Well there's only two of us with magical powers," Zaru pointed out quickly, "The rest of us will have to work as defence and distraction."

Inara smiled, her eyes flashing silver even as bone-numbing fatigue rolled through her. Elias and the she-wolf glanced at each other and nodded, ready to fight to the death.

Susan and Jason stared at each other.

"Can we do it?" Susan asked, twisting the sceptre around nervously inside her hand.

Jason grunted.

"Doubt?" he snorted, "Are we going to let a woman beat us?"

"Hey!" Inara yelped, "That's sexis – "

The ruach was torn apart as Jadis leapt from the flames, screaming as a golden sword appeared in her hands.

"GO!" Inara yelled.

The line of light writhed and thrashed like a snake connecting Jadis to the icy tomb that still hid the source of the witch's power.

"CLANG!"  
Inara was driven back a few steps as she clashed with the witch, Jadis swinging her wand at the half-Naga. Inara ducked and Susan lashed out, twisting her sceptre around the witch's wand. Jadis roared and Susan smirked.

"You call yourself a queen?" Susan spat.

Red light flared and Jadis was thrown back, screaming as tendrils of red energy wracked her body. Her wand flew from her fingers and Zaru lunged forwards, catching it with his teeth and with a jerk of his head hurled it over the edge of the tower. Jadis screamed and sliced at him but the leopard leapt back, dodging her sword as Elias and the she-wolf rushed forwards.

Susan and Jason looked at each other.

"Give me one of your arrows," the Seeker said suddenly.

"What?" Susan blinked.

"Do it!" Jason snapped.

She pulled a silver arrow from her quiver and tossed it towards him as Elias fired an orb at Jadis, the White Witch swatting the explosive out of the air. It hit the ground and exploded, half the floor collapsing as Jadis laughed and rose to her feet.

She slashed the air and arcs of light flew from her sword, all of them leaping and dodging as Jadis roared in rage.

She surged forwards and Inara leapt, her eyes silver as she slammed hard into the witch. Jadis punched her in the face, Inara reeling back ducking just in time as the White Witch slashed at her. The warrior kicked the witch in the shin, Jadis screaming in pain as Inara slammed an open palm into her nose. Jadis was blinded by pain as Inara smirked and surged forwards.

"INARA NO!" Susan yelled.

The girl chopped at the chord of light protruding from Jadis's back and as soon as steel touched light, Inara screamed, power roaring through her like an electric shock.

"INARA!"  
Elias flew at her, knocking her away and breaking the connection as Inara slumped to the ground, her eyes wide as she clutched weakly at her chest.

"Hurts..." she moaned.

Jadis straightened, a haughty look on her face as more flesh dissolved into magic, the witch more light than actual body.

"Pathetic," she hissed, "Just like an insect. And like an insect..."  
She flicked her hands and a giant chunk of ice rose into the air, hovering above Elias and Inara as nausea punched Susan in the gut.

"You should be crushed."  
Jason was bent over the lone arrow in his hand, white fire pouring from his fingers and twining around the shaft, the Seeker imbuing the single shaft with every drop of power left inside his body. He grunted as a trickle of blood poured from his nose, sweat rolling down his face as the arrow buckled in his hand like a living thing, struggling to contain all the power now thrust upon it.

"INARA! ELIAS!" Zaru roared, "NO!"  
Jadis laughed and lowered her hands and the –

"ARGH!"  
A flash of black fur struck Jadis from behind as razor fangs snapped together. Blood splattered the ice and Jadis fell to her knees, one leg a mess of blood and torn tendon. Fernir roared and leapt at her throat but all he bit was light and magic, the young wolf screaming as he was hurled backwards, power roaring through him.

"FERNIR!" the she-wolf howled.

Jadis screamed and the ice block fell, Inara and Elias already gone as the white witch writhed on the ground, screeching in pain as her legs began to dissolve into light.  
"NOW!" Fernir screamed.

"ELIAS! NO!" Susan charged forwards as the two wolves and Elias charged, intent only on Running Death and their deluded quest for honour.

"ELIAS! GIVE ME AN ORB!" the she-wolf howled as they ran at the White Witch.

The scientist held out the orb and the she-wolf smiled.

"Sorry youngsters," the scarred alpha female winked at them, "This is my Running Death."

"What..." Fernir began.

"Fernir... look after the pack."

In swift fluid movements the she-wolf snatched the fire orb out of Elias's hand, jamming it between her jaws and without warning slammed hard into Fernir, knocking him to the ground. She turned and threw herself at Elias, tripping him up before whirling and sprinting straight at Jadis.

The White Witch was rising, her injured leg becoming magic as every last inch of flesh began to disappear.

"AWWWOOOOO!"  
A muffled howl ripped itself from the she-wolf's throat and she slammed into the White Witch. The orb detonated, sheets of flames washing over wolf and witch. All of them were forced away by the sheer heat as tears fell on Elias's cheeks.

"NOOO!" Fernir screamed, beside himself, "TAIGA!"

But Taiga, the she-wolf was gone, ashes floating in the wind as the flames slowly cleared leaving behind a White Witch that was all light and magic and in great pain. She howled with pain, the cord of power thickening as she seemed to swell, growing larger and more terrifying.

"You..." she hissed.

She flickered, the flames having affected her badly as for a brief second she ceased to exist.

"I WILL KILL YOU!" she roared, dark eyes, the only thing that was wasn't blazing with light, bulging.

She swung her sword and magic flared, Susan struggling to cut through it with bursts of red energy from her sceptre. Tash's power was waning, the initial high and strength fading as the queen grunted, sweat rolling down her face.

"DIE!" Jadis howled.

She slapped the ground with a monstrous hand and the ice heaved and bucked, all of them flying through the air. They landed hard, crunching into the ice as Jadis bellowed and instantly walls of ice sprung up between them, frozen coffins that soon became Iron Maidens as spikes erupted from the walls.

"DIE!"  
Zaru took a deep breath as the walls began to close in on them. Susan screamed and thrust her sceptre into the ice, red energy firing but the ice merely cracked, refusing to break. Standing in the centre of his spiked ice prison, Jason was swaying, greying as the silver shaft was wrapped completely in light, becoming a blazing barb.

"JADIS!" Zaru boomed.

The giant glowing witch swung towards him, black eyes bulging crazily.

"I HAVE THE DEPLORABLE WORD!" the leopard screamed, "RELEASE US OR I'LL USE IT!"  
Jadis stopped, her body twitching as she stared at the cat and for the first time fear entered her eyes. The ice walls stopped their movements as Elias sagged in his prison, a weeping Fernir by his side.

"You're bluffing."

Zaru stared up at her, smiling.

"Try me," he hissed, "You wanted the word? I can give it to you, it's – "

"NO!"  
The ice walls fell as Jadis recoiled, screaming.

"IMPOSSIBLE! YOU CAN'T! THE WORD IS MINE! MINE!"  
Zaru stood tall and strong, smirking as Jadis flailed, punching the ground as she roared helplessly.

"Princess."  
Susan turned and Jason was clutching an arrow of ruach and light.

"Take your best shot," he said flatly.

Susan smiled and sheathed her sceptre in the strap across her back, taking her bow and stringing it deftly. Her right eye became gold and brown like an owl's as she looked at Jadis carefully, the skill and knowledge of the Hunt flowed through her.

"Give it to me," she said softly.

Jason handed her the arrow and Susan placed it to string, bending her bow as she took aim.

Inara stood with Elias and Fernir, the three tensed and ready to attack as Jadis screamed at Zaru, the leopard defiant in the face of her rage.

"YOU!" the White Witch sprouted ice spikes and horns as she howled, a figure of light wreathed in a demon's armour, "YOU TOOK WHAT IS MINE! YOU THIEF! YOU FILTHY LITTLE THIEF!"

Overcome with hatred, she swung at Zaru, her body twisting and Susan had her opening, her gold eye blazing. Without blinking, without hesitation or even thinking she let go of the string. The light-filled arrow blazed through the air as Jadis surged at Zaru, the chord stretching tight.

Susan smiled and knew the witch was dead.

A split second later the arrow struck that connection, that link between the White Witch and the icy tomb and with a burst of light sheared the line in two. Jadis whirled, a scream on her lips as she saw the connection break.

"NOOOO–"

And just that like she vanished, collapsing in on herself, boiling away and blinking out like a burnt-out light as her scream was cut-off as though sliced by scissors. And it was done, all the suffering, all the deaths, all the battles and wars and the centuries of oppression and tyranny... it was over. In the silence that followed the arrow, smoking and charred, hit the floor with a loud clear clang.

Inara cleared her throat as they all stared at each other and around in numb tiredness, Jason sitting heavily on the ground.

"Well, Ding dong," Inara cleared her throat, "The witch is – "

"Impressive."

They all whirled and looked to the chunk of ice that was now devoid of light, the person within as enigmatic as ever. Eustace and Jill looked at them, the girl smirking as the boy merely blinked.

"This world is done," he said calmly, "We shall leave you now."

"What..." Susan gritted her teeth, another arrow on her string, "You... you..."

Jason pointed at two agents of the Great Darkness, white fire gathering laboriously at his fingertips but before he could even think of attacking, it blinked out of existence.

"No..." Inara tried to move but she fell to the ground, Zaru instantly darting towards her as Elias and Fernir could only watch, numbed.  
Eustace touched the icy prison and it cracked in two. Susan froze as she caught a glimpse of a small form, a flash of auburn hair. Her eyes widened, the breath rushing from her lungs.

"Toodles!" Jill smirked.

Eustace reaches into the remnants of the ice, pulling the figure within out. Jill clapped her hands and a tear was opened up in the air, a scar of light that burned. She stepped into the light and out of the world as Eustace, cradling the prisoner in his arms, moved forwards.

Susan snapped out of her paralysis.

"NO!" she screamed, "COME BACK! COME BACK!"  
She fired and the arrow punched into the back of Eustace's head but he barely reacted, hugging the prisoner tight as he leapt through the portal. With an anguished scream Susan raced towards the tear but before she could took more than a dozen steps the scar sealed itself shut and there was nothing left.

"No..."  
Susan fell to her knees, her bow falling to the ground as she stared numbly at the spot at where Eustace and Jill had disappeared.

"Susan..." Elias was beside her, hugging her, "Susan... what..."  
She turned to him, tears pouring down her face.

"I failed," she throatily, "I failed... no... I failed..."  
Fernir cleared his throat slowly, his eyes wide.

"Did you know that girl? That prisoner? That source of Jadis's powers."  
"Yes," Susan's voice was like a twig, brittle and ready to snap at any moment," Yes..."  
She buried her face in her hands, body-wrenching sobs ripping painfully from her throat as she shook, screaming and weeping.

"It's... it's..."  
She laughed wildly.

"It was Lucy."

. . . . . . . . . . .

Jadis the White Witch, Ruler of the Woodlands, the Mistress of Winter was dead.

Aita, Lady of the Green Kirtle, Ruler of the Under Lands, the Shackler of the Nagas was also dead.

They had won but the price had been high.

The King Phoenix was dead.

Bach was dead.

Balefur was dead.

Taiga, the she-wolf, was dead.

Redfern was dead.

Mrs. Beaver was dead.

Aclepius was dead.

Of the army that Caspian had led to battle at the fortress of ice, only a little over a half had survived. The wolf pack was scattered, Fernir having left in the dead of night to search for his brothers and sisters, still grieving for all those he had lost. The Nagas had lost most of their clan but Najash in a rare spot of bright light had survived, stubbornly clinging onto life when she should've bled to death long ago.

So many had died, lying bloated and twisted on the thawing frozen fields before a fortress that was crumbling into water. And that didn't even being to include the women and children that had been killed by Jadis's raid on the village and thousands of Nagas that had been executed by Aita and the Black Knight.

The Black Knight that Susan now knew was her brother.

It had been a horrible shock and a cruel irony to come down from the heights of the tower and find Edmund, lying amidst the twisted and smoking ruins of the armour that had shackled him, sleeping peacefully. She had fell to her knees and cradled him, weeping and stroking his hair as the others had stood around her, too tired and numbed to even smile.

She had lost Lucy but she had gotten her brother back.

The Lord Giveth and Lord Taketh away.

Somebody must've really loved the irony.

"You okay?"

Susan turned.

"No... not really," she said quietly.

The memory of Lucy's limp body in Eustace's clutches made her want to throw up.

"At least you got your brother back," Inara said gently, touching her arm, knowing instantly what was wrong.

Susan smiled bitterly.

"I had her. She was there and I let them take her!" Susan bagged her head against the wall, "Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!"

"Okay..." Inara gently grabbed her head and pulled her away, "I think we all realise by now how beating yourself up is counter-productive so... stop. Just stop, okay? You'll find her again and when that happens..."  
"I'll rescue her," Susan vowed.

They had sat down and talked for hours about all the things they had gone through in this world and all the others, secrets came out, feelings and thoughts, every drop of fear and poison cleansed out of them.

Susan had listened in horror and sorrow as Jason told them flatly and with brisk economical words about his family and his past. She had listened with hope and a smile on her face as he told them how he had learnt to control his powers.

They were his anchor. His purpose and his meaning. The glare he had given them all when he explained it had frozen any teasing that could've spilled from their lips.

Zaru's story was swifter, Susan going cold as she realised how close the Great Darkness had come to winning the Deplorable Word. She had hugged the leopard and kissed his head, eternally grateful that he had chosen to fight with and for her.

Susan had shuddered as Inara told them about the silver tree and Aita's enchantment, fury had coursed through her as the girl had described Peter's capture and torture, the queen half-wanting to resurrect the damn witch just to kill her again. She had wept as Inara had told them, pale-faced and trembling about all the Nagas that had lost their lives.

Edmund had helped her do all that and even though Susan knew he was not to blame, that he had been enchanted she knew her brother would not see it that way. It had take him a long, long time to get over his previous alliance with Jadis and his betrayal and this... what Aita did, Susan feared it would undo all of that.

Damn Aita.

Her own story had been punctuated by many gasps, Zaru's eyes bulging as he had realised that Susan had made a pact with Tash himself. The screams and furious arguments that had followed had almost deafened her. But some of the tale she kept to herself, the Great Darkness and his beginnings as Gavin... she was still struggling to deal with that, to trying and understand the Great darkness was human, that it was trying to _save _the worlds. She knew she should talk but something held her tongue for now. She had also kept Caspian's healing to herself. There were just some things the others _did not _(as much as they thought it was their business) need to know.

Elias had been short with his words but they had heard enough to understand what he'd been acting so strange.

Susan grimaced as she remembered the 'experiments' he'd been forced to endure. Inara almost dying, the people tearing each other apart and Mary... and Marcos.

They had tried to talk to him, tried to tell him it wasn't his fault but the scientist stubbornly refused to listen, his guilt compounded by his failure to kill himself in killing Jadis and Taiga's selfless sacrifice.

They had been broken up and they had learnt and endured a lot. They had grown, they had suffered, they had prevailed and become stronger than ever.

And despite her loss, despite the darkness Susan couldn't help but smile. They were back and the Great Darkness better watch out.

"Do you think we need a name?" Inara said idly.

Susan blinked at her.

"What?"  
"You know I mean we're pretty much a group of superheroes right now," Inara said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "We should give ourselves a cool name."

Susan stood and rubbed her temples.  
"I'm going to see the others," she said quickly, pushing past Inara as the girl smirked.

"Think about it!" she called as Susan hurried away, "THINK!"

. . . . . . . . . . .

"You're up," Jason said without turning.

"Been up for a while," Peter said dryly, looking pale and shaky.

His whole body was trembling, struggling to deal with the whole battery of powers, new and old, racing through him. He didn't know what Aita had done to him exactly but he could guess. She had somehow managed to reach into him and wrench his first Gift, the power to absorb, to the forefront, opening him up until he was like a sinkhole in the ocean draining everything, drinking in every power on the battlefield, ripping it out of them and taking into himself. His body had almost failed, burning up from the inside as it had tried to take them all in.

Peter shuddered as he remembered his heart mashing itself against his ribs, how close it had come to failing and how close he had been to death.

"Are you alive?"

"Obviously, I'm standing and talking aren't I?" Peter muttered.

"Good," Jason raised his arm, "Because Susan might've cried if you died and then I'd really have to kill you."

Peter rolled his eyes as the Seeker pointed at the ground.

"BOOM!"  
His ruach exploded forwards and carved a rude hole in the ground. The woodlanders instantly scurried forwards, dumping the charred and twisted bodies of Jadis's army into the hole before Jason swept his hands around, invisible shovels piling dirt and filling the mass grave up.

"Want me to help?" Peter asked, feeling all the powers in his veins.

They were screaming to be unleashed, begging to be used. He could feel his original Gift burning in him like a sun, forming cages and a thousand little compartments each containing the other Gifts and powers and everything else he'd stolen. Some sat quietly, waiting to be used, others writhed and threw themselves at their bonds trying to break free and fly.

He felt it all. Siren's song echoed in him as Volkov's storm raged, crackling fiercely. Karen's Gift was slumbering, dormant in a world with no computers or machinery. Kage's stealth shimmered in and out of existence as Gaspar's knowledge, a book in his mind, waited to be used.

And there was more.

Aita's green flames flared and raged, burning with intense heat and then nothing but light ready to be used and shaped. He could feel the bitter cold of a dead winter's night and the glaring ray of a golden sun, he knew words and spells that could cause pain and bitter herbs that could kill in an instant.

Peter felt lost, drowning in a hundred little fragments, each strangers in his mind. He shuddered, swaying on the spot as dozens of voices, disjointed, fragments, yelled at him, drowning him as he struggled to remember who he was.

"BAM!"  
"OW!"  
Peter rubbed the back of his head.

"Snap out of it!" Jason growled, knowing exactly what was happening, "Learn to control yourself!"  
Peter grumbled before falling silence.

"Is Susan..."  
"She's fine," Jason said.

Peter cleared his throat.

"Inara?" he said being careful to sound casual.

Jason looked at him with eyes that were too uncomfortably sharp.

"What?" Peter said defensively.

"She's also fine," Jason said dryly.

Peter nodded, rubbing his hands together as he looked at the bleak field they were using to bury their enemies.

"Mind if I help?" he asked.

"Knock yourself out," Jason muttered, "And hopefully soon."  
Peter ignored him and drew one of his powers into him. Green flames flicked out from his fingers like a whip, slicing into the earth as he began to carve fresh graves to dump their enemies in.

. . . . . . . . . . .

Caspian opened his eyes and sat up with a gasp, clutching at his head as he shuddered violently remembering the madness that had consumed him so completely.

He remembered... he remembered... he remembered _everything._

He remembered talking to Mallory, remembered his body being taken over by a monster that had made him hurt the psychic and Susan.

He clenched his fists and remembered feeling her blood on his hands, the terror he'd felt as he saw his own blade pierce her through and through.

"Susan..."

In a dark inexorable wave the memories continued to come, burning and eating him away like acid.

He remembered Eustace ripping the interloper out and him plunging into madness. He remembered stumbling, a stranger in an even stranger land, lost and crushed by the weight of the curse that had festered in him like a cancer.

He remembered Mallory and Gaspar inside his head, forcing the darkness back and building a wall to keep him sane.

Caspian clutched his head, fiery knives stabbing deep into his brain as guilt clenched his gut.

He remembered Aita's cruel laugh as she'd torn the walls down and the madness came rushing back.

He remembered tearing enemies and allies apart, laughing as they died.

And through it all he remembered her.

He remembered Susan, remembered the fire in her eyes and the cold determination on her face as she faced him in battle, blades clashing as she fought him to a standstill. Even though his memories were fuzzy, he could still see her clearly, beautiful and resplendent, powerful and strong.

Aslan help him, he loved her. Even though he was unworthy to even look at he, he loved her.

She had rescued him. Not once but twice, plunging fearlessly into madness itself to save his life. Guilt and shame and anguish tore him apart as he remembered seeing her in the darkness in his mind, glowing like an angel, sweetness in her voice and face as she sang for him, calling him to the light, salvation for his soul.

He... he didn't deserve her. He didn't deserve her or her love. But...

"You're up."

He looked up and stared into her blue eyes. A part of him, the helpless romantic that he took great pains to hide couldn't help but notice they were fathomless pools of silver-flecked blues, the light played in them bringing out every imaginable shade of blue and every emotion. Steel-blue for her strength, for the sword that hid itself behind beauty and silk. Sea for her anger, churning and roaring as she faced her enemies. And light, glorious sky blue for her love and her compassion.

Caspian loved her. Loved every part of her, the queen, the woman, the mother, the sister. He didn't deserve her but if she was foolish enough to love him, he would treasure her forever.

And that was his vow.

"How are you?" Susan said gently.

She was unsure of what to do, what to say. What should she say? What should she do?

"Never better," Caspian smiled.

And Susan felt her heart skip a beat at that open, lazy grin. She struggled to hide her blush, twisting her hands nervously.

She froze as she felt his warm hands on her face, making her look at him properly.

"Thank you," he breathed, "Thank you."

There was so much that needed to be said, so much left unsaid but in those two words everything was finished. It was behind them. His madness, her sacrifices to save him... everything, it was all forgiven. There was no need for guilt or thanks or remembered prices because Susan knew given the circumstances he would do exactly the same thing for her. Because she loved him and he loved her and that...

It made her smile to think of it.

And that was enough.

But...  
Susan took a deep breath.

"Caspian..." her voice caught and Caspian frowned, "Do you think... all this... us... it's too much?"

And though Caspian had stared down armies and monsters and assassins and Aslan knew what else he knew true fear for the first time.

"What?" he forced himself to choke out.

"No!" Susan instantly knew what he was thinking, "No! Not that but... the first time we met it was only weeks and that was in the middle of a war. And at Persephone and now this... it's been one bout of drama and almost-death after another. And I think..."

She stopped, thinking about what she was going to say next and almost laughed. Aslan help her she was going to sound like a proper English-woman, laughable after all that they had been through, after she had given herself to him wholly and without qualms. But she needed this, there was too much going on, too many disasters, too many demons she had to fight. And Caspian... sometimes it scared her how easily he got under her skin, how strong the fire and the charge were between them. As a Queen of the Golden Age, she'd been courted a thousand times over but never had she felt like this before. All of her so-called wiles, all of her walls and shields were stripped bare before him. He was her drug and her drink, he made her laugh more than she had ever laughed, made her fly and it was terrifying her.

She was a queen and a general and she needed control and with him... she was in freefall and she loved it.

"I need time. We need time," Susan shook her head, angry at the tears that came into her eyes, "We can't rush back to where we were. We need to slow down. We need to know each other better. We need... we need..."  
"Okay."

Susan blinked.

"WHAT?"

Caspian shrugged.

"What I can't be reasonable?" the king smirked, "If you want to slow down then that's fine with me. I've lost you too many times before and if this is what you need, what we need then I'm willing to take all of eternity and beyond."

Susan couldn't help but smile and laugh.

"And besides," Caspian had a wicked light in his eyes, "I'm afraid I wasn't too honourable with you before. A proper lady and a queen should be... _courted_."

There was a smouldering fire in his eyes that made Susan tremble like a girl before a man for the first time. She clutched her chest willing her heart to stop as fire rose to her face.

Caspian swung his legs out of bed and stood, devilishly handsome despite his dishevelled hair and his ill-fitting sleeping clothes. He moved and the neckline of his shirt dipped showing off his muscled chest as Susan unconsciously cleared her throat. She watched him with wild eyes as he move, briefly and seriously considering just throwing it all to hell and skipping the courtship and getting straight to the good part.

She flushed magnificently at that stray thought, grimacing as she wondered how Inara would react to that.

"Probably encourage me," Susan muttered shaking her.

Caspian took her hand and smiled broadly at her slightly shocked face.

He wasn't bitter or angry or sad. She loved him and she had faced madness and death itself to free him. He had no doubts about their love, their bond, it had survived hell already and he knew, he just knew with all of his mind, heart and soul that they were meant to be. And if she needed time, she need to slow down to be secure in that then Caspian would give it to her. He would give the world to her to prove his love.

He touched her fingers to his lips and smiled at the tremble that ran through her body.

"I am King Caspian the Tenth of Narnia," he said with his most courtier manners, "And who do I have the immense pleasure of meeting?"

Susan smiled.

"Queen Susan the Gentle," she whispered.

"I am delighted to meet you," Caspian bowed over her hand, "And I hope my lady would not be adverse to a walk with a handsome stranger later?"

Susan smiled demurely.

"Of course not."

. . . . . . . . . . .

"You know two more days of this and we might have to classify you officially as emo."

Elias looked up and blinked as he saw Caspian, Zaru and Inara standing before him. The scientist flinched and looked away, writing roughly on the parchment before him with vicious, violet strokes.

"You smell," Zaru said helpfully.

Elias hadn't eaten, sleep or bathed since the final fight with the witches. He'd been too consumed by his own perceived failures and guilt, scrabbling to find a way forwards. They had all talked to him at one point or another but he had rebuffed them all with silence and cold looks but they were stubborn if nothing else.

"You're up," Elias snapped glaring at Caspian, "Shouldn't you be with Susan?"

"Haven't you heard?" Inara said wickedly.

Caspian flushed.

"They're daaaattttiiinnnnggg," she practically sang the last word as Zaru laughed loudly.

Caspian glared at them both before turning to the scientist.

"You can't do this."

"Why not?" Elias said belligerently, "It's my life."

"Marcos and Mary didn't die because of you," Caspian said abruptly.

Elias glared at him.

"I was the one who stabbed them. I was the one who twisted the blade inside Marcos's gut and watched him bleed to death."

"He was a monster!" Zaru snapped, "He forced you to kill Mary. It was her life or your own! It was instincts! That doesn't make you a monster, it makes you human!"

"I promised her," Elias said stubbornly, "I promised her she would live and I killed her."

He smiled bitterly.

"Then I killed Marcos," he said bitterly, loathing tinging each and every one of his words.

"Marcos deserved to die!" Inara argued, her fists clenching as she longed to shake him, "Look at what he did to his prisoners! You destroyed the darkness when you killed him! You – "

Elias's eyes flashed and a scowl contorted his face.

"If this is a really bad attempt at a pep talk then I don't want it," Elias growled, he punched his quill through the parchments, his whole body shaking, "LEAVE ME ALONE!"  
Inara and Zaru looked to Caspian helplessly and the king sighed before squaring his shoulders. He reached out trying to touch the scientist but he flinched, moving away from him.

Caspian had come to hold Elias in extremely high regard, looking to the man as he had looked to Doctor Cornelius as an advisor, as a teacher and an old and dear friend.

"Elias... I know something about guilt," Caspian said gently trying to pull him back from teh brink of despair and self-destruction, "I feel guilty for failing my people in Narnia and in Persephone and here. I feel guilty for not being able to stop the madness and almost killing Susan so many times but you know what I've learnt?"

The king sighed heavily, his mind swirling with all that he had endured and suffered through.

"If you allow that guilt to take you over then you might as well be dead. You stop living, you start doubting and obsessing and soon there's nothing left but a shell. You need to accept it and not let it consume you because if you do..." Caspian stopped, struggling with his emotions, "You doom yourself."

Elias narrowed his eyes as Caspian stopped, flushing as he realised just how much of himself he had exposed. He looked at the scientist and blinked as the man let out a harsh barking laugh.

"Thank you for wasting air on me but I've got work to do," Elias said roughly.

Caspian flinched, hurt as Inara sucked in an astonished breath, her eyes flashing silvers. Ignoring them all Elias pulled out a fresh sheaf of parchment and placed it onto the smooth rock he was using as his table. He turned his back resolutely on them as Zaru let out a low warning growl, hackles rising as he glared at one of his closest friends. Elias didn't even react, putting quill to paper

"Now if you'll excuse me..." he said coldly.

Caspian sighed.

"I really didn't want to do this..." he shook his head, "Inara?"

"What?"

Before Elias could even react a loop of rope fell over his body, Inara yanking sharply as the woven chord pinned his arms to his side, trapping him.

"INARA!" Elias thundered, "What the hell?"

"You. Are. Going. To. Eat," Zaru barked out each word, Elias flinching at each syllable "We can't stop you from being an idiot but we can certainly stop you from starving yourself!"

Caspian produced a bowl of rough porridge and a spoon. With a dangerous teeth-filled smile he scooped up a spoonful of the hot food and held it out to the scientist.

"Now..."  
Elias glared at him as Inara and Zaru glared back at him, fed up with his temper. Caspian's grin merely grew.

"Open wide."

. . . . . . . . . . .

Edmund's eyes fluttered open and he felt like he was waking from a long, deep sleep.

"Peter..."

He frowned and looked to his left.

"Su..."

He felt lost, dazed, huge gaps in his memory. He remembered being in Eustace's house and the painting of the Narnian ship then...

Smoke and darkness and screams and...

Nothing.

"Where am I?" he rasped.

Peter and Susan looked at each other and Edmund frowned in confusion, the last time he had seen his sister she was being her normal moody, dramatic self, picking a fight with Peter for no other reason than pure spite. But the woman who stood before him now was battle-scarred and ready as finely honed and bright as a battle sword, proud and unbending. She was once more the queen Edmund knew so well but still so much more.

Edmund was known for being the perceptive and quickest of all his family, an excellent change of character and sharp and astute. And in one glance he knew that Susan was older and as much as a warrior as him or Peter.

"What happened?" he said flatly, "Where's Lu?"

Susan flinched, guilt flooding her face as Peter sucked in a breath, looking at Susan sharply.

"Ed..." Susan licked her lips, nervous, "There's a lot of things you need to know..."  
And with one last look at Peter, she began to speak as Edmund's eyes grew wider and wider.

. . . . . . . . . . .

"So you're Elias."

Elias turned and Edmund looked at him squarely, pale and dishevelled, his mind whirring with all that he learnt. He couldn't believe it, Narnia, his world and all the others out there... and Lucy... all in the clutches of the Great Darkness. Edmund felt sick, all footing and balance lost stuck in a nightmare he could not wake from.

"Edmund right?" Elias frowned.

"Su wanted me to talk to you," Edmund said without preamble.

Edmund was much better than subtlety than Peter or Lucy, both blunt and obvious in their own ways. In wiles and wit only Susan could match him, the two often delighting in the convoluted games of diplomacy and power struggles. But now was no time for manipulation or sly words, this man needed his help.

Elias flushed.

"I don't want to hear anything you have to say," Elias snapped, "Nothing you can –"

"You're probably guilty you know."  
Elias froze.

"What?" he looked up at the young king, genuinely stunned.

"Mary. Marcos. You killed them, you betrayed them and if you believe you're guilty I believe you," Edmund said gently.

Elias sat down heavily not expecting anyone to actually agree with him.

"So the question is what are you going to do about it?" Edmund pressed on.

He looked at the older man with pity, out of everyone only Edmund knew what it was like to have life and blood on his hands, what it felt like to be a traitor and betray all that he knew and loved. None of the others had to shoulder his burden and none of them could even begin to imagine the sickening guilt that infected the soul like a virus.

"I heard about this Running Death nonsense," Edmund said as Elias gaped at him, "It's not enough."

He laughed.

"You think one grand gesture can solve everything? You think killing one person takes all that away?"

He remembered the first battle of Beruna where he had hurled himself at Jadis all by himself, believing with all of his heart that stopping her and sacrificing himself for his brother would remove all the guilt and the shame. It was only after, much, much after in the lonely privacy of his own tent that Elias realised it had done nothing to wash the dark film of shame from his body. It had still clung to him, sickening him.

"You want redemption?" Edmund said calmly.

He was known as the wisest of the four royals, the boy-king who had grown up the fastest and the oldest, the mediator, the deliberator. His subjects had come from far and wide just to hear his wisdom and even though Edmund was always uncomfortable with this, they trusted him to help them and he always tried his best.

"The path is hard. And it isn't finished with one fight or one victory," Edmund smiled bitterly, "You fight and you keep fighting. You rescue a thousand lives and it still isn't enough so you keep trying until one day you wake up and you realise it's not sore anymore. It doesn't haunt you and then you know... it's done."

He looked at Elias and they stared at each other, an instant connection sparking, a recognition of a kin spirit united by the same suffering.

"Redemption takes time," Edmund said softly.

And finally, finally Elias smiled, tears in his eyes.

"Redemption takes time," he repeated, tasting the words.

Running Death, Taiga's sacrifice it all seemed so shallow, so small in the face of what he had to make up for. Edmund was right. Redemption takes time and Elias had a life-time to do it. He looked at Edmund gratefully, awed by his wisdom.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Edmund shrugged, flushing, uncomfortable with so much emotion.

"No worries," he said easily, "So..."  
His stomach rumbled loudly and Edmund flushed.

"Where's the food?"

. . . . . . . . . . .

The glade was solemnly silent, the only sound was the splashing of red wine into goblets and crude wooden mugs. Susan and her family, blood and otherwise, stood in the centre of the clearing, surrounded by rank up rank of grave faces. The last cup of wine was filled and as one they rose their cups into the ear.

"For those who have departed," they said as one and drained their cups.

Susan placed her cup down and sighed, fingering her black and red-stoned sceptre, feeling the malice and the power circulating through the weapon, a power that she alone wielded.

"I still don't like this," she said gently, "We should stay and – "

"No."  
The Queen Dragon hovered over them, her eyes narrowed as they glared at Susan.

"It is not your place," the great queen snarled, "You and your people are warriors. Change-bringers, you are the pebble that starts the avalanche, the stray wave that starts the deluge. That is your burden and your task. And it is up to the rest of us to finish what you have begun."

Beaver nodded, his face more lined and greyed than ever before but his eyes were still bright.

"You have killed the witches and freed us from their tyranny lass," he said briskly, "It is more than enough. Leave some for us."

"Yes..."

Najash was leaning heavily against a tree, still heavy bandaged and pale.

"You have other wars to fight," the Naga smirked, "We will take care of this world."

Susan sighed and nodded, her hand going to the leather pouch around her neck.

"Be careful," the Queen Dragon rumbled, "The darkness is growing."

"Watch yourself sister," Najash snarled at Inara, "You still have much to learn."  
Inara grimaced.

"Luck be with you sir," Beaver bowed to Caspian who nodded back gravely, "And try not to go crazy again."  
Caspian winced.

"AWWWOOOOOOO!"

Elias looked up, smiling as the echoing howl of a dozen wolves filled the air, Fernir and his pack singing their goodbye to their pack brother.

Susan touched his army gently and the scientist looked at her, nodding, reassuring her as she breathed a sigh of relief. They all touched her arm as Susan reached into the pouch and taking one last look around at the woodlanders, the Nagas and the Queen Dragon, she touched the yellow ring and they were gone from the world of Charn.

. . . . . . . . . . .

And that finally wraps up the Charn arc. What's coming next? Well you'll just have to wait!

Once again thank you for all your lovely reviews – I'm so glad that you're still enjoying this story and so glad you're sticking it despite its length and the long time it's taken to get this far. I hope this tale of Susan kicking butt didn't disappoint!

There is however one review I would like to discuss. One of the reviews mentioned that I should wrap this up because I am apparently dragging this out for too long. I would simply like to say this in response – I mentioned many chapters ago that this story could conceivably last for 100 (or plus) chapters. I make no apologies for the length of this story but do concede that it has taken a long time to reach this point. My hope is that I finish this story by the end of this year but who knows how that would all pan out but I am making the greatest effort to do so.

To the comment that I am dragging this story out, I hope I am not instead I am taking my time and allowing things to unfold and develop instead of rail-roading the story from one plot point to another. I have started many plot points and strands that weave in and out of this story and to abandon them just for the sake of finishing this quickly would be to leave many things unsaid.

For those who can't be bothered reading all that here's the summary – I am not dragging this out just because I can. I am planning to finish this by the end of the year. This story will be long and we are heading towards the end stretch but if you dislike the length there is no point in complaining – this story was always meant to be epic in every sense... including the word count.


	69. This warrior of heaven

New chapter! WOOT! And written whilst I'm on placement! Take that time management!

Disclaimer: Blah, blah C.S. Lewis owns the sandbox I'm just playing in it.

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 69: This warrior of heaven**

_9__th__ February, 2008 – Melbourne, Australia_

He dreamed of wrapping his hands around that small pale neck and squeezing. He could feel cartilage crack and break, her windpipe crushing into a small choked mass. He smiled as he imagined her pale skin flushing then slowly, slowly turning blue.

It would be slow. Excruciating. It would feel like an eternity as her body screamed for air. Her limbs would convulse, her heart rate skyrocketing as she struggled for one single tiny breath and he would tighten his grip, denying her.

She would scream, she would kick and punch, eyes bulging from her head, crying, screaming, begging but it wouldn't matter what she did. He was going to kill her then pick up a knife and scratch out her face, make her so ugly and repulsive that not a single soul would feel sorry for her.

And the thing that made him laugh, that made him tremble with delight was knowing that in her very last moment, right before her eyes closed forever all she would see would be his face. And in that moment she would have realised she had brought this all on herself. In that moment justice would've been served.

His eyes flickered but he clenched them shut.

He knew what he would see if he opened them. The same grey ceiling, the same grey walls, the same grey hell she had put him in.

He should've dropped her at birth and stomped on her neck. He should've smothered in her sleep when he had the chance. Now he could only dream of his hands around her neck, watching her face flush then drain to blue.

She would pay. That little bit–

"Paxton."

Paxton Nixon's eyes snapped open and he opened his mouth to scream but rough cloth was jammed between his teeth, his tongue jammed against his cheek.

"You thought you could screw with us and get away with it!"

Paxton screamed, bucking as Hector spat straight in his face. His two cronies cackled, holding Paxton down.

"I told you there would be a price!" Hector roared with laughter as the prisoners, all safe behind their own cages, echoed his cry, cackling with glee.

They threw themselves at the bars, straining to see, hands outstretched, treated like animals for so long they were not quite human.

"I'm going to get you!" Paxton screamed.

Stupid! Sloppy! He should've killed Hector yesterday! Paxton screamed in his own head, cursing his own stupidity. It was typical of him, to leave his enemies alive, to give them the chance to stab him in the back.

"You? I've murdered people. You just beat up on little girls!" Hector smirked, "Bet you like to touch them don't you?"

Paxton flushed as the onlookers howled with laughter, cheering Hector on. Shame curdled Paxton's stomach – it didn't matter what he did, how many people he had hurt, had broken, in this place, in this nest of crooks and murderers he was nothing. And that thought made him sick.

"Any fancy words now girlie?" Hector spat.

Paxton blinked desperately, face flushing, his whole body trembling as tears gathered. Hector howled with laughter, drinking in his fear and humiliation, intoxicated by it.

"PLEASE!" Paxton shrieked, his voice breaking, "PLEASE! MERCY! MERCY!"  
Ice and laughter slid into Hector's eyes.

"I was going to kill you sweet cheeks but if you beg so prettily..." Hector traced the edge of his knife along Paxton's cheeks, enjoying the man's terror, the tiny pathetic whimpers creeping out of his mouth, "I think I'm just going to cut you!"

His eyes flashed and Hector raised his hand, the knife gleaming.

"KILL!" his fellow prisoners screamed, "KILL!"

Hector swung his knife down and Paxton lunged. Hector's cronies fell away, taken by surprise as the dark-haired man kicked out with devilish strength, his face triumphant. He grabbed Hector's arm, ripping the knife free and in one lightning move stabbed him straight through the throat . For a split second Paxton saw Inara's stricken face before it melted into Hector's dragon-marked facade. The stunned look on his enemy's face shot pleasure and heat through Paxton's very core.

"I am Paxton Nixon!" the man spat into Hector's face, "I – "

"BAM!"

Hectors' thugs slammed into him, dragging him off the bed as the prisoners hooted, watching this macabre drama play out with almost childish glee. They kicked him, punched him, hard boots mashing bone and organ into pulp as Paxton coughed up bile and blood, desperately trying to fend them off.

His arm shattered, bone ripping through muscle and skin as he screamed.

He was going to die.

Paxton felt his world darken.

He was going to die.

NO!

He couldn't. Not yet. Not with –

Realisation hit him harder than any blow.

She was going to win.

Inara was going to win.

It wasn't fair.

DAMN IT! IT WASN'T –

"HELP ME!" Paxton screamed, a boot breaking his teeth, "PLEASE!"

He didn't know who he was shouting to. God. The Devil. The prisoners watching him die. He just wanted to be saved. He just wanted what was owed to him!

"GAARRGGGHHH!"

His attackers fell to their knees, clutching their heads as they screamed. They coughed and gagged and red hit the ground, the killers choking on their own blood.

"AAAAAHHHH!"  
The other prisoners were screaming. The iron scent of blood choked the air from every cell. Paxton slowly pulled himself up, dazed, confused.

"What – "

He screamed as blinding white light suddenly poured in through the barred window. He covered his eyes, recoiling, trying to crawl away as the screams suddenly vanished, the stench of smoke and burning meat punching him hard.

The light dimmed and Paxton found himself surrounded by bodies.

"... the hell?"

Hector was dead, his throat raw meat. His goons laid sprawled beside him, their skin blistering and peeling, the flesh sloughing away. Paxton turned around slowly and the metal bars were burning cherry-red, beyond that every cage and every cell were crammed with sizzling flesh and staring unseeing eyes.

Paxton stared and stared and stared, sweat rolling down his face.

"Paxton."

Slowly, very, very slowly he turned and light flooded back into his cell, Paxton screamed, stumbling back, hitting his broken arm. He hit the floor, writhing in agony, his body slipping in boiling fat and blackened skin.

"Paxton Nixon."

The voice was like a song, the light an all encompassing warmth. It seeped into him, filling every single part of him. Something in him opened, something so glorious and brilliant that everything he had ever seen or lived through before just seemed watermarked, a colourless mockery at what he was feeling. Paxton found himself weeping, stretching for the light, trying to take it all in, trying to understand the chorus of voices drumming through his head.

"Who are you?" he begged, weeping.

The light seemed to steal into his every soul and every flaw, every drop of hate and anger was instantly scoured away. He was baptised by this light, born anew and he was suddenly and acutely aware of just how dirty and pathetic he really was.

Shame gripped him, poisoning him.

"Please..." he whispered, scream, prayed the words, "Help me!"

"Paxton Nixon," the voice shook the whole prison, cracks appearing in the concrete, steel bars turning to rust.

He raised his hands, offering himself.

"Yes?" he begged, desperate to hear that voice again, "Yes!"

"You have been chosen."

. . . . . . .

The first blow numbed his arm. He grunted, side-stepping, twisting around the next stab. He slashed, his enemy blocking the blow, kicking him back. He stumbled, barely managing to fend off the next blow. It was his turn to kick out, darting forwards with a cry. One twist of his blade and his enemy was disarmed.

"Damn it!"

Inara threw up her arms in disgust as Edmund smiled at her, panting slightly.

"Your left is still weak," he sheathed his sword, wiping the sweat away from his brow, "You over lunge. It's easy to sneak in under your defence."

"I keep telling her that."

"Shut up Petey," Inara growled, frustrated.

Caspian laughed.

"King Edmund _is_ the greatest swordsman to grace Narnia," he pointed out as Inara crossed the clearing, picking up her sword with a disgruntled look.

The trees around them were hidden in the gloom, their leaves whispering secrets, the Woods between the Worlds apparently locked in perpetual night.

"I can duel him," Jason smirked, "Show you how it's – "

"NO!" Peter glared at the Seeker, "You're not laying a finger on him."

"I can defend myself!" Edmund protested.

Inara laughed and threw herself down on the ground, poking Peter in the side. The High King grimaced but gently touched her arm, humming under his breath. Every scratch, every bruise on her faded as Edmund took a seat around the flames.

"Ed?" Peter asked looking at him.

The thought of magic touching him made him sick but Edmund forced himself to smile.

"I'm fine."

He ached but it was a good ache. He was slowly getting used to it once more, the weight of the blade, the move of the feet that would bring him within striking distance, that final lunge that would win him the battle. But it still wasn't enough.

He needed to be strong. He needed to be the Just King again, the champion knight of Narnia, the warrior with the blood-splattered sword. He had to burn every last trace of weakness from his soul and temper it to steel.

Edmund the boy, Edmund the prisoner had to die because there was a war on his hands and it had to be won, for the worlds... and for his soul.

Edmund's fists clenched but his face showed nothing.

Inara idly played with the emerald ring on her finger, the stone gently glowing with light. All around them, beyond the light of the flames, everything was silence and shadows, no answering light from any pool. The fire and its warmth was a cosy cocoon in the cool night, an embrace that drew friends and family together.

"I wonder what the new world would be like," Caspian mused.

"I wonder if Lucy will be there," Peter said darkly.

Everyone flinched as sparks leapt from his hair and into the fire. Peter cursed, clenching his fists as he tried to control himself. Everyone watched him, faces carefully blank, knowing it was best to hold their tongue.

Peter blamed himself. Ever since he had found out just how close they had been to his baby sister, ever since he had found out what the Great Darkness had done to her Peter had been a disaster waiting to happen. His guilt, his hate – it exploded out of him in burst of electricity and flames. Several times disaster had only been avoided thanks to some lightning-fast reflexes.

"Control yourself!" Jason snarled.

Peter flushed.

Caspian looked at him sadly. He knew what Peter was feeling, knew that savage urge to tear everything around him apart until he could find Lucy and pull her from the darkness.

But there was nothing they could do but move onto the next world and just pray.

"So where's the next pool?" Zaru demanded, looking at Inara.

"Hey I just wear the ring!" Inara protested.

The two were doing what they did best – bicker, trying to disperse the tenseness in the air.

"Why do we keep you around again?" Zaru smirked, pulling the attention away from Peter.

"Because I can rip out your spine and strangle you with it," Inara replied pleasantly, sweet smile firmly in place, "And because I'm prettier than all of you."

"Not all of us," Caspian smiled at Susan, the queen lying curled up on the ground, a small frown on her face as she slept.

His face was open and tender, his dark eyes full of reflected flames and longing. Peter shuddered, resisting the urge to gag as Jason glared at Caspian, not even bothering to hide his hostility. Caspian caught the look and sighed.

"We've had this talk before. I love her," the king said flatly, staring Jason and Peter down, "You can threaten me with a painful, agonising death but it's not going to stop me from courting her."

"You go Shaggy! Fight for your forbidden love!" Inara cheered.

Caspian ignored her, snorting at Jason and Peter, the High King's lapse swiftly forgotten.

"I've faced Jadis and Aita and had a demon inside of me," the king's chin jutted out stubbornly, "You don't scare me.'

Edmund silently cheered Caspian on, smiling at the way he met Peter head on, face to face, king to king.

Elias gave a loud snore from he turned in his blankets, Zaru twitching as he caught the scent of snow and pine and fur.

" – I will gut you," Jason finished, his blue eyes ice cold.

"And I will burn you off the face of the earth," Peter added.

Caspian rolled his eyes.

"You do know Susan can fend for herself right? If I even dream of hurting her you will be the least of my worries," Caspian pointed out.

"If she gets to you first," Zaru said idly, "I'll rip out your throat if you do that."

Caspian looked at Inara wryly.

"You have anything to say?"

"Me?" Inara blinked innocently, "I'm in your corner. Ignore these buffoons you go Shaggy make Queenie swoon!"

Edmund watched as they talked and bickered, laughing. The conversation flowed freely, all of them a family in all but blood.

Loneliness assailed him. He looked at Caspian and saw a true king, a leader so unlike the green boy Aslan had chosen to lead a shattered nation. And Susan and Peter... His Gentle sister was no longer the English rose, the lady of pressed linen and high tea. She was a warrior, a general as seasoned and battle-scarred as he was. She stood toe to toe with their brother and to his surprise Peter let her. Because the High King had changed as well, had softened, had learnt to accept he wasn't always the best, the most magnificent.

They had changed so much, Edmund didn't even recognise them, didn't even know if they needed him anymore.

"Ed?" Peter was looking at him.

The Just King started, frantically trying to wipe the emotions from his face as everyone looked at him sharply, trying to pry him open and peak at everything inside. His skin crawled at the mere thought.

"Just tired," he gave a wry smile, tension pulling at his face, "I'm fine."

Peter's eyes narrowed as he studied his brother. Edmund met his gaze, a stubborn look on his face. The High King inwardly sighed, getting Edmund to open up had always been a Herculean task and one he was never particularly good at.

"Get some sleep," Peter said instead.

"You're right. I am tired," Edmund forced a smile on his face, "Goodnight."

He swiftly wriggled into his bedroll, ignoring the others' voices, pretending to sleep because he knew if he truly closed his eyes all he would dream of would be green flames and glittering white ice.

. . . . . . .

_15__th__ of November 2008 – Tokyo Bay, Japan_

It came from the sea.

Storm clouds roiled across the sky, lighting leaping from cloud to cloud to land, crashing to earth in blasts of charcoal and debris. Anything that could possibly burn was set ablaze in a single blink. A tanker was sliced in half, the shattered remains tossed high up into the air, raining oil, spreading the flames.

The monster screamed, eyes bulging as its body writhed and thrashed. It smashed into shore, bridges and building obliterated as the behemoth howled its insane fury.

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"  
Bombs fell like rain, flames mushrooming all over its serpentine form as fighter planes dived and banked, swerving and weaving. The monster struck and struck, its gargantuan jaws snapping together, overgrown with row upon row of razor teeth.

Gunfire boomed as tanks rolled into place along the ruined coastline. Soldiers streamed out in disciplined lines from the back of trucks, rockets and gunfire tearing through the storm as the monster twisted to look at them, red eyes burning.

They pounded the monster with every weapon imaginable, wielding the most destructive forces on the face of this planet but every blast and every shot rolled off the serpent's body like it was mere rain.

One sweep of its tail and tanks and trucks were hurled into the sea, men and women screaming as they were lost amongst the waves. Two planes were caught in its jaws and crushed.

More bombs fell, more reinforcements came. The sea roared and tossed, trying to repel the demon from its depths but nothing could move it. Chaos dominated the bay, people running for their lives, trampling over one another as others flew towards the destruction, screaming the names of their friends and family. Soldiers ran here and there, readying weapons, manning them, training and terror warring with each other, duty and base instinct tearing them apart.

"We can't win!" one of the soldiers screamed at his commander, "WE HAVE TO RETREAT!"

"BOOM! BOOM!"

More bombs fell, useless ammunition that did nothing but enrage the beast.

"IT'S USELESS!" the soldier screamed, grabbing at his commander, all thought of rank and training wiped from his mind, "WE NEED TO RUN!"

He was punched straight in the face, hitting the sodden ground.

"Stand your ground soldier!" the iron-faced sergeant snarled, "We need to stop this thing here! Can you imagine if you go onto land! We will not move until this thing is dead!"

"You can't kill it."

Both men whirled and stared at the foreigner who stood there. He was tall, wet dark hair plastered to his brow. The gaijin turned and looked at the monster and a look of supreme smiling confidence sprawled across his handsome face.

"Who are you?" the sergeant spat, gun raised.

"The one who's going to save you," the man said in fluent Japanese.

And he stepped out across the line of soldiers and trucks, across the cracked and broken concrete to the shore line where the serpent's tail thrashed, sweeping everything it could reach into the sea.

"LEVIATHAN!"

The serpent twisted its head. Its eyes narrowed, the blood-red pools twin brewing pots of hate and malice. It sniffed the air, its head swaying form side to side like a cobra.

"Who are you?' the creature demanded.

"Leave this place."

The stranger stood tall as the Leviathan raged, jaws snapping and closing, thick black tongue writhing like a fat worm in its maws. Fins flared, the monster's head crowned with poisonous looking frills, one sweep of its tail and a towering wave pounded to shore, obliterating, swallowing everything it touched. Soldiers screamed, their courage and nerves breaking as the Leviathan lashed out again and again, the sea charging to shore, a storm of fury and foam.

"Impossible!" the sergeant gasped.

The waves broke and split as they arched high over the white-clothed man, hitting and destroying everything by the mysterious stranger. Above helicopters fought through the rain and lightning, drawn to the death and disaster as flies to rot.

"I am a Prince of Hell!" the serpent's voice struck every man and woman like hammer blows to the head, "Who are you to face me?"

It immense tail exploded out of the waves, lancing forwards like a harpoon. Soldiers fled for their lives as the finned tail sliced through concrete and steel, the whole dock collapsing, pitched into the sea like a crumbling cliff. Trucks and tanks and soldiers plummeted straight into the bay, the stranger lost amongst the destruction.

The Leviathan reared high up into the air, its maned and finned head eclipsing the sky as it screamed its laughter, its voice booming louder than any thunder.

"My god..." the solider crawled to his feet, dust falling from him

HE stood numbed, staring across the wasteland of the bay, at the monster who's very presence made the sky and seas revolt.

"We're doomed..." he grabbed at a fleeing soldier, clinging to him, weeping, "We're doomed! We're – "

"Leviathan."

The Leviathan twisted and its eyes widened. He stood amongst the debris, unmarred, unbruised. Death and destruction had rained all around him and he had stood untouched.

"This day," the stranger said flatly, his voice quiet and yet louder than any of his enemy's cries, "You will die."

The soldiers were deathly silent, watching. The media hovered, their cameras missing nothing. They watched and recorded as the stranger reached into his sleeve, pulling out a long ornate silver blade. One quick cut and the man sliced his own palm open, the knife now slick with his own blood.

"That will not protect you!" the Leviathan howled.

"Attack me," the man smiled with all the confidence in the world.

The demon-serpent coiled its body and like it spring it lunged, razor teeth bared.

"ROOOOWWWWRRR!"

The man twisted, the beast's head shooting past, hissing and spitting.

One flash and the blade tore through scale and muscle, the cut hissing and spitting, burning as the dagger stabbed straight through the cheek, breaking fang and bone as it tore into its very mouth.

The Leviathan's eyes bulged but it could not stop, its momentum pushing it on as the knife tore the side of its head open, the jaw bone sheared apart. Its jaw flopped, hanging by one side as the monster's head crashed to the ground, its screams gurgling and choking on blood.

The man ripped the knife free and lunged, reaching between tongue and teeth and stabbing the blade straight into its gaping mouth. It was a thunderous blow, cracking the palate and straight into the serpent's head.

The Leviathan slumped, the life-light fleeing its eyes, its body falling to ground and sea, convulsing its last minutes of life.

Silence fell thick and heavy as even the wind and waves died, rain beating a soft tattoo down on them all.

"Who... who are you?" the soldier gasped.

The man looked at him and the soldier was transfixed.

"My name is Paxton Nixon."

The helicopters hung low, recording everything, broadcasting everything that had just happened out into the millions of pairs of eyes that were watching all around the world.

"And I have just killed a demon from hell."

. . . . . . .

They had fallen through water, through time and space, their world twisting and collapsing and reforming and they had landed here, right in the middle of the street.

Edmund stared around him, his eyes wide.

Everything was so alien to him. The buildings, the bitumen beneath his feet. Images flashed on screens, their noises assaulting him, everything louder and brighter than anything he had seen.

"You okay Edmund?' Susan asked, her eyes immediately darting to her brother.

It took a few seconds for him to work out what she meant. But as soon as he knew the words came tumbling out of him.

"We've... I mean Professor Kirk and Ms. Plummer they told us... but to go through the pools... and see..."

For the first time in a long time he didn't have to fake his smile.

"It's amazing."

Susan couldn't help but smile at her brother's amazement. They had gotten so used to the fight, to the darkness in each world, they never stopped and thought about what they were doing. They alone out of all the people in all the worlds had been granted the gift to see them, to pierce the walls and veils and see all there was to see. There had been so much heartbreak, so much suffering but through it all so many discoveries and joys, so much to relish and treasure.

Susan shook her head, smiling wryly. Trust Edmund to make her realise that, to make her see things more clearly.

"What is this place?" Edmund asked, looking anywhere and everywhere, everything that plagued and haunted him forgotten in his excitement.

"It has computers," Peter's Gifts were already probing the new world, "Not as advanced as Macros' world... more like Gaspar's."

"There's pizza!" Zaru said excitedly, "And cheeseburgers!"

"Is there showers?" Inara demanded, "I'll kill Zaru for one."

Edmund walked forwards, dazed by all the colours and noises that burst from every corner. He could hear the roar of machinery, louder and stronger than anything that his time could've imagined possible. He was in another world. Not his own, not Narnia but one in a thousand that sprawled all of creation.

"Amazing..."

"There's so much."

Edmund looked at Elias as the scientist smiled at him.

"There's so much isn't there?" Elias repeated knowingly.

Edmund nodded dumbly. He followed, trailing the group as they stepped out of the alleyway and into the city proper.

"What – "

The same face was on every wall, on every billboard, flashing across screens that lined the building roofs. His name was everywhere, sprawled as graffiti, printed, emblazoned, spoken on every screen projected lip.

A bus roared past, his face pasted on its side, dark eyes following them before it rounded the corner.

"Who is that?" Elias whispered.

They stood at the edge of a plaza, a statue standing tall and proud from the centre of a cross of four roads, rising from a sea of flowers and flickering candles. It was carved in the style of the classical Grecian masterpieces, every muscle bare and sculpted, perfection made into metal and stone. It stood on its marble plinth, a god in gold, face raised to the heavens, his smile serene and all-knowing. One hand wrapped its fingers around a silver blade, the other raised in a fist, a gesture of defiance and triumph.

"Hey!"

Elias yelped as Inara snatched his crossbow off him, a fire orb already loaded.

"INARA!" Susan yelled as the half-Naga aimed straight for the statue, her eyes silver.

There were people around the golden figure, tourists, snapping photos, talking excitedly. Inara squeezed the trigger just as Jason lunged, knocking her arm up. The orb flew, shooting straight up into the air as the Seeker merely glanced up, white fire in his eyes.  
"BOOM!"

Screams rang out as flames rained down, an unfelt wind sweeping the fire away before it could touch them.

"INARA! WHAT THE HELL?" Susan barked.

Inara looked at her and Susan blinked as tears spilled down her friend's face.

"Inara..."

"Do you know who he is?" she pointed, jabbing her fingers angrily at all the posters, at all the pictures and flashing screens, "DO YOU KNOW WHO HE IS?"

"Inara..." Elias reached out but the girl slapped his hand away.

She was shaking, her eyes flashing silver and brown, a strange panicky laughter bubbling from her throat.

"Well everybody I like to introduce you to the devil himself..."

They hear police sirens, the tourists snapping pictures of them as Inara swept her arms around.

"Paxton Nixon," she clenched her fists, staring at them with tears and defiance in her eyes, "... my father."

. . . . . . .

_17__th__ of July 2009 – Vatican City_

Belial pointed and a fissure cracked the earth, tearing through the ground as clouds of sulphur burst from the rift. Priests screamed, throwing themselves out of the way as it ripped the square in half.

"NO!"  
St Peter's Basilica, a symbol of faith, an object of adoration and worship and pride was torn apart in a single devastating blow. Shockwaves blasted out as the ground simply gave way beneath the basilica. The dome collapsed, caving in, marble and stone cracking and shattering as a dust plume geysered up from the destruction, blacking out the sky.

"I know you're here," Belial hissed, a forked tongue flicking out between his even white teeth.

The monster turned, his face and form that of a man's, normal and unremarkable in every way except for eyes that were completely blood red.

"BE GONE DEMON!"

A priest charged at him, a cross held up in his hands. Belial rolled his eyes and with one blow, caved the man's head in.

"Idiot," he sniffed, wiping the blood, smearing it across his neat white shirt.

"BAM!"

A body went flying, sailing through the air as Belial smiled. The figure smacked into the ground in a spray of red.

"There you are Paxton."

The demon gestured and spires of rock shot out from the ground, twining. They slammed together form a wall, a ring around the battle arena the ruined square had just become. Priests and visitors to the holiest of cities screamed, beating their hands uselessly against the wall as they realised they were trapped.

"Belial."

"Mammon," the demon nodded.

The newcomer was rail-thin and drenched in blood. His eyes were completely white, nothing in them to show that he was even remotely human.

"Moloch?" Belial demanded.

Mammon stared at him, lips pulled back to reveal row upon row of razor teeth. Belial's eyes widened.

"No!"

"Yes."

The two demons turned as Paxton pulled himself up to his feet, covered in blood but defiance in his face. In one hand he held the silver blade he had used to kill the Leviathan, the whole length already smeared with his blood.

"Two down," Paxton smiled despite his pain, twirling the blade expertly in his hands, "And by tonight there will be four."

Belial's eyes flashed.

"I'm going to rip your spine out!" he howled, the ground beneath him cracking and burning.

He threw his hand forwards, an unseen force blasting Paxton back.

"IT'S TWO AGAINST ONE PAXTON!" Belial ragged as Mammon bounded forwards, the blood-soaked demon cackling in glee, "YOU THINK YOU CAN DEFEAT US?"

Paxton lurched to his feet, a twisted smile on his face.

"Two against one?"

Mammon blinked.

"SHINK!"  
The demon staggered back, eyes blinking frantically on either side of the blade sticking right out of his head. The knife burned white-hot, smoking and sizzling as it ate its way through the demon's skull, melting his brain. Mammon dropped to the ground, limp and twitching.

"MAMMON!"

Belial's head snapped up and he screamed. A red-haired girl was lowering her hands, a triumphant on her face.

"YOU BITCH!" Belial screeched as he pointed at his brother's killer.

The girl screamed, sent flying and crashing into the wall as the remaining demon howled and howled, the earth splitting and cracking, the Vatican City falling apart as an earthquake tore the land apart.

Churches and buildings fell, crosses tumbling, stained glass cracking and shattering as the walls surrounding the square fell. Belial stood at the epicentre of all that destruction, stomping towards the red-haired girl, murder in his eyes.

"I'M GOING TO –"

The ground went still.

Blood fell to the ground, boiling away to nothing.

Belial twitched.

"I told you so," Paxton hissed in his ear.

He tore the knife free from the demon's back and slit Belial's throat. The demon fell as Paxton sheathed his knife, rushing across the ruined square.

"Chelsea!"

He fell to his knees, pulling the girl into his arms.

"Chelsea!" he brushed the hair from her face, frantic, shaking her, yelling her name, "CHELSEA!"  
Her eyes fluttered open, daughter staring into her father's eyes.

"Did I do good daddy?" she whispered, face wane, a weak smile teasing her lips, "Are you proud?"

"Of course I am sweetie," tears spilt down Paxton's face as he stroked her hair, "Of course I am."

He rose, battered, blood stained helping his daughter up. They stood in what was once a city, the holiest of holiest, a shrine but all that remained was toppled ruins and a ground cracked and split, yellow clouds of sulphur boiling up to the heavens.

"Who are you?"

Paxton turned and priests stared at him, soot and ash hiding their blood-drained faces. Paxton smiled and the priests all took a step back, cries rising from them as a warm light suffused the tall man's form. As the light touched them, they felt the fear pounding through the veins fade, all the terror, the anger, the panic bled into the light and was swept away by a warmth that was a like mother's embrace, a lover's touch. Their legs buckled and one by one, they fell to their knees, tears spilling blindly down their faces as Paxton spoke, his voice reaching their ears, theirs hearts, their souls.

"I am Paxton Nixon. And I am a warrior from heaven."

. . . . . . .

"HOW DARE YOU!"

"Angry mob. Not good," Zaru hissed, ears pinned back.

"Zaru. Shut it," Jason snarled.

They were being backed into a tight circle, a sea of murderous, outraged faces swarming towards them.

"HOW DARE YOU?" a man screamed, face flushed, a vein twitching on his forehead.

"What did you do?" Edmund yelped.

"YOU BITCH!"

Their cries were getting louder, hate twisting their faces. Rage fed on rage, hate on hate and they grew bolder, edging closer. Susan stepped in front of Edmund shielding him as the crowd hissed and spat, circling like animals, teetering just on the edge of violence.

"LILITH LOVER!" an old woman screeched, waving her crane at them.

Inara's eyes flashed silver, her hands going to her sword. Peter grabbed her arm, his own twitching wildly.

"Don't," the High King said flatly as Inara glared at him.

"PAXTON IS OUR SAVIOUR!"  
Inara laughed, bitter and hysterical, losing all control..

"Saviour? What kind of saviour beats up on his own little girl?" she screamed, tears pouring down her face, "What kind of man does that? He's not a hero. He's a monster and he's deserves to burn in hell for what he did!"

"LIAR!" the crowd howled back, "TRAITOR!"

"SHUT UP!" Inara roared, "YOU HAVE NO IDEA! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HE PUT ME THROUGH! YOU – "

Susan grabbed her, dragging her back, hugging her as Inara's screams died to sobs, the girl clinging to her, weeping. The crowd jeered, mocking her as Elias dropped his crossbow and held up his hands, stepping out of the ring. Jason barked at him but the scientist ignored him.

"I apologise for my companion," Elias said strongly, back tall and proud, "We did not mean to offend you but we're travellers from far away and – "

"DEVIL WORSHIPPERS!"

With a sickening crack, a stone struck Elias straight in the head, the scientist dropping without sound. Inara hissed, lunging but Susan and Peter dragged her back.

"Elias!" Caspian dropped, frantically checking the scientist over as the crowd roared their approval, baying for more blood.

"KILL THEM!" they howled, deranged with joy and bloodlust, "KILL THEM!"

Jason's eyes turned white.

"WAIT!" Susan barked, already a split second too late.

Ruach exploded from the Seeker and ploughed straight into the crowd, sending them flying. Bodies hit the ground, flung hard into the walls and in a single blink they were surrounded by twitching, groaning forms. Edmund stared at Seeker and found nothing on his face, no remorse, no regret. Fear slid like ice down his spine and he couldn't help but edge away from the man.

"Jason!" Susan growled, face flushed.

Peter was instantly by Elias's side, singing under his breath, his Gifts working to knit skin and flesh together.

"We need to move," Caspian said urgently, sheathing his sword but he was ignored as Susan glared at the Seeker.

There were children and old men and women amongst the victim, whimpers and cries of pain rising from all sides. Jason coolly met Susan's eyes.

"They were going to kill us," the Seeker said flatly.

"They threw one stone. That hardly qualifies as an attack on our lives!" the queen snapped, furious.

"They deserved it."

Susan looked at Inara. The half-Naga stared back at her, eyes still burning silver. Every line, every square inch of her face was frozen, kept frigid to try and dam all the hate and all the rage that Susan knew she was feeling inside.

"They're under Paxton's spell. He's working for the darkness. We need to find him and cut off his head!" Inara spat, eyes flashing.

Her sword was in her hands, trembling. She jutted out her chin, defiant but tremors shook her whole body.

"Now!" Inara's voice cracked, breaking, the warrior desperately trying to get it altogether, "Before he gets to us first."

"Wait – " Susan began desperately.

She reached out trying to touch Inara but the half-Naga flinched. Peter was helping Elias up, the scientist rubbing his head gingerly, his eyes still unfocused.  
"She's right," Jason rumbled.

Susan looked frantically between them, Jason's eyes cold, calculating, Inara's burning.

"We just can't – " she began, knowing she was fighting a losing battle, "We have to – "

"I don't know how you people do things but generally I tend to flee when I make a scene in enemy territory," Edmund spoke up, flinching as everyone eyes turned on him.

As if to prove his point Zaru suddenly stiffened. The others, so attuned and used to his senses, immediately tensed.

"Cars..." the leopard growled, "Coming this way!"

"Now can we move?" Caspian snapped.

He hefted Elias up, supporting the scientist and they took off, stumbling, tripping between the groaning bodies, the sound of alarms chasing them, growing louder and louder with each passing second. The screens on the walls were flashing red light, painting the street with blood-red glow.

"I hate this world already!" Susan growled.

"CITIZENS!"  
They stiffened as claxons rang, the sound of drums booming from speakers that stood on posts on every corner. Zaru screamed, his sensitive ears almost bleeding from the chaos as Paxton's face disappeared from every screen, replaced with flashing red light.

"EVACUATE TO YOUR NEAREST SHELTERS. CITIZENS REPEAT EVACUATE TO YOUR NEAREST SHELTERS."

"What – " Caspian looked around wildly, rubbing at his ear, "What is that?"

The air was humming, a buzzing sound that grew with every second. It came from everywhere, echoing, resonating,

"EVACUATE!" the sirens screamed, "EVACUATE!"

The buzz became a roar as glass shattered, raining down from high above in a shower of razor shards. They fled, running through the deluge, cut again and again as they clapped their hands to their ears, their bones shaking, threatening to break as the sound reached a fever-pitch crescendo.

Then it stopped. Sparks fell, sizzling and crackling from the mangled remains of the screens and speakers, broken by glass or by the sheer strength of the sound.

Caspian looked out, red warmth spilling out of his ears, struggling to co-ordinate himself. Zaru was merely conscious, his body twitching as he staggered and stumbled, blood oozing from his nose and ears.

"What was that?" Edmund looked around frantically, face pale.

He didn't know what to expect. He had fought giants and wolves, hags and ghouls but this... this was something unexpected, unknown and he hated blindness, hated knowing nothing.

"Get ready," Susan had her bow out, an arrow to strong, "Something – "

A shadow fell over them.

"MOVE!" Jason roared.

The thing slammed to earth with an ear-splitting cry as they dived away. Edmund rolled to his feet in one swift move, his eyes bulging from his head.

"What – "

It was a behemoth of carapace and bristling sabre fur. Its immense shoulders were hunched, arms and legs spindly, multi-jointed and ending in sickle claws. Gossamer fly-like wings jutted out from its back, quivering and shaking, humming with each and every twitch.

"Food..."

Its voice was a broken rasp, issuing from a wide mouth that brimmed with fangs. Its eyes swallowed almost its whole head, two globes that held within them thousands of tiny red eyes.

The creature shuddered, convulsing wildly as blood and pus wept from a gash across its belly.

"Get back," Peter said flatly, lightning and green fire dancing all around him.

Inara snarled at him, sword raised. Edmund once again found himself out of place, a step behind as the rest of the group smoothly moved into formation, instinctively guarding each other.

"Food!"  
The fly-like monster lunged at them, wings beating furiously, claws raking the road and tearing the asphalt apart.

With a roar Jason and Peter lashed out, white and green fire billowing as their fight against the darkness began once more.

. . . . . . .

_5__th__ of February, 2010 – Great Rift Valley, Tanzania_

The door swung open and Ms. Tang stepped out of the land rover. The rich gold of the African sun fell on her, turning her honey-toned skin luminous. With measured steps she marched through the straw-like grass, her expensive boots kicking up a plume of dust with each step. Her dark eyes flashed as she talked furiously into her phone.

"Well I'm sorry Mr. President that Paxton Nixon damaged your precious little White House whilst performing his duty to save the world and all of our everlasting souls," acid boiled in her voice, "But let me tell you this..."

Her free hand clenching into a perfectly manicured fist.

"The last political leader to try and extort money out of us was the Prime Minister of Britain and right now he's standing in the unemployment line between the drunkard and the man with paranoid schizophrenia struggling to remember his own name because he's killed every last brain cell in his head with alcohol trying to erase the memory of the hell we visited upon him," Tang snarled, her voice and will like a bludgeon, beating her enemies in bloody submission.

Silence came over the line and she grinned, even teeth gleaming,

"It _was_ very nice talking to you. Have a wonderful day."  
She snapped her phone shut and tossed it over her shoulder casually, one of her hand-picked guards instantly catching it.

"Are you sure this it?" the tall proud woman demanded.

The guide nodded frantically, eager to please as she turned her eyes to him, her gaze stabbing him through and through. He had good reason to fear her. This was Ms. Tang, the public relations officer of the Church of Paxton, one of his closest advisors and lieutenants. She was his dark spider, perched triumphant on a web that stretched across the globe, plucking the strings and making kings and heads of state dance like marionettes. Such men and women had tried to trick her, tried to play her for a fool and they had all fallen to her traps, stripped bare and humiliated, bending knee to the Church of Paxton and swearing fealty. Few dared crossed swords with her and no one did so twice.

The Tanzanian man nodded eagerly, his voice clogging in his throat.

"Yes. Yes madam," he managed to choke out, "The signs are all here.'

At that exact moment a shadow flew across the burning face of the sun. Ms. Tang looked up, shielding her eyes and she smiled.

"The eagle," she whispered to herself.

Through the valley they walked, Ms. Tang surrounded by guards and scientists, the most brilliant minds the world had to offer working frantically, wielding scanners and radars, their laptops and handheld computers beeping and chirping, spitting out screen after screen of data.

"Ms. Tang. North-west!" one of them reported, her computer shrieking in alarm, "There's a strong energy pulse going from that area!"

The valley was unnaturally silent, all the wildlife that lived and thrived in its shadows long since fled. Every sound was echoed between the walls, the crunch of their foot on soil and rock magnified as they scrambled up over an outcrop and crested its peak.

"My god..." one of her guards whispered, stunned.

Her guide was pale under his dark skin but the only thing that showed on Tang's face was smiling satisfaction.

Smoke and ash hung thick in the air like a pall. Trees had been uprooted, blasted from the earth, the grass scorched to cinders. Sand and rock had fused to chunks of dirty glass, streaks of it running through the earth. Animals laid twisted and rotting, their fur and skin singed to nothing, muscles laid pain, bone blackened and cracked. The corpses, the destruction all splayed outwards, the fallen trees like the spokes of a wheel. And in the centre of all that devastation, all that death stood a man.

"Wait here."

Ms. Tang instantly began picking her way down the embankment.

"Ms. Tang!"

Her guards moved to join her but she cut them off with a sweep of her hands. Her entourage watched, wide-eyed as she stepped of the hill and onto the burnt-out plain. Movement caught her eye and the woman turned, her grin widening.

A bull, horns turned upwards to heaven, snuffed wetly at her, one ivory hoof pawing at the ground. Its fur was moon-pale, stretched thin over bulging muscles.

A low growl and Tang's eyes flicked to her right. A lion, its fur bleached of all colour, padded through the ash and soot, not a trace of black clinging to its ghostly form. A flap of wings and an eagle with snow-white feathers landed in the twisted branches of a fallen tree.

The three animals all watched her as she walked, the woman stopping a mere feet before the man.

"Are you him?" she asked, her quiet voice still unnaturally loud in the dead silence.

He was stout, bent with age, wearing the rough brown habit of a monk, a rope as his belt. He turned to look at her and his eyes were the colour of the earth.

"Beezelbub. Belphegor. Asmoedeus."

She instantly dropped into an elegant curtsey, the proud woman humbling herself by this man, this instrument of heaven that would win them the war.

"Please my child rise. There's no need to bow," the man said kindly.

She straightened, smiling at him, charm oozing from her very pores.

"My name is Ms. Tang and I am delighted to finally meet you..." she paused expectantly.

"Ezekiel,"

She bowed, gesturing for him to walk first.

"Your transport awaits Ezekiel. Paxton has waited a long time to meet his seer."

The guards and the scientists watched, awe on their faces as Ezekiel began to walk towards them, Ms. Tang behind him, dark eyes glittering with triumph.

. . . . . . .

The monster tore straight through the lightning and flames, the attacks washing over its armoured bristled form like water. Susan's eyes widened.

"WATCH OUT!"

"TWHIP!"

The arrow glanced off the monster's side, bouncing away uselessly. Zaru tackled Susan to the side, clawed hands missing her and smacking straight into Jason and Peter. They flew, bodies hitting wall and road with punishing force.

"BOOM!"

An fire orb exploded, blasting the thing back. It crashed through glass and steel, smashing through a building's facade but with a screech and roar it tore itself free. It clung to the building front, glaring at them, wings working frantically.

"GO!" Elias yelled, eyes flashing, "I'll hold it off!"

Rolling her eyes, Inara grabbed the collar of his shirt and jerked him away.

"Run you idiot!" she snarled.

Caspian heaved Jason to his feet as Edmund did the same to his brother.

"RUN!" Zaru roared

The creature took flight, the frantic beating of its wings making the air scream and hum. They ran for their lives, the monster tearing after them, glass shattering with every beat of its wings.

Kill.

Susan stumbled and Caspian grabbed her one-handed, frantically trying to balance both her and Jason. Susan shook him off, sweat pouring down her face.

Break.

Adrenaline pumped through her veins and with it came something darker and much, much more intoxicating.

Hurt.

Susan shuddered, bile rising in her throat as a tiny disembodied voice whispered in the darkest recesses of her mind, drinking in her terror, growing, spurring her on. Her eyes burned, blood-red bleeding into blue.

"What – "

Kill.

The sceptre strapped to her back burned and Susan instantly knew the source of the darkness.

"Tash."

Ice stabbed her spine as fire and fury roared through her. She cursed the dark god, cursed her own stupidity, her own arrogance to think that a deal with the devil would leave her unscathed. The breath caught in her throat as the dark voices grew to a roar.

KILL!

Her own body twisted and Susan found herself firing again, her arrow drilling through the air only to knocked aside with a single sweep of gossamer wings. Her eyes widened as she almost dropped her bow, terrified at what had just happened. Caspian's voice tore her back to reality.

"SPLIT UP!" Caspian roared as they came to an intersection, "GO!"

The monster howled with laughter, mouth working, teeth gnashing together. It dived once more and in the chaos without thinking, without plan they split up. Inara and Elias veered to the left, Caspian and Jason taking the right road, Zaru flinging himself after them as Susan and Edmund charged straight ahead, the Just King supporting Peter as they ran.

The beast hovered, giggling, thick yellow droop dripping from its maws like globs of melting wax. Its eyes glittered and it took off once more, winging after the Seeker and the Telmarine King.

. . . . . . .

Inara jogged to a halt, cocking her head to the side.

"It's not after us," she said slowly.

Elias was too busy gasping for breath to answer her. His arm ached where Inara had grabbed him and he knew without looking it was badly bruised.

"You okay Doc?"

"You need to watch your strength," Elias inwardly smiled at Inara's smug smirk.

Inara looked back at the way they came, her eyes narrowing as Elias straightened, rubbing at his arm.

"How are you?" Elias asked gently.

It all came rushing back. The posters of Paxton, the statue, his face and name everywhere, spoken with worship, with adoration.

"I'm fi – "

Elias looked at her and the gentleness in his eyes, the compassion made her stop.

"I'm scared."

Inara sobbed a laugh.

"I'm such a coward."

Her mind was whirling, all thoughts broken and disjointed, everything obliterated except for one dark uncertainty. The monster that had haunted her for so long, the monster that had ripped her childhood apart was out there, working for the Great Darkness. And she would have to face him.

Nightmares clawed her apart, cigarette-tinged nights of quivering under her bed as her father stormed through the house, rage on his mind and alcohol on his breath. His words had always been blades and knives, slicing her apart, her childhood a blur of one dark night lurching into another, all days linked by rough hands and even harder punches.

Inara flinched, her body icy cold despite the unbearable heat of the Australian summer.

"I faced him... in the Chamber... I fought him and I won," Inara swallowed, the bittersweet victory resonating in her mind, "Why am I so scared?"

Elias held his tongue, letting her talk, letting her purge herself of all the poison flowing through her.

Inara shuddered. Her father's face loomed in her mind, bloating and swelling until it was a monster's, screaming and howling at her, her wrists twitching at remembered hurts and bruises.

A sob crept out of Inara's throat and she wanted to die from shame.

Damn it! She was stronger than this!  
She had plunged into the bloodiest of battles imaginable, been ambushed and betrayed, fought against vampires, Nzambis, witches, monsters, the Poisoned and a thousand things in between. And whatever her father was, he was still a human and she had faced much, much worse.

But despite it all, despite the fact she knew she had changed, that she wasn't the same little girl anymore Inara couldn't stop her trembling.

She remembered her fractured reflection in the cracked mirror. She remembered the bruises, the screams, the pain. It all came rushing back in a dark tide and Inara slumped, just wanting to go to sleep and let the world fade away.

Frantically she tugged at her shirt, it felt tight, choking her. Her body was flushing and freezing, everything was spinning, collapsing, falling in on her. She felt caught, trapped, unable to breathe, unable to –

She froze as a gentle hand touched her cheek. She looked up and stared into a pair of burning eyes.

"Inara, you're the bravest person I know," Elias said fiercely.

Inara stared as Elias wrestled with himself, desperately trying to put his feelings into words.

Was she this blind to herself? Did she not see herself? She had been a girl the first they met, laughing and joking, trying to pass herself as anything but a scared girl with too many scars. But she had faced the world and all the demons they held even when she had been powerless, stripped of all that she had won. She was glorious, a hero, proud and brave and in that moment Elias realised just how much he loved her.

"You will beat him because you're... you're you. You're Inara," Elias hated Paxton for hurting for her, for being a monster, "And we'll standing with you..."

Inara stared at him, breathless as Elias touched her arm. Slowly the tremor faded from her body

"No matter what," and his words were an ironclad vow.

Inara's eyes turned silver and Elias smiled, knowing she was going to be just fine. Her shoulders squared, her back straightened and Inara staring back at him was the one he had come to know – Inara the warrior, the fighter.

"Shall we?" she demanded.

Elias nodded and together, side by side, they ran down the road, ready to head into battle once more.

. . . . . . .

"Stop."  
Susan looked behind them, her heart still beating a painful tattoo against the inside of her chest.

"It's not after us," she said worriedly.

"Which means its after one of the others," Edmund said grimly.

He pictured their enemy in his head. It was immune to arrows, to fire and lightning and explosives. A part of him despaired as another part thrilled at the tactical challenge.

"Is every world so exciting?" he asked wryly, legs aching, "Because I think we were just chased by a giant fly monster."

"Still doesn't beat the talking spiders," Susan answered distractedly.

She was shaking, sweat sticking the clothes to her body. The sceptre was cold against her back, the whispers gone but she knew it was there, somewhere deep inside her. The moment she had accepted Tash's blessing something had crept inside her, had carved out a bit of her mind and soul and made itself home. Her skin crawled at the mere thought of it.

She had accepted the blessing so she could destroy the witches but at what price?

Susan wanted to throw up but she forced herself to stone, desperately holding her nerves together.

"Peter?" she turned to her oldest brother.

"Why are there three of you?" he asked, blinking at her.

"Concussion," Edmund said briskly, having seen more than his fair share of battle wounds and injuries, "He'll be fine."

Susan glanced at him surprised. This was Edmund she remembered, acerbic, sharp-tongued, laughter in his eyes. She couldn't imagine the hell he had been through. What Aita had done to him... it cut too deep, sliced open too many barely healed scars. He had pulled away from them, trying to hide in plain sight. She knew he felt uneasy around the others, knew he had always been uncomfortable about strangers. She suddenly realised this was the first time they had been alone, just her and her brothers. It explained why the tension that was always in his shoulders seemed to have lessened.

This was the perfect time to talk to him, to try to get him to open up and let her help. But Edmund's walls were built too high and too thick. Getting him to be talk had always been an art form, knowing when to push, when to leave him be. And all her instincts told her now was not the time to force him to do anything.

She hated this. Hated feeling helpless, hated seeing her brother in pain and not knowing what to do.

"We should head back the others need – "

She turned and blinked.

A blonde girl smiled at her, her face the picture of sun-kissed innocence.

"Who the hel – "

"BAM!"

One blow and Susan was sent flying. She slammed into a wall, bouncing off painfully and hitting the ground.

"SUSAN!"

Peter threw his hands outwards, lightning gathering but the girl slapped his arm away from her, driving her fist into his face. The High King dropped, the girl kicking him straight in the gut, sending him rolling across the road.

Edmund slashed at her but she leapt out of the way, laughing. A kick and he was disarmed, pain and needles rolling up his arm. He staggered, his arm completely dead and useless as the girl laughed, her voice was pretty as a bell.

"Who are you?" Edmund demanded.

Susan pulled herself to her feet, the world spinning wildly around her.

Kill.

The word pounded through her veins, her hands twitching.

Kill.

One touch of her sceptre and this girl would be burned out of existence. One touch and her smiles and sneers would be nothing but ashes.

Kill.

The darkness's voice drummed at her head, soft like the falling rain, pervasive, crawling under her skin.

Kill. Destroy. Hurt. Kill her. Kill her before she kills you. KILL! KILL ! KI -

The girl's head snapped towards her, eyes widening as Susan roared, her sceptre burning in her hands. Crackling red energy stabbed out from the ruby stones, shrieking and twisting in midair like an angry snake before slamming straight into the blonde girl. She was flung backwards, pinned to a wall, screaming and screaming as power coursed through her.

Susan wrenched her sceptre away, the red light fading as the girl flopped to the ground, limp and boneless. She stood and stared, gasping for breath, terrified at what had just happened.

The dark voices were cackling in her head, enjoying the pain, the anguish. They laughed at her terror, mocking her for her stupidity.

"No..."

Edmund stared at her, his face pale, blue eyes wide. She wanted to wipe that look off his face, wanted to scream at him not to look at her with fear in his eyes.

"Come on," Susan said thickly, slowly sheathing her sceptre with shaking hands, "We need to – "

She dragged Peter up, her brother groaning in pain, blood pouring from his mouth.

"Ed."

Her younger brother stared at her. Jadis and Aita's faces flashed through his mind. That power, that rage and hate... only a monster could feel so passionately, hurt so violently, Every instincts, every thought in his head told him to run.

"Come on!" she snapped.

Edmund picked up his sword and stumbled towards her, helping her keep Peter up.

"What the hell was that?" Edmund demanded.

"Shut up!" Susan growled, "Just – "

Blood sprayed the air, Susan and Edmund looking in horror at their brother as he blinked, staring stupidly at the blood staining his shirt. Petere looked up at them, a small frown on his face.

"Wha – " he blinked, everything around him darkening.

Susan whirled. The blonde girl smirked at her, a gun in her hands.

"You think you worms can stop me?' she laughed, "I'm going to destroy you!"

"DOWN!" Susan screamed, shoving Edmund to the floor.

A window shattered, bullets ricocheting wildly, chips of brick and concrete slicing at their skin. Susan and Edmund fell in a tangle of limbs, trying to shield Peter, the girl howling with laughter as the gun jumped in her hands, spitting out bullet after bullet.

"No..."

The High King was screaming, writhing on the ground, his body on fire. Blood gushed from his wound, his control slipping as he weakened. A wild maelstrom of knowledge and magic suddenly welled up inside of him, a chaotic tangle with no order or control.

"NO!" he screamed, trying to dam the flood, "STOP!"

Susan and Edmund cried out as heatless green flames slamming into them, pushing them away. Peter roared, the last bit of control slipping from his fingers as lightning and green fire exploded from out him, the High King the centre of a volcano of power and light that erupted metres up into the air.

. . . . . . .

The glass doors slid open and they ran through it, the hum and buzz of beating wings chasing them as they ran. The shopping complex was empty, all the lights and noises still on but the people had fled at the first sound of the alarm, bags dropped, food and drinks still on tables. They ran through the ghost mall, their footsteps loud, their breath harsh gasps and cries.

"DOWNSTAIRS!" Caspian yelled, still supporting Jason as they ran.

They flew down the escalators, stumbling, almost tripping in their panic. Zaru's eyes suddenly widened.

"Oh my – "

"ROOOOOOOOWRRRR!"

The wall in front of them bulged, exploding outwards and the monster was there, tearing through the remains of the wall, its wings working frantically, the air screaming and shrieking.

"BACK!" Zaru screamed, "GET BACK!"

The monster hefted up a chunk of debris and hurled it straight at them. They dived, the block of concrete destroying the escalator and the only route of escape.

"DO SOMETHING!" Zaru screamed, jabbing at Jason with his claws.

The Seeker yelped, jerked out of his dazed state.

"What the hell?" he barked, seeing their danger.

"Food..."

The fly-like thing folded its wings across its back, compound eyes staring at them, reflecting their terrified faces.

"I'm going to tear you apart," it hissed, stalking forwards on its spindly legs, bent over with the weight of its upper body "I'm going to rip the flesh from you bones and eat your guts!"

It chattered wildly, licking its clawed hands, its whole body twitching and shaking. The angry scar on its chest was raw and weeping, blood and poison dripping down its front.

"Human blood always tastes the finest..." it snarled, "Like red wine!"

"Well..." Zaru gulped, "We're doomed."

Jason narrowed his eyes, white fire burning in the dark blue depths.

"Get down!" he snarled.

Caspian hit the ground as ruach roared from Jason's body, whipping around him in a column of pure white. The monster howled, wings humming.

"Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!" it threw back his head and laughed, "Worms cannot destroy the eagle! Ants cannot destroy the – "

Jason sneered.

"Are you going to talk or are you going to attack?" he demanded, his eyes twin pools of burning flames.

"Can we not annoy the crazy monster?" Zaru yelped.

The beast leapt as Jason flicked his hands. Concrete and twisted metal rose, spinning wildly around him before flying at the thing in streaks of brilliant white. Debris shattered as it struck the monster again and again, more annoyance than attack. With a shriek, it sliced through the white fire with one claw and it the Seeker's lightning reflexes that saved him from being impaled.

The fly-beast spun in midair, one foot slamming into Jason and knocking him down. The Seeker crashed into Caspian, sending both men to the ground, tangled and pained.

A shadow fell over them and Caspian looked up. The monster towered over them, eyes glittering with delight, tongue lickings its lips as it cocked its head, studying them.

"Food," it chittered, "Wonderful, sweet food!"

Caspian's eyes widened as its head snapped forwards, jaws going straight for his –

"Beelzebub."

The demon turned, its eyes widening.

A single figure stood tall amongst the wreckage, dark-haired and dark-eyed, face clean and handsome, holding within it the strength of tempered steel. He was incandescent, the very air around him holding a gentle white light. The man smiled, a grin that bared teeth, and the winged creature quavered.

"Paxton!" the monster howled, fear in his voice.

Paxton Nixon, the chosen warrior of heaven was armed with a single knife, silver length smeared with blood. Beelzebub eyed it carefully, body twitching.

"Today you die," Paxton said flatly, dark eyes glittering.

Beelzebub gibbered wildly and instantly took flight, rocketing towards the man. Jason, Caspian and Zaru stared, too stunned to do anything but gape.

"CLANG!"

Claw met steel, Paxton deftly blocking the demon's slash. With a roar he threw his hand outwards and white light flared, blasting the winged monster back with a single blow. Beelzebub hit the wall, concrete cracking under its heavy body as Paxton charged, knife held in front of him like a spear. The demon spat, thick yellow phlegm slapping into Paxton's face, blinding him. It leapt from the wall, hissing and spitting, claws outstretched as Paxton stumbled frantically trying to clear his vision.

"DIE!" Beelzebub screeched.

It choked, eyes bulging as Caspian slashed it straight across the throat, his blade bouncing off uselessly. But it was enough to stagger to beast, to send it reeling back.

"GAAAAAAARRGGGH!"  
One slash with a blood-soaked knife and it did what fire and lightning could not. Beelzebub stumbled, clutching at its severed arm, its hands twitching and crawling on the ground like a spider in its death throes. Paxton smiled, victory in his eyes.

"NO! NO! NO!"

It gave one mighty beat of its wings, thunderous fast and wind and sound rushed at them, bursting like a bomb. Shockwaves blasted them, Jason and Zaru skidding across the ground, Caspian and Paxton crashing against the mountain of debris with brutal force.

Beelzebub laughed, crawling forwards, a trail of blood and pus painting the ground. It kicked Caspian out of the way, one clawed hand grabbing Paxton and with a cry hurling him straight at the wall.

Paxton punched straight through the weakened concrete, crashing to the ground on the other side as Beelzebub laughed, twitching, mouth working together excitedly.

"Food. Sweet wonderful food!" it giggled, "Sweet... sweet... sweet... food! Food for my gullet! Food for my – "

"HEY!"

The monster turned.

"BOOM!"

Flames gushed, the explosion sending its heavy black form flying. It hit the ground, pulling itself instantly up, compound eyes burning.

"WHO? " the creature began furiously, "WHO DARE?"

Inara smiled coldly at it. Behind her, Elias was lowering himself to the ground, a rope dangling through the ruins of the escalator. Beelzebub hissed at her, furious that a mere mortal had dared to interrupt its feast, its wings vibrated, claws raised, ready to tear this fool apart.

Inara's eyes turned silver, her grin unwavering.

"Bring it," the half-Naga hissed.

They flew at each other, duelling furiously, claws and sword clashing again and again. Inara was impossibly fast, the Naga in her mind hissing in ecstasy, delighting in the thrill of the fight. All of her hate, her confusion boiled out of her, turned into fierce force and brutal blows as again and again her blade struck the monster. But each blow glanced off, unable to scratch whatever unholy power that armoured the demon.

Elias pulled Caspian out of harm's way before checking on Jason and Zaru, all three out cold. He cursed quietly, looking back at the battle, finger on the crossbow trigger, torn, unsure of what to do.

"ARGH!"

Inara staggered, clutching at her bleeding arm as Beelzebub roared, screeching in pain. It flailed its hand around, the flesh sizzling and burning.

Inara frowned.

"What the – "

"Inara! Your blood!" Elias called, mind work frantically, "It's your blood!"

Beelzebub stared at her, terrified.

"Impossible!"

Inara looked down at the gash in her arm, at the red spilling from the wound and at Beelzebub's blistered and ruined hand. She suddenly smiled. She bit back a hiss as she smeared her own blood across her weapon, painting her sword with it.

"Well..." she raised her reddened sword, "This just got interesting!"  
She lunged, lashing out as Beelzebub screamed. One touch of her bloodied hands and the demon was writhing in agony, bristle and carapace burning away. With brutal chop and Beelzebub lost a leg, screaming and howling mindlessly. It fell, trying to drag itself away as Inara stood over the demon, red sword raised. The Naga in her head was trembling with delight, urging to strike the final blow, to tear her enemy down and feast on the remains.

Beelzebub stared and found itself looking into the eyes of a heartless murderer. Its mouth worked, eyes twitching.

"Please – "

Inara sneered and swung. Beelzebub screamed but the blow never came.

"Don't."

"GAH!"

Inara screamed, dropping her sword as a hard hand twisted her wrist. A punch slammed into her face and it struck with the force of a jackhammer, teeth rattling in her jaw as she tripped back, dazed.

"Brother!" Beelzebub croaked.

The stranger was wild haired and wild eyed, smelling of sour and neglect. His coat was bare-thread and patchwork, shiny with patches of matted grease, hanging loose around his bone thin body.

"You're an idiot Beelzebub," the man spat, venom in his voice.

Inara righted herself, her ears ringing loudly. Elias took a step forwards but she cut him off Elias with a sweep of her hands.

"I'll handle this," she said flatly, "Look after the others."

The stranger turned towards her, his dark eyes boiling.

"You think can stop me girl?" he snapped..

"Asmoedeus! Her blood! It can hurt us!" Beelzebub cried.

The man's eyes widened as Inara lunged, blood-smeared hands outstretched. One touch and his cheek began to burn, blistering and burning, skin melting away in blackened chunks.

"AAARRGGH!"

Inara kicked the man in the chest, blasting him back. In one swift move, she snatched her sword off the ground and spun. Beelzebub screamed, its voice abruptly choked off as Inara buried the blade deep into its mouth, the end exploding out of the back of its head.

The beast jerked and writhed at the end of her blade, eyes swivelling frantically as Inara smiled savagely, the Naga hissing in satisfaction.

"INARA!" Elias screamed suddenly, rushing towards her.

"YOU BITCH!"

Black flames burst from Asmoedeus' hands as at the exact same time a shaft of white light exploded out from the ruined wall behind her. Black and white smashed into each other with an almighty explosion that blasted Inara and Elias out of consciousness and into the sweet embrace of nothingness.

. . . . . . .

Caspian jerked up, flailing around wildly.

"Where – "

The last thing he remembered was Beelzebub and Paxton. The fight, the demon, its final attack that had knocked them all out cold. Caspian look around frantically. Jason was lying in the bed next to his, Zaru curled on the one on his right.

"What the – "

"The fool's awake."

He looked like a man who had to scrounge for every meal in the gutters but he held himself like a king, disdain in his eyes. Caspian bristled, his fists clenching.

"I can see that Asmoedeus."

Where the man was all bent and gnarled with age, his companion was in her prime, tall with blonde perfectly coiffed hair. She looked at her, her ivory face a mask through which nothing peeked.

"Who are you?"Caspian demanded.

"I know who you are King Caspian."

Caspian stared at her, mouth agape, trying to frantically work out who she was. The woman raised her chin, squarely meeting his gaze, her dark eyes flashing.

"I am Dorothy Nixon and I need your help in stopping my husband."

. . . . . . .

And here comes the new arc! I'll be honest this arc was probably the hardest one to pin down – it was shifted and changed a last a dozen times and I had like a gazillion different ideas about it. So I hoped you like this.

So what can you expect from this arc? Well of course there's Inara issues with her family, a battle between heaven and hell and another source of mythology you probably never expected….


	70. Thicker than water

New chapter! So tired, so very, very tried. Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: What's mine is mine, what's not is not

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 70: Thicker than water**

"… _and next on Entertainment Tonight the latest on the Paxton Nixon blockbuster movie. Who's the hot Hollywood Actress tipped to play Chelsea Nixon? Entertainment Tonight has the exclusive coming up!"_

**. . . . . . .**

Aslan roared and the sky answered his cry, lightning spearing down as fire fell as rain. The Great Lion's wild and noble face was contorted with fury, eyes ablaze with tawny fire.

"BE GONE!" He boomed.

Nymphs screamed as trees were torn to shreds. Aslan stood beneath the proud boughs of an immense oak tree, fierce and defiant as a cloud of red smashed through the trees. It roiled, shrieking faces and forms flickering in its blood-red depths. It charged at Aslan with the sound of horns and burgles the roar of a thousand voices, the pounding of horse hoofs and the crash of blade on blade.

Aslan roared and the red cloud shrieked, ripped in two. The two halves rushed past Aslan, split like a stream around a rock. But as it howled past, arms, drenched in blood and clenching swords and spears, lashed out from the red smoke. Aslan screamed in pain as they scored cut after cut across His flanks, each wound sizzling and spitting.

The red-blood mist rose, rearing up like a violent warhorse as the roar of voices and the screams of the dying shook the forest. Aslan stood, panting and trembling, covered in His own blood.

"Take him."  
And the Great Darkness was there, Gavin's slim pale form amongst a whirlwind of black mist, grey eyes glowing. Like a maestro, he raised his hands and the smoke around him answered his gestures, rushing and swirling around Aslan, trapping him in a vortex of howling black

Aslan roared again and the dark mist screamed and writhed, ripped to shreds by the mere sound of the Great Lion. Wisps of black rose up into the air, coalescing, regathering itself as Aslan glared at his enemy.

"What are you doing here?" He roared and His voice shook the whole of Narnia, from Lantern Waste to Cair Paravel, rocked with His fury.

Gavin smirked. He clapped his hands together and the heavens were instantly torn apart by a pillar of pure light that plummeted down from a hellish red sky. Aslan's head snapped up, eyes widening in horror.

The black smoke shrieked, diving at Aslan, whipping around the true King of Narnia, snatching at him, ripping fur and blood from Him again and again as the white fire fell like a meteor. Aslan roared, the light shuddering violently as the Great Lion tried to tear it apart.

"Attack," Gavin said flatly.

The black mist surged forwards, thrusting itself into Aslan's mouth before the Lion could react. It choked Him, violated Him, ripping Him apart from inside out just as the white light struck earth with devastating results.

"BOOM!"  
The forest was instantly wiped out, nymphs and talking animals screaming as they were obliterated in a single breath. A giant ring of crimson fire shot out from the blast, rippling through the trees incinerating everything it touched. The red and black smoke hovered, waiting as Gavin stood tall, the flames whipping past him without harm as heavy smoke blanketed the area.

A deathly silence fell with the ashes, soot dusting the ground. The white light that had caused so much devastation did not fade, instead it rose once more, a thing of beautiful destruction.

Casually the Great Darkness raised his hand and flicked his wrist once, a strong wind sweeping the smoke away. Molten rock spat and hissed, boiling in a blackened bowl of earth as steam rose like a dragon's breath. Gavin narrowed his eyes.

"ROOOWWWRRRR!"  
From the crater Aslan leapt, rage on His great face. The Great Darkness howled in pain, claws ripping his chest and back open as Aslan slammed him hard into the ground.

"No more death," the true King of the Narnia snarled.

"No more evil," Gavin spat.

The Great Darkness shoved his hands straight into Aslan's face, flames lashing and whipping the Lion's face over and over again. Aslan roared in pain, mane burning as He bit down, jaws coming together like a vice. Gavin's scream was muffled as Aslan swallowed his head whole, incisors and canines slicing deep into his neck.

"ARGH!"  
Aslan staggered to the side, His eyes wide as Gavin's head fell from his mouth. Drenched in drool and blood the Great Darkness cackled insanity in his voice as Aslan screamed again, blood painting the ground red.

He twisted His head and stared into the face of a cackling madman. The man, rotting skin stretched tightly over jutting bone, howled with laughter as he twisted the serrated sword buried deep in Aslan's side. The Great Lion roared in fury and pain and lashed out, his corpse-like attacker skittering away.

"Aslan," Gavin looked at the Him sadly, rising to his feet, "Why are you fighting me?"

Aslan turned to look at him, anger in His eyes. The red cloud twisted and cavorted around the Great Darkness, billowing and shrieking with the terrible din of battle. Its black twin convulsed, tentacles of smoke shooting out and snatching up burnt bodies and trees, every morsel disappearing into its roiling depths.

"Why are you protecting this land with all its sinners and monsters?" the Great Darkness hissed.

"I will not let you have this land child," Aslan's voice was filled with such rage, such wrath that Gavin flinched, "I know what you are Gavin. I have seen where your blindness will lead. Stop this!"

Gavin screamed, a thousand eyes opening within his own, each one glaring at Aslan, each one a perfect circle of hate.

"I am not blind!" the Great Darkness screamed, "I see more clearly than you!"

The white light fell from the heavens once more, a shadow of a form flashing through its depths. It struck Aslan head on, sending the Great King flying.

"More than any human!"

Aslan hit the dirt, His mane smouldering as the red mist charged. Aslan's body writhed as bloodied blades slashed him again and again, each wound burning and spitting as cries of victory and triumph rose from the crowd.

"MORE THAN ANY GOD!" Gavin howled, his pale face flushed.

The black smoke swarmed, tearing into Aslan's writhing body. It ripped gold light from the Great Lion, light the darkness promptly swallowed into its depth. Aslan staggered, sweat pouring down His face and the corpse-like monster pounced.

The Great Lion howled in pure agony as the skeletal figure grabbed the sword hilt still sticking from His side and threw his full weight behind it driving it deeper into the King.

The swordsman stepped back, drenched in blood as white light, red mist and black smoke hovered like vultures, circling their prey. The one true king of Narnia was broken, a weak and bleeding heap on the ground, His mane burnt almost to stubs.

"I will not let you..." Aslan coughed up blood and bile, "You will not..."

"Silence," the Great Darkness snarled.

Gavin held out his hand and seven orb of burning light, each a miniature sun appeared, spinning wildly above his palm. They hummed, growing brighter, burning the eyes as they whipped around each other, building speed.

"Give me your powers so I can cleanse this place and build anew," Gavin finished, his eyes burning, "I've seen what you can do. I need it. I need it to save the worlds!"

Even with the sword buried in His side, His lifeblood splashing across the charred forest floor Aslan still managed a look of supreme rage as He glared at His enemy.

"Never," the Great Lion vowed, voice thundering, "NEVER!"  
His roar shook the whole of Narnia, storms springing from the sound. His muscles bunched and with a snarl He learnt forwards.

Gavin's swordsman was slain in a single blow, terrible claws shearing through the skeleton-like body with dreadful ease. The monster was torn almost in two, broken body flopping lifelessly to the ground as the Great Darkness's eyes widened.

Aslan screamed His fury, the sword still thrust through His flanks as the lion lunged forwards, a halo of light suffusing His great golden form. The white light and the two clouds of red and black were caught in Aslan's aura and with three terrible screams they vanished, the smell of ash and sulphur still hanging thick in the air.

Aslan hit the ground, eyes closed, panting with exhaustion.

"Rise," the Great Darkness hissed, his eyes the gaze of thousands.

The earth was torn asunder as a great spike of rock shot out like a spear, slamming into Aslan's side and sending Him sprawling. Gavin reached out with his free hand and with a sneer on his face, hands of air grabbed the King of Narnia slamming Him hard into the rock face.

Aslan was pinned, helpless, His face suddenly sad.

"Why? Why so much death?" He asked.

"Because the worlds demand peace," the Great Darkness hissed, "And I am the god that's going to give it to them."  
He raised his right hand, the spheres of light pulsing as they sensed what was to come.

"You are no saviour," Aslan whispered.

The Great Darkness's face convulsed.

"I will break you," Gavin vowed, hate in the thousand eyes that blinked in his own.

"ARGH!"  
One of the orbs exploded forwards, trailing light like a comet before striking Aslan deep in one paw. Blood flew splattering Gavin's face as light faded revealing a great iron spike driven deep into Aslan's flesh.

The Great Lion grunted, teeth gritted together as His paw convulsed, blood spurting from the dreadful wound. The Great Darkness laughed and struck again. Aslan's body shook, His screams choked by an iron will as three more streaks of light stabbed Him, metal spires tearing through His other paws and pinning Him to the stone.

"No more shall you see..."

Aslan closed His eyes, weeping. A minute later He roared, thrashing against the nails in his paws as steel thrust straight through his irises, blood dribbling down His face.

"And from the darkness I stab thee."

And the final terrible cruel iron spike stabbed Aslan straight through the heart, His great head slumping to his chin. The true King of Narnia was broken, bound to the rock by four points of steel, blinded by two more, an iron sword and one last spike terrible driven in His body.

The Great Darkness glanced at the skies and Narnia was plunged into the darkness, birds rising to the heavens and shrieking the alarm as Aslan's blood dripped onto ash laden ground. Gavin suddenly threw his head back and laughed, the terrible taunting sound echoing far and wide.

"Darkness cannot win," Aslan said weakly, bleeding from his mouth.

The Great Darkness smirked, stepping closer to trapped Lion.

"I have already won."

Blinded and helpless, Aslan still managed to smile.

"I will move against you."  
"With what?" the Great Darkness sneered.

"This."

And before Gavin could react Aslan opened his mouth for one final roar, air and power flying at his conqueror. The Great Darkness roared, throwing his hands forwards, light surging but the rush of wind tore through the enchantments slamming into the boy before he could blink.

"ARGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!"

The Great Darkness's scream shook the earth as power beyond imagination tore through the monster. His body was instantly destroyed, blasted apart into something even smaller than dust, flesh burned completely out of existence not a single ember or ash escaping the destruction.

"No..."  
Gavin stood before Aslan, body flickering in and out of existence, the once great monster now less than a ghost, meaner than the meanest spirit.

"No..."  
"My champions will destroy you," Aslan growled as the Great Darkness continued to stare at Him in open horror.

"No..."

The bulk of the Great Darkness' powers had been stripped away, torn apart and thrown across the great expanse of space and time. What remained was still more than a god but a flickering taper to the hellish inferno it had once been.

Gavin was crippled, robbed of the powers he had spent centuries accumulating.

Aslan's head slumped as the Great Darkness screamed his anguish rage, lighting tearing the skies apart.

Susan's eyes fluttered open and she woke with a scream.

**. . . . . . .**

"My name is Kylee."

She was the picture of the all Australian girl, party girl and beach girl, coy smiles and unruly ways, gold haired and gold skinned. She smiled and dimples poked her freckled cheeks.

Susan was gasping for breath, struggling to breathe as nightmares hammered away at her consciousness, mixing with memories of the girl attacking them, Peter being shot...

Bile crept up her throat and she retched, her stomach heaving but there was nothing to throw up, her whole body spasming in pure agony.

"Hey!"

Susan looked up as the girl sneered at her, fingers hooked around the cold steel bars that separated them.

"You didn't like my gift?" Kylee said oh so casually, blue eyes razor sharp.

"Wha – "

The words spilled from her mouth before she could stop herself. The queen stared at the girl in open horror, ice sliding under her skin and into her veins.

"What are you?"

Something seemed to shift in Kylee's cornflower blue eyes and something ancient and hungry and all-knowing seemed to peer out of those depths, its gaze almost like a physical touch against her skin. Susan felt sick. She wanted to hide, to crawl away from that terrible thing that lurked inside that girl but she was frozen to the spot, paralysed.

"Where's Peter? Where's Edmund?" Susan demanded, forcing the words past her tight throat, "What did you do to them?"

"They're alive," the blonde girl replied, teasing smile fixed firmly in place.

Susan saw red.

"YOU – "

"CHINK!"

Susan was yanked back, chains grabbing at her limbs as Kylee laughed.

Her silver bow was gone, her sceptre and daggers nowhere to be seen. She was stripped of all her weapons, helpless, at the complete mercy of this blonde-haired sadist.

"You know when Aslan first told you about us..." Kylee ran her fingers across the bars, playing with them, "I thought you would be..."

She scrunched her nose.

"Bigger."

"What the hell are you talking about!"

The words spat from Susan's mouth like red hot bullets, her fear fading under a wave of hate and fury.

Kill her. Kill her. Kill her.

The dark voice in Susan's head chanted the mantra, fuelling her rage, twisting her into a monster as she spat and bared her teeth at Kylee, eyes completely blood red. The blonde girl merely smirked, completely unaffected.

"Didn't he tell you?" the blonde girl giggled, "Shocker."

Visions flicked through Susan's head, Kylee's blank eyes staring at her as blood gushed from the gash in her neck. She dreamed of breaking her limbs, of disembowelling her and playing her guts.

Susan was just seeing red, she was drowning in it. It was creeping in her mind, her heart, her soul, poisoning her. She shuddered, trying to stop the voice, trying to shove it into the darkest corners of her mind but it was always there, the undertow of every thought – incessant, subliminal.

What the hell was happening to her?

"What did Aslan do?" she asked instead.

"He made a deal with me and my brothers... problem is most of my brothers are now dead."

Kylee's face became a slab of smooth cold marble.

"I believe your little friend Inara just killed one of them yesterday. I guess I just have to snap her neck in revenge," the blonde girl said idly, "Oh well. It's on my to-do list."

"WHAT ARE YOU?" Susan screamed, thrashing against her chains, metal ripping into her wrist and ankles, "WHAT DID ASLAN SAY TO YOU?"

Kylee pressed her face right up against the bars, drinking in her rage and hate.

"Sorry but I've some kings to torment," Kylee winked, "Toodles!"  
She laughed and turned, strolling away, whistling as Susan's screams and cries echoed in her tiny cell.

**. . . . . . .**

"_Today on Oprah Winfrey… the one, the only Ms. TAAAAAANNNNNGGGG!"_

**. . . . . . .**

Ms. Tang kept in step with her messiah, mobile phone in hand as she moved and shifted appointments with an ease that spoke of countless hours of practice.

"I still vehemently disagree with this," she said flatly.

Paxton ignored her.

The man still bore signs of his failed battle against Beelzebub, face covered in lurid splotches of mottled yellow and purple, crisscrossed with angry red cuts that looked ready to bleed at the slightest touch.

"Ezekiel – " Ms. Tang began through gritted teeth.

"Ezekiel is busy trying to track down Belphegor and Asmodeus," Paxton said in a voice that brooked no argument, "And my prophet has nothing to do with me and my family."

"The family you almost tore apart and the same family who ended up betraying you?" Ms. Tang asked acidly.

Another person would've been instantly on the floor, nursing a broken nose and black eyes but Ms. Tang was trusted to be razor tongued and razor eyed, for being able to say the things that others couldn't.

"Dorothy is confused," Paxton's voice was tight.

"She's a traitor," Ms. Tang said disgustedly.

"This conversation ends now."

Ms. Tang growled under her breath but held her tongue as they came to a set of wide wooden doors, the panels polished to a warm honey gold.

"I would prefer it if you were not here," Paxton said firmly, "And please keep Chelsea occupied."

"You mean by dangling a bit of string in front of her?" Ms. Tang snapped snidely before marching away.

Paxton watched her go with a shake of his head before turning back to the doors. He took a deep breath, bracing himself for the storm.

He pushed the doors open and there she was, standing up against the window, sunlit and beautiful. She turned to him and her face was dark and murderous.

"I'm going to kill you."

The walls pressed down against him, buckling under a lifetime of hideous nightmarish acts. She was so beautiful. So strong. Why hadn't he seen that? Why had he done the things he had done?

He wanted to be for forgiveness, to ask for absolution but staring at her now, seeing in her face and eyes all the scars he had inflicted on her – Paxton knew he wasn't doing it to be a good man, he wanted to forgiveness for his own selfish desires.

Shame roiled through him, coiling like a lump of lead in his stomach.

"I – "

"So you're some big warrior of heaven."

Her eyes were silver, her tongue laced with poison.

"Do they know the real you?" Inara demanded, "Do they know what you did to your own daughter?"

Paxton forced moisture and words into his mouth,

"They know," his voice was small, "I told them."

"And they forgive you right?" Inara spat at her, "They bent down before you and just lined up to kiss your a – "

"They might've forgiven me but I don't forgive myself," Paxton took one step towards her and she flinched.

Inara wanted to scream, wanted to punch herself, punch him, punch the walls until they split and cracked and she could run.

Frantically she tried to picture Aita or Jadis standing in front of her, Draken, the Plague Man, one of the Kraken's chosen, even the doppelgangers she had faced in the Chamber. She tried to hold their faces, their final moments in her mind, tried to remind herself she had faced those monsters, had battled them and triumphed. She wasn't a little girl anymore, wasn't the terrified little child that held under her bed as the monster entered her room. She was Inara Nixon, a warrior of the Temple, a Naga, a champion of the Queen of Narnia.

"Inara – "

He reached out and it all came crashing back in an inexorable black wave of memories. There were so many nights, so many episodes they had a blurred as one into her head. It was always the same – cigarette nights redolent with the smell of stale breath and spilt alcohol, the sound of footsteps on floorboards the prelude for pain. She would hide, crawling, curling like a worm amongst the debris under her bed, trying to hide, praying that he would collapse drunk before he got to her.

His face swam through the bleakness of her memories, exploding in her mind's eye like a shark, demon-eyed and ravenous. She still had the scars, could still remember the bruises, the helplessness, shame and guilt.

Inara felt tears spill down her face and she wanted to die.

This man, this so called father, had broken her and it had take many, many years for her to stick herself back together.

"Don't come near me!"

Her voice was break, her walls shattering as Paxton looked at her with sadness, with guilt, with all the thousands of emotions he could never show before.

And that's what killed her.

She could handle him as the monster he was because all she had to do then was hate him. But here he was standing in front of her as human being, as a real man with real feelings, so at odds with the demon that had ruined her life that she didn't know what to do, what to say. She wanted to punch him, wanted to kick him down but she knew he would let her and hse also knew it wouldn't make her feel any better.

"I'm so – "

"Don't you say it!" Inara hurled at him, "DON'T YOU DARE SAY IT!"

Paxton flinched. Inara stood, chest heaving, tears spilling down her face. Angrily she scrubbed them away.

"Where are my friends?" she demanded.

She needed them, needed to have them at her back, to give her the strength she didn't have.  
"WHERE ARE THEY?" she screamed.

Paxton opened his mouth but closed it. If she wanted on the practicals, if that is what she wanted than he would do the same.

"Elias is with us. We think Caspian and Jason is with..." Paxton cuff himself off, "We have no idea where Susan or Peter or Edmund are."  
His words sliced through Inara's thoughts, pulling her up short.

"How do you know our names?" she demanded.

"My prophet has told me everything about all that you have done. I'm – " Paxton closed his eyes, "You have done a lot of good."

"Good?" Inara threw in a bitter laugh, "I know you're working for the Great Darkness. The lies can stop right here father!"  
She spat out the last word as though it tasted foul in her mouth.

"I'm not the darkness here Inara," Paxton said gently.

Inara sneered at him.

"Then enlighten me... what is?"

"You killed one of them yesterday," Paxton had a soft smile on his face, a look that on another person Inara would've described as pride. God help her... he was proud of her.

"What?"

"You just killed a demon from hell."

**. . . . . . .**

_6__th__ of June – Melbourne, Australia_

Dorothy turned, caught between moonlight and the shade of the pavilion, her face split in two, one side silver and the other all in shadows.

"Paxton," she smiled.

The warrior of heaven crossed the lawn in wide strides, grinning. He mounted the stairs and instantly drew his wife to him, one hand winding around her golden tresses.

Their lips met again and again, their breathing ragged as heat flared between them. Dorothy moaned against him, pulling him closer, her movements desperate.

Paxton was grateful.

He didn't deserve her, didn't deserve to have his family back. But they had welcomed him back with open arms and he was determined not to make the same mistakes, determined to make them the centre of his world.

Dorothy pulled and looked at him, her face unreadable.

"Honey?" Paxton asked.

"Have you thought about what I said befo – "

Paxton growled under his breath, his face twisting into the familiar lines of hate and frustration. He forced himself to breath, to keep himself in check.

"A treaty with the demons?" he spat, "You can't talk to them. You can't deal with them. They're demons! They've killed people!"

"But every time you fight them people get killed!" Dorothy protested, eyes wide, "This little war. Paxton... you might die! We don't have to fight them!"

Paxton stared at her and the rage in his eyes made Dorothy reel back, dark memories railing at her.

"No," Paxton said flatly, "Dorothy. Stop this nonsense. Now."

Dorothy steeled herself and looked at him, a sad look on her face.

"I'm sorry it has to end this way," she whispered.

Paxton frowned.

"BEELZEBUB!" Dorothy screamed, "NOW!"

"What?"

"BANG! BANG!"

Paxton staggered back, eyes wide as blood spurted, spilling across his white shirt. Dorothy lowered her smoking gun, staring at him in horror, tears coursing down her face.

"I'm sorry," she shook her head, "Paxton, I'm so sorry..."

There was a hum in the air that became a roar, the rails and posts of the pavilion, trembling, cracking and splintering as something huge and dark blotted out the moon. Beelzebub screamed and dove, wings flaring, eyes two pits of burning flames.

Paxton staggered back, clutching at his chest, blood pouring from his mouth. One blow and Beelzebub tore the roof off the pavilion and landed amongst the wreckage, chattering wildly, clawed hands rubbing together frantically.

Dorothy stood back, still weeping as Paxton stared up at the demon, his vision blurring.

"No..." he managed to choke out in a rush of blood.

Beelzebub lunged forwards and –

"GAAAARRRRGGGGHH!"

The fly-like demon staggered back, a livid burning gash slashed across its front. It reeled back, crashing through the rails and tumbling onto the ground. Its whole body convulsed, shrieks ripping itself free from its mouth as its wound hissed and spat.

"Get back Lilith!"

Ezekiel was there, in his rough brown habit, his face outraged. Ms. Tang and Chelsea flanked him, both holding what seemed to be glass bottles full of red liquid.

"You think I wouldn't have seen this?" Ezekiel demanded, face flushed, "Traitor! You filthy, filthy Lilith!"

Dorothy stared at them in open horror, blue eyes wide. Beelzebub pulled himself upright as Ms. Tang and Chelsea shouted, hurling their bottles straight at the monster. Beelzebub lashed out, clawed hands smashing the glass. The red fluid hit its skin and it screamed once more, its hand blistering and boiling.

Chelsea howled with laughter and charged a sword in her hands as Beelzebub's eyes widened. Its wings gave one powerful flap and sound and wind struck like a wall, shockwaves blasting everything and everyone back.

Silence fell over the gardens, destruction scattered across the damp grass. With a groan Ms. Tang pulled herself up and looked around.

Beelzebub was gone.

Dorothy was gone.

The woman cursed under her breath. She turned and her eyes widened.

"PAXTON!" she flew across the lawn, tripping over her high heels.

The man was staring up at the starlit heavens, eyes glazed, his whole front drenched in blood. Ms. Tang tore off her jacket and pressed it against his wounds, trying to staunch the flow.

"CHELSEA!" she screeched, "GET THE DOCTORS! CHELSEA!"

**. . . . . . .**

"_And coming out this Thursday the new issue of Woman's Weekly with an exclusive interview with Doris Hanson, former neighbour of Paxton and Dorothy Nixon. Hear about the Saviour's early days from a woman in the know!"_

**. . . . . . .**

Gone was the drunk wreck that Inara remembered as her mother, the woman sitting in front of Caspian was a woman of iron control and iron will. Despite her thin form the woman cut a formidable figure, her platinum blonde hair cut short and severe, framing a face that hide fire behind ice.

"You want to destroy your husband?" Caspian laughed, incredulously "Is this some sort of elaborate ruse Paxton has cooked up?"

He had heard the stories, seen the pain in Inara's eyes. Paxton might have been the one to land the blows but this was the woman who had stood idly by and let it happen.

"I shot Paxton in the chest and tried to have him killed," Dorothy said flatly, blue eyes flashing, "I think it's safe to say we're no longer together."

Caspian studied the woman, trying to look for any chinks in her mask, anything to tell him she was lying. But she stared back at him fearlessly, not a sign of falsehood anywhere.

"You're Aslan's champion?"

Asmodeus barked with laughter. Standing next to the immaculately made-up and coiffed Dorothy, the man was a shambling patchwork wreck, the smell of cheap booze clinging to him in a sour miasma.

"And you couldn't even fight my brother," the laugh turned into an almost sob, "Pathetic."

Caspian met the man's eyes and sucked in a breath as he saw pinpoints of black flames flicker in his white irises.

"What are you?" he whispered.

"I am a demon," Asmodeus said flatly.

"Asmodeus!" Dorothy snarled as Caspian instantly stiffened, his hand flying to his side.

But his belt was gone, his sword and sheath Aslan knew where. He was unarmed, hurt and amongst enemies.

This boded well.

"So let me get this straight," Caspian gritted out, fighting back panic with anger, "You betrayed your husband, the same man who abused a helpless little girl for years on end whilst you stood idly by. And now you're working with a demon against your husband who is now apparently some blessed warrior the whole world worships."

Dorothy flinched, guilt flashing across her face but she swiftly recovered, a smooth mask lacquering her features.

"I know this is a little confus –"

"What is going on in this world?" Caspian hissed, "Inara said this is not a world of magic. Those things are just myths and legends to this place. So what are demons doing here?"

"We were dragged here!" Asmodeus snarled, face twisting, "Pull against our will to this place, led like lambs to the slaughter!"

Caspian scrambled from his bed as globs of tar and black flames oozed from the man's body. The temperature in the small dingy room soared as Asmodeus staggered back, screaming. He clawed at his face, tearing at his clothes as smoke rose from his body. Dorothy cursed and rushed across the room, snatching a fire extinguisher from its place on the wall.

She swung as Asmodeus roared, wisps of flame snaking out from his mouth. Dorothy aimed and fired, a jet of white foam hitting the demon and wiping the flames out.

"What the hell?" Caspian snarled.

Asmodeus reeled back, hitting the wall and sliding down, sitting with a numbed look on his face. Caspian stared as veins bulged at the man's face, disappearing under the collar of his half-burnt shirt only to reappear as wriggling, under-the-skin worms all down his arm. Asmodeus looked up and blood had flooded his eyes, staining the white and leaking out from the corners.

Caspian stared at him in open horror, pedalling back as Asmodeus screamed.

"That –" Dorothy said grimly, "is the Sickness."

**. . . . . . .**

Peter screamed and vomited out green flames and lightning, his whole body convulsing wildly as knives tore into his belly again and again. It felt like his skin was splitting, every nerve shrieking in agony

He threw himself against the wall and ice slicked the hard grey concrete, His Gifts exploding out of him, throwing out light and power and forces of nature he didn't even know he had.

"Stop. Stop. Stop."

The words spilled from his lips again.

It was building. He could it, thrumming through his body, swelling to a peak then breaking, shattering his body.

"GAAAAAAAARGGGGH!"

Streams of fire gushed from his hands, lashing at the walls like serpents, rearing and striking again and again before fading to nothing.

Peter laid curled up on the ground, sobbing, hands and arms convulsing as black veins bulged from his skin.

"Peter..."  
Edmund stared in horror, sick to his stomach as he watched his brother break down before him, magic spilling from his very pores.

A glass partition separated the two brothers, the pane somehow standing up to everything that had attacked it – ice, fire, lightning not making a scratch on its smooth surface.

Peter's back arched, the veins sticking from his neck as a scream clawed its way out of his chest.

"PETER!"

"He looks like death warmed up doesn't he?"

Edmund's head snapped to the side. The blonde girl, the attacker who had shot his brother and made him this way, sneered down at him.

"YOU – "

"Now now don't blow a blood vessel," Kylee smirked.

Peter rocked back and forth in his cage like a wounded animal. The bullet hole in his chest had healed, the High King's own Gift of healing having seen to that but something had shifted in him, something had broken. All the walls he had built, the control he had managed to snare were gone, power roared inside of him like a storm, lashing and leaping out of his body with every movement, every breath.

"What did you do to him?" Edmund screamed.

His skin was crawling at the sight of magic, of green flames and ice exploding out of his own brother. Sweat bled from the Just King's skin, his stomach clenching violently, trying to force bile and foam out of his mouth

Kylee studied him, pressing her face up against the glass.

She smiled as Edmund flinched, lightning illuminating both cells.

"Noting. I just shot him," Kylee shrugged, "This is unexpected. Helpful but unexpected."

"Who are you?" Edmund demanded, "Where's Susan?"

"She's where I need her. Just like I where need you two."

Peter screamed and the sound made Kylee chuckle.

"As for who I am... I'm the one who got thrust in your little war between Aslan and Gavin. Your stupid mangy cat dragged me and my family smack bang in the middle of it and now we're paying for it in blood!"

It happened in the blink of an eye. Bone and muscle crunched and shifted, skin rippling as razor fangs tore itself free from her gums. Edmund jumped back as Kylee slammed her fists against the glass, hissing and spitting. Her face was rotting, melting away and peeling. The girl tore at her face and pulled away bloody chunks, revealing a skull-like mien.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Kylee screamed at him, baring fangs as her eyes bulged from her face, "ALL YOUR FAULT!"

Her screams mixed with Peter's cries as Edmund stared at the monstrous girl.

"NOW I'M GOING TO KILL YOUR BROTHER AND DRAIN HIM DRY!"

Kylee staggered back, gasping for breath, her hands fidgeting frantically as skin and flesh knitted together. In a few split seconds the innocent golden-haired girl face was back.

She stood, pressed up against the glass, gasping for breath as sweat rolled down her face. Edmund stared at her, eyes wide as she slowly straightened with a toothy smile on her face.

"But you're here now..." Kylee studied him, one hand splayed against the glass, "And it's going to end."

"Wha – " Edmund tried to throw his shields, to lock his emotions down as he had done all his life and let a cool head rule.

But this girl was not someone he could reason with, could someone he could talk down or dissuade. Unstable, crazed and something that he couldn't even hope to understand.

"You're going to help me destroy Paxton Nixon."

Edmund stared at her.

"Why the hell would I help you?" the Just King spat.

Kylee's eyes flashed.

"You think I like lowering myself to ask a little maggot for help!" the girl snarled, "But you're the only one that can help me."

The blonde girl grinned savouring the confused stricken look that crossed Edmund's face as Peter screamed again in his cage, power and song tearing and rebuilding him again and again.

"Why me? What can I – "

"You're evil. There's something dark and terrible in you that wants to hurt others. You're a monster Edmund. "

"No," Edmund shook his head, trying to push out her words, trying not to let them crawl under his skin and –

Kylee laughed, a bright bell-like sound that terrified Edmund. There was no question in her voice, no hesitation. This monster looked at him and all she could see was another monster. He was a murderer. His hands were drenched in blood, his nights half-glimpsed memories of heavy armour and a musical voice leading him to ever higher peaks of death and debauchery.

He could still hear the screams, the crying, the begging and loudest of all the sound of steel sliding into flesh and the crunch of bone.

And when he wasn't dreaming of his time beneath the earth, he dreamed of white, of betraying his family for empty promises and Turkish Delight. Ten years old and he had already wanted his family dead.

He didn't deserve to live in the light, didn't deserve to breath the same air was everyone else. Aslan should've torn his head off as a child, his family should had casted him out. They should've stopped him from becoming who he was, what he was. If they had just done the right thing, if he had the courage to pick a blade and –

So many lives would've been saved.

It all came crashing down him. Crushing him. Edmund felt hot and cold, trapped and sick to his stomach, staring at Kylee and for once in his life there was no wall to hide behind, no mask over his face. All his loathing, his guilt, his shame was written for the world to see. The world needed to see what he was so that it could run away from him, far, far away.

"You know what you are. What's inside of you. You were right. There's a flaw in you. A little tiny flaw in the very fabric of your existence that just begs to be ripped open. The witches knew where to find it and so do I..." Kylee studied him, eyes glowing, "You're _perfect_."

Edmund wasn't even surprised.

He knew. He had always known. There was a darkness in him, something horrible and terrible that squirmed inside of him, something that wanted blood, wanted him to hate and burn.

It was in him and as much as he wanted to burn it out, cut it out, it would be as impossible as carving out his own heart.

"I..."

He hesitated and Kylee snarled, her teeth snapping forwards. There so much hate, such a burning need to hurt and break in her face that despite the glass between them Edmund recoiled. Suddenly she smiled and the sun-kissed fun-loving all Australian girl was back. The change was so abrupt, so complete that Edmund felt ice tumble down his back.

"Eddy? I think I need you to show you something.'

**. . . . . . .**

"_Follow Paxton and Ezekiel on the official Palace of the Sun Facebook and twitter account! Don't hear it from the newspaper, get it first hand and in real time every time!"_

**. . . . . . .**

Inara stood at the edge of the balcony, her dark eyes taking in the seemingly endless expanse of garden and perfect pristine turf.

A bitter smile curved her lips.

From a broken house of smokes and booze to this – a mansion that rivalled Navachandra or the Taj Mahal, a perfect brick of snow-white marble carved into something that was both a home and an exquisite piece of art.

"Inara."

She turned and standing behind was a man she had never seen before – a man dressed as a monk.

"Who are you?" she snarled.

Paxton had left her, had promised her she was safe and that her every wish and whim would be looked after. She wanted to leave, wanted to run as far away from this hell from possible but Elias was still hurt, still unable to move and she refused to leave him behind.

"My name is Ezekiel. I –"

He paused.

"I am a prophet."

Inara looked at him, completely unimpressed. Ezekiel sighed and sat down onto a stone bench beside her.

"Paxton is not the enemy here."

"Oh yes the demons," Inara all but spat, "I hear he's quite the hero. I hear – "

"If I gave you a gun right now would you walk into his rooms and shoot him?"

Inara froze, the blood draining from her face.

"You won't and you can't," Ezekiel's eyes glimmered, "I know you Inara. I've see who you really are."

Inara stared down at him in open horror, eyes wide.

"For all your bluster, all your talk of hate... you still want a family. Your family. You still want Paxton to be the father who takes you to the park, who sits there for your dance recitals and kisses you goodnight."

And there it was.

Brutal.

Betrayal.

The truth.

"Family is never simple my dear. There's something about blood, something about family. You try to run and it always drags you back. Even when Paxton was hurting you, you still loved him, still longed for him to wake up and see you," Ezekiel ignored her tears, "And that little girl is still somewhere in there. And now finally Paxton wants the same."

Inara was rooted to the spot, trying to make herself deaf to the prophet's words but she was paralysed, tears spilling down her face.

"I'm not saying this to hurt you I'm just trying to make you understand. Paxton wants this. You want this. And the world needs the Nixon family. United. Strong."

"No."

Her voice was a broken rasp.

"I don't – "

Queenie. Petey. Cowboy. Doc. Kitty. Shaggy. Hell... even Freckles.

Laughter and tears, arguments and jokes, frustration and joy. They were her family. They were everything that she had ever wanted, ever needed.

But still –

It was a feverish childhood dream. An impossibility. A house of warmth, the smell of flowers and baking, Paxton and Dorothy, husband and wife, the proud parents of two beautiful girls they loved more than the world itself.

How many scribbled letters had she written to Santa Claus? How many prayers deep in the night?

And here it was, given to her on a silver platter and a tiny bit of her, a tiny treacherous part of her wanted it. Wanted it oh so badly.

"I have seen what happens if the demons win," Ezekiel said softly, "This world is more important than you can possibly imagine. If this world, your home, if the billions of people living on this planet falls to the darkness... there will be a domino effect. Many more worlds will fall."

"You're lying. You just want to – "

"Are you willing to gamble on that fact?"

Ezekiel met her gaze squarely, his face serene as Inara angrily wiped the tears from her face.

"Why me?" she spat, eyes flashing, "Why?"

"Because it's always about blood," Ezekiel said softly, "And family. And your family, your blood it's the most important thing in this world. It's the only weapon we have against the demons."

Inara stared out across the garden.

Whatever this monk said – that part was true. It had been her blood that had burned the demon, her blood that had shattered whatever enchantment that shielded the beast and allowed her to kill it.

The two parts of her were at war. One, the human, the little girl that had suffered so much at Paxton's hands, that one that demanded blood for blood, an eye for an eye. And the other – the Naga, the warrior-monk, the soldier who knew that this war had to be won at all costs.

Her pain, her suffering... in the face of a world lost, of billions of lives... it was nothing, all nothing.

Inara closed her eyes and all her strength, all her bluster fled leaving her broken and shattered, trying to summon the will to speak her next words.

"What do I have to do?"

"Fight with us."

She stared at the monk and he met her gaze, held it. She knew the answer, knew what she had to say but still the words caught in her throat, choking her.

"I –"

And she couldn't do it. With tears threatening to fall, Inara turned and ran for her life.

**. . . . . . .**

"He's not lying."

Zaru's smoky grey eyes burned as his claws shoot out from their sheaths. The leopard's hackles were raised, the fur rising from his body.

Asmodeus reeked of sulphur and flames, of blistering flesh melting from charred bones. Pain, misery and arrogance hung around the man like a pall. But beneath it, shooting through all that stench was the hint of something dark and insidious, something that smelt of hate and rage.

Dorothy and the demon looked at the trio, their faces betraying nothing but to Zaru they were open books.

"And she's not either."

Jason cursed loudly.

The Seeker and the cat had awakened and Dorothy had wasted no time in giving them the same speech, the same demand she had made to Caspian.

"Give me one good reason not to burn you off the face of this planet!" Jason snarled.

"Because you're not strong enough," Asmodeus sneered, "You pathetic ruach can't touch something like me."

Jason glared at him, his hands wrapping around daggers that weren't even there. Zaru bristled but knew there was nothing he could do. The demon was proud, overbearing but he wasn't lying.

"Stop it."

"Why should we help you?" Caspian demanded, "Why – "

"Because if Paxton succeeds in killing all the demons..." Dorothy pursed her lips, "Trust me. You do not want to find out what happens."

Again Zaru could not smell a lie on her. He growled under his breath and Caspian sucked in a deep breath.

They stared at each other.

It was a stand-off.

Asmodeus and Dorothy, if they could be believed, needed them.

And Zaru, Jason and Caspian were flying blind in a world they did not understand. They had been attacked, beaten badly and had no idea where the others were, where to start.

The truth was harsh and very, very brutal.

They needed the so-called Lilith and her demon.

Jason glanced at Caspian and it was a mark of how well the king knew the man that he could see the Seeker's dilemma, his hesitation.

Asmodeus suddenly laughed and that a cruel not in his voice that made them all stiffened.

"You want me to sweeten the pot?"

"ASMODEUS!" Dorothy cried out.

Caspian could suddenly see a great golden form walking through a place of endless darkness.

"Wha –"

His eyes widened.

"ASLAN!"

The Great King did not seem to hear him.

"ASLAN!" he tried to run to the lion but he could not move,.

Aslan stopped and raised His head and a golden light seemed to shine out from him, beating back the shadows.

"Demons," His voice rang out into the eternal darkness, "I have come. Let us talk.'

And Caspian found himself staring into Asmodeus' smug face, the demon's eyes burning with the black and red flames of hell.

Caspian turned and stared at his companions, they stared back at him in horror.

"Did you – "

Caspian felt breathless, cold and hot all at the same time. What had he just seen? Was it a vision? An illusions cooked up by the demon before him?

He wanted to grab the monster, shaking him until he told him everything but Caspian was frozen, paralysed, his mind trying to absorb all he had seen. The demons and Aslan?

"Susan..." Zaru gasped, "She's... they've got her!"

Jason's eyes were pure white, his face twisted. Susan in chains, trapped, screaming as something unseen taunted her, laughing at her pain.

Susan. Delilah.

They blurred in his mind until they were one and the same. He had to save her. He had to save his daughter!

"Where is she?" the Seeker snarled, glaring at Asmodeus and Dorothy, "Where is she?"

White light grew as a halo above the man, the Seeker a terrifying avenging angel. Dorothy merely smiled, her eyes glowing.

This was the power she was after, the power that Aslan's Champions alone held – the power to topple Paxton, the warrior of heaven himself and save the world.

"She's with my brother," Asmodeus smiled and his teeth had become fangs, "Lucky for you he has a few things we need."

Caspian stared at Zaru and Jason. They had seen Susan? But he had seen…

"Aslan…" he whispered, trying to shake the picture in his head.

What had the Great Lion done?

"Help us," Dorothy said flatly, "Help us save the world."

"And I'll help you with what I just showed you."

Asmodeus spoke to them all but his smile was directed at Caspian alone.

"So..."

Dorothy hated coercion, hated the look of distrust and disgust they shot her but she had a world to save and the damn what means she had to employ to do it.

This was a war and she was going to just every damn weapon she could lay her hands on.

"... do we have a deal?"

**. . . . . . .**

Kylee mounted the stairs and smiled down at the people before her, her people, her puppets complete with her hand up their a –

Her grin widened.

"PAXTONITES!"

It still amazed her how stupid humans were. Put them in a pack, give them a leader, give them something to hate and they flocked like sheep. Feed them lies, feed them promises, give them honey and sugar and they bleated on cue.

But to be fair she had made it easy on herself by picking her Paxtonites carefully.

Drunkards.

Deadbeats.

Dregs.

People with no hope of salvation, no ticket to paradise.

Easy pickings.

It was embarrassingly easy to sway them, to draw them to her and make them believe. If man was created in the image of god, then the god of this world was very, very stupid.

"We have killed many witches, many demon worshippers but our work is not yet completed!"

Hate leapt from her like sparks and ignited flames in each and every person. All the frustration, all the fear that brewed in this people... hate was always a breath away, a feather's push. Seeing it ablaze was something that even something like her could appreciate.

"We will cleanse this world!" Kylee roared and the Paxtonites echoed her cry, thrusting their fist to the heavens, "We will destroy the demon's armies and in the days of judgement we shall become saints and angels and be welcomed into the heaven by God Himself!"

The crowd stomped their feet and cried her name, Paxton's name, delirious with delight.

Kylee turned and glee lit up her face.

"One word from me and your brother will be torn from limb to limb."

One look at the screaming, roaring pack and Edmund knew given the word Peter would dead. He swallowed and could taste bile and vomit.

"I could've just threatened in your cage but then the idea of your brother dying at my hands was just a thought, an image... I just made it a reality," Kylee laughed, flicking her hair casually, "Now you know you have to agree."

The Paxtonites barely noticed that their leader, their oracle was gone. They bayed for blood, wild and frenzied, ready, salivating for a target, a victim, something to hold and rip apart.

Kylee smiled, waiting, knowing what words would come out of his mouth.

"Now don't look sad. I'm a nice person. Hell I'll even sweeten pot."

The girl stepped right up to him, right into his personal space and all he could see was her blue eyes, eyes that burned into his, paralysing him.

"Help me and I'll help your brother. Hell, I'll even let your sister go."

He had no idea what this girl, this monster wanted from him. Just knew it had something to do with the darkness in his soul, that harmatia that had drawn the witches to him like maggots to rot. He had spent a lifetime heaping good deeds and noble acts on top of that stain but it always bled through, always poisoned everything he touched.

Giving into it, letting this monster twist him and turn him into something –

Edmund stopped.

What choice did he have?

His family was at stake.

His own soul, his own morals they meant nothing.

Edmund forced the words out and as his word shattered, his voice broke.

"All right.'

And her lips were mashed against his, teeth scraping his lips and drawing blood. Edmund gagged, choking, trying to push her off as the smell of sulphur and rot crawled up his nose and down his throat, suffocating him.

He staggered back and Kylee laughed.

"The deal is done."

And the finality in her voice fell like an axe.

"What do I have to – " Edmund began desperately.

But Kylee wasn't listening to him, her head was cocked to the side, her eyes unfocused, the girl concentrating something only she could sense.

She smiled.

"PAXTONITES!"  
Silence fell as Kylee stood before her people, eyes burning.

"The demons are coming to free the witch I have captured!"

A cry rang out, the men and women and children driven wild at the mere thought of something snatching their chance of peace and paradise. They screamed her name, begging her to tell them everything, tell them who to hurt, who to kill.

"Man your stations!" Kylee roared, "THE BATTLE IS COMING!"

The Paxtonites cheered and immediately rushed from the room, whooping, harsh war cries springing from their lips as Kylee turned back to Edmund.

"I'm going to kill you," Edmund spat.

He wanted to lash out, to grab her by the throat and wring her but this girl had attacked him and his siblings and had defeated them all. One on one he didn't stand a chance. He could've charged, could've made a noble stupid gesture but the Just King knew the benefits of patience, of strategy and striking at the right time.

"Not before you kill Paxton," the blonde girl laughed, completely unaffected by his threats, "Now..."

Edmund cried out she grabbed him, slamming him against the wall. There was a rip and a tear and his shirt hung off him in shreds.

"What are you –"

A strange light flickered on the tips of Kylee's fingers like candle flames, Edmund's eyes widened as the light blazed, jerking violently between one colour and the next.

"Lord of the Deep. I grant you hearth!" the blonde girl howled.

She stabbed her nails into his chest and Edmund screamed and screamed as his flesh began to burn and blister.

**. . . . . . .**

"… _and that was the debut of Lady Gaga's new single Dancing Demons. According to the monster herself it's an ode to our great saviour Paxton Nixon and his blazing light in this time of darkness. Deep isn't it? And coming up next is the hot new duet by Justin Bieber and Chelsea Nixon smashing records all over the world. Word is the Bieber gave Chelsea a lock of his own hair as a souvenir…"_

**. . . . . . .**

Inara kicked the chair across the room, the delicate teak thing shattering against the wall as she whirled, her eyes blazing silver.

"Inara."

Elias touched her arm and the fight poured out of her.

"He beat me."

Elias watched her carefully, keeping his silence.

Her voice died as Inara turned away, scrubbing angrily at the tears on her face.

"He screamed at me. He punched me. He hated me," Inara looked at her trembling hands as her eyes flashed from silver to brown and back again in a rapid tattoo, "I..."

She swallowed.

"I still want him to love me."

Inara sobbed a hysterical laugh.

"What the hell?" she yelled, angry, incredulous, terrified, "What the hell?"

She could still remember the hazy nights of quivering under her bed as her father stormed through the house, rage on his mind and alcohol on his breath. She remembered his words and threats, stabbing at her, tearing at her like knives. The waiting was worse, the closing of the eyes, the holding of the breath, the knowing that no matter what she did he would find her. He always found her. His rough hands would grab her, drag her out into the light and –

She hated him, wanted him dead, wanted to stab him again and again and again but...

Ezekiel had been right.

Despite everything, despite that fact her father was a child-bashing bastard who deserved to burn in hell a small part of her, a treacherous disgusting part of her had always wanted him just to hold her, to whisper in her ears that she was loved.

And she still wanted it, still wanted her daddy.

Inara flinched, her body icy cold despite the unbearable heat of the Australian summer.

"He's proud of me," Inara shuddered, remembering the look on his face, "He... he loves me."

The words were unfamiliar in her mouth.

"And I liked it," Inara turned to Elias.

Her pupils were blown, her breathing fast and harsh. She felt sick to her stomach, felt as though there was a film of grime and oil coating her very skin. She shuddered, wanting to tear at herself, to rip out the part of her that had forced her to say that.

"Elias..."

"It's natural for an offspring to love its parent. It's a biological and anthropological bond that fosters a life-long symbiotic relationship between the two."

Inara stared at Elias as the scientist shrugged.

"It's natural to feel this way," he clarified.

"If that was mean to make me feel better... you suck," Inara pointed out.

Elias laughed and tried to rise from his bed. He groaned, falling back down again as his wounds pulled. Inara instantly growled under her breath and sat down on the bed next to him

"You're still injured!" she scolded.

Elias smiled wryly and gently slipped her hand in his, saying nothing, doing nothing but letting her know he was there for her, he would always be there for her. For the longest time Inara just sat there, not saying a world, staring off into space, her thoughts

"I should hate him."

Inara smiled bitterly.

"I should be able to punch Paxton in the face and not feel anything but – "

She laughed and it sounded almost like a sob. Paxton was a monster. He had made her life hell. He deserve to live in the light with normal people, didn't deserve anything but death. But standing in front of her, so whole and complete, so unlike the father she had known. She knew how to hate Paxton that was but the new man, the new warrior of heaven...

She just didn't know what to do.

"Inara."

Elias gently raised her chin, forcing her to look at him. Inara sucked in a breath as she stared at him, captivated by the fierce pride in his face. For a split second she thought she could see a wolf staring back at her, wild and furious but she blinked and it was gone.

"Paxton is right to be proud of you. Only a fool wouldn't be. And what you're feeling..."

Elias smiled at her, the look on his face soft and ever accepting, knowing she could never fail him.

"Whatever you choose to do. I won't judge you," his voice strengthened, "I will never judge you."

Elias stopped as Inara gaped at him, shocked at how open he had been. The scientist flushed, suddenly feeling very awkward.

"I – "

He was cut off as Inara hugged him, crushing him against her as the scientist struggled to breathe.

"Gawww... isn't this just priceless."

Inara whirled and there she was – dressed to the nines in designer threads, gold and diamonds hanging off her like baubles off a Christmas tree. Her smile brimmed with even white teeth and petty hate.

"How about a kiss sis?" Chelsea Paxton sneered.

Memories of dark nights and the grasping hands hit Inara and she flinched. How many times had Chelsea called out to Paxton? Pointed out her hiding spot and laugh at her the morning after? Paxton may have hurt but Chelsea was the one who rubbed salt into the raw, bleeding wounds.

Inara snarled, the Naga in her bruising for a fight, rearing to punch the smirk off her face.

"Inara –" Elias began warningly but she ignored him, slowly rising from the bed.

"Isn't there a street corner you should be working at?" Inara spat.

So this was Chelsea. Elias studied her, analysing every movement, every nuance in her voice, face and form. There was no doubt the girl was pretty but it was fake, false, every feature manufactured to empty perfection. Her words were petty, her face viperish, a sadist who delighted in the bloody path to power.

"Brave words for someone who used to hide from daddy," Chelsea smirked.

Elias stiffened but Inara merely laughed, the barb hitting her with no effect.

"What? Jealous Paxton used to pay more attention to me?" Inara's returning grin was lethal, "Because face it Chel, you were pretty much background furniture back then."

The blood rushed from Chelsea's face.

"You – "

She lashed out, screaming but Inara easily parried her blow. One kick and Chelsea was sent stumbling back.

Loving, confused fathers she couldn't handle but Chelsea, good old spiteful full-of-hate Chelsea – Inara knew how to play the roles well.

Chelsea had always been all hellfire and hatred but Inara saw through it all. Her sister was a child, petulant in the way she pouted, the way she screamed and flounced and did absolutely everything to prove that she didn't care, didn't hurt.

"I'm going to kill you!" Chelsea snarled as she pulled herself back up.

Inara merely grinned and stalked forwards, cracking her knuckles. Chelsea watched her warily, dropping into a predator's crouch.

"Inara!" Elias swung his legs out of bed, "St – "  
"Stop!" a commanding voice cracked across the room like a whip.

All three turned to watch as Ms. Tang swept into the room, looking at the two girls disdainfully.

Chelsea's glare was full of hate and promises of pain but Tang merely smiled. As brutal and violent as Chelsea was she was no match for the webs and traps that Tang weaved with deft hands.

"I'm so sorry Ms. Nixon," Tang inclined her head regally, her voice humble but everything about her proud and unbending, "But Paxton has asked to see you urgently."

Inara stiffened as her eyes darted to Elias. The scientist met her gaze, silently letting her know he was there for her.

"What is it?" Chelsea demanded.

Ms. Tang's eyes glittered with amusement.

"Ezekiel had a vision. He knows where Belphegor is. Paxton wants Inara there with him when he attacks."

"Her?"

"Me?'

The two Nixon sisters glared at each other, murderous rage on their faces as Ms. Tang laughed.

"Now play nice girls and you might want to hurry," Ms. Tang's face was filled with mirth, "Paxton's ready to leave."

"And why should I follow him?" Inara spat

Ms. Tang looked at her squarely.

"Because your friends in danger. And he wants to save them."

**. . . . . . .**

"_Demons? Evil or just misunderstood? A group of experts are here to discuss whether we should be making peace with the so-called creatures of darkness. First on this esteemed panel is the professor of ethics at…"_

**. . . . . . .**

"What the hell did you do to him?"

Kylee dumped Peter onto the ground, the High King out cold.

"I stopped his powers from ripping him apart," Kylee opened Susan's cage, ignoring the queen's curses and lunges, "You should thank me."

"Where's Edmund? Where is he?"

KILL HER. KILL HER. KILL HER.

The darkness inside of him was screaming, driven wild by her lack of action. Susan could hear her heart thundering in her ears, each beat, each pump shooting hate and bloodlust coursing through her. Pain. Suffering. Tears.

Susan screamed, her body convulsing as it demanded to feel blood warm on her hands.

"Sorry it is usually so bad," Kylee broke the lock on her cage with bare hands, hardened steel crumpling within her grip, "I think I'm making it a little bit testy."

Every step she took the voice grew, drowning out all thoughts. Susan was convulsing, her body screaming as though starved of air and water.

"What... what..." Susan managed to choke out, "What are you doing?"

Kylee was calmly pulling up the sleeve of her shirt, revealing one slim wrist.

"The Sight. The Hunt. And Death. When all three gifts are bestowed and you become thrice-blessed, a making that will shake the very foundations of reality itself... blah blah blah," the blonde girl shook her head, "Well you really did it. The walls are weakening. That's why for the first time Gavin can get them back."

"Who?" Susan screamed at her, "Get who back?"

But Kylee ignored her.

"But you're still not ready. You're still not finished yet. See Ass-lan thought you would've had time but things are moving a little bit faster than that."

She dragged one nail across the skin of her wrist, the lone edge slicing deep into flesh, blood spurting as she slashed arteries and veins.

"What – "

Susan tried to scrabbled away but the chains pulled her back. Kylee's eyes flicked up and Susan found herself staring into an endless abyss, a ravenous emptiness that longed to devour her.

"It's time for you to be born," Kylee whispered.

One hand shot out and grabbed Susan's hair, pulling painfully, dragging the queen closer. Susan fought her, screaming and kicking, her blows completely ineffective as Kylee brought her bleeding arm up.

"No – "

Susan's eyes widened as her teeth mashed against skin. She let out one final choked desperate cry as she felt coppery warmth slide down her throat.

**. . . . . . .**

Asmodeus clapped his hands and the gates were sheared in two, the twisted ends burning red hot. The reply was instant.

"BANG! BANG! BANG!"

Bullets howled through the air, hitting flesh but Asmodeus merely grunted with each blow.

"ATTACK!"

The doors of the warehouse burst open, light flooding the grounds as a veritable army of gun-wielding, wild-eyed men and women stormed out of building, a ragtag rabble hell-bent on destruction.

"DROP TO THE GROUND!" one of the man barked, "Put your hands where I can see them!"

Asmodeus studied them, flames simmering in his dark eyes. He raised his hands, the Paxtonites watching him, fingers twitching on the triggers.

"Asmodeus."

Dorothy stepped out from the shadows and into the light. Despite the bevy of guns pointed straight at her, her face showed nothing.

"Don't kill them," the blonde woman ordered softly.

A cry went up from the Paxtonites.

"LILITH!" they screamed, eyes widening, "SHOOT! KILL HER!"

Bullets shrieked through the air but Asmodeus was faster, striking out with one hand. The Paxtonites screamed as flames boiled out from the demon's fingers, bullets melting and boiling to nothing in mid-air.

A second gesture and they were all thrown backwards, pinned to the walls like insects.

"Bleeding heart," Asmodeus sneered, "These people would've executed you without thought."

"I have a soul," Dorothy growled.

"The one you tainted by allowing your husband to beat up your daughters?" Asmodeus asked, voice deceptively neutral.

Dorothy didn't even both answering as she marched towards the warehouse, the Paxtonites still pinned on the walls before her.

"Hurry," she snapped.

Zaru bounded out from the shadows, Caspian and Jason behind her, the king stopping to scoop a fallen gun from the ground.

The doors swung open and they all stopped, blinking at the blonde girl that stood in the centre of the warehouse.

"Brother," Asmodeus said flatly.

"Brother," Kylee smiled.

"Brother?" Zaru yelped.

Kylee giggled, cornflower blue eyes flicking between the faces before her. Jason's eyes burned with ruach, the Seeker instantly recognising the demon from Asmodeus' visions.

"Where is she?" Jason snarled, "Where are they?"

Kylee laughed and gestured with one hand. A loud scraping sound echoed in the warehouse, three chairs dragged by invisible hands out into the light.

"SUSAN!"

The queen sat slumped in her chain, bound tight by rope, blood smeared around her mouth. Peter and Edmund occupied the other chairs, both brothers, out cold, Edmund's shirt torn to shreds, rope crisscrossing his bare chest.

Caspian whirled, eyes blazing.

"NO!"

"BANG!"

Kylee staggered as Caspian fired a bullet straight into her chest. Outraged the Telmarine marched forwards, firing again and again.

"BANG! BANG!"

The blonde girl's body jerked with each blow but she was laughing, hysterical little giggles bubbling from her lips. Caught up in his fury, Caspian barely noticed, snarling as he took one step too close.

"CASPIAN!" Dorothy barked, "WAIT – "

"BAM!"

Kylee backhanded him and the king was sent flying, smacking into the wall with crushing force.

"Free them!" Jason spat at Zaru as he charged, daggers in hand.

The leopard bounded forwards, claws unsheathed as Kylee and Jason slammed into each other. The Seeker slashed out, dagger glancing off the girl's bare skin. His eyes widened as Kylee sneered at him, punching him straight in the face. Jason's head snapped back painfully, darkness stabbing his vision.

Zaru tore Susan's bonds apart with his teeth, breathing a sigh of relief as his ears picked up the steady beat of her heart.

White fire exploded from Jason's body, flying towards Kylee in a burst of blinding white. The demon snarled and shoved her hands forwards.

"BOOM!"

Ruach streamed and billowed, crashing against an unseen wall as Kylee laughed. With a cry, she stabbed her fingers into the burning flames and wrenched. The ruach was torn apart, Jason crying out as Kylee lunged.

One blow to the gut and Jason was keeled over, spitting out blood.

"CRACK!"

The demon kicked him straight in the face, the Seeker instantly crumpling to the ground.

"JASON!"  
A slash and Edmund was free. Zaru glared at Kylee, ears pinned back as his muscles bunched ready to –

"Asmodeus!" Dorothy roared.

Kylee glared at her, hate burning in her perfect blue eyes. Asmodeus opened his hands and black flames gathered. Zaru watched the two demons, knowing already he had no hope... not against the power and rage his senses were picking up.

"I don't want to fight you," Asmodeus said flatly, "Give them to me."

"I'm done with them," Kylee smirked, "You know... all you had to do was ask."

Dorothy's eyes darkened.

"You – "

"Shut up worm," Kylee snarled at her, "Asmodeus why the hell are you working with a little mangy dog like her?"

"We need her to survive," Asmodeus said as calmly as he could, his anger bubbling beneath his voice, "Belphegor. We need to work together to destroy Paxton!"

"Help us," Dorothy said gently, "Belphegor please – "

"DO NOT BESMIRCH MY NAME WITH YOUR FILTHY TONGUE!" Kylee screamed.

She pointed at the blonde woman and there was a crack of light, a burst of power that zigzagged through the air like a lightning bolt. Asmodeus snarled and black flames leapt from his hands, sweeping the attack aside.

"TRAITOR!" Kylee howled, "YOU TREACHEROUS SNAKE!'

There was a thunderous crash and a burst of blinding light, a supernova birthed from nothing but air. Amodeus and Kylee screamed as the light touched them, Dorothy stumbling back, dazed.

"Kill them!" a strong voice roared.

Kylee's eyes widened as a slim figure flew at her, blood-stained sword held up high. One flick of her fingers and her attacker was sent crashing back. Chelsea crunched into the wall, hitting the ground hard.

"PAXTON!" the demon roared.

Paxton Nixon stood in a blaze of light and glory, a blood-stained silver knife clutched tight in his eyes. Flames sprouted from his back, six broad fans of burning white, wings of air and fire that flickered and flared. Beside him, untouched by the light, the heat stood a very familiar figure.

"JASON! CASPIAN!" Inara gasped.

Kylee's eyes narrowed as she saw the girl, a smile curling her lips.

"INARA!"

The half-Naga turned and blinked as she saw Zaru, standing over Susan, Peter and Edmund, guarding their prone forms.

"ZAR – "

"INARA DUCK!" the leopard screamed, flying at her.

From the corner of her Inara saw a flash of black and instantly knew it was too late, knew –

"BAM!"

A willowy form speared into her, both of them falling to the ground as black flames jetted overhead, barely missing them. They fell in a tangle of limbs, Inara drowning in strands of blonde hair.

Paxton threw his hand forwards and a bar of white light stabbed forwards with lightning speed. Asmodeus screamed as he was skewered through the shoulders.

Flames burst from the demon in lashing whips, each strand tendril thin but as hot as lava. Paxton was forced back, crying out as one slashed his arm, skin and flesh instantly burning.

"GARRGH!"

Asmodeus screamed, grabbing at the dagger sticking out from his gut. The skin was peeling, burning away revealing loops of fat pink bowel. His head snapped up as Inara sneered at him, eyes silver.

"I WILL KILL YOU!"

He pointed and Inara leapt away, expecting an attack but it never came. She rolled, blinking as black flames whipped out, falling over –

"CASPIAN!

The black fire touched the king and he was gone, melting out of sight and existence. Zaru cried out and in that moment of shock, of uncertainty Kylee struck.

"ZARU!" Inara yelled.

The blonde girl was suddenly in front of the leopard, smirking down at him. She reached out and with one touch, the leopard vanished.

Caspian.

Zaru.

Gone, snatched by two different demons.

"PAXTON! STOP THEM!" Inara shouted desperately, not caring who she was yelling to, who she was begging help from, "STOP HIM!"

Edmund was snatched by dark flames, flickering away as Asmodeus yelled out in victory.

"NO!"

Kylee touched Susan and she was gone.

Paxton yelled and lines of light stabbed at Asmodeus, at Kylee. Asmodeus laughed and black flames boiled around him, the man disappearing in a burst of smoke and sulphur. Kylee rolled her eyes and the white beam hit the wall, the demon gone from sight.

"COME BACK!" Inara screamed, frantically "COME BACK!"

A sound and she whirled, Kylee standing over Jason's prone form. The blonde girl gave her a vicious smile and a wink.

"NO!"

The demon and the Seeker vanished, Inara's thrown dagger slicing through empty air.

"They're gone."

Inara whirled and stared at her rescuer. Beyond her, Peter was the only one of her friends, her only family left, his eyes closed, pale and limp on the ground.

Paxton was helping Chelsea up, both of them staring at the woman who stood in the centre of the room.

"Hello Inara," Dorothy said gently.

And Inara punched her square in the face.

**. . . . . . .**

"…_and just what we will see on the silver screen? Close sources tell us to prepare for adventure, romance, betrayal, action and so much more! So stick around and watch the epic saga unfold!"_

**. . . . . . .**

Author's notes: I hope the little media snippets weren't too annoying. I put them in there to show off how the world is reacting to all this Paxton vs. Demon saga… by singing about it and making movies. Oh yeah… not cynical at all. And I never thought I'll use Justin Bieber's name in a story (and no I AM NOT a fan).

And yes I understand that things are confusing. Is Paxton evil? Are the demons evil? Who's right and wrong in this twisted world? This is the crux of this arc, to blend white and black. And the most obvious example of this is Inara's reaction to seeing her family again. My original plan was for Paxton to be a straight up villain but I think this is the most interesting way to go – to explore the grey in all these characters.


	71. Wheels of fire

New chapter! Please review – review is my air, my water and my food!

Disclaimer: What's mine is mine, what's not is not

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 71: Wheels of fire **

The guard stared up at her, blood dripping hot and red down his face.

"Do you know what's the most deadliest thing in the whole wide world?"

She was just a girl, a girl with blue cornflower eyes and hands drenched in blood.

"See it's not nuclear bombs. Not anthrax or smallpox or anything anyone could cook up in a lab."

She gave a small trill of laughter.

"It's not even hate or rage. No, they're not the things that make entire nations just... burn."

She turned, flaxen hair flying out around her, a halo of sweet innocent gold.

"Belief."

And there was such reverence in her voice, such sinister cackling joy.

"It's such a beautiful thing," she smiled at him, "See my brother is a force of destruction, he burns with the very fires of hell. It's terrifying but me? I'm so much worse."

She walked up to the plinths, to the marble statutes with mysterious wistful looks locked forever onto the stony faces. She had attacked without warning, had torn limbs from sockets with terrifying ease. He knew what she was, knew she was a demon but where was Paxton? Where was their saviour?

Tears spilled down his face.

"I wield the very thing that has bled more men than anything else on the face of this world."

She smiled, laughed and even clapped, dancing on the spot in excitement. How could she be a demon? Demons were terrifying winged horned monsters. She was just a girl. How could such a sweet innocent face hide something so rotten and twisted?

The demon was talking, casually kicking aside a hand she had twisted off. She had laughed as the woman had haemorrhaged to death, blood almost exploding out of her torn arteries.

"I am faith. I am blind, utter belief. I am the thing that makes men think they have the right to crush all other men under their feet. I am the thing that makes priests hurt little boys and girls in the night without a shred of shame. I am the thing that makes normal men and women blow up innocent people."

Her laughter climbed, growing, swelling into a huge dark terrible thing as the guard whimpered, closing his eyes, trying to close his ears to the dreadful sound.

"Faith," Kylee gently touched the statues before her, "Such a beautiful, dreadful word."

She shot the guard a wink and a smile.

"Now," she looked intently at the statue before her, "_Believe._"

**. . . . . . . . . . .**

Dorothy hit the ground.

The Nixon family stared at each other.

Paxton was unreadable.

Dorothy showed nothing.

Chelsea was all fury and hate.

Inara's eyes were pure silver.

"Talk!" Chelsea snarled suddenly, shattering the silence, "Where are the demons? Where are they?"

Dorothy's blue eyes flickered towards her, completely unimpressed. She pressed one hand against her bloodied mouth, wincing as she touched the bruise that was already forming.

"I guess I deserved that," she said to Inara instead.

Chelsea flushed as her mother completely ignored her, rising gracefully from the ground. Despite the fact Asmodeus, her only ally, had abandoned her to her enemies, Dorothy's voice was level.

"Deserve?" Inara laughed nastily, "You deserve a whole lot more worse _mother._"

Dorothy flinched.

"I've changed," the blonde woman said simply.

"You saying it doesn't make it true," Inara said coldly.

But Dorothy had changed. Gone was the drunken, sloppily dressed woman who had begged her for money with a pout on her face. Dorothy now looked like a woman of power, in control and used to having every command, every whim obeyed. But in the face of her daughter's murderous glare all that strength was stripped away, every instinct screeching at her to flee from her own flesh and blood, from her shame.

But Dorothy steeled her nerves, forcing herself to match her daughter's eyes knowing she deserved her hate.

"I've changed," the blonde woman repeated, an edge in her voice.

"From the monster who slapped me, got drunk every night and slept around with random men?" Inara's voice was razor sharp, "Or from the woman who let her own husband slap his daughter around?"

Dorothy flinched, her face pale at the bitter truth spilling from Inara's lips. Inara smiled cruelly, relishing her pain

"I know you're angry..." Dorothy began.

Inara snarled at her, the Naga hissing its fury in her head.  
"No."

The word was cold and cutting. Inara stared at Dorothy flatly, the older woman swallowing as she tried regain her equilibrium.

"Angry doesn't even begin to cover it," Inara snarled, "What you did... what you let happen..."

She clenched her fists.

"I will never forgive you," Inara snarled.

Dorothy took a deep shuddering breath, her naked pain hidden behind a wall of purpose.

"You have to," the woman said coolly, "There are bigger things to worry about... if we don't stop you father..."  
"I am standing right here!" Paxton's voice cracked out like a whip.

Dorothy looked at him.

"Paxton. Stop this war," she said softly, "You cannot destroy the demons."

A muscle in Paxton's cheek worked.

"We have to destroy them. They work for the darkness!" the man spat, black eyes flaring to life, "Have you seen what they've done? Tokyo! The Vatican!"

His voice fell, his throat working to get his words around the lump in his throat. When they finally emerged, they were full of remembered pain.

"I've seen them kill again and again..." Paxton shook his head, trying to shake the images away, "They must be punished!"

His eyes sought out Inara. Every thought, every emotion in him was laid out bare and raw and all Inara could see was regret. She looked away, trembling, still unable to understand the man her monster of a father had become.

"They are not working for the darkness," Dorothy said simply, "And it's not their fault they're killing."

"They're demons mum!" Chelsea roared.

She pulled herself up to her full height, trying to tower over her mother, intimidate her but Dorothy merely stared back, blue eyes calm. Fire sparked fire and Chelsea slammed her hands down onto the chair arms, snarling straight into her mother's face

"Did the booze kill all your brain cells?" the red-head spat, teeth bared, "They're filthy monsters and they deserved to be exterminated!"

She reared back, fists clenched but Paxton grabbed her, forcing her back as Chelsea cursed and kicked.

"Stop being a racist!" Dorothy snapped, voice cracking like a whip, "You think just because they're demons they're evil?"

Inara's breath caught as Dorothy's eyes flicked to her. There was begging in her face, a plea for her daughter to understand.

"Inara," Dorothy looked at her.

Eyes that had always been hard, always full of hate and fire was now soft, open and honest. Dorothy wanted her daughter and a part of Inara just wanted her mummy.

A whimper left her lips as Inara stood, hot and dizzy, torn this way and that. Hate flared into love, love melted back into hate, she was frozen as her mind and heart warred, her world splintering and cracking.

"The Sisters of the Mystic Lake," Dorothy said softly, "The Arachnas. You know Inara. You know things are not always what they seem... not when the Great Darkness is involved."

"They've killed innocent people. They have to be punished," Paxton's voice sliced into Dorothy's like a scalpel, "They're monsters and they deserve nothing but death!"

"Have you talked to them?" Dorothy whirled on her husband, spitting and hissing, "Have you tried?"

Paxton drew himself to his full height dark eyes flashing and in the ugly anger that sprawled across his face Inara caught a glimpse of the monster that still haunted her dreams.

"I don't need to!" he roared, "They're demons and I am the warrior chosen to wipe them out of existence! It is God's will!"

Dorothy laughed, bright and mocking, an echo of her once drunken slurred chuckles.

"Look at you sweetie," she said viciously, "Do you think God would choose a pathetic child-beater like you?"

Stab deep, twist the knife. Even half dead with booze Dorothy had always somehow known known exactly what to say, how to make her words cut to the bone. This was the Dorothy Inara knew all too well and her heart hardened into a clump of black coal.

"I've changed," Paxton's voice shook.

"So have I. I've grown up enough to realise I don't deserve forgiveness," Dorothy said strongly, straightening in her seat as her eyes found Inara's, "Unlike some."

Paxton's breath fled.

She didn't enjoy this, didn't enjoy tearing her family down but the blonde woman forced ice to flow through her veins. She had to save the world and dam everything that got in her way.

"The demons are not purely evil. They have helped the High King."

Inara's head snapped to the side, the breath rushing from her lungs as she realised she had forgotten about Peter. He was lying there, limp and pale, his chest struggling to rise with each breath.

"Petey!" the word was ragged, torn from her heart and flung out to the world.  
"Looks like the demons broke your toy boy," Chelsea sneered.

Inara could've snapped back a reply, could've taunted her but there was only one real way to hurt her sister and she ruthlessly used it.

Inara looked at Paxton and he stared back at her, eyes soft, praying for her to listen.

"You need to believe me," Paxton said softly, hesitantly, "Please."

Inara forced a smile onto her lips.

"You need me."

Paxton nodded slowly.

"Yes."

"What?"

They all turned looking at Chelsea as she stared back at them incredulously.

"Her?" the red-head fumed furiously, "What about me? WHAT ABOUT – "

"What about you?"

Dorothy's voice was bland, stating an obvious face, no trace of malice in her words.

Chelsea's face collapsed and tears threatened to fall. But she shoved them back, face flushing, fingers curling into claws.

"What? What about me?" she whirled on her father, "Don't you need me? Daddy! Daddy!"

Chelsea screamed at her father as Paxton stared back at her, mouth opening and closing. He started, words rushing frantically from his mouth.  
"Chelsea. Of course I need you. I – "

"But not as much he needs me!" Inara taunted.

Chelsea screamed, a primal screech that wracked her body. She leapt at Inara but Paxton pointed, white light flying and knocking his daughter back.

Chelsea stumbled against the wall, stunned, eyes widening as she stared at her beloved father.

"Daddy... you..."

Paxton's eyes were wide, his face horrified.

"Chelsea I..." he started forwards.

His hands closed around nothing as Chelsea stumbled out of the room. Paxton stood, chest heaving as Inara laughed.

"Wow, usually you only beat up on me," she taunted as she lowered herself to the ground, gently picking Peter up.

The High King's head lolled against her and Inara felt her heart clench.

She looked back at Paxton and savoured the look of anguish on his face. All her confusion, all the uncertainty –

Paxton had attacked Chelsea. Dorothy had taunted Paxton. Chelsea hated her. Nothing had changed. Nothing had –

But the softness in her parents' eyes, their pleading in their voice. They wanted her. Needed her –

Inara ruthlessly forced it back. She had to remember she hated these remember. Had to cling onto that.

"Stay here," Paxton said finally, "I... I need to fix this."

He walked out, closing and locking the door behind him as Dorothy let out a long deep breath. She stared at the wall for a few seconds, seeing nothing, thinking nothing.

The first tear was warm as blood against her skin.

They came and she let them, the proud woman dropping her face into her hands as she wept.

Inara watched her mother as she continued to cry, trying to feel nothing at all.

**. . . . . . . . . . .**

She floated through light and darkness, falling through shadows and shapes until she found herself drifting in a place that was not a place. There was no constants here, no absolutes just mist and ambiguity.

And in the darkness, a pair of molten gold eyes opened.

"Little one..."

The thing was a hart but it was like no deer she had ever seen before, its long unfurling antlers the colour of polished bronze and copper. Wild unkempt fur hung long around its powerful body, the strands the colour of the forest – brown and gold and green, dappled and mottled, shifting and changing with every movement. But where nature gave hinds hoofed feet and flat teeth to chew plants, this creature had a wolf's gleaming fangs, a raptor's hooked claws married to a bear's grasping paws. It was a Chimera of creatures, built for attack and strength and pursuit.

The beast pulled back and eyed her carefully.

"When the wheels turn..."

Its voice was deep and grand and carried with it all the sounds of the forest – the whisper of falling autumn leaves, the bubbling of clear streams over smooth brown rocks, the creak and groan of a falling rotten tree and the rumbling growls and cries of all those who lived and died amongst the trees.

She knew instantly what it was.

"The Hunt."

The Hunt-beast reared, snarling and roaring and it whirled as something dark and cold surged out from the mist.

Susan screamed, her own terrified face staring right back at her, distorted in twin pools of pure blood red. A shapeless mass of ink and shadows staggered forwards, huge eyes swivelling wildly before settling back on her. It opened its mouth, a giant red gash slashed across utter darkness, and it spoke.

"And the faithful burn..."

The creature of the darkness keened wildly lunging at her but there was a sound like a bell and the thing was wrenched back, struggling wildly as tendrils of mist wrapped around its limbs, as thin as cobwebs but strong as steel. The Hunt-Beast snarled and lunged forwards, its claws lashing out and striking the dark monster in the face.

"KILL!" the thing shrieked, glaring at Susan, "KILL!"

The words pounded through Susan's veins and she knew what this thing was.

"The darkness," the queen was horrified at seeing what was living inside her mind, her soul, the very fabric of her existence, "Tash's Gift."

"The Darkling," the Hunt-Beast roared and the ground and air shook with its cry.

The Darkling screeched, its body shuddering, trembling, flying apart at the seams. It twisted, turning in on itself, changing.

"NO!"

A doppelganger stood before her, a mirror-copy in every way but for eyes saturated with red. Shadows rose high above its head, swallowing everything as the Hunt-Beast whirled on Susan.

"When the wheels turn and the faithful burn..."

Susan screamed as darkness touched her skin, seeping into her, filling her up until it exploded out of her mouth, the queen retching and vomiting out darkness.

"The two shall fall and They shall ride again!"

She exploded out of the darkness and into the light, fleeing the Hunt, fleeing Tash's Gift, screaming every second of the way.

**. . . . . . . . . . .**

"Interesting."

The woman was tall and proud, her hair and clothing the colour of darkness and mist, forever shifting. She walked across the grass and with every step flowers bloomed and withered in an endless cycle of birth and death.

Susan pulled herself up, her eyes wide in her ghost pale face.

"Where... what..."

She was lying in the shade of an apple tree, the branches heavy with ripe red fruit. All around was undulating fields of perfect green, the sky above lost in mist and whorls of colour. Grey waters lapped the edge of the land, light and smoke playing across the frigid surface.

"I have been waiting for you."

The woman's eyes was the blue of the tropical sea but as Susan watched it darkened, turning into the deepest black

"Who are you?" Susan demanded, "Where are my friends?"

Her last memory was of Kylee, laughing as she was pitched into the darkness. How had she ended up here? Where were the others?

The queen was unarmed, dressed only in a rough smock. Her sceptre, her bow even her daggers were gone. She reached for her neck, for the pouch that should have been there but even was missing. Fear pulled at her, threatening to drown her but Susan clung to her nerve, finding refuge in anger. The woman's lips twitched into the smallest of smiles, her eyes glittering.

"She said you were needed and you have power. A meagre pool but yet you still have not grown into it," the woman said archly.

The stranger held herself with regal elegance, as beautiful and distant as the moon, looking down at Susan with such adult amusement that the queen felt like a mere child. Susan fought down the urge to squirm, to show even a hint of her nerves even as she bristled at what the woman implied.

"Who the hell are you!" Susan spat out each word, her voice fraying.

"You do not recognise me child?" the woman laughed, "Of course I have been... away for a very long time."

Susan opened her mouth again but the woman cut her off with a gesture of her hands. The space around her fingers rippled as she moved as if her slightest movement could stir eddies and currents in the air itself.

"To answer your question child I am Morgana."

Susan blinked, frowning. The woman smiled, she was enjoying this moment, enjoying the ignorance before the shock.

"Morgana Le Fay."

Why did that name sound so familiar? Why...

Susan's jaws dropped.

Morgana Le Fay. Witch. Enchantress. The woman of magic from the stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table – Peter and Edmund's favourite. She remembered reading aloud to them, smiling amused as her two brothers hissed and growled every time she read Morgana's name.

Traitor. Usurper. Destroyer.

Susan watched breathless as the witch held out one elegant hand, her long fingers wrapped around a silver goblet that had appeared from nowhere. Her eyes and her dress rippled with colour, shimmering and shifting, always in flux, never stable.

"Rest child for soon you and I and our armies will march."

"March?" Susan stared at the goblet, at the liquid that swirled inside bringing with it the smell of apples and summer, "Army?"

Morgana smiled and her even white teeth became fangs, her eyes flaring,

"This is Avalon and I am the mother of Oberon. My army is here."

Lights burst into existence, will-o-wisps of aurora colours that danced in the air. Susan could hear laughter, shrilling screeching laughter that made her want to clap her hands to her ears. The balls of fire and light grew, splitting, multiplying until Susan's eyes burned from the brightness.

"The faeries have assembled. The one who was promised to me by Belphegor is here!" Morgana called out, her voice ringing through Avalon.

The seas roared, hurling pounding waves against the shore. Apples fell from the trees, shrivelling and dying, their seeds sinking down into the earth, sprouting into saplings, thickening to trees in the blink of an eye. Life and death raged on the island, rocks crumbling to dust, sand crushed together to form stone.

Susan looked down at her hands and fought down the urge to scream as her skin wrinkled, the strength leeching from her very bones, the joints stiffening. Before she could yell, before she could cry, the pain faded, her hands returning to normal, calloused and scarred as ever.

"We will march!"

Morgan laughed as Susan stared at her, now lying in a grove of apple trees. The bursts of light, the faeries, howled with laughter, gibbering loudly.

"We will march and retrieve Excalibur!"

**. . . . . . . . . . .**

"We call it the Ophanim Machine."

Elias stared at the thing before him.

"What is it?" he asked awed.

Scientists and technicians hurried from computer to computer, working frantically, scanning through readouts, hitting buttons and changing variables.

"It came to me in a dream," Ezekiel said simply.

"You saw this..." Elias swept his hand around, trying to encompass it all, "... in a dream?"

It was a machine but nothing like any machine Elias had ever known. It was a marriage, a melding of arcane arts and cold science. It rose high up into the air, a mammoth thing of metal. Three rings, forged from gold and silver, bronze and steel, all mottled and beaten together, one inside the other but all set at different angles. They rotated and spun like a gyroscope as sigils and runes that burned with molten light flashed and flared.

"The Ophanim Machine. The Wheels of Fire," Ms. Tang said smugly, savouring the dumbfound look on Elias's face, "Ezekiel went into a trance and began to write... from his words this is what we have managed to create."

"What is it?" Elias paced the edges of the immense machine, watching it turn and twist, trying to understand it all.

"It pulls across time and space," Ezekiel's eyes were dreamy, "Once it is completed we can summon anything, anywhere to here."

Elias slowly mouthed the words, frowning until –

"Wait... this is a trans-dimensional teleporter?" the scientist was flabbergasted, "But... even my world..."

Elias stared at the Ophanim Machine, studying its wheels as they moved. There was a mad pattern to it all, an alien purpose in their movements that Elias couldn't even hope to understand.

"Is it..." Elias licked his lips.

Faced with such a masterpiece of technology, an enigma that could control time and space itself all else was forgotten in his head.

"Is it working?"

"No," Ms. Tang said briskly.

She shoved a thick file of paper straight into Elias's hands.

"Ezekiel's design was incomplete. We need you to finish it for us," the woman's voice brooked no arguments, "Doctor Kruchnik!"

Elias stared at her yell but a small weedy man instantly appeared by the woman's side, visibly cowed by the Paxton's representative.

"Report," Ms. Tang snapped, eyeing him as if the scientist was something she would like to crush beneath her expensively clad feet.

Dr. Kruchnik shuddered.

"We're not sure about the proper settings. The variables. We've tried setting the Spectrum Accelerator to –"

"Zero point two three," Elias said suddenly.

Kruchnik stared at him, eyes bugging. Elias turned to Ezekiel and Ms. Tang, studying the unlikely pair.

Ms. Tang was dangerous. It didn't take a genius to work that out. Everything she said, every act she carried out was all smoke and mirrors, her true intentions bubbling away underneath, unclear and unknown until she wanted you to know. But where Ms. Tang was all dark amusement and predatory intent, Ezekiel emanated serenity and comfort. The lines of age softened his features, his eyes soft and caring, his smiles effortless and beckoning.

And it was for all these reasons Elias trusted him least of all.

"Why should I should help?" the scientist demanded, "Why are you building this?"

The wheels were humming, the fire-burned words blazing but as quickly as the climax had started it all went dead again, scientist scrambling frantically as machine shot out ream after ream of paper.

Elias twitched, every instinct in his body wanting to join them, to untangle the mystery and lay bare the very threads of existence.

"Do you see?" Ezekiel said serenely, "If the Ophanim Machine is completed... we can bring anything we want from any of the worlds."

Elias frowned.

"We can steal from the Great Darkness," Ms. Tang let out a bray of laughter.

"We can rescue Lucy," Ezekiel said softly.

Elias instantly stiffened. He had seen the anguish Susan and Peter had been through, being so close to their sister and failing her. Had heard Edmund cry out her name in his sleep when he wasn't cursing the witches or begging for Aslan.

"How do you know it works?" Elias demanded.

"Faith."

There was no hesitation in Ezekiel's voice. Elias studied the Paxton's prophet, hesitating. He heard a growl in his head, a wolf's warning cry.

"You," he looked at Kruchnik as Ms. Tang smiled in triumph, "Tell me everything."

**. . . . . . . . . . .**

"I don't know what to do."

Inara drew her knees up to her chest, hugging her legs to her as she stared out the window. The sun was hot and golden, mocking her and black hate welled. She wanted to reach out, to grab the burning sun and crush it into a lump of coal, to destroy this world, to punish it for hurting her again and again.

"I was ready to kill him. I was ready to kill her for what they did."

Inara laughed bitterly.

"You had no idea how terrified I was of them. Sure I hated them but if someone had given me a gun and told me to take my revenge... I'm not sure if I could've," the half-Naga bit her lip, "And it wasn't about doing the right or wrong thing. It was about fear. I was scared if I took my revenge they'll brush it off like it was nothing and kill me."

Inara let out a long deep breath.

"You had no idea how hard it was to finally to go the police. How I had fight every shred of instinct in my body to do that. I was so scared they wouldn't believe me. So scared they would believe Paxton's lies."

She leapt from the window seat and paced the room, jittery, her whole body shaking.

"And even when he was gone... Dorothy... Chelsea. They hated me for it. They made my life a living hell and even though I fought back... I was still so scared of them. Scared they would realise I was nothing but a little girl acting tough and that they could crush me without even trying."

Inara stared down at her hands.

"I stopped being scared in the Temple. I learnt they weren't monsters. They were just pathetic excuses of human beings and I was better than them. That's why I hated them without reservation for the first time in my life," she smiled but it was fragile as glass, "I thought I would come back home and hit them like a storm. Punish them. Make them as scared of me as I was of them."

She clenched her fists.

"I was ready to fight them. Fight them tooth, claw and nail and get revenge. I was ready for Paxton the Monster, for Dorothy the Drunk. I was ready..."

She lashed out, punching the wall, not even flinching as her knuckles slammed hard into the plaster.

"But this! I... what do I do?" she screamed, "God damn it! I wish I could tell them to go straight to hell and die but... but..."

Inara's pupils were blown, her breathing frantic.

"We need them. We have no idea what the hell is happening in this world. Angels and demons. Paxton and his enemies. This... this doesn't make any sense!" she whirled, "But we're stuck. Scattered, jerked around by these bastards! We need their help. We need to know what they know!"

She kicked a chair, shattering it with one blow.

"But I can't... I'm scared," she whispered brokenly, "I'm so scared. A part of me wants to say yes. I part of me wants to believe I have a mum and dad who loves me. But if I say yes I'm letting them back in. I'm saying I trust them. I'm giving them power over me again. And I can't do that. I'm so scared..."

Inara bit her tongue and tasted blood.

"What do I do? What do I do Peter?"

But the High King had no answers for her, limp and pale in his bed, hooked up to monitors and screens she couldn't even begin to understand. He had no woken since they had rescued him from Belphegor, not a single sign but the slow rising and falling of his chest to show he was even alive.

"Wake up," Inara begged, tears falling as last, "Peter... wake up. Please."

But the king remained as still as ever.

**. . . . . . . . . . .**

The hood of his cloak was thrown back to reveal a face that was hidden beneath a wild tangle of hair and bramble. His eyes were pits of blue flames, alive with hate and anger. He was a wild thing of the woods, his skin as much mud as flesh, his clothes as much ragged cloth as cobwebs and leaves.

Jason roared and ruach surged from his fingers, it shrieked through the air, a wave of boiling white hot flames. The strange man merely pointed and the white fire simply vanished, leaving behind not even a single ember.

"Who the hell are you?" the Seeker roared, his dagger in his hands.

The wild man studied him. All around the trees rustled their leaves, shadow and light playing across their faces, the sound like whispers, dark and mysterious.

"You are the promised one. You will come with me."

Jason growled, a halo of white fire flaring around him. The trees recoiled, moving like serpents, trying to escape from the ruach. The Seeker's eyes narrowed but he said nothing, trying to stare the man down.

He had awoken in the deepest of forests, lying in the dirt with a tree root digging into his back. The man had nudged him with his foot, bounding away when Jason had roared, lashing out at him.

"You have power."

The man talked in short staccato sentence, his voice slurred and harsh as though he wasn't used to speaking. Behind him stood a single dead tree, charred and smoking as though it had been struck by lightning.

"Where are we? Where are the others?" Jason demanded.

"Save your strength," the man turned as if he was a mere insect, to be studied one moment then ignored the next.

Jason hurled ruach at him but it struck an invisible wall, vanishing before it could strike the stranger.

"WHO ARE YOU!"

The man turned back to look at him, a smile crinkling the lines around his eyes.

"Rest. Because soon we will march."

Roots sprung from the ground, winding around Jason's foot, dragging him away as the Seeker desperately fought against them. Vines fell from the trees, snapping around his hands, the dagger ripped from his grip.

"WHO ARE YOU!" Jason shouted as the growth tied him up to his neck, "WHO – "

"I am Merlin and soon we will fight for the Excalibur.

He suddenly laughed, the trees shaking to the sound of his voice. The earth rumbled and churned, turning to mud, entire groves sinking deep into the dirt and out of sight. Jason cried out as the vines that gripped him suddenly pulled him up into the canopy, hanging him spreadeagle over the treacherous ground.

"Do you know how much I wept? How much I begged for this day to come?"

Merlin was speaking to Jason, to himself, to the world. He laughed and he cried, he tore at his own hair and at his own clothes, tearing his skin and drawing blood.

"That day... that day..."

Jason could not move a single inch, the branches squeezing his chest, choking him every time he tried to draw ruach from that well of power deep down inside of him. He could do nothing but glare, grinding his teeth as Merlin raged and howled, the forest answer his rage, thorns and spikes bursting to life from each and every branch.

"Mordred!" Merlin screamed and lightning slashed the sky, "You failed! He is returning! With Excalibur he will return!"

Merlin laughed and laughed, eyes shining and the thorns melted into flowers, falling from the treetops in cascades of red and gold.

"Be proud!" Merlin looked up at Jason, the Seeker's wooden cage that festooned with wild flowers, "Be proud! You are saving the world my friend! Perhaps you will be knighted, serve with us on the Round Table!"

"I will tear you apart," Jason promised.

Merlin laughed.

"That's the fire Belphegor promised me! That's the soldier I need! With your help we will defeat our enemies and retrieve the sword!"

He turned away, the light in the clearing dying, shadows rising as night fell in a single breath.

"Get back here!" Jason roared.

"Rest my friend for soon we will march to war."

"GET BACK HERE!"

Jason thrashed but the branches and growth merely tightened their grip, binding him in a solid cocoon of green and bloom.

"COME BACK!"

Ignoring him Merlin disappeared into the gloom, trees closing around him protectively, sealing him off from the world.

**. . . . . . . . . . .**

Elias narrowed his eyes, his mind swiftly dissecting the numbers in front of him, a thousand equations whipping through his head, answers boiling up out of the depths of his mind and just as swiftly dissected again.

"See I told you he was fine."

Ms. Tang's high heels stabbed the ground as she marched towards his workstation, Elias spinning in his chair surprised.

He froze.

"Oh dear..." he whispered.

Inara glared at him as Elias felt like smacking his head against the desk.

He had clean forgotten about her, had forgotten she had gone with Paxton to rescue the others. He flushed, mortified and ashamed, cursing his own stupidity.

How could he have forgotten? How could he –

"Leave," Inara snapped at Ms. Tang.

The tall woman raised one brow.

"You work for my family?" Inara spat, "I outrank you. Now scram."

"Impressive. Not many people can stand up to me," a sly smile curled Ms. Tang's lips, "I'm beginning to like you little one."

"I'm dancing for joy on the inside. Truly," Inara growled, "Now go."

Ms. Tang slowly and deliberately turned, sashaying away as Inara turned on Elias.

"Inara I'm so – " Elias began hurriedly.

"Petey's in a coma," she said brusquely, "We can't wake him up."

Elias froze.

"Wha – " he choked on the word.

"Belphegor did something to him," Inara suddenly look very, very old, "We nabbed Dorothy but Asmodeus has the others."

Elias sat, stunned as Inara ran a hand through her hair, her mask crumbling fast.

"I don't know what to do," her voice shook, "Peter. Paxton. The demons. Anything. "GARGH!"

Elias flinched as she kicked the wall. Technicians jumped, staring at her in open shock as Inara cursed loudly, eyes turning silver.

"It's so messed up!" she snarled, "I was planning to break out and join the others but with Petey... we're stuck."

Elias had come to the same conclusion. He cleared his throat drawing Inara's attention to him.

"There is something that can help," he said carefully.

"The Ophanim Machine?" Inara said wryly, "Trust you to find a shiny machine and forget all about me."

Elias reddened but Inara smiled, taking the bite out of her words. They had gone through too much together, had grown so close that such tiny things didn't matter anymore. They all made mistakes, they were all flawed and messed up in their own ways but that didn't matter. They were family and family did not judge.

A strange warmth settled in Elias's chest as he once again marvelled at how far they had all come. He had always thought family were more distraction than boon, something not meant for great minds like him. But Inara, Susan, Jason, Zaru and the others – they were his anchor, his foothold in a world that was making less sense every day. He was proud of all the things he had achieved in his life so far but being of this life, this family – that was the one thing he knew without a doubt was something he could never top.

"What is it?"

The strange wheels were still turning, the glyphs still burning away as Elias sighed.

"It's supposed to be able to cross the worlds and move things to this place and time. I have some rudimentary understanding of it. The movements and the vibrations it makes, it's a physical representation of string theory and..."

Inara was staring at him.

"If I can get it to work we can bring the others to us," he summarised.

"Sounds like a plan," Inara fought to keep the lightness in her voice even as her stomach rolled at the thought of being around her family for one more second, "You can do it right?"

If Elias heard the brittleness in her voice he said nothing.

"I will do my best."

And the steely look in his eyes told Inara all she needed to know. Some of her fear bled away, the knot in her chest loosening ever so slightly.

"How is Peter?" Elias asked.

'They're looking after him," Inara smiled thinly, "With the best doctors in the world no less... Paxton really wants to be on my good side."

Elias wanted to rush out, to tear Peter away from his bed and run until they could find the others. But Inara had been right, there was no way they could move the king. They were stuck. He had to get the machine to work. He had master the wheels of fire because one switch and he could pull Susan and others to them, one button and Lucy would be rescued. Lucy. It all hinged on him – hinged on him not to fail.

Panic rose but Elias viciously beat it down.

"Sir!"

The scientists as one of the technicians ran up to him, clutching a file.

"These were the documents you asked for," the young man said urgently, handing it to him.

The scientist flipped it open and his eyes flittered across the page. He froze, a short sharp gasp leaving his lips.

"Doc?"

Elias looked up at her, eyes wide.

"You and Susan come from the same world..."

Inara nodded, still not quite following."

"But from different time periods. This is Susan's future. So I looked into the records for any mention of Susan and her family, anything that might suggest the outcome of this war against the darkness but – "

He wordlessly handed the filed to Inara. Frowning, she began to read.

"The Pevensies. Helen. Peter. Susan. Edmund. Lucy," the half-Naga blanched, "... died in 1940 during the London Blitz."

She looked up.

"What the – " she frowned, "They're dead?"

"This isn't their world."

Inara looked at Elias as the scientist looked off to the side, turning his theory over in his head.

"I always assumed that you came from the future and and Susan from the past," Elias frowned, "But... it's different worlds. Similar in almost every away but one key difference. In Susan's world her family survived the bombing and went to Diggory's house. In this world... in your world's... the Pevensies family died."

"So they're not zombies?" Inara demanded, "Because it's a little late in the game to be chopping off their heads."

Elias shot her a look.

"What?" Inara protested, "Just checking!"

**. . . . . . . . . . .**

Zaru ran and ran and ran, the wind rushing through his fur, each stride crushing the grass beneath releasing their raw green scent into the air. But the scent was quickly swallowed by the thing that ran beside him.

It was a giant beast of golden fur and green scales. Hooves slammed into the dirt, branding the hillside with its track. Its eyes were wild and savage, its mouth agape, a forked tongue flicking out between two curved fangs.

Its scent punched Zaru again and again – as confusing as the creature itself. The thing had the body of a leopard, thick with stiff fur and knotted muscles. Its limbs did not end with claws but with the hooves of a stag. Its head was the diamond-faced visage of a serpent, armoured in poisoned green scales and armed with venomous fangs. Its tail whipped and coiled through the air, as snake-like as its head.

Zaru had woken and had seen the creature run by. Despite the strangeness of its smell Zaru could tell one thing. Burned through the mismatch of animal odours was the steel scent of purpose, the fire and ash of obsession.

He didn't know where he was. Didn't know where Susan and the others were. There was nothing around but woods and meadows, the leopard left with nothing to do but stand and watch as the creature run past.

He had followed it, not knowing why but something in him said he must.

So they ran side by side, the monster ignoring him, Zaru watching it wearyingly. His ears twitched as he heard cries, screams, not from any creature but from the world itself. He could feel it, could smell it, could hear it; wherever this creature went the land shook, trying to reject it, trying to push it away.

What was this thing?

And where were they going?

All these questions and Zaru didn't have a single clue.

**. . . . . . . . . . .**

A pane of glass was the only thing that separated them. One was the captor, the other the captive but in this room there was no victor, no loser – that battle had yet to be won.

"Enjoying your new accommodations Mrs. Nixon?"

Ms. Tang was all sweet smile and predatory teeth. Her eyes glittered, so dark that it seemed to swallow every single drop of light that fell upon it.

"It's wonderful," Dorothy said just as smoothly, "Very minimalist."

Tang inclined her head humbly.

"I live to serve."

The two women eyed each other, a study in contrast and irony. Lilith, the treacherous ally of the demons, was snow-skinned and golden-haired, the supposed facade of angels. Dark-haired and dark-eyed, Tang looked the part of the fairytale witch but she was on the side of heaven, the side that was going to save the world.

"And why are you working for my husband?' Dorothy demanded, "You are very smart woman Tang..."

"Oh please," Tang drawled, "I'm blushing."

"You must realise something is wrong. Why would God choose someone like Paxton to fight for him? Why would God choose such a pathetic, miserable excuse of a human being?" Dorothy snarled, ramming her fist against the glass, "You know it doesn't make sense!"

She stopped, flushed, chest heaving as Tang studied her carefully.

"I work for Paxton for two very simple reasons," she said finally, "One... for the money."

"I can offer you double what he's paying," Dorothy offered swiftly, "Name your – "

"Second," Tang cut her off, "I like power."

Tang studied her prey, noting each and every look on her face.

"I am Paxton's spokeswoman. My word is his word and his word is the word of God. Nobody even thinks to question me..."

Dorothy's face had turned to stone and Tang smiled sympathetically.

"I'm sorry Dorothy. But if I help you I'm going to be the next Lilith. Even if we do tear down Paxton I will be hunted to the end of days," her smile was like cold slash across her face, "Why would I give up what I have to join you in the slums?"

"He's going to drag us all down to hell," Dorothy managed to grit out, "And you with it."

"I'm going to go to hell anyway," Tang shrugged slightly, "But I intend to live the rest of my mortal life in pure luxury."

The two women stared at each other. Dorothy fought to stood tall, fought to not let her failures crush her.

She had failed to get Inara to listen and now she had failed to win Tang over. She was trapped. In the complete mercy of her husband and his cronies.

"So what now?" Dorothy demanded, blue eyes sparking, "You're going to break me down? Make me confess everything?"

Tang sighed and it was the sad sigh of a disappointed mother.

"No Dorothy. Not me," her voice took on a gleeful lecturing tone, "See most people think I'm the most terrifying figure in Paxton's entourage. But really I'm nothing compared to numero uno..."

Dorothy stiffened watching Tang as the tall woman paced outside her cell, as lithe and dangerous as any beastly predator. Dorothy was the prisoner but Tang should be the one locked up, kept in the darkness and the key thrown away.

Another twisted irony.

"The thing is I know I'm doing evil but the church? The men of faith?" Tang laughed throatily, "Nobody hates like the church. Secure in their righteousness, inciting others to break and rend all in the name of salvation without the slightest glimmer of guilt."

Dorothy's breath was like a lump of ice in her throat.

"Tang?"

Ms. Tang turned.

"Ezekiel. Right on time."

The monk stepped into the room and one look at him, Dorothy felt cold sweat bead on her skin.

Tang hurt because she liked the power. But the feverish light that burned into Ezekiel's eyes was a different monster altogether.

This was a man who believed.

He would torture, kill and rape without a speck of blood touching his pristine soul. Faith was like an armour, a disease that tore all feelings and heart from his body and flinging it to the four winds. Nothing he did haunted him... not when it was done in the name of the Lord.

Young men, dressed in the same rough brown habit, hurried in after the prophet, dragging into a vat of water. These were Ezekiel's disciples, the followers of the enlightened path of Paxton.

They stood and waited, watching their master's face, adoration etched into their too-old faces.

"Giving her a bath?" Tang asked idly.

"She must be cleansed," Ezekiel's hand twisted and untwisted a length of rosary beads.

Dorothy fought to keep the panic from her face. She would not break. She would not break. She would not brea –

She found herself praying but who was there to pray to?

"Well, since I have no intentions of getting wet. I will leave you. Those adorable Paxtonites we retrieved from Dorothy and her pals still need to be processed."

Tang could've turned and shot one last jab at Dorothy, twist the knife just that little bit more but she didn't. Talking would've just distracted Dorothy from her terror.

Tang left as Ezekiel nodded to his followers.

"Get her."

The door swung open and Dorothy fought, kicking out, biting, scratching as rough hands grabbed her arms. Her teeth grounded together, not a single sound escaping as Dorothy thrashed, keeling as a heavy boot slammed into her gut.

Ezekiel ignored her, kneeling next to the water, whispering a prayer as his boys smashed Dorothy against the wall.

A tooth shattered, shards ripping into her tongue and cheek but she refused to scream.

She would not break. She would not break. She would no –

"Cleanse her," Ezekiel ordered calmly, "Wash the demon from her soul."

She would not break. She would not brea –

They drove her into the water, ice rushing into her nose and down her throat, pouring into her lungs as she screamed, bubbles boiling all around her.

**. . . . . . . . . . .**

A single chunk of broken wall was the only thing to mark that this place as being anything but a godforsaken patch of rock and dust. It stuck out of the sun-bleached ground like a snaggletooth, its shadow staining the earth.

Sweat poured down his face, his skin already an uncomfortable pink but looking around, letting the land seep into his skin Edmund felt nothing but endless cold.

"What is this place?" Caspian gasped.

The Telmarine could feel it too.

The sand beneath their feet was bone white, grinded down by time into a fine powder and with each breath of wind came the smell of sulphur and ash. Something lived in this place, in every rock, and every grain of sand. It was ancient and it was aware, just waiting for them to make the wrong move, waiting so it could drag them down into the darkness and pick the flesh from their bones.

"There are many places like this over all the world, in every world," Asmodeus was smiling. Even as the wrongness that imbued the place made Edmund and Caspian sick to their stomachs, the demon was drinking it in. Edmund swallowed frantically, pushing down vomit as he felt the unseen menace thicken all around them, drawn to the demon like wind around the eye of a storm.

"This place is a wound. A bleeding, festering wound that even the fires of heaven could not erase."

Asmodeus was moving, ghostly whispers flittering all around him, touching the two kings and sending violent shudders through them.

"Why did you take us here?" Edmund demanded.

"Where are the others?" Caspian's voice overlapped the Just King's.

Asmodeus merely laughed. They glanced at each other, acutely aware of how perilous position they were in – stranded in the middle of nowhere with a deadly enemy, no weapons, no cavalry to rush in and save the day. They had awoken here, lying amongst the sand, the demon standing over them.

Slowly, hesitantly Edmund led the way, following the demon through the cursed land. Asmodeus glanced back at them, his eyes dancing, delighting in their fear.

"This is where it will be done."

They came to an outcrop and below was a labyrinth. Here lay more broken walls, more remainders of whatever great city had once stood on this land but decay and corruption had eaten all but the barest bones, wind and time moulding it into the natural ravines and valleys that cracked the earth.

Edmund stared down at the wasteland, something calling to him, his chest and stomach aching, the pain beating to the rhythm of his heartbeat.

"Ed?" Caspian asked gently, noting the sweat that gathered on his friend's face.

The Just King was terrified.

Wrongness lived in each passage and turn in the city below, poisoning the very air. His whole body was shaking, the sun burning his skin but turned away by the ice that had slid into his veins.

Lust.

Temptation.

Corruption.

That was what had once strode through this land and it had burned itself so deep into the very earth that even after centuries its spectre still remained.

And it recognised Edmund just as the king recognised it. It was waiting, waiting for him to descend down into its lair so it could consume him all over again.

He choked as the taste Turkish Delight flooded into his mouth and the weight of armour fell hard on his shoulders. Flashes of white and emerald exploded in the corners of his vision and Edmund was sent reeling back, gasping for breath.

"Ed!" Caspian grabbed him, steadying the king.

But Edmund could not see him all he could see were Jadis and Aita's dreadful, beautiful faces.

"You can feel it. It's perfect," Asmodeus grinned.

"What the hell is this place?" Caspian demanded furiously, "Why are we here?"

Edmund didn't trust himself to speak as he thrust the witches from his mind, straightening slowly. He knew. He knew why the demon had brought them here.

"Only a place of great darkness can unlock what is inside your boy king," Asmodeus sneered.

"Inside..." Caspian began, frowning, "What darkness – "

"NO!"

But it was too late. Asmodeus tore Edmund's shirt open, revealing his chest to the sun. A cry of shock rose from Caspian's lips as Edmund whirled, trying to hide what marred his chest.

"How..." Caspian's eyes darkened, "Belphegor!"

"My brother did give him the brand of Abaddon," Asmodeus said lazily.

Caspian stared in horror as Edmund refused to meet his eyes, tugging his ruined shirt over his chest. The flesh there was red and angry, puckered into ugly scars. With one touch Kylee had burned runes deep into his skin, carving the words into his very flesh. The wounds were throbbing, the pain white-hot as Edmund forced himself to look at Caspian.

"I am fine," he said flatly.

"Stop being an idiot!" Caspian snarled, "What the hell is that?"

"Belphegor marked Edmund as the vessel for Abaddon. The demon of the deep, our eldest brother and the only one with the power to destroy Paxton."

"Vessel?" Caspian cursed, "What are you talking about?"

Asmodeus laughed.

"If we unlock what is hidden within the boy... Abaddon can enter him. He will not become a demon... well, not a true one. He will just be imbued with the powers of Abaddon. He will still be him..." Asmodeus's eyes drank Edmund's face in hungrily, "Just better."

"What?" the Telmarine spat, "You kidnapped. You brought us here so you can turn Edmund into a demon? Where are the others? Where are they?"

"My brother has them," Asmodeus said simply.

"Brother?" Caspian blinked.

"Kylee," Edmund said flatly, "The other demon."

Caspian was shaking his head.

"Demons. Warriors of heaven. What is going on in this world?" the king demanded.

The demon spat and a bead of fire melted a hole into the stony ground. He sneered at them on, no taller than Caspian but somehow towering over them all. The sheer force of his presence fell on them like a tonne of stone, their knees buckling, their very body screaming at them to bend knee and grovel.

"All you need to know for now is if Paxton manages to kill me and my brother the Great Darkness would have won a great victory," Asmodeus snarled.

"You're lying," Caspian spat, his body shrieked at the hellish heat that swept over him, sweat pouring from him like a river.

Asmodeus's eyes flicked to Edmund. The Just King prided himself on being able to read people, able to judge them and anticipiate them, a skill he had ruthlessly exploited in the Golden Age. And looking at the demon now, at the raw emotions on his face, Edmund saw one thing.

"He's not. He's really, really not," the king said hating the smug victorious look that flashed across the demon's face.

"Belphegor wants you to kill Paxton but you're too weak," Asmodeus cast them a disparaging look, "All of you. He's take your friends and given them a task."

"Tasks?" Caspian demanded, "Why the hell would he – "

"Cleary you're all as stupid as you look," Asmodeus sneered, "He's training them up. Getting them ready for the big fight."

"What about us?" Edmund asked.

"I brought you here to awaken my brother so he can kill Paxton and stop the Great Darkness," the demon looked at Caspian, "And I brought you here... for other reasons."

The Telmarine spluttered.

"You expect us to just let you do whatever you want?" Caspian raised his fists.

It was laughable gesture, the king would be destroyed in a breath if it came down to a fight. Asmodeus sneered, globs of black flames dripping from his skin, hitting the earth and melting it to molten slag as his eyes glittered,

"Caspian."

The king whirled looking at Edmund. The Just King was looking at Asmodeus, a quiet fire in his eyes.

"I want to do this."

Caspian was struck dumb, he stared at his friend, suddenly ghost pale beneath his tan.  
"What? Are you insane!" the Telmarine king spluttered, "Edmu – "

"You have no idea what Edmund feels do you?" Asmodeus's voice was cutting and filled with venom, "His so-called family and you are all so blind."

Hate spasmed across Edmund's face but he held his tongue knowing nothing he could possibly say could stop the demon. What could not be prevented had to be endured.

"Do you know how useless he feels? Whilst you and your merry little band have been traipsing around saving the entire worlds, little Eddie has been killing innocent people in all the name of a witch. Do you know how many old wounds that opened?"

Caspian was stunned into silence as Asmodeus watched him, savouring his anguish. Edmund's face was frozen.

"And on top of all that guilt he has to stand and watch you fight another war. He was Peter's right hand man once, the first knight of Narnia and look at him. Susan and Peter don't need him anymore, they have you and your friends. No place for Eddie. Nothing he could do that someone else couldn't do better already. And here I am offering him the chance to singlehandedly save this world," Asmodeus laughed, "And you wonder why he wants to help me."

"Edmund..." Caspian was begging him, begging the boy to tell him the demon was wrong.

"He's right."

The air rushed from Caspian's lungs as the shutters fell away from Edmund's eyes and for the first time the king could see the raw pain the younger man was in.

"I need to do this," Edmund tried not to beg but his words were a plea.

"You want a bloody demon in you?" Caspian roared, temper fraying, "How stupid are you?"

"Don't worry Caspian. I'm going to let the demon in but it won't control me," Edmund smiled and it a vicious, calculating grin, "I'm going to crush it before it has the chance. Then I'm going to use it to help us figure out what's going on in this place."

Caspian stared at him helplessly. He wanted to grab the king, shake him until he saw chance but Edmund had made up his mind.

"Just..." Caspian closed his eyes, knowing that Susan was going to kill him, "Just be careful. Please."

Edmund's lips twitched.

"I will."

He turned to Asmodeus and straightened, facing the demon man to man, showing the monster he had nothing to fear.

"So what do I have to do?" Edmund demanded in a voice that brook no argument.

"Enter the city and the darkness will do the rest," Asmodeus said simply.

"What city is this?"

Asmodeus smiled darkly.

"They used to call it Gomorrah."

Edmund laughed.

"Of course."

Sodom and Gomorrah – the cursed cities so debauched and deviant God Himself had burned them from the face of the earth. This was where he was going to face his destiny. Edmund looked down at the ruins below, at the things of lust and destruction that walked its shallowed ways and smiled.

'_I hope you're ready,' _he silent told the thing that lived below, _'Because I'm going to tear you apart.'_

The Just King took the first step down the path towards the remnants of Gomorrah as Caspian and Asmodeus watched him go, despair on the king's face and nothing but utter victory on the demon's.

**. . . . . . . . . . .**

She walked down into the darkness, her footsteps echoing out and out before fading into nothing.

"I don't know anything..." a weak voice croaked, "I don't know where he is."

"Dorothy?" Inara's voice was hesitant.

There was a long silence.

"Inara?"

Inara found the light switch and flicked it on.

Her eyes bulged from her head.

"I look a mess don't I?" Dorothy asked with a wry smile.

Inara was no stranger to brutality, to torture and humiliation and the million dark things only a human mind and human hands could wrought.

But this... this left her breathless.

Dorothy's skin was a canvas and an artist had gone to town. He was meticulous, he was precise and he knew how to make it hurt.

There was a brand, in the shape of the cross, emblazoned across one cheek. The wound was ugly, blistered and weeping. Every other square inch of skin was mottled, bruised or cut. The skin had been torn off one arm, hanging loose, the fat beneath melting into ooze.

"Who?" Inara whispered, disgusted, "Who did this?"

"Ezekiel."

The half-Naga's footsteps rang out again, the daughter walking slowly towards her mother.

She was angry.

This woman had hurt her, had failed and betrayed her in ways that she did not even want to remember. But this woman was blood. This woman was her mother. They had hurt her...

And Inara was furious.

Dorothy was watching her, noting the play of emotion on her daughter's face.

"You're angry."

"You didn't deserve this," Inara hissed, eyes silver.

Dorothy's fingers were mangled, some broken, shattered into dozens of pieces. Every move, every breath and living movement was pain but through it all the blonde woman smiled.

"Now you see," her breath was wet, rattling in her chest, "Now you see what Paxton's people are willing to do."

"Your demons have killed a hell of a lot of innocent people," Inara pointed out.

Dorothy laughed, one iris swimming in a pool of blood.

"Me and Paxton both have blood on our hands. I'm just a little more honest about it."

Inara laughed but it was a humourless bark.

"Still trying to sell me your pitch?" Inara shook her head, "You must be feeling better."

Dorothy chuckled painfully.

"I have to try," she said, "The world depends on it."

Inara looked at her mother, studied her face, trying to find a twitch, a tic, anything to tell her she was lying. Dorothy stared back, unblinking.

Inara cursed violently.

"Here's what I'm going to do Dorothy," the half-Naga said slowly.

She was stalling, finding a thousand and one things to do, anything to stop her from choosing between her father and her mother. She was caught in a war between the church and the demons, both sides drenched in blood and she had to choose. And if she chose the wrong one and if her parents could be believed – she would be dooming the world.

Inara shoved all of that out of her head.

"I'm going to Paxton. I'm going to demand that he gets you help," her confusion, her hesitation all that was melting away, replaced by cold hard purpose.

She had something concrete to cling onto, a plan and more importantly a target to vent all her frustration upon. The Naga in her head was hissing softly, aching for a fight.

"Then I'm going to find Ezekiel and I'm going to break his arm."

Without even waiting for a reply, Inara marched up the stairs, her hands clenched into white-knuckled fists.

**. . . . . . . . . . .**

"Do you love me?"

Chelsea was screaming, throwing things, her room – a museum of antiques and million-dollar trinkets – in complete ruins.

Paxton stood helpless by the doorway, cringing as every kick, every blow destroyed more gifts, more presents he had lavished on her.

"Chelsea – "

"Why don't you need me?" Chelsea screeched, whirling around, her face flushed, "Why don't you need me?"

"I need both of you," Paxton said frantically, "You and Inara. To beat the demons I nee – "

Chelsea hurled a mirror at him, glass exploding out and showering the floor in silver slivers.

"Why her?" Chelsea begged, tears flooding her eyes, "Why her? It's always her! Even back then... it was always her! WHY?"

She tore at her clothes, her hair.

"Why don't you love me?" she begged, "Why don't you need me!"

Paxton stared at her, paralysed with helplessness. A thousand words got caught in his throat, jammed as they tried to fight their way out. He felt trapped, caught in a tangle he could not fight his way out of.

"Still throwing a tantrum?" Tang asked, stepping neatly beside her boss.

Paxton looked at her as Chelsea glared at her mortal enemy.

"Chelsea," the tall woman tutted, "What a mess."

Chelsea glared at her, all the hate and pain spilling out, hungry for a target.

"Shut the hell up you stupid b – "

"The Paxtonites have all been cleared."

Ezekiel marched down the hall, his acolytes walking in two neat lines behind him. Paxton breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that this here was something he could handle.

"And?" the warrior of heaven asked.

His seer smiled.

"I will begin initiating them into my own people and within the palace security. Despite the fact they were fooled by that demon they are very loyal to you," the monk's eyes flicked to Chelsea, "Is there a problem here?"

Chelsea's teeth grounded together, her blue eyes blazing.

"Get out!" she shrieked at them all, lashing out like a wounded enemy, "GET OUT! GET OUT! GE – "

"Ezekiel."

They all whirled, Tang smiling as she saw Inara standing at the end of the hall, her eyes completely silver. Chelsea's eyes widened as she caught sight of her own sister.

"Yes my child?" Ezekiel asked with a warm grin.

"My mother wants to deliver a message to you," Inara said with an equally open smile.

Paxton frowned.

"Wha – "

Inara exploded forward in a blur of motion. Ezekiel's followers cried out, full-grown men sent flying as the half-Naga ploughed through them. One of them screamed, choking on his own blood as one swift blow grounded his nose to raw meat.

Tang stepped neatly out of the way as Inara's foot lashed out. There was a sickening pop and another acolyte fell, clutching as his mangled knee.

"Inara –" Paxton lunged, trying to stop her but a swift blow to the face, sent him reeling back.

"What – "

Ezekiel's eyes bulged as Inara grabbed his wrist.

"Did you foresee this?" the half-Naga spat.

"Please," Tang's voice was a droll monotone, "Don't."

Inara hissed and with a single wrenching move, snapped Ezekiel's arm in two.

**. . . . . . . . . . .**

It was in plain sight, there for all the world to see. Lodged in stone, surrounded by stone, still as ugly and twisted as ever.

Standing this close to it, Susan could feel her skin crawling. Sweat broke through her skin, her hands shaking, itching to grab what was hers and never let go.

It was more than want, more than desire... it was addiction. She needed to touch the thing stuck in the stone, needed it to stop the carving running through her veins, the pure hunger that threatened to devour her.

She could feel the darkness in her mind stirring.

Once again she had to ask herself that dreaded question – what the hell had she become?

"There it is!" Morgana cried.

Before stood an artefact of an age gone past, an age where magic and gods had lived in the forests and walked the earth. Each block were sentinels from that age, enigmas that had stood silent since the death of the druids that had erected them.

The faeries cheered, shrill laughter flying from the wisps of fire that hung in the air. Their voices were loud in the silence, the heavy unnatural silence. No bird call, no insect cry, not even a single breath of air. It was as though the ring of stone and the land around it was frozen in time, untouched by the world.

"EXCALIBUR!" Morgana punched the air with her fists and thunder boomed.

"No..." Susan said too quiet for the witch, for the faeries to hear, "It's not."

Morgana did not seem to see what was truly before her. It was not a sword that stood before them but Tash's sceptre, its razor end embedded deep in a block of solid white stone. The ruby-tipped end was throbbing with light, beating like a heart and Susan was terrified to find her heart thrumming the same rhythm.

At least she was back in England, back in the land where she was born even though it was decades from her time.

Despite the situation she was in Susan had to hide a smile. The Stonehenge had always captured Lucy's imagination, her sister seeming to think it was a ring built by fairies. One glance at the balls of light floating all around her, wiped that grin away.

Morgana took one step down the hill, her eyes filled with greed and triumph.

"ROWR!"

Susan and Morgana whipped around, their eyes widening as they saw a creature barrelling towards them, a chimera of cat and serpent., the earth shaking beneath Shoving aside her fear, her shock Susan put arrow to string, the rough wood of the bow unfamiliar in her hands.

"SUSAN!"

The queen jolted.

"ZARU?"

A gold streak dashed towards her, Susan rushing to meet her guardian, her closest friend.

"NO!"

A rope of light grabbed Susan by the arm, wrenching her back. Zaru roared in fury as Susan turned, staring into the eyes of witch. Twin pools of hate and fury stared back at her, the woman's porcelain face twisted in a bestial snarl.

"I have need of you girl!" Morgana snarled, "You will keep your place!"

The monster charging towards them roared again and the faeries screamed, lights winking out as some of them vanished.

"The Questing Beast!" Morgana spat.

She flicked her hands and the air before the beast exploded, flinging it back through the air and into the hill.

"ZARU!" Susan screamed.

The earth detonated, throwing up geysers of smoke and dirt, the leopard disappearing in the destruction.

"ZARU!"

"Nothing will stand in our way!" Morgana growled.

More ties grabbed at Susan, the burning lines ending in Morgana's fingers. She twitched her fingers and Susan found herself moving, dragged forward like a marionette.

"STOP!" she screamed at the witch, "That isn't Excalibur! That isn't – "

A line of fire slashed the earth and an inferno exploded into life, a wall of sheer flames cutting Morgana off from the Stonehenge and the sceptre within.

"HELP!"

"PLEASE!"

The faeries screamed as a rush of air struck them, the balls of light that made up their forms vanishing one by one as Morgana screamed. Her hands twisted into claws, the magic tying her to Susan vanishing as the witch slashed the air.

The flames before her melted away as Morgana look up at one of the blocks of the Stonehenge. A man was perched there on the lith, a satisfied look on his wild savage face.

"MERLIN!" Morgana spat.

"Morgana," the stranger said icily.

The creature that Morgana had hurled away, the Questing Beast stirred, rising once more.

Three enemies. The first a monster she had only vaguely remembered from those childhood stories and the other two, the most powerful magical beings ever written of in legends.

The blood drained from Susan's face.

"When I get my hands on you Belphegor," Susan growled as she pulled another arrow from her quiver, "I'm going to rip your heart out!"

With a cry she let her arrow fly, the Gentle Queen plunging herself straight into the madness.

**. . . . . . . . . . .**

"Yes! Yes!"

The computer spat out screen after screen of data, numbers and symbols flashing in a dizzying storm of digits.

"Yes!"

Elias leapt from his desk, marker out, scribbling frantically on the whiteboard before him.

"Yes! Yes!"

He ran back to his desk.

"If I switch the Specturm Generator to... and convert the..."

Scientists and technicians stared at him, alarmed and mesmerised as Elias's fingers flew across the keyboard, entering new data, changing, tweaking a million and one things and –

The Ophanim Machine roared to life.

The arcane runes etched into the dark metal burned, flaring from ember-bright to an inferno. The wheels were suddenly wreathed in flames, red, green and purple twisting and twining around each other. The rings spun around each other, moving faster and faster, the flames melting into one another until the Ophanim Machine was nothing but a globe of pure flames.

"It worked," Elias said in a hushed voice, "It worked!"

He spun, laughing.

He had done it! He had unravelled the twisted strands of space and time, separated them and wounded them into a one machine that could transverse the walls, break them down and open a way to Susan and the others, to his world, Jason's world and to Narnia.

"It worked!"

**. . . . . . . . . . .**

"It works."

Jill Pole turned and looked at her companion, her eyes pitch-black.

"Did you hear that?" the agent of the Darkness giggled, "It works!"

Eustace looked at her, his skin waxen and pale, the flesh the demon inhabited slowly rotting away.

"We move," he ordered coldly.

"I'll call my pets," Jill jammed her fingers into her mouth and gave one piercing whistle.

They came shuffling out of the darkness – a pack of minotaurs, every single one of the bull-headed monsters armed to the teeth.

"Kill. Crush. Destroy," Jill ordered as her minotaurs grunted, shaking their heavy heads.

She turned back to Eustace.

"Shall we?"

Eustace held out his hands and crystal spurs formed, lengthening rapidly into a pair of razor sharp swords. Without a word he whirled, his blade flashing out. A minotaur was sliced in two, the rest of its brethren roaring in terror as steaming piles of entrails spilled to the ground.

"Do not touch the Ophanim Machine," Eustace said calmly.

He and Jill marched forwards, the minotaurs stomping after them, more and more of the beasts melting out of the shadow.

A gate stood in their way, forged from tempered steel and topped with wicked spikes. Jill snapped her fingers and the metal burned, exploding inwards.

With an earth-shaking roar the minotaurs charged, battering through the ruined gates as they fell with a resounding crash.

**. . . . . . . . . . .**

Author's note – sorry posting this late at night so nothing to say. But please, please, please review!


	72. The machine and what it brought

Yay! New chapter! Gaaah… final year of university killing me as I frantically try to apply for jobs and go to uni and study… To keep my faltering spirits up please, please, please review! More reviews means I stay sane enough to write!

Disclaimer: Yeah…. We know this off by heart by now right gang?

**Across the World**

**Chapter 72: The machine and what it brought**

Morgana Le Fay stood in the eye of a storm of power and magic. Her black hair flew around her, melting away into a cloud of shadows as fire poured from her eyes and mouth, adding to the chaos all around her.

Merlin snorted and stabbed the air with one finger.

"BOOM!"

Morgana was blasted back, her stomach bursting open as blood and gore splattered the grass. She pulled herself up, her whole body smoking as the terrible wound in her gut knitted itself whole.

"Pathetic as always," the sorceress snarled.

"You tore him down once," Merlin's voice was raw, full of remembered pain that was still too fresh, still all too soon, "I will not let you do it again! His time has come once more!"

"Camelot was already dead before Arthur died!" Morgana hissed.

For a split second her face changed into something like a serpent and something like a fox.

"How could someone so wise, so powerful fall under the sway of someone so weak and pathetic?" Morgana demanded, "Arthur is the not the king you imagine, he is the not the man you see! Stop being so blind!"

She shrieked the last word as lightning crashed to earth. But Merlin had disappeared, the stone block he had been standing on blasted to dust.

Morgana blinked and in the next moment she was standing beside the lump of stone that stood in the centre of the Stonehenge. The rubies that tipped Tash's sceptre were pulsing, blood red light washing over the white stone it was trapped in.

"Excalibur..." Morgana reached out with one trembling hand, "Is mine!"

She turned and snatched Susan's arrow straight from the air, snapping it in one hand.

"Who dares?' she hissed.

Susan marched forwards, her face set into a determined mask.

"That is not Excalibur."

She was facing against Morgana le Fay, the most powerful sorceress that ever existed. If the myths could be believed this was the woman who had torn down Camlet, this was the woman who had shattered Britain's golden age and plunged it into chaos it had still yet to recover from. Temptress, destroyer, traitor – this was what stood between her and her gift.

Yes, Morgana le Fay was a thing of legend but so was Susan.

"YOU! Belphegor said you will be my soldier!" the enchantress screeched, "You wish to steal what is mine?"

"The evil demon lied to you," Susan snarled, her blue eyes hard, "And you're surprised?"

The hillside was still smoking, the Questing Beast staggering around drunkenly, Zaru lost somewhere in the ruins the hills had become. Worry stabbed her but Susan pushed it aside, focusing everything on the enemy before her.

"It is not yours," she growled, "I am Queen Susan the Gentle and I have come for what is mine."

She was armed only with a flimsy bow but she did not hesitate.

"Excalibur belongs to me!" Morgana raged.

"It is Arthur's!"

A golden form leapt out of nowhere, tackling Susan away as a stream of fire lashed at Morgana. The enchantress deflected it with a single word but the flames twisted, mutating into a hydra of fire. Morgana shrieked as one snake-like head clamped down on her wrist, flesh and bone melting together.

Susan clambered to their feet, the queen gaping at her rescuer.

"Zaru!" she breathed.

The cat grinned at her, his face battered and streaked with dirt.

"What? You thought one blast could finish little old me!" he boasted, delighted to see his queen again.

Susan touched his head as the leopard purred in pleasure. The brief moment of respite was over and both was instantly back in the moment, back in the battle that still raged before them. Merlin and Morgana ignored them both, their eyes, their face focused solely on their mortal enemy.

"I will not let you steal Excalibur!' the wizard's fury shook the heavens, "It belongs to Arthur only!"

"Such devotion to a dead man," Morgana sneered.

She hissed a word and the fire monster that was attacking her vanished with a screech.

"Did Guinevere know she had such competition for Arthur's affection?"

Merlin roared and fissures cracked the earth.

"You will pay for what you have done!" the wizard screamed at his mortal enemy.

A halo of gold gathered around him, screams and bellows issuing from the light itself. Morgan's eyes widened, the sorceress backing away hurriedly.

"DIE!" Merlin screamed, eyes crazed.

He pointed, the light leaping to his fingertips and –

"BOOM!'

White fire ploughed into the man, the spell winking out of existence. Merlin smacked into one of the standing stones of the henge. He swiftly rose, magic picking him back up.

Jason glared at him, white flames billowing around the Seeker.

"I did say I was going to tear you apart!"

He pointed and ruach burst from his hands, sending a stone block flying as it surged towards the wizard, white fire swallowing him whole.

. . . . . . . .

"I know you're there."

He turned and saw nothing but he could still feel it – a presence, a ghost that lurked in the shadows, watching his every move.

Edmund shuddered as a breeze, ice-laced and biting to the bone, suddenly howled down the narrow passage.

"Is that meant to scare me?" he demanded, teeth chattering.

The wind died, flakes of snow falling to the ground and instantly melting under the blistering sun.

Once more Edmund stood in the dark silence of the ruins of Gomorrah.

Every step he took stirred up ash and sulphur, every breath threatening to choke him. A part of him couldn't help but observe he was breathing in the long dead remains of the demon-people of this cursed city. There was nothing left here, just shattered walls and the smell of dead fire, anyone and anything that had ever lived here long since condemned to the pits of hell.

But the city was not abandoned. Not yet.

Something lived in its shadows, a wraith, an echo of the debauched madness that had devoured this city whole.

It stalked him, withered and dying but still as a terrible and hungry as ever, waiting for him to stumble and fall.

"Come out!" Edmund commanded and his voice echoed, bouncing from wall to wall.

He stepped out of the shadows, silver-eyed and scaled-skinned, a small sad smile curling his lips.

"Who are you?" Edmund demanded.

The Naga studied him. He was a tall wiry main, his age, experience and wisdom etched as lines on his face. The snake warrior took another step forwards and whispers followed him, low accusing angry whispers, whispers that wanted Edmund to hurt, to bleed.

"Don't you recognise me?" the Naga asked.

Edmund narrowed his eyes, trying to place man.

"Don't you remember?" the Naga's smile turned mocking, fangs sliding out from his gums, "Don't you remember how you hurt me? How you butchered me in front of my friends?"

"No!" the cry left his lips as the air rushed from his lungs.

Edmund staggered back, the weight of heavy black armour crushing his shoulders, his soul. Black bars fell across his vision, the ruins of Gomorrah melting away.

He was back in the Under Lands, Aita's voice in his head, her song in his heart, enchanting him, binding him to the Lady of the Green Kirtle.

"ACLEPIUS!"

Slash.

The Naga was staggering back, blood spurting from a wound across his chest. Edmund lunged, tasting blood, hungry for it like a shark.

Slash.  
Thrust.

Parry.

The Naga was fumbling, losing and Edmund's excitement grew, bloodlust flooding through his veins.

'_Kill,'_ Aita's voice was laughing in his head, _'Kill him my champion!'_

"ACLEPIUS! NO! STOP!"

The Naga screamed, blood exploding from his severed arm, his hand twitching on the floor like a dying spider.

More screams, more cries of despair and Edmund went for the kill.

"NOOOOOOO!"

The Naga was suddenly headless, his head bouncing across the floor as his body jerked and writhed, vomiting out blood from its severed neck.

Edmund choked on his own vomit as Aclepius smiled.

"Ahh... so you do remember," the Naga healer said calmly.

Edmund stared up at him, trembling.

"I'm sorry... I'm so..."

"Edmund Pevensie," Aclepius cut him off but it was a malicious move, the Naga simply didn't care, "You have come here to be judged."

Edmund froze, the words dying in his throat. Ice crawled down his spine, burrowing into his belly. Every single part of him felt numb except for that insignia branded into his skin. It was burning, discordant with his body, throbbing with pain to beat of his own heart.

"Let the judgement begin."

"No!"

Edmund lashed out, trying to fight Aclepius but the dead Naga was impossibly fast, slipping under his arms like a wraith.

"Wait –"

Aclepius jabbed him in the forehead with one finger and Edmund was thrown from the ruins into nothing.

. . . . . . . .

There was a moment of stunned silence.

"ARGGGGGHHH!"

Ezekiel crumpled, a jagged spike of bone sticking out from his arm.

"INARA!" Paxton yelped.

Ms. Tang was laughing, enjoying the show.

One of Ezekiel's acolytes charged, screaming wildly but Inara spun, sending him flying with a hefty kick to the chest.

"Explain yourself!" Paxton roared.

Inara turned to face her father, her eyes completely silver.

"You idiot. You stupid moron!" she spat, "Do you have any idea what he's done? How you seen Dorothy?"

The blood drained from Paxton's face and Ms. Tang abruptly fell silent. And in that moment Paxton knew.

He turned and stared at his seer, at his public relations officer.

"What have you done?" his face was ashen, "What have you done?"

Ms. Tang sighed as if there was a mere nuisance, as if her own safety was not on the line.

"What had to be done Paxton," she said calmly.

Ezekiel's acolytes were swarming around their fallen master, frantically trying to soothe his pain.

"What?" Paxton's voice was deadly.

"We had to find out where Asmodeus is. We had to do what had to be done," Tang repeated, her voice like tempered steel.

The blow came impossibly fast but Ms. Tang managed to dodge it, skipping neatly out of the way.

"BAM!"

Inara's eyes widened as Paxton's fist slammed hard into the white marble wall, cracks splintering the stone. Paxton's chest was heaving, his face flushed and twisted into an angry hateful mask.

"How dare you?" he whirled on Tang and even she held her tongue, backing away nervously.

Inara was frozen to the spot, her eyes wide as she stared up into the face of the monster that had hurt her for so very long.

There he was in all his terrifying glory, sparks flying from his eyes, hands clenched, knuckles bloodied. He was a demented thing of rage and hate, teeth bared, longing to sink into warm flesh and just bite. He was pain and misery, the harbinger of both, a fierce lightning storm of utter destruction that earthed itself on anything it could find.

This was Paxton she knew all too well and even though she was strong, stronger than she had ever been, she was still completely, utterly, mind-numbingly terrified.

She could only stand and tremble, every instinct in her jabbering wildly at her to run for her life.

"I control you!" Paxton spat, venom flying from his mouth, "You follow my orders! How dare you hurt her? Did you think I would let you get away with it?"

Inara was backing away, eyes wide, the cool stone over the wall against her back. Ezekiel was still on the floor, whimpering as his followers tried to help him, the huddle cutting her off.

"You think I wouldn't punish you!" Paxton screamed.

Tang was quailing, trembling and failing under the sheer weight of the wrath that dashed itself against her again and again, trying to break her bones and drown her in the deep. She was ghost-pale, her lovely red lips for once holding no answers.

Did she look the same?

Inara fought down the violent urge to vomit.

Back in those dark days, did she look the same? The same terror stamped on her features? Pressing herself into the walls, praying against all hope she could just melt away?

"I have kept your leash long for too long Tang!" the warrior of heaven looked more the part of the devil, "Perhaps I should collar you!"

Inara closed her eyes, trying to block out his voice, trying to block out the memories.

"Tell me Tang? What do you expect me to do?" Paxton's voice dropped to a dangerous hiss, "Tell me!"

Tang looked at him, stone-faced as Ezekiel slowly climbed to his feet, his injured arm cradled gingerly against his chest. Paxton stared at his closest advisors and they stared back at him, a deadly silence hovering between them.

Suddenly a phone went off.

Tang frowned and pulled it swiftly from her pocket, flipping it open. She placed it against her ear and listened, her face betraying nothing. Ignoring the expectant faces watching her, she carefully closed it and looked back up.

"The Ophanim Machine is under attack," she said calmly.

It took several seconds for her words to sink in.

"What!" Ezekiel gasped, his voice rough with pain.

Paxton's eyes were burning.

"Asmodeus?" he demanded, his anger swiftly fleeing as purpose filled him.

"No," Tang reported swiftly, "Not the demons..."

Inara opened her eyes.

"It's Eustace and Jill."

And silver flooded into the half-Naga's eyes.

. . . . . . . .

The alarms went off with piercing screams, the sound of explosions only just muffled by the complex's thick walls.

"What the – "

"BOOM!"

A thunderous crash rocked the floor, computers and equipment tumbling to the ground, cracking and breaking, bleeding ultra-white sparks.

Elias cursed, steadying herself as the scientists looked to him, already accepting this stranger as their leader. They were all whey-faced, well aware of their inability to fight.

Elias cursed again.

The Ophanim Machine was still roaring with life, the wheels of fire spinning so quickly around one and another it was impossible to make out each individual ring – only one twisting, spinning globe of pure flames.

"What's happening?" one technician shrieked, trembling so much that Elias was half-worried he was ready to go into an epileptic fit.

"We're being invaded. Obviously," Elias couldn't help adding in the last bit.

A part of Elias bemoaned the fact that he was so used to being attacked or invaded or ambushed or kidnapped that he could be so flippant in the face of danger. The other part of him was already working out a plan.

"Guards!" he barked.

For a split second he felt the touch of rough fur, the blast of hot breath and the press of cold teeth against his skin. He flinched, blinking and the feeling faded. Elias licked his dry lips and called again.

"Guards!"

They came, dressed in the same anonymous black that all guards in all the worlds seem to wear. They lined up smartly, weapons in hand, ready to follow the leader.

"They're after the Ophanim Machine," Elias ordered briskly, "I want all exits sealed and barricaded. Tables, computers anything you can use to block the doorways."

"Protocol has already been activated. The blast doors are sealed," one of the guards reported swiftly.

"Barricade them. We need to buy ourselves time. Is there any backup?" Elias quizzed.

The scientist marched back to his work station, pulling out a bag from beneath the desk. The head guard nodded at his men and several marched off swiftly, following the scientist's commands.

"We have contacted Ms. Tang. Paxton will be arriving soon," the head guard replied.

"Paxton!"

A wave of relief swept through the workers, they shouted his name, wept it, hope suddenly ablaze in every face.

They were saved! Paxton the saviour was coming! Their enemies would fall before the warrior of heaven. They were saved!

Elias ignored the cheering as he unzipped the bag, pulling out his crossbow.

"Do we have visuals on their enemies?"

Another explosion rocked the whole building, the cries cut-off as fear swelled. The scientists were drawing together, huddling, trying to find safety in sheer numbers.

The head guard nodded.

"Put in on the screens. All of them," Elias ordered as he unloaded his bag, shoving fire orbs into his pockets.

A few buttons and the computer screens all flashed to the same image.

"My god!"

Panic flared, spreading swiftly through the scientists and technicians. Minotaurs were running rampant, their heavy swords and axes destroy everything in their path. Guards and scientists were fleeing for their lives, flames ravaging part of the complex as a stunned silence fell over everyone, even the guards.

Elias saw something that made his very soul go cold.

A girl, laughing as she snapped a guard's neck, tossing the body aside before leaping onto an unfortunate technician, raining blow after blow on the poor woman's head.

A boy, wielding twin swords of what looked like crystal, cutting down everything and everyone in his path, twitching cooling bodies left in his wake.

Eustace and Jill.

Of course.

"Do you have weapons? Any spare weapons?" Elias asked frantically.

"Yes."

"Get them. Get as many of them as you possibly can," Elias kept one eye on the screen as he loaded a fire orb into his crossbow.

The head-guard hurried off as Elias whirled. The gathered crowd fell silent as they stared at the man before them – the scientist, the genius who had cracked the enigma of the Ophanim Machine melting away to reveal the iron-willed warrior that lived beneath.

"Do not panic!" Elias's voice thundered in the sealed off room.

The Ophanim Machine was still spinning wildly, the computers alternating between recording data and showing them the madness that raged elsewhere in the complex. Eustace and Jill and their minotaur army were coming and Elias had to stop them.

Silence fell and all eyes swung towards him. Elias took a deep breath, steeling his nerves and licking his dried lips, spoke once more.

How did Susan deal with this all the time? All eyes on her, waiting for her to make a decision that could save their lives or doom them all. The pressure, the responsibilities were crushing.

Elias opened his mouth and spoke with a confidence he did not fell.

"Paxton is coming but we may need to buy him some time. The guards are coming with weapons, you take them and whatever comes through those doors you shoot," Elias's eyes took in the men and women before him.

Some were weeping, others staring at him in open horror and amongst the crowd a few of them were nodding, faces and hearts hardening.

"We cannot allow them to take the Machine," Elias's voice rose.

He ignored his churning stomach, his frantic heart.

"Whatever happens..." he pushed the words at them, driving it into them, "They cannot take the Machine!"

They stared at him, still shell-shocked, still unsure of what to do, wondering if their lives were going to end.

"Arm up," Elias took a deep breath, silently apologising to Inara for what he was about to say next "And just pray Paxton gets here quickly."

. . . . . . . .

Jason was seeing red.

He thought he was strong, had thought he had become strong. Yolanda and Delilah... it was still raw, still painful as hell but he had lanced that terrible wound and let the poisons those memories held fade away.

The Hermit of the Southern March had forced him to face his demons. He had been torn apart, had pulled himself back together, had endured things he did not even think he could.

And he had done it all to make peace, to forgive himself for failing his family. But that hadn't been enough. The only way Jason had been able to live with himself was to make a vow to protect the family he had now. He had mastered the ruach, the fire that raged in his soul so he could use it to burn his enemies, to destroy anything that could hurt the people he loved.

And it still wasn't enough.

He had gone through hell, had torn himself open again and again so he could be strong. And it had failed.

The demons had humiliated him. All the powers he had fought so hard to win... they were useless. Every time they had fought the demons had ruthlessly crushed him, Jason helpless to stop them from kidnapping Susan, Peter and Edmund, helpless to stop them from snatching Edmund and Caspian away.

It made him furious – blood boiling, red mist blinding furious.

Why was he still so bloody weak?

And he took every drip and dram of that anger, turned it into ruach and blasted Merlin with it. This man had tied him up, had left him hanging in the trees and for that alone he deserved to die. The wizard smashed through a block of stone, Jason smiling in satisfaction.

Zaru stared at the Seeker, smelling the sheer anger rolling off him.

"What?" Jason spat at him.

"You have a vein popping out of your forehead," the leopard noted with a smirk.

Jason glared at him as Zaru smiled innocently. The Seeker's eyes slid past the leopard to Susan and the queen nodded at him, her face set into a grim mask.

Good. They were fine. With that out of the way, Jason could focus on crushing his enemies. He eyed the monoliths towering all around him. They seemed to be just stone, age-worn and mottled with moss and lichen, cold and dead but the Seeker was not fooled. Jason could feel it, the ruach feeling the call of like to like. Each was a pillar of pure power, just waiting to be awakened.

"Who are you?"

A wild gust swept around Morgana's graceful form, wind that could turn into a storm with a single thought.

"Do you stand for Arthur or against?" the sorceress demanded.

Her words hammered into them, all of them flinching as they felt the sheer power this woman commanded. Earth and sky rocked and roared, the whole world in riot as the witch-queen waited for their answer.

"We have nothing to do with you or Arthur!" Susan screamed, her heart thundering in her ears, "We have come for what is ours!"

She flung one hand outwards, pointing at her sceptre. Morgana's widened.

"So you wish to betray me and take Excalibur?" her voice became a serpent's hiss, "I will not let you bring that fool back! The time of Camelot is over!"

She screamed the last word and earth bucked, spikes of stone rising from the ground.

"THAT IS NOT BLOODY EXCALIBUR!" Susan roared.

She had had enough.

Waking up alone on an island of faeries, her gifts torn from her, the ring she had been entrusted with lost. Her family all in danger. And now this, two delusional idiots who thought her sceptre was some long lost sword for some long dead king.

The darkness in her suddenly came to life.

A cry left Zaru's lips, the leopard quivering as his head swung towards his queen.

"Sus – "

His eyes widened.

Susan's eyes were completely blood-red.

"Jason!" Zaru cried desperately.

But the Seeker was already charging at their enemy, Morgana laughing in her high proud voice as lightning flew at him.

"Susan!" the leopard leapt to his queen, desperate, "What – "

She stared at him, blue and red mixing and swirling in eyes that were suddenly filled with the terror.

"I..."

Kill.

She wanted blood, she wanted pain, she wanted to wrap her hands around something sweet and innocent and twist, just to feel bone and gristle break. The darkness was welling, spreading through her like a disease, invading every muscle and nerve.

"Zaru – " she choked out the words, "Help me!"

"JASON!"

The Seeker whirled but Morgana lunged at him, a sword in her hands. He was forced to leap away, the blade sinking deep into the earth. White fire gushed from his hands but one slash from the witch and the ruach was flung to the four winds, Morgana laughing as she charged again and again.

"ZARU!" Susan shrieked, her whole body convulsing as it tried to fight the invader from within.

Zaru cursed wildly, frantically trying to figure out what to do.

"Do something you idiot!" Jason barked at him.

One moment of distraction and Morgana struck, slashing at him. Jason roared as the blade bit into his arm, drawing blood.

"Fool," Morgan hissed.

Jason glared at her. Susan screamed again and panic rose in him. Ruach burst from his body but Morgana dispelled it with a gesture, her smile feral and triumphant. Cold sweat poured down Jason's face, Susan's cries ringing loud in his ears.

"ZARU!" he screamed, his anger boiling over.

Damn it. Damn it. Damn it! Why was he so weak? Why was he so god damn weak?

'_She's going to die,' _a little voice in his head whispered, _'And it'll be all your fault... again.'_

Jason roared and raised his hand, ready to attack once more but the sorceress moved with unnatural speed. One blink and she was right there in front of him, punching him hard in the face.

Jason staggered and Morgana's sword was already slicing through the air.

"ARGH!"

The blade cut deep into his side, agony clawing into his gut. Jason staggered, blood spurting as his vision greyed. He staggered, falling to one knee.

"JASON!" Zaru screamed as Morgana laughed.

"ROWWWWWRRRR!"

Zaru's head snapped to the side. The Questing Beast was staring down at them, hunger in its serpentine eyes.

"BOOM!"

Merlin rose as fire and water swirled around him in an impossible vortex, freezing into ice in mid-air and fading eventually into mist.

"Traitor!" he jabbed his finger at Jason, "You are just another Mordred!"

Susan was screaming, fighting an enemy that lived inside her soul. Jason was bleeding, his eyelids fluttering as he tried to cling onto consciousness.

Zaru looked at Morgana, at the beast on the hill, at Merlin and gulped.

"Oh..." he said emphatically, "_Bugger_!"

. . . . . . . .

The doors swung open and the occupants of the room looked up.

"What is this?" Inara demanded, "What are you doing – "

"They're gifts," Paxton said, "From heaven."

He stepped forwards and the three beasts moved to meet him. An eagle leapt from its perch, gliding neatly to land on the horns of a bull. A lion growled softly, padding towards his master.

All three creatures were pure white, their fur and feather as pristine as fresh fallen snow. There was a hush in the room that was almost religious, it was clear to even Inara that this a place that was not to be disturbed, a sanctuary in every meaning of the word.

"They came with Ezekiel to help me in my war," Paxton looked at his daughter.

Behind him Chelsea seethed, her teeth grinding together as once more her father paid all his attention to Inara.

"Don't you see?" Paxton pressed urgently, "Heaven is on my side. I need to destroy the demons. Can't you see – "

"Elias is in danger," Inara all but growled, silver eyes burning, "You can give me the sales pitch later."

Paxton sighed and beckoned, the three beasts drew closer. Inara watched, eyes narrowed as her father reached out and touched the bull.

A sharp cry flew from Inara's lips as light suffused Paxton's hand. The great horned bull shook its heavy head, its moon-pale form burning with light. Paxton's head lolled back, a look of pure ecstasy sprawling across his features as Inara instinctively took a step back, her eyes wide.

She bumped into Chelsea and her sister's hands instantly snaked around her arm, clenching tight.

"They give daddy more powers than you can possibly imagine," Chelsea sneered, "Stronger than all of your little friends."

Inara was too mesmerised by the sight to reply.

"Strength," Chelsea said with relish.

The eagle touched Paxton and the light grew, almost consuming the man.

"Flight."

The lion stretched out with paw and when it touched the warrior of heaven, the light became painful, threatening to burn their sight. The triumvirate of creatures shouted with one voice and Paxton laughed, drawing in their strength, light spilling from his eyes and mouth.

"And the Light of Heaven."

Chelsea and Inara watched their father, awed and terrified, desperate and longing as the light grew and grew and grew and swallowed the whole room.

. . . . . . . .

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"

"They're coming!" Elias yelled.

The guards trained their weapons on the door, their faces smooth blank masks as the scientists and technicians trembled, their guns strange and alien in their hands. Silence fell, all eyes trained on the jumbled wall of computers and desks that hastily barricaded the doorway.

"BOOM!"

The door shuddered and they all flinched as one.

"BOOM!"

Elias took a deep steadying breath and raised his crossbow.

"Get ready," he said in a hushed voice.

"BOOM!"

The blast doors exploded inwards, furniture and computers suddenly in flight. With a sickening crunch a scientist went down, a flying chair caving his skull in. They scattered, trying to dodge the barrage of flying debris, more men and women falling, bleeding, clutching broken limbs with panicked screams.

One final computer slammed hard into the wall, falling to the ground in shattered pieces and the chaos was over for now. Smoke billowed thick and choking as Elias pulled himself back up, the blood roaring in his ears.

The blast doors were buckled and charred, the thick steel twisted and almost on the verge of breaking. Silence fell once more, the guards regrouping, the scientists and technicians lay foetal and whimpering on the floor.

"BOOM!"

There was a final thunderous crash and the doors fell.

"Here's Jilly!" a cackling voice sang out.

And there she was, the agent of the Great Darkness, the demon in little girl's clothing. Her eyes were pitch black, her smile wide and demented. Jill Pole flicked her fingers and the minotaurs massing behind her charged as Elias swung his crossbow up and around.

His eyes met Jill's and in that moment Elias fired his crossbow, hurling a fire orb straight into the army pouring through the doors.

It struck Jill head-on, detonating as a mushroom of fire bloomed, sweeping up and out, hurling Elias off his feet and into the wall.

. . . . . . . .

"It's going to be a long wait."

Caspian looked at Asmodeus and the demon stared back at him evenly. The creature from hell was perched on a rock, long legs splayed casually before him. He was studying the king, nothing escaping the demon's sharp eyes.

"You can ask me if you wish."

Caspian stiffened.

"What about?" his voice was hollow, false.

Asmodeus's smile was a cruel slice of yellowed teeth.

"Why you're here. What I showed you."

Caspian stared at the demon as Asmodeus looked calmly back at him. He was waiting, waiting like a spider on its web, watching and planning for that single moment when its prey would stumble foolishly into its gossamer trap. Then he would pounce, his fangs would flash down once and his victim would be done for.

Asmodeus had all the cards, all the power and time in the world and he knew it, Caspian knew it. Every silent second was a challenge, daring him to put his head into the lion's mouth and just pray.

He had to do it.

The image teased at him – Aslan walking through the shadows, searching for the demons to talk. But what about? What could the Great Lion possibly want with the demons?

It had only been a flash, a glimpse but it was enough to set a trill of unease through the king.

"You think Aslan is pure?"

Caspian's head snapped up and Asmodeus laughed at stunned look on his face.

"I didn't read your mind if that's what you're so worried about. But it's clear as day. I've seen that look so many times – that moment of hesitation, that moment when you finally seen the truth."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Caspian growled.

"Oh really?" Asmodeus challenged, "I brought you here because out of all of them I think you're the only one who could have his eyes opened."

The demon rose and Caspian backed away, his hand falling to a sword hilt that wasn't there.

"You think Aslan loves you? That he wants to protect you?" the demon laughed, "Think about all the people that's dead because of him."

"He has saved Narnia again and again!" Caspian snarled.

"From what he was allowed to happen!" Asmodeus roared back as black flames leapt all around him, "Jadis? He let the White Witch turned his subjects to stone, let her wrapped his kingdom in eternal winter. Do you know how many lives were lost because of that?"

Caspian gave a bray of taunting laughter.

"Aslan was kept away by the witch's power. He did not abandon Narnia!"

"What about your people?"

A dead silence fell as the air rushed from Caspian's lungs.

"In one day Aslan came with his dryads and managed to route the Telmarine throne. In one day he managed to summon the River god and end the war. That was all it took, one roar, one word from him and the war ended. "

Cold sweat poured down Caspian's spine.

"He could've stopped all so easily. But no... he stood idly by as the Telmarines poured into Narnia. He stood idly by as your people slaughtered the dwarfs, the centaurs, the Talking Beasts. Did you know what your people did!"

Caspian knew all too well. His uncle had spoke about it with laughter, imaging the sweet victory his people had once won but even as stories they had made Caspain sick.

"The Telmarines bridled the centaurs, rode them and spurred them until they bled to death. They forced the dwarves to fight each other for sport, they forced father to kill sons, daughters to strangle their own mothers. They fed talking, screaming, begging animals to the hounds and laughed as their throats were ripped out. Dryads were burned in their thousands, their screams heard all over the land. They drowned, beheaded, burnt any Narnian they caught, dissected them alive to see what made them work and sometimes just for fun."

Asmodeus laughed and the sound was wild, filled with victory. Caspian stood rooted to the spot, unable to speak, unable to mount a defence.

"Aslan let all that happen! He walked away from his people, the very things he had created, he let them die. He let the Telmarines drive them into the ground for over two thousand years. He could've stepped in at any time, he could've roared once and the very land itself would've revolted and driven the invaders out. But he didn't."

Caspian stared at the demon, breathless, cold and hot all at once.

"You're all playthings to him. Toys to play with when he gets bored. Aslan does not give a damn about any of his people," the demon's face was filled with a wild joy, triumphant because he knew every single word he was spoke was unbreakable truth, "He drove the kings and queens of old out. He ended the Golden Age on a whim. He drove you and Susan apart because it struck his fancy. Aslan is not a god. There is no god!"

Asmodeus yelled his words to the heaven as though challenging them, daring them to refute his argument.

"There is no paradise. No promise land. Everywhere there is darkness, there is destruction and decay. Where is the light? Where is the gods to protect you from all this?" the demon lifted his hands and dark fire lashed the bellies of heaven, challenging and mocking them, "There is no god. Only things with delusions of power. Twisted selfish things that love to be loved. And you're all just stupid scared apes to believe in them."

The flames died away, Asmodeus's voice dropping down into a whisper.

"So tell me king. If Aslan is so great why did he let his people suffer?"

"You cannot stop suffering," Caspian was reciting, quoting back philosophical rhetoric Cornelius had taught him, rhetoric he could not bring himself to believe, "It is a part of life."

Silence feel between them, silence that Caspian was desperate to fill but his hesitation condemned him.

"If Aslan is so great. So wonderful and pure, so loving and gentle..." the demon's grew quieter and quieter, Caspian leaning in closer and closer straining to hear, "Why did he make a deal with me and my brothers?"

. . . . . . . .

Gunfire boomed and rattled, metal blades singing as they slashed the air. It was sound of battle, a symphony of screams and cries, a song of pain and misery and hate and one that Elias knew the notes to all too well.

He fired again, a fire orb blowing minotaurs into smoking charcoal as all around him guards fired desperately into the mass of fur and armour charging towards them. Scientists and technicians were fleeing, some driven beyond the edge of reason, running towards the monsters, running without thought.

Elias was hurt, burns and blisters marring his face and arms. His vision was hazy, his ears ringing but the scientist stood tall and fought on.

There was no time for thought, no time for hesitation, every part of him that wasn't screaming in wild terror focused on the next shot, the next blast that would tear his enemies apart.

Jill was lost, somewhere amongst the smoke and debris, bodies of minotaurs littering the ground, tramped under the hooves of their brethren.

Soldiers fired again and again, hot metal drilling them way through hide and flesh, shattering bone and shredding entrails as the minotaurs screamed, their bellies torn apart, skulls shattering as ichors covered every square inch of ground.

Elias hurled an orb into the pack of monsters and it exploded, sending shrapnel flying.

"PULL BACK!" one of the guards yelled, "PULL BACK!"

The guards unleashing another volley of bullets forcing the minotaurs back, Elias running back, covered in blood, his or his enemies he hadn't a clue.

"Can we seal this corridor?" Elias yelled over the insane din raging all around them.

The guard tossed him one desperate look and Elias closed his eyes, weary to the bone.

"ROOOWWRR!"

A minotaur charged recklessly through the barrage of bullets, uncaring of the metal slugs tearing through its body. One might thrust of its head and a guard was gored, screaming as he was lifted up into the air and slammed into the wall. A bullet drilled through its head and the minotaur fell, his victim still impaled on its horns.

"PULL BACK! PULL – "

"TWHIP! TWHIP! TWHIP!"

Black arrows flew through the air, the minotaurs unslinging heavy crossbows and firing them with clumsy fingers.

It was ludicrous. Guns against bows, bullets against blades. It should've been a massacre but through sheer strength and madness the minotaurs were gaining ground.

Guards were falling, arrows sprouting from their throats, their eyes and chest. Elias was stumbling over bodies, over screaming begging men and women as the minoaturs roared as one, knowing that victory was close.

"PULL BACK! PULL BA – GARGH!"

The guard fell, a dagger sticking out from his eye. Jill lowered her hands, the demon-girl battered and bruised but still standing tall.

Despair fell like the night. This place, this night – this was the end. They were all going to die, screaming and in terrible agony. Elias knew it, the guards knew it and Jill relished in it. But still the scientist, counting victory in every fallen minotaur, triumphant in every desperate breath.

Running Death.

Laughter bubbled from his lips, wild and crazed.

If this was going to be the end of it all then he would drag as many of his enemies down into the darkness with him!

Elias grimaced – Jason would be so proud.

"Yes that is right little rabbits," Jill smiled and her eyes were pure darkness, "You should run!"

She exploded forwards and Elias fired an orb at her. One swift blow and she batted it away, the explosive hitting the wall and detonating, Jill flying through the flames.

"ELIAS!" she shrieked, lunging for him.

Elias slammed the butt of his crossbow into her face, snapping her head back. Jill hit the ground and Elias stomped on her throat.

"PULL BACK!" the scientist cried and his voice was a wild angry howl, "PULL BACK!"

The guards fired round after round, running and shooting, the minotaurs attacking any stragglers, trampling them underfoot.

"Okay that was just nasty..."

Jill pulled herself up, her mangled throat repairing itself, her nose shifting and changing, crunching back into place.

"I might have to disembowel you for that!" she cried as Elias said nothing, his heart thundering in his chest.

They were losing. They were –

"BOOM!"

The floor shook, fresh cries and screams floating down the hall towards them.

"And that would be Eustace and his army," Jill said with relish, "Looks like you're in for a world of pain!"

She snapped her fingers and the minoaturs instantly swung their heads, looking at her with dumb obedience on their faces.

"Kill them all but leave that man to me," Jill ordered coldly, "I want to play with him a little."

The minotaurs charged as one runaway wall of muscle and fur, the guards before them paralysed by their terror. The front row was instantly bowled over, crushed under the sheer weight of their enemies as heavy axes and blades fell.

Elias swung his crossbow up, as the minotaurs bore down on him. His finger twitched, squeezing the trigger but a heavy arm slammed into his face, knocking him down. A minotaur bellowed, Elias staring up at the beast, scrambling for his weapon.

"Hello Doc!" Jill was suddenly there, a dagger flying towards his face and –

A lance of white light struck the possessed girl and she was flying, screaming as she hit the wall.

The minotaurs roared and Elias swung around, his eyes wide.

An angel stood amongst the destruction, a thing of light and infinite beauty. He stood tall and proud, his very form suffused with heaven's light. Wings of white fire stretched from wall to wall, sprouting from the shoulders of his saviour.

The burning halo faded and Elias found himself staring at the face of a monster.

"Paxton..." he croaked.

"Doc!"

A sword flew through the air, burying itself into a minotaur's skull as Inara leapt for the scientist, kicking and punching anything that got in her way.

A small exhausted smile curled Elias's lips as Inara grabbed him, the man wilting against her.

"We have to get to the machine," he mumbled, adrenaline fading as bone-numbing fatigue turned his limbs to lead, "We have to – "

"Machine?" Inara peered at him, "Did you bump your head?"

Elias smiled wryly, feeling his many, many cuts and bruises ache.

"Amongst other things."  
Inara laughed as she brutally snapped a kick into a minotaur's knee, grinding the joint to meat. The beast fell as a second kick crushed its windpipe.

"KILL THEM!" Jill shrieked as she scooped up a fallen sword.

Elias blinked as Chelsea charged with a cry, hurling herself at the minotaurs, her face twisted and savage.

Jill slipped through the chaos and rushed straight at Paxton. The white-wreathed angel roared and swung his fist straight at Jill, his hands burning white.

It crashed into her and the agent of the darkness screamed in agony, the cry ripping itself free from her throat. She stood rooted to the spot as her whole body convulsed wildly. Paxton shoved his hand into her face and with a cry, blasted her back with a burst of white flames.

He swept his hands around, light flying and every minotaur it touched was suddenly vomiting fire and light, their eyes melting as flames sprouted from their skulls. The monsters were immolated where they stood, the stench of burning fur and flesh choking the air.

Elias and Inara stared, jaws agape as Paxton whirled to face them, his wings furling in on themselves.

"GO!" he roared.

Inara ran dragging Elias with her, the scientist stumbling over his own feet as he tried to keep pace.

"GO!" Paxton's voice boomed down the hall "I'LL HOLD THEM OFF!"

There was another blinding flash of light, more panicked screams as Inara and Elias rounded the corner.

A pack of minotaurs stared back at them, snuffling wetly.

Inara glared at the ceiling.

"Oh come on!"

. . . . . . . .

The beast tore down the hill, its snake-like head brandishing its curved fangs in wild fury. Heavy hooves slammed into the dirt, pulling clods free as it ran. Serpent, leopard and hind – it was a thing of magic and mystery, a wild beast with human-like intelligence burning in its eyes.

"The Questing Beast," Merlin's face was grim, "The Harbinger."

"There will be death today," Morgana hissed.

She kicked Jason and the Seeker was sent crashing to the ground. Susan's eyes snapped open and they were the eyes of a demon. There was no trace of blue at all, just hate and hellfire.

Her whole body convulsed and the red flickered and blue bled back into place, Susan's teeth grinding together as her mind quaked under the power of the darkness assaulting her.

"Susan!" Zaru screamed.

The Questing Beast lunged at her, its jaws snapping as Zaru leapt, uncaring of his own safety, his eyes fixed purely on his queen.

"BOOM!"

Fire bloomed, blasting Zaru and the Questing Beast out of the air. The leopard slammed to ground, his fur singed as Merlin lowered his hand, fingertips smoking.

"No more distractions," he hissed.

Zaru raised his head painfully, his vision spinning as Merlin pointed at Susan.

"NO!"

"I will not let you take Excalibur," Merlin's eyes flashed, "It is for my king only."

"SUSAN!" Zaru screamed, trying to rise.

Invisible hands grabbed Susan by the hair, wrenching her head back painfully. The queen was dragged across the ground and dumped right in front of the Questing Beast as the creature rose from the ground. Its jaw opened, revealing a forked tongue and fangs as Susan stared helplessly up at it.

"SUS – "

Flames flared to life, erupting in a circle around Susan and the beast, trapping them within. Zaru screamed, fire licking his whiskers.

"SUSAN!"

Morgana kicked Jason once more and the Seeker crashed into the base of one of the stone. He lay there, sprawled on the ground, his blood turning dirt to mud as his breath rattled in his chest.

Enchantress and sorcerer turned to each other, Tash's sceptre stuck in the stone between them.

"Arthur will rise once more."

Caught in the ring of fire, Susan stared at the Questing Beast, her eyes pulsing from red to blue. The creature snarled, its eyes narrowing.

"The time of Camelot is over."

And there was infinite sadness in Morgana's voice.

Zaru turned, hate in his eyes and the leopard crouched, waiting.

"Then let's fight old friend," Merlin raised his hands, "For the fate of the world."

Morgana's eyes flicked up and Merlin leapt away as a bolt of lightning speared down into the ground.

. . . . . . . .

The door swung open and the guards leapt to their feet.

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" Elias shouted.

He staggered into the room, Inara clattering in after him, clutching two bloody swords. She pulled up short, staring in amazement as the Ophanim Machine, the wheels still spinning so fast it appeared to be a single globe of fire perched on a metal stand.

"This it?' Inara demanded, slamming the door shut behind them.

The heavy steel door buckled as the minotaurs on the other side slammed into it, the guards hurrying to barricade it once more.

Elias merely gave her a jerky nod before hurrying to the computer consoles, scientists scattering.

"Is Paxton here?" one of them begged," Is he – "

Inara tossed her an acid look.

"BANG! BANG! BANG!"

Screams rang out as the minotaurs hurled themselves furiously at the door, dents warping the metal.

"Doc?" Inara hefted her two swords.

"Working on it!" Elias growled tersely, typing away furiously at his computer.

Inara jumped as sirens burst into life, claxons ringing loudly as the Ophanim Machine jolted, arcs of fire pulsing from its burning surface, leaping into the air and plunging back, the very air charged with power.

"Doc?" Inara yelled frantically.

"It's refusing to shut down!" Elias yelled, hammering away at the keys, "Damn it! Damn it!"

The whole building jolted down to its very foundation as even through the thick steel doors they could all smell the cooked meat stench of burning flesh.

"Blow it up!" Inara yelled frantically.

Elias was already aiming his crossbow straight at the machine, ready to blast it out of existence. His hand was steady, his nerves steel but still a part of him couldn't help but feel a pang of regret for a wonder and enigma soon to be lost.

"STAND BACK!" he barked.

"ELIAS!"

Inara speared into him, knocking him down as a tongue of pure fire leapt from the Ophanim Machine. It sliced through the desk and computers, reducing everything to slag and cinders. Flames pulsated from the spinning wheels, huge arching streams that burst from fire and dove back into it, immolating anything in its path.

Sparks flew and technicians, scientists, guards – men and women were turned into screeching pyres, flames boiling their skin to sloughing slag.

"Think we've been tricked?" Inara asked wryly.

Elias had to look away as blackened remains fell to the ground. He had brought the machine to life, had brought Jill and Eustace to them. All this death tonight... they were on his already blood-stained hands.

Elias closed his eyes. It was as though he was falling, plunging ever deeper into a dark chasm with no hope of escape.

"Hey stop that!" Inara smacked him gently, "Not your fault Doc."

"But – "

"Did you set out to hurt these people?" Inara demanded.

"No but – "

"Well then it's not your fault!" Inara glared at him, "Understand? Now focus your energy on the real murderers in this place!"

Elias stared at her in faint wonder. Where had the little girl gone? When exactly did she become this strong woman kneeling beside him, her gaze fierce and unwavering? A small smile quirked his lips and Inara nodded.

"BANG!"

The metal doors fell, minotaurs charging in only to be met by a wall of fire, their screams cut off as chunks of smoking charred armour clattering to the floor.

The few surviving workers were all cowering behind whatever meagre protection there was, flinching as splashes of fire washed over the walls, the heat cracking the concrete.

"Enough."

Fire lunged across the room but a wall of clear shimmering material instantly rose into place, deflecting the blast. Flames streamed from the Ophanim Machine arching high and diving down, splitting again and again until a thousand wire-thin tendrils were spearing down at the wall.

"Wha – "

It started off as a mere speck of light, a twinkle amongst the flames. It grew, joined by more and more specks of light. They massed, clustering together, solidifying. The Ophanim Machine raged, flames pluming from its surface but it was blocked at every time, the prison around it growing, locking it in.

In a few short moments the raging machine was trapped, its fire wavering distorted red shadows behind crystalline walls.

A dead silence fell over the ruined room.

Eustace lowered his hand, the wall before him crumbling to nothing.

Minotaurs stepped through the doorway, sniffing the air cautiously.

Heads poked out from behind blackened desks and computers, the survivors staring at Eustace, wondering if they were looking at the face of a demon or an angel.

The agent of the Darkness made the decision for them.

"Kill them all," the possessed boy commanded coldly.

The minotaurs bounded forwards, screams ringing out as Inara launched herself over the table, planting a double kick straight into one of the monster's chest. It fell, Inara stabbing it straight in the neck, spinning around and hacking at another beast as it tried to charge at her.

A fire orb went flying, Eustace merely glancing at it. Crystal instantly formed in midair, cocooning the explosive and rendering it completely useless.

Elias's eyes widened but Eustace was already in motion, a crystal blade growing in his hands.

"CLANG!"

Inara froze, her sword glancing over Eustace's. The agent stared at her, his eyes completely black. Inara snarled, knocking his sword away, lunging but the boy was quicker. The air exploded out of Inara's lungs as an open palm slammed into her chest, propping her up into the air. She hit the ground, dazed and winded as Elias charged, wild with fear.

A crushing kick knocked Elias down, Eustace staring down at both of them, emotionless. He raised his sword, the point gleaming. Inara's eyes widened, still struggling for breath.

"No – " she wheezed.

Eustace stabbed down.

There was a burst of white fire and the agent of the Great Darkness was sent flying, his sword shattering into a thousand razor slivers.

"YOU WILL NOT TOUCH HER!"

The room shook with the power in his voice. Paxton was a sight to inspire awe and terror, an angel with no mercy, wreathed in a corona of pure white flames, more light than man.

Chelsea stood behind him, her eyes fixed on her sister, her face savage with hate.

Eustace rose, calmly growing another part of crystal swords in his hands.

"I have no wish to hurt you," the demon-boy said flatly.

"I will destroy you for what you have done!" Paxton snarled.

He raised his hands and white fire flew, devouring Eustace where he stood.

. . . . . . . .

Susan heard the boom of lightning, the crackling of the fire dancing all around her as though from a great distance. She felt numb, furious, cheated.

She stared at the beast before her and a bitter laugh burst from her lips. So this was how it was going to end. Not in glory, not in victory but helpless, served up to her end like dinner on a platter.

No!

Fury sparked and her tenuous control slipped, red mist spilling into her vision.

Susan jerked back, crying out as the demon in her howled in victory.

Her muscles bunched, longing to spring, to throw herself recklessly at her enemies. Her fingers curved into claws, her teeth bared, her mouth watering at thought of that first rush of red and warmth, thick and coppery as it spilt down her throat.

"STOP!"

Darkness assaulted her, trying to batter her into unconsciousness. Her mind, her soul, her very existence shook beneath the onslaught, threatening to break, to splinter into a million pieces. Wild laughter bubbled from her lips, Susan clutching at her sides, cackling, clawing at her own face, shrieking.

Her head snapped up, her face wild and bestial, and the Questing Beast roared, recognising the challenge in her eyes.

They hurled themselves at each other, Susan diving beneath the thing's snapping jaws, somehow weaving between its hooves and claws.

A small part of Susan, buried beneath a tidal wave of vehemence and vengeance was screaming, railing against the monster that had crawled under her skin. It mocked her, laughing as the beast swatted her aside, her blood spilling to the ground.

It drank in the pain, delighting in it, determined to hurl her into the fire of hate and let her burn and burn until there was nothing left.

She charged again. Susan screamed, a passenger in her own flesh, unable to stop a single muscle.

The Quest Beast reared, driving its hooves into her chest, something cracking with a sickening crunch. Pain drove a burning spear into her chest, warmth gushing into her mouth and she was so twisted, so utterly monstrous that she almost screamed in ecstasy, drunk on her own blood.

She was going to die.

And it was all her fault.

She had allowed Tash to touch her, to taint her soul with his madness. But Susan refused to feel regret. Her body pulled itself up, bruised and almost broken but the demon riding her soul was not sated.

The Questing Beast snarled, hackles raised, its forked tongue darting out between its curved fangs.

She knew that her dealing with Tash would be a costly one but she had used his gift to destroy the witches, had used it to save her family and the people she loved.

If she was to die because of that then so be it.

A smile curved her lips.

But she was going to drag this beast to hell with her.

The Questing Beast lunged at her and Susan held her ground, the demon and her for once in accordance. It swung its serpentine head, clubbing Susan in the side. Her ribs screamed, the queen hitting the ground, dangerously close to the flames. The darkness in her shrieked with laughter. Pain, bruises, cuts, even broken ribs they didn't stop her, didn't even slow her down. It was fuel to the monster in her soul, it fed the demon and the demon fed her.

Her heartbeat thundered in her ears as Susan pulled herself up.

She would pay for this insanity later, she knew that but for now, in this moment, she was strong. It didn't matter what this monster threw at her, she would keep fighting until every bone in her body was broken, until every muscle and tendon was torn bloodily out of her.

"I have no idea what you are and more importantly I don't care," Susan growled, "But know this..."

The demon was no longer trying to control her, she and it were the same, wanted the same thing – blood and death.

"You are mine to destroy," the thrice-blessed queen spat.

Her eyes, red-hazed, locked with the Beast's. It didn't matter it was bigger than her, faster than her, better armed and deadlier. She was going to win.

This thing, this creature was a weakling, nothing compared to all that she was.

She was Susan Pevensie, a Queen of Narnia and the veteran of a hundred battles.

She was Susan Pevensie, the thrice-blessed queen.

The seer who saw the future in her dreams.

The demon who fed on pain and made it strength.

The hunter who's arrows never failed to –

She shuddered as gold and brown flashed in front of her eyes.

The darkness in her shrieked, falling away as something else took its place. It was a wild thing, antlered and fanged, wild and untamed. The Hunt-Beast, just as the darkness was the thing that Tash's gift had left inside her, this was the creature Artemis's gift had wrought.

The Questing Beast froze.

Susan was frozen.

Her right eye was flecked with gold and ochre, the red chased away.

The Hunt-Beast roared in her head, the darkness fleeing before its cry. Something shifted in her mind and she could feel the hunter staring out through her eyes and at the Questing Beast.

A long moment passed as predator eyed predator. The Questing Beast suddenly roared, stamping its hooves. Its muscles bulged, its eyes blazing.

The Hunting Beast gave a single snarl.

Susan blinked as the raging monster before her instantly quietened. Its head dropped, its body slumping into a crouch. Susan stared as the Questing Beast knelt before her in an obvious sign of supplication.

The Hunting Beast gave a satisfied snort in her head.

"Up?" the word came out as a question.

The creature rose, staring at her, cowed.

Susan stared back at it and slowly her lips raised into a smile.

. . . . . . . .

"JASON!"

Zaru tore a chunk out of the Seeker's shirt with his teeth, pressing the wad frantically against the man's bleeding side. Blood instantly gushed into his mouth and Zaru gagged, spitting out the cloth, choking on his friend's blood.

"Wake up!" he swatted the man with his paws, "Damn it! WAKE UP!"

Jason's eyes fluttered and he looked at leopard, eyes dazed and confused.

Lightning flared, a storm raging above the circle of the Stonehenge. Zaru flinched as Merlin and Morgana duelled, magic crackling in the air.

Ice and mist flew from Morgana's fingers, light and air bending fantastically into screaming faceless forms. The very wind attacked, howling and roaring, slicing through the mist.

Morgana wove earth and air around her, Merlin's magic slamming into her protection with a thunderous crash.

Without a pause, she flicked her fingers a needle of pure fire flying at the wizard.

Merlin merely glanced at the attack and it faded to smoke.

"We are too evenly matched," the man said evenly, not even out of breath despite the furious fight he had just been engaged in.

"We are the most powerful mages to have ever walked this earth," Morgana said simply.

"We will destroy this world if this fight continues."

Regret filled Morgana's eyes but still magic flowed around her, sinuous and fluid, ready to strike at their mistress's command.

"Better we destroy this fire in a moment of madness than in a long reign of misguided intentions," her eyes flashed, "Do you know how many people you and your precious king condemned in your madness?"

"You led an army against us," Merlin spat, "Your war cost thousands of men, women and child their lives!"

"I regret what you forced me to do," Morgana said icily, "But it had to be done."

Merlin let out a cry of utter fury, raking the air with his fingers. Morgana grunted as her front exploded, her skin flayed from her flesh. She staggered but a whispered word knitted the mortal wounds back together. She snarled and fire flew from her hands.

Zaru looked frantically at the circle of flames that held Susan and the Questing Beast and terror and panic assailed him. He wished he could leap through the fire and save the queen but he couldn't. The knowledge crushed him but Zaru ignored it, focusing on the one thing that could save Susan.

"JASON!" he snarled, "WAKE UP! SUSAN NEEDS YOU!"

Jason blinked, the words scything through the fog of pain and lethargy threatening to drown him. He tried to focus his vision, tried to look at Zaru but he just wanted to sleep, to close his eyes and just –

"DON'T CLOSE YOUR EYES!" Zaru snapped, "GET UP YOU STUPID IDIOT! IF YOU DIE AND LET SUSAN DIE I WILL KILL YOU!"

Susan? She was in dangers?

Jason's eyes focused on Zaru.

"What – " his tongue felt thick, clumsy.

"They've trapped her with the beast! Inside the flames!" the leopard's heart was almost threatening to give out, "You need to save her!"

It took almost everything he had just to sit up, just to look at the circle of flames, at Merlin and Morgana.

His eyes narrowed.

"Wait! Stop!" Zaru yelped as Jason heaved himself to his feet, fresh blood spilling down his front.

They thought they could kill him? They thought they could hurt Susan?

Jason raised his hands and white fire gathered in his palms.

He was Jason Serra! The most feared Seeker in all of Lawless! Did they know how many enemies he had destroyed? How many monsters he had put into the ground?

The bravado died.

But he was also Nathaniel, the man who had found his daughter's dead body so still amongst the destruction of his home. Had found his wife in cave, her sightless eyes begging a question he dare not answer.

Never again.

Jason reached out, his ruach flying from his fingers but he did it fling at the sorceress and the wizard fighting before him. Zaru gaped as the white flashes crashed into standing stones all around them.

Jason roared and each and every stone block shattered. Merlin and Morgana whirled, their eyes widening.

Zaru yelped as the air burned all around him. Jason merely grinned. He didn't know what this place was for, why it was built and he didn't care. All he cared about was the power.

Jason didn't know, could not have known that the Stonehenge was a sanctuary, a place of rite and ceremony held in the possession of druids for centuries. They were the ones who had carved the stone from the earth itself with sickle and magic, had used it to erect a circle over a place of unimaginable power. For although this world was now shackled in machine and metal, buried under towers of glass and a sky of smog it had not always been so. There had been a time when magic lived in the earth, had shaped land and sea as creatures beyond imagination walked the land. This was one of the last places such forces lived and the druids had known it, had built their sacred circle above it, using the stone as a conduit and a reservoir, to invoke the powers long lost, to touch it and become gods.

Jason tore that power out of the broken stone and laughed.

"NOO!"

A veritable storm of lightning, fire and ice rained down on Jason, Morgana shrieking in fury but the Seeker brushed it aside without a thought.

Merlin screamed as the ring of fire he had built vanished.

"SUSAN!" Zaru froze as his queen looked up at him, battered and bleeding, her right eye fierce and golden.

His knees buckled, every instinct in him screaming at him to run or fall to the ground. Wild angry scents attacked his nose, Zaru shaking his head frantically.

"What –"

Susan smelled like fur and blood, like hunger and strength. Humans did not smell that way, Zaru knew that but here was an impossibility. The Gentle Queen was gone, overtaken by a creature of the woods, of the rush of pursuit and the taste of fresh blood and meat. She was a beast, an alpha queen and all other predators, all other creatures were her inferiors.

He had to run to her. Had to obey her. She was at the pack leader, the –

Zaru railed against primitive instincts, instincts that were hardwired into the very fabric of his existence.

"Kill him," Susan commanded softly.

The Questing Beast charged with a roar as Merlin screamed. Fire swallowed the creature, melting its face but still it lunged, crashing into the wizard and pinning him done.

"Impossible!" Morgan raged, facing Jason, "You cannot – "

Jason gave her a wild savage grin, pure power coursing through his veins.

"Burn," he whispered.

And Morgana screamed, fire gushing from her mouth and eyes, rooted to the ground as her hair became a pyre.

Zaru watched, stunned as Susan crossed the ruins of the Stonehenge, stopping right before Tash's sceptre. Without hesitation she reached out and clutched the twisted metal thing and in one fluid move pulled it from the stone.

The rubies flared with light as Susan turned.

The Questing Beast was dead but its corpse lay heavy across Merlin's form, crushing the wizard. The bearded man looked up at Susan as she towered over him, her eyes red and gold.

"No..." the wizard was weeping, "You are not... my king was meant to come. He was meant to – Why won't he come?"

Susan looked at him pitifully, understanding the pain, the loneliness, the overwhelming sense of betrayal.

"I'm sorry," the queen whispered, "But he's not coming."

"NO!"

Susan staggered as Merlin lashed out at her, wind and air shoving her back.

"You are Guinevere! You are the serpent that tore my king apart and I will kill you!" light surrounded the wizard, "I WILL KILL YOU!"

Susan lunged, her sceptre stabbing down but the razor edge hit earth and nothing else. Morgana screeched, still aflame but in a rush of sound and wind she too vanished, the smell of burnt hair and flesh lingering thick in the air.

Silence fell as Jason let the ruach fade, his vision greying as the world spun wildly around him. He sat down heavily, clutching at his bleeding wound.

Zaru stared at both of them, terrified.

"Congratulations."

They all whirled and Kylee, Belphelgor, stood before them, her blue eyes bright with victory.

"Very good," she gave a mocking clap.

"YOU!" Susan snarled.

"And you..." Kylee ignored her, turning to Jason, "Thank you very much for letting loose the power of the Stonehenge."

She held out her hands and light danced between her fingertips.

"It will help me very much in the fight to come," the demon giggled.

"What?" Jason spat.

The demon looked at them all, satisfied, approving.

"This little exercise is about getting you to become stronger so you can actually be useful but there's no reason why I can't kill two worms with the same blow torch," Kylee laughed, "I'm using you to get the things _I _need."

"You bi – "

"Stick and stones is not nearly enough to break my bones," the demon hissed, "But very, very good. All of you."

She glanced at Zaru and seemed to sense his fear at what he had just seen and her grin widened.

"You have your sceptre back. And since I'm in a generous mood..."

She tossed something to the ground. It was something long and thin, something that glittered in the sun – the daggers she had stolen from Susan.

"Where is Artemis's gift?" Susan demanded coldly, "Where is my ring?"

Zaru could tell she was hurt, knew she could barely stand but yet the queen stood without a tremor, her face defiant.

"All in due time Queenie," Kylee said dismissively, "By the way the nearest hospital is about fifty miles that way."

Instinctively Susan turned to look and when she looked back the demon was gone. She closed her eyes, fighting back a wave of nausea, suddenly acutely and all too painfully aware of all the injuries she had suffered.

"Za – "

She let out a tiny gasp and fell, sinking to the ground and through into the darkness.

. . . . . . . .

Jagged spikes of crystal grew all around Eustace, thrusting out, slicing through the flow of fire like a stone in a stream. Paxton gaped as Eustace gestured.

The spikes grew, thrusting out fresh thorns, each point sprouting more and more. They stabbed at Paxton, forcing the warrior of heaven back.

Paxton roared, throwing a punch as the spikes instantly receded fusing into one smooth wall. His fist struck the shield with a thunderous crash, cracks splintering out. He lashed out again even as the wall made itself whole once more.

"WATCH OUT!" Inara shouted.

The wall exploded outwards, shards slicing at Paxton, blinding him. He staggered back, clutching as his face as Eustace sprung at him, ploughing a kick straight into his chest. Paxton reeled, Eustace snapping a kick into his face.

Blood and teeth hit the ground a split second before Paxton did, cries ringing out from the watching guards and scientists.

"NOOO!"

Chelsea charged at the possessed boy, howling in pure fury. Eustace's wrist snapped forwards, something bright and hard flying from his fingers.

"CHELSEA!" Inara yelled, pulling herself up.

"No..." one of the scientist's began to weep, her hands reaching out fruitlessly, "No..."

The room was deadly silent, everyone staring at the monster that had just defeated their saviours, the heroes who were meant to save them all. Everything they believed in, everything they thought they knew was shattering in front of their very eyes.

"No..." the woman was not the only one crying.

Chelsea stared down at the crystal spur sticking out from her side, her eyes wide and not understanding.

"CHELSEA!"

Inara grabbed her, supporting her as her sister wilted, her mouth opening and closing as red stained her teeth. Her hands grabbed weakly at the spike in her abdomen, her fingers slick with her own blood.

"Are you going to attack me?" Eustace asked flatly, "You cannot win."

Inara's fists clenched but she didn't move, hating herself, hating the demon for speaking the truth.

Eustace turned his back on them, his eyes fixed solely on the Ophanim Machine, trapped inside its crystal prison.

"I will be seeing you."

Light and pressure assaulted Inara, bright and unbearable and when she could see again the Ophanim Machine was gone, Eustace and the minotaurs were gone.

All that was left was destruction and the dead, Paxton out cold on the ground, Chelsea mortally wounded.

She had lost.

Inara swallowed down the bile in her mouth.

"Somebody..." her voice was a croak, "Call the ambulance."

. . . . . . . .

The Ophanim Machine spun wildly, fire leaping from its wheels.

"Will this thing work?" Jill demanded.

Eustace was silent, watching the wheels as they twisted and turned, spinning faster and faster, blurring into one globe of pure flames.

The air began to echo its hum, red light bleeding into the dark clouds above. Thunder rumbled, the air thick with smoke and sulphur.

"It comes," Eustace said suddenly.

Jill laughed.

"BOOM!"

The fire erupted, shooting up into the sky in one blazing geyser, slamming into the clouds. The sky shrieked, the earth buckling trying to reject the machine from its surface, trying to deny its existence.

"BOOM! BOOM!"

Two great bolts of red lightning hacked into the ground, gouging out two burning scars into the rock. The electricity faded, the wheels slowing, the air and earth calming as Jill and Eustace stepped forwards, peering through the smoke.

"Well I'll be damned."

Two crystal boxes, caskets, laid on the ground, suffused with a gentle silver light. They were exquisite, flawless and untarnished, and in their ice-like depths laid something dark and half-seen.

"Well I guess we can safely say that phase one is complete," Jill looked back at the Ophanim Machine as it completely slowed to a halt, the arcane sigils still burning with light, the wheels blackened and smoking, "Now onto phase two!"

. . . . . . . .

Author's notes: Please, please review! The number of reviews have dwindled off lately so please review and tell me what you think – praise, constructive criticism it doesn't matter, they all help me develop as a writer.

Okay so I know many of you have mentioned in your reviews that this story is becoming very complex and convoluted and that is something I am well aware of. There are two reasons for this – Firstly, this is the kind of fantasy story I love. I am a huge fan of massive dense text that has a thousand storyline running through them but that they somehow all converge in the very end. This is how this arc is going to end.

Secondly, this is the nature of the beast I've created. If you think about it there are now several main characters – Susan, Jason, Elias, Inara, Zaru, Peter, Caspian and Edmund. That's eight characters plus secondary characters and the villains including Jill, Eustace, the demons, Paxton, Chelsea etc. etc. etc. If I tried to cram them all into one single storyline it doesn't work – I've tried. By splitting up the group and having them have their own arc within the arc it allows me to build upon their character and develop their stories better. Trying to fit them all into one singular story means that some characters simply gets drowned out. I know its confusing to have all these storylines weaving in and out of the same chapter and ideally it would be better as chapter by chapter but unfortunately I need the storylines to develop bit by bit and to stretch them out to one chapter each would just slow the story down.

Also remember you can go back and read the previous chapters to make sense of what is happening and this is something I love about thick texts, the constant re-reading and stumbling upon things you never noticed or failed to recognise the significance of it. But to make things easier I'll break down the storyline for you:

Storyline A: Inara and Elias are with Paxton as he fights the demons. They have just lost the Ophanim Machine - an interdimensional transportation machine - to Eustace and Jill.

Storyline B: Edmund and Caspian are with Asmodeus in Gomorrah in order for Edmund to obtain the power to stop Paxton.

Storyline C: Susan, Zaru and Jason are travelling across the world thanks to Kylee/Belphegor stealing Susan's sceptre, bow and the ring.

Storyline D: Peter's in a coma! Lame I know but there simply isn't anything for the High King to do at the moment…

But for those who are confused, don't worry the next chapter will focus on one of these storylines only! But who's? You'll just have to wait and find out!


	73. The trial of Edmund Pevensie

New chapter! Please review – reviews are my food!

Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah, you know the drill.

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 73: The trial of Edmund Pevensie **

"ED! ED! ED!"

Edmund toddled forwards, a wide toothy smile scrawled across his cherubic face as he laughed at the sounds of his siblings' voices.

"Come on Ed!"

Lucy stomped her feet, lips pouting, a ribbon twined through her reddish brown hair. She glared at him, clutching a golden stuffed cat to her chest as Edmund sighed, an adult sound of exasperation.

"Coming Lu!" he shook his head.

When would she grow up?

Lucy brightened, grabbing his hand and dragging him towards the playground, tripping over her own feet as Edmund grabbed her, stopping her falling with another sigh.

Why was he always saving her?

They came to the playground and instantly saw Susan sitting under a tree, a dented tiara resting on a crazy angle on her head, imperiously cool in her purple dress as she watched Peter with narrowed eyes.

"Where were you?" Peter demanded, hands on hips, "We can't play castle without you!"

"Not castle again!" Lucy whinged, pigtails flying, "I don't like it! You're always king!"  
Peter snorted, drawing himself up to his not so impressive height.

"Cos I'm king! I'm the biggest! The biggest is always the king!" he stuck out his tongue, "So there!"

Lucy's face clouded over, a thunderous look in her eyes as Edmund glared at his brother, hating how he always took over, always assumed he was right, always...

"Stop it!" Susan snapped, striding towards them, her dress flapping at her ankles.

She was a tiny version of the queen that would one day rule Narnia, her round face sprinkled with freckles, her dark hair hanging loose and free around her nine-year-old face. Peter, a young older at ten and infinitely more superior, puffed out his skinny chest, staring angrily at her. Susan snorted, as scornful and acerbic as the bitter woman she would one day become.

"Stop it! Or the wind will change and it will stick!" she paused, "Pig face!"

Lucy burst out laughing as Peter gaped at Susan's triumphant sneer, Edmund joining in with his younger sister's laughing.

"Pig face!" Lucy hiccoughed, "Little Peter Pig!"

"QUIET!" Peter snarled, red-faced as Susan smirked.

"Now if you'll excuse me," she lisped, imitating their mother perfectly, "Mr. Bear has cor... cor... corgally invited me to a tea party."

"Can I come?" Lucy demanded expertly, jumping up and down with excitement, "Can I? Can I?"

Susan raked her sister's muddy clothing with an eagle eye, grimacing in disgust.

"This party," she announced grandly, "Will be the picture of grace. Only the most pretty people are allowed!"

Lucy's jaws dropped, tears flooding to her eyes as Peter flared.

"Say you're sorry!" the golden-haired seven-year-old roared.

"Whatever for?" Susan sneered, turning and flouncing away as Lucy sobbed, Peter wrapping an arm around her.

"Children..."

Edmund turned and his eyes widened as he saw his father, tall and strong and brave and wonderful. He grinned as his father ruffled his hair playfully, Daniel beamed down at his little boy, his eyes dark with pain and sorrow.

"I'm sorry..."  
And suddenly he and his siblings were older, Edmund ten years old and not understanding as his father stood before him in khaki green, a helmet on his head and a gun in his hands.

"I've been called to war."

Peter and Susan's jaws dropped as Lucy frowned, confused.

"When will you be back?" she asked innocently as Susan looked away, tears streaming down her face.

Edmund felt like he couldn't breathe through the lump in his throat. He was pole-axed, paralysed to the spot as he stared up at his father, his eyes growing wider and wider.

"Dad..." his voice cracked, "Don't go... please..."  
Tears spilt down his face and he angrily scrubbed them away, hating his weakness.

"When I'm gone Ed..." Daniel's voice was a ghost's whisper, "You have to be brave. Don't make your mother worry. Can you do that? Can you be brave for me?"

The tears instantly disappeared and even though Edmund felt like screaming his heart out, felt like throwing himself to the ground, felt like grabbing his father's legs and stopping him from walking away, he nodded trying to smile.

"Of course dad."  
And Daniel turned away, walking through a door in the playground and into a nightmarish land of fire and screams, of blood corpses and bombs falling like rain from the skies. He plunged into flames and hell and madness and was instantly gone, leaving Edmund behind to stare at where his father had been.

"I will be brave," Edmund whispered, clenching his fists together, "I will be strong. I won't make anyone worry. I won't need anyone. I won't need hugs or sweets or kisses. I will be strong!"

'_He's never coming back,' _a voice in him taunted.

Edmund shuddered as he thought of his father dead, standing amongst a field of corpses, screams as Nazis, faces bloated and monstrous shot him again and again. Edmund screamed and he instantly fell to the ground, clutching his ears, trying to stop the sound of the guns as tears leaked through his clenched eyelids. He curled into a ball sobbing as the monsters tore his father apart, laughing as he fell, raising blood-stained fingers to their lips and –

"Ed?"  
Peter was there, looking at him worriedly, floppy blonde hair almost to his eyes.

"Ed... do you need –"  
"SHUT UP!" Edmund screamed at his brother, "I DON'T NEED YOU! I'M STRONG! I DON'T NEED ANYONE!"

Peter looked at him sadly and as Edmund watched in that moment something in his brother broke, something that was once light and innocence hardening and darkening.

"I'll look after you."

"SHUT UP!"

He hated that look of pity on his brother's face, wanted to tear it off. Susan and Lucy was suddenly beside Peter, looking at him with the same sad soft look. They seemed to grow, towering above him, their shadow casting him into the darkness.

"STOP IT!" Edmund shrieked, "STOP IT! DON'T – I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU ALL!"

. . . . . . . .

"And as you can clearly see ladies and gentlemen of the jury the defendant has always been arrogant and spiteful from the moment he was a child."

Aclepius tugged smugly at his suit, uncaring that the severed stump that was his hand was smearing blood all over his crisp white shirt. He thrust the gruesome limb forwards, pointing accusingly at Edmund, blood flying through the air and hitting the king in the face.

Edmund did not even flinch, his blue eyes fixed on the Naga he had killed.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the court we are here today to prove beyond an inkling of a doubt that Edmund Pevensie is a creature of darkness and that he should be punished accordingly."

His footsteps rang loud on polished flagstones, from these pale marble slabs rose vast pillars of glass, holding up a vaulted ceiling so far up that it faded into darkness and ambiguity. Arched windows opened onto vistas unimaginable – one showing a green-mist forest, another a storm-churned sea, a third a city of neon lights. They flickered and faded like the whispers of a dream, haunting and ever changing.

Aclepius stalked the boulevard between the judge's bench and his table, proud and arrogant, relishing each and every word that flew from his mouth.

"This is a boy who is a killer!" the Naga raged, "This is a boy who betrayed his own family! Members of the jury surely you remember that treachery!"

Edmund's eyes crossed to the jury box, to where Peter, Susan and Lucy sat, their faces unreadable. His mother and father sat beside them, Helen weeping into her husband's shoulder, Daniel unable to meet his son's eyes.

It took everything he had to dam his emotions, to keep his mask intact. This was not real, he reminded himself, clinging to the words like a prayer, this was not real. He was not on actual trial. And even if he was he had nothing to hide, nothing to be ashamed of.

How he wished he could believe that lie.

"I was hurting. I didn't mean those words," Edmund said flatly, his voice leached of all feeling even as sweat beaded his face.

Aclepius whirled on him, his green eyes wild and demented.

"Are you sure? Are you sure there weren't days, many, many days when you awoke in the middle of the night and just stared at your brother? Are you going to sit there and deny you heard a little voice that wondered what would happen if you picked up your pillow and – "

Helen howled, clapping her hands to her ears.

Edmund flinched at the sound, Aclepius's words stabbing deep, ripping open old scars as pus and poison ran free.

"No," Edmund swallowed past the lump in his throat, "They... I never – "

"LIAR!" Acleipus shrieked and the words echoed around the courtroom, something up in the shadows above taking up the cry.

"I was scared! I was lashing out!" Edmund said frantically, "You can't condemn me for things I never actually did!"

"But it shows there's something deep and dark inside you. Something twisted and just screaming to be let free. Do you deny it?"

Edmund could not speak, could not bare to hear Aclepius name so nakedly all the things he was so terrified of.

"Look at you so wrong. So weak that you managed to be snared twice by magi – "

"I am not wrong!" Edmund screamed, leaping to his feet, "I AM NOT WEAK!"

He lunged at the Naga but the air around him turned to ropes, binding his limbs. Edmund cried out as an invisible force slammed into him, sending him crashing back into his hair. His head snapped up to the judge's bench where a cloud of darkness swirled and billowed, swallowing every drop of light that touched its smoky surface.

No.

Edmund's eyes snapped to his side and Jason was there, white fire burning around his fingers.

"The defendant will sit!" Jason spat, his face twisted into a wild contorted snarl.

The ropes around him fell away as white fire bled from the Seeker's eyes.

Aclepius was smiling, wide and victorious. His family sat in the jury box, looking at each other, shaking their heads in disgust.

Edmund swallowed back bile.

"If it will please the court I would like to call a witness to the stand."

The dark cloud did not move but Alcepius nodded.

"The court calls upon Jadis the White Witch to the stand!"

"NO!" Edmund couldn't help the cry that sprung from his lips.

"BANG!"

The tall wide doors set at the far end of the court suddenly blast open, a winter's wind screaming in. Edmund tried to rise but Jason gestured, ruach pushing him back down.

And she came, cloaked in diaphanous silks and arrogance. A deadening silence fell over the court as she walked with measured steps to the stand and alighted the stairs.

"State your name."

"I am Jadis, the last Queen of Charn and the true Ruler of Narnia!" her voice was both that of the sweet-songed temptress Edmund had first met in Narnia and the iron cold bite of the witch of Charn,.

"And what do you know of the defendant?" Acleipus pressed.

Jadis smiled and Edmund knew he was doomed.

"What do I know? This simply – Edmund Pevensie is a monster."

. . . . . . . .

"You're lying."  
Caspian stared at Asmodeus, eyes blown, trying to find a single trace of falsehood on the demon's face. Asmodeus stared back at him, black flames pooling his eyes, hiding nothing.

"No."

"All this. Aslan allowed this to happen. He wanted me to bring Edmund here. He wanted Susan to suffer. Did you know Peter's in a coma? He wanted that to."

Asmodeus chuckled and it was not a pleasant sound, thick with malice and victory. Caspian was frozen, each word hitting him like a blow, his mind reeling.

"Where are you petty arguments now?" the demon hissed, "Where are your convictions that Aslan is good and righteous?"

Caspian forced himself to speak, to defend the true king of Narnia. But somewhere deep down inside of him Caspian was beginning to believe the devil. It terrified him but he had to know, had to ask the one obvious question.

"Why?"

"What would any good general do?"

Caspian knew. Oh how he knew. Being king, being a leader and a general was never easy. He had done things, made decisions so that others did not have to burden themselves with it. Caspian was never good at lying to himself and he knew that his some of his choices, his own words and actions had led to bloodshed.

He had raised an army against his own people, punished them for his uncle's greed and sins. He had saved Narnia and all the creatures and Talking Beasts that called it home and he could not regret that but Caspian was no hero not when mothers wept for sons who would never return and children begged to know, confused and heartbroken, where their fathers and brothers had gone. The crown and throne he now possessed had been paid with a heavy price, exacted on people who had done no wrong except for what their ancestors and power-crazed rulers had done.

The war had been bloody, the aftermath almost as bad and Caspian had almost been broken.

It was not a time of his life he was proud of.

And they were at war again, Aslan and the Great Darkness were fighting with all the worlds hanging in the balance. He, Susan, Peter and all the others were foot soldiers and sometimes soldiers had to be sacrificed.

But that still didn't cool the anger he felt, the rage that the saviour he had put so much trust in had betrayed him and his family, had willingly and knowingly put Susan and all the others in danger. But he couldn't say that, couldn't show it, couldn't give the demon this victory.

"That doesn't make Him evil," Caspian's voice was a rasp whisper.

"Where's the benevolence? Where's the all-powerful, all-encompassing love?" Asmodeus's face was savage with hunger, demanding answers, wanting to hear him speak the words, "If he is not all these things then what is he?"

Caspian swallowed his answer, frantically trying to stop the thought from even emerging but there it was – dark, treacherous, undeniable.

"WHAT IS HE?" Asmodeus's voice thundered.

"One of us!"

Caspian's eyes widened, wanting to snatch those words from midair, jam it back into his mouth and forget their existence. But there it was ugly and twisted – the truth.

"And there you have it. Finally you've been enlightened to the truth. Aslan. Weak. Petty. Indecisive. Full of fear and doubt just like you," Asmodeus laughed, "So the question remains why the blind faith? Why believe in him at all?"

Caspian stared at the demon and could not think of a single answer.

. . . . . . . .

Edmund stood, knee deep in snow, his eyes widening at the incredible sight sprawled before him. Squares of ice, pearly white and glittering with mother-of-pearl sheen sat beside squares of deep emerald, the gems throbbing with light. They numbered eight by eight, an immense expanse of white and green... a chessboard of ice and emerald.

"What the..."

Edmund forced his way through the snow, his blue eyes wide as shadows, figures began to appear on the massive board.

"No!"  
The White Witch sneered at him, magnificent as always in pristine white and arrogance, her wand glittering in her hands, a crown of silver and diamonds encircling her proud head. Beside her the Lady of the Green Kirtle laughed, black hair draping to her waist, silk hanging off her long slender limbs as she played on her lute, music echoing her melodious laugh. They stood as king and queen, centre at one end of the board flanked by monsters and creatures awoken from the worst of nightmares. But it was the pawns that had Edmund trembling.

Wolves and green-eyed Nagas snarled and howled in the line of squares before the two queens and right in the centre standing before the witches, twin pairs of blue eyes burned. Edmund stared at his two twins, twisted doppelgangers of himself. One was armoured in the dark metal of the Black Knight, his helm tossed carelessly aside so his face was bared to the world, face blank and devoid of emotions. The other was arrogance and sadism given form, ermine cloak draped around a slim powerful form as a ringlet of silver embraced his head.

"No..."

Edmund knew who this white-faced stranger was. This Edmund was a possibility, an eventuality that had never occurred. This was the Edmund who had sold his soul to the White Witch for power... the Edmund who had never been saved by Aslan.

"This can't be happening," Edmund whispered, shaking his head, trying to tear this world away, "ACLEPIUS! JADIS! STOP THIS!"

A horn called through the mist and the other end of the board was suddenly exposed, Aslan staring across the great field, his pawns readying their weapons. Peter and Susan stood at the forefront, sword and bows in hand as Edmund felt the blood drain from his face.

"NOOO! STOP!"  
Jadis raised her hand and instantly her prince, her slave charged forwards, an icy sword clutched in his hands. The Black Knight Edmund sprung forwards, armour rattling as from the other side Peter and Susan sprinted forwards with thunderous cries on their lips. Wolves and Nagas surged, dwarves and centaurs rushing to meet them as in the centre of the melee Prince Edmund, consort to Jadis, and his twin the Black Knight slammed into their own siblings.

"PETER!" the real Edmund screamed, eyes bulging, "WATCH OUT!"  
The White Witch's Edmund chopped down and Peter screamed, hands and sword falling to the ice and emerald board as blood spurted through the air. He fell, crashing to his knees as the bewitched Edmund laughed, a silver loop of metal appearing in his hands.

"STOP!" Edmund charged forwards, floundering through the snow as Prince Edmund slipped the ring around his brother's neck and pulled, chains rattling as he imprisoned the High King of Narnia.

"NOW!" Prince Edmund laughed, kicking his mortally wounded brother down, pulling at the chains "BOW! BOW BEFORE ME"  
"PETER!"  
A scream made Edmund whirl around as the Black Knight, blue eyes flashing, swung his sword, keen edge whistling through the air.

"NOOOOOO!" his screams hit the air but it was already too late.

Susan's headless body slumped to the board as Edmund screamed, tripping and falling hard into the snow. Weeping, choking on tears, Edmund pulled himself up, screaming.

"PETER! SUSAN!"  
"This is all your fault."  
Edmund looked up and Lucy was there, towering over him, casting him in her shadow. Her face was blank, her eyes dead.

"Edmund..." she smiled, "You're a monster."

And even as Edmund screamed, invisible hands gripped him, forcing him to move as claws exploded from his fingers. Edmund's lips bleed as fangs bit down into them, his muscles bulging as spikes exploded from his skin. Lucy stood rooted to the ground, watching him dispassionately.

"LU! RUN! FOR THE LOVE OF ASLAN!" Edmund shouted desperately, his eyes wide, his limbs manipulated by a spell he couldn't see, "MOVE!"  
Claw tore through flesh and Lucy fell, blood exploding from her neck as Edmund screamed and screamed and screamed, his voice cracking and breaking as his sister's blood cooled on his face.

Aslan was burning, green flames wreathing his form. Ice and snow suddenly swallowed him and Jadis laughed, hurling her wand straight into the blizzard.

"No!"

He watched, his sister's mangled form turning cold in his hands as the Great King of Narnia fell. He was still burning, still wreathed in green flames, fire that leapt into Edmund's tears until he was weeping beads of emerald.

"Now do you see?"

Aclepius was flanked by Prince Edmund and the Black Knight, an almost pitiful look on his face.

"This isn't me," Edmund said brokenly staring down at Lucy's pale face, "This isn't – "

Everything was fading, swallowed up by smoke and mist.

"You think this is terrifying?"

Jadis laughed, her voice ringing loud in the courtroom as Edmund buried his face in his hands, fighting back tears. Aclepius touched his shoulder gently, his soft hand an antithesis to the sneering victory on his face.

"It was only the beginning. You killed your sisters," Jadis hissed rising from her chair, the air nipping at him, cold stealing into his bones, "But you kept your brother alive."

"EDMUND!" Peter spat from his place in the jury-box, white-faced with fury, "You little – "You kept him chained up. You called him Pony and you played with him," flecks of darkness swam in Jadis's eyes, "You and I... we ruled Narnia, your throne was covered in a throw made of Aslan's fur."

Jadis laughed, beating at the witness stand, her fists cracking the wood.

"You slaughtered your own family for Turkish delights, for the promise of power!" she howled as it was a great joke, "You crushed your enemies with a fervour and hatred even I could not match."

Visions thundered into Edmund's mind, horrifying blood-soaked flashes. Screams punched him again and again, the sight of flashing blades making him flinch. Again and again he saw bodies fall in starbursts of red, stark against the snow; he saw flesh greying, hardening to stone; saw screams and tears and terror and everywhere his face, laughing, jeering, drinking it all in.

"And then you betrayed me."

Jadis's face, pale, disbelieving, clutching at the sword in her gut. Edmund, a crown on his dark curls, his face savage and barely human. He tore the sword up and kicked the witch down, grinding her into the floor with the heel of his boot. As Jadis screamed, Prince Edmund laughed and laughed, his voice billowing out of the vision and into the courtroom as Edmund clutched his head, trying to block the sound out.

"Even one as cruel as myself never saw that coming," Jadis clapped her hands in approval, "Truly you are a creature of the darkness."

Edmund's head snapped up, his eyes wide and bloodshot.

"No... you bewitched me!" Edmund shrieked desperately.

"_I _bewitched _you_?"

For a split second Edmund was seeing the double, Jadis and Aita, overlapped and flickering, white turning to green, cold cruelty duelling with simpering malice.

"I barely had to do a thing," Aita strum her lute, her fingers playing a graceful dance along the long strings, "I bound you to me. To be a guard and no more."

Green became white, beauty transmuting to glacial arrogance.

"I knew it from the moment I met you," Jadis smiled and a chill slid into the room, "I saw you. I saw you and I was looking into the eyes of a beast. I didn't make you what you were... I merely loosened the shackles."

Her eyes flicked up and she was Aita again adoringly drinking in his face, plucking idly at her lute.

"What you became... was beyond anything I could've ever hoped for. You were a warrior like no other. Truly sometimes I was scared of you and your bloodlust. I wanted you to kill our enemies but you _crushed _them," a forked tongue touched her even white teeth, "No my dear knight I did not bewitch you to become what you became. You were already what you were."

A gulf seemed to open up somewhere in side of him. It threatened to engulf him, to swallow everything that he was, that he thought he was. No this was impossible – this was...

But Edmund had never been good at lying to himself. He knew the truth. Oh how he knew.

"No please..." Edmund was shaking, the courtroom spinning wildly all around him, "You have to – "

"I cannot lie," Aita reminded him sadly, "I am in a court of law."

And Aita became Elias, the scientist clutching a wooden pointer, reams and reams of paper towered high above him in tottering piles of white.

"So Professor Elias Denton in your expert opinion?" Aclepius prompted.

Eilas's pointer flicked out, hitting the display board with a resounding thwack.

"As you can see on this brain scan here," the professor jabbed the pointer a few times over the complex paintings before him, "Edmund Pevensie is inflicted with abnormalities in limbic system, particularly the amygdala. He also suffers atrophy of the frontal lobe impairing his ability to regular his emotions."

Lucy frowned, looking utterly lost as Susan's lips pulled back into a sneer.

"So what does this mean?" Aclepius prodded, "In your expert opinion?"

"Well..." Elias seemed to consider his words, "In my expert opinion..."

He looked at Edmund, studying him as remotely and clinically as though he was looking at the boy through a microscope. For a split second his face seemed to shift, sprouting fur and a snout.

"Edmund Pevensie is a spawn of darkness," the wolf-headed Elias snarled.

Edmund's breath froze.

"Thank you much Professor Elias," Aclepius looked up at the dark cloud that was their judge, "I have no further questions."

Elias faded away as Aclepius turned neatly and marched back to his seat, tossing Edmund a sneering look. Edmund was frozen, his pupils blown, his breathing come out in sharp short pants.

Jadis, Aita, Elias's words they were all playing in his head again and again, taunting, tearing, threatening to unravel all that he was and tossing it to the four winds.

No.

Edmund stood up as Aclepius looked at him surprised.

"If it would please the court," Edmund closed his eyes, steeling himself, "I would like to take the stand."

A wide grin split Aclepius's serpentine face.

. . . . . . . .

Asmodeus studied him, trying to spot a chink in his armour, some flaw he could expose and tear into. Caspian gritted his teeth, struggling to throw his mask back on, trying to hide just how rattled he really was. The demon suddenly chuckled, knowing exactly where to attack.

"Take your own family for example."

The moisture died in Caspian's mouth.

"What – "

"I mean think about it. Aslan could have easily stopped your uncle from killing your father. And your mother? Dying from a fever like that?" the demon eyed him carefully as Caspian's face became a mask, "I mean you were left all alone. Poor little orphan Caspian in a big scary castle, nobody to love him, nobody to protect him. Why would Aslan do that to you? Why would Aslan do that to anyone? I mean I thought he was full of love and sugar and everything else all candy-coated."

The demon chuckled, idly plucking balls of black flames from the air, juggling them with supreme ease. The fire was almost hypnotic, drawing Caspian, freezing him, forcing him to stand and listen to every poisonous word.

"He didn't give a damn about you until you became useful to him. You are just a tool to him. I mean he might've just murdered your father himself. Slid that blade into his ribs and watch him bleed out. Hear his last pathetic whimpers for his precious wife and –"

"SHUT UP!" Caspian roared.

The king started towards the demon, fire leaping into his own eyes. His fists were clenched, ready to lash out but he stopped himself, holding his ground as Asmodeus smirked at him.

"Do you have any idea what's happening out there?" the demon asked suddenly.

Asmodeus's face was dark, his eyes meeting Caspian's, no hint of mockery in them. A chill fell over Caspian, the king not sure he wanted to know what Asmodeus was hinting at.

"You think you and your little gang are winning?' For every world you save seven more are falling."

The blood drained from Caspian's face.

"Gavin's madness is spreading to all the worlds, infecting everything. Civilisations they have stood for centuries are tumbling into ruin, suns are burning into nothing, things that should not be are walking the earth. It's anarchy."

Black flames oozed from Asmodeus's skin, pooling at his feet, burning the earth.

"Heaven and hell are collapsing. Gods are fleeing from the god-killer. Nowhere is safe!" Asmodeus looked at Caspian, his eyes wild, laughter bubbling from his lips, "There is no place for faith in this brave new world!"

"So what do you suggest? We descend down into chaos? We kill and maim and do whatever the hell we like?" the king snarled.

He would not let this demon make him doubt, make him surrender. Never!

"Why not? It's not like there's a hell to go to anymore! My home has been destroyed."

"I bleed for you. Truly," Caspian chewed off.

"You should be. Without the threat of hell why should anyone play by the rules? If death holds no punishment, there is no fear and without fear..." the demon offered him a grin as if he was a particularly stupid child, "Without fear there is no faith."

"What?" Caspian hissed, "That is a lie!"

The demon shrugged.

"What? You can honestly stand there and say otherwise? You Telmarines and Narnians have Tash. Be a good boy, be a good soldier and die in battle otherwise Tash will snatch you up and take you to his lair. You have to admit that fear is very, very good as keeping people in check. And gods use that," Asmodeus sneered, "Gods. Nothing more than phantom bullies in the sky."

Caspian half-wished the demon would just lunge at him. Fighting for his life would be more desirable than this, to hear all that he believed in studied and countered in such meticulous detail. And despite the cruelty, despite the overwhelming arrogance there was a disturbing grain of truth.

"They flounce around promising so much. Do this, do that and you will be rewarded. But think how fickle they are. If they cared, if they loved why won't they protect you? Why do they let murderers and rapists walk free, why do they let wars be fought in their names?"

Asmodeus lazily played with fire, letting sinuous streams flowing all around his fingers like a pet snake.

"And these pretty images you have of gods being loving shepherds. Ugh," his face twisted as if he had bitten into something foul, "They're as just as twisted and selfish and impulsive as you monkeys. You think they use love? They use fear and intimidation. Without me and my brothers in all the worlds they have no power over you worms and Gavin is destroying that. He's destroying fear and that's all it takes for most worlds to tear themselves apart."

There were too many truths here, too many ugly truths that Caspian did not want to think about it. Asmodeus watched him, enjoying the confusion he had sown, the uncertainty. Caspian floundered, casting around for something to distract him, something to –

"Wheat was the deal Aslan made with you?"

Asmodeus eyed him.

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes, I want to know why Aslan lowered Himself to deal with such creatures as yourself! I want to know why He let this happen to us!" Caspian spat, "I want to know what the hell is going on in this world!

"Fine."

Caspian cried out as Asmodeus lunged forwards, clapping his hands around his head. Before he even had a chance to scream Caspian was falling into a pit of fire and brimstone.

. . . . . . . .

"State your name and occupation."

"Edmund Pevensie... uhhh..." Edmund frowned, "King of Narnia?"

This was not real. He had to hold onto that. This was something, an illusion, a madness conjured by whatever stalked the streets of Gomorrah. They wanted to make him into a monster? Into something he was not?

He would show them. He was Edmund the Silvertongue and they wanted to play a game of words he would show them who was the true master.

"TRUTH!"

Edmund started and Zaru was suddenly sprawled on the ground before the witness stand, blue-grey eyes fixed on his face. A shudder ran through Edmund.

Out of all of Susan's companions the leopard terrified him the most.

Edmund had always hidden behind masks and walls, setting so many false trails and red herrings that sometimes even he didn't know what was really him and what was pretence. But he had done it to survive, to wrestle his fears and secrets into the shadows, to toss them into the pit and never let them see the light of day. He could not bear it, could not bear the thought of people looking in, vivisecting all that he was, taking one look and turning away in disgust. Sometimes in rare lucid moments he wondered if it was truly that terrible but to do so, to open himself up was like taking a step off a stone ledge, every instinct, every nerve and fibre in him cried their terror, their reluctance.

His mind, his soul was his sanctuary and one he guarded fervently.

But Edmund knew the leopard could smell emotions, could read them as easily as a book. One glance and the cat could scour away all his walls and falsehoods. One scent and all the bits and pieces, good and terrible, that made him who he was would be open for inspection.

Zaru came off as a braggart, a glutton and a mere child but Edmund knew better. The leopard saw a lot more than he said, storing everything up, saying nothing but making his own judgements.

He would rather be stabbed in the heart.

"Where were you born Edmund?"

He forced himself to speak.

"Finchley."

"TRUTH!"

His heart was throwing itself against his ribs, his pulse pressing frantically against his wrist. He was covered in muck sweat, swallowing frantically to keep his stomach from rejecting everything he had eaten.

"So Edmund..." Aclepius studied him, more snake-like than ever, "Why did you go with Aslan?" Why did you betray the witch?"

"Betray?" Edmund was startled out of his terror, "Betray her?"

"Just answer the question please," Aclepius said with maddening calm.

Edmund forced himself to calmness, stuffing his anger into a tiny corner of his mind.

"She had to be stopped," Edmund forced out through gritted teeth, "I don't deny I was an idiot and I was arrogant and selfish when I first went with her. But when I saw what she was doing... I was horrified. I saw how wrong I had been, the terrible mistakes I made. And I went with Aslan because... I needed to saved."

"LIAR!"

"WHAT?" Edmund looked at Zaru, "No – I... this isn't – "

"LIAR!" Zaru had leapt to his feet, hackles raised, teeth bared, "LIAR! LIAR!"

Somewhere up in the canopy of shadows above the cry was taken up. His family in the jury box glared at him, hate in their eyes as Aclepius watched him, eyes lazy with satisfaction.

"Maybe you would like to try again?" he said smoothly.

"No! I'm not lying! I went with Aslan because I needed to fix my mistakes, repent my sins. I – "

"LIAR! LIAR!" came the cries, echoing all around him as Edmund flinched.

"SHUT UP!" he screamed back at them, "I AM NOT LYI – GARGH!"

Edmund writhed in his seat, screeching, clawing at the wooden banister as something like an electric shock thundered through him. Every nerve came to life, shrieking in discordant bursts of agony. Edmund bit through his own lips, blood flooding his mouth as the shock faded, the king slumping back in his chair, tears and mucus pouring down his face.

"Liars will be punished in this courtroom," Aclepius warned.

The Naga fixed his tie, his stump of a hand still dripping blood down onto the marbled floor. Edmund tried to fix his gaze on the snake-man, to glare at him but he didn't have the strength to.

"Let me fill in the blanks for you. You saw the White Witch's power was fading. You saw it as the snow was melting. You knew she was about to lose. So you did what anyone would do you switched sides. You crawled back to Aslan with some sob story about how you changed your ways but you did it all to save your skin."

"I bet that's what he did," Peter hissed as Susan nodded with him, Lucy buried her face in her hands, weeping loudly.

"NO!" Edmund did know whether he was yelling at Peter, at Aclepius or just to the world at large, "NO! THAT ISN'T – "

"LIAR!" Zaru screamed.

"GARGGH!"

Pain ripped through him, his back arching so powerfully that Edmund was afraid his spine would snap in two. His limbs contorted, his teeth gnashing together as he tried to ride through the searing wave.

It slowly faded leaving Edmund panting and clutching weakly at the chair, trying to get the breath back in his body.

"No more lying out of you," Aclepius warned icily, "As you can see our own lie detectors have found him wanting. Edmund did not go with Aslan out of the goodness of his heart, it was a craven move, designed to save his own skin and put him with the winning team."

Aclepius glared at him.

"Isn't that right?"

Edmund opened his mouth, ready to argue, ready to prove the Naga wrong but already he could feel tingles of pain building, ready to become a storm that would ravage his body again. He closed his mouth, hating his weakness. The Naga seemed to take his silence as an answer.

"And everything he has done has to be cast in the shadow of that decision. Edmund Pevensie is smart we all known that but he is manipulative. Having thrown his lot in with Aslan he had to maintain that facade. He had to be shown to be wanting redemption but nothing could be further from the truth."

"No!" Edmund could not stand it, damn the pain, damn what these bastards could do to him but he would not allow this to continue, "I was not lying! I was not faking! I know I had done wrong! I know what I did and I have spent my whole life trying to fix that mistake! You think I'm proud of what happened? You think I'm not haunted by the things I did! I CHANGED!"

Zaru hissed, a disgusted look on his face.

"Liar!" he spat.

Edmund screamed as whatever enchantment they had over him came to life, invisible hooks ripping into his flesh. His vision blurred, plunging him into utter darkness, into a place of nothing but never-ending pain.

He didn't know how long he endured – minutes? Hours? A lifetime? But slowly he came back to himself, curled into a little ball in the chair, too frightened to even think of moving.

"And when your family believed your lies what did you do? You became a great knight. A protector of the realm. Why? Because you enjoyed killing, you enjoyed hurting people. You were trying to protect... you were trying to assuage your bloodlust, a bloodlust that even Aita herself was shocked at."

Aclepius paced the room, placing himself square in front of the jury box

"And what of Edmund the Diplomat? The silver-tongued negotiator? Nothing more than an outlet for his manipulative behaviour, a way for him to bend people to his will, to exert his control. Thwarted from open warfare Edmund resorted to more insidious forms but make no mistakes," Aclepius leaned in close, Helen and Daniel recoiling, "His true nature remained the same. Sneaky. Underhanded. Taking advantage of everyone around him."

He swung back around, too fast for the jury to react.

"What say you?" Aclepius asked mockingly, "Do you agree King Edmund the Just? Is this a fair assessment of what you are?"

Edmund's mind was reeling, bruises and battered from the assaults it had endured. He wasn't sure which way was up, which was down, everything was melting together. He closed his eyes, trying to think, trying to remember what Aclepius was saying.

Him?

Was he nothing more than a savage who enjoyed the sight of blood of pain? Was he nothing more than the man behind the curtain, pulling at the world's strings just to see it dance?

Edmund licked his lips.

"Yes?" it came out more as question.

The answer came swiftly.

"TRUTH!"

. . . . . . . .

Caspian blinked, looking slowly around him in confusion.

"What..."

If this was hell than it was not what he thought it would be. Where were the pits of flames? Where were the brimstone and the demons ruthlessly torturing their wards? Instead of screams Caspian heard the cooing of birds, the trickle of water falling into water. Instead of fire and smoke, there was cool greens and blues.

Hell was a... pleasant garden.

Caspian gawked at the fountains, at the ivy that curled around pillars, twining towards a moonlit sky. Grass folded beneath his feet and sprung up just as quickly, releasing their sweet scents into the air.

And in the centre of the garden, framed by the falling bower of a weeping willow, laid Aslan, the air around him suffused with golden light.

"ASLAN!"

Caspian rushed towards the Great King but the Lion did not seem to notice him, His gaze piercing the king.

"ASLAN!"

But in this place Caspian was a ghost, a mere shadow-form, here to watch and nothing more.

"Show yourself," Aslan commanded calmly.

"Such a delightful place to have such a dark meeting."

They came, twisted creatures of man and animal flesh, forged in the very fires of hell itself. When they spoke, plumes of sulphur flew from their mouths, sparks flying from their eyes. The garden around them seemed to warp as if their very presence was destroying the fabric of existence itself, the earth and sky bending impossibly all around them. There were some that appeared to be serpents, another Caspian recognised as Beezelbub, others bearing human faces on draconian and serpentine bodies – all shambling abominations and monstrosities.

They counted six in total and Caspian instantly knew who they were – the Lords of Hell, Asmodeus and his brothers.

"Such power..." one of them giggled, "But why have you come to Us?"

They towered over Aslan, surrounded Him yet the Great King showed nothing on his regal face.

"I have come to talk."

"Talk of what dear cat?" a shrill harpy's voice cried out as the other demons howled with laughter.

"The Great Darkness."

The demons raged, the garden dying as acid and poison rained down on the grass and tries. Great gashes rent the night sky, howling flames leaking through the wounds as Caspian heard the screams of the condemned. He forced himself to stand still, to be as unflinching as stone as the demons finally calmed.

"We shall destroy him if he comes to us!" a great serpent spat.

"He is coming for me," Aslan had a strange look on His face, "And he will get me."

"Is that fear I sense World-Singer?" a squat ugly thing chortled.

"No," Aslan's voice was decisive, "I do not fear what is inevitable."

That seemed to silence the demons as they watched the Lion balefully.

"So why are you here?"

The thing that spoke was a volcano, a mountain of molten slag that spewed flames. But amongst the flames Caspian could see chains and shackles, man and creatures screaming as tiny dark figure stabbed at them again and again with curved blades.

"I have come here to bargain."

The Lords of Hell all fell silent.

"You know of the Great Darkness's generals?"

"Conquest," one demon, a thing that wore a crown of horns and antlers, hissed.

"War," another laughed, his clawed hands raking the earth.

"Famine!" Beezelbub jeered.

"Death," a thing of swirling light and shadow breathed.

"The Horsemen!" the demons roared as one.

"They will come for me and I will snare them. But I need a cell. A prison that not even the Great Darkness can penetrate."

"What of Tash? What of your friend?" the Leviathan rattled his scales and spines, "What of him?"

"He is one. You are many. To bind the Horsemen it will take blood," Aslan rose gracefully from the grass and such was his presence that the demons backed away, watching him.

"You wish to bind our lives into the bars of the prison?" one of the demons hissed.

"The prison will hold as long as you remain unfallen," Aslan growled.

"But what of us?" Beezelbub's jaw was working frantically, his huge eyes swivelling, "Why would we agree to this folly?"

"If the Horsemen are allowed to ride free than the Great Darkness will be much stronger than you can imagine."

The demons howled with laughter.

"You think we care? More death means more foods for us!" one of the demons jeered.

For the first time anger leapt into Aslan's eyes and he reared back his head and roared. The earth shook, the sky rippling as the demons froze.

"YOU THINK TO TOY WITH ME?" Aslan snarled.

As insubstantial as he was, even Caspian wanted to hide. He stood rooted as Aslan raged, his fury whipping the garden into a forest, the trees whispering dark secrets amongst them, the air pressing down on the demons threatening to smother them.

"We must band together against the darkness or all will be lost!" Aslan barked.

"Price!" the demons chanted, "There must be a price!"

Aslan stood stone still, His eyes suddenly less bright – troubled. Finally He breathed a sign that shook the trees.

"You will have what is now Tash's."

The demons laughed, a chilling screaming noise that froze the blood in Caspian's veins. He stared at Aslan, eyes wide, disbelieving.

"And when you meet my champions..." Aslan seemed to weep, hanging His great head, "Excepting death, you may do with them as you wish."

The reply was instant.

"Deal!"

Aslan let out a second roar and something golden and brilliant seemed to pass from his body, falling in delicate cobweb strands on the demons. The strands pulsed with light, binding the demons to each other and them to Aslan. The demons roared in victory, laughing wildly as the light grew and grew and grew swallowing Caspian and the night garden.

. . . . . . . .

The bottle spun, slowing, the circle that sat around it waiting with hushed breath. Finally it stopped, its neck pointing straight at Edmund.

"Truth or dare Freckles?" Inara asked, silver eyes gleaming.

Edmund swallowed.

"Truth?"

"What is it that you fear?'

. . . . . . . .

He was suddenly frozen in place, paralysed, his eyes the only thing that could move. The Just King was standing upright, rooted onto the pedestal of marble as his eyes flailed around wildly trying to understand what was going on.

"Who is this?" a tall proud lady asked, one delicate brow raised.

Edmund stared back, blinking frantically, begging them to free him. What was going on here? How did he slip from the courtroom to Inara to this? What was going on?

"Oh that."

Susan stepped into Edmund's line of view and the mysterious lady instantly dropped into a curtsey.

"My brother," Susan sounded bored, "I'm not sure why we have this statue sitting around."

"Really? I've never heard of him," the lady sounded surprised.

Susan sighed, every inch the imperious queen, her face cold, eyes completely dead.

"We don't really talk about him," she passed a dispassionate look at Edmund, "Poor Ed. Always so out of place. He was so..."

"He looks lovely," the lady said.

"Nothing compared to me," Susan said cruelly, "He was nothing really. A nobody. I have no idea why we kept him around as long as we did."

'_No...' _his scream was silent.

"Always in the back. Invisible. Practically a ghost," Susan shook her head, her hair moving gracefully, "Never as brave or strong as Peter. Never as graceful as me. Never as loved as Lucy. I know my mother thought he was a mistake. Father certainly did. I think that's why he was so nice to him. I think father felt guilty for thinking those thoughts but I knew... I knew the whole truth."

"Didn't you like him?" the lady-in-waiting asked curiously.

'_No...'_

Susan pursed her lips, thinking the question over.

"Well...I didn't like him. I didn't hate him. I just didn't care about him. Nobody did. We just ignored him. Occasionally gave him the odd thing to keep him occupied and out of our hair."

The room dimmed, Edmund plunging into complete darkness.

"That's why we didn't care when he left. We never needed him."

'_Please... no.'_

The world segued.

. . . . . . . .

"Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"Let us look inside you."

. . . . . . . .

"My god! What is that thing?"

Edmund blinked, harsh lights glaring down at him as he heard the soft mechanical hum of machines at work.

"It's as I feared..."

He looked and stared through a pane of glass, Jason, Inara, Elias and Zaru staring back at him, the scientist jotting down notes on a clipboard before fiddling with control and dials on the blinking bank of machines all around him.

"He stinks!" Zaru growled.

"Traitors usually do," Elias sighed.

Edmund's eyes widened as he tried to move forwards but chains held him down. He screamed, writhing, fighting to be free as Jason watched him, eyes narrowed.

"Poor thing," Inara cooed, "Look at him all helpless."

"NO!"

Edmund thrashed, pulling at his chains. Rough metal bit into his wrists and ankles, ripping the skin away, tearing at the flesh. He bit back his screams, his blood hot as it ran down his arms, spilling onto the floor, pooling, growing.

"Why are we keeping him?" Jason demanded.

"Yeah," Zaru spat, "He's a waste of food!"

"I heard he used to be the best swordsman in the land," Inara laughed, "Before I came along that is."

"He was also the wisest," Elias shook his head, amused, "Not anymore!"

"SHUT UP!" Edmund screamed, trying to clap his hands over his ears, "SHUT UP!"

"So why are we keeping him around?" Inara asked curiously, "What should we do with him?'

Elias sighed.

"What else? Experiment with him!"

A tile in the ceiling pulled back, arms, metal and multi-jointed descending, hovering above him like a spider waiting to feed.

"NO!" Edmund screamed, "PLEASE – "

Each arm was tipped with blades and drills, each edge gleaming in the harsh all-seeing light.

"Open him up," Elias ordered.

The blades pounced and Edmund screamed as they bit into his flesh, pulling away skin and sinew until they scraped bone. He was trapped, strapped helpless to the table as the strange machine pulled him apart, piece by piece, exposing every inch of him to the light.

His stomach was ripped open and something thick and black gushed out, hitting the floor in a stench of refuse and rot.

"Please!" Edmund begged, weeping, "PLEASE DON'T!"

The bile continued to flow, Edmund bleeding out shadow and tar.

"I knew it!" Zaru chirped, "Just as disgusting as he smelt!"

"That's what he's made out of?" Inara gagged, "Petey said he was horrible but this... he never told me about this."

Elias sighed and a touch of a button and the dissecting arms stopped. Edmund laid spread-eagled on the table, his chest wide open, white ribs opened to the air as his lung beat frantically against them, his lungs collapsing.

"I was afraid of this..." Elias shook his head, "But even I didn't expect it would be this extensive."

"So what we do with him?" Zaru asked curiously, "We can't keep him around?"

Elias shook his head, tutting away.

"What else can we do?" the scientist turned to Jason, "Put that poor thing out of his misery won't you?"  
He turned back to Edmund, eyes sad.

"I'm sorry... but it's just easier this way."

Edmund was weeping, just wanting it all to end as Jason shrugged and threw white fire at him, glass shattering as searing heat burned the skin from his flesh.

. . . . . . . .

"Truth or dare?"

"No please..." Edmund begged.

"Truth or dare?" Inara snapped.

"Truth..."

"What is it that you fear?"

. . . . . . . .

Edmund stood at the gallows, rough rope around his neck, his blue eyes bulging as he stared out a sea of angry, monstrous faces.

"What does the prisoner stand accused of?" a tall man in purple velvet screamed.

He stood a little before the condemned king, a parchment in his hands as the crowd roared their fury.

"Murder!"

The man who screamed was a Naga, his chest torn open, his heart beating in the open air.

"MURDER!" the crowd screamed.

"No!" Edmund gasped, "I... I didn't want to! It was magic! I wasn't in control!"  
"SILENCE!" the judge backhanded him, Edmund tasting blood as the crowd, his jury and executioner, laughed their joy, revelling in bloody justice.

"He murdered me!" a satyr screamed, "And my whole family! LOOK!"  
Edmund felt vomit surge up his throat as the woodlanders hefted a bloody bundle, a babe's limp head lolling out.

And in that second all the walls he had built, all the excuses and illusions he had made to stop himself from truly feeling the guilty of all he had wrought with his hands broke like a dam crumbling under the weight of a flood. Slick black oil seemed to fill him, guilt and hate and despair washing over him as Edmund clenched his eyes shut, shaking as his stomach rebelled.

"MURDERER! MURDERER!"

The words stabbed his ears over and over again.  
"Please!" Edmund begged, talking through numbed lips, "I... I'm not a monster... I didn't want to... I..."

"Not a monster?"

Edmund opened his eyes and Peter and Susan and Lucy stared at him. The High King was dressed as he had been on the chessboard in the snow, a silver collar around his neck, chains trailing behind him, blood dripping from his severed hands. Susan's head was reattached, stitched to her neck with thick threads of black. Lucy bled from a thousand wounds, one side of her face a raw mess of torn skin and quivering flesh.

"You betrayed us, "Peter spat, "Out of your own free will, you betrayed us!"  
"I paid for that!" Edmund screamed back desperately, "Aslan forgave me!"  
"That still doesn't change a thing!" Susan threw at him, "You're not a king Ed! You're a traitor!"  
"TRAITOR!" Lucy screamed turning to the ground as her fist hit the air, "TRAITOR!"  
The crowd echoed her cry, the purple-clothed judge smiling in satisfaction.

"You sold us to the White Witch!" Peter barked harshly.

"I was stupid!" Edmund screamed at him.

He tried to move forwards but the rope around his neck jerked him back. Guilt crushed him, Jadis's smiling face jeering inside his head as useless tears pricked his eyes.

This couldn't be happening... this couldn't be happening... this couldn't...

Susan slapped him and his eyes flew open, a cry of pain rising.

They stared at him, Peter, Susan and Lucy, their eyes full of hate and disgust. They had never said anything to him, no recriminations, no accusations, they had welcomed him back despite all he had done with open arms. But a part of him had always wondered what they really thought of him.

"You're disgusting," Susan sneered, "You sold out your whole family. And for what? Turkish Delights?"

"Traitor!" the crowd condemned, "TRAITOR!"  
"I'm sorry..." Edmund whispered, "I'm sorry..."

"Fool."  
He looked up and Lucy stared down at him, blue eyes glittering.

"You think you're worthy? You think you deserve to be king?"

"PLEASE! I CAN CHANGE!" Edmund begged frantically, "PLEASE! I WILL MAKE IT BETTER I WILL –"

"Redemption takes time," and Elias was there, his face grave, "But time you don't have."

"No... I just need more time... I need more..."

He couldn't die with so much blood on his hands. Couldn't die without fixing his wrongs, couldn't die with his name still so tarnished.

"PLEASE I JUST NEED MORE TIME! I NEED – "

Lucy held out her hand, thumb upraised.

"Shut up Edmund!" she hissed, "Please die with at least a little bit of dignity!"

The crowd was silent. Edmund stared at his sister, wanting to argue, wanting to protest, wanting to save his life. But not a word let his lips.

He hung his head.

Time? He need more time? There was never going to be enough time. He had killed innocent people, had slaughtered them. Nothing he could ever do would bring them back. Redemption was a folly, a madman's folly. Edmund laughed bitterly and madly.

"Any last words?" Susan spat.

Edmund said nothing, knowing nothing he could possibly do would ever fix him.

Lucy sneered and her thum came down. The crowd roared and floor beneath him gave way. The rope ripped into his throat and Edmund died with the cloying sweet taste of Turkish Delight on his tongue.

. . . . . . . .

Inara leaned out of the shadows.

"Truth or dare?"

"TRUTH! DARE! I DON'T KNOW. LET ME BE! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

. . . . . . . .

And he was suddenly back on the witness stand, the centre of all attention. Edmund buried his face in his hands, trying to hide from their gazes, trying to cover up all the wounds they had torn into him.

"Stop looking at me," he hissed, tears leaking out from his tightly clamped eyes, "Stop looking!"

"Now you see ladies and gentlemen. Don't you?" Aclepius asked his family as they all stared at him, disgust on their faces.

"Please..." Edmund begged.

"What is Edmund Pevensie?"

Peter spoke first, his blue eyes flashing.

"Evil."

Susan's face was like a death mask.

"Useless."

Lucy looked embarrassed, ashamed for having Edmund as a brother.

"Manipulative."

Helen was weeping, refusing to meet her son's eyes.

"Unwanted."

Daniel looked at him squarely, trying to crush him with the mere disappointment written all over his face.

"A mistake. The biggest I have ever made."

Edmund's sobs quietened, the king curled up in his chair, eyes staring blankly ahead.

"Now do you see Edmund?" Aclepius looked at him pitifully, "You are not the Just King legends would have us believe. You are not righteous, you are not strong. You are a weakling, manipulative and pure evil."

The Naga's eyes were burning with victory, the snake-man savouring his victory.

"The way you are now you're useless to everyone. But what you are... you're perfect."

Edmund sat broken in his chair, his face blank.

"Do you want the power of Abaddon? Do you want to stop denying what you are? Do you want to help your family and all the worlds?"

Aclepius stood right in front of the docket, peering at Edmund.

"Do you want to save the world? Do you want to try and save what is left of your soul?"

Edmund looked at him and even the Naga had to recoil from the dead nothingness that lurked inside the king's eyes.

"Edmund Pevensie?"

Aclepius tutted.

"Come on. We couldn't have broken you that – "

"Yes."

The answer was soft, almost impossible to hear. Aclepius started but swiftly recovered.

"Did I hear right? Did I – "

"Yes," fire flooded Edmund's eyes, the king squaring his shoulders.

His voice thundered through the courtroom, brooking no argument, no mockery.

"Damn you! The answer is YES!"

The black smog that was the judge suddenly leapt up high into the sky, twisting into one solid strand. Before Edmund could react the darkness lunged at him hitting him square in the face. He choked, writhing frantically as black smoke poured into his eyes and mouth. The sigils that Kylee, Belphegor, had carved into his chest burned his skin blistering and peeling.

Aclepius watched, smiling in pure satisfaction.

"The judge has decided."

Edmund fell from his chair, his head cracking against the banister as more and more darkness poured into him.

"Guilty as charged."

. . . . . . . .

Caspian stood in the full heat of the sun and yet the warmth did not touch him. He stared at Asmodeus, the demon staring back, waiting.

"And you know the funny thing? He made a similar bargain with Tash. Let that old bird play with you idiots just so Aslan could get what he wanted."

The demon sniggered and there was something wild and mad in his voice.

"I don't think Tash knows Aslan sold him out to us. Bad, bad kitty."

Caspian said nothing, still reeling from what he learnt.

"See what your righteous god has done? He's just as manipulative and tricky as well... a human."

Caspian licked his dry lips.

"The Great Darkness has generals?"

"Yes, I believe they are the Horsemen of legends. Four reincarnations of pure destruction. Gavin unearthed them in a dead world and he sent them loose... you'll be surprised how much damage four things can do," Asmodeus paused, "But then again you and your little group has also done a surprising amount of damage."

"Aslan captured them and locked them."

"With me and my brother's help. We bound ourselves to the cage. Moloch was not happy about that fact."

For a moment something like sorrow flashed across the demon's face. Caspian was unnerved, to see such human emotions on something so inhuman... it made his skin carwl.

"He was right," Asmodeus chewed off bitterly, "The Great Darkness struck. Dragged us from our home. Made us mortal."

"He set Paxton onto you," Caspian realised.

"Also afflicted up with the Sickness. Makes us mad. Makes us dumb stupid animals that lash out again and again until Paxton puts us down," Asmodeus gave Caspian sick twisted smile, "There were six of us. Now only Belphegor and I remain."

"But – Abaddon..."

"He's the oldest of all. He's been sleeping in his pit for centuries. He's the only one who has the power to destroy Paxton."

Caspian was starting to see the whole picture and he did not like what he was seeing. The lines between good and evil were blurring, everything becoming a murky grey. Demons were the hunted, Paxton, the warrior of heaven, was the enemy and he did not even know it. Was Asmodeus lying to him? Had his vision of Aslan's barging been nothing but a ruse?

"So if Paxton kills you and your brother..."

Aslan help him. He had to save the demons.

"The cage falls and the four Horsemen ride again."

. . . . . . . .

Edmund found himself lying on his back in the ruined streets of Gomorrah, the courtroom nothing but a memory, all that he experienced and endured nightmares that would haunt him forever.

Aclepius stood over him, studying him.

Edmund stared down at himself.

His arms, his chest was bare and blackness was tattooed starkly against his pale skin in a chaotic sprawl of sigils and runes. Edmund flexed his arms and the black ink seemed to flow with his movements, liquid darkness crawling beneath his skin.

They crept up his arms, across his shoulders and swept on his chest, following the bones of his ribs and twisting and circling his heart. It continued down, spreading onto his stomach and the angry raw wounds Belphegor had carved there, darkness mimicking angry red. There was not a creature in this world who could read what the words meant but there was something savage in their form, something terrible and angry.

"Abbadon?" Aclepius asked.

Edmund looked up and his eyes were twin pools of pure shadows.

A wind blew down the narrows streets of Gomorrah and with it came the ancient thing that had first ruined the city and haunted its ruins still. It was a spirit of lust, corruption and debauchery and it wound around Edmund like a loving cat, sensing like to like.

"No..." Edmund's voice came out in a burst of jarring whispers, harsh and guttural and Gormorrah seemed to reply, echoing the same thousand whispering voice, "Not Abaddon."

Aclepius frowned.

"Wha – "

And Edmund's eyes became blue.

"Impossible!" Aclepius choked, "How – "

Edmund rose smoothly from the ground, the mark of Abaddon, the sigils of the Beast of the Pit, moving, dancing across his skin.

"You think I don't know what I am?" Edmund spat.

Aclepius was backing away, a terrified look on his face.

"I know I'm a monster. I know what I've done."

He stalked Aclepius, whispers and shadows gathering around him.

"I know the mistakes I've made. The people I've hurt. I know better than anyone. I know despite what Aslan had said and done my sins are still on my hands."

He could feel Abbadon. Could see the vision of a dark pit wreathed in flames flashing before him. A tidal wave of roars, a crushing avalanche of rage and power slammed into him again and again, battering him as waves against a cliff. Abaddon wanted to be free, wanted to tear itself out of the pit and into his soul.

But Edmund denied it.

He stood tall against the barrage even as he drew the demon's strength in him, suffusing him with a power he could have only imagined of before. He could crush his enemies, could tear down mountains and worlds without hesitation. He was strong! But with it came a song of violence, a call to see blood spilt, to hurt but Edmund refused to listen, refused to succumb.

He was greater than Abaddon!

"I know what I fear."

Abaddon screamed in his head but Edmund ruthlessly shoved it away.

"I know what I am. I am Edmund Pevensie. I am a traitor. I am a weakling. I am a sinner."

His hand shot out and grabbed Aclepius by the neck, slamming him back into the wall. The Naga's eyes were impossibly wide as Edmund leaned in, his breath whispering against the snake-man's scaly skin.

"But that is not who I choose to be."

Abaddon's voice was fading, its presence disappearing like dust in the wind, nothing more than a faded ghost as it as strength flowed into Edmund.

"I choose to be King Edmund the Just. I choose to a champion of Aslan. I choose to fight for my redemption no matter how stupid or impossible that is."

Edmund was laughing, the first real laughter ever since he had awoken from Aita's enchantment.

"I choose to be ME!"

And he reached into himself, grabbing at Abaddon, at the demon of the deep. The thing inside him screamed, shrieking, Edmund's touch burning to the touch. Every single fibre of his existence fought back, rejecting the demon, forcing it out. Aclepius watched, eyes impossibly wide as the sigils moved, flowing down Edmund's arm and collecting in his palm.

Abaddon was screaming, raging in its pit, its rage shattering the hellish world all around it but Edmund stood tall, twisting its power, its strength to his will.

The runes coalesced, Edmund's hand turning completely black. And from the centre of his palm, something began to grow. First a tip, then rising like an iceberg from the sea it began to emerge.

"Impossible!" Aclepius breathed.

It was a jagged spike of utter darkness, not quite metal, not quite wood it was warm in Edmund's hand, pulsing with life. In it Edmund could feel rage and hate, power and fire. All that Abaddon was, it was here in this one weapon, this dagger of shadows.

Edmund plunged it deep into Aclepius's chest and the whole of Gomorrah seemed to scream, the ghosts in its shadows howling with unbridled agony. The light fled from the Naga's eyes and Edmund let his corpse fall. It hit the ground turning to salt and dust as Edmund straightened.

"Thank you," he told the city.

The Just King turned and walked away, the ghosts of Gomorrah chasing him, begging him to return but Edmund was deaf to their pleas.

. . . . . . . .

"Edmund!"  
Caspian ran down the hill, stopping as he caught his first proper glance at the king. His eyes widened seeing the dark spike Edmund held in his hands.

"What – "

Edmund smiled.

"Caspian meet Abaddon."

"Impossible!" Asmodeus roared, his eyes bulging from his head, "HOW?"

The Just King smirked.

"Abaddon is strong. I'm stronger," he said authoratively.

Asmodeus seethed, black flames leaping from his body as Edmund stared back fearlessly, knowing he had enough power to crush the demon.

"What now?" the Just King demanded, "What does Abaddon have to do with this? What are you demons doing here?"

"We need to protect them."

Edmund stared at Caspian.

"What? Caspian – what do you – "

Caspian's voice was grim.

"If we want to save the worlds we have to destroy Paxton Nixon."

. . . . . . . .

Author's notes: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. And finally we have development on the Just King! Woot! I hope you enjoyed my insight into what drives Edmund in this story and a bit of his back story. And as always please review!


	74. Myth and mythology

Sorry about the long delay but here it is – the latest chapter!

Disclaimer: What's mine is mine, what's not is not

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 74: Myth and mythology **

"Say it with me beloved townspeople!" the mayor of Pax Town was ruddy-faced as ever, as big and jolly as Father Christmas himself, "IN PAXTON WE TRUST!"

"IN PAXTON WE TRUST!" the jubilant crowd cheered back.

Barbeques sizzled and spat, burgers and hotdogs just waiting to be devoured as dads shooed their kids away. They ran off in giggling whooping groups, weaving between the picnic blankets and benches, ignoring their mum's cries for them to slow down.

Almost all of Pax Town had turned out for the grand celebration. The air was warm with just the right whisper of winds, the sun just the right shade of warmth and light – another perfect day right in the heartland of America. There were whispers of fireworks later and even wilder, more hopeful rumours of Chelsea or even the great man himself making an appearance. But nobody minded the crazy stories, today was about celebrating, celebrating the fall of Beelzebub, celebrating another glorious victory for Great Paxton the warrior of heaven, celebrating the work they had done to raise money to donate his cause.

The demons still walked the earth but the crowd knew, they just knew the monster's days were numbered.

"It has been exactly two years ago that we made the unanimous decision to change our fair town's name to Pax Town!" the mayor continued, his voice somewhat electronic thanks to the old microphone he talked in, "We may be the sixty-sixth place to change our names to honour Paxton but I can assure you we are the most dedicated!"

Another round of cheers and raising of cans and glasses. The local school marching band struck up, trumpets blaring as the mayor laughed, holding his hands up for silence.

Kids threw themselves into the town's river, splashing each other without a care in the world as they left the grown-ups to their boring talks. It was a day off school! The stupid grown-ups should be playing not listening to speeches!

"On this momentous day we should – "

One of the boys, smaller but braver than the rest, ventured away from the mess of children playing along the banks, drawn by something that had caught his attention. He stumbled around the bend in the river and as though a curtain had fallen all around him, the noise from the gathered townspeople, the laughter of his friends were suddenly cut off.

"Hello."

He wasn't afraid. He was too young and naïve to be.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"What does it look like?"

The man sat on a stool on the banks, a long reed fishing pole in his hands, watching as his line jerked and bobbed in the current.

"You look funny," the boy laughed.

The man was dressed like no one he had ever seen before. He was robed in fleece and velvet, all in royal blues, the hem and the collar edged with black-specked white fur. A sword was thrust through his belt, sticking out at an awkward angle from his bent waist, his legs thrust out, feet idly playing in the shallows.

But it was the thing on the man's wispy hair that drew the boy's eyes. A circlet of gold, set with sapphires and blue peridots, anointed the man's head. The boy was fascinated. He had seen such things in picture books and movies (no, he didn't like those stupid yucky prince and princess movies no matter what his mommy said….)

"Is that a crown?"

The king ignored him, grimacing as his whole body jerked.

"Argh," he hissed out his pain, his fishing rod trembling in his hands, "After all these years…"

The boy cried out as blood stained the man's leg. It was wound in his thigh, a terrible gaping thing that oozed red and pus, the skin around all bruised and angry.

The king looked at the boy and before the child's terrified eyes, the man's face seemed to wither, the skin shrinking and shrivelling like wet leather left in the sun.

"I'm…"

The boy screamed as the king opened his mouth and teeth began to fall out in black rotting lumps. But still the royal held onto his fishing rod, still blood and infection bled from the wound in his thigh.

"… so sorry."

It struck Pax Town in a wave, the Fisher King at the epicentre. Screams rang out from the crowds as they were touched.

Corruption. Rot. Decay. It came with the winds, silent and deadly. In its wake grass withered into grey hay, trees shrivelling into bare-branched skeletons. The clear river water turned murky, the current dying as the fish struggled to breathe in suddenly stagnant pools, turning belly up by the dozens. Even the fresh white-washed houses of Pax Town were not spared, the wood warping and rotting, the paint flecking off like flakes of snow as glass crumbled, steel and metal rusting to nothing.

"HELP!" the major staggered back from the microphone, clutching at his throat.

His eyes bulged, cataracts spreading across the lens as he struggled to breathe. He fell to his knees, choking as his hands began to wither, the joints stiffening.

"Nooo…"

He fell and his people fell with him, their hair turning grey, their eyes becoming dull, their clothes melting to rags.

In a few seconds a century had passed in the small place of Pax Town. The Fisher King sat on his stool and did the only thing he could – fishing and weeping as the countryside all around him fell into ruin.

"I'm sorry," the king said once more as he stared at the little body that floated in the water before him.

**. . . . . .**

They went off all around her in brilliant burning bursts again and again, coming closer, threatening to spill over the barricades and devour her whole. They chanted her name, mindless and crazed, fighting, needing to be first.

"Ms. Tang! Ms. Tang!"

Ms. Tang surveyed the crowd. The cameras went off again, the photographers snapping shot after shot, capturing every square inch of the woman.

"Thank you ladies and gentlemen of the press for coming today," her voice was measured, unwavering, "I understand that you have a few questions for Paxton but unfortunately the warrior of heaven is busy today. I will be speaking in his place."

"Ms. Tang! Ms. Tang!"

She jabbed indiscriminately at the maddened frenzy, as imperious as any queen.

"First question?" Ms. Tang asked, arching a perfectly shaped brows.

"Would you like to comment on the explosion that happened in the Docklands three nights ago?" a primly dressed reporter asked, words spilling rapidly out of her mouth without pause for breath, "There are also reports of strange beasts being sighted in the area. And would you also like to tell us about why that area is now condoned off from the public?"

The question was spat at her with the force and intensity of a round of bullets but Ms. Tang stood unfazed, not a flicker of emotion on her perfectly made-up face.

"There was a skirmish between Paxton and an army of the demon's forces. We won but unfortunately with causalities. The area is currently off-limits as we continue hunting through the wreckage for survivors."

Her voice was warm, friendly even but through it all ran a thread of finality, brooking no question, no challenge to her authority.

"Next," Ms. Tang pointed again.

"There are reports that Chelsea has been gravely injured – "

"Such reports have been blown out of proportion," Tang said smoothly, "She suffered minor injuries in the fight I mentioned before – "

"But she has not been seen for days. And there were multiple social events she was meant to be attending!" the report argued.

A single glance and the man was quelled, his mouth suddenly bone dry. Ms. Tang smiled but her eyes were as cold as obsidian.

"She has avoided the public arena because of fears that not all the beasts were destroyed. She does not wish to place innocent people in danger," the words came out smooth and silky, every word measured, every pitch and enunciation meticulously designed.

"How do you respond to the rumours that Paxton's long lost daughter has returned?"

"Fiction," Ms. Tang looked at the man who had spoken as if he was a prattling child, "Pure speculation and nothing more."

"But the photos..."

"Our technicians have examined them and have deemed them to be fakes," Tang had an answer to every question, a response to every query, her control impossible to crack, "Next?"

"Why has Ezekiel been seen in New Zealand?"

"Paxton has sent him there on important business."

More and more questions came Tang answering each other, deflecting, insinuating, playing with words and the crowds like a true virtuoso. The crowd bleated, wanting more and more and Tang fed it to them, her real answers, her real message hidden beneath half-truths and twisted reality. They would go out and write their stories, would go out and smile for the cameras and the only thing they would say, they would print was what Ms. Tang wanted them to.

Ms. Tang's smile widened as she plucked the strings and the world danced to her tune.

**. . . . . .**

Elias looked down at the chart, his face drawn into a tight dark scowl.

"No change?"

The doctor shook his head sadly.

"We can't work out why. Physically he's fine but for some reason... he just won't wake up."

Elias closed his eyes with a sigh.

"Thank you doctor."

The man gave him a small sad smile and left leaving Elias to look at the bed before him, his face troubled.

Peter lay still and pale in his bed, the soft rise and fall of his chest the only sign of life. Elias cursed the demons beneath his breath, wondering for the thousandth time what they had done to the High King. It pained him but here was something Elias could not do, something his mind could not overcome. Placing the chart down, the scientist turned.

The sight hit him like a blow, still as painful as it was three days ago. Two long rows of beds ran down either side of the infirmary, each one holding the many injured guards and technicians from the Ophanim complex. Elias knew that far below, down in the bowels of palace dozens of bodies were laid out in a makeshift morgue as the long painful task of contacting family members dragged on.

Elias squared his shoulders.

They were at war. With the demons, with the Great Darkness and they had struck a terrible first blow but Elias was determined that would be their only victory. This was a world of technology, not as advanced as his own but it would suffice.

Elias marched down the aisle between the beds.

No more lamenting, no more sorrow. Elias had work to do – he had new weapons to forge.

**. . . . . .**

Zaru dreamed in flashes and bursts of sound.

"Who are they?"

"Is that a leopard?"

"Where did they come from?"

"We found them on the roadside. They were injured so we brought them here."

He could see faces, fleshy blobs all melting together, voices reaching his ears all twisted and distorted.

"The mayor should be told – "

" – blood pressure dropping!"

"GET THE CRASH CART! GET THE – "

"CLEAR!"

Jason's body jerked as men and women worked frantically all around him. Zaru cried out, thrashing in his sleep and the image faded, voices talking once more.

"We should inform the Palace of the Rising Sun. This could be demon related! I mean look at that thing – it's all black and red… it has to be evil!"

"If we helped destroy the demons – "

"Pax Town would be famous!"

"Paxton has to know!"

"Paxton –"

Zaru roared, springing forwards, ears pinned back as his eyes bulged from his head.

"DON'T!" he snarled, "DON'T TELL PAX – "

The leopard stopped and found himself yelling at a wall.

"What the – "

He spun around and found the door to the room was hanging from its hinges, the bolts rusted straight through. Zaru froze, waiting for yells, for a stampede of footsteps but nothing came.

"Hello?" he called out cautiously, "Susan? Jason?"

He sniffed the air and instantly froze.

Death.

The air was thick with it.

Slowly, warily Zaru padded out of the room and everywhere looked there were bodies.

"What in the name of…"

Whatever it was, it had been sudden, struck them without warning. Zaru could tell from the debris that littered the ground – shattered glass, dried stains – these people didn't even have time to cry out. They had fallen where they had stood, limbs akimbo, their eyes wide and staring. It was as though something had sucked the very life out of them, every corpse a dried husk of wizened skin and greyed hair, every bone aged to the brink of collapse.

The whole place reeked of death. And not just because of the bodies all around them. No, this was more than that. Rot, corruption it hung thick in the air, choking the life out of the bar. It was the must of the entombed, the flower and death smell of a cemetery, the stench of flesh left in the sun as ravens and maggots feasted.

Zaru gagged, his eyes roving the terrible tableau and seeing a red cross emblazoned across one wall he realised he was in a hospital.

"SUSAN! JASON!" he roared, "ANSWER ME! SUSAN! JASON!"

Zaru ran, searching desperately.

"SUSAN! JASON! SUSAN! SU – "

He sensed it rushing up behind him and he dove to the side, that suddenly feeling of malice, of darkness and death, missing him by inches.

"What the hell?"

A man smiled back at him. His tall lean form was bent awkwardly over a tiny table at the far wall, the top festooned with empty bottles and burnt out cigar stubs, a lit one jammed between two rows of even white teeth. A top hat covered his head, his eyes lost behind two circles of glass as dark as his skin.

Zaru watched as long elegant fingers pulled the cigar from his mouth. He lifted his glass and swallowing the contents in one gulp, his cigar back in place even before the glass hit the table.

"Now you are a funny thing."

Zaru was struggling to breathe. All that wrongness, all that death permeating through the air, it was all coming from him, from this man in a silk black suit.

"WHO ARE YOU!" Zaru roared.

"I am Baron Samedi," the man said simply.

"What are you?" Zaru hissed.

The stranger ignored him, talking right over his words.

"Belphegor came to me. Told me about the danger I was in. Now why would you be hunting me?" the Baron clucked his tongue, speaking around the cigar in his mouth, "Normally I would ignore such things as trite rumours. But I've heard about you and your merry little band. You little mortals are indeed god-slayers."

Zaru blinked, trying to make sense of his words. Baron Samedi continued to drink from a glass that seemed perpetually full of booze, the dark man seemingly without a care in the world.

"We're not after you!" the leopard spat finally, hackles rising.

"Don't lie to me," Samedi said lightly, "I don't appreciate it."

The air seemed to thicken around Zaru, pushing the leopard down and back. He growled, swiping at something he could not see as Samedi chuckled, deeply amused.

"But she gave me an ally to stop you all," Baron Samedi's eyes glittered behind his glasses, "You think you have the power to stop a god of death and a man of high magic?"

"Magic?" Zaru spat, "Who the hell – "

The air beside Samedi shimmered and a very familiar form emerged, a wild man of brambles and hate-filled eyes.

"Merlin…"

The great magician smiled at the leopard, at the creature that had helped defeat him and Zaru was frozen by the power, by the anticipation of death in the ancient man's face.

"He has brought back the instrument of your doom!" Merlin roared and the whole hospital shook with his voice.

Zaru was backing away, trembling, hackles raised. He watched, paralysed as Samedi's face shifted. Skin and flesh melted away revealing bare white bone. The breath caught in her throat, her heart battering wildly against her ribs as Baron Samedi leered at her, a demon with a skeleton face.

"TO ME!" Merlin roared, eyes crazed, "GATHER ONCE MORE…"

Zaru heard the thunder of horse hoofs, heard voices raised in blood thirsty warcries.

"THE KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE!"

And the walls fell, men in heavy steel armour pouring into the corridor, swords raised. They cheered and yelled the same name again and again.

"ARTHUR! ARTHUR! ARTHUR!"

"STRIKE DOWN OUR ENEMIES!" Merlin urged them, "STRIKE THEM DOWN AND ARTHUR WILL RISE!"

Baron Samedi laughed, safe behind the wall of men and metal as Zaru stared at his enemies, eyes wide. The knights all turned on him as one, moving like a well-oiled machine as they moved into a battle formation, a wall of shields and bristling swords facing the lone leopard.

"Oh sugar!"

He turned tail and ran as the Knights of the Round Table gave chase, Merlin spreading out his arms as tendrils of green growth unfurled from his fingertips, leaping to the walls and spreading out, a veritable forest of leaves and vines sprouting from the great warlock of Camelot.

**. . . . . .**

"How is she?"

"Recovering," the nurse's wry look was answer enough, "Do you want to see her?"

Inara hesitated.

"I..." she sighed, squaring her shoulders, "Might as well. There's nothing else to do."

Except hunt down the demons and cut off their heads, she added silently. But despite all the resources available to Paxton, despite Tang's network of eyes and ears all over the world, not a soul knew where the demons were. Worse still Queenie and the others were still missing. Inara suppressed a chill.

What if they were dead? What if the demons had snatched at the first opportunity for revenge and...

Inara gritted her teeth.

She would know if they were dead. She didn't know how and why but she just knew. They had gone through too much, faced the fire too many times not to be bound together. If they were dead, if they were truly gone... it would've felt like her heart had been ripped out of chest.

They were alive. They were somewhere in this world fighting and Inara had to hold onto that and fight just as hard.

The demons thought they were playthings? Paxton thought they were tools of heaven?

Inara's eyes flashed silver.

They would soon learn the bitter truth.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Her legs had carried her into the room unbidden and now Inara found herself staring straight into her sister's furious face.

"Making sure you're alive," Inara spat, "But I can leave and let you go back to dying if that's what you want?"

A strange look crossed Chelsea's face.

"Why do you care?" she demanded suspiciously.

Inara opened her mouth, retort ready to fly but she stopped.

Why did she care?

She remembered all too well in that moment Eustace had stabbed Chelsea. Her first instinct, her first overwhelming thought was to get to her sister, to protect her, to shield from her harm. She had grabbed her, supported her.

Why?  
Inara thought she would have loved to see her sister in pain, payback for all the things she had done. But at the first sigh of danger, she had thrown herself straight into its path.

"I don't," she stumbled over the words.

"You must be loving this," Chelsea sneered.

"Chelsea if I wanted to see you in pain I would've stabbed you myself," Inara pointed out, "And I wouldn't have been polite enough to miss your vital organs. I would've aimed straight for your liver."

"So why didn't you?"

Inara blinked, there was something in her sister's voice she couldn't quite place, something that unnerved her.

"Stabbed you in the liver?" she asked confused.

"Yes."

Chelsea studied her sister, all her usual pettiness and anger nowhere to be seen. Stripped of such emotions her face seemed younger, more innocent.

"I mean I do deserve it."

Inara gaped at her sister.

"Contrary to popular belief and a lot of newspaper columns I'm not stupid," Chelsea had a small smile on her face, a look that made her almost human.

Inara was too busy trying to pick her jaw up off the ground.

"Who are you and what have you done with my sister?" she demanded, "You better not be some shape-shifting demon because I really do not want spend my morning stabbing things."

Chelsea was studying her, her face unreadable.

"Did you know what it was like before you were born?" she asked suddenly.

Inara blinked.

"What?"

"Did you know what it was like?" Chelsea demanded, her face steely.

Inara was reeling, trying to understand her train of thoughts. This was something she had never seen before – Chelsea not sneering, not trying to prove her superiority but actually talking to her, acting like... like a human.

Inara was confused as hell but curiosity got the better of her.

"Hmm..." the half-Naga pretended to think, "Well according to rumour everything was sunshine and puppies until I came along."  
"It wasn't."

Inara stared at her.

"What?"

"It wasn't," Chelsea looked up, her eyes dark, "Before you were daddy's number one punching bag guess who stood in your place?"  
Inara's eyes widened as Chelsea laughed bitterly.

"Yep. Daddy's Little Princess," she looked away, shame and pain written all over her face.  
"But... but..." Inara opened and closed her mouth, "How?"

She remembered Chelsea's jeers, her tales about the good old days before she came along and ruined _everything_. Chelsea was daddy's little girl! The princess! The protected one. This was a lie. It had be a lie! It couldn't be...

She looked into Chelsea's face and with a sick sinking feeling realised her sister was telling the truth. There was no mistaking the haunted knowing look in her eyes, the hollowness. Paxton might be the warrior of heaven now but he had been the devil himself once. She out of anyone knew just how twisted he had been. His laugh, she could see hear it in her head, the memory could still catapult her to the darkest of nights, to the moments when victory meant not crying straight away. He hated it when she cried without a fight, hurting her again and again just to teach her to endure that little more.

"Daddy also had a thing for watching other people hurt. He used to beat me, taunt me but unlike you I never fought back. I just let it happen," Chelsea swallowed thickly, "I tried to be a good girl. The perfect daughter... sugar and spice and all that trash but I never could please. He kept beating me, kept hurting me..."  
Chelsea's dark eyes connected with Inara and the half-Naga was frozen in place, paralysed by her sister's words and pain.

"Then you came along and daddy had a new plaything... and I was completely ignored. It was like I didn't exist..."

They were both crying, tears spilling down their faces. Wounds, old, terrible never-healed wounds were being torn open, ripping apart, still as fresh and painful as the days they were made.  
"Why then?" Inara asked, begging, "Why did you..."  
"Betray you so many times?" Chelsea laughed softly, bitterly, "Because I found out what daddy wanted. He didn't want a perfect daughter. He wanted a strong daughter. And you were it, he hurt you and hurt you and you fought back, you never gave into him. You never broke before him and begged for your life like I did. And he loved you for it."

Inara felt sick to her stomach. She wanted to punch her sister, wanted to wrap her hands around her throat and stop her talking, stop her lying. This couldn't be true. This couldn't be –  
"He hurt me!" Inara hurled at her, furious, "How can you say that? How could he love me?"

"In his own twisted way, he loved you. He loved you more than me," Chelsea looked at her bleakly, "So I tried to compete with you. I became the daughter he wanted me to be. Vicious, manipulative, willing to do anything to be the top. He loved it when I would turn on you, loved it when I made you suffer."

Chelsea let out a long breath.

"I was a monster. I knew that but... he loved me. For the first time he loved me," Chelsea looked at her squarely, unflinchingly, "After all those years of hurting me, all those years of ignoring my existence, he began to smile at her, tell me he was proud. He acknowledged me. And I lapped it up. Like a pathetic little dog I lapped it all up."

"When I got rid of him... why did you still hate me?" Inara demanded.

She remembered those days, victory and sorrow mingled, proud that she had finally beaten her father, cut to the bone because her family had hated her. If Chelsea was right why hadn't they said anything? Why hadn't they rejoiced? Why hadn't they loved her?

"Because I was scared," Chelsea said quietly, ashamed, "Because I knew he would come back. And when he did... I didn't know what else to do but to follow his lead, be the person he wanted me to be."

Inara screamed, kicking the bed, pain shooting up her leg and she didn't give a damn.  
"You knew what you did was wrong!" Inara hurled at her, tears spilling down her face, "You _knew_. You knew what you were doing. You think this little sob story excuses everything? You _tortured _me. How can you justify that? How can you –"

"I can't," Chelsea shrugged helplessly, "And I'm sorry..."

"Why are you telling me this?" Inara demanded, furiously, "Why now?"

Chelsea was silent, refusing to meet her eyes. Inara was trembling, fists clenched, ready to scream, ready to grab her sister and choke the answers from her.

"I almost died," Chelsea said finally, "I almost died that night. And I realised I was going to die as that pathetic little girl doing anything for daddy's love. I don't want that... I don't want to..."

Her eyes flicked up.

"Inara... I don't hate you. I'm jealous. I'm jealous that daddy loves you more. I'm jealous that mum chose you. I'm jealous of your friends and your life..." Chelsea's voice died into a whisper, "I don't want to be jealous anymore... I want to be just me. And I don't even know what that is."

She looked, the tears gone, the anger gone. She was burnt out, exhausted and terrified.

"What do want from me?" Inara's voice was just as broken as her sisters.

"Help me kill the demons. Help me save the world and then help me get away from daddy."

Inara stared at her sister, Chelsea stared back. For the first time in their lives they saw each other for what they really were. Chelsea was not a monster, no more than what Paxton had made her.

"Why do you stay with him? If you're that scared of him... why?" Inara wanted to know.

"I've spent my whole life worshipping the man. It's a little hard to stop."

Inara understood. It was seem messed up reason why she had tried to protect Chelsea, the same twisted logic that had made her want to fight for Paxton. They were family and blood... blood meant something. But it didn't have to.

Paxton and Dorothy, they had both tried to get her to see their side, to trust in them. Both them had preached about family, about love but if Chelsea herself could see that that was twisted and wrong and laughable...

Inara suddenly laughed.

She would help destroy the demons, she would work with Dorothy and Paxton but not as a daughter, not out of love or a sense of duty but as one soldier helping out another. They were not a family, they had lost that right a long time ago. They wanted her to fight for them? They should be fighting for her!

Inara felt lighter, buoyed, her decision made.

"I'll help you but afterwards... stay the hell away from me."

Chelsea laughed, human for the first time in her life.

"Deal."

**. . . . . .**

Through the town of death she walked but she knew no fear because she was the most powerful being in all the land.

"Mother!"

"Mother!"

They hovered in balls of light, a vast swarm of firefly colours that dance and cavorted all around her. But such prettiness only hid the tiny wicked things that lived within. They flew on gossamer wings, their bodies dark and thin, every single faerie and sprite armed with bows and arrows and the trickster magic that was the speciality of their kind. They chattered amongst themselves, eager for battle, eager for blood, eager to please the mother of their king Oberon.

"Patience," Morgana said with an indulgent smile.

She gestured and a funnel of wind exploded from her fingertips, sweeping the dead aside, clearing a path for her through the main street of Pax Town.

Did Merlin honestly think she would not notice this? A whole town does not suddenly die without people of power noticing especially not when the very air itself hummed with the darkest of magicks. But what had always been Merlin's hamartia, his hubris – the belief that he alone wielded all the secrets of the earth.

Morgana's eyes flashed red.

That was why he would never see why she had done things she had done. Did the old fool really think she enjoyed tearing King Arthur down? That she had done it all for her own vindictive pleasure? It had been she and only she that had seen in her dreams where the Great King Arthur would lead them all, had seen the ruination and damnation he would visit on Camelot, on Avalon and all the lands he ruled. And though Merlin would like to think that Morgana was the root of all evils, she had done none of it. It had all been Arthur's beloved wife and his most trusted friend. Lancelot and Guinevere had broken Arthur, had poisoned him, and if she hadn't put him down like a dog, King Arthur would have turned rabid.

Morgana was pulled for her thoughts as her scouts up ahead suddenly shouted out a warning. But the enchantress already knew what they had found.

"Nimue."

Merlin was in this dead place's house of healing, an irony if there ever was one. The enchantress could feel his magic emanating from that place, could feel something else with him, something dark and terrible, something that was infecting the world around it like a disease. But around that place, cutting it off completely, was a something else altogether. Physically it was a lake that had sprung from nowhere, a misty watery expanse that drowned the streets and houses that stood around the healing house, currents and eddies swirling the water and the reeds. But to those who could feel such things, the water held a power that took even Morgana's breath away.

"Viviane. Ninianne."

She went by many names. But one moniker was always the same.

She emerged from the waters, a ghostly spectre as terrible as she was beautiful, as much flesh as she was silt and water.

The Lady of the Lake stared at her with eyes that seemed to drag Morgana in, pull her into the dark and drown her and the enchantress had to fight to stay still. The faeries all around were silent, terrified of this thing that was suddenly in their midst.

"Excalibur is mine," the Lady said simply as Morgana bristled.

She drew herself to her full height, her magic flaring around her in a brilliant corona.

"You wish to hold it for his coming. I wish to stop it," the enchantress bit off, "There will be no bargaining between us!"

Rage flashed across the Lady of the Lake and the waters all around her boiled, sinister shadows flittering through its depths. Behind her green growth began to grow all over the walls of the white-washed healing house, strangler vines capturing the thing in its clutches –Merlin's work.

Morgana sighed, suddenly feeling the weight of the ages upon her shoulders.

"We are now at war," she said softly, looking at Nimue, "You and me and Merlin. Whoever claims Excalibur first…"

Nimue struck, a great column of water exploding out of the lake and smashing into the shore with the force of a thousand hammer blows. But Morgana was already gone, her faerie with her. The Lady whirled, eyes glittering as she took in the lone building that stood in the centre of the lake, protected by dense magic, almost impenetrable.

With a cry Nimue, the Lady of the Lake, surged forwards, dissolving into mist and shooting through the jungle of green that held the healing house, bleeding through the thousands of tiny cracks and spaces between the stones.

Morgana had been right.

It was war.

Merlin against Morgana against Nimue, ancient power against ancient power.

In that moment the Lady made a vow to herself.

Whoever held Excalibur, whoever dared to stand between it and herself, she would crush them without thought, would drag them down and drown them and laugh as they begged for their lives.

She could already feel the sword inside the house, calling to her, begging to be taken. Following that sense the Lady of the Lake flowed as water inside the pipes of this strange place, filled to the brim with murderous intent.

**. . . . . .**

They stood facing each other, two kings of Narnia and two kings of hell. Behind them sprawled the palatial home of Paxton Nixon, warrior of heaven, saviour of the world. It rested on a vast grassy plateau that commanded the city below, an unmissable beacon. The message was clear from the white marble that made up in its walls, to its very design. The main hub worked into the form of a semi-circle, the wings of the palace radiating out – the Palace of the Rising Sun, the glorious harbinger of the age to come, the light that would pierce the darkness and draw people into a golden reign.

Such beauty, such arrogance and these four kings were here to burn it down to the ground.

"You finally came," Asmodeus said through gritted teeth.

Kylee smiled and although it was a girl's smile, blue eyes dancing, skin luminous in the sun, danger screamed in Caspian's mind. Here was an affront, a male demon masquerading as a girl, sweet innocence and endless malice all twisted together in the one being.

"I had my own things to see to," Belphegor chirped.

"Where is Susan?" Caspian spat, "Where are Jason and Zaru?"

Kylee's eyes flicked to him, completely unimpressed.

"Still alive."

Caspian's anger spiked, the king starting forward.

"Bring them back!" his voice lashed out like a whip, demanding obedience.

"I could do that but unfortunately that'll mean Susan will have to abandon Artemis's bow and she's having so much fun in American right now," Kylee giggled, "Plus it'll mean a very powerful enemy will still be running around wreaking havoc."

Caspian fought down the urge to strangle her knowing the demon would rent him limb to limb before she even struggled for breath. Kylee's eyes lit up, the demon knowing his helplessness and delighting in it.

"Enough!" Asmodeus snapped, "You were meant to be here two days ago. We do not have time for this."

Kylee pouted and turned to Edmund.

"Abaddon?" she asked idly.

Edmund raised the dark dagger he had conjured in Gomorrah, all that Abaddon was forged into one weapon. Heat rose from Asmodeus, the demon visibly trying to control his rage and fear as he always did at the sight of the weapon but Kylee merely smiled.

"Ahh... impressive grasshopper," the blonde demon laughed, "I didn't think you had it in you."

"WHAT?"

Fire surged flying straight for the demon as Caspian and Edmund leapt back. Kylee held up her hands and the flames slammed against an unseen shield, boiling away to nothing.

"You planned this?" Asmodeus spat, "You gave him the sign of Abaddon because of this?"

"Really brother stop having an aneurysm," Kylee tutted, "I suspected it but nothing more."

"WHY!" Asmodeus roared, "WHY WOULD YOU –"

"We don't have time for this," Edmund cut in.

Asmodeus glared at him, murder in his eyes but one look at Abaddon's knife and the demon was quelled.

"So that's the only thing in this world that can kill Paxton?" Kylee asked.

"We're not going to kill him," Edmund growled, "We're going to talk to him."

"His own wife tried what makes you think you'll succeed?"

Edmund merely smiled at her. Kylee frowned, uncertainty flickering in her eyes.

"What – "

She screamed as Edmund lunged stabbing her straight in the gut with his dark knife. She writhed, darkness spilling from the wound as Asmodeus howled, hand outstretched. In one swift move Edmund tore the knife free and hurled it straight across the knoll. It struck Asmodeus in the shoulder, spinning the demon to the ground.

"GARGH!"

Asmodeus was screaming in pure agony, his body going into wild uncontrolled spasms. Black flames flared frantically, the demon trying to burn Edmund out of existence but there was nothing but embers and even those died, ash spiralling to the ground.

"Abaddon is the most powerful out of all of you," Edmund strode towards the fallen demon, his enemy choking on his cries.

Caspian was kneeling beside Kylee but the blonde girl was already out cold, her face ashen.

"Make sense his knife would work on you as well."

Edmund towered over Asmodeus. The hellfire demon looked up at him, hate in his eyes.

"You betrayed me?" there was a note of incredulous outrage in his voice.

"Belphegor asked me how I was going to convince Paxton," Edmund smiled and a chill ran down Asmodeus's, for here was a foe who did not fear death, who was as cunning as he was strong, "I'm not going to."

He punched Asmodeus in the face, knocking the weakened demon into unconsciousness. He reached and with a wrench pulled the dark blade free, the thing almost burning hot in his hands.

"I'm going to bargain with him," Edmund continued and his voice was as hard and cold as steel.

He turned and Caspian was looking at him, one brow quirked.

"What?" Edmund asked self-consciously.

"Nothing," the Telmarine king laughed, "Just suddenly realised why Peter and Susan always said you were the most formidable out of all of them."

Edmund blinked.

"They said that?"

Caspian frowned at the disbelief in his voice but nodded. A warm glow suffused Edmund and he fought to keep a crazed smile from his face.

"Let's get these two secured," Edmund squared his shoulders, "We have deals to make."

**. . . . . .**

They could feel the sword, could feel it calling to them. They laughed amongst themselves, chattering wildly as they flew through the air. They were so close now! They all knew the Mother Queen wanted the sword and if they gave it to her they would be rewarded!

"Get it! Get it!" they urged each other, "Hurry! Hurry!'

Safe inside their balls of light and magic, the faerie drew back their bowstrings, their arrows tipped with poison and magic. The sword was on the other side of the wall, they could also sense somebody standing right next to it. Too bad. The Mother Queen's ordered had been clear – get the sword, kill anyone who stood in their way.

"NOW!" one of them shrieked.

Their arrows flew, tiny darts that struck the wall and shredded the plaster and wood as thought it was paper.

"TWHIP! THWIP! TWHIP!"

The curtain beyond was torn to rags, the bed peppered with their bolts.  
"GO! GO! GO!" they shrieked in their high little voices, flying through the ruins of the wall.

They hovered above the ruined bed, expecting to see blood, to see Excalibur right there for the taking but all they saw was a pillow and mattress bristling with shafts.

They stopped, floating in orbs of light, their wings beating frantically like a hummingbird's. They looked at each other, their black eyes wide in their pinched faces.

"What – "

"You know… I thought fairies were supposed to be beautiful."

They turned and shrieked as a burst of red light tore straight through them, scattering their magic and hurling them through the air.

Susan lowered her sceptre, her eyes cold as limp little bodies fell to the ground.

"Morgana," she hissed.

The enchantress was after the sceptre again. Susan tightened her grip on her hard won prize, trying to work out where the hell she was. It was only pure luck that she awoken before the faeries had tried to ambush her.

"Susan…"

She turned and Caspian was there, smiling at him, his dark eyes warm, drinking her in as always. She stared, her arms lowering as the king took a step towards her.

"Come," he said in his well-loved voice, one hand reaching out for her, "Come here."  
"Caspian?" she asked, a smile curling her lips, "What are you – "

"Hurry," Caspian urged, "We need to hurry."

He took another step closer and Susan was drawn to him, the queen laughing as she ran to him.

"Caspian – "

Her left eye flashed purple, the blue turning into the most royal of amethysts.  
"How stupid do you think I am?" Susan snarled.

Caspian vanished, screaming as his whole form dissolved into mist. Pinpoints of light exploded from his evaporating form, the faeries crying out in alarm and astonishment.

"I hold the Sight," Susan snarled furiously, "Illusions have no power over me!"

She lashed out, falling Morgana's sprites in a single blow, their crippled twisted bodies raining to the ground, twitching like fallen insects.

Susan waited with gritted teeth, ready for the next attack, the next ambush but none came. Slowly the tension left her body, her heart slowing as she looked around.

She was in a hospital, that much was clear, where else would there be so many white-starched beds and flimsy curtain walls? But where was Zaru? Where was Jason? The last thing she had remembered was being in the Stonehenge, claiming her sceptre once more and then… nothing.

"Zaru?" she called out, "Jason?"

A thunderous crash rocked the floor and Susan was off, crying out as broken glass slashed at her bare soles. She stumbled, falling forwards and that accident saved her life.

"BAM!"

She cried out as a halberd slammed into the wall where her head had been, the queen scrambling forwards, blood flowing from the cuts on her foot. She twisted, her sceptre slashing out but her attacker easily dodged the clumsy blow. Susan recovered her balance, backing away hurriedly as she stared at her attacker. The thing's head scraped the ceiling, its shoulders blocking the whole corridor.

"Give me the sword!" the giant growled.

Moss hung from its body like fur, green and matted, its eyes barely visible amongst the wild tangle. It wore armour, rusting, algae-coated plates of steel that must have weighed like stone yet the wild man bore as easily as cloth. Susan stumbled to her feet, sceptre pointed forwards as the giant pulled its axe free from the wall with a single pull, the heavy polearm held easily in his spade-like hands.

"Excalibur!" the thing roared, "GIVE IT TO ME!"

Its name came to her in a rush, Susan finally recognising who was standing before her. The judge and tester of the Knights of the Round Table, adversary and ally, the rival of Sir Gawain – the Green Knight.

"No," Susan grounded out, "This is not Excali – "

The knight slashed at her and Susan was forced to throw herself back. The giant warrior moved with impossible speed, slamming a fist into her chest and sending her flying before she could even react.

"OOF!"

Susan slammed into the wall, the air driven from her lungs as the Green Knight barrelled down the hallway halberd held high, ready to cleave her in two. She cried out, her sceptre raised but already knowing it was too little, too late.

White light flared and the Green Knight was hurled away, smashing through a wall. Susan flinched, looking away from the brilliant light as footsteps approached her. Scrambling up she lashed out blindly, gasping as a strong hand grabbed her wrist, forcing her sceptre away. She looked up, ready to scream, to spit and to bite, anything to stop her attacker but a pair of familiar blue eyes glared at her.

"Jason!"

The Seeker let her go, his face red and furious. Susan winced, knowing the explosion that was about to come. He did not disappoint.

"You left yourself wide open!" the man snarled at her, "What have I always taught you? Never let your guard down!"

Susan had to smile wryly at that even as she scuffed her toe, knowing the man was right.

"Thank you," she said instead as Jason continued to glare at her, "And sorry. You're right."

She touched his arm gently, fondness rushing through her as the Seeker stiffened under her hand.

"Where are we?" he said shortly, uncomfortable as always with open affection.

"A hospital," Susan reported, "The faeries are here. So I'm guessing Morgana is as well."

"Zaru?" Jason demanded.

Susan shrugged helplessly. Jason narrowed his eyes, mouth opening but the sound of movement made them both whirl around.

"GIVE ME EXCALIBUR!" the Green Knight roared as he tore through the hole in the wall he had sailed through, his battle axe smashing through the wood.

"Not this again!" Jason growled.

He threw ruach at the giant, the knight cutting the power in two as he charged.

"JASON!"

They leapt aside, left and right, as the blade of the axe slammed into the ground. Susan twisted, red light flaring from her sceptre. It struck the Green Knight in the face, blinding him, sending him reeling back as Jason dove for the giant's forgotten axe. Muscles bulged as he tore the knight's axe free from the floor, roaring as he swung it around, sharp edge flashing through the air.

The halberd loped the Green Knight's head off in a single blow. Susan stared as the giant's head bounced off the floor, rolling away as its body collapsed in an awkward mess of limbs.

Susan and Jason stared at each other, both covered in muck and gasping for breath.

"Let's go," Jason said dropping the axe.

They ran off leaving the Green Knight's body sprawled on the floor. For a long moment it laid there, still and lifeless like any corpse but suddenly, from out of the blue, a tremor ran through its green moss-strewn body. The giant's arms twitched and like a spider its hands skittered forwards, searching, reaching until it closed around the beard on its severed head.

The Green Knight rose, his head clutched in his hands. A sigh seemed to move through its body and in a swift move it rammed its free head onto its neck. It reached down, snatching up its battle axe.

Without a single spoke word it stomped off, on the hunt once more for the legendary sword of Excalibur.

**. . . . . .**

"How are you feeling?"

Dorothy looked up and there he was again, framed in the doorway, still battered, still bruised but standing tall, his face so bright and beautiful that she almost fell in love all over again. But she stopped herself.

Theirs was not a romance made in heaven. She wasn't the innocent beguiling maiden and he wasn't the white knight on his perfect steed. They had torn at each other, had twisted love an and pain together until neither of them had any idea where one started and the other ended. They had hurt, had savaged each other and their daughters, had lost themselves to chaos and hate and pure adulterated madness for years on end.

Looking back Dorothy always wondered what the hell she had been thinking. She loved Paxton, loved him still. It was as much a part of her as her own treacherous heart but they were poison together. They had left a trail of destruction in their wake miles long. Certainly her own family had never forgiven her for choosing Paxton over them.

And their daughters...

She was meant to be their mother, their protector and she had failed them miserably. She had allowed Chelsea to be hurt and then twisted into a monster, had allowed Inara to take her sister's place and all the while she had drunken herself stupid, just glad it wasn't her.

So many regrets, so many things she wished she could change. But life marched inevitably on and all she could do was turn her eyes to the future and pray she would not make the same mistakes again.

"Much better," her voice was light and casual, the tone of talking to an acquaintance, "Yourself?"

Paxton sat down with a wince, his mouth bruised and swollen like an overripe plum.

"Could be better."

Dorothy still ached, a dull echo of the pain that Ezekiel had inflicted with such fervour but that could not stop her. There was a still so much she had to do.

"I hope you see now how dangerous Ezekiel is."

Paxton flinched.

His wife had been hurt whilst under his care. Her betrayal... it still hurt. Out of all the people in the world she was the one he had trusted with everything, she was his confidant, his advisor, his pillar and she had tossed it all side for a demon's lies.

He still couldn't believe she had chosen a demon over him, still couldn't believe she had lost faith in him. He knew he deserve it, didn't deserve his family's trust or love but... he was saving the world, didn't that count for something.

"I have sent him away. I'm so sorry Dorothy, I'm so – "

"Hopefully you can also see he can't be trusted," Dorothy met his eyes squarely.

Paxton froze.

"Not this again," his voice was sad, "Dorothy. He is a prophet of heaven. A little overzealous perhaps but he is not evil."

"Evil is only a matter of perspective. I can't be the only he's... questioned. Paxton think," Dorothy begged, "Any other times you might have even suspected...? He's not what he says he is."

Paxton glared at her.

"And who told you that? Your precious demon?" he spat, "Dorothy they're demons! How can you even trust any words they – "

"Not because I saw it with my own eyes," Dorothy's voice was a whisper but it cut through Paxton's words like a blade, "He hurt me Paxton. He tortured me and in that moment I saw behind his mask and it was revolting."

Paxton was suddenly ghost-pale.

"No," he licked his lips, "Ezekiel has... he has done so much for me. He has helped me stop the demons again and again. He's not... he guides me."

"Paxton... you need to stop trusting blindly and see for yourself," Dorothy reached out and grabbed his hand, her husband looked at her, eyes wide, scared, "I know it's terrifying but you can't just listen to Ezekiel's words and – "

"Paxton?"

The moment broke and Paxton was turning away from her as Dorothy cursed silently. Ms. Tang stood at the door, elegant in a flowing to floor black gown, the cut of the neck designed to draw eyes to her honey toned skin.

"What?" Paxton demanded.

Tang's eyes were solemn but behind the carapace Dorothy could still see the mocking light, that silent laughter the woman always had as if she understood a joke that no one else could hope to see.

"King Edmund the Just and King Caspian the Restorer just arrived."

Paxton's eyes widened.

"What?"

"And they're here to bargain," Ms. Tang paused, dragging out the moment, relishing the small amount of power she held over her saviour, "They have the demons captive."

This time both Paxton and Dorothy gasped, leaping to their feet as one.

**. . . . . .**

Every door was sealed shut behind a wall of living green, every window covered by curtains of flowers and thorns. There was no exit. No escape. His breath came out in desperate gasping pants, growing shorter and sharper with each second as his claws dug into the ground, Zaru throwing himself down the hall in a desperate flight for his life.

The knights roared, moving impossibly quick in their heavy armours, their footsteps thunderous in Zaru's ears, their shadows and the gleam of their blades haunting the edges of his sight.

He threw himself around the corner, a crossbow bolt slamming through the wall as he leapt over the bodies that lay littered all over the floor, doctors, nurses and patients struck down by whatever evil magic had visited this supposed sanctuary.

"AFTER HIM!" the knights were baying for his blood, "AFTER HIM!"

Zaru stumbled as the smell of death suddenly punched him hard.

"Little cat…"

Baron Samedi floated before him, a spectre of darkness with a skull for a face.

"This can all go away if you are willing to listen…"

"SHUT UP!"  
Zaru tore through the spirit's ghostly form, hissing in pain as the darkness stung his skin.

"You know none of this is real," Baron Samedi flitted before him, somehow always hovering before his face no matter how fast Zaru ran, "Merlin. Morgana. Belphegor made them. He made them believe they were real and so they came to be. The Merlin came to me at Belphegor's behest and our goals… they match for now."

"And what's that?" Zaru demanded.

Samedi laughed, enjoying his rage.

"We want all of you dead. Me to save my skin. Merlin for this silly business with this sword thing."

Zaru longed to lunge at him, to rip the man's throat out but he knew it would be useless to even try, Samedi's phantom body always flittering just out of his reach.

"And the knights? Did Belphegor make them too?" Zaru yelled at him instead.

"Is it not obvious?" Samedi's smirked as the knights appeared around the corner, "I brought them back. The knights, the Lady, the Fisher King… I brought them all back."

"What the hell are you?" Zaru hissed, somehow finding breath to talk.

"I am Baron Samedi. I am a god of death!"

Zaru's eyes widened as Samedi laughed, a fat tongue poking out between his teeth.

"Nothing is beyond my reach!"

Zaru reeled back, crying out as flames and serpents leapt from the god's empty eyes. But they were just illusions, passing harmlessly through him. His heart was slamming against his ribs, dread spreading through his veins as Zaru realised they were fighting against a god.

"Last chance to escape with your life," Samedi said with a salacious grin, "Lure your friends to me and I will let you live."

Zaru glared at the death-god.

"GO TO HELL!"

Samedi vanished with a laugh and Zaru suddenly found himself staring straight at Merlin. The wizard's hands were pointing straight at him, a wild crazed look on his grizzled face.

"Oh – "

A wall of air slammed into the leopard, surrounding him, invisible hands crushing his body as Zaru screamed.

"MERLIN!" the knights cheered their wizard on, "KILL IT! KILL IT!"

Zaru couldn't breathe, couldn't move. His vision greyed, spots of black dancing in his vision as his lungs screamed desperately for air. Merlin smiled, his fist clenching together as the air around Zaru thickened even more, suffocating him, crushing him.

"Kill them."

The new voice came to Zaru as though through water, distorted and slurred. He suddenly saw balls of light floating before him and the leopard wondered if he was hallucinating.

"KILL! KILL!" the faeries in the light jeered.

Arrows flew, the knights of the Round Table falling under the barrage as a tongue of fire lashed Merlin's side. Zaru fell as the air around him returned to normal, the leopard flopping lifelessly to the ground. With a cry Merlin whirled, fire falling away from him as knights and faeries clashed, blade against arrows, magic against might. But Merlin took no notice, his eyes set on the one woman amongst that stood tall and proud amongst all the chaos.

"I knew you would eventually come crawling out of your cave!" Merlin hurled at his nemesis, "You cannot stop me!"

"WITCH!"

One of the knights charged at Morgana but she immolated him with a glance.

"BORS!" Merlin screamed, "NO!"

A blackened heap of burning flesh slumped to the ground as Morgana offered her old friend an ice cold smile.

"I burned your beloved kingdom to the ground once," she said simply, "I will do it again."

Merlin roared and with a sweep of his hands the faeries began to detonate, exploding in gouts of blood and flesh, a single spell wiping out half of them. Morgana screamed, both sides taking heavy losses as lightning flew from her, spearing straight through some of the knights. Merlin blasted her back with a bolt of power, whirling and facing his beloved knights.

"GO!" Merlin yelled at his beloved comrades, "LEAVE! FIND EXCALIBUR!"

The knights were soldiers, well-trained and despite their losses, their grief, they instantly snapped into action, retreating as the few remaining faeries keened and screamed for their dead. A word from Morgana and they vanished, hunting too for the sword as Merlin and the enchantress eyed at each other, Zaru barely clinging onto consciousness behind them.

"Who is your friend?" Morgana asked, "I can feel his power from all over town."

"I walk with the gods!" Merlin hurled at her, "And you debase yourself with the little children from the woods!"

They slammed into each other in a burst of sound and fury, their magic twining, exploding out in burning tendrils.

Zaru slowly began to crawl away, his whole body aching as he tried to force himself into action.

"STOP!" Morgana yelled, a storm of power throwing Merlin against the wall, "When will you realise that Arthur is not the hero who will save this – "

She was knocked aside as the wall behind him exploded inwards, two forms crashing through. Zaru scented their smell and he instantly twisted his head, eyes wide.

"NO!"

Jason and Susan groaned, sprawled helplessly across the ground as something tall and green kicked its way through the remnants of the wall, an immense battle axe in its hands.

"EXCALIBUR!" Merlin roared, pointing at Tash's sceptre.

Morgana rose to her feet, magic pulling her up as her eyes flared. The Green Knight snarled and swung at her.

"CLANG!"

The blade struck air and bounced off as though it had hit steel, Morgana laughing as she reached out with one hand and touched the immense wild giant with a single finger.

"NO!" Merlin yelled.

Frost bit into the Green Knight's flesh, ice swallowing him whole, freezing the thing in one solid block. Morgana tapped the trapped giant with one nail and it shattered into a thousand green shards.

"You can't stop me Merlin," Morgana said with a ghost of a smile, "I will hunt down all your friends and tear them apart!"

Merlin spat at her, serpents appearing from mid-air, striking at Morgana as the witch staggered back. But it was all a ploy, the wizard instantly whirling and diving for his true prize.

"SUSAN!" Zaru yelled, the queen and the Seeker too dazed to even hear as Merlin's hands closed around the sceptre.

"IT IS MINE!"

He pulled it free from Susan's desperate grasp, brandishing it triumphantly.

"EXCALIBUR! IT IS –"

"Mine."

He turned and the Lady of the Lake was there, rising from a pool of water that had gathered on the floor. Without another word she pointed at them all and a giant crushing wave of water roared from her fingertips, smashing into them, hurling them off their feet and finally plunging them down, down, down into the icy dark depths.

**. . . . . .**

Edmund placed the blade of Abaddon onto the table and Paxton instantly recoiled. Dark whispers seemed to rise from the thing, whispers that spoke of death and pain, of fire and hell. He longed to touch it, longed to see what that thing was but some part of him knew one touch and he would be destroyed.

"What is that?" Dorothy asked in a hushed voice.

"Abaddon."

The blonde woman froze, remembering the tales Asmodeus had woven.

"How?" her voice was faint.

Edmund quirked a smile.

"He was strong. I am stronger," but it was not a boast, just a simple statement.

"Where is Asmodeus? Where is Belphegor?" Paxton demanded brusquely.

"Secured," Caspian said, "But there is much you need to know."

Paxton frowned.

"You have the demons and you have the means to destroy them and yet you let them live?" Paxton demanded, "They are servants of the Great Darkness.

"No," Caspian met the warrior's eyes, letting him see there was nothing but open honesty in his own, "They're not."

Dorothy closed her eyes.

"He told you."

"The horsemen," Caspian said as an answer.

"Not this nonsense again!" Paxton spat, "He is lying to you!"

"Why would he?"

Paxton looked at Edmund but it was not a boy who sat in the chair but the king of old, Edmund the Silver-tongued, Edmund the Wise.

"Asmodeus has us in his power or so he believed. He brought us here to execute you," Edmund's voice was authoritative, logical.

"He is trying to turn you against me," Paxton could not keep the feeling from his voice, the heat, "Just like he turned Dorothy against me."

"Belphegor can bend people's will. Why would they tell us such a grand tale when they could have just done that?" Edmund countered.

Paxton had no answer.

"Tell me," he ordered.

"Aslan fought the four horsemen and locked them up, binding the demon's soul in to the cell. If the demons are killed, the door breaks open and the four horsemen ride free," Caspian had seen it, had see the moment the bargain had been forged.

"The horsemen?" Paxton's face darkened, "The four horsemen of the apocalypse?"

"If you kill them, the Great Darkness will have its generals back," Edmund knew he had to be firm, he could not push the man into anger but he could not be shown to be weak either, "Even if it is a lie it is not something you can risk lightly."

Paxton stared at him as Edmund stared calmly back. A bead of sweat ran down Paxton's face.

Paxton was not a man who liked to be wrong. Edmund had seen it many times before in kings, in high lords, in stewards and in commoners. Pride, pride tainted the man like poison in his veins. He was the saviour of the world, the warrior of heaven, his word was law, his actions celebrated in every nation. How could anyone not be intoxicated by that?

But Edmund had on time for such fools, all the worlds had no time for such fools.

"I need to consult my seer," the words seemed to be forced out of Paxton's lips.

"Do what you must," Edmund's voice was warm, encouraging but it was all wrapped around a core of solid steel.

"No... Paxton. Ezekiel – " Dorothy said frantically, her face pale.

"I need to talk to him!" Paxton spat, leaping out of his seat, "TANG! TANG!"

The door swung open and Ms. Tang smiled at him, as pleasant and coiffed as ever.

"Yes my lord?" she asked playfully.

**. . . . . .**

Asmodeus and Kylee lay slumped on the ground, heavy dark chains binding their bodies. Asmodeus's shoulders still spat, the wound still burning away as blood flowed freely from Kylee's stomach. The two were in a warehouse, far away from civilisation, no hope of anyone stumbling on them and setting their chains free.

The chains snapped with the sound of lightning.

"I'm disappointed..."

The two unconscious bodies faded, rippling away to nothing as the chains fell to the ground with a rattle.

"I was so sure he would see through our ruse brother," Kylee turned to Asmodeus, the girl completely unmarked, no wounds, no battle scars, "I mean it was not a very well constructed illusion, definitely not my best work"

"Humans are always weak-minded and he was careless, sure we would not see his treachery," Asmodeus said flatly.

He was as disreputable as ever, a wild-maned man in sour patchwork clothing but he carried himself with the arrogance of a lord, his eyes spitting out black sparks.

"He has gone to Paxton's palace. We need that knife," Kylee looked aslant at her brother.

"I will provide the distraction," Asmodeus ordered, "You will sneak in."

Kylee laughed and although it was a girl's giggle there was something dark and chilling about the carefree sound

"Alright..." Kylee rubbed her hands, "I will see you in the palace."

**. . . . . .**

"The train now arriving at Southern Cross is the seven forty-five train departing for Glen Waverly. The train now arriving at Southern Cross is the seven forty-five train departing for Glen Waverly."

The warm woman's voice coming through the intercoms stopped as the train rolled to a halt, the glass doors sliding open. Businessmen and school students poured out in a suited and uniformed wave, pushing past the people who waited on the station. The exiting escalators were soon groaning under the weight of the new arrivals as the train carriages filled up once more, teenagers darting for the empty seats as the elderly ambled on, grumbling about the rudeness of youth.

It was just another day, another everyday moment.

Asmodeus stepped onto the train and everyone froze, their eyes wide.

"I am sorry," the demon laughed as flames dripped down his faze, "But we're going to have to make a little detour."

**. . . . . .**

The gate swung open and Kylee stepped through.

"Mistress," one of her former Paxtonites fell to his knees, his eyes wide and adoring, "I knew you would return. I knew... Paxton believes you are our enemy but you're not are you? Are you?

Ezekiel had been so sure that Paxtonites were not a threat, that he had broken the demon's spell and showed them who was the true saviour. But Kylee's craft was not one of strength but insidious lies, webs of it layered over one another, befuddling the mind. Once you were Belphegor's, the demon's brand was with you always. Even despite Ezekiel's work the Paxtonite was like a faithful hound, fawning over her, begging affection. Kylee smiled as she patted him, the man's eyes closing in obvious pleasure.

"Of course I'm not," she cooed, "I am here to show Paxton the truth."

"Of course," the man breathed, "Of course – "

Kylee crushed his throat in her hands and he fell. The demon snorted and kicked his body aside – oh well, plenty more Paxtonites left in the palace.

The blonde girl strolled down the hall, all eyes that tried to look at her averted, guards and servants walking past obliviously.

She had not dared to do this before, had not dared to stride so boldly into the lair of her enemy because although she could get close, she could not deal the death blow. But now it was different.

Kylee stopped in front of a set of black lacquered doors. One flick of her hands and it swung open. The lone occupant within turned in a whirl of dark fabric, rage on her face.

"Who dares – " Ms. Tang froze as she looked at Kylee, "What – "

Kylee snapped her fingers and the woman dropped without a sound, crumpling in an unconscious heap.  
"Sorry, got to borrow something of yours," Belphegor sneered.

Her face rippled, gold hair darkening, the girl growing. In a split second a mirror image of Ms. Tang stood above the real, the demon's smirk looking almost at home on the woman's elegant features. Kylee turned and strode down the hall, this time every servant and maid bowing and crimping frantically before her.

She followed her senses, followed the darkness that sang Abaddon's name and soon stopped in front of a lone wooden door.

"TANG! TANG!" she could hear Paxton's voice.

Kylee pushed it open.

"Yes my lord?" she said with Ms. Tang's voice.

There it was. A triangular shard of darkness resting on the desk, so tantalisingly close. It swallowed all the light that touched, blacker than black, not metal, not wood but something different altogether. Four pairs of eyes looked at her. Edmund the traitor sat in one chair, King Caspian by his side. Kylee's smile widened as she saw Dorothy in the room.

Paxton was talking, rambling as Kylee waited for her brother to strike the first blow.

**. . . . . .**

It came barrelling up the hill jets of black flames spewing in its wake. The alarms screamed, the guards rushing frantically to and fro but there was nothing they could do. They could only stand and watch in horror at the train wreathed in fire, at the passengers that screamed for their lives as they boiled alive in the carriages.

Asmodeus stood on the top of the train, howling with laughter as fire spewed from his hands, shooting out, powering the train like a rocket.

It crashed through the fence with a screech of metal and metal, guards running for their lives. The train blazed up the sloped garden, trees and grass exploding into flames as the train continued its collision course with the Palace of the Rising Sun.

"FALL!" Asmodeus roared, "FALL!"

The train smashed straight through the white marble walls of the palace, ploughing through the facade and into foyer as flames clawed at white. The wooden floor ignited, the train barrelling through the front hall, the tall white pillars falling, dragging the ceiling down. Black flames flared and the train rammed itself into the wide sweeping staircase. It flipped, metal groaning as the front embedded itself into the steps, the bottom flying up.

It hit the ground with the crash of a thousand thunder claps, the shock rippling through the whole palace.

Flames raged, sweeping down the hall, incinerating everything it touched.

Chaos reigned as through the fire Asmodeus marched, spreading the dark flames through the whole palace.

**. . . . . .**

The floor shook as Paxton leapt to his feet. The alarms were screaming, the smell of smoke thick in the air. Dorothy pulled at her top, grimacing as the temperature in the soared.

"What the hell?" Paxton snarled, "Tang, what's going – "

Ms. Tang leapt at him with a snarl, her hands flying for Abaddon's knife. But Caspian was already moving, shoving her hand away, the blade skittering off the desk.

Dorothy threw herself at the woman, Paxton and his wife wrestling with her, Ms. Tang cursing wildly.

A kick and Dorothy crashed against the desk, her head cracking off the corner.

"Tang what are you doing?" Paxton roared in her face.

Her fists rained down, falling on his skull as Paxton staggered. His advisor cackled and surged forwards, hands outstretched.

"AGH!"

She recoiled, clutching at her arm as Edmund held Abaddon's knife in his hand, his blue eyes hard.

"Reveal yourself!" the king's voice commanded.

Ms. Tang's face shimmered and her image bled away, Kylee smirking impishly at the king.

"Catch me," she taunted.

And she threw herself backwards, smashing through the door as Edmund cursed. He kicked through the wreckage but the demon was already gone.

"The demons!" Paxton glared at Edmund, "Now tell me they're not evil."

"I never said they weren't. I just said we needed them alive," the king snapped back.

Caspian has already unsheathed his sword.

"Stop arguing," he said flatly, "We have to stop them."

The two kings tore out of the room, flying down the hall as Paxton heaved himself up, black eyes burning. But he hesitated turning back to Dorothy.

"Go!" the woman said faintly, "Stop them!"

Paxton nodded and ran as Dorothy closed her eyes and let herself slip into a dream of pain.

**. . . . . .**

Inara grabbed at the wall as the whole palace shook to its very foundations. Her hand slapped against the marble and she instantly cried out, heat searing her skin. Smoke pumped down the hall stinging her eyes.

Cursing Inara clutched her injured hand to her chest and ran, away from the flames, towards she couldn't tell. The smoke was growing thicker, the heat like a blanket, smothering her.

"Inara!"

She whirled and Elias was running towards her, his mahogany-toned skin made darker with soot, the tight white curls on his head thick with sweat and muck.

"Doc!" the half-Naga breathed a sigh of relief.

She suddenly pulled up short.

"What the – "

The scientist was wielding something long and silver, a barrel at one end, his finger hooked around the trigger. But it was not a gun she had ever seen before, unwieldy with dials and buttons, a gleaming blade jutting out from the barrel end.

"Give me your hand," Elias said urgently.

Inara frowned but obeyed, sticking out her hand.

"OUCH!"

Elias swiped the blade against her palm, drawing blade, smearing the serrated edge with her blood. Inara pulled her hand back, glaring at the man.

"Sorry," Elias looked down the hall, black flames were staring to lick around the corner, the glass in their panes melting and warping as the curtains dissolved into fire.

Two pairs of eyes widened as the flames seemed to quicken, spreading with unnatural speed. Mortar crumbled, the walls falling, stone itself baking and cracking. The fire attacked with purpose, seeking out anything that could burn and swallowing it whole, gorging itself.

Without a word the two turned and ran as the black flames gave chase, darker than the darkest night, swallowing light instead of giving it off.

They whipped around the corner, the corridor crumbling behind them, a gush of fire and debris spraying the walls.

Another corned, another mad dash, heat and smoke baying, snapping at their heels.

"GAH!"

"BAM!"

Inara hit the ground, striking her funny bone. Pins and needles instantly stabbed into her arm, her fingers numbed and tingling. She pulled herself up, glaring at the idiots who had ran into them.

"Who the hell – "

Caspian and Edmund stared back at her. Her eyes widened.

"Shaggy! Freckles! Where have you been?"

Edmund's face twisted with distaste.

"Freckles?" he demanded.

Despite the heat, the smoke Caspian had to laugh.

"It means you've been accepted into our little circle."

"Yeah," Inara grinned impishly, "Freckles."

As ridiculous as it was the name suddenly drove a spike of warmth into Edmund's heart.

"What is that?" Elias cut in, pointing as the dark thing in Edmund's hand.

"Long story," Edmund said briskly standing up, "But it kills demons."

A savage hunger for knowledge instantly lit up Elias's eyes, the scientist cocking his head as he studied the weapon, itching to touch it.

"I'm guessing the demons are here?" Inara asked wryly.

"Asmodeus and Belphegor," Caspian reported swiftly, "They want the knife.'

"Good," Inara grinned, "That means we don't have to hunt them – "

"They'll come straight to you?"

The four of them whirled and flames circled them, cutting off all escape. There they stood, the last of the great demon lords, Asmodeus of the Hell Fire and Belphegor the Will Breaker, a man with black fire for eyes and a girl with a golden smile.

"Give me the knife and I will not kill you," Asmodeus growled.

Caspian shifted into a battle stance, Inara doing the same beside him, a knife in her hands. Kylee sneered at their efforts.

"Let's get the knife brother. I have other interests to look after," she ordered.

Asmodeus struck with a whip of fire and his four enemies dove away, the flames striking the ground. Black fire rose from floor to ceiling, a wall cutting off Inara and Caspian from Elias and Edmund.

"Well, that was nice of him to share," Kylee smirked as Caspian and Inara glanced at each other.

With a cry the king and the half-Naga charged. Caspian slashed as Kylee twisted, dancing around the blade. The king stabbed forwards, slicing again and again as the demon dodged and ducked.

"ARRGGH!"

Inara slammed her hand into the demon's chest, her palm bleeding freely. A touch of her blood and Kylee was shrieking, the red burning like acid. She punched Inara, the blow hitting like a sledgehammer, Inara spinning to the ground, dazed.

Caspian swept in, blade flying and Kylee took the blow in the chest. Metal struck with the sound of a gong, Kylee stumbling backwards, slipping through the black flames and disappearing from sight.

"Are you alright?" Caspian demanded, his eyes darting like dragonflies on a pond, sword still raised.

"Except for possible brain trauma just dandy," Inara grumbled, pulling herself up, "Where the hell is she?"

Kylee exploded out from the flames with a cry and blasted a kick straight into Caspian's chest. He hit the ground, gasping desperately for breath as Inara lunged for the demon, bloodied hands outstretched. With fire falling from her hair, Kylee grabbed her wrists wrenching them violently as Inara screamed. The demon twisted her arm, pinning it behind her back.

Strong arms fell around Inara, crushing her as Kylee dragged the half-Naga to her in a bear hug. Inara was caught, struggling wildly as Kylee laughed, leaning in, warm whispers touching Inara's ear.

"Now..." Kylee's eyes flashed, "_Listen to me!"_

And Inara screamed.

**. . . . . .**

Paxton burst through the doors and his world crumbled.

"No..." he fell to his knees, blood soaking into the legs of his trousers, "No..."

The gifts of heaven, the three beasts Ezekiel had led to him... they were all... they were all...

A blood-soaked pile of feathers was all that remained of the eagle.

The bull's horn had been torn from its skull, used to skewer the beast through the throat.

And the lion. It laid twitching in one corner, its jaw ripped out of its skin, its tongue lolling wetly on the ground.

His gifts, the power of flight and strength and the holy light all snatched away.

"No..." he shook his head trying to wake from a living nightmare, "Please..."

The walls were splattered with blood, painted with garish red.

"Please..."

He crawled through blood, through gore and fur and feathers, hands outstretched.

He couldn't lose what they offered him, couldn't lose that power. How was he going to save the worlds? How was he going to be Paxton the saviour?

"Please..."

The lion blinked and Paxton froze. Its tongue slapped the ground.

"Please. Please. Please."

He scrambled to the white lion's side, cradling its great head.

"Please," he begged the dying beast, "Please..."

The lion gave one last trembling sigh and life fled its body. Paxton wept brokenly, winding its fur around his fingers, rocking back and forth, praying.

"Please."

Light rose from the lion's body. The warrior of heaven froze, hardly daring to believe. Two more flares of light appeared, hovering above the eagle and the bull.

"Flight. Strength. And the Holy Light," Paxton breathed.

Light flew at him from three different directions colliding with a thunderous crash, pure power spilling into Paxton's veins.

**. . . . . .**

Asmodeus hurled fire at them, Edmund and Elias surviving through sheer dumb luck.

"GIVE IT TO ME!" the demon's face was filled with a monstrous rage, all thought, all planning wiped clean except for an insane urge to hate and rend.

He punched the ground and fire swept the floor, Edmund and Elias leaping, their soles of shoes melting as they landed once more.

Edmund lunged, swiping with Abaddon's knife. Fire lashed at him like whips but he cut at them, shearing them into embers. Asmodeus howled in pain, giggling, drooling, the Sickness that afflicted the demons taking him over.

"EDMUND!" Elias roared, "MOVE!"

Edmund instantly spun away as Elias took aim with the strange gun he held in his hands. A twist of a dial and the scientist pulled the trigger.

The silver gun instantly roared to life, rattling violently in his hands. It gave one powerful shudder and Elias stumbled as it went off with the roar of a cannon.

Elias had studied the demons, had learnt what each of them could do, their strengths and weaknesses and this weapon was specifically designed to combat them. A blast of air, compacted and flying with the speed of a bullet slammed into Asmodeus, instantly snuffing out the flames wreathing the beast.

Elias fired again, the air cannon blowing the demon back, staggering the demon.

"NOW!" Elias yelled.

He punched a button and fire again. This time the gun did not fire air but the spike mounted on the barrel, the spike with Inara's blood on it. It flew through the air spearing Asmodeus in the chest, driving the blood deep into his body.

Asmodeus shrieked, the flames vanishing all around them as Edmund charged, the dark blade aiming straight for the demon's heart.

"BAM!"

Inara suckerpunched him from behind, the king hitting the ground as Caspian cursed.

"INARA NO!"

"Kill him!" Kylee howled and Inara stomped at the Just King, Edmund just rolling away in time.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" he yelped.

Inara stared at him, her eyes blank, her face wiped of all expression. Caspian cursed and threw himself at the girl but she grabbed his outstretched arms, shoving her hip into his body and tossing him over her shoulder.

Caspian hit the deck with a crunch, the king well and truly winded.

"Kylee... con... cont... controlling her," he managed to wheeze out as Inara swung at Edmund.

"Brother!" Kylee ran to Asmodeus as he stared at her, blood trickling from his mouth, "Brother!"

Edmund slashed at Inara but the half-Naga was quicker, slipping around his blows and striking back, chopping at him.

"You bastards!" Kylee whirled and for a split second her girlish facade faded, a demon's twisted hideous face taking its place.

Her voice changed, deepening, resonating with power.

'_YOU WILL – '_

Elias hit another button on his gun and instantly winced as the weapon let out a piercing screech drowning out Kylee's voice. The demon turned and glared at him, murderous intent in her eyes.

She took one step forwards but suddenly leapt back as a stream of white light struck the floor. She whirled and Paxton was there, resplendent with heaven's light, wings of white flares flaring from his shoulders.

"You will pay for what you have done to my gifts!" the warrior screamed over the sound of Elias's weapon, "You bi – "

He hurled more light at the demon and Kylee was forced to dive aside, the blasts destroying the wall. She took one look at Edmund and Caspian grappling with Inara, at Elias's gun and instantly grabbed for her brother.

Inara headbutted Caspian and tore herself free from Edmund's grip.

Elias's eyes widened.

"NO!" he and Paxton screamed with one voice as Kylee gripped Asmodeus and Inara and winked.

They vanished from sight, smoking flooding into the space they had just vacated. Elias switched his gun off, staring at the spot they had just stood in disbelief.

Heaven's light faded, Paxton falling to his knees, his strength, his powers disappearing for one last time as he reached at thin air as if through sheer want he could summon his daughter back.

"No!" with a cry Edmund hurled Abaddon's knife at the wall where it stuck deep into the charred stone, "NO!"

But there was nothing they could do, the demons were gone and so was Inara.

**. . . . . .**

And yay! Another crazy chapter with multiple over-lapping storylines. Sorry about the confusion!

As always please, please review. The number of reviews went down by a lot last chapter and I know a lot of you are still reading this story and fav-ing it. So please drop a word, it'll encourage me to write faster!


	75. I love you

New chapter! Sorry about the long wait but real life definitely has a stranglehold on me at the moment. So please enjoy this new chapter and as always – review!

Disclaimer: Yeah… I think we all know the drill.

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 75: I love you**

Water.

It pounded her, threw her against the wall, the floor, the ceiling, sent her hurtling down the hallway as she struggled to right herself, struggled to kick free from the pressing mass.

A flash of gold fur told her Zaru was near but she could not move, could not even think as she slammed hard against something, bubbles bursting from her mouth.

Up. Down. Left. Right. Everything blurred into water.

She choked on it, pain lancing through her mouth, her nose, stabbing deep into her brain. She writhed, her whole body shrieking in agony, her cries robbing her of precious air.

The Lady of the Lake laughed as a river poured through the corridor, water appearing from nowhere, sweeping her enemies away.

The great dirty wave of bodies and debris slammed into a set of doors, blasting them off their hinge. The whole deluge poured itself into a tiny storeroom, smashing Susan and the others up against the far wall.

Her lungs were screaming for air, her world contracting, fading to black as wave after wave pounded her, throwing her at the wall again and again.

They were going to drown.

That one thought somehow managed to claw its way into her muddled head. And she tried to fight, tried to push away from the wall, tried to swim but the water was a living, thrashing thing, driving her back with mocking ease.

"MINE!"

A cold hand closed around Susan's, a screaming face exploding before her as something tried to wrench Tash's sceptre away.

"NO!"

Her cry came out in bubbles, water rushing into her mouth, slipping down her throat, her chest seizing in panic. Her eyes threatened to flutter close, her hands feeling distant and detached as the thing snatching at her sceptre pulled again, almost ripping it from her grip.

"No…"

Bubbles leaked the last few precious traces of air from her lungs.

Her eyes closed.

The Lady in the water howled in victory.

And suddenly red and white stabbed through her eyelids.

"BOOM!"

The explosion was muffled, the shockwaves blasting through the water. The wall creaked and groaned and Susan felt something gave way.

"NOOO!" Nimue screamed.

The wall crumbled, blowing outwards and like stormwater through a drain, the water thundered out of the hole, dragging all of them out with it. Susan slammed into sodden earth, air suddenly filling up her lungs as she coughed and spluttered, vomiting out bracken water.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!"

Nimue screamed as white fire tore through her form, Jason planting himself straight in front of his queen, hurling ruach at the Lady of the Lake. She stumbled back, limbs and flesh blasting away in sprays of water, reforming just as quickly.

"SUSAN!"

Zaru skidded to her side as Susan pulled herself up. One looked around told her they were outside the hospital but except for the lone island the white sterile building stood on all else was an endless expanse of murky water.

"SUSAN!"

The queen tried to speak but to her shame and horror she could only manage a weak croak.

"ARGH!"

Nimue gave one final shriek and exploded into thousands of droplets of water as a huge wave of white flames tore through her. The drops flew through the air like bullets, showering down on the lake as Jason lowered his hands, smiling viciously even as he gasped for breath.

Susan saw a flash of movement and Zaru was suddenly flying, slamming hard into the earth. But before the queen could even react, a shadow fell across her.

"EXCALIBUR!" Morgana crowed, swooping at Susan with hands outstretched, like an eagle snatching at its prey.

Susan tried to fight back, tried to coordinate herself but her limbs were weak and watery. The enchantress was drenched to the bone, bruised and battered but had none of the dead lethargy that had stolen the strength from her victim. Susan could only let a weak pathetic cry as Tash's sceptre was torn from her grasp. Morgana's eyes blazed as she kicked the Gentle Queen away, fire erupting in a wide circle around her as she bayed her triumph.

"IT IS MINE!" the sorceress brandished her prize in victory, "IT IS – "

Hands suddenly closed around her head, white fire stabbing straight into her skull as the greatest witch of all ages suddenly found herself screaming in pure undiluted agony.

Fire lashed at Jason, invisible hands turning the conflagration away just a breath from his skin as the Seeker stood behind the witch, hands clamped around her head, ruach pouring through her, tearing her apart from inside out.

"ARGGGGHHH!"

Morgana's screams became a thinning shriek as the cry tore her throat to shreds, white and smoke pouring from her eyes and her mouth. The sceptre fell from her nerveless hands as she stood rooted to the spot, Jason pouring every drip and dram of his deadly power through her, burning her alive.

"This time…" the Seeker hissed straight into her ears, his dark blue eyes filled with murder, "I'm going to make sure you're dea – "

A silver arrow punched through his back, tore through and out his gut before burying itself deep into Morgana's spine.

The enchantress stiffened, her eyes wide as the ruach bled away from her. Jason collapsed against her back, perversely stuck to the woman, the arrow shaft sticking out from his back.

"JASON!" Susan finally found the breath to scream as her friend crumpled to the ground.

Morgana stood where she was, blood dripping from her mouth.

"No…"

She stared at Susan, her eyes flashing through a thousand different shades and hues.

"This… it wasn't… it wasn't…"

And the light faded from the witch's eyes. Susan watched, stunned as Morgana's skin paled, hardening before her eyes. The colour drained from the woman's dark hair, from her mist and smoke like gown, everything becoming pristine perfect white. What was once a walking, breathing thing of magic was suddenly a marble statue with unseeing eyes.

"What – "

"I told your friend she was nothing but stone. Both the mages are nothing but stone."

Susan turned and her eyes widened as she caught sight of her own silver bow, of the gift Artemis, goddess of the Hunt, had entrusted to her. And her blood boiled as she saw it in the hands of a stranger.

"Who the hell are you?" Susan roared, anger pushing her fatigue aside.

The darkness was baying for blood, the Hunt-Beast echoing its cry as the dark-skinned stranger before her tipped his stovepipe hat. When he straightened, his dark eyes will filled with amusement, his wide grin filled with perfect white teeth.

"Baron Samedi are your service," the stranger holding her bow said, his voice filled with honey and oil.

"He's a god," Zaru rasped, climbing slowly to his feet, "A god of death."

Susan's eyes widened as Samedi aimed her own bow straight at her. His long fingers plucked an arrow from the quiver on his back, gracefully putting shaft to string.

"Shame to kill a pretty chit such as you but my survival is much more important than yours," the death-god winked," I hope you do understand."

Susan struck first, snatching her sceptre from the ground and thrusting it forwards. Samedi was blinded, reeling back as the power washed uselessly over him. But it was enough to stagger, to make him stumble back and step into the water all around. Ripples swelled out from his ankles and in the blink of an eye, a roar shook the air.

A shadow exploded out of the lake, a thing of fur and scales and warts, a monster with gnashing teeth and fiery eyes. It fell on Samedi, slashing at him, grabbing the death-god and dragging him down into the depths as Susan leapt to her feet.

"JASON!"

She snapped the feathered shaft sticking out from his back, tossing it aside. Jason groaned, the back of Morgana's statue slick with his blood. Terrified, not knowing what she was doing Susan pulled the Seeker free, fighting down the urge to be sick as the arrow left his gut with a sucking squelch. Jason crashed against her, face pale as Susan desperately tried to keep him up.

"BACK!" Zaru roared, charging at them, "GET BACK INTO THE HOSPITAL!"

The monster in the lake exploded out once more from the surface, Samedi caught in his teeth, the death-god howling with mirth. With mocking laugher thundering in her ears, Susan half-carried, half-dragged Jason across the sodden earth, blood seeping into her side as she fled.

Merlin was already gone, vanished to who knew where. Susan and Zaru staggered through the hole in the hospital, taking Jason with them as the monster in the lake dived once more, dragging Samedi with it into the deep. One last flick of its immense tail and it was gone, the lake's waters slowly calming. The last few ripples splashed to shore and wet licked the base of the lone thing that stood on the hospital island, the stone woman that once believed she was alive once more blind and deaf to the world all around.

. . . . . . .

Susan tore Jason's shirt apart, blanching as she saw the terrible wound in his gut, trying not to think of the pink shiny things she could see inside the hole. She grabbed at the bandages from the shelf, wadding it together, trying to push back blood, push back death with her quickly reddening hands.

"Damn it! Damn it!"

Jason's eyes began to flutter close.

"WAKE UP!" Zaru roared at him, "DON'T FALL ASLEEP!"

"Shut up," Jason managed to croak, "Somebody listening might think you actually cared about me."

His body spasmed as he coughed, blood flying from his mouth.

"Don't move," Susan pleaded desperately, praying as she felt more of his blood stain her hands, "Just rest. We need…"

She looked desperately around at the ward, at all the medical supplies on hand but she didn't know what to do with any of them. Fear choked her, panic climbing as she could only press more bandages against the mortal wound in Jason's body.

"Zaru – "

But the leopard was not listening to her, Susan glanced at her guardian and froze as she realised the cat was staring at the door, ears pinned back and hackles raised.

"Zaru?"

"Arm yourself," the leopard growled to her, his claws unsheathed, "They're coming."

"Who? Who's – "

She was suddenly aware of the sound of clanking armour. Still keeping one desperate hand on Jason's wound, the queen snatched up her sceptre, the darkness in her head giggling, thirsting for the battle to come. But Susan did not share its delight. Both she and Zaru were already weary to the bone and they could not run, not if they wanted to –

"Leave," Jason rasped, "Don't – "

"Jason. Shut up," Susan said fiercely, her blue eyes becoming run.

That was not an option. The Hunt-Beast snarled, scolding her for stupidity, in many ways it was as cold-blooded as the darkness, a wild creature who's one goal was to survive. But Susan shoved the creature aside, firmly placing her own will in control.

She would fight, damn the odds, damn the smart thing to do, she would not leave anyone behind.

"They're here," Zaru said in a whisper.

Blades flashed, the curtains to the wards instantly torn to shreds as burly figures stormed into the tiny room in a thunder of crashing metal and heavy boots. They stopped, expecting monsters, expecting enemies and not expecting a wounded man with a girl and a cat watching over him.

"Who are you?" one of the knights demanded, his face lost behind his helm.

"I am Queen Susan the Gentle," Susan's voice was implacably hard, "And I –"

"Excalibur!"

A gauntleted finger stabbed at her, at the sceptre she held in her hands. Jason tried to rise, biting back a scream but Susan easily shoved him back down.

"Give the sword to us," the leader of the knights, his shield emblazoned with a red griffin, his helmet holding a miniature one on its peak, "And we will not hurt you."

"I expect you are the Great Knights of the Round Table?" Susan deliberately kept her voice harsh, scornful.

Zaru growled, longing to leap at the men but what could his claws do against steel armour? And these men were not even really alive but phantoms and fades given flesh by a death-god. He held his place, trusting Susan's plan whatever it was.

"I am Gawain, the leader of the knights in King Arthur's steed!" the leader threw at her.

"KILL HER!" one of the knights roared, a giant of a man with a lion in rampant as his emblem, "We will take the sword and – "

"Silence Sir Kay," Gawain snapped.

Stories and myths tumbled through Susan's head, the queen thinking swiftly.

"Do you wish to kill me?" she jutted her chin out stubbornly, blue eyes raking them all, "A mere maiden and an injured men? I thought you were knights of valour."

The men stiffened as one, their swords wavering as Susan coolly viewed them all.

"Do you know who I am?" she demanded, "I am Queen Susan the Gentle. I was entrusted with Excalibur by King Arthur himself. I will hold onto this until – "  
"You lie," a third knight said, his voice cold, "Arthur would never – "

"Who are you to know what the great king thinks?" Susan snapped.

She had to keep them off-balance, had to out-manoeuvre them. She was throwing words at the knights, hoping something would stick, hoping that she was find an opening.

"I am Sir Lancelot and Arthur held me in his esteem above all."

There it was.

Susan fought down the urge to smile.

"Sir Lancelot?" her voice was light, mocking, "The same Sir Lancelot that stole Arthur's bride away?"

Lancelot froze and Zaru could smell rage rising from the others, a hateful burning fury that seemed to fill every corner of the room. He twitched his tail, brushing Susan's legs, telling her silently her plan was working.

"You allow such a traitor to walk amongst your midst?" Susan gave a harsh bray of laughter, "How do you know he's not here to steal the sword for himself as he stole Guinevere?"

They were looking at their companion now, distrust in their eyes, dark mutters on their breath. Lancelot bore their suspicions unflinchingly, dark eyes staring out from his visor and into Susan's eyes.

"I have lived a life of misery and penance," and his words were so bare, so harsh that Susan could feel her advantage slipping, "I am here to right the sin I have done."

"Are you sure about that?" Susan's eyes slid to the giant knight beside Lancelot, "How about you Kay? Can you stomach his words and believe them? Because I cannot."

Sir Kay was always the most fiery tempered, the least restrained of all the knights or so the legends went. Susan would have never believed that tales from her childhood would one day prove so vital to her survival. She had to make the knights turn on each other, had to make them do the fighting for her.

Jason was shivering under her hand, his eyes rolling into the back of his head. Fear stabbed Susan, time was running out.

"What say you Kay?" she asked coolly, "Once a traitor always a traitor?"

Kay's grip on his sword was tightening, tension in his body as his eyes darted from Susan to Lancelot and back again. His arm began to raise, Gawain shouting at him to stop but the knight was ready to attack, ready to strike at –

"Stop."

Merlin appeared before them, a blink of an eye summoning the man. Susan felt the blood drain from her face and she knew her plan had failed. The wild wizard glanced at her, at Excalibur and there was something strange in his eyes, nothing like the hunger of before.

"He's scared," Zaru reported in a whisper, "He's unsure…"

What could Merlin be scared of? Surely he knew that Susan could not stand against him. Surely he –

Susan suddenly saw it.

"You know. You now know," she said simply watching as Merlin flinched.

"Merlin?" Gawain demanded, "What is she – "

The immortal refused to meet his eyes, a twitch working on his face.

"You saw what happened to Morgana. You heard the death-god's words. You know the truth. You know you are not real," Susan pressed, "Don't you?"

Merlin kept his mouth closed.

"Don't you?" Susan barked.

The sorcerer finally looked at her and Susan could see tears spilling down his face, down his tangled beard.

"I thought…" the wizard shook his head, "I can see it all in my head…"

His voice was small, broken, the voice of a terrified child who had seen and knew too much.

"It's all a lie. My life is a lie," Merlin was weeping openly now, "This is not real. This is not real."

"Merlin what – " Gawain began.

Susan cut him off.

"You want to be with again?" she asked gently, still sitting beside Jason, still trying to keep her friend from bleeding out.

The darkness knew what she was doing, the darkness rejoiced in it. Susan hated what she had to do.

"Yes."

Merlin hung his head.

"More than anything."

"Then the lie has to end. Sleep and you will dream. Sleep forever and you will be reunited forever," her voice was soft, seductive.

Merlin looked at her terrified and she gave him a small smile, an encouraging one.

"Sleep."

She could see the exact moment he realised what he had to do, the moment he accepted what he had to do. The wizard turned, looked at his knights and smiled at them all.

"We will return to the days of glory," he promised them all, "We will return to Camelot."  
"CAMELOT!" Kay roared excitedly, hammering his breastplate with his fist, "WE WILL RISE AGAIN!"

"Yes…"

Merlin raised his hand to the heavens and looked up, crying bitterly.

"We will."

Gawain was still unsure.

"Mer – "

He never had the chance to finish his sentence.

"BOOM!"

The ceiling was shattered, a great bolt of lightning flying down from the heavens and striking Merlin, leaping from the wizard and tearing through all the knights. Susan threw herself over Jason, protecting him as flesh and blackened steel flew everywhere. Her ears ringed, her eyes blinded, vision slowly returning.

When she looked up again smoke hung thick in the air and in the centre of the destruction stood a pair of white marble legs, the rest of the statue molten globs of blackened slag.

Susan closed her eyes.

"It's not over yet," Zaru reminded her gently, nuzzling her.

"I know."

She knew where Baron Samedi was, could feel her bow calling to her. Her eyes opened and they were purple and gold and red.

"We still have a god to kill."

. . . . . . .

It called to her, drawing her deeper into the hospital, down into the very bowels of the house of healing and to where the dead laid. It was no surprise really that Susan found herself staring at a sign above a set of plastic flap doors. Beyond she could see shadows moving with strange lurching movements.

"The morgue," Susan read with a sigh, "Of course."

Beside her Zaru growled. He could smell Samedi, could feel the stench of death roll his stomach. All things started from dust and all things returned to it. Every beasts knew that much more keenly than humans, accepted it where humans railed. Some men even worshipped death, gave something they feared and could not hope to understand a form, trying to cage it with names and faces. It was a matter of much bemusement amongst the Talking Beasts. Death was a part of life and not a separate entity. Trying to split it up and call it evil or cruel was like cursing a stone for being hard.

But here it was. An impossibility, a death-god, death given shape, voice and malice. The very thought made Zaru sick to his stomach.

"Should we?" he asked.

"Take your time, it's not like I'm bleeding to death here," Jason managed to growl out.

One hand pressed a soaked bandage to his gut, the Seeker's face ghost pale and drenched in sweat. But despite the fact that he swayed with every step he would not brook talk of staying behind whilst Susan and Zaru fought a god. He was running on empty, on adrenaline and not much else.

"Jason – "

A glare cut Susan off. The queen's eyes flicked to the bloody cloth pressed to his body and her lips pressed into a tight thin line. She nodded, eyes flashing and with a flick of her wrist, a burst of red melted the plastic drapes before them.

Death walked in many shambling forms, it stood as one figure behind the mass, proud and gloating and clutching Susan's silver bow.

"By the mane…" Susan had time to breathe.

These were the dead of the hospitals. Men and women emaciated by age, children stolen before their time, bodies ravaged by cancers and infection, broken by trauma. They had all broken free of the cold storage of the morgue and was now standing, staring at them with empty hunger in their eyes.

"Son of a – " Zaru began.

The undead came at them in a howling, screaming horde, forced into unnatural life and driven mad by the sheer insanity of that perversion.

Zaru didn't think, didn't have the time to as he hurled himself to the side. A silver arrow tore through the wave of walking dead, clipping the fur from his tail as Zaru yelped. The black-wreathed fletching drilled itself into the wall, plastering crumbling to dust revealing wood and pipes beneath. The wood beams began to rot before their eyes, collapsing into splinters and sawdust as the steel began to rust, falling away in flakes. In the space of a breath a whole section of the wall had disintegrated into nothing but dust.

The undead screamed as they ran, swallowing up the ground between them and their prey in long bounding strides.

Ruach exploded, tearing through the first line, bodies flying. Jason roared, blood flying from his mouth, and white fire smashed into the undead. Skulls were caved in, limbs snapped but still they came, bleeding and broken, limping and crawling.

The sceptre in her hands, the twisted metal writhing as the rubies pulsed again and again, bursts of blood-red light flying. An undead was torn in half, legs convulsing wildly on the ground as its top half dragged itself forwards, bowel and blood spilling all over the ground.

Baron Samedi's skull-like face twisted into a sneer and he raised his fingers, clicking them with the sound of a gunshot.

Susan cried out as the ground beneath her suddenly heaved, gnarled hands shooting out of a once concrete floor that now cold grey dirt. Cold fingers closed around her ankle dragging her down as Susan screamed, trying to break the iron grip. Zaru was instantly there, biting and tearing, ripping the hand apart as Susan pulled her leg free.

"MOVE! MOVE!" the leopard roared.

The floor was gone, revealing the dirty beneath. And every square inch of that earth was now bulging outwards, the monsters within clawing their way to freedom and light. Only the paved paths winding through the graveyard remained untouched, offering the slightest glimpse of safety.

Jason was gasping for breath, the wound in his belly freely spilling blood, the warmth and the iron tang calling the ravenous undead to him

"COME ON!"

Susan grabbed him by the collar, dragging him as they ran. A geyser of dirt exploded in front of them, an undead snarling furiously, one half its face a putrid mess of rot and maggots.

Zaru threw himself forwards, ripping into the zombie. It fell apart at a touch but the god's touch was still on it, its dismembered hands darting forwards like a frantic insect, its skull hitting the ground, teeth gnashing wildly.

"Leave me…" Jason coughed, ruach flaring weakly, pushing the undead away for a brief precious second.

"Maybe say that without bleeding all over me!" Susan snapped back.

An arrow struck the ground before her, a long fragment of concrete crumbling to dust as Susan's head jerked to the side. Baron Samedi smiled, mocking her rage, her ineffectiveness.

She cried out, giving into the voice that told her to kill, red light exploding out of her sceptre. It crashed through the undead, smashing them, tearing them apart but the bolt faded away before it even got close to the god of death.

"I think I will finish what I started."

The Baron was there, suddenly in front of them. He seemed to grow, to tower over them, a howling cackling thing of destruction rising to the ceiling. He pointed at Jason, at the bleeding fading Seeker.

"I will kill you and turn you and make you rip them apart!"

Ruach flew but it was weak, splashing harmlessly against Samedi. But even that drained the blood from Jason's face and chased the breath from his lungs. Susan thrust her sceptre forwards, a burst of red energy howling through the air. It broke the illusion the Baron had weaved, the monstrous construct in dominating the room disappearing. But the death god still remained, silver arrow aimed straight at them.

The undead were silent, waiting and watching, like faithful hounds waiting for their master's word.

"When Belphegor told me there were god-slayers after me I never imagined it would be such a bedraggled trio," Baron Samedi's voice caressed each word, filling them with amused contempt, "The only one with real power is bleeding his life away. A mere girl and a cat."

His eyes passed scornfully over Zaru, dismissing him without thought.

"We are not after you!" Susan yelled back at him, "I have only come for what is merely mine. Give me the bow and I swear we will leave you in peace."

The Baron studied her, thoughtful.

"You could be telling me the truth. But you forget one little one. To bargain you must have something I want or be in a position to threaten me. As you can plainly see..." he swept his arm around encompassing his army of undead, "You have neither."

There was nothing Susan could say to that, she stood, defiant, her mind desperately trying to formulate a plan.

"I thought the Lady in the Lake killed you!" she cried desperately, trying to buy time.

Samedi snorted.

"The Lady I brought back? You think a mere phantom and an afanc can finish me. They're dead. Just as your friend will soon be…"

Jason was grey beneath the sweat on his face, he tried to glare at the death-god but even that seemed to test his strength, a pained grimace spasming his features. The Seeker was swaying, the patch of red on his shirt almost swallowing up his whole midriff.

"Death creeps up on him as it creeps up on you all. Step by step, day by day, each breathe you take bringing you closer to the end. Nothing can defeat death. Nothing can defend death. It is the only absolute in the all the worlds," Baron Samedi aimed its arrow straight for Susan's heart, "It takes kings. It takes city. It takes gods. Nothing can stop death and I am death!"

Zaru dropped into a crouch. His face was set, his ears pinned back to his head.

"Give me cover Susan," he bared his teeth at the god, at the undead, at the world itself.

How dare this thing threaten his queen? How dare it think they were weak?

The leopard growled.

"Just so you know," he spat at the god, "You have about... five minutes left to gloat."

"Left?" the Baron chuckled, delighted by Zaru's show of defiance like an adult bemused by a child's tantrum.

Black light leapt to the arrowhead, one touch and Zaru or Susan would wither, teeth falling from their mouths as cataracts blinded their eyes.

Zaru tensed.

"Susan –" the leopard repeated.

Jason was leaning heavily against the queen, his breath short and harsh. For all the blessings and gifts Susan had amassed, she could not even come close to hurting the god. They possessed more, more strength than Zaru could ever hope to. And if they failed...

Anyone else would've been crushed by that thought but Zaru held strong. They were family and where one could not stand, the others would rise in their place and here Zaru was going to make his stand.

"- GIVE ME COVER!" Zaru roared as he launched himself forwards.

Susan stabbed out with her sceptre, crackling red energy flying at the Baron as Zaru ran. She had no idea what the leopard had in mind and she didn't care. She trusted him and that was that.

Susan's attack punched straight through the undead, every zombie detonating as Zaru charged straight through the destruction, nimbly dodging the burning remains that rained down all around him. It slammed into the Baron, red light flaring as the death-god reeling, blinded but unharmed.

And in just that moment Zaru lunged.

Baron Samedi roared as Zaru's teeth snapped around the arrow he had placed to bowstring, carefully missing the black light coiled around the arrowhead. A wrench of the leopard's head and the shaft was torn from the death-god's grip. Zaru hit the ground and in one swift movement, he threw his head to the side and stabbed the arrow straight into the Baron's thigh.

Susan's eyes widened as the Baron dropped her bow, staggering back, grabbing at the arrow.

"What have you done?" he was shocked, stunned, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"

Black smoke poured from the wound as the undead began to convulse, their eyes rolling into the back of their heads.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" The Baron shrieked.

"You said it yourself," Zaru's smile showed teeth and little else, "Nothing can withstand death. Everything dies."

Baron Samedi's eyes widened as his own powers poured through his veins. He screamed as the muscles in his leg began to atrophy, withering away as the bone beneath turned to dust.

"Even gods," Zaru finished coldly.

"NO! NO! NO!"

The undead collapsed, life fleeing their rotting bodies as Baron Samedi fell, howling, weeping, begging.

"NOOO!"

Susan watched with cold eyes, this monster had killed a whole town and wanted mercy? She marched over to him and scooped up her bow, shoving his grabbing hands away. She wrenched the quiver and its silver arrows from his back, uncaring of his pained screams.

His skull-like face was no longer the only bare bone on his body, his leg was one shaft of yellow-white bone and the rot was spreading.

"Please..." Samedi begged.

"Come on Kylee!" Susan roared at the heavens, "I know you want something from this!"

She walked to Zaru, curling her fingers in his fur, silently thanking him. They turned their backs on the dying god, striding to where Jason swayed on the spot.

"So you're not completely useless," he growled at the leopard.

"How many gods have you stopped?" Zaru yawned as if he hadn't just risked his life in an insane gamble.

The Baron's screams had died down into bubbling sobs, his suit unravelling, wearing away to nothing before their eyes. He was naked, every line and every blemish the ravages of age had inflicted on him clear to see.

"KYLEE!"

"I'm here! I'm here!"

There was rush of wind and sound and the blonde demon was suddenly there in front of them, smirking at Susan's furious face.

"Good job."

She was dishevelled, soot-stained but her impish, mocking smile was still firmly on her freckled face.

"Ahh... Samedi," she laughed at the god as he turned to look at her, hate burning in his eyes, "I must thank you Susan. I need him – "

"It wasn't me," Susan said flatly.

" – but I didn't have the powers to hurt him," Kylee towered over Samedi, studying him, "This... this has been a huge help."

Baron Samedi spat at her.

"You treacherous – "

'_Stop,' _it was spoken in a whisper but Zaru shuddered feeling the power behind it.

Every single part of the death-god froze, each the terrible aging that was eating through him stopped. A wave of her hands and the Baron vanished from sight. Susan felt sick. They had just given the demon a god, she had no idea what Kylee was planning but what it was... it could not bode well. She shoved her panic aside, taking refuge in anger.

"What now?" she hissed, "Where's my ring?"

"All in good time your majesty," Kylee chuckled, "But hey, you got your sceptre, your daggers and your bow back. That's something isn't it?"

Ruach danced across Jason's skin but the Seeker could not summon the strength to hurl it at the demon. Kylee watched him, her smile growing wider.

"The ring will wait. But for now I have other business to attend to," she cocked her head, "And since I'm in a good mood..."

She raised her hand as Susan and Zaru tensed.

"How about a family reunion?"

She snapped her fingers and an invisible storm buffeted the queen and her companions, spinning them around wildly until the cemetery was a blur. There was a flash of light and Susan found herself standing in the middle of a sprawling garden, verdant grass stretched out on all sides. Heat and smoke punched her hard.

"What – " she looked around frantically and her eyes widened as she stared at the burning palace before her, "Where are we?"

. . . . . . .

"You must know something. Anything!"

Dorothy drew the sheets around her as though putting on a suit of armour, trying to shield herself from their questions, their accusatory gazes.

"I don't know," her throat was raw.

She coughed and blank phlegm flew from her mouth, her lungs protesting angrily at all the smoke it had inhaled.

"I don't know where they took her."

Caspian rocked back on his heels, his face pulled into a scowl. With a snarl, he kicked at the wall, denting the plaster. Luckily they were in one of the privates rooms of the infirmary and there was nobody else to witness the king's anger.

The demons had vanished. Taking with them Inara and leaving behind death and destruction. He thought they had defeated the demons, had wounded them but they had come back and strike at the very heart of Paxton's empire, showing the world and their enemies they were not afraid of anything, even the man prophesied to destroy them all. The king cursed and kicked the wall again.

"You were allies with the demons. Surely you must know where they might've taken her," Edmund's voice was calm, level, "Anything you could think of..."

Dorothy gave him a wry look.

"I worked with Asmodeus. Belphegor was the one who took her. I have no idea where his bases are."

Frustration lit a flame in Edmund's eyes but he swiftly tamped it down. Hot heads would only blunder here, if he wanted to save Inara he would have to be stone. His mind quickly flicked through what he knew, trying to see if there was anything he missed, any avenue –

Edmund cursed.

"We need Ezekiel."

Dorothy flinched as Elias gaped at the king.

"Ezekiel?" it came out in a strangled cry, "That's the man who told me to build the Ophanim Machine. The machine that tried to kill me and did kill a lot of innocent people!"

"He tortured me," Dorothy's voice was a mere whisper.

He was stone. He was ice. He was anything but outraged and disgusted and horrified. What had to be done had to be done. He had thought it through already, tried to think of some way, some ruse that meant he did not have to deal with the devil but Edmund could see no other way.

And this what he had always done. Where Peter charge in bull-headed, ranting about insulted honour; where Susan refused to act, hiding behind her propriety and embroidery; where Lucy was simply too young and innocent to understand, Edmund would be the one who studied the tides and currents of the situation, who planned and acted.

He had shielded his family from a lot – from things that had to be done, secrets that had to be kept. Because sometimes feelings, his and others, were just luxuries that could not be afforded.

Caspian nodded.

He understood all too well the games that had to be played in times of war and peace. The Telmarines had been masters of the games of the court, scheming and fighting with swords and words to gain power and prestige. Enemies were enemies and you never forgot that but that didn't mean they couldn't be used.

Memories of the Telmarine court brought back memories of his aunt. Fear stabbed him but Caspian pushed it away. He had to focus on what he could do now not on what could've been.

"We have to. Ezekiel has visions of the demons. He's the only one who can find where they took Inara."

"We can always bargain," Elias countered, "Offer up Abaddon's knife for Inara."

"A double cross?" Caspian shook his head, "To do we would have to announce to the world the demons managed to kidnap their precious saviour's daughter."

Dorothy sighed.

"There will be rioting in the streets," she said quietly.

"And if we wait for Kylee to contact us, she'll have the advantage. She can set the place and time," Edmund said decisively, "We need to strike at her before she can do that."

Elias sighed.

He knew they needed the priest seer but he couldn't bring himself to say it out loud. Ezekiel was dangerous and not because he was strong or even particularly cunning. The man believed, he believed with every fibre of his being that he was saving the world. Nothing else mattered, nothing else counted. He would slit a child's throat and not even feel sick. And worst of all he could make others believe the same.

"Paxton has already ordered Ezekiel back... after this disaster."

The smell of smoke still hung thick in the air. The flames were long dead but the train that had smashed through the building was still buried deep in the rubble. Bodies were still being recovered, so soon after the disaster at the Ophanim complex. Misery heaped upon misery, something had to give, had to break.

Elias shuddered as he suddenly realised that a storm had been building. One more push and it would set this world ablaze.

"We still have to find a way to make sure Ezkiel is not lying to us," Edmund pointed out dryly.

Caspian let out a harsh bark of laughter.

"So you want a mind reader?" the king smirked.

The door suddenly swung open as all four of them looked up. A young girl, one of Ms. Tang's aide was there. She had the same barely concealed fear on her face that all the palace workers seemed to have. And no wonder, their world was crumbling. Paxton was meant to stand against the demons, to shine heaven's light on them and burn them out of existence. But they had struck a deadly blow, attacking him in his own home and he had been powerless to stop them. The end of days was here if you believed the tales and Paxton was already on his deathbed.

"Lord Paxton has asked for your presence in his rooms," despite her terror her voice was steady, Ms. Tang had trained her well, "All of you."

"Why?" Elias blinked.

"They have been... some new arrivals. If you will?" the girl gestured.

Caspian helped Dorothy out of her bed, the woman leaned against him, her head pounding painfully.

. . . . . . .

The minotaur flew at her and Inara, gasping for breath, bleeding from a dozen places was forced to dive out of the way, deadly kicks missing her by mere millimetres. Inara landed and rolled, lashing out, kicking the beast's legs out from under him. She spun to her feet, charging with a fierce cry.

"CRACK!"  
She booted the minotaur straight in the face and it roared. Eyes silver, Inara stomped down on its neck and there was a crunch. The minotaur went still as Inara straightened her aching muscles, glaring up at the glass-paned observation deck, a smirking face taunting her.

"I'm going to kill you!"

She had woken here, face first in the cold dirt. It was like the Coliseum of old, a battle arena with walls too high for her escape. Minotaurs, the black-furred armoured monsters she had battled in the Ophanim complex, sent in to battle her, some unarmed, some wielding crude metal blades. Inara was exhausted, limping, blood oozing from cuts and scrapes, bruises aching all over her body. But her eyes were still as clear and angry as before, the fire of her rage forcing her on.

'_Really?' _Kylee's voice was filled with delight as it came through the loudspeakers on the walls _'These minotaurs are Jill's special little pets. She had them bred and trained by Marcos himself. In case you haven't noticed they're a lot stronger than the average minotaur.'_

An alarm blared and red lights flashed as the metal steel doors ringing the square patch of compacted dirt opened. Inara gritted her teeth as dark eyes blazed out from the shadows, a dozen minotaur shambling out, grunting and snuffling wetly.

'_And here I am helping you train for the big fight. You really should thank me Inara.'_

Inara shifted into a battle stance, her body shrieking in agony as the monsters charged as one.

. . . . . . .

The doors swung and Susan leapt to her feet, bruised, battered and bloodied but with a smile on her face. Zaru looked up, gave a single yawn and let his head drop, the leopard clearly exhausted. Paxton sat on the side of his desk, his face unreadable.

"Edmund!" Susan ran to her brother, the king gaping at her in shock.

The queen grabbed him, crushing him in a hug as Edmund yelped in surprise. His first instinct as always was to push her away but the fight suddenly went out of him. He relaxed into his arms and smiled.

He had been through so much, had lurched from one danger to the next he had almost forgotten about his sister and his brother. Almost but a small part of him had always been worried, praying they were safe.

His smile fell as he suddenly remembered where Peter was.

Susan pulled back and peered at him, the motherly concern on her face achingly familiar even after all this time. He forced himself to grin again, to show her he was alive and well.

Susan smiled back, showing him the same. She studied his face and a knot of worry in her chest loosened. That haunted look he had in the eyes, the one that he had tried so desperately to hide was gone. The guilt that had threatened to engulf him had abated. What stared back was the Edmund she knew, the Edmund of the Golden Age, the king who danced with swords and words for his kingdom and family. Her smile widened.

Susan's eyes flicked over to Caspian, Elias and Dorothy and she blinked.

"Where's Peter?' the queen asked, "Where's Inara?'

Caspian grimaced.

"What?" the queen stared at them, "Where are they?"

. . . . . . .

"This is a fine mess," Susan said finally.

She looked at Caspian, Edmund and Elias and they looked exhausted as she felt. They had each fought their own battles, had faced their own demons but there was still work to do.

Her fists clenched.

Inara...

They had to rescue her, had to get her away from Kylee as soon as possible. But how? They were crippled, missing Peter and Jason, who had been rushed to the infirmary as soon as they had come into the palace proper. Two of their strongest fighters out of commission. And she and Zaru were little better, still drained from their titanical struggle with a death-god.

"When is Ezekiel arriving?"

"Soon," Paxton's voice and face was haggard.

He was reeling from all that had happened. The attack on the palace, the death of the gifts from heaven and on top of all that his daughter...

What had he done wrong? Why was he being punished? And more importantly how could he fulfil his destiny, how could he save the world when he was so weak, so pathetic that he had allowed his own people to be hurt?

Paxton had never felt so tiny, so pathetic in his life. He had wept in that moment when the gifts of heaven had faded, that final desperate flickers that beasts had given him burning to nothing.

What had he done wrong?

That question haunted him.

"He is being transported from the airport as we speak," Paxton reported, "He should be arriving soon."

Susan nodded but the frown remained on her face, the queen trying to find her next move.

"So we hope that Ezekiel has a vision where the demons are?" Dorothy asked, "Then what? You can't exactly go in guns blazing, the demons are too strong."

"I can make duplicates of my weapon," Elias offered, "That could give us an edge."

"But we can't kill them," Caspian pointed out, "If the demons fall..."

Paxton scowled.

"Nonsense," his voice was rough, "How can you sit there defending them? Look at what they did here! Do you know how many innocent people have died because of them?"

"I am not saying we stand aside and let them do what they will but we can't just charge in and kill them either!" Caspian spat, his patience at a limit.

Paxton was blind, blinkered by his obsession and arrogance. He refused to see what was there in front of him, refused to believe anything that did not fit neatly into his comfortable little world. It was a hubris any leader could ill afford.

"We have to capture them... alive," the king finished with a grimace.

"The horsemen!" Paxton laughed, "The demons are lying."

"No," Susan said softly.

She remembered the dream, the vision she had in the moments before she awoke in Asmodeus's lair. She had dreamt of Aslan's last stand, had seen Gavin and the four monsters that had overwhelmed the Great King of Narnia. A red mist that became an army of men and warhorses, a black mist that devoured all it touched, a white light that burned and destroyed and an undead that wielded a blade.

No. The horsemen were not a lie, not an illusion, they had once walked the earth until Aslan had defeated them. If they were strong enough to attack Aslan Himself.

"It's not a lie."

Her voice was soft but it filled the room, Paxton gaped at her but her bleak look gave him no ammunition for an argument.

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in!" Paxton commanded, his voice ringing, finding confidence again in the normal.

The doors swung open and Ms. Tang stepped in. A livid bruise marked her cheek, a sign of where she had hit the ground. But if Kylee's easy overpowering of her had damaged her confidence the woman did not let it show.

"Ezekiel has arrived," she did not even blink at seeing Susan or Zaru.

Paxton nodded and the woman stepped aside. Two men, mere boys despite the stubble on their chins, stumbled in, clad in the rough shifts that all of Ezekiel's acolytes wore. They fell into a deep bow as the man himself swept into the room. His arm was still in a cast but whatever pain he felt was lost in a swamp of fervour and righteous belief. His eyes were shining, his smile wide and victorious.

The priest had returned to the kingdom, the king had recalled his advisor! Let them who besmirched his gifts, his dedication look upon this day and weep in shame! The warrior of heaven had spurned him and had now seen his folly. Any lesser man would've punished Paxton but Ezekiel was above such human weaknesses.

"I have come," he said dramatically, hands outraised.

Zaru sniggered. The seer ignored him.

"I know what you seek and I have seen it. I have seen the demons and know their abode."

Susan glanced at Zaru. The leopard nodded ever so slightly, all he could smell on the man was the fever of his zeal. But no sharpness, no bitterness to indicate a falsehood.

"But I saw more," Ezekiel's eyes swept the room, delighting in the fact that everyone was watching him, hanging off his every last word, "I have seen a way to cure the High King."

Susan and Edmund leapt to their feet, the same crystal blue eyes wide.

"What?"

Zaru had risen, knowing the priest was telling the truth. Ezkiel smiled at the stunned faces arrayed before him, eyes gleaming with triumph.

"Shall I show you?"

. . . . . . .

Inara jerked, icy cold water numbing her skin as Kylee smirked, lowering the bucket.

"Rise and shine sweetheart!" the demon jeered.

Inara looked up, drenched to the bone, her hands bound to shackles strung by chains to the ceiling. She glared at her captor, bedraggled, bruised and still bleeding. Inara winced, her last memory being a swarm of bull-headed beasts, a sea of bodies crushing her until its weight as hard fists and feet found her body again and again.

A low moan left her lips as Kylee's grin widened.

"You should spruce yourself up," Kylee wagged a finger at her, "We've got important guests coming soon!"

"Yes," Inara managed to ground out, "Let's do each other's hair and nails and eat cookie dough! And afterwards we can talk about our feelings a lot."

. . . . . . .

"You know it's such a shame I had to hurt you. I genuinely like you," the demon tapped the bars that separated them with her finger, "But unfortunately a sometimes girl's got to do what a girl has to do. No hard feelings?"

Inara glared up at her.

"Sure, when I drive my fist into your face," the half-Naga managed to smile, "Then all will be forgiven."

Kylee chuckled, clapping her hands at Inara's daring.

"I'm giving you two hours. You better rest after that I'm chucking you straight back into the pit."

Inara said nothing, her eyes burning as she glared at the demon. Kylee's smile faltered ever so slightly but it flicked back into place as she turned.

"Hey."

The demon turned and stared at her prisoner. Inara looked up, her eyes blazing, her face set into a cold mask of determination. She was hurting, bleeding but far from broken, far from defeated. Kylee stared at her and stared into the eyes of a warrior.

"You're a dead woman... man... thing walking," Inara said flatly.

Kylee blinked, a shudder running through her before she recovered, sneering and turning away as Inara smiled, her eyes flashing silver.

. . . . . . .

Peter lay wan and still on his bed, an unmoving form of pale skin and golden hair. There was no sign of life in that body, none of the strength and fire Edmund knew was there and it terrified him. The Just King cursed the demons, remembering all too well the hell the demons had put his brother through.

They had shot him, had made him lose control of his powers and when Kylee had promised to help... she had left him in this unending sleep.

Edmund's fists clenched and he had to remind himself all over again why the demons had to be kept alive.

"I saw this in a dream," Ezekiel stood over Peter, his eyes studying the king, "The prophets themselves descended down on – "

"Just get on with it!" Jason snarled from his own bed across from them.

The Seeker had been patched up again, the sword stab from Morgana stitched up. He had even been given blood through the drip in his arm, Jason having almost bled to death in the fight against Samedi.

Ezekiel turned hot hateful eyes onto the Seeker but Jason matched him look for look. The seer tore his gaze away and knelt down next to peter, hands clasped in a prayer.

Zaru felt prickles brush up against his skin as Ezekiel began to speak, his words hushed, too quiet even for the leopard to hear. Susan yelped as ice sliced into her skin, Dorothy reeling as she clutched at her mouth, frantically trying to still her stomach.

The words got louder but Zaru did not know what they meant. They were alien, harsh and guttural.

Caspian endured with gritted teeth, ice and fire roiling through him, his skin burning as a deadly chill stole into his bones. Elias was grabbing at the bed, the sound of wolf's howling loud in his head as the world spun wildly around him.

Paxton stood without a flicker of emotion on his face, his eyes set on his priest.

Ezekiel continued to pray and the words seemed to suddenly have meaning. Zaru could pick out a pattern, a rhythm like the beating of a heart and the words seem to whisper of light and fire, of power returning and the darkness fleeing before its might.

"AMEN!" Ezekiel screamed.

Silent thunder crashed the room, all of them staggering, clutching at their head, their gut, at their joints and everything that hurt. Nausea hit them with the force of a pounding wave, pain searing through every nerve.

But it was done. It was done.

Peter's eyes flicked open, wide and blank, his pupils full and dilated.

The pressure in the room suddenly released, vanishing as they stared at the High King, afraid to breathe, afraid to move and –

Peter's eyes focused and a shuddering breath convulsed his body.

"PETER!" Susan threw herself beside her brother, "PETER!"

A frown twisted Peter's face.

"PETER!" Edmund echoed his sister's cry, "PETER!"

The High King blinked.

"Peter," Caspian stood beside Susan, touching her shoulder as she wept, "PETER!"

They were all calling his name, trying to pull him back from the world of dreams and into the land of the living.

"PETER!"

Peter blinked again, coughs wracking his body. His limb suddenly flailed, knocking Susan and Edmund away

"PETER!"

And Peter sat up, blinking at them, struggling for breath.

"Where – " his voice was a croak, "Where – what happened?"

He yelped as Susan threw her arms around him, crushing him tight as Edmund wept unashamedly.

"Welcome back," Caspian said warmly as Peter stared at them all in open astonishment, "Welcome back."

"What – " a muscle jerked in Peter's face.

Zaru suddenly yelped as he smelt lightning and fire and ice.

"GET AWAY!"

The High King screamed as lightning and green flames burst from his body. He pushed, shoving Susan and Edmund away, terror on his face as he fought the storm that threatened to pull him apart.

"No..." his powers writhed, thrashing under his control, "NO!"

"DOWN!" Jason roared as a bolt of lighting crashed into the wall, setting plaster ablaze.

Peter looked at Jason desperately, begging the Seeker to help him. Jason pointed and white fire exploded forwards, slamming into Peter and clubbing him into oblivion.

Lightning faded, green fire died.

Susan stared at her unconscious brother, trembling.

"Is there..." she hated to say what she had to say next, "Is there anywhere we can keep him safe?"

Paxton was ashen faced, shaken to core. Even with all the gifts the beasts had once given him, he did not have a fraction of the power he had just witnessed. He felt small again, a nothing in the face of the world. Paxton fought down the urge to empty his stomach.

"Yes," he forced himself to speak, "We have cells in the basement."

Susan looked down at her brother, silently begging his forgiveness.

"We need to move him before he regains consciousness," she looked at Ezekiel, "Then you'll tell us where the demons are."

. . . . . . .

The two crystal caskets laid in an open field, light glinting off their diamond-like edges. Through the burnished surface, through the rainbow haze, two forms could be seen in, one in each case.

"When do we move?"

Jill was sprawled beneath the shade of a sycamore tree, her fingers idly combing through the grass. It was a summer's evening, the sun dying in a blaze of glorious red in the sky but yet the heat of the day still lingered, the clouds having long fled.

"It is still not time."

Eustace stood by himself, swathed in black, but if the heat touched him the agent of the darkness did not show it. His eyes were staring straight ahead, at something only he could see.

"I must confess I'm slightly confused."

Jill flopped onto her stomach and peered through the fences at the next paddock beyond. Her minotaurs, her own special entourage, were making a meal of the sheep and horses they had found, their blunts teeth grinding through bone and gristle, their fronts painted with blood.

One of the beasts roared, aware that their mistress's eyes were on them. The minotaurs instantly swung their heavy heads to look at her, waiting faithfully for orders but Jill merely flicked her fingers letting them go back to their meal.

"I must confess I am slightly confused."

Eustace said nothing, still as a statue. He was standing guards before the Ophanim Machine, the wheels of fire dead and cacked in soot, nothing like the spinning, whirling nightmare of flames that had punched a hole through the worlds themselves.

"I mean we have three of the vessels but where's the fourth?" Jill asked, "I mean it's certainly not me. So..."

Eustace glanced at her and Jill laughed as though he had just divulged a great secret.

"Ooo... naughty, naughty," she wagged her fingers, "I see. So when does all this happen?"

Eustace looked at the skies and tasted the winds. He blinked.

"Soon," his voice held a tone of finality, "Soon."

. . . . . . .

"Here are the satellite pictures of the place in question," Ms. Tang touched a button and images flicked onto the screen.

It was a warehouse, just one building in an abandoned lot, a place for rats and cockroaches and little else. Dilapidated, non-descript, hardly the place for spawns of evil to gather.

"It looks innocent," Ms. Tang said, "Until you apply some heat sensors onto the area."

Another image and suddenly the warehouse as the centre of a bloom of pure red, a neat circle that encompassed the whole building on all sides.

"We have no idea what it means but it does mean there's a lot of energy around that place."

"Does anybody want to takes bets we got anywhere near that we'll need to glue our limbs back together?" Zaru asked.

Susan looked at him warningly but there was no heat in her gaze, the queen all too aware the leopard's joke might be all too real.

"So what options do we have?"

"Kylee's strong. Asmodeus himself said it multiple times," Dorothy offered, "If we walk into that place... it'll be a trap."

"And we're out of people with superpowers," Edmund pointed out, "Peter's..."

The king's face turned dark.

"Jason's too hurt to move and Paxton..."

The blood drained from Paxton's face but he said nothing as Edmund grimaced.

"I can use my sceptre," Susan argued.

Caspian shook his head.

"Kylee had your sceptre and bow... chances are she knows have to counteract them," the Telmarine countered.

Elias sighed.

"So we can't risk attacking her directly... maybe we have to make an offer to her. Trade Abaddon's knife for Inara. Draw her out," the scientist wondered when treachery and bargaining had become as easy as breathing to him, "Force her onto our ground."

"If she wanted the knife she would've said something by now," Edmund shook his head, "No there's something else going on here. She wants something but it's not the knife."

That did not sit well. They were in the dark enough without have to speculate of more poisonous schemes and dealings. Susan closed her eyes, worry for Inara assailing her.

What were the demons doing to her? Was she safe? Was she in pain? Questions with no answers flew into her mind, each other drawing up darker and darker thoughts as Susan felt sick.

But as Edmund had done, Susan forced ice into her veins.

"We're exhausted, "she said decisively, "And we're not getting anywhere."

She happened to look at Dorothy and blinked at the strange expression on the woman's face. But as soon as she had seen it, it vanished, Dorothy looking back at her passively. Susan frowned but continued.

"A night of rest will help us see things more clearly."

"But – " Paxton began heatedly.

Ezekiel said nothing and the man fell silent. He looked at Susan, Edmund and Caspian and jealousy stabbed him. How could people so young have so much experience? How could they walk around with the grace and air of true kings and queens when half the time he felt as though he was play acting, trying to act with an authority he did not believe?

Paxton should be glad they were here, that they wanted to save his daughter as much as he did. But he could not help the thoughts that began to fester in his mind,

He felt weak, vulnerable, felt as if anyone who looked at him could peer into his very soul and see all the terrible flaws and mistakes that stained his soul.

Paxton needed what Susan was offering, he needed to sleep and forget if only for a few short hours. But he could not. There was still too much to do.

"Yes," he tried to reassert his control, his place in the world, "We should rest."

Dorothy was the first to rise, her face unreadable. Edmund followed with a sigh, his face brooding, hating that they were forced into inaction. Elias left, no doubt rushing to his rooms to work on his latest inventions, trying to overpower ancient evil with new technology.

One glance at Susan and Caspian and the heated gazes between them and leopard left.

Susan looked at Paxton, at Ezekiel and Ms. Tang. They would not be leaving, not when Paxton's daughter was in danger. He would keep them here until a plan could be made.

"Goodnight," Susan said gently.

She left, Caspian beside her. As soon as the doors closed behind them, Susan fell into Caspian's arms, clinging to him. He held her, nothing said between them, just the two of them standing in silence, enjoying this little moment of light amidst the darkness.

"I missed you," Susan said quietly.

In answer Caspian captured her lips. Susan allowed all her worries, all her fears to bleed out of her as she clung to him, hungrily matching him kiss for kiss. Spice, iron and leather; she could taste it all and Susan shuddered as warmth shot through her.

Caspian pulled away, panting for breath. A wide shameless sprawled across his face as he looked at her, his hair mussed and Susan couldn't help but feel a spark of pride at what she could do to the man.

This was so different to the men she had once dallied with, those boys back in London... she had always felt so ashamed, so small afterwards but here, with Caspian, she felt nothing but glorious, glorious joy.

Susan threaded her fingers through the king's. Caspian looked at her, his smile turning into a leer as Susan rolled her eyes.

They didn't say a thing as Susan led Caspian to their rooms because the way Caspian squeezed her hands in his said it all.

I love you.

She squeezed back.

I love you too.

. . . . . . .

The light switched on and Peter blinked, sitting up in his rough narrow cot. Dorothy was at the reinforced glass window, staring in at him, lips stretched thin, worry and fear written all over her smooth face.

"Do you know why I've come?" Dorothy asked.

Peter was instantly on his feet.

"Inara." Flat, toneless.

Dorothy nodded slowly.

"The demons have her."

Peter had heard it before but to hear it said aloud once more – it killed him. Peter raged at his helplessness, his own pathetic –

"NO!"

Blue sparks flew from him as Peter reeled, his anger giving life to his Gifts. Flames and lightning flew from his body, striking the walls as Peter trembled, struggling to master himself. Finally he stopped, chest heaving, gasping for breath.

"We can't break in. The facility is too secure. It would be suicide," Dorothy said staccato, her voice leeched of feeling.

"So what are you going to do? Leave her to die!" Peter screamed, "Abandon her like you've done your whole life!"

Dorothy stared back at him unflinching as Peter roared, ice gathering at his feet, climbing up to his knees before shattering into a thousand diamond-like fragments.

"Paxton used to beat me."

Peter froze staring at Inara's mother as she stared back at him, calmly, her face a frozen mask.

"Before Chelsea was born, he used to beat me. Again and again, every night, every day. I made excuses to my friends... my family and I pushed them away afraid that they would be caught in the crossfire," Dorothy said simply as if discussing the weather, "Did you know what it's like to live in the dark? To be afraid for your life every day?"

Peter smiled bitterly.

"I know," the memory of vampires redolent in his head, "Trust me... I know."

"I prayed for something, for someone to take it all away. I was weak," she said flatly, "Too weak to run, too weak to fight back. Paxton dominated me utterly, he ruled me. When Chelsea was born... he softened, he was such a good father to her and I... I..."  
Tears gathered in the corner of her eyes and she scrubbed them away angrily.

"And I stayed. I thought he had changed. When I was pregnant with Inara... he was ecstatic. We... both of us thought we were having a son... the doctors told us we were," Dorothy smiled bitterly, "When she was born, you should've seen the look on Paxton's face... he hates being made to look stupid. And the whole vicious cycle started again but this time... this time it was directed towards her... towards Inara."

"You sold your daughter to save yourself!" Peter snarled, "You were supposed to protect her! You were supposed to save her from that!"

"I know!" Dorothy screamed back at him, her facade cracking as angry tears spilt down pale cheeks, "I KNOW! I hate myself! I hate myself for being weak! I hate myself for standing aside and letting it all happened! But I was afraid... I was afraid that I would be the victim again. The ones with the bruises... I couldn't handle it..."  
Her voice broke.

"I just couldn't..."

Dorothy straightened, guilt on her face but also acceptance, the woman knowing she had to pay for what she had done.

"So I drank," her voice was soft, "I drank to run away. And when Inara finally chased that monster away... I was still scared. Scared Paxton would come back... so I continued to ignore her, to abandon her again and again."

Dorothy looked straight into Peter's eyes, the High King staring back at her, finally understanding, pity and disgust warring with him. Finally he softened his gaze as Dorothy smiled sadly.

"Don't forgive me. I don't deserve it," she pressed her face up against the glass, her eyes studying him carefully, weighing him up, "But I see you. I've heard what you feel for my daughter. You care about her."  
"Of course," Peter said testily, "She's my fri – "

Dorothy laughed, cutting him off .

"Don't be stupid!" she shook her head, amused, "More than that. You would die for her. And we both know why."

Peter gaped at her, his mind completely blank. Sheer gibbering panic filled him. What? What was this woman saying? Him and Inara? Inara and him? High King Peter the Magnificent and Inara Nixon, brash abrasive half-Naga warrior? IMPOSSIBLE! They annoyed each other, antagonised each other, bickered and fought over the smallest things! She teased him! Mocked him non-stop! For Aslan's sake, she called him PETEY!

But –

He remembered the times after Persephone, him with his useless hands, Inara with her powers gone, both cursed, both useless. They had seen each other then, stripped of all that was precious to them, useless, hiding their pain from the others but not to each other... never to each other. He had been in awe, amazed by her strength and courage, ashamed of his own weaknesses. He had fought on because of her, tried to be better because of her and for that... for that...

He loved her.

Peter's eyes widened as memories flooded him, flashes of different worlds, of nights when they would sit by sit, not needing to talk, just being there for each other. He remembered her smile, her laugh, her scowls, her fury and rage, her power and skill on the battlefield... he remembered her.

Inara. _Love._

Peter stared at Dorothy, still gaping.

"She needs you," the woman said quietly, "Asmodeus spoke of you. He feared you because he knew you had the powers to destroy even him."

Dorothy punched a button on the wall and the door to the cell slid open.

"Save her. She needs you."

And without hesitation, Peter walked out of his cell, determination etched on his face as for the very first time since the final battle of Charn, his powers were completely under his control, ready to be used. His Gifts raged, thrashing like hooked fish but Peter's grip was iron hard.

Inara needed him and he could not, would not, fail her.

. . . . . . .

There was a knock at the door and Susan rose from the bed, drawing the sheets around her bare form. She frowned at Caspian as his dark eyes sought her out in the shadows. A sword was already in his hands.

Susan picked up one of her daggers and cautiously went to answer the door. She pulled it open and gaped at her visitor.

"Peter!"

Her brother gaped at her dishevelled appearance as Susan flushed, quickly hiding behind the door.

"Who is – " Caspian blinked at the High King as Peter glared at the half-naked man.

A tense silence filled the air, broken only by the crackling sparks that raced across Peter's skin . Caspian watched him as a gazelle watched a lion on the plain, not backing down yet but ready to run if fire or lightning came flying at him.

"I don't want to know," The High King snapped suddenly, his voice cold enough to freeze fire.

"Peter."

Her brother turned his blue gaze onto her and Susan froze, seeing flinty light in there. Such a stubborn, determined look never bode well. But she met his eyes squarely, showing him she was not ashamed, that he was at fault here.

"I'm going to rescue Inara."

"By yourself?' Susan yelped.

Peter ignored her protest.

"I've healed Jason. And I've found us a safehouse."

"How – " Caspian stopped as he realised Peter must've used his Gifts, "Ah."

Peter looked at them both, no longer the disapproving older brother but as a general to his troops.

"We can't stay here. I don't trust Paxton. We need to regroup and figure out our next plan."

"So you want us to go to this place whilst you march off to fight the demons? Are you crazy?" Susan hissed, careful to keep her voice down.

"Nothing you say will stop me and you physically can't," Peter pointed out with maddening logic.

Susan cursed but knew he was right.

"Go. Here's the address," Peter pressed a small piece of paper into her hands, "Get the others. Be quick."

Susan nodded as Peter turned away from her. The High King suddenly stopped and glanced back at her.

"Oh and Su?" his voice was light, mischievous, "You might want to put on some clothes before you go."

Peter ducked hurriedly as a dagger shot past his head. Smirking to himself the High King ran off, readying himself for the fight to come.

. . . . . . .

Inara steeled herself, looking at the cages before her. Minotaurs stared back balefully, butting their heads against the bars. Silver bled into Inara's eyes but there was no mistaking the slight limp in her steps, the trembling in her limbs. The half-Naga was exhausted, running on empty fumes. But she would be damned before she admitted that to her captors.

"Are you going to let them out or what?" Inara yelled, her voice bouncing around the rusty metal walls, "I don't have all night."

She glared up at the glass box that dangled over the pit, trying to kill the spectators within with a mere thought and a gaze. Unfortunately that was one power she had yet to master.

Kylee chuckled. Beside her, Asmodeus sat in his chair like a king on his throne. His face was milk-pale, beads of sweat working their way down. His coat was thrown back, revealing the bandages that encircled his torso, red seeping through the white. Elias's weapon had struck true and Inara's blood had done its work.

The hellfire demon glared down at her, matching Inara's hate with his own.

Kylee giggled, reclining on a long velvet couch, a wraith-like girl fanning her with fans of feathers as another filled a clear crystal glass with rich red wine.

"Are you sure she's up to this?" Asmodeus snarled, "She looks like she can barely stand."

"Fancying her brother? She is pretty enough if a little on the thin side," Kylee asked.

Asmodeus snatched the glass from his brother, draining it in a single gulp. Kylee's smiled widened as she handed the glass back to her attendants, neither of the girls showing the slightest hint of emotion.

"I want her to suffer. Not perish in an instant."

"She'll be fine," Kylee soothed, "Trust me. I'm not done with her either."

She made a languid motion with her hands and the gates to the cages began to rise, chains and cranks squealing and rattling as Inara backed away, her eyes fixed on the minotaurs. They began to crawl forwards on all fours, their eyes blazing.

With a scream the first beast launched itself forwards, lashing out wildly as Inara blocked its blows, her body screaming in exhaustion.

"What games are you playing here brother?" Asmodeus spat, "Why are you toying with Aslan's champions. Why do you want them to be stronger? You know they will never fight for you."

Kylee's blue eyes flicked to him, the laughter gone and something much colder in its place.

"Just one of my little schemes. We'll see how it pans out soon enough," she said not answering the question at all.

Asmodeus growled but there was little he could do injured the way he was. He moved in his seat and instantly winced. He roared, black flames leaping into his eyes as Kylee ignored him, her eyes drawn to the desperate battle below.

The minotaurs roared with bestial voices, lunging as one at Inara as the half-Naga desperately tried to fend them off. She took a punch to the head, staggering back, Kylee's soaring laugh stabbed into her ears as blow after blow hit her, pain roaring through her. Asmodeus boomed, cheering the minotaurs on as Inara fell to her knees. The sound of the demons' jeers was the very last thing Inara heard before she folded under the weight of the attack, her screams cut off as she was crushed under a sea of bull-headed monsters.

. . . . . . .

Zaru studied his companions, his eyes easily cutting through the darkness and making out the expectant look on their faces. He nodded and turned away, thrusting his head out of the doorway. His ears twitched, on guard as he took another breath. Smoke still hung thick in the air but the leopard ignored it, fixing on the smell of flesh and gunpowder and cold purpose.

Guards.

He took another deep breath.

Faint. That was good, it meant they were far, not close enough to stop them even if the alarms went off.

He scanned the open lawn again, making sure there was nothing that stood in their way.

"All clear," the leopard reported.

Jason dropped the guards in his grip with a grunt letting the unconscious man fall to the ground. He stood tall, nothing to show that he had even been stabbed except for the pink puckered scar hidden beneath his shirt and battered coat.

The Seeker was furious that they had defeated Baron Samedi without him and he made up for it by being particularly vicious towards the guards they had encountered along the way, even Susan's hissed commands doing nothing to stop him.

"I still don't see why we have to sneak away in the middle of the night," Elias pointed out, juggling the bulging bag in his hands, "We are not prisoners here."

"I don't think Paxton would let us leave," Zaru muttered, "The man is about as sane as I am thin."

Elias had to admit the leopard was right. Suddenly he frowned.

"Wait. Are you admitting your fat?"

"Admitting?" Zaru's eyes flashed dangerously.

Ignoring them Caspian checked the guns he had stolen from the guards, clipping ammunition into place.

"We better hurry," the king said calmly, "Someone will find the guards."

They all glanced at Susan who nodded, her mind made up. Peter had been right, they needed to re-group, to consider their next move without Paxton or Dorothy trying to influence them. She had almost forgotten that. Paxton might've believed he was the warrior of heaven, the saviour of this world but they were Aslan's champions and they were the protectors of all the worlds. This fight was theirs and theirs alone.

"Move out," she commanded as Edmund smiled.

After all the disasters that had befallen them, all the ordeals they had to go through sneaking out of Paxton's palace was laughably easy. The fences were ruined, the train obliterating the whole front section of them, knocking out the alarms and lights in one swift blow as well.

They stole across the lawn, easily evading the patrolling guards and soon they were on the road away from the palace, not a shout of alarm chasing their footsteps.

Once they had made it into the city, disappearing into winding streets of lights and people, they stopped and glanced at each other.

Susan giggled first, fighting to stop the grin spreading on her face but she couldn't. Caspian joined in, adrenaline fading into amusement.

But soon the others were also laughing, falling against each other and Susan was glad, oh so glad that amongst everything they could still remember how to laugh.

. . . . . . .

Dorothy opened the doors to her room and stepped in, a smile on her face. She had saved Inara, after all that she had done to her daughter, she had finally found her a way to save her. It wasn't enough, did not absolve her of all her mistakes but it was something, a start. Dorothy felt lighter than she had felt in a long, long time.

"Hello Dorothy."

With gasp, the blonde woman spun and her blue eyes widened.

"YOU!"

Jill Pole smiled at her, her eyes complete black.

"I'm sorry but we really can't have you standing in our way."

"SHINK!"

Dorothy staggered, staring dumbly down at the dagger buried in her chest. She looked up, stunned, unable to comprehend what was happening.

"No – " her mouth opened and closed, blood spilling from her lips.

She was meant to do so much more. She had finally started on the road to redemption. She was meant to bring Paxton back to the light. She was meant to fix Chelsea.

No...

No...

Dorothy fell, her eyes emptying of life long before she hit the ground.

. . . . . . .

Peter narrowed his eyes staring at the squat concrete and metal building before him. His Gifts clashed and roiled through him, nerves and veins turned in hot writhing wires as they screamed their rage, longing to be free. Peter gritted his teeth, his body fighting the insane storm of conflicting, contradictory powers.

"Inara."  
And the knowledge of what he had to do stilled the thousand voices in him. His Gifts, his powers were wild and deadly strong but they could not match the force of his will, his cold determination... his love.

He could feel the power emanating from the ground before him, could feel the demon's protection around their lair. Peter raised his hands, weaving a symbol with his fingers, only vaguely aware of what he was doing, some obscure magical lore slipping into his head, instructions unfurling like a yellowed scroll as he finished with a flourish.

"INARA!" the cry sprung from his lips, his fear and his longing wound through each sound as lightning speared into the wall in a great silver and blue lance.

Concrete and metal was blasted apart, a gasping hole punched through the strengthened defences as weaving air around him, Peter made himself unseen, clothed in a shimmering veil of distorted light and wind. Without hesitating he marched forwards, lightning and fire dancing in his hands.

He would save Inara. He would save her even if it meant his death and Aslan help anyone who stood in his way.

With that in mind, Peter raised his hands and green flames razing everything in his path.

. . . . . . .

Paxton looked up as the door swung open. Ezkiel marched in, a determined look on the seer's face. Beside him Ms. Tang flowed into the room, elegant and graceful as always. The two could not be more unalike, the man who spurned luxury as sin, who burned with fanatic passion, blind and unwilling to see the parts of the world that he could not understand and the woman who delighted in the darkness of humanity, who twisted it and spun it in her wheel, spreading her influence across the globe. But he needed them both, shadow and light, ying and yang, balancing each other out perfectly.

"I have had a vision," Ezekiel said abruptly, "I know how to regain your former glory."

Paxton instantly leapt to his feet, hope setting his eyes ablaze.

"How?" he breathed desperately, "Please – "

But it was Ms. Tang who spoke, her damned smile as always curling her crimson limps.

"Susan and the others are planning to escape. Peter has already left," Ms. Tang reported.

"WHAT?" Paxton barked, "And you let them – "

"I let them," Ezekiel cut in.

Paxton stared at her, flabbergasted.

"What? We need them to – "

"No we do not," Ezekiel said strongly.

Paxton felt cowed by the sheer strength in his voice, the conviction, conviction he wished he had. He sat down heavily in his chair and the warrior gazed up at his prophet, hungry for what the man had to tell him, hungry for what he had promised.

"How?" he hated the way his voice broke.

But he hated the way he was now even more. A shadow of his former self, his glory snatched away. Paxton dreaded what the world thought of him now. He knew the news would be abuzz with the top stores of today – the demons' raids, his failures – splashed across every paper and screen. The world had looked to him as their saviour and he had failed them miserably. He was a nothing again, a pathetic nobody and now everybody knew it. He had not left his study, not wanting to endure the furtive glances from his servants, the sniggering mocking laughter. Shame burned through him and curled into a tight leaden ball in his gut.

"You might not like it."

"Anything!" Paxton roared at him, "ANYTHING!"

Ezekiel met his eyes and there was victory in his lean face.

"You need new allies," the prophet said finally.

"Who?"

To answer his question Ms. Tang crossed the study to the doors once more, throwing them open. The two who stood in the doorway made Paxton leap to his feet, scrabbling for the silver dagger in his drawer.

"GUARDS!" he roared but Ms. Tang slammed the door shut muffling his cries, "GUARDS!"

Jill and Eustace watched him, one blank-faced and expressionless, the other smiling with supreme satisfaction.

"What the hell is this?" Paxton barked at his two advisors.

"It's the only way my lord," Ms. Tang said silkily.

Paxton spluttered, his dagger tight in his hands, backing away from the two agents of the darkness.

"We're not here to fight," Eustace said calmly.

"Do you want to tell that to all the people you put in hospital? To the families of the people you butchered?" Paxton spat.

"Well clearly we got off on the wrong foot," Jill tutted, "But seriously we want to help."

Paxton glared at his prophet.

"These are you precious allies?" he spat, "These monsters?"

Ezekiel said nothing, his eyes focused only on the two people he had brought into the palace. Ms. Tang was hidden in the shadows along the wall, watching, waiting.

"We can give you your powers back. We can give you more power than you can possibly imagine."

Paxton froze as Eustace stepped closer towards him.

"You want to save this world?" the possessed boy asked calmly, "Our master only wants one thing from this world. He wants the demons dead just as you do."

"So as you can clearly see there's absolutely no reason why we can't be allies," Jill chimed in.

"You murdered my people!" Paxton spat at her but some of his anger had blunted, Eustace's words looping in his head.

"To be fair if Elias hadn't fought back so much we wouldn't have had to do all that," Jill dismissed casually.

Paxton gritted his teeth but held his silence, refusing to even look at Jill as he focused all his attention on Eustace.

"What are you offering?"

"You follow our command we will give you the power you desire. We will help you slay the demons and make you once more the beloved of this world. Your name will be etched forever in the lexicon of history, immortalised in legends and tales that will outlive civilisations. You will the glorious sunrise of a new empire, kings and rulers will bend at your feet and sweat fealty. For eternity they will speak your name and of your times as a golden age."

Eustace's voice was cold, clinical but still the story he spun made the breath stop in Paxton's throat. Everything he had ever wanted... He would save the world and finally they would see him for what he was meant to be – a hero, a king, a true man.

"How do I know this is not a trick? That you're not going to destroy this world?"

"Our master has no interest in this world beyond the destruction of the demons," Eustace countered.

Paxton laughed.

"And the horsemen?" he demanded, "We kill the demons, they ride free! I'm not going to let them destroy this world anymore than I'm going to let you."

"The horsemen will not touch this world," Eustace said calmly, "I swear that to you."

Paxton sneered at him.

"How can I trust the words of a murderer?"

"I can vouch for them," Ezekiel spoke out, "My lord. They speak true."

Paxton stared the tableau before him. The two monsters who had killed his people, Ezekiel, the man he trusted beyond all else and Tang, still not saying a word, her thoughts as distant as the moon. Could he trust the darkness? Paxton wanted to say no, to say it with an iron voice and mean it but a part of him wanted to listen, wanted to –

"Looks to me you have two choices. Trust us and the demons die. Trust us and the world is saved by you. Or you can try and do it alone and let the demons run rampant without your powers to control them. Need I also remind you your daughter is in their hands," Jill watched him, carefully, loving the way he flinched, "Paxton. Do you want your people to suffer? Do you want your daughter to suffer? I mean after all you put her through, isn't it time you finally did something good for her?"

The warrior of heaven stared at her. Could he fight the demons as he, stripped of the gifts Ezeiel had brought? And Inara...

He closed his eyes.

He had hurt her so much. There was so much shame, so much sin there that even if he saved the world a thousand times, cured all the diseases there ever was and brokered peace in all the nations he could never repay that debt.

"I urge you my lord," Ezekiel pressed, "You have to say yes. It's the only way to save the worlds."

For the world.

For Inara.

For him to become what he was meant to be.

He had to –

Paxton opened his eyes.

"Yes."

. . . . . . .

Kylee rose gracefully to her feet as the warehouse shook again, the stench of smoke flooding through the whole complex.

"What's happening?" Asmodeus demanded furiously as the very foundation of the complex rocked wildly.

His brother ignored him, shuddering as she felt her protections woven around the warehouse shatter.

"No!" her blue eyes were wide, "Impossible!"

Asmodeus screamed in pain as from out of nowhere a bolt of neon blue lightning struck him in the chest. He was thrown from his seat, the wooden chair exploding into flames. Asmodeus hit the ground, crying out as fresh blood splattered to the ground. He rose, furious, black flames in his hands but there was no one to attack.

"What..." Kylee looked around frantically, trying to see their attacker, "Who –"

Peter dissolved the veil of shimmering air around him, suddenly appearing before them as Kylee's eyes widened. Asmodeus merely watched the High King coolly.

"It is beyond idiocy to attack us head on!" the demon snarled.

Peter smiled back and his grin seemed to draw the heat from the room.

"Haven't you heard? My bullheadedness is almost legendary."

Asmodeus threw his hand forwards and a globe of black fire howled through the air at Peter stood, thoroughly unimpressed.

"Who the hell – " the demon began.

Green flames lashed out, swallowing the black and snuffing it out of existence. Asmodeus gaped as Peter gestured. Tendrils of heatless fire shot out from the High King grabbing onto Paxton and hurling him head-first into the wall as Kylee cried out.

"BROTHER!"

Asmodeus's head crunched against the concrete as Peter whirled on Kylee, flames and lightning whipping around his form.

"WHERE IS SHE?" Peter thundered, sparks flying from his eyes and body, "WHERE IS INARA!"

Kylee glared at him, shifting into a fighter's stance, hate written all over her pretty false face.

"She's in the pit below," she smirked, trying to throw the High King off, "I think she might even be alive."

Rage flared and Peter saw red.

"Stay!"

Cables and electrical wires burst out of the walls, snaring Kylee around the middle like snakes. The demon tore at them, breaking her bonds with her bare hands but more and more came, strangling her. Peter jabbed at her with one finger and lightning exploded from him. It coursed through the cables, the wires and Kylee was electrocuted, her screams cut off as her whole body convulsed wildly. The stench of burning flesh should've made Peter sick but he was too angry, too eager to see blood to notice it at all.

The lightning faded and Kylee was left panting amongst the melted cables, coughing up smoke and blood. She looked up slowly and grinned at him.

Peter electrocutes her again, hurling bolt after bolt of lightning at the demon. She didn't even have the energy to scream this time.

Black fire struck at him turned away at the last moment by a veil of green flames. Asmodeus was up again, bleeding, nausea roiling through the monster but the Sickness was upon him, the demon nothing more than a feral beast.

Asmodeus screamed, froth spilling from his mouth as Peter gritted his teeth. Green and black flames met, the glass buckling and melting as a wall of hellfire threatened to crash over Peter's head.

A slash of his hands and lightning sliced through the flames, hitting Asmodeus in the chest. The demon staggered, howling and gibbering wildly as Peter hurled more power at him.

Lightning and fire hammered at the demon from all sides, blasting him back. Electrical wiring rose from the ground, snaring the monster, trying to trip him up. Asmodeus roared and black flames whipped around him, pushing the attacks away.

But Peter was ready. He was stupid to lash out again and again, attacking Asmodeus with the battering ram. No... this required a surgeon's scalpel.

Another wave of lightning, another burst of green flames. Asmodeus defended himself with a wall of hell fire and as fire and lightning clashed, the demon grunting that's when Peter struck.

A cable flew out from the wall, grabbing Asmodeus by the neck, strangling him as the demon screeched like an animal caught in a snare.

Peter dove into himself and drew upon something he had never used before, something that had stolen into him in that last battle of Charn. Jadis's face flashed in his mind, cold and cruel and Peter threw that memory straight at the demon.

Ice gripped Asmodeus, shackling his limbs as needles of cold stabbed into his skin. He bucked, crying out but ice slid into his mouth, choking him.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Asmodeus screamed and howled as ice swallowed him all the way up to his neck, "I'LL KILL YOU!"

Peter ignored him. Kylee was out cold, her body still twitching ever so slightly as Peter ran to the edge of the viewing box and looked down below.

"INARA!" he screamed.

The minotaurs looked up at him, baying for blood as Peter pointed down at them.

"BOOM!"

Bodies went flying as Peter hurled lightning into the pit. It blew a crater into the floor as the High King searched desperately for any sign of the girl. All he saw was death and blood and monsters.

"INARA!"  
He threw lightning again, blowing a door apart and racing down the iron stairs descending into the pit. The few standing minotaurs screamed, eyes burning as their charged, head down, horns ready to gore the stupid human apart.

Peter stood fearless, his rage his fuel and his drug as he hurled curse after curse, spell after spell at them, the beasts falling to their knees in shrieking agony. He brought damnation and hell down on their heads and he didn't give one whit of damn.

"INARA!"  
And he saw her, bloodied and limp on the ground and ice sliced his heart in two.

"INARA!"  
He was instantly by her side, cradling her in his useless arms, hardly daring to breath as he stared down into her pale broken face.

"Inara..." Peter touched her cheeks, hate and fury and love burning through him, "Inara..."

She was cold, still.

"Inara..." he begged, "Please... wake up."

He sang, weaving a song of peace and serenity, a song of passion and love and desperation he poured every single drop of his power into her, hoping it was enough. Finally Peter let the song died and he peered into her face, waiting, praying.

Her eyes fluttered open.

His heart stopped.

"Hey..." she smiled weakly, "How do I look?"

Peter smiled through his tears.

"Inara..." his voice caught in his throat.

Inara frowned seeing the strangeness in his eyes.

"Petey?"  
And that old nickname made him laugh, his heart swelling to burst. And he knew, he knew for sure that he loved her and he had to tell her. Through all the lost and suffering they had stumbled through, she had been his constant, his rock and he would be damned if he didn't let her know whatever her own feelings.

"Inara... I love you."  
He kissed her, the lighting and fire in his soul nothing compared to what raced through him as the feel of her lips obliterated everything else in his mind.

. . . . . . .

And hopefully this doesn't tip Inara into Mary-Sue territory – granted it has been a long time coming. Anywho please, please, please review – the number of reviews I have been receiving has gone down over the last few chapters. Love it, hate it or meh tell me something so I know what I need to work on!


	76. The traitor

New chapter! Thank you for all your lovely reviews – they were much appreciated and helped me get through the sheer madness my life has been lately!

Disclaimer – what's mine is mine, what's not is not

**Across the World**

**Chapter 76: The traitor**

Inara yawned, sitting up as Peter laughed at her.

"Shut it!" she snapped.

Even with all of the healing Peter had poured into her Inara was still recovering from her brutal fights with the minotaurs, her body still struggling to knit itself back together. Peter bit his lip, remembering with a stab of fear all that had been done to her. Fury boiled his blood, the High King longing to tear apart the monsters who had did this to her.

Well, he could take it out on at least one of them.

When he had walked out of the pit Inara cradled in green flames beside him, he had been stunned to find Kylee gone, the cables that had held the demon in place limp and empty. But Asmodeus was still there, encased in ice up to his neck, the demon thankfully out cold. But tried as he might Peter could not track down the fire demon's brother, the blonde girl disappearing without a trace.

Peter sighed and looked at his love, a thought that still made him smile and gape all at the same time.

Despite all the healing bruises and scrapes still marred Inara's skin. She moved slowly and with many winces but she was as acid tongued as ever. She was also spitting mad and Peter felt genuinely sorry for Kylee knowing nothing could possibly Inara visiting justice on the demon and when she did...

He grinned.

The heavens themselves would quake.

"What are you grinning at?" she demanded grumpily, smoothing down her hair.

Inara grimaced, having drifted off to sleep for the sixth time today. She sighed, her limbs heavy with fatigue. The Naga coiled in the base of her mind slumbered, exhausted from all the fighting, her real mind not that far behind. But sleep held no comfort for her, horned shadows haunting her dreams. She shuddered remembering her last moments in the pit, the blurred memory of blood and pain, of a body hurting, a body that seemed so disconnected to her own. In that last second of awareness despair and acceptance had stolen into her and she had welcomed the end. Then there had been darkness, her exhausted body floating away from life and light and laughter ready to die then... then...

Inara smiled.

Peter.

She remembered the look in his face, the intensity in his voice then the kiss. Peter might be unbelievably aggravating and self-righteous at the best of times but damn... he knew how to kiss.

"Does that make me shallow?" Inara wondered aloud.

Peter frowned at her and she laughed, freer and lighter than she'd even been.

She knew it wasn't because of his kisses or his looks or the fact that he _was _High King Peter the Magnificent that drew her to him. It was his loyalty, his courage, his stubbornness (even if it did grate her now and then) and his passion. She had seen the High King at his best and at his worst, cursed and losing hope and faith in everything. Inara grimaced remembering dark days after Persephone, both of them cursed by Siobhan, both useless and a burden to their friends. It was then she had truly come to know Peter, the two relying on each other, supporting each other – the first time Inara had seen the man behind the king. And it was the man she had been hopelessly drawn to.

"What're you thinking?" Peter asked gently, a hint of unease in his voice.

She leaned against him, making herself comfortable as Peter waited, grimacing as she jabbed a elbow into his ribs.

He had been notoriously bad at courting women in the Golden Age, a fact that had provided hours of entertainment for his siblings and subjects. He still shuddered remembering some of the more humiliating faux pas. He did not want to make the same mistakes, especially not with someone who could break his arms without hesitating.

"Nothing," Inara said simply, "Just you know... enjoying the scenery."  
"And what's the scenery like?" Peter smirked.

Inara bit her lip, pretending to think.

"Meh. Could do with some more masculinity."

"HEY!"

"You asked," Inara snorted.

Peter pouted and Inara laughed out loud, reaching forward and lightly pressing her lips against his. A shudder ran through both of their bodies as they stared at each other, eyes wide.

Ever since their first kiss and Peter's confession, they had kept to tender touches and soft kisses only, nothing like the first fiery act of passion. But sitting there almost in his lap, suddenly uncomfortably aware of just how close she was to Peter, the warmth and hardness of his body against hers... Inara swallowed heavily, flushed.

"Inara..." Peter said roughly, eyes dark.

"Shut up and kiss me," Inara whispered, grabbing him.

And his hands were in her hair, his lips on hers, ravaging her as Inara gasped for breath against him, hands grabbing at his collar. She felt wet warmth against her lips and slowly, timidly she opened her mouth letting him in, fire in her veins as she whimpered against his lips, wanting more... needing more.

"WHAT?"

Eyes flying open, they sprung apart gasping for breath as both whipped around at the same time. Susan stared at them, blue eyes bulging out of her head as behind her Zaru howled with laughter. Jason glared at Peter, daggers flying from his eyes as Elias frowned. Caspian and Edmund were grinning like maniacs, their eyes dancing with mirth.

"Uhhh... Queenie..." Inara spluttered, tugging at her shirt, "You're here."

She recovered quickly as Peter flushed crimson, his face heating up.

"So... what took you so long?" the half-Naga asked casually.

"WHAT?" Susan was too busy gaping to hear any of her words, "WHAT?"

"This isn't what it looks like!" Peter said loudly, eyes wide.

"So your tongue wasn't in her mouth?" Zaru smirked, "Because I'm pretty sure I saw tongue and a lot of i–"  
Inara threw a cushion at the cat as Caspian guffawed loudly.

"Do we need to defend your honour?" the Telmarine asked lightly as Peter glared at him.

Caspian couldn't help but feel a slight sense of vindictive pleasure at seeing Peter on the receiving end of the group's over-protective tendencies. The Narnian King smirked openly, enjoying the sight of Peter squirming, the High King having done his fair share of the interrogation and threatening when he had started courting Susan.

"WHAT?" Susan demanded glaring at her brother and her friend, "WHAT?"

"We were kissing," Inara smirked, "With all the kissing you do with Shaggy I thought you could visually recognise it by now."  
"I KNOW WHAT IT IS!" Susan all but shrieked, "BUT YOU... HIM... TOGETHER? WHEN?"

Peter and Inara glanced at each other and looked at Susan, brows raised. The queen flushed.

"Right. Of course," she didn't know where to quite put her eyes, not wanting to look at Peter's swollen lips or Inara's mussed hair.

By the Mane! Did she and Caspian look like that? No wonder her brother almost pitched a fit each time he caught them. Susan shuddered.

"What took you so long?" Peter asked trying to hide in the mundane.

"It's a little hard to sneak a leopard across the city. They're not exactly common in this world," Jason glared at Zaru as if it was his fault.

"I said repeatedly you could have left me," the leopard returned without heat, "I could've easily made my way here."

Jason snorted but he knew as well as Zaru did he would never leave the leopard behind – Zaru was family and the Seeker treasured that above all else.

"When Peter was ten, he played dressed ups with Lucy because he didn't want her to cry," Edmund said suddenly, "Lucy dressed him up as a princess."

Peter flushed red, glaring bloody murder at his brother as everyone gaped at the High King. Elias was the first to start, laughter bubbling from his lips as he desperately tried to hold it back. Inara howled, kicking at the couch as Susan smiled fondly at that memory, stumbling in on her brother as he desperately tried to hide behind the door.

Caspian and Jason were practically falling over each other, Zaru smirking wildly.

"What are you doing?" Peter practically screamed at Edmund.

"Trading embarrassing childhood stories? Isn't that part of the courting process?" Edmund asked innocently.

"Any more?" Inara gasped between laughs.

Edmund opened his mouth but Peter lunged across the couch, slapping a hand over his brother's mouth.

"Stop it!" he said desperately.

Edmund shot Inara a look that promised they would talk later, Inara smirked back, nodding as Peter threw up his hands in disgust.

"People respected me once!" he bemoaned.

"Before they realised you were a giant prat," Edmund countered.

Peter glared at him again but inwardly he was dancing. The haunted Edmund they had saved from Charn was gone, the one with the dark looks and dark secrets in his eyes becoming once more the brother he had loved, the one he fought with and occasionally against.

He could feel it. Whatever his brother had endured it had taken the broken parts of him and reforged it anew. The Just King was back, Aslan's Champion had returned.

Zaru suddenly looked up frowning.

"What a minute..." his nose twitched, "What – "

His head swung towards Peter and Inara, incredulous.

"Why is Asmodeus upstairs?" the leopard yelped.

Abaddon's knife was instantly in Edmund's hand, the laughter in his face hardening to steely resolve. White fire licked the air around Jason as pin-points of red stole into Susan's eyes. All it took was the span of a breath and they were ready to fight to the death.

"He is a prisoner,' Peter said calmly.

They looked at him incredulously.

"And why isn't he dead?" Jason barked.

"Because if we kill him the horsemen ride," Caspian explained to the Seeker again with barely hidden impatience.

Jason cursed loudly at what he thought of that but there was nothing the Seeker could do, nothing any of them could do. Aslan had bound the horsemen to the demons and if the demons fell...

Susan grimaced at the tangled mess they were in.

"Kylee?"

"Got away," Inara snarled.

"So..." Elias glanced up at the ceiling as if he could see the demon in one of the rooms above, "What are we going to do with him?"

He looked back at his companions as they looked back at him, each as the blank as the other. Elias sighed.

"Great."

. . . . . .

She followed in Tang's wake, trailing the woman liked a cowed servant. Once upon a time this would've enraged her, made her lash out with petty words and pouts but Chelsea held onto herself. What she had said to Inara was true – she finally saw for the first time just how poisonous her dad really was. Hide it as he will behind this talk of prophecy and saving the world but it was all window dressing, the man at the heart of Paxton had not changed.

Chelsea was vaguely surprised at how clearly she saw her father now. He had almost choked the life from her once and was on the verge of doing it again, consuming her life in his. But no more. She was determined to see this war against the demons to the end and just as determined to run as soon as it was done.

"Why does he want to see me so urgently?" Chelsea asked.

Her voice was calm, not snivelling or angry as it once would've been. Ms. Tang glanced at her but for once had nothing cutting to say. They walked in a strange amicable silence, no barbs or thorns exchanged.

Soon they were at the great wooden doors that opened to Paxton's study. Chelsea frowned, still trying to puzzle out what was happening as Tang pushed them open.

Chelsea instantly froze.

"There's no need to be terrified," Jill Pole laughed, "Honey, we're allies now!"

She was shaking, trembling, her heart striking her ribs with brutal force. Pain shot through the still healing wound in her side as if remembering its birth. The room around her melted and she was standing once more in the Ophanim complex, staring down at the crystal spike sticking out her own flesh. Chelsea staggered, clutching at the walls, at her side. She wanted to run, flee for her life but Tang's hands were suddenly around her arm, stopping her.

"Dad..."

"Don't be scared Chelsea," Paxton was instantly by her side, freeing her from Tang's grip.

"What – "

Jill was giggling, Eustace watching her blandly. Their dark eyes seemed to swallow all the light in the room, dark pits that wanted to drag her down, down into oblivion, down into the shadows and nothing. Chelsea recoiled, fighting her father, the pain her side throbbing frantically.

"Dad!"

"Chelsea, Chelsea," her father was stroking her hair, cooing comfortingly, "Don't be scared. They're here to help us."

"Help us?" Chelsea shrieked at him, "They killed innocent people!"

"I know. I know," Paxton's voice was filled with regret, "But this is the only way."

Chelsea wilted into his arms, tears spilling down her face. She didn't care how pathetic she looked, how weak, all she wanted to do was crawl into a ball and cry.

"You can't..."

"Belphegor killed the beasts. I've lost the gifts of heaven. I can't defeat the demons but with their help... I can."

"Dad, the work for the Great Darkness. You can't trust them!" Chelsea screamed at him.

Paxton grabbed her face, forcing her to look at him. His dark eyes drilled into hers, Chelsea frozen, unable to look away.

"Chelsea. Please," her father begged, "I know this is hard. But I'm doing this to save the world. They've promised me once the demons are dead, they'll leave. Don't you see? It's the only way!"

"No!"

Chelsea straightened, glaring at him.

"NO! This is not the way dad!" she spat, "I want the demons dead as much as you but not by doing this! You can't trust them! You think they'll just walk away after all this is done?"

She pushed him away, catching him off guard and staggering him. She glared at the possessed agents, meeting their black eyes squarely.

"I don't know what you plan is!" she yelled, "But I'm not stupid enough to fall for it!"

Strong hands grabbed her, wrenching her back. She spun and looked up into her father's burning eyes.

"Do you trust me Chelsea?" his voice was deadly calm, "Do you think I'm stupid?'

Chelsea shuddered, this was the voice from her childhood and her nightmares. The calm before the storm, the ice before the fire. How many times had he used this voice on her, watching her, enjoying the terror on her face? It was worse than his rage, worse than him screaming at her, lashing out – this was calculated, cold, clinical.

Chelsea stumbled away from him, crying, begging but Paxton ignored her.

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes!" the answer bubbled from her lips, frantic, "Yes!"

"Because if you don't..." his eyes turned cold, "Now is the time to tell me."

Chelsea shook her head, hardly daring to breathe. Paxton smiled and the ice in his face melted. He held out his hands and Chelsea stumbled into them, Paxton wrapping his arms around his daughter.

"I need to save the world Chelsea and I want you to be with me. Not Inara..." Paxton smiled down at her, "I see it now. I don't need Inara... I just need you."

Her treacherous heart skipped a beat, daddy wanted her. Not Inara. Daddy wanted her, daddy loved her. She smiled and Paxton smiled back warmly, pride and love shining in his eyes.

"Do you trust me?" he asked again.

Chelsea nodded, desperately clinging to him, breathing in his scent. Daddy loved her, daddy loved her – she laughed, she giggled, rejoicing in that knowledge.

"Good," Paxton looked up and eyed Jill and Eustace, "So what are we going to do now?"

. . . . . .

Asmodeus looked up, his face green, reflecting the flames that were wrapped like rope around him. He glared at Jason and black sparks fell from his eyes but the green fire flared, swallowing the dark bursts. Jason's hands blazed with white light and the rooms whitewashed walls danced with green, black and white.

"Where is your brother?"

Each word was like a hammer blow, the Seeker's eyes chips of dark blue ice. But Asmodeus merely watched him, drops of fire beading from his skin.

"Where is he?"

A dagger appeared in Jason's hands, its edge curved like a scimitar, still gleaming like silver despite all the blood it had spilt.

"Where is he?'

"Repeating the same question over and over will not make me answer," Asmodeus's voice was mild, a hint of amusement bleeding into his voice.

"I'm sure I can make you answer," Jason said just as calmly, "All I need is Inara's blood. And after what you and your brother did to her I'm sure she'll be more than happy to oblige."

Asmodeus's eyes narrowed.

"You can't kill me."

The demon lord was arrogant in his utter belief, his lips curling into a disdainful smirk.

"I can hurt you," it wasn't a threat, it was a vow.

"It'll do you no good," Asmodeus said, "I don't know where he is."

Jason's eyes narrowed as he studied the demon's face. Was he lying? Was he telling the truth? His grip on the dagger tightened.

"I have no idea what he is up to and I have no idea where he is. You see my brothers and I usually don't get along. We are demons after all. We scheme, we backstab... we can do everything but kill each other. Even we can't do that to our own family. Strangely humans seem to be capable of that..."

Asmodeus's eyes gleamed.

"You'd know about killing family wouldn't you?"

Yolanda and Delilah's face flashed in Jason's mind and as always that dark night came to life. His daughter's body amongst the wreckage, his wife's in the cave. It still tore the heart from his chest but the pain was duller, more a scar than a raw bloody wound.

"I have made my peace," Jason said flatly.

He still missed them, still dreamt of what had been, what could've been but he had seen where that path led. Yolanda, Delilah... hell even Quentin they had been his family and he would remember them forever but his other family was just downstairs, their laughter and chatter climbing up the steps and into the room. They were the reason why he fought, why he was in this room in the first place.

"So if you're hoping to use them as a weapon you'll be sorely disappointed," Jason spat.

Asmodeus laughed.

"How ironic."

"What the hell does that mean?"

The ruach was pounding through his veins, longing to leap from his hands and destroy this unnatural abomination. This thing before him was a creature of death and pain and the ruach was life and light.

"Do you remember Persephone? Do you remember Desmond?"

One of Caspian's Dawntreaders. Jason had liked him but the war in Persephone, besieged on all sides by Nzambis, Cadfan's soldiers, Siobhan, poisoned nymphs, had been pure hell. Many people, good, innocent, evil had fallen and Desmond had just been one of them.

"He died."

"Of course but how?" Asmodeus pressed.

"Nzambi or one of Cadfan's," Jason scowled, "It's hard to say who."

"Oh really? Are you sure it wasn't someone you know? Someone you know very, very well?" Asmodeus smirked.

Jason snarled and he jammed the edge of his dagger into Asmodeus's throat. Metal pricked the demon's skin but it was an empty because Jason knew no matter how hard he pressed he would not be able to draw even blood.

"You have no idea do you? You poor stupid little monkey."

Flames bled from Asmodeus's eyes as though the demon was weeping black fire. But his face held no sadness, just pure delighted malice.

"If you really cared about the people downstairs you'll run far, far away."

Jason's dagger fell away from him, the Seeker staring at the demon.

"Because soon or later... you'll hurt them. And you better pray to Aslan or whichever idiot you believe in that that's all you will do. But if you ask me?"

Asmodeus laughed and a crown of black flames sprung around his head, the green flames spiked, struggling to pull the dark fire away. Jason staggered back, blinded by the sudden flare of light. He stumbled against the wall as Asmodeus's laughter rang loud in his ears, jeering and mocking.

"You'll end up killing them all."

Jason wanted to scream, wanted to lunge and stab the demon over and over again. But bile suddenly rose in his throat. He seemed to see Desmond before him, the man looking at him, stunned, disbelieving.

His hands were suddenly warm, as though drenched in blood.

He could hear... no feel the grinding of his knife against bone.

Jason staggered.

"What – "

The thud of blade sinking into flesh again and again, played to the rhythm of his heart.

Demond's blank eyes.

His hands... his hands...

The image shifted to the Hermit of the Southern Marches. White fire seemed to swallow the man whole, wiping him out of existence.

More blood...

His hands...

Jason suddenly ran for the doorway, flinging it open and fleeing down the hall, vomit spilling into his mouth as Asmodeus's laugh chased him every step of the way.

. . . . . .

Edmund placed Abaddon's knife onto the table and everyone stared at the darker than black spike. Whispers seemed to rise from the blade like smoke from fire, unfurling and spilling into the room. Zaru felt ice crawl down his spine, where the others just heard wordless murmuring he could pick out words; alien, twisted words. He did not know what they meant but something in him whispered the answer – death, they spoke of death.

"This is what I won from Gomorrah," Edmund finished.

He only gave them a glimpse of what had happened to him in that cursed city, just enough to satisfy them. What had happened in that place, the trial – they were for him alone.

"This can kill the demons?" Caspian asked.

Susan was silent beside him. She knew Edmund was hiding something but she was content to let him have his secrets. She too had held back on some of the tales she had recounted – the darkness that threatened to swallow her whole, the Hunt Beast that was her talisman against that darkness. It wasn't that she didn't want to tell the others... they just had better things to worry about.

Zaru looked up as footsteps rung out on the stairs. Jason marched into the room, his eyes like stones in an ice mask. Silence fell as everybody watched but the Seeker sank into his chair without a sound.

"Anything?" Peter asked.

"He has no idea where Kylee is," came the answer delivered in an iron voice.

Susan frowned, looking at the Seeker but the thunderclouds on his face told her one push and even she would have to start running for her life.

"Right..." Inara stretched the word out into multiple syllables.

Everyone looked at everything but Jason, desperately trying to think of a topic to break the awkward silence.

"So..." Caspian couldn't help his smirk, "You and Peter?"

Peter froze as everyone turned to glare at him. Inara merely smirked.

"What do you want to know? How he kisses? Favourite positions?" the half-Naga sent back blithely as the men at the table instantly gagged.

"You know what we mean," Susan sighed.

Peter and Inara glanced at each other and quickly between them the whole story came out – Inara's capture, the pit, the minotaurs, Peter's rescue and finally the kiss. Susan hid a smile, she had known something was brewing between her brother and her friend but as time had gone on she thought nothing would come of it. She was glad she was wrong. Susan quickly wiped the smile from her face.

"You hurt her I will kill you," the Gentle Queen said flatly staring cold-eyed at her brother.

Peter glared at her.

"You think I'll hurt her?" he demanded, temper rising.

"Sometimes you won't mean to," Caspian said quietly.

Peter's mouth snapped shut. Susan glanced at Caspian and their eyes met, both of them remembering all too well the hell they had gone through. She grimaced but the Telmarine's lopsided smile made her grin in reply. Jason growled under his breath, his hand going to the hilt of his dagger.

"Enough of that!" Peter snapped, skin crawling at the display of affection between them as Zaru echoed his cry.

Elias shook his head in exasperation.

"Excuse me?" Susan shot back, bristling "You've got your tongue down Inara's throat – "  
"Sitting right here," Inara muttered as Jason sniggered, "Right here."

" – and you're lecturing me about decorum?" the queen finished without missing a beat.

Peter flushed heavily as Susan smirked.

"And since you're my brother..." Susan pointed at Inara, "You hurt him you also die. And if you two stubborn idiots hurt each other I will personally chain you two together until you make up... then beat you over the head with my bow."  
Peter sighed rubbing his temples.

"And you?" he asked Jason, Elias and Zaru.

Elias smiled, his eyes dancing.

"The same thing I told Caspian. You hurt Inara in any way, they'll just find your cold body in bed and they'll never work out how," the scientist said with relish.

"You bleed, you burn, you die," Jason said flatly, "And I'll proudly tell everyone how I did it."  
"I'll make you sure you can't father any children," Zaru added.

"I would be nice," Caspian's grin was anything but, "I'll just have you hanged, drawn and quartered."  
Peter gaped at him.

"You too?" he demanded, annoyed.

"An eye for an eye," Caspian replied smirking.

Grudgingly Peter had to respect Caspian for putting up with all the death threats that had been hurled in his direction and still be willing to court his sister.

"How's that nice?" Edmund asked curiously.

"It is compared to the other things I had in mind," Caspian grinned back.

Inara had almost died saving him from Marcos's poison and Caspian would do anything to repay that debt, least of which included protecting her from harm even it was from the High King himself.

"And are we done with threatening me with bodily harm?" Peter demanded, eyes sparking.

"Not quite," Edmund spoke up.

Peter threw up his hands in disgust.

"Just know I can out-duel either of you," Edmund eyed his brother and Inara, the cold smile that crept across his face made even Jason hesitated, "And now we're done."

"Great!" Zaru grinned, "Now..."  
"You're hungry?" Susan asked wearily.

The leopard nodded eagerly as Inara laughed, standing up.

"I'll order. What do you want?"

She paused and glancing at Peter and grinned.

"Oh what the hell! We're together, we're alive! Let's celebrate! Let's order everything!"  
Zaru cheered as Susan shook her head, laughter spilling from her lips.

. . . . . .

She dreamt of Aslan again. She dreamt of the Great Darkness and of the four horsemen. The dreams ended as they always did with Aslan captured, the horsemen banished and the Great Darkness stripped of all his powers. A loss for all but not an end.

A voice came to her as she rose from the dream, the world around her mist and nothing, shapes and forms seen but not fully realised.

"When the wheels turn and the faithful burn..."

She saw circles of flames and people screaming in pure agony, clutching at their chests.

"... the two shall fall..."

Purple eyes stared at her.

Viola...

"And They shall ride again."

They charged, four shadows wreathed in fire on steeds of shadows. Susan screamed as they lunged straight for her, hands outstretched, ready to catch her and rend her ap –

Susan shot up, her left eye spasming as she gasped for breath, terrified by what she had just seen.

"Aslan..."  
Her face was wet as she saw Aslan again as He had been, crucified to a stone wall as the Great Darkness jeered in victory.

"No..."

Susan huddled in the shadows, shaking. She had heard those words once but had forgotten until now. The two... the demons shall fall and the horsemen will ride again.

Another prophecy. Was it set in stone? Was it written already in the stars? Could she really fight?

Susan felt cold, ice biting deep into her flesh and stabbing into her soul, sinking into her bones like the fatigue that dragged at her spirits. She sighed and forced the dream from her mind, worry would not help her, whatever would come would come and she just had to steel herself for that battle.

Suddenly she was aware of music, soft melodious strains permeating the silence of the room. Knowing she couldn't sleep, Susan pulled the sheets of her, tugging on a gown before padding to the door.

She pulled it open and blinked. Jason stared back at her, his eyes unreadable, his daggers in his hand.

"Are you guarding my door?" Susan demanded.

Jason merely grunted and sheathed his daggers.

What's wrong?" the queen asked gently.

"Nothing," Jason said flatly.

Susan narrowed her eyes.

"Jason, don't pretend I'm an idiot," she snapped, "Something's wrong. What is it?"  
"It's nothing," Jason grunted, turning his head trying to ignore her.

"No, it's not nothing!" Susan growled, "Jason!"

She grabbed his arm forcing him to look at her. Silence fell like a waterfall of ice as they stared at each other, a war of wills sparking between them. It was Jason who finally looked away, secrets struggling to rise but he refused to let them escape from his lips – not until _he _worked out what was wrong with him.

Susan's face softened.

"Jason... don't you trust us? Don't you trust me?"  
Jason looked at her and winced, those clear blue eyes reminding him uncomfortably of Delilah. He smiled wistfully as he remembered the dream world he had been trapped in during his tutelage with the Hermit of the Southern Marches, a world where his daughter had escaped death and grown to womanhood. Looking at Susan now, he was again struck by how much his beloved daughter looked like his beloved queen.

"It's nothing."  
And that's why he lied to spare her pain, to spare her the dilemma of wondering what to do with him. He had taken care of it himself. Using his powers he had erected shields in his mind, woven a barrier around him that would keep the Great Darkness from using him as his pawn. It had been a trick long learned in his own world to stop the enchantments of the Reds working on him.

Susan frowned, trying to frantically work out a way of dealing with the reticent Seeker. She knew better than to push him but if she said nothing he would never tell her. She growled under her breath – why did he have to be so damn stubborn?

"Fine," she sighed, giving up, "But this isn't over."

Jason smirked.

"I know."

He couldn't tell her not yet. Not until he found out what the Darkness was trying to make him do. Not until he stopped it.

Susan frowned at him but nodded, knowing this was a battle she could not yet win.

"When you're ready to talk..." she said gently.

Jason nodded, watching her as she left him to stand in the shadows. Following the music Susan found her way downstairs, the low hum of voices from the kitchen telling her Caspian, Edmund, Zaru and Elias were still awake. But a light in the living room made her peer in there curiously.

Susan stopped, blinking, her eyes growing wider and wider.

The room was cast into half-gloom, the soft strains of an old dancing song, one that even she recognised, playing on the radio. In the centre of the room Peter and Inara were half-seen shadows, so close they were almost as one. But the thing that had her gaping was her brother, her stubborn unromantic block-headed and frankly clueless when it came to women brother. Peter was singing softly, his Gift shaping his voice into a thing of breath-taking beauty, his words for Inara only. Slowly the two revolved in a slow circle, Peter's hands on Inara's waists, her arms around his neck, her head resting on the High King's chest, her ears against his heart.

They were dancing, Peter serenading her with a song that spoke of longing and lost love.

Transfixed Susan watched them, her face suddenly wet, a wide disbelieving smile on her face. Slowly she turned and walked to the kitchen, her nightmarish swept away by what she had seen.

"Your majesty!" Zaru perked up.

"Susan?" Edmund frowned at her, confused.

Caspian looked up at her, smiling and Susan beamed back at him, her eyes shimmering with tears, joy for her brother and Inara and anguish for Aslan mingled. Her mind and heart was whirling, a confusion of conflicting emotions, hate and love, sorrow and ecstasy colliding together again and again. She shook with the force of her emotions, the memory of Aslan's defeat twined with the memory of love. Caspian instantly rose to his feet and before Zaru and Elias could even react, swept Susan up into a deep searing kiss. Without another word to the others the Narnian king gently led her through the back doors and into the twilit garden.

"What is it?" he asked, eyes dark with worry.

"I just needed to remember," Susan touched his cheek, Caspian turning into the caress, eyes closed.

"What?"

"What makes me strong."  
Caspian smiled wryly.

"Susan. You don't need to make you strong. I've seen you lead us through hell and fire, I've seen you fight when there is no hope and I've seen you face monsters that made _me _want to scream," Caspian traced her trembling lips with his thumb, his face soft and glowing with love, "You are one hell of a woman Queen Susan the not so Gentle."

Susan stared at him, his eyes glowing as he laughed at the astonished look on her face.

"You have no idea do you?" Caspian chuckled amused.

"Yeah. I had no idea how amazing I was," Susan said faintly, blushing slightly.

Caspian smiled and Susan's breath caught in her throat. The night seemed to hold its breath.

'_A second, a minute, an hour, a day goes by...'_

Caspian blinked as Susan turned at the sudden music, frowning.

'_I'm hopin' just to be your side. _

_I'm turnin' the handle, it won't open. _

_Don't make me wait 'cause right now I need your smile'_

Peter smiled at him, setting the radio down as Inara laughed, dragging Elias and Zaru out into the garden. Edmund trailed in their week, a wry look on his face.

'_Knock. Knock._

_When life has locked me out I turn to you_

_So open the door._

'_Cause you're all I need right now, it's true_

_Nothin' works like you'_

Caspian laughed, stepping away from Susan before dipping into a low graceful bow.

"Will her majesty honour me with a dance?" he asked, eyes dancing.

Susan threw back her head and laughed, taking his outstretched hand and smiling at him demurely.

"Of course your majesty."  
_'Little louder, little louder_

_Little louder knockin'_

_Little louder, little louder'_

Under the stars surrounded by their family Caspian spun Susan around before wrapping her in his hands, their bodies fitting together perfectly as he took her hand, the other resting on her waist.

'_A warm bath, a good laugh, an old song that you know by heart.  
I've tried it but they all leave me cold.  
So now I'm here waiting to see you,  
my remedy for all that's been hurting me'_

Inara pulled Elias into a dance, the scientist laughing as they tugged each other around in a clumsy waltz nothing like the elegant movements of the two royals on lawn, their eyes only for each other.

'_Knock. Knock._

_When life has locked me out I turn to you_

_So open the door._

'_Cause you're all I need right now, it's true_

_Nothin' works like you'_

As they swayed, Caspian deftly leading her, Susan stared up into her eyes, warm browns and clear blues meeting in sparks and fire. In his dark eyes Susan saw forever, saw of future of light, in his eyes she saw...

Love.

And with her brother and her leopard guardian watching out, Susan rose on her tiptoes and kissed her lover once more.

. . . . . .

Eustace stepped into the room. Jill, Paxton, Tang and Ezekiel looked up. Chelsea stayed where she was, curled up in the couch in the corner, refusing to meet anyone's eyes.

Paxton felt his skin crawl as Eustace looked at him, black eyes stark against his corpse pale skin. But Jill suddenly laughed, his partner understanding perfectly what was going on inside his head.

"Is it time?" she asked.

"Yes," Eustace looked at her, his voice as robotic as ever, "It has begun."

. . . . . .

Jason turned and stared at the figure before him, his face stone blank.

"Hello traitor," the Great Darkness smirked.

Without hesitating the Seeker lashed out, ruach flying from his hands as the Great Darkness laughed, dispersing the flames with a snap of his fingers. Shadows rose all around them, sealing them off from the real world, the two standing, floating, existing in an endless sea of darkness. There would be no use shouting here, no point crying for help. It was just the Seeker and the Darkness, face to face.

"You will not make me your pawn."  
"I already have," Gavin hissed, "Remember? Remember the Hermit? Remember Desmond?"  
"WHY?" Jason barked, "WHY DID YOU MAKE ME KILL THOSE PEOPLE?"

The Great Darkness smirked, circling the man like a prowling panther, anticipating the kill.

"Because of this moment," Gavin laughed, "Because I wanted to see the look on your face as you've realised what you've done."  
"YOU BASTARD!"  
Ruach surged but slammed into an invisible wall the Great Darkness rolling his eyes at the pathetic attempt at an attack.

"Stay."

And Jason was instantly paralysed, frozen to the spot as Gavin licked his lips.

"No..." the Seeker managed to mumble out through numbed lips, his eyes wide.

"Yolanda," the Great Darkness said with relish, "Yolanda."

And instantly the fight went out of Jason's body, the Seeker going limp as his eyes went blank.

"Take Asmodeus," the Great Darkness snarled, "Take Asmodeus to Paxton."

Jason raised his hands, white flames gathering as Gavin smirked and stood back. The mindless Seeker raised his hands and the Great Darkness laughed.

"BOOM!"

. . . . . .

"What?" Paxton demanded, "What has begun?"

"The traitor," Jill giggled, "That stupid, stupid idiot."

Ezekiel suddenly cried out, clutching at his head. Visions slammed into his skull, flashes and fragments that flurried past him like snowflakes in a blizzard. He could see a man's face, his eyes burned out by white fire.

Ms. Tang grabbed her, her strength belying her lithe form as she held the prophet in place.

"The traitor has awoken," Eustace answered, his voice like a death knell "And the wheels now begin to turn."

. . . . . .

Susan stepped into the quiet house. She knew she had a wide stupid grin on her face but she did nothing to wipe it off. Crossing the now dark living room, she walked into the kitchen, looking for a glass of water.

"BOOM!"

The whole house shook as Susan grabbed the table for support. From the stairwell a door, torn from its hinges and smoking, flew through the air before smacking into the wall, snapping in two.

Susan instantly ran for the living room where her bow and sceptre was, footsteps ringing down the stairs.

"SUSAN!"  
White fire streaked across the hall and Susan was hit straight in the chest, the queen propelled through the air and smashing through glass as she was hurled straight through the window and into the backyard.

"SUSAN!" Zaru roared.

She hit the damp grass, out cold, as Inara gaped at the enemy that stood at the back doors.

"Jason?" she whispered.

The man stared at them, his eyes bleeding white fire. Asmodeus was a limp sack across one shoulder, the green flames that had bound the demon gone.

"Asmodeus..." the Seeker mumbled blankly, "Get Asmodeus."  
Edmund cursed and Abaddon's knife was in his hands. He charged at the man as Caspian cried out but Jason pointed at his feet.

"BOOM!"

Columns of white flame tore the lawn apart, geysering up into the air. Edmund was hurled off his feet, slamming hard into the ground as dirt rained down all over him. He tried to pull himself up, dazed and blinded.

"ED!" Peter screamed.

A second blast of ruach picked Edmund up and threw him clear across the yard, the Just King smashing straight through the wooden fence, the dark spike still clutched tight in his hands.

"Fall back!" Caspian roared, running to Susan's limp form, "FALL BACK!"

White fire exploded from the controlled Seeker, tearing the lawn apart as Peter lashed out, green flames blocking the attack. Jason instantly whirled on the High King, ruach stabbing forwards.

"PETEY!" Inara yelped, racing towards the battling men.

"NO!" Caspian grabbed her forcing her back, "YOU'LL BE KILLED!"  
Peter grunted, sweat pouring down his face as lightning flew from his fingers, trying to wrap the Seeker in a crackling cage but white fire sliced the bolts apart, the ground exploding as Peter was hurled off his feet.

"PETER!"  
With a snarl Inara burst out of Caspian's grip, half-Naga leaping forwards as Zaru surged with a roar. Jason pointed at them, face blank.

"NO!" Caspian yelled.

Invisible hands grabbed the two and hurled them away, both of them crashing into the side of the house as white fire whipped through the night, Caspian leaping aside as grass was burnt to ashes.

"GET AWAY FROM THEM!" Peter roared.

Something burst from him, something ugly and gnarled and screaming in pain striking the Seeker straight in the chest with a sickening crunch. Jason staggered back, coughing up blood as he weaved white fire into a net hurling it at Peter.

Peter roared, green fire and lighting tearing the ruach apart as he charged, throwing fistfuls of power at the Seeker.

Caspian hurled one last desperate look at the High King, knowing this was not a battle he could help in. He pulled Susan into his arms, cradling her before turning to Elias.

"WE HAVE TO RUN!" the Telmarine king yelled.

Inara and Zaru were motionless on the ground but skeins of white fire lanced before Caspian, cutting him off from them. The Telmarine cursed but he had to salvage what he could.

"What..."  
Elias stared at him, blank, stunned as Caspian grabbed his arm, shaking him.

"RUN!" Caspian yelled at him, "RUN YOUFOOL!"

The ground erupted in great clumps of smoking earth as the High King lost all control, his Gifts exploding out of him as he screamed. Peter was paralysed, the source of a storm of fire and lightning that ripped itself free from his body and stabbed everything in sight as Jason raised his hands, unblinking despite the death that flew at him.

"COME ON!" Caspian dragged Elias away running for a smoking hole in the fence as Jason hurled his hands forwards.

Ruach lanced forwards in a single line, slicing through ice and lightning as Peter screamed, his whole body tearing itself apart.

His eyes widened and ruach clubbed him in the chest sending him flying. Caspian and Elias were already on the streets, running away as Jason swung towards them, Peter's body hitting the ground.

White fire exploded out through the night and Elias screamed as the attack ploughed into Caspian, sending him crashing to the ground. The enchanted Seeker pointed and the wooden fence was torn apart as Elias whirled, staring at his friend, at the traitor who would lead them all to their doom.

"Jason... please..." Elias begged desperately, "Please..."  
Jason cocked his fist back and punched him straight in the face, knocking the scientist into eternal darkness.

. . . . . .

The truck pulled to a stop right in the centre of the crossroads. Its high beams illuminated a single figure standing beside the roads, a shadow in the brilliant light. The truck's door swung open and a delicate high-heeled shoe snaked out. Ms. Tang's lithe form seemed to pour out of the vehicle, her eyes drinking in the man before her.

"Jason Serra?"

The Seeker looked at her, his face wiped of all emotions. Asmodeus laid slumped at his feet, the demon out cold.

"I'm here to bring you to Lord Paxton."

Jason bent, picking his prisoner up. Ms. Tang gestured, making an after you motion as Jason carried Asmodeus to the truck. Tang's smile widened as she watched the man, enjoying the sight of his muscles.

"You are a tasty treat," her eyes gleamed.

Jason said nothing as he hurled Asmdoeus into the back of the truck. Tang knew he was enchanted, a mere puppet but she was still sightly insulted he had not reacted to her advances. Huffing, she climbed into the driver's seat, not even sparing a glance as Jason climbed into the vehicle.

Tang stomped on the accelerator and the wheels spun, spraying dirt everywhere as she drove away from the crossroad and to Paxton and the Palace of the Sun.

. . . . . .

Elias pressed the icepack against his face and winced as the cold did little to soothe the burning ache of his face. He adjusted the pack, his head still ringing uncomfortably from the blow Jason had landed to fell him.

"Could he have been working for the Great Darkness all this time?" Edmund asked.

He could not believe that himself but they had been caught in a trap – it was a time for hard, uncomfortable questions not a time to shy away from the truth how ever ugly

"That wasn't Jason," Caspian's voice rang out commandingly.

Zaru nodded, the Seeker's scent had told him that. There had been nothing of Jason in that thing that had attacked them last night. All Zaru could smell on that was rage and ruach.

"His eyes... his eyes were blank. It wasn't him," Caspian continued, "He wasn't in control..."

"Yeah, come on if the real Cowboy was going to kill us you think he'd just mumble like a zombie?" Inara's voice was filled with heat and anger, "He'd make up some smart villainous monologue just to drive home the fact how utterly stupid we were never to think he was a traitor."

Silence greeted her words.

"It's Jason," Peter's voice was a tired rasp, "He'd rather die than hurt Su or Inara."

Susan found herself nodding, knowing that against all evidence that Jason was innocent – she refused to believe otherwise. But that still left a hell of a lot of unanswered questions.

"Who's behind this?"

Elias's question hung in the air, all of them looking at each other, frowning.

"The Great Darkness," Susan said softly.

"Paxton!" Inara hissed.

"Kylee?" Caspian suggested.

Elias raised a brow.

"Paxton wants Asmodeus."

"The Great Darkness wants Asmodeus as well and I doubt Paxton has the power to... turn Jason," Susan stumbled over the last two words, "Gavin's after his horsemen."

The word sent a chill through her. To the others they were mere words, a faceless threat but Susan had seen what they could do and she was terrified.

Anger flared.

She was tired. They all were, exhausted from being hurled from one disaster to another. Last night had been the first time since arriving in this blasted world they had been together. It stung to remember that dance on the lawn, the laughter, the moments of quiet and joy before all this blew up in their faces.

She had had enough. Couldn't fate see that? Couldn't the worlds?

Jason was gone, ensnared by their enemies and with him Asmodeus. Another bitter blow. Susan felt like going upstairs and just crawling in her bed and forgetting any of this had happened but she was a queen, a warrior and she just did not have that luxury.

A smiled quirked her lips.

Jason would be disgusted to hear that, that she was even thinking of giving up. If he was here, he would be busying planning how to sink a dagger into their enemies' heart and that thought however bloody gave her strength.

"Or Kylee's rescuing brother," Caspian pointed out.

"It doesn't matter how and why. We've got to find both of them and bring them back," Peter said flatly.

He hated puzzling over things he could not work out. There was no point in endlessly speculating about how or why. Once they found Jason, they could work on that minor point.

"How are we going to find him?" Zaru asked.

Edmund sighed.

"The only lead we do have is Paxton. Ezekiel might know if the demons are up to something," the Just King glanced at Inara as she stiffened but the half-Naga held her tongue, "That's the logical place to start."

Zaru suddenly rose from the floor, his hackles raised. Everyone stared at him as a low growl rumbled in the leopard's throat, his ears pinned back.

"Kitty?" Inara asked.

"Weapons!" the leopard roared, "GET THEM NOW!"

"BANG!"

The front door suddenly blew open and with it came a whiff of rotting meat.

"SHINK!"

Caspian and Edmund's swords were unsheathed, the two kings already on their feet. Susan and Elias aimed their weapons, arrow and fire orb ready to tear their enemy apart.

"What the hell?" Inara spat, silver eyes flashing.

It was an undead, a little girl with wide staring eyes and skin that was pulling away from heart-shaped face. In one tiny hand she clutched a stick with a white cloth strung on it, waving it jerkily in front of her.

It was a white flag – a truce.

Susan slowly lowered her bow. Beside her lightning crackled on Peter's fingers.

"Who's there?" she demanded.

The undead girl instantly dropped to the ground in supplication as her master walked into the room.

Susan's eyes widened.

The long almost gangly form of Baron Samedi shuffled forwards, crawling all on fours like a dog. His stovepipe hat was gone, baring his skull-like head for all to see. A silver band closed around his throat, a long slender chain binding the lord of the dead to his master.

Kylee waved at them, one hand clutching the end of the chain.

"I believed you just lost my brother," the demon smirked.

Peter hurled a bolt of lightning at her but the undead girl leapt in the way, taking the blast as it blew a hole through her. They all gagged, choking on the stench of rotting burning flesh as Kylee laughed.

"Calm down love interest," she drawled.

Baron Samedi howled with laughter, clapping with his long-fingered hands as Susan and Zaur stared at the death god. He giggled, meeting their eyes and both of them instantly saw the monster they had fought against had been hollowed out, a drooling, babbling doll left in its place. They glanced at each other, terror barely restrained.

"The Darkness has my brother and your friend," Kylee announced loudly, "And it has allied itself with Paxton and his motley crew."

"Good now give me one reason why I shouldn't throw this into your heart," Edmund snarled, Abaddon's knife in his hands.

"Easy..."

Kylee jerked on Samedi's chains as he tried to reached for Zaru. The god whimpered, instantly crawling to his mistress's feet. The demon ran a light finger over the Baron's head, petting him as the god crooned in delight.

"Our enemies have made an alliance. I propose we make our own."

"Someone stab her. Why isn't anyone stabbing her?" Inara demanded.

But Edmund, Caspian and Peter were eying the demon thoughtfully. Kylee smiled, sensing their hesitation.

"Think about it. The Darkness is going to restore Paxton to full power. Eustace and Jill are here. They have their minotaurs. Not to mention the armies Paxton can co-opt," the demon's eyes were dancing, "They also have your little friend. And you have seven people up against all that?"

They all kept their faces carefully blank as Kylee sneered.

"You need me," the demon said, taking great delight in driving that point home and twisting the blade, "You should be thankful I'm willing to help you but... because I'm in a good mood..."

She pulled out something from one of her pockets. Susan froze.

The yellow ring – still pale, still telling them that this world was steeped into darkness. It was the only way out of this place, the only way for them to continue their fight across the worlds.

Susan cursed loudly, not bothering to hide her disgust. Kylee laughed.

"I'll give this back."

The room was silent.

"So... do we have a deal?"

. . . . . .

"THEY'VE BREACHED THE OUTER DEFENCES!"  
He was ice. He was stone. He was not afraid. God he was anything but afraid!

He raced down the long wide halls, past the portraits of presidents past, their stern faces glaring at him as he ran, panting for breath.

He was one of the best, the most experienced but lord, faced with bull-headed monsters and things that threw flames who wouldn't be scared?

"Mr. President!"

He threw the doors open and the most powerful man in all of the free world looked at him, calm despite the fact the White House was shaking all around them.

"You have to move Mr. President," he tried to stop his voice from shaking, tried to sound like a man in command.

"Have we contacted Paxton Nixon?" the president gathered his papers as his aides rushed all round him.

Fear was palpable in the room but the president emanated such authority, such absolute calm that for now nerves held.

"Yes sir," one of his aide, a tall handsome woman, said, "But sir, we really should be – "

"Is my family safe?" the president cut off her.

She nodded, a bead of sweat dripping down her face.

"Good," the president nodded, "I am ready to leave."

He breathed a sigh of relief and reached for his radio.

"The primary is on the move," he reported to his fellow agents, "The primary is on the mo – "

"BOOM!"

The door exploded inwards, black fire spilling into the room as men and women screamed in pure terror. He hit the ground, clubbed from behind by a piece of debris, dazed and blinking the stars from his eyes.

Smoke and the stench of burning meat roiled his stomach as he tried to breathe, flopping onto his back. He was bleeding, blood gushing into his mouth, down his throat and –

His breath caught.

A monster stared down at him, a blood-splattered thing wreathed in black flames.

He was not scared. He was not scared. He was sc – GOD HELP HIM! PLEASE!

Asmodeus pointed and liquid fire immolated the worm snivelling at his feet. The demon looked up and his eyes fixed on his target.

He was overtaken with the Sickness. It had consumed all his brothers but Belphegor and now it was devouring him. Asmodeus screamed and rage pounded through him like a storm, wiping away all thought, all intent. His world was red, was bloodlust and torn limbs.

Asmodeus pointed and streams of black fire flew from his hands.

The president was killed where he stood, flames stripping the skin and flesh from his bones before he could even react. Screams filled the air as the fire passed, leaving nothing but a smoking skeleton.

"HELP!" the aides were throwing themselves to the ground, crawling for whatever meagre protection there was, "HELP!"

Asmodeus stalked forwards, screaming, growling mindlessly as fire leapt from his body. More people burned, killed without thought as the carpet ignited, the furniture ignited, the whole room dissolving into flames.

"HELP!"

There was a burst of brilliant white light and Asmodeus screamed, staggering back.

"I am here."

And Paxton Nixon was suddenly there with wings of white flames sprouting from his back, his countenance blazing with heaven's judgement and light. He raised his hand as Asmodeus screamed at him, charging as a howling, twisting scream of black fire lunged at the warrior of heaven.

A bar of white light sliced through the flames striking the demon in the chest. Asmodeus fell without a sound as the fire all around them died.

"Paxton!" they cried, they wept his name, throwing themselves at his feet.

Paxton touched their heads with a warm smile, letting them know they were safe.

"Kill him!" they begged as one.

Asmodeus was limp but his harsh breathing could still be heard, each breath bringing with it the smell of sulphur and ashes.

"Kill him!"

"No," Paxton's voice was gentle, chiding them, "Justice must be done for your fallen leader."

They wept at his mercy, his justice, the light spilling from Paxton washing over their faces. The wings of fire folded, fading way as Paxton looked at the unconscious demon sprawled amongst the destruction he had wreaked.

"We will execute Asmodeus before the whole world."

And a triumphant smile curled his lips.

. . . . . .

The news spread like wildfire, leaping from continent to continent, emblazoned on every paper, blazing from every screen. It was spoken off, discussed, celebrated.

Asmodeus was going to die. Asmodeus was going to be publically executed.

It was not questioned, it was not challenged. The whole world was in shock as the demon's attack on the White House, at the brutal murder of the president and all the people who had tried to protect him. They mourned, they raged and they wanted to see justice done.

It had gone exactly the way they had wanted to.

"You are good," Jill smirked.

Ms. Tang smiled. The compliment came from an incarnation of pure evil but Tang was certainly not one to reject a compliment wherever it came from.

"Where is this execution taking place?" Eustace demanded.

"The Botanical Gardens. Nice wide open space, little chance of an ambush. They'll have to come at us from front on," Tang reported swiftly.

"It will be over by today," Paxton didn't seem to believe his own words, "And I would have finally saved this world."

He smiled, looking down at his hands, at the hands that had slain the demons, had wrenched the world back from the brink of disaster.

"Yes, yes great," Jill bulldozed over his thoughts, "Does everybody know their place?"

Her eyes darted across the room, skewering Chelsea from where she was sitting silently in the corner. The redhead flinched but nodded dully.

"Say it," Paxton ordered, his voice dangerously soft.

"I am to fight whoever wants to stand the execution. If I see Abaddon's knife I am to kill whoever is holding it. I will also kill Inara if she gets in our way," the words were flat, leeched of all feeling.

"Good girl."

A shade of a smile curled her lips before she could stop herself. Chelsea grimaced, wiping it away, cursing her own stupid weakness.

"Ezekiel what do you see?" Paxton demanded.

His prophet looked at him, tears tracking down his face. His arm was still in one sling but it had done little to stop the man.

"I see victory! A great victory my lord!" the seer wept, "The demons will fall this day and you, you will ascend beyond mortality itself!"

Paxton smiled and rose from his chair. He could feel the power of the heavens alive in him, not borrowed from the beasts like before but a part of him, woven into the very fabric of his existence. Everything that was meant to be was falling into place. His victory, his ascension was at hand.

"Gather our guards and the Paxtonites. Arm them," Paxton ordered, his eyes flicking to Tang, "And you..."

His dark eyes looked at Jill and Eustace.

"We will gather the minotaurs and meet you at the execution grounds," Eustace said coldly, "Do not fail us Paxton or this world will burn."

The two agents of the darkness swept out of the room, Paxton glaring after them. He clenched his fists but said nothing.

"Let's go," he snapped, stalking out of the room as his followers trailed in his wake.

. . . . . .

Susan unsheathed the dagger. It was curved, its edge still razor sharp despite all the lives it had taken. It was heavier than her own and fitted clumsily in her hands but Susan clutched it tightly, looking at her reflection in the steel.

The woman that stared back out at her was old, her eyes tired and hard as stone. Where had the girl gone? Where had the girl that dreamt of going to America, to find herself young men to play with, had gone?

Susan sighed and her breath misted the metal.

So many losses. So many times she should've died but somehow lived.

When was it going to end? Did she want it to end?

Susan grimaced and slammed the dagger back into its sheath.

"Susan."

She felt his breath against the top of her head, he towered over her but she welcomed it, welcomed the way he seemed to shelter her, to protect her from all the storms the worlds had to throw at her.

"We will get him back."

Susan stared at Jason's dagger, its twin with the man who had attacked his own family, who had run off into the night and into the darkness.

"Jason would want us to kill him," Susan said softly.

Could she do it? Could she stare into the face of a man she loved and take his life? Jason would yell her for being weak, for not doing what was needed. But it was all a bluster, a show, if Jason had to take her life to save his, he would not. He could not and if he was weak than so was she.

"And we're in the business of doing everything he says?" Caspian chuckled.

"Did we do the right thing?" Susan begged, "Should we be working with Belphegor?"

"We all agreed it was the smartest thing," Caspian said carefully.

Susan laughed.

"Stop dodging the topic."

Silence fell between them, Caspian's hands drifting to her waist.

"We will get him back," the king said firmly.

There was no hesitation in his voice, no doubt. Susan took comfort in that. The Great Darkness had struck deep and hard, shattering the one they had kept them alive all this time – each other. But if he had hoped to snatch Jason and cripple them in one swift blow than Gavin was in for a nasty surprise.

"Of course," Susan looked at the dagger.

She smiled. Of course they would. It didn't matter what they had to go through, what they had to endure, they would get Jason back because he would do the same for them. So if that meant they had to work with Kylee then so be it.

They would just have to be careful.

"You know we never finished our dance."

Susan laughed at the mischievous note in his voice. He was trying to distract her, trying to make her forget all that had befallen. And she let him, needed to remember not everything was darkness and misery.

"There's no music," she smirked.

He spun her around, her hand captured in his, their bodies fitting perfectly together.

"Oh really?" Caspian asked one brow raised.

He hummed under his breath, an old Narnian tune that somehow escaped the Telmarine purging. Susan laughed and sung with him, their voices soaring together as they danced in that tiny room, their eyes drinking each other in.

. . . . . .

"Do leopards get heart attacks?"

Zaru looked up, food dripping down his muzzle.

"What?" he swallowed the last bite of pizza, staring quizzically at the scientist.

Elias studied the cat, his books and notes spilled out onto the table before him.

"I was just wondering. With all the food you eat... is it possible for leopards to get heart attacks?"

Zaru's jaws gaped as a half-chewed piece of salami fell from his lips and hit the ground with a splatter.

"Why?" the leopard demanded, "You think I'm going to die?"

"No... but you might want to have less saturated fats in your diet," Elias said thoughtfully.

Zaru snorted as he bent his head, chewing through a sizeable leg of ham. How they had managed to acquire that in the day or two they had been in this house frankly puzzled Elias.

"I have a good metabolism."

Elias blinked.

"What?"

How on earth did the leopard know something like that?

"You mumble a lot of things under your breath. You keep forgetting I can hear you," the leopard smirked, "And I don't appreciate you constantly talking about dissecting me to figure out how I work."

"I'm sorry?"

But the scientist didn't really mean it and the slightly disgruntled look on his face made that brutally clear. Zaru sighed, his tail twitching.

"Fine," the leopard muttered, "When I die you can dissect me."

"Really?" Elias's eyes lit up.

But he quickly covered up his enthusiasm with a cough, smoothing the look on his face as Zaru glared at him.

"Yes. No. Thank you but I... yes... I can make do with observational studies."

Zaru snorted and finished off the ham. A split second later he was onto a half-eaten roast chicken.

"What are you doing?" Elias demanded, "You don't have to finish all the food we have in the fridge."

"But I can't let good food go to waste!"

His jaws snapped shut, bone cracking noisily.

"I'm trying to concentrate!" Elias groaned, rubbing at his temples.

"Pft..."

Zaru tore a drumstick free.

"You're just upset I won't let you cut me open!"

. . . . . .

Inara and Edmund smirked at each other over their crossed blades. With a cry, Inara sprung free as her opponent slashed at her. She blocked the blow.

"Good!" Edmund called out, eyes dancing, "You're learning!"

"Hey! I'm not that slow!" Inara snapped back.

Edmund feinted but Inara was used to him by now, not falling for it and blocking his actual attack. She pushed him back, forcing him away as they circled each other.

"You're not going to beat him," Peter called out from the sidelines.

"Whose side are you on honey buns?" Inara demanded, glaring at him.

Peter flushed as Edmund howled with laughter.

"Honey buns?" he smirked.

Inara grinned shamelessly at him even as she rammed their blades together, the half-Naga trying to overpower him. They strained against one another, Edmund's eyes widening as he realised just how strong the girl was. His knees buckled, sweat pouring down his eyes as Inara bore down on him. With a grunt, he heaved knocking her off balance. Inara righted herself, parrying frantically as Edmund's sword sliced at her again and again.

"Honey buns?" Peter yelped.

"We're dating now," Inara informed him as Edmund's sword glanced off hers, "That means we need sickeningly sweet nicknames."

Peter buried his face in his hands, wondering what he had gotten himself into.

"So what will it be? Honey buns? Sweet cheeks? Petey snookums? Huggy bear?"

"I like huggy bear," Edmund called out mercilessly.

Peter glared at them both.

"Can I please remind both of you that I can fry you where you stand?" the High King demanded, sparks leaping from his hair.

"You wouldn't. You love me too much," Inara countered shamelessly.

She and Peter smiled tenderly at each other as Edmund gagged. All around them laid reminders of the terror from the night before, Jason storming into the yard, attacking his own family. The wounds, physical and otherwise, were still raw but they were all soldiers. The battles would come when they came, there was no use wringing your hands over them, dreading them. You had to take these rare moments of peace and embrace them fully, make memories because you never knew when your days were numbered.

"Yeah, don't know why though," Peter said softly.

Edmund charged determined to stop their sappy looks as Inara deftly met him.

"Sorry Freckles. Got distracted," Inara laughed as Peter watched her, that same soft smile still on his face.

They duelled, Edmund losing himself to the pure joy of the fight. He had missed this, had missed the to and fro of the training yard, the easy camaraderie that sprung up regardless of his station. For a split second he was back in the grounds of Car Paravel, the cries of his knights ringing out as they urged their king on.

Edmund laughed.

He marvelled that he would feel comfortable amongst these people, this eclectic group that Susan and Peter called family. But they were all soldiers in the same war and even though Edmund did not yet see them as family, he saw them as friends and allies, hopefully they saw him in the same way.

"CLANG! CLANG!"

They fought, neither gaining an advantage as Peter watched, occasionally yelling out instructions to Inara.

"HEY!" a voice cut across the din of the clashing swords, halting their fight.

Edmund and Inara turned, dripping with sweat as Peter frowned. Elias was standing in the doorway to the house, his face dark.

"You better see this," the scientist said before he turned.

Frowning the three of them followed, all laughter wiped from their faces.

. . . . . .

"This is Mary Kayshaw reporting for Channel Nine news," the woman grinned vapidly for the camera, her microphone clutched in her manicured hands.

Heavy black fences stood before her but the scene beyond could be seen through the thick black bars. Guards patrolled the grounds, armed with guns. Rising from what had once been lush green gardens was a soaring tower of steel, a hastily erected construction of platforms and scaffolding.

"The media is currently being kept out but it is understood we will be allowed to enter once the execution has taken place. Within certain dignitaries have been invited but we understand only a handful have accepted."

She paused, smiling again, her look clashing badly against the seriousness of her story.

"Asmodeus is to be executed in just over an hour and of course security is high due to the possibility of an attack by the last remaining demon, Belphegor. As viewers may recall we reported on the confirmed death of Beezelbub weeks ago."

The camera swept around taking in the views of the crowd, cheering men and women brandishing banners with Paxton and Chelsea's faces. Other signs condemned the demons, condemned Lilith, Dorothy's voice scribbled up by thick red markers.

"Supporters of Paxton have also arrived and this is truly a day to celebrate even as the world mourns for the fall of the American president just yesterday. A shocking attack by Asmodeus that led to his capture."

Mary giggled as the camera turned back to her, the stout woman shaking her head as her brown curls bounced and swayed.

"We will keep you updated as more news comes to hand."

. . . . . .

Zaru frowned.

"I see the Ophanim Machine."

And there it was perched on top of the tower Paxton and his people had constructed overnight, the three circles of black metal set at different angles to one another. Even from this distance he could smell the ash and char rising from it and something that was like the scent of the sky before a storm. But for now the machine was dead, no flames to be seen, a promise not yet fulfilled.

"And there's something else."

Two caskets laid beside the machine, two crystal boxes glowing with faint blue-silver light.

"I have no idea what it is," the leopard growled.

"It doesn't matter."

Susan nocked an arrow to her bow, her eyes bleak.

They were hiding in the trees just beyond the fences. The air around them shimmered and bent, hiding them from sight. Peter was crouched beside them, the High King frowning as he struggled to keep the veil of hiding around them.

"If I can get to the machine I might be able to disable it," Elias said quietly.

He looked at his creation and felt nothing but disgust. He had built that thing, he had allowed it to fall into the darkness's hands for whatever ill they wanted to do. He had to be one to stop it, to destroy what he had wrought.

"Inara?" Susan said gently.

"I'll make sure Doc gets to that thing," Inara gritted her out.

She knew why Susan had assigned that task to her. If she had her own way, the first thing she'll do was charge at Paxton and crush him with her bare hands but she couldn't. The focus was not Paxton, the focus was stopping Eustace and Jill and whatever they were scheming.

They each had their part to play.

Susan and Peter were the only ways who had a hope of matching Jason in combat and that was their part.

Caspian, Edmund and Zaru were to free Asmodeus.

Elias and Inara were to stop the Machine.

Edmund smiled grimly.

The plans were made but he knew even in the slightest of battles even the best laid plans often laid awry. Once the bugles started, once the charge began there was no telling what would happen.

He tightened his grip on Abaddon's knife.

Let the dice fall where they may and let them live whilst their enemies fell.

Caspian unsheathed his sword.

There was one last member of this assault.

Kylee.

And her part?

The ground suddenly roared as screams and gunfire rang out. Chunks of the fence fell, collapsing, flying through the air as the helicopters above instantly swooped in, firing their weapons.

She was the distraction.

Susan and Caspian looked at each other, worry shining in their eyes but they both nodded, their faces set into iron masks. Everyone pretended not to notice as Inara and Peter touched each other's hands, a smile passing between them.

It was time.

Peter let the veil fall all around them and they ran from the trees.

The fight to save Asmodeus, to stop the horsemen from riding again had begun.

. . . . . .

Kylee laughed, urging her army on as Paxton's people floundered, stunned by what they were seeing. Statues, stone figures of man and creature, were walking, given unnatural life. Bullets pounded them, chipping them, shattering them but still they ran.

A man fell, his skull caved in by a single blow as the stone form who had crushed him charged on, trampling a woman beneath its feet.

She had made them believe, made unseeing, unhearing rock believe they were alive and so they had risen.

Belphegor howled and speared a guard with her sword.

Minotaurs were appearing now, pouring out of trucks, dark-furred and dark-eyed, great swords and spears held in their hands. Kylee glared at the beasts and with a single thought sent her stone army forward. The minotaurs bellowed in their own guttural tongue, pounding at their chests before charging at their enemies. Stone and flesh collided, the two sides battering each other with unrestrained fury and force.

"KILL!" Baron Samedi jerked at his chain, screaming for blood, "KILL!"

A sea of undead entered the fray, spilling through the ruined fences. Hunger burned in eyes misted over with death, rotting flesh slapping the ground wetly as the creatures ran, their mouths endlessly gnashing the air. As individuals they were almost useless against the minotaurs the beasts butchering them, chopping and slashing but still they moved. Bodies without limbs, without heads threw themselves at the bull-headed creatures. A minotaur fell, screaming as bare teeth ripped into its and throat and split second later it rose as one of the zombies, swinging its battleaxe mindlessly.

This was chaos, this was pure unadulterated madness and Kylee rejoiced in it.

The sky overhead boomed with thunder.

Fire ignited.

The Ophanim Machine, the Wheels of Fire were coming to life. With a screen of metal on metal they began to spin, loops of fire whipping through the air.

"When the wheels turn..."

Kylee reached out with her powers, reaching out to certain members of Paxton's guards – the Paxtonites. They had been hers, she had twisted their minds, made them serve her unquestioningly and Paxton and his little prophet thought they could overcome that? They thought that they could turn her servants against her?

The demon smirked.

The Paxtonites were suddenly staggering, clutching at their feets, weapons falling from their fingers. The other guards stared at them as the minotaurs growled smelling danger.

"And the faithful..."

Kylee snapped her fingers.

"BURN!"

The Paxtonites screamed as one, fire jetting from their eyes and mouths as they exploded, flames ripping through Paxton's army.

With a howl Kylee charged through the fire, the screams and the insanity, each stroke of her blade reaping death amongst her enemies.

. . . . . .

Author's notes – thank you once again for all your lovely reviews. I'm glad my finally getting Peter and Inara together did not make you all leave this fic in droves.

The song I used in this chapter is "Knock Knock" by Lenka just in case you're wondering.

So yeah. One last chapter in Inara's world and then we enter the newest arc of the story – what exactly do I have in store for in intrepid heroes? You'll just have to wait and find out!


	77. Shall ride again

Sorry about the huge delay but I was wrapping up the last moments of my university life and it completely obliterated any free time I had! Please enjoy this chapter and as always review!

Disclaimer: Yeah same old, same old

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 77: Shall ride again**

The Wheels of Fire were alive once more. The Ophanim Machine shook the whole tower as it spun, the spinning wheels spitting out sparks and embers. The two crystal caskets that lay by its side reflected the flames, red stealing into the cool shimmering glass-like forms. The sky above was thick with clouds, vast fields of black storm-filled swirls, the underbelly of which also mirrored the flames below. The sky rumbled, ready to vomit out the storm brewing in its depth, ready to rain destruction down below.

The tower shook as explosions tore the ground apart. People, men and women, were screaming, clutching, clawing at skin that had suddenly become impossibly hot. They were suddenly rooted to the spot, their cries becoming gouts of fire spilling from their mouths.

They exploded, an inferno tearing their bodies apart, shooting out into starburst blasts, destroying everything in their path.

Minotaurs were incinerated where they stood, undead becoming shambling pyres of flaming rotting flesh. Statues, stone form given life, charged straight through the fire, trampling through the mayhem.

Up on the tower Paxton screamed, thrusting his hand forwards. A line of light burst from his fingers, shooting straight at Kylee but the distance was too far, the attack fading before it even reached the demon.

"Hold," Eustace said flatly.

Paxton whirled on his ally, the agent of the darkness watching the slaughter before them with calm eyes.

"We should be down there, destroying her!" Paxton roared.

White light burned a halo around his head, marking him as the true warrior of heaven, the saviour of the world. Sweat dripped down his face as he felt the power coursing through his veins, a raging river that demanded an outlet. He clenched his fists as wisps of white danced around his body, the man close to losing control.

"We need to stay here and guard Asmodeus."

"We should kill him now!" Paxton spat.

Ezekiel and Chelsea stayed silent, one out of respect, the other out of sheer terror. Jill giggled, turning back to watch the battle, rubbing her hands together in anticipation. Tang merely watched them both, her face unreadable.

"We need to keep him alive to keep drawing Belphegor. We kill Asmodeus and he will run," Eustace said decisively, "We wait for our enemies to come to us."

The Ophanim Machine seemed to scream above their heads and the whole tower shuddered.

"And what is that thing?" Paxton demanded.

"Nothing that concerns you," Eustace's voice brook no argument as Paxton flushed.

He opened his mouth, eyes flashing but Eustace cut him off with cold stare.

"Jill get Chelsea and protect the machine. Paxton, Ezekiel and I will watch over Asmodeus. Tang take Jason – "

Paxton felt a chill down to his very bones as he was forced to acknowledge the last member of their group.

Jason Serra. The Seeker. Susan's protector. Wielder of the white flame. And now the Great Darkness's puppet.

The utter emptiness in his eyes made Eustace's expression positively effusive. He only moved on command otherwise he stood perfectly still, a corpse with open, blinking eyes.

Eustace look at him as the Seeker looked back, one agent of the darkness studying another.

"- and kill anyone who gets to the tower."

Jason said nothing, could not say a thing but there was no doubt he would obey. Eustace turned and marched away, Paxton forced to follow him.

His footsteps rang out on the metal walkway, the air all around him filled with heat and the overcooked stench of burning flesh.

He was doing this to save the world.

He was doing this to save the world.

Paxton swallowed.

God he hoped he could save the world.

. . . . . .

Inara drove her sword through the minotaurs chest, taking it straight through the heart. With a grunt she kicked the beast off her blade and whirled. She danced, side-stepping lunges, ducking slashes, twisting and moving, her sword flying out again and again, striking like the deadly fangs of a viper.

Madness raged all around her, pure insanity. People burned as though they were torches, minotaurs, creatures of legend that should've never walked this earth were trying to kill her and the people she loved. Demons had come, her father was the chosen warrior of heaven.

But those were like raindrops on a window pane, glancing off, sliding away. Inara was fire in a sphere of ice, angry, furious but contained, controlled, methodical.

She clung desperately to that peace, clung to the clear headedness it gave her.

The sword was knocked from her hands but she did not hesitate, springing forwards, charging straight into the minotaur's swing and forcing it to stumble back. She drove her fist into its jaw, cracking bone, she slammed her fist into its face grinding nose to meat. She dropped, sweeping the legs out from under it and as it fell, she wrenched the glaive from its hands and drove it down into its chest.

She leapt, flipping and grabbing onto that upright staff, planting two feet into a charging minotaur and sending it crashing back. She landed and her sword was back in her hands, the half-Naga ready to face her new foe.

Fire and ice, fire to give passion, to give strength, ice to direct, to let her see beyond the bloodlust.

She sliced the head from the minotaur before her.

Beside her Edmund danced swords with his own opponent, the minotaur wielding two heavy broadswords. It roared, swinging, cleaving the air but the Just King deftly deflected both of before lunging, driving his sword through its throat.

Caspian's blade slashed down, cutting through sinew and bone as a minotaur staggered, one bloody stump gushing blood. Eyes brimming with purpose, Caspian seized the advantage, two more swift blows felling his enemy.

Susan stood with Zaru before her, the leopard protecting his queen as she let off arrow after arrow, streaks of silver hitting their mark each time.

Kill.

Red bled into Susan's eyes as she wreaked death all around her, every arrow finding its mark.

Kill. Kill. Kill.

The darkness was waking, tasting blood and rejoicing in it. Without hesitating Susan summoned the Hunt-Beast into her thoughts, picturing the wild thing of the forest as intricately as she could. The image came to life in her head, giving a roar as the voice of the darkness quietened, not fading altogether but weaker than before.

Susan grunted and took the small victory.

Peter cursed loudly beside her as he hurled a fire orb into the minotaurs charging at them. They had made him promise to not use his Gifts until they had reached the tower, if he was to fight Jason he would need every drip and dram of power he held.

Undead and statues streamed all around them, throwing themselves mindlessly at the minotaurs, beating the beasts back with sheer numbers and fury.

Slowly they were carving a path to the tower, Paxtonites still igniting, human beings still being turned into weapons. Their screams, the stench of burning flesh made Susan want to throw up. Swallowing she forced herself to raise her bow, red bleeding into her blue eyes.

Kylee would pay for all she had done.

Susan fired another arrow, another minotaur dying.

She might not be able to kill the demon but she would make her pay. By the Mane, she vowed she would.

. . . . . .

Kylee strode through the destruction, a wild wind sweeping her blonde hair back. Her enemies looked at her, stunned, unable to believe that such a sweet-faced girl could be tearing the limbs from their bodies.

She dropped the still twitching arm and pulled the gun from its hands. Without hesitation she turned the gun on its owner, killing him with a spray of bullets.

Marvellous things guns. Of all the twisted monstrous things he and his brothers had dreamed up this simple thing of metal outshone them all. A weapon that could kill with the squeeze of a trigger? A thing that could be used to kill again and again without skill, without pause, without thought?

Kylee shook her head. She might be a lord of a hell but even she had to bow down to the humans sometimes.

"Kill them Samedi," she stroked her pet as he jerked at his chains, foaming at the mouth, "Kill them all."

And he lunged at her word, long limbs outstretched. One touch and a woman fell, dropping to the ground like a sack of meat. But she swiftly rose once more, joining the ranks of the undead.

The Ophanim Machine was spinning faster and faster, the wheels turning into one single globe of fire. Strands of flames reached up into the heavens as the skies rumbled once more with thunder. Kylee hissed as she felt the power emanating from that thing, felt it tugging and pulling at the fabric of reality itself, threatening to rip it apart.

Undead minotaurs charged slamming into their once brethren, blood and limbs flying through the air.

They wanted her to come to them. Kylee looked up and she could see her brother trapped amongst the steel, chained to the tower. He was raving, screaming like a madman, the Sickness that had consumed their brothers now claiming its next victim. Kylee closed her eyes. They might have schemed against one another, tried to pull each other down but Asmodeus and her were the only ones left now.

She would mourn for her family but not now, not whilst their killers still drew breath.

Kylee smiled.

They wanted her to come to the tower? They wanted her to face them? To die by their hands?

Did they honestly think she hadn't prepared for such an eventuality?

Kylee reached into herself, plunging deep. Her eyes snapped open, a grin curving her lips as she felt power bloom, spreading into every cell of her body.

This was the power she had snatched from the Stonehenge, power that had brewed and strengthened in sleeping for centuries. It hung above her head in a crackling, snarling cloud.

They wanted her?

Kylee stomped forwards and the ground beneath her cracked and smoked.

"Samedi!" she pulled at the chain, "Forward!"

Her army responded, tearing through the waning line of minotaurs. The wheels were turning, the faithful had burned but if they expected her to fall...

Kylee laughed until her sides ached.

. . . . . .

Susan gritted her teeth, her ruby-tipped sceptre in her hands as she felt the darkness rise in her, dark laughter struggling to escape her lips. The Hunt-Beast roared but the darkness was growing, feeding on her rage, on each death that she dealt.

Elias blasted the minotaurs before them with a fire orb and they were through, the ramp leading to the first level of the tower right before them.

"ALMOST THERE!" she roared, the red crystals on her sceptre sparking as more minotaurs charged at them, screaming and howling, "REMEMBER YOUR – "  
"BOOM!"  
Susan was shoved backwards as white light consumed the whole wave of minotaurs, flames and limbs flying everywhere as blood splattered the ruined earth.

"Good boy."

Jason stared at Susan, eyes blank as the queen stared back helplessly, her knuckles white around her sceptre. Red flared in her eyes as Tang patted the Seeker's head as though he was a faithful dog. Jason merely blinked, dumbly waiting his next instruction.

"I have been instructed by Paxton to give you this last chance of surrender," Tang said evenly as Inara stiffened, her silver eyes flashing.

The woman surveyed them coolly, completely unarmed except for the Seeker by her side. If she felt fear she did not show it.

"Jason!" Susan called, "Jason! Stop! We're not your enemies!"

The Seeker did not seem her words. The queen closed her eyes, absolutely sick to her stomach at the thought of what she had to do. But there was no choice, Paxton had to be stopped and anything that stood in their way had to be destroyed. But that did not stop the tears from wanting to fall, she looked at her friends, her family.

"Go," Susan said quietly, "Get Asmodeus. Get to the machine. Peter and I will hold Jason off."  
"Are you sure?" Caspian growled, "Su –"

"We'll handle Jason," Peter growled, "Caspian go!"

The Telmarine glared at Peter, his burning eyes telling her he would never leave Susan's side. But the queen met his gaze squarely, letting him see that she was not going to bend.

Zaru growled under his breath, his body twitching as he felt the machine on top of the tower continue to build in power. Sparks were igniting into an inferno that threatened to devour the world. He could feel its strength, could hear the world screaming in agony. They did not have much time left.

"Jason. Be a dear and kill them," Tang ordered coldly.

Jason instantly threw his hand outwards, white fire stabbing out as Susan slashed the air with her sceptre, a crackling whip of red energy snapping out.

"BOOM!"  
Shockwaves sent them all skittling as Susan slammed into Caspian, the king grabbing her as she whipped around, hair in her eyes.

"GO!" Susan screamed, "NOW! NOW!"

Lightning slashed out, ruach meeting the attack as Peter and Susan threw themselves forwards, attacking their friend.

Zaru bounded forwards, hating the fact he was abandoning his queen but knew this was a battle he could not help in. Edmund said nothing, trusting his brother and sister without question as the two charged up the ramp and into the tower, Caspian right behind them.

Inara and Elias entered the tower but immediately went to the left as the others took to the right, both groups having their own mission.

Susan offered up a quick prayer for her friends before she was forced to duck, white flames sweeping through the air. She stabbed forwards, the Hunt-Beast roaring as the darkness howled with laughter. A stream of crackling red lancing at Jason.

Peter wove a net of green fire and hurled it at the Seeker, trying to snare him but a column of spiralling white flames exploded around the man, turning their attacks aside.

"BANG! BANG!"

Tang was firing at them, Peter cursing wildly as he hurled lightning bolts at the woman. She dodged with almost impossible speed, her face serene as she aimed her gun and fired again.

Jason punched the air and an invisible force slammed into Peter. Bone cracked, Peter staggering even as he sang, forcing his wounds to heal.

The High King stomped the ground and lightning fell from the sky. It rained down on Tang, the woman lost behind a barrage of blinding blue. Peter ignored the storm, whirling on Jason.

Power, knowledge, whispers of words it all poured through his head. Aita had turned his original Gift against him in the battle for Charn, she had reached into him and forced his talent into life. He had stood, stunned, transfixed as his body tried to absorb every bit and part of power and magic from miles around. The sheer strain had almost killed him. But he had survived and he welcomed what the witch had done because it had strengthened him, gave him new tools and toys to fight with.

He no longer just wielded lightning, no longer just healed or hid behind veils of air. He could now do more than just control machinery and have knowledge of the arcane.  
He was a master of the green flames, of witch fire.

He was a master of winter, of biting cold and lethal ice.

And there was still more, a jumble, tangled mass of half-realised dreams and visions. He was one of the crones, those bird-headed mistresses of pain and poisons. There was also a memory of light, gold and brilliant but it slipped out of his reach.

Without thinking, without hesitating Peter grabbed the Gifts the crones had given him. He imagined brambles and thorns and hurled that at Jason.

The Seeker showed nothing but Peter knew pure pain was ripping through him, every nerve in his body on fire. Green flames gathered in Peter's hands and he threw it at the Seeker, blasting him back.

Jason righted himself, ruach spilling from his hands and gathering in the air before him.

"Su run!" Peter roared, sensing the danger.

Her sister was standing beside him, her sceptre crackling with power. She glared at him and Peter smiled wryly.

"Not going to listen?"

"Do you want me to tell Inara you tried to stop me?" Susan smirked back.

Peter laughed. His blue eyes darted to the tower, to where his love was fighting her own battles. Worry assaulted him but the High King pushed them back, Inara trusted him to win his own fight and he had to trust she would do the same. Besides if she found out he was doubting her...

Peter looked back at Jason and felt a pang. He did not want to hurt the man but he knew what the Seeker would say. Jason loved Susan and if he was the one who was putting her in danger...

Jason would want to die.

Peter summoned lightning to his hands but froze as Jason gestured. Ruach rose high up into the air in one crushing wave. It grew and grew, reaching up into the heavens before it hit its peak and crested. White fire fell into a burning, crushing avalanche down onto the king and queen as Jason stood and watched, not a flicker of emotion on his face.

. . . . . .

White light slashed the scaffolding, slicing through steel leaving behind burning red ends. Caspian pulled himself up and glared at their enemy. Paxton stared down at them from the level above, wings of fire sprouting from his shoulders, white light burning at his fingertips.

"Leave this place!" Paxton announced.

Caspian rolled his eyes.

"I really hate the way he speaks," the king growled.

"Hey at least you don't have to smell him!" Zaru yelped.

The man reeked of insanity and arrogance all shot through with power. Paxton was disintegrating, the essence of the man crumbling beneath his obsession and self-righteousness.

Edmund said nothing, the Just King focused completely on the fight before them. Abaddon's knife was in his hands, its whispers crawling beneath his skin. His chest and belly ached, even though the skin there was now smooth and whole, he could feel an echo of the brand that Kylee had once etched into his flesh. But he felt the pain as though from a great distance.

In battle Edmund was a blade, every fibre of his being filled with cold steely purpose. He was a weapon, honed for combat, aimed at his enemies and ready to strike.

"Paxton. The darkness is lying to you. The demons must not die," he said, his voice cutting through the screams and the mayhem but it was not a shout, it was too controlled for that.

"The darkness has promised the safety of this world!" Paxton roared back at him, "Can you promise that?"

Through the streams of white light, Edmund could make out a familiar face. Eustace Stubbs. His cousin. But the darkness in his eyes told the Just King the stories were true, his cousin was nothing more than a puppet of the darkness.

Edmund closed his eyes and offered up a quick prayer. He didn't like his cousin very much but nobody deserved the fate he had suffered. Edmund's mouth twisted bitterly; there was nothing he could do but kill the boy and finally give him peace.

His eyes flicked to Caspian and Zaru. The leopard growled, sensing Edmund's resolve.

"Answer me!" Paxton snarled, "Answ – "

Zaru lunged, bounding easily up the twisted ruins of steel pipes and planks as Caspian and Edmund charged, climbing up through the wreckage.

White light lanced forwards, Zaru dodging, swiping at the warrior of heaven. The leopard leapt as a crystal glanced off the steel plank ground, Eustace flanking Paxton.

"CLANG!"

Crystal and steel met, Caspian meeting the possessed boy's blow. Eustace stared at him, eyes blank. They sprung apart, circling each other.

Paxton aimed at the king, white light building in his hands but a slash of darkness forced him back. Edmund eyed the man, Zaru hissing at his feet, the two facing off against the saviour of the world.

"I will save this world," Paxton warned, his very skin suffused with white light.

Edmund grimaced.

"Stop with the melodramatic rambling!" the Just King snapped.

Paxton blasted him with light but a slice of the knife and the white burn faded. The warrior of heaven gaped as Edmund attacked, his sword sweeping down into one gleaming silver arc.

. . . . . .

It was the end of days. And it had been a long time coming.

Creatures of hell had walked the earth, their very existence twisting the world around them, monstrosities and abominations springing forth with their every step. The heavens had risen up in retaliation, flinging their gates wide open, their light falling upon one man who carried all of their graces.

Paxton and the demons. A war that had stretched on for almost two years, a war that had torn the world asunder. Thousands, millions of lives lost, in screaming, burning agony. Cities had fallen and each time the world thought it could take no more, the blade was driven deeper, twisting deeper, bleeding more.

And it had all led to this point. This day, the war would end. In darkness or in light that was all to be seen. But in destruction or salvation the fighting would end.

Inara looked at the two standing before her, carefully keeping Elias behind her. The tower shook and swayed all around them, the machine at its peak spitting out tongues of flames up into the heavens. Lightning and red light flared, Peter and Susan fighting furiously against Jason at its base. And all around minotaurs fought and died against an army of stone and the walking undead.

And her father was behind all this, he was the one who going to doom them all. Rage came thick and strong. Inara wanted to turn, to run until she found him. She wanted to be the one to fight him! To break his neck! To make him beg! And not just for this fight, not just for working for the darkness but for everything, every punch, every curse, every time she had ever cried.

He was a mistake and she was going to fix it. Not Edmund, not Susan. Her. It was her right, earned with blood and tears, with nights of cowering in the dark. She wanted to be the one to smile in Paxton's face as he choked to death at her own hands, she wanted her face to be the last thing Paxton ever saw. For him to know that he had been a dead man walking for a long, long time.

Her eyes were silver, her fists clenched.

But suddenly all she could see was Jill's knowing, victorious smirk.

No.

Inara gritted her teeth and forced herself to calm. Terror, anger, thoughts of revenge and blood hit the ice in her soul and slid away.

Focus. Fight. Live.

But Inara let the tiniest slip of flame free.

"Chelsea what are you doing?" she demanded.

Her sister refused to meet her eyes. The girl seemed broken, flinching at every sound, trying to hide inside herself.

"I have to," her voice sounded as shattered as she looked.

"What happened to not fighting for Paxton? Not listening to him?" Inara pressed, "Chelsea what– "

Her sister looked up and Inara blinked at the bleak look in her eyes, it was no longer just fear that fettered her – it was a look stripped of all hope, a look of utter defeat.

"There's no escaping him Inara. He's always going to be part of us. He's broken us forever," Chelsea raised her fists, "If I don't fight you. He'll find me and when he does –"

"Look on the bright side there's a good chance you'll die today," Jill laughed.

She smirked at Inara as the half-Naga's gaze slide from her sister to the agent of darkness.

"You really going to take us both on? Are you sure that's wise?" the possessed girl questioned mockingly.

Inara smirked right back.

"The only question in my head is which order I'm going to kick the living hell of you two," she looked at Chelsea, "Last chance to leave. I don't want to hurt you."

Chelsea trembled but kept her place. Inara merely nodded. In battle there no place for mercy, no place for second guessing. If Chelsea had made her choice however unwillingly than the way was clear. She was now the enemy and she had to be defeated.

"Elias."

The scientist nodded, knowing what she was going to say. She trusted him to complete his tasks and he trusted her to do the same. That's what had kept them all alive for so long, the simple knowledge that they would rather die than fail each other.

"Go."

"Be careful," Elias said gently.

"Always am," Inara managed to smiled at him.

He squeezed her hand and was gone, scrambling up the ladder behind her, heading up to the next level and towards his own goal. Inara's laid here, in the two enemies before her.

Inara looked at them and smiled.

The roar of lightning and fire, the screams of the fighting and dying down below, it all came as though from a great distance. She was dew on a blade of grass, a stone on a mountain top, a smooth lake mirroring the sky and all the other hundreds of poetic things the monks at the temple had tried to beat into her head.

Anger would not win her his battle, she had thrown her fury at the demons, at the minotaurs and they had broken her. She would not charge, screaming, punching and kicking all because she wanted to do was cause pain.

Inara smiled.

She was feather floating on the wind.

Calm. Serene. Measured.

Anger was raw, incomplete and flawed. It had to be forged, honed to an edge until it could truly be used. Okay so she was generally terrible at that particular lesson but nobody could accuse her of not trying now.

"I wonder if I could make you scream like you did with the minotaurs," Jill taunted.

A blow designed to shake her, to make her see red. Inara let it slide. Nothing could shake her. Jill narrowed her eyes, the monster sensing different with her prey. Inara merely stared back, raising a brow.

"GRAB HER!" Jill snarled as Chelsea darted forwards.

Inara moved easily into a battle stance, her movements liquid and graceful. How many hours had the monks forced her to sit quietly by the side of the river, staring mindlessly at the stream and flow of the water? That's what they had done every time she had erred, every time they had punished her. Back to the stone, staring at the current for hours on end.

She finally realised why now.

One could not always throw themselves into battle without thought. One could not always fill themselves up with rage and try to hammer the opponent into submission.

Sometimes...

Chelsea lashed out but Inara dodged with supreme ease, her face calm.

You just had to flow.

Jill roared and leapt into the battle, fists and feet flying at the half-Naga. The snake inside of her head wanted to strike, to lunge again and again sinking her fangs into her enemies but Inara pushed it down.

She danced around them, weaving around their blows, twisting and turning as they tried to hit her again and again.

"STAND STILL!" Jill snarled suddenly in her face.

Naga and fury shrieked and Inara struck, ramming her fist straight into the girl's face and sending her flying.

. . . . . .

Asmodeus pulled at his chains, screaming as the steel links burned red-hot against his flesh. He writhed, his eyes bulging from his head, his teeth gnashing the air.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" he screeched to the world, "I'LL KILL YOU!"

He giggled, he laughed, he cursed, he chewed through his own lips and blood spilt down his front. He welcomed the taste, delighting in it.

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

The Sickness infected every single part of him, filling his blood, his body. It clawed into his chest and seeped into his heart. It consumed his brain, his thoughts, stripping away all that he was and filling it with poison.

Asmodeus didn't care he was a prisoner, didn't care he was about to be executed. All he cared about was the fact his hand were not drenched with blood, that he wasn't surrounded by a mountain of bodies higher than his head.

"GARGH!"

He hurled himself forwards, the chains tearing into his skin.

"ARGH!"

He bit down his own tongue, laughing at the taste of blood.

"ARGGGH!"

One of his chains snapped as the demon stumbled, his eyes gleamed with triumph as he jerked and pulled, ripping another chain from its mooring.

. . . . . .

Crystal sheared through steel with a screech, missing Caspian's head by a mere breath. The king straightened, blowing the hair from his face as he parried Eustace's thrust, planting a kick in the boy's chest and knocking him back.

Their fight had taken them away from Edmund and Zaru, flashes of light half-seen in the corner of his eye telling him they were still fighting Paxton.

Caspian gritted his teeth.

They were meant to be rescuing Asmodeus but were instead locked in a stalemate against their enemies, no ground lost but no ground gained either.

The thought drove a spur into his side and Caspian attacked, letting fly with a flurry of thrusts and slashes, pressing Eustace back. But each blow was matched, blocked and turned away, the two playing out a deadly intricate dance.

"I will be made whole again," Eustace said mildly as their blades clashed again.

They stared at each other over the crisscross of their swords, straining to overcome the other through sheer force. Caspian shoved, stumbling the boy before darting forwards, stabbing out.

Eustace side-stepped the lunge and both swordsman instantly backed away, careful eyeing the other. Caspian cursed, they were too evenly matched for this duel to be won without luck.

"I will win."

Was the monster reading his mind? Caspian shuddered as he remembered being a prisoner inside his own skull, chained to the darkness as a demon rode his body. It still haunted him, that terrible, monstrous moment. His own hands, slick with Susan's blood, his blade driving deep into her flesh.

Caspian fought down the urge to vomit.

"Why's that?" the king demanded.

They circled each other.

"Because I know I will."

"You seem very sure of yourself," Caspian couldn't help the curious note that snuck into his voice.

This was the first time the possessed boy had spoken in any of their fights. Usually he was like a machine intent on blood, nothing said, no quarter given, a merciless force of utter destruction. So why was he speaking now?

"We are not the enemy."

Caspian laughed as the tower shook again, fire shooting from the Ophanim Machine and sweeping the battlefield below, the flames so hot it incinerated everything it touched.

"You have destroyed worlds. You have massacred millions," the king spat at Eustace's feet, "Do not insult me by pretending to be anything but monsters!"

Eustace's face did not move but crystals rippled across his skin, in millions of hair-fine spikes sprouting than fading in the blink of an eye.

"We are like you. We are trying to save the worlds. My master, your master they hope to save the world. One with songs and stories. The other with something much more potent and effective."

"They are nothing alike!" Caspian roared.

He slashed wildly at the boy but a wall of crystal rose, his sword glancing off. Caspian stumbled but quickly righted himself. He looked at the agent of the darkness, perplexed. In that moment of imbalance, Eustace could've easily ended the fight, could've easily slid his blade between Caspian's ribs. But the boy merely studied him, eyes completely black.

"Neither is evil," Eustace dissolved his wall, "It is a shame their very nature cannot exist together."

Caspian stared at the boy. Suddenly he burst into laughter. Eustace merely blinked.

"Of all the people..." Caspian shook his head, "I must thank you."

"For what?'

The king looked up and his eyes were shining like pebbles in a sunlit brook.

"For allowing me to see the truth."

He remembered all too well standing at the fringes of the damned city of Gomorrah, Asmodeus asking him question after question he could not answer.

Why had Aslan allowed his family to die?

Why had Aslan abandoned Narnia then saved them again as though on a whim?

Why had Aslan made a deal with the demons, had allowed them to torture His champions?

Was Aslan evil? Was Aslan cruel or did He simply not care?

Why? Why? Why?

Asmodeus had wielded the questions like a tail-of-nines, scoring a victory every time Caspian hesitated.

But he finally knew the answer.

Eustace had said it himself. Aslan wasn't evil. And who else would know that better than a creature of the darkness. So what was Aslan? A phantom bully in the sky as Asmodeus had tried to sell Him as? A greedy, uncaring, full of fear and doubt tyrant?

But it didn't matter who Aslan was. It mattered what He did. Aslan had made mistakes, Caspian had no doubt of that. There was no point in glorifying Him as a sinless beacon of light, that everything that happened was according to His plan and His plan alone.

But what made Aslan different from them was that He was willing to forgive, no matter how much wrong had been done, no matter if you lied or killed or even stopped believing in Him Aslan always forgave. And He never gave up, even with all the worlds falling into darkness Aslan still believed, still believed that mere humans could do what He could not.

And that's what the True King of Narnia was.

He allowed evil to happened, allowed people to die but He also wrought good, saved lives and souls. He had done wrong by dealing with the devils but He had done it to protect what He could.

To banish death, to banish suffering and wars and disease would be a grand thing but it would create a stagnant world, a world with nothing to strive for, nothing to strive against.

Caspian raised his sword.

So was Aslan a monster? Was Aslan a saviour? He was both and to paint him as purely one or the other was useless. He was what He was but all Caspian needed to know was that Aslan loved him, believed in him and because of he would not fail the Great Lion.

Their swords met with a crash of thunder but Caspian pushed the boy back, standing tall with all the strength and majesty of a mountain as they clashed once more.

. . . . . .

The ruach had obliterated the ground all around them, sandy soil boiled to glass, charred remains locked inside the rude dirty clear specks. Peter looked around, dazed, his ears ringing, his vision switching rapidly from colour to grey, light stabbing painfully into his ears. He pulled himself up and his eyes widened.

"SUSAN!"

The queen stood in a ring of crackling red power, Jason's white flames stabbing furiously at the wall of crimson as Tash's sceptre burned with light. Tendrils of red energy snapped out, slicing through the ruach as the Seeker stood, watching Susan passively.

"Stop this," Susan ordered, her voice hard, eyes burning with red.

In response Jason held out his hands, straightening his fingers.

"BOOM!"

The air before Susan exploded, hurling the queen back as the force of the blast tore another hole into the ground

"NOOO!"  
The cry tore itself free from Peter's mouth, winging through the air like a dark bird as Susan hit the ground in a terrifyingly limp pile. His ees suddenly and violently contracted, his whole world arrowing in on that one single image – Susan on the ground, pale and lifeless.

Jason merely blinked. Peter tore his eyes away from Susan and red bleed into his world.

"YOU BASTARD!" the High King screamed as he charged at the Seeker.

Jason swept his hands around. Invisible hammers crashed into Peter's chest sending him sprawling to the ground. Jason pointed at a section of the tower. It was instantly torn apart, planks and scaffolding floating in mid-air ghostly hands twisted the steel to become one lethal spar.

Peter roared with fury, trying to rise as the air itself pushed down on him, crushing him to the ground. Lightning and witch fire leapt but Peter could not break free. The Seeker looked at him, eyes burning with white.

"JASON STOP!" Peter screamed, trying to lever himself up, his useless arms scrabbling at the dirt, "STOP LETTING THE DARKNESS WIN!"

Jason pointed at the king and the rough steel lance trembled, white fire coating its jagged points. Green fire tried to swallow the flying weapon but it punched straight through the flames. Peter threw his hand outwards, the lance whistling through the air, lightning glancing uselessly off. Helpless Peter could only watch eyes wide as the spear flew right at him

"NO!"

Red light scythed through the air slicing through the lance and knocking it aside.

"Jason," Susan stood tall, hair flapping in an unseen breeze as Tash's sceptre burned in her hands.

Her eyes flashed from crystal blues to hellish reds, from royal purple to burnished gold. Like a robot Jason swung his attention back on her, the air around him burning.

"This is your last chance," Susan hissed, in a voice deeper and rougher than her own, "STAND DOWN!"

Peter stared at her jaws agape. Who was this woman? Who was this red-eyed demon before him?

Susan roared in rage and slashed the air with her sceptre, red power rushing forth and crashing into Jason knocking him back and down. White flames leapt at her, twisting in fantastical shapes of hawks and lions and monsters. Susan laughed, poison dripping from her voice as she pointed with her sceptre.

Red light shot forwards in a single thread-like beam, ripping through the haze of white flames and striking Jason straight in the chest. The Seeker writhed, his mouth opened in a silent scream as full force of Tash's power tore through his body.

Susan stalked forwards, magnificent in her contempt. There was barely a trace of humanity in her face, just wild fury and hate. She screamed, her sceptre unleashing another storm of red light and lightning that crashed into Jason. The Seeker screamed and screamed, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as he convulsed wildly, Susan laughing with delight as she watched his pain.

With deliberate slowness she lowered the twisted black metal of her staff letting the power die. Jason's body twitched, smoking rising from his form as his queen chuckled at his pain.

"Susan..." Peter could finally stand, "SU!"

She lashed out again, a single tendril of power searing Jason's skin as he bucked, keening like a dying animal. Susan's laugh was rich and dripping with dark amusement.

"SUSAN! STOP!"

She wielded her sceptre like a whip, lashing Jason with a single line of red fire as the Seeker screamed. Susan's laughs chased his cries up into the sky as Peter watched, horrified.

The sight of Jason's pain made her heart sing. This maggot had dared hurt her, had dared to even imagine he could match her power and might. Susan's hands convulsed on her sceptre as hate ran through her, contempt and fury blurring into one savage urge to see him bleed. For his folly this insect would pay!

"ARGH!" Jason's back was torn open, blisters forming as red light cooked his skin.

"SUSAN!"

The cry was like a whisper to the roar inside her head as she poured more of herself into the sceptre, laughing in delight as Jason screamed again and again.

"SUSAN!"  
Kill. Hurt. Make him bleed. Watch him scream. She drank it all in, feeding on his pain and fear, tasting it on her tongue as wine and sweets. She laughed, thrilling at her power, at her invinci –

"SUSAN!"  
"BAM!"  
She hit the ground, the sceptre flying from her hands as the dark voice instantly froze in mid-sentence. The power in her veins vanished as her body convulsed, screaming for it, begging for it as a low moan left her lips. Peter towered over her, chest heaving, his eyes wide with horror. Susan slowly stirred, her eyes wide.

"What..." Peter gaped at his sister, scared of her for the very first time, "What..."

"Tash," Susan swallowed back vomit and bile, horrified.

She wanted to look at Jason, knew she had to but she couldn't bring herself to do it. The stench of burnt flesh made her stomach roll as she clamped down on her nerves and made herself look.

"By the Mane..." she whimpered.

The Seeker was still, his back open and raw. Susan cried out and scrambled away from Peter, barely noticing the king as she threw himself onto Jason's body, screaming and weeping.

"Please... please..."

She turned him over, her hands digging into his neck, trying to find a pulse.

"Please..."

The sceptre laid dead on the street, twisted and gnarled, rubies dull. Susan shuddered, remembering the demon it had wakened in her, a demon that now slumbered satisfied with all it had wrought.

"No..."

And she found it, weak and trembling but there... Jason's pulse.

"Is he..." Peter began slowly, limping towards her, grimacing as his muscles screamed in pain.

"He is," Susan said tersely.

She felt sick at what she had done and shamed to her bone. But she also trembled with fear, terrified of her own weakness, how easily Tash's powers had consumed her. She wished she could say never again, wished she could vow never to tap into that darkness again but Susan knew better. She would do it again, if it meant protecting the worlds and those she loved, she would do it again and again and without hesitation. And that was the part that terrified her the most.

She looked into Jason's opened eyes, blank and lifeless as it had been since his enchantment. Guilt could come later. She had almost killed him, had taken delight in it in fact. She would beg for forgiveness knowing she didn't deserve it but for now she had to save him.

Her left iris turned purple as she stared into Jason's lifeless eyes.

Viola's power was grounded in sight, in piercing the transparency of the present and seeing into the future. It could see spells and break enchantments, destroy illusions and reveal the truth. Susan peered into Jason's soul and saw something within, something dark and hidden, bound by memory and power. She could see it, see the Darkness's machinations but she didn't know what to do, how to break it.

Gold flared in her vision and Susan staggered. Peter was singing, healing the man but he could only knit flesh back together, the spell that chained Jason still held strong.

"You are not to use that sceptre again!" Peter spat at her, his worry as always turning into anger.

"I can't promise that Peter."

The darkness was a part of her. She could no more cut it out than cut out her own heart. Peter looked at her, his face too smooth. Susan grimaced.

"We need to go help the others," she said standing up.

"Stay," Peter rose as well, lightning crackling against his skin, "Guard Jason. I'll go."

"Peter – "

She wanted to say something, wanted to wipe the fear from his face, his worry but all possible words burned to ashes in her mouth.

"Okay," she gathered her sceptre, hating it, craving it, "Go."

The High King left her as Susan rose. A minotaur snuffed wetly, eyeing her hungrily. Without hesitating Susan sheathed her sceptre, her silver bow bright in her hands. The monster roared and charged but an arrow slammed into its eye, bringing it down as Susan plucked a second arrow from her quiver.

. . . . . .

White light struck Zaru and the leopard was propelled backwards, hurled to the ground in a twitching, smoking heap.

"ZARU!" Edmund yelled.

"ARGH!"

Paxton attacked, a broken length of metal piping his weapon as he rushed forwards, Edmund surging to meet his blows. In that moment he was once more Edmund the Just, King of Narnia and Knight Commander of Order of the Lions. All fears, all hesitancy melted away, the iron-willed warrior who had protected his people for fifteen years coming to the fore.

"CLANG!"  
Paxton struck with deadly force knocking Edmund back. The king grunted, finding his footing quickly as the tower teetered. Metal was screeching, sections of walkway falling away as their fights tore the structure apart, the whole thing threatening to collapse on top of their heads.

"Why are you fight me?"

"CLANG!"

Edmund parried, twisting and stabbing. Paxton sidestepped the thrust, sneering, daring him on as Edmund growled. They lunged at each other, metal flashing, weapons glancing off each other as they fought in a tight ring, neither giving an inch. Paxton howled and drove the pole into his enemy's side, jagged metal tearing into flesh as Edmund gasped in pain, staggering back. The warrior swung at him and Edmund slashed out, blocking the blow. Paxton roared, pipe pressed against sword, the man using his superior height and weight to bear down on Edmund, trying to overpower him with sheer brute force. Edmund's arms shook as he fought to hold Paxton off.

"I am trying to the save this world! It has been promised to me!" Paxton roared in his face.

"You're dooming all the other worlds," Edmund snapped back, "Do you want the horsemen to ride again?"

"I don't care about the other worlds! I ONLY CARE ABOUT THIS ONE!" Paxton spat into Edmund's face and the king instinctively recoiled.

In that moment of distraction Paxton lunged, Edmund catching a blow to the face. Dazed he could just make out a dark object flying towards him. Instincts drove his movements, his sword slicing up in a blur of motion.

"CLANG!"

Pipe glanced off sword and Paxton roared, swinging again but Edmund was there blocking and twisting, locking the weapons before stabbing at Paxton with Abaddon's knife. Paxton stumbled as with a deft twist of his wrist Edmund disarmed him, ruthlessly stabbing forwards.

"GARGH!"

Blood splattered the walls as Paxton staggered back, clutching at his gut.

"You..." he looked up at his conqueror, his dark eyes livid, "You little..."

With a roar Paxton charged, swinging wildly as Edmund threw himself forwards, diving through his arms, hitting the ground and rolling to his feet as Paxton stumbled. As he had told Peter so long ago this was no time for chivalry and with his enemies back to him, Edmund struck.

Paxton screamed as razor steel sliced through cloth and flesh, Edmund slashing across his unprotected back, blade biting deep into the bone. Paxton fell to the ground as Edmund towered over him, panting, his side soaked with blood and sweat.

Abaddon's knife was whispering to him, whispering to him to finish off the fight, to kill the man before him. Edmund shoved the voices away.

"You can't defeat me," Paxton croaked.

"It seems I already have," Edmund said calmly.

White light still burned around the man, his wings of fire furling and unfurling.

"I will not rest until I have saved this world as promised," Paxton pulled himself up, bleeding, on the verge of collapse, "I will not rest until the demons are dead!"

Edmund raised his knife. He had tried reasoning with the man, tried to make him see the danger he was putting all the worlds in but Paxton was beyond reason, beyond anything but his zeal and obsession. And that made him dangerous. Give Edmund a cunning foe any day – they could be out-predicted, could be out-manoeuvred. Paxton was insane. Predicting what a madman would do was like dicing for your life in the dark with a pack of wolves – fruitless and dangerous.

"This world is mine! Mine to have! Mine to win and protect!" Paxton whirled, "You will not take that from me!"

He hurled white light at Edmund, blinding him. The Just King cried out, staggering as Paxton charged, a blade of white flames clutched in his hands. Blinking tears from his eyes, Edmund threw himself aside. Paxton kicked him, knocking the air from his lungs and bringing him to the ground. Edmund wheezed as Paxton towered over him.

"YOU THINK YOU CAN STOP ME?" the enraged warrior howled.

He slashed down, Edmund rolling away, the blade slicing neatly through the metal floor.

"THIS IS MY VICTORY!" Paxton roared, the veins in his head bulging.

He stomped down as Edmund screamed, his hand crushed beneath Paxton's shoe. The insane man ripped the sword from his enemy's grip, brandishing it wildly.

"MY TRIUMPH!" Paxton screamed as Edmund struggled, his hand still pinned, "I WILL NOT BE HUMILIATED BY SOMEONE LIKE YOU!"

Edmund stabbed Abaddon's knife into Paxton's leg and the man screamed as dark veins instantly bulged out from the wound. The warrior staggered, his impossible sword winking out of existence as Edmund pulled himself up. Paxton tore the dark spike from his leg and hurled it off the side of the tower, the blade plunging deep down into the ruined earth below.

"You..." blood dribbled from Paxton's lips.

"No more talking," Edmund said coldly, "Fight me."

And Paxton, bleeding enough to die, flew at him. The blows came with punishing force and impossible speed, Edmund battered by a brutal barrage before he could even blink.

Hard fists were driven into his stomach, blood flying from his mouth as he staggered back, everything pain and darkness. Paxton howled with laughter, grabbing him by the face and shoving him back as Edmund stumbled, threatening to flip over the edge of the walkway.

"You cannot win against the warrior of heaven..."

Paxton reached out with one hand, tearing another piece of scaffolding free.

"Now," he weighed the length of pipe carefully, "Die."

And Edmund was too dazed, too pained as Paxton swung the steel pole straight at his head.

"ARGGGGHHH!"

A dark form flew at Paxton, knocking him aside as Edmund gaped. The pipe flew from Paxton's hands, flying away as Asmodeus pinned him to the ground, the demon shrieking and howling in the man's face.

"ASMODEUS!" Edmund roared, "NO!"

The demon raised his fists, the two clasped together into a single club. He screeched at Paxton and brought his hands flying down.

But Paxton was quicker, one hand coming free and slamming straight into the demon's face. White light flared and Asmodeus didn't even have time to scream. Pearly fire stripped the skin and flesh from his face, melting it down to the bone. His body fell, his head nothing but a charred smoking skull.

"NO!" Edmund breathed.

Paxton laughed and rose, a blood-splattered angel.

"I will save this world," the man laughed, "I will kill Belphegor and this world will be free at last!"

"ROOOOWWWRRRR!"  
Paxton screamed, hitting the ground as Zaru pinned him down by his chest, blue-grey eyes hungry.

"Save this world?" the leopard growled, "You're doing exactly what the darkness wants. You're freeing his generals."

Zaru grinned coldly into Paxton's stunned face.

"And I'm going to stop you."  
And before the man could even scream Zaru's jaws snapped forwards and yellowed teeth sank into his throat.

The leopard looked up, his muzzle red. Edmund stared at him.

"I had to," Zaru spat the blood from his mouth.

"I know."

He looked down at Paxton's body and closed his eyes, sighing. The man would not have stopped until Belphegor was dead, until the whole world fell apart around him. But Asmodeus was dead, their mission failing miserably.

"Let's go," Edmund scooped up his sword, there was still other enemies standing, now was the not the time for regret.

Abaddon's knife was lost, somewhere in the madness that still raged at the base of the tower. The king did not miss it, did not miss that dark cruel weapon.

The two ran off, heading up the tower, leaving behind the cooling bodies of a demon and the warrior of heaven.

. . . . . .

Elias crawled across the ground, flinching as flames shot overhead. He inched towards the Ophanim Machine, frowning at the two crystal caskets that sat closed before it.

What were they?

He pressed his face up against one of the box's sides, gasping as a cold chill bit into his skin. His breath misted against the silver-blue surface but he could not make out a thing within.

"Damn it."

There was nothing to do but keep going, Elias feeling slightly ridiculous at having to worm forwards on all fours just to get to the damn machine. A machine he had help create, a machine that had ending up costing the lives of dozens of people.

Elias made it beneath the spinning wheels, heat searing his head and back, embers falling on his shirt and burning little dark holes into the fabric. He ignored it, pushed back his pain and discomfort and reached out.

He dug his nails into the metal, prying at something only he knew was there. The panel popped free and Elias smirked as wires tumbled out.

"Now let's see if I can get you to stop spin – "

An iron griped grabbed his ankle and wrenched from the machine, Elias kicking out and cursing.

"Stop this!"

The scientist flipped onto his back and found himself staring up at the dark eyes of the prophet of heaven. Ezekiel pointed at him, all of heaven's judgement in one trembling finger.

"You must not do this."

Elias kicked his leg free.

"Ezekiel."

Man of science. Man of faith. Wise beyond their years but in completely different ways.

"This machine is evil. You saw what happened in the Ophanim complex. The darkness wants it. It is their tool. It must be destroyed."  
"No," Ezekiel breathed, "I have seen the glory it can bring. I have seen what it can do. It will fill this world with laughter and light. I will not let you stop that."

A knife appeared in his one good hand, the other still in its cast. But he did not seem to notice his injuries, did not seem to notice how old and frail he was. All he noticed was Elias and his plan to destroy the machine.

"Glory? It's tearing this park apart!"

Gouts of fire gushed from the spinning wheels like an eruption, it sprayed down on the grounds below, trees ablaze, the earth turning to slag.

"We have to stop it!"

"NO!"

Ezekiel lunged and Elias threw himself to the side, the blade just missing him. He had no time to unsling the crossbow from his back, to even grab one of his fire orbs. The prophet was on him, stabbing out again and again, Elias scrambling just to survive.

"I had hoped we would see eye to eye."

Despite the man's murderous intent, his voice was calm, conversational.

"But I see you are blinded."

"I'm blinded?" Elias yelped.

He cried out as metal tore open the back of his head, the prophet forcing him away from the machine.

"All you scientists are the same. So obsessed with your figures and your theories that you cannot see what is before your eyes. Do you not see the miracle that lives all around you? The beauty? How could something cold and clinical create something that is so full of wonder? How can trial and error create such splendour? It is not efficient, it serves no purpose!"

Elias threw himself on top of one of the crystal caskets, Ezekiel's knife just missing him again.

"You accuse us of being blind but you are just as blind! If everything was facts and knowledge than why is there so much? How does science create meaning in our lives? How can science create love and morals and hope?" Ezekiel gave a bray of sad laughter, "Can't you open your eyes and see?"

"Wait!"

Despite the danger he was in Elias couldn't help but feel the need to defend himself, his lives work.

"We're scientists! It's part of who we are not everything we are. You think we know the answers to everything? You think we are arrogant enough to think everything can be explained? We know there's some things that can never be broken down into rules and formulas. We know we can never explain why people choose to love, why people choose to hate!"

He ducked, both a knife swipe and a surge of fire.

"But we strive! We don't allow things just to lie as it is because someone greater than us created it and we can't hope to understand! You choose to make your legacy by teaching people to believe and to cherish. I choose to make my mark by giving the world knowledge, by encouraging people to think, to challenge, to not just accept what is but what it could be!"

Ezekiel stabbed at his neck and Elias twisted, dodging the attack and grabbing the prophet's arm before he could pull back.

"I am not your enemy! We are not your enemies!"

Ezekiel hissed and head-butted the scientist, his skull colliding with Elias's nose in an explosion of blood and pain.

. . . . . .

Inara tossed Jill to the ground and stomped on her chest, cracking her ribs. Chelsea flew at her but the half-Naga grabbed her out-stretched hands, shoving a hip into her sister and throwing her to the ground.

"Chelsea. Stop!"

The redhead screamed, weeping and batted her hands away, kicking out.

"Uh oh."

Inara turned and Kylee was there, Baron Samedi straining at his chain like a dog.

"Sister versus sister. I wonder who will win?" the blonde girl giggled.

In that moment of distraction Jill swept Inara's legs out from under here, all three girls sprawled in a pile on the ground.

Jill and Inara flipped to their feet and instantly clashed, hurling themselves at one another. Inara leapt, snagging onto a piece of scaffolding up above and swung, kicking Jill in the chest. The agent of the darkness staggered as Inara dropped, chopping at her neck.

Chelsea swung at Inara with a piece of metal planking, cracking her in the ribs. Inara stumbled, crying out in pain as her sister lashed out again, trying to smash the steel into her skull.

Inara dropped and punched the ground. A section of the floor swung up like a see-saw, smacking Chelsea in the face and flipping her to the ground.

Arms suddenly closed around her throat, Jill grabbing her in a head-lock as Inara struggled.

"A little help here?" she yelped, fingers digging into Jill's arms, trying to stop the girl from strangling her.

Kylee merely watched, blue eyes dancing.

"I'm going to rip your head off!" Jill laughed into Inara's ears.

Inara stomped on her foot, grinding her heel into the girl's toes as Jill yelped. Her grip loosened and Inara spun, ramming an elbow into her enemy's face.

Jill cursed and righted herself, rubbing at her cheek. She glared at Inara as the half-Naga coolly met her gaze.

"So I guess this means you're just going to watch?" Inara's question was directed at Kylee.

"Hmm... not sure. Still deciding," Kylee jerked at Samedi's chain as the death-god gibbered wildly.

"I know I'm not meant to kill you. But I'm going to find a way to hurt you real bad," the tone of Inara's voice did not change. It was not a threat given in anger, it was a promise.

"Girls. Girls."

Jill tutted, shaking her head.

"Can't we all just get along?"

Inara spun, lashing out with a kick as Jill ducked. The agent exploded forwards, throwing a punch that cracked Inara in the chin, the half-Naga's head snapping back. With a hiss Jill pressed the advantage, blows raining down, fists striking like hammers on an anvil as Inara frantically tried to fend her off.

A lucky strike and Jill was knocked back as Inara staggered, her head ringing. But there was no time to even catch her breath. With a roar they charged, Jill and Inara lashing out. With uncanny synchrony, their blows landed in exactly the same breath, the two brutually kicking each other.

Jill wheezed, clutching at her chest as Inara keeled over, grabbing at her gut. Gritting her teeth, she charged head down, barrelling into Jill and slamming here against the railings.

Inara yelped as Jill grabbed her by their hair and swung her into the barrier. The teeth rattled in her skull as her head cracked off the metal. Inara reeled as Jill grabbed her by the collar, pulling her up and punching her in the face.

Spots of light exploded in Inara's vision, swinging in an endless sea of black. She blinked frantically, sweat and blood pouring into her eyes as Jill punched her again. The half-Naga crumpled as Jill pushed her to the ground, smirking as she raised her foot, ready to crush her skull.

"BAM!"

The agent of the darkness staggered as Kylee cracked her knuckles. Baron Samedi roared, grabbing at his chain, the god tied off to the railings.

"Sorry but I really can't let you win," the blonde demon shrugged, "I mean as much I enjoy seeing you beat that little maggot down, we are technically on the same team."

Jill spat the blood from her mouth, thoroughly unimpressed.

"So let me gets this straight. I kill you and I free the horsemen, get to drink your blood and get a death god to play with," Jill laughed, "Wow, that's really handy especially from a time management point of view."

Kylee hit her with a blow that sent her skidding back. Jill slammed into the rails at the end of the walkway, the metal twisting and bending beneath her. She looked up, her black eyes wide, her lips cut to shreds against her teeth.

"I am a lord of hell," for a split second Kylee's girlish face faded, replaced by something so ghoulish, so monstrous that even Jill gaped, "And you think you can match me in combat?"

She reached down and wrenched one of the planks free. With a yell she hurled it like a spear, the weapon howling through the air. Jill screamed as it tore her side open, blood and gore spilling down her leg.

"I am not something to be trifled with."

Kylee ripped a pole free from its mooring. She stalked down the walkway, Jill staring at her, transfixed like a mice in the iron coils of a snake.

"I think your boss keeps forgetting that little point."

She grabbed Jill by the neck and slammed her up into the roof above. Metal flashed and the agent screamed, blood and tears raining down as Kylee stabbed the pole through her gut, pinning her to the ceiling.

"So what was that about drinking my blood?" Kylee laughed.

She stuck on her tongue and like a little girl catching snowflakes, she let Jill's blood trickle down into her mouth, giggling at the taste.

Despite the utter agony she was in Jill managed to laugh.

"What?" Kylee demanded, blue eyes flicking up.

"Behind you," Jill whispered.

The demon whirled and Chelsea was there, a jagged piece of metal held in her hands like a sword. Her own blood coated the steel, red dripping from jagged slashes across her palm.

Without a sound Chelsea slashed the weapon down.

It tore through Kylee's neck at angle. Baron Samedi screamed, weeping as Kylee stared at her killer, her mouth opening and closing, a confused look on her face.

The last demon fell without a sound, the blade that had killed her, still embedded deep in her body.

"No..."

Inara pulled herself up, her body screaming, her eyes wide.

"NO!"

Jill laughed even as she continued to bleed, still pinned up onto the roof.

"Finally!" she screamed, "FINALLY! THEY RIDE!"

And high above them on the peak of the tower, the wheels of fire screeched to a halt.

. . . . . .

Elias and Ezekiel turned, their fight forgotten as the Ophanim Machine stood still, flames dancing along the wheels' frames.

"What – "

Silence fell like a blanket, smothering the tower, the fields around. The fighting stopped, all eyes turned to the machine.

Ezekiel's eye shone, the prophet falling to his knees, hands outstretched.

"It comes!" he looked up at the heavens, crying, "IT COMES!"

With a roar, the wheels of fire came to life once more, spinning faster and faster, a hundred-fold quicker than before. Tremors shook the tower, joints warping, steel bending as the whole thing buckled.

Lightning stabbed down from the heavens, striking the Ophanim Machine, lighting and fire woven dizzily together.

"NO!"

Elias ran at the machine, his crossbow in his hands as the red flames turned blue, heat blasting out, the air around him burning. Fire exploded out from the machine in great gouts and mushrooms, roaring vortexes rising up into the skies, sulphur and ash falling like rain.

"IT COMES!"

A streak of fire swallowed Ezekiel, the man not even having time to scream as his body was incinerated. Elias's eyes widened as he backed away, the metal beneath his feet turning cherry red hot.

Light pierced the globe of fire, first one shaft than another and another, the burning ball pierced with thousands of needles. The wheels shook on their mounting. A great pressure pressed down on Elias, his body screaming in agony, the earth heaved, walls of dirt rising to reach the heavens as fingers of lightning flew down to greet them.

"BOOM!"

The Ophanim Machine, the Wheels of Fire, the gateway to other worlds exploded, burning metal flying out like bullets as the globe of fire unfurled. There was no other way to describe it, like a blossom blooming, the fire fanning out in petals of red and yellow, a heart of cerulean and white. Like a nebula it blazed across the sky, a fantastical show of light and power, beautiful and alien.

Elias stared up, stunned, drawn by its unreachable beauty. He reached out, wanting to touch, to draw it to him.

As suddenly as it had grown, the flames contracted. It pulled together, streams of light fire weaving above the tower into one impossibly bright ball. It hung there, the towers shadow stark against the white.

The world seemed to hold its breath.

"BOOM!"

The second explosion caused the ball to disintegrate. A wall of sound and air shot out, everything around the tower blasted into oblivion, the remains burnt into ashes and even the ashes burned. A column of light shot up, clouds boiling away as it climbed. It punched through the very atmosphere itself, stabbing out into the void of space. In Australia, in England, in America, in all the countries across the world, everyone stopped and stared at the burning pillar that rose into the skies. They fell to their knees, begging and praying to anyone, anything that would listen as the whole world shook from the blast.

At the eye of the storm, Elias looked up and the sky seemed to turn fluid. It dripped down like one giant glob of wax and in that liquid sky he saw fire, he saw shadowy figures and saw and heard the condemned. Humans screamed, their forms distorted in the air. They were shackled to stone, writhing and begging with hoarse throats as demons, dark half-seen figures laughed and cheered, blades sinking into flesh, whips flaying skin, spikes driven into limbs and a thousand other things that made them all weep. Elias saw horrors unimaginable, saw such madness that it seemed to poison his mind, the scientist terrified he was going insane.

The sky bulged, oozing into one single boil , growing larger, the screams of the people in the sky growing louder and it suddenly split.

The heavens vomited out fire and brimstone, smoke and soot, erupting like an inverted volcano. And from that deluge, from that stream of molten stone and slag four streaks of colour burst into the air.

"No..."

Looking up at the base of the tower, Susan clutched her mouth, sick to her stomach as she saw the monsters from her dreams.

"No."

The Horsemen were free.

White light blazed down the length of the tower, searching, seeking. It suddenly dove, tearing through the scaffolding, burning it away before it hovered above one bloodied form.

Paxton's unseeing eyes stared up, looking out above a throat that was nothing but blood and torn flesh.

Without a sound the light lunged, streaming into Paxton's mouth, filling the body up as it blazed like a beacon.

_Conquest..._

Elias looked up as a cloud of blood-red mist and a fog of utter black, floated above the two crystal caskets. He did not think to fire his crossbow, did not think to even attack as he stood, rooted to the spot, his mind blank in one of the few rare moments of his life.

The red cloud reared before it plunged in the blare of a thousand horns, the thundering of a thousand hooves, the clash of a thousand swords and the angry, haunting screams of a thousand voices crying out in anger and in death throes. It shattered the casket on the left and Elias saw the slightest glimpse of a body before it was swallowed in red.

_War..._

The thick black mist twisted sinuously, flowing as tendrils reached out. It grabbed at flames, at steel and dragged it into its depths. It grew, blotting on the sky, a bloated hideous of oily shadows. A single strand of the darkness unfurled, wrapping around the second crystal casket. Elias gasped as the heat of a blazing sun swept across him, chased away by the frigid cold of a blizzard storm, fading into the smell and sound of thunder and rain, the buzz of a million insects in flight. With a keening cry, the casket was pulled into the black, the shiny form swallowed forever as whole cloud shuddered and convulsed, screaming in pleasure and agony.

_Famine..._

Eustace smiled.

"I am whole again."

Caspian stared at him, the sword falling from his hands as streams of pale green smoke seeped through the floor above, winding around the agent of the darkness. Eustace laughed and it was a chilling note as more and more deathly glowing mist gathered around the boy.

Caspian heard the caw of crows and ravens as they descended, the sound of cracking bones as scavengers feasted. He heard the song of a blade as it sliced through the air, felt hot blood splash across his face. He spelt decay and rot, disease melting flesh into pus.

But then came nothing but cold. The flesh was gone, the bones bare, smelling of nothing.

Eustace laughed again and Caspian fell to his knees, vomiting noisily as the monster inside the boy was made whole once more.

_Death..._

The wheels had turned.

The faithful had burned.

The two had fallen.

And They, the Horsemen, were riding once more.

. . . . . .

Paxton rose, his throat a column of unblemished flesh. His eyes were cataracts of pure burning white, a crown of gold circling his head. He looked at the land around him, at the glistening profile of skyscrapers in the city beyond and greed flooded into his face.

He reached out and a bow of white flames appeared in his hands. He gripped the weapon and stretched back the string as an arrow of pure light burned in his grasp.

His fingers relaxed and the bow snapped forwards, hurling the arrow through the air. It streaked through the sky, flying, throwing itself into those towers so far away and struck.

For a split second the buildings glowed with light, breath-takingly beautiful before they exploded into fire. Entire towers fell, collapsing as Paxton laughed and laughed.

. . . . . .

Eustace, Death, looked around the world around him.

"It is done," his voice was even colder than before, a blizzard compared to a snowfall, "We have made a deal and it is done."

He raised his hands.

"We shall quit this place," his eyes flashed, "It is done!"

Pallid green light spilled from his body as Caspian shouted out, the king the first to be swallowed up. The light grew and grew, stretching up to the top of the tower, spilling down to the bottom.

Jill laughed as it swept over her, Chelsea weeping as she too vanished into the poisonous glow. Inara, still staring at Kylee's body, numbed by her failure made no sound as the light took.

Edmund and Zaru still running up the stairs were the next to be touched, their cries cutting off as they faded.

Elias, staring at the twin figures before him, at War and Famine, did not even cry out as he was taken. The two Horsemen merely smiled as they allowed their brethren's power to rush through them.

Paxton, Conquest, cursed but let his bow and arrow vanish as the Death's light to snatch him away.

Peter hurled lightning, threw fire at the light but there was nothing he could do as the green glow devoured him whole, the High King screaming as his world turned to green.

Susan looked numbly as the light spilled through the opening to the tower, Jason still unconscious at their feet.

"I'm sorry Aslan..."

She hung her head, weeping.

"I'm so sorry."

Green light wrapped around her, Jason's warmth vanishing from where it laid against her feet.

"Please..."

Darkness and green clashed.

"Forgive me."

The darkness won and Susan knew no more.

. . . . . .

"It has been exactly a month since the Last Battle. Paxton Nixon, the warrior of heaven, saviour of the world, may his name live on forever, managed to slew the last the two demons in a great but costly battle. He single-handedly saved this world but has not been seen since, many believes he has been lost in battle and so far there has been little confirmation either way. But today with me I have the only survivor of that battle and one of Paxton's closest advisors and confidants... Ms. Tang," the interview flashed an empty smile at the camera, "My name is Mary Kayshaw and today exclusively Ms. Tang talks to us."

She turned to the regal woman sitting beside her, beaming cheerfully as Tang eyed her, a single twist of her lips, showing the world just how little she thought of Mary Kayshaw.

"So Ms. Tang... let me get the important question out of the way. Is Paxton dead?"

Ms. Tang laughed, the woman splendid in a dark gown that clung to her like a second skin.

"No, I am happy to say that Paxton is not."

"So where is he?" Mary pressed, "Where is the great man?"

"Unfortunately his battles continue," Ms. Tang's face was as immaculate as ever, not as single scar or blemish to show that she had been in battle, "Paxton was called to a battlefield greater than this one. Called as a champion to fight demons and monsters in places unknown."

Mary gaped, the expression making her louder stupider than normal.

"So... so he's gone? Forever?"

Ms. Tang laughed again, her eyes warm, dancing.

"No Mary. He will return one day when this world and all other worlds are save from a great darkness and when he does he will usher in a new golden age. Ezekiel, his prophet, sadly lost in the battle, had foreseen it and he is never wrong."

"So... so what now?" Mary's lips trembled, "Do we just wait? And hope he comes back?"

Ms. Tang took her hands, soothing her.

"No. No. Before he left Paxton spoke to me one last time. He assured me he will be back but he asked for my help – "

The woman broke off at exactly the right time, Mary hanging onto her words.

"What?' the interview begged, "What did he say?"

Ms. Tang looked at the camera, her face, her words broadcasted to every screen in this nation and beyond, the eyes of the world on her.

"He asked me to be his steward. Asked me to help pave the way for his glorious return. I wish to take up Paxton's mantle, to help shape this world into a better, great place."

Ms. Tang bowed her head humbly.

"I know I am not Paxton. I know I cannot hope to achieve all that he will once he returns but I hope the world will accept me and my help. I hope I can help guide the world so that Paxton will be proud when he returns."

Mary was crying, weeping freely as all around the world people chanted Tang's and Paxton's name, praying their saviour would return.

"I don't know about the world," Mary smiled tearfully at Tang, "But you have my vote!"

Tang smiled back.

"Why thank you Mary."

She looked at the camera, tears gathering in her dark soulful eyes.

"Thank you."

. . . . . .

Baron Samedi turned her over.

"Mistress..." the death-god was weeping, stroking her chair, "Mistress..."

Kylee's eyes stared up at him, the blade that had killed her sticking out of her chest. Samedi reached out, grabbing onto that jagged chunk of metal and pulling at it, carefully, reverently working it free.

"Mistress..."

He stroked the demon's face.

"Mistress..."

He closed his eyes, his long fingers splayed against her chest, the death-god summoning his powers.

"Please mistress wake up!" he begged, "PLEASE!"

The wind howled and something seemed to rush from the darkness and into the body before him. The corpse suddenly convulsed, Samedi thrown away as a gasping, choking cries rang out.

Samedi scrabbled back to his mistress's side.

"Mistress?'

Kylee suddenly sat up and blinked. Joy leapt into the baron's eyes as the girl reached out and touched her neck. A thin white scar ran the from her fingers down to her chest but there was no blood, no gaping wound.

"Mistress! Mistress!"

The baron rubbed himself against her, weeping, laughing, his fingers touching her face, her hair, her scar over and over again. Kylee pushed him away but smiled at her pet.

"You did good Samedi. I knew you could have brought me back. I mean I would really hate to put Susan and her little pals through the ordeal of fighting you for nothing."

"Of course mistress! Of course! I live to serve!"

Kylee laughed and rose, flicking the blonde hair from her face.

"Well I've got to say for a moment there I was scared by plan wouldn't work. But here I am. My brothers all dead, Abaddon powerless and the Horsemen out of my kingdom and hopefully the Great Darkness out of my hair," Belphegor laughed, triumph rich in her voice, "But I guess you have to gamble a bit if you want it all!"

Baron Samedi grovelled at her, slavishly worshipping the last of the demon lords. Kylee stroked his head as she looked around at the damned lands all around her, the demon in some long-dead world.

"We better go home Samedi. We will be busy. The Horsemen are free and millions are bound to die. Plenty of souls for the picking if that greedy-guts Tash doesn't take it all first."

She reached out with one hand.

"I wonder if I should challenge him at the next tournament of the throne..."

She drew a line in the air and light followed her fingers, growing, expanding to become a portal into a world of flames and screams.

"... but the I suspect one of Gavin's little pets will do that. Oh well... I certainly don't want to get involved if I don't have to."

Kylee looked out into a realm of brimstone, the cries of the condemned music to her ears.

"Come Baron Samedi. Home sweet home."

The demon and the god stepped into the hell and the portal snapped shut before them.

. . . . . .

Gavin turned and smiled.

"Did you feel that?"

A growl drifted out from the shadows.

"The Horsemen ride away. It seems your champions have failed... miserably," Gavin laughed, the million eyes inside his owns eyes all gleaming with victory.

"My champions have not fallen. They will continue to fight."

The Great Darkness merely smiled.

"I know. I'm hoping they continue. Their very nature is interesting... they bring chaos, change wherever they go. It's fascinating to study. I wonder how I will use it."

Silence greeted his words as Gavin clucked.

"Do you think your champions can defeat mine?" he asked into the shadows.

The answer was instant.

"I know they will. I have faith in them."

"We shall see Aslan. We shall see."

Gavin stared out into space but his gaze penetrated through the folds of time and space, his eyes on everywhere and nowhere all at the same time.

"These are the days," the Great Darkness smiled, "These are the days to be alive Aslan for they are glorious!"

Deep in the shadows, blinded and chained to stone Aslan said nothing.

"These are the end of days!"

. . . . . .

Author's notes: Thank you to everyone who is still reading and reviewing – much appreciated! Hopefully as I am on holidays I can now churn out new chapters at a much faster rate!


	78. The Empress, General and High Inquisitor

Yay! New chapter and just before Christmas. Hopefully I can get one or two chapters up around Yuletide as a sort of gift to all of you readers! Also – now I have over 1000 reviews! Never thought I would write a story that would get that many so thank you so much

Disclaimer: Blah, blah, we know the drill by now

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 78: The Empress, the General and the High Inquisitor **

Susan woke in a field of snow. Flakes dusted her hair and skin melting into freezing rivulets before she could brush them away.

She pulled herself up. She expected pain, expected her bruises and cuts to remind her violently of their presence but she felt nothing. Susan frowned and stared down at her. Pale white skin looked back up at her, no marks, not eve dirt or soot to show the hell she had just been through.

She looked all around.

A field of white, here and there shoots of green to show the grass that slept beneath the snow. It was tranquil, pure and simply beautiful.

Susan rose.

"Hello?"

Her voice swept through the snow-covered field. Silence greeted her words as more snow fell in an endless fluttering elegant dance. Every step she took kicked up puffs of white, her breath unfurling in wisps of smoke.

Where was she? Where were the others?

Susan closed her eyes, trying to remember when she had seen them last, tried to snatch at memories that danced tantalisingly out of reac –

The Horsemen.

Susan's eyes snapped open.

The demons. The tower. The Ophanim Machine. The Horsemen riding free once more. They were free. Gavin's generals, the monsters that had fought Aslan... they were free!

"Caspian! Peter!" she looked around wildly, "Ed! Jason!"

She stumbled, flailing through the snow.

"ZARU! ELIAS! INARA!"

Her words echoed, the wind her only answer.

She was all alone.

The last thing she recalled was a wall of green light sweeping towards her, taking her before she could even run.

And now this. A field of snow, wan sunlight just enough to make the ice glow with a soft luminous light. The silence here was almost reverent, so stark compared to the screams and roars of the battle that had raged all around her just seconds ago.

Susan's eyes widened as she looked around frantically.

Her sceptre was gone. Her bow and arrows were gone. Again.

"No, please!" desperately she felt for the leather cord around her neck and breathed a sigh of relief as her fingers met the pouch that hung there.

The yellow ring was inside, white instead of gold, a sign of the darkness that had taken this place. But her weapons, her gifts had been stripped from her again.

"Why do you hate me?" she screamed up at the heavens.

The silence pressed down all around her and her knees buckled, Susan hitting the ground. The wounds, the cuts and bruises that had marked her were somehow gone, vanished as if she had never suffered the blows. But the utter weariness had not gone, it still lingered, still made her want to crawl into a ball and just sleep.

The sound of bells roused her as Susan looked up, frowning. On and on they rang, tinkling and booming, a melodious symphony that broke the silence. The snowfall grew heavier as though on cue, Susan lost in a world of white and sound. The song called to her, a lone sweet beacon in the cold as she stumbled blindly through the blizzard.

"DONG!"

A jarring note stole into the clang of the bells. Gone was music, gone was the siren's song. Susan flinched as the bells rang again, the sound of crashing thunder, a cry of alarm.

"DONG!"

Everywhere she looked – white, nothing but endless white.

"DONG!"

Between each ring, through the sound of snow and wind, Susan heard sobs. She turned wildly, trying to find the source as it grew louder. It was a girl's voice, whimpering, sobbing. She heard stumbles, heard a fall.

"HELLO?" Susan yelled.

"DONG!"

Each strike of the bell was coming quicker and quicker, only a breath between each note, an endless hammering of metal on metal.

"HELLO?"

A flash of colour, a mere change in the wind was enough to tell the Hunt-Beast, tell her where the girl was. Susan lunged, her hands closing on hair and cloth. She grunted as tiny hands rained down on her, nails tearing into her skin trying to pull her off.

"STOP! STOP! I'M NOT GOING TO HURT YOU!"

The blizzard died, the snow becoming once more a delicate feathery rain as the bells suddenly stopped. The change was so abrupt, so absolute that a chill ran through Susan's spine. But she had no time to dwell on the ominous change as the girl she had caught screamed, lashing out with wild force.

"LET ME GO!" the girl tossed and kicked, trying to break free, "LET ME GO!"

"Stop!" Susan yelped as the girl kicked her in shins, "Stop! I'm not trying to hurt you."

The girl in her arms was a tiny thing, a doll with silky black hair and cream-white skin. She glared at her with startling burnished golden eyes, curses and threats spilling from plump rosebud lips. Even dirtied and screaming as she, Susan was struck by her beauty. Tears fell free as she jerked from Susan's grip, her lace and silk gown ripping.

"LET ME GO!" the girl screeched, "YOU DARE HANDLE A TREASURED ONE!"

"Treasured One?" Susan blinked.

The Hunt-Beast barked a warning in her head. But she could already hear the sound of heavy panting and crunching of snow being grinded underfoot.

"Quiet," Susan hissed at the girl.

The girl wilted, burying her face in her hands as all the fight left her. She sank to the ground, uncaring of the snow.

"You've doomed me," the girl whispered, "You've – "

They melted out of the snow, their fur ivory white, their eyes a swirl of grey and blue. Like everything she had seen so far of this world, these creatures were exquisite. Their movements were fluid, seemingly flowing from place to place, their fur blending so perfectly with the snow that sometimes their glowing eyes the only thing Susan could see. They were like foxes grown to the size of wolves but no fox could've existed in her world that had such grace, such luxurious thick fur and certainly no fox had some many tails. The tails seem alive, writhing like snakes, darting and flicking with minds of their own.

"Galeal."

The girl whimpered. A single woman stood in the centre of the fox pack, a gown of crimson red shielding her from the cold.

"You cannot escape child," her voice was gentle, no anger, no threat in it but Galeal flinched, like an animal that knew it was going to be beaten.

"Leave me alone," she begged, refusing to meet the woman's calm cerulean eyes, "Leave me be!"

The woman knelt in the snow beside the girl, completely ignoring Susan. Her hands stroked Galeal's hair soothingly, her face soft and sad. She too was astonishingly beautiful, her blue eyes a sea to the tumbling golden flames that was her hair. But a cruel slash her face in two, the puckered ugly scar running from ear to ear, neatly dividing her features.

"I do not want to be marked," the girl's voice was a ghost of a whisper, barely heard but the woman drew her closer, murmuring comfortingly.

Galeal clung to the woman like a child to her mother. One of the foxes shifted forwards, its tail draping around the girl, comforting her. The other white foxes merely watched, circling, guarding the three women.

"We cannot escape our duty to the Empress. We cannot dim her light," the woman brushed the hair from Galeal's face, "It is a badge of honour."

"Does it hurt?" Galeal begged.

Susan had no idea what was going on. This woman had chased after the girl but she was not a heartless captor, the way she talked, the way she handled Galeal's tears. Susan's breath froze in her throat. It reminded her of her own mother.

She felt a pang of longing. It had seemed so long since she had last seen her mother and even then it had been a few all too brief moments between rescuing her from Eustace and leaving for the next world, the next battlefield. Even the dreams that she had once received of her parents had vanished, Susan losing that last tie with her mother and father.

Susan looked up and even though she knew Aslan was trapped, was helpless, she prayed that her parents were fine.

"It does but that is the price we pay. You will be rewarded. You and your whole family will be Ascended," the woman kissed the top of her head gently, "I know it will be a great help. Especially with your father's... condition."

Galeal stilled, the foxes all froze, suddenly watching her.

"I will be marked," the tiny girl said finally.

The woman's face broke into a warm, dazzling smile and even the scar could not hide her radiance.

"Good girl," she said approvingly, "The bells have rung but if we return now, we can say that it was a mistake."

Galeal rose and her movements were like a dance. Susan herself had been trained in the styles of the court, how to move with poise and grace but she would struggle to match Galeal and the woman. Like the foxes they flowed from movement to movement, always balanced, always in utter control of themselves. Susan grimaced. It had been a long since anyone had made her felt this clumsy and awkward.

"And who are you?" the woman's eyes flicked towards her.

Galeal remained silent beside her, a demure faithful maiden, the fire and fury Susan had seen vanished as if it had never been there.

Susan dipped into a curtsey just to prove that she could, her muscles and joints protesting at the movement. She rose from it and met the woman's eyes.

"You have had some training," the woman noted, "Are you to complete your learning?"

"Yes, sent to here to do my duty to the... Empress," if they noted the hesitation in her voice neither the woman or Galeal made a sound.

"The Empress welcomes the gifts of your presence and vows to shape you into one of her Treasured Ones," there was something formal and ritualistic about her words, "I am Rosalinda, I will be your tutor."

"I am Susan," the queen had no idea what she was getting herself into but it was better than stumbling alone in a field of snow, perhaps if she could get to the Empress and explain about the darkness...

"Come," Rosalinda turned, her dress flying around her in a magnificent twirl, revealing an underside of black and gold scrollwork, "Mind the kitsune."

The foxes ran before them, disappearing into the snow as Rosalinda led the way, Susan and Galeal trailing quietly in her wake.

. . . . . .

Peter woke in a battlefield. The sight, the sounds, the smell it struck him with all the force and speed of a runaway train and for a few eternal seconds all he could do was stare around dumbly. Bombs fell from the skies, pounding the earth, churning mud and bodies into one bloody mess. Bullets drilled through flesh and metal, the fallen dancing out the last few spasms of their death throes. Through the whistle of the falling bombs, the thunder of their detonation, Peter could hear the screams of dying and the commands being roared to the living.

Figures, dark against the hellish sky, darted here and there on a battlefield scarred with trenches. Men clashed on islands between the furrows, dying in their hundreds for inches of land that was lost just as quickly as it was won.

"ROWWWRR!"

Peter dove, slipping and sliding through the blood-soaked dirt as bullets tore into the ground. Heart pounding he pulled himself up and faced his enemy.

His eyes widened.

The creature bared its metal teeth, a fat black tongue flicking out as it roared again. It was a nightmarish thing, a monster with ragged patchwork skin and eyes that were mere slits of darkness. It raised its arms and there puckered flesh greyed into cold hard steel, the limbs ending in the barrels of a gun. It was an impossible creature, a chimera of flesh and machine, one stuffed into a uniform of dark green with a red badge emblazoned proudly with a black eagle for all the world to see.

Bullets flew from the monster's gun-arms, Peter throwing himself to the side as the creature roared. He hit the ground, his shoulder jarring painfully as his hands shot out.

Lightning speared through the creature as Peter rose.

A plane shot by overhead and it... screeched.

Peter blinked and stared at the thing.

It flew on wings of metal, steel plates forged and beaten into the shape of feathers. Engines were slung beneath, propellers slicing the air as it dove. Spines ran down the length of fuselage, the symbol of the black eagle streaked across the side. The plane screeched, the cockpit outstretched on a long powerful neck, the glass windows arrayed above a huge gaping maw of jagged teeth.

Gouts of flames flew from the plane's mouth, sweeping over the battlefield. The draconian machine pulled up, climbing back up into the sky as it clutched something large and dark in its taloned feet. With another cry it dropped its package, the bomb falling through the air before hitting the earth, exploding in a geyser of fire, smoke and dirt.

"KREEEE!" another wave of dragon-plane descended, gun turrets on their wings blazing wildly as fire gushed from their mouths.

Peter ran, throwing himself into one of the trenches as fire baked the land he had just stood on. The High King splashed down into the mud and lay there, panting for breath.

Where the hell was this place?

"Move!"

Peter looked up into a garish red face and lightning instantly flew from his hands. But his bolts were deflected, pulled towards the blade the demon-faced creature held in his hands.

"HEY!" the man roared.

Peter could finally see the twisted blood-red face was nothing more than a war mask, the soldier cursing as he pulled his horned helm off.

"Keep your nerves in check boy!" the man growled.

His glaive crackled with electricity, the weapon somehow storing the lightning, its edge burning bright blue. An armour of overlapping black plates protected his torso and shoulders, only greaves and vambraces shielding his limbs. They were not made of metal but something almost lacquered, as dark and shiny as obsidian.

"First battle?" the man said with wry smile.

"NO!" Peter glared at him.

The man snorted but said nothing, adjusting his gauntlets. Such bare armour on his limbs left the full range of his movements unhindered and Peter could already tell on this battlefield, fighting against nightmarish machine-men and dragon-planes that speed and agility was everything.

"We lost our battle mage," the man told him, "So thank the gods you're here."

"Battle mage?"

The man's eyes narrowed.

"Did you get knocked on the head or something? And where's your uniform?" he spat.

"I was spying on our enemies," Peter lied swiftly, standing up, "Uniform made me too... conspicuous."

The man seemed to accept his lie, turning as he led the way down the head-high trench. Globes of glowing glass were stuck into the dirt, providing light.

"Name?"

The mud came up to their knees, the ground shaking all around them as fresh bombs fell. With only meagre light shining the way, the walls seemed to close in on all around them. The lights flickered, plunging them into alternating flashes of darkness and light before giving up the ghost altogether, shadows pressing in thick on all sides. Peter shuddered, cold sweat beading on his skin. Desiree's voice laughed in his head and he shuddered violently.

"Peter," he managed to say, his mouth dry.

"I'm Halcyon. And since our commander got dead I'm in charge of this little piece of hell," the tall man punched the wall, "We'll make those damn Asuryans pay for that!"

Peter gaped at him, still trying to figure out what the bloody hell was going on here. Where was the tower? Where was the Ophanim Machine? Where were the others?

The Horsemen were free, that was all too clear – the explosions, the chaos, the four clouds of mist and colours. The darkness had won.

Sparks of lightning and fire leapt from Peter's hair.

Where were the others? The green light had that taken them too? Where they here somewhere in this hell or where they in some other place, some other world?

Peter cursed his ignorance.

Inara's annoyed face suddenly arose in his mind and Peter had to smile. He knew exactly what she would say. She and the others could take care of themselves and they certainly didn't need a certain bonehead High King charging in on his pure white steed.

There was no point in worrying about them when he was caught in a war himself.

Peter fumbled through the darkness but with Inara and the others' faces in his head, his fear seemed to have vanished.

"Boys!"

A glass globe burst to life and more men, dressed in the same way as Halcyon emerged. Each held the same black and steel glaive, some edges burning bright, others dull and dead.

"I found us another battle mage," Halcyon growled.

There were four men and each were covered in mud and blood, their eyes filled with that same dark cheer all soldiers eventually acquired. Because facing death day after day, each living moment another moment of divine grace, another lucky break you either learned to laugh or shatter.

"Is he better than the last one?"

The man was short, almost child-like compared to the broad shouldered Halcyon but as though to prove that he was in fact a man, a ridiculous walrus moustache graced his lips. He peered at Peter like a buyer examining wares, a not too impressed look on his face.

"Charge us up!" another of the solider demanded, holding up his blade.

For a split second Peter stared at him, wondering what on earth the man was talking about. But he remembered throwing lightning at Halcyon, remembered the way his glaive seemed to draw the strike like an earthing rod. A quick flick of his fingers and a crackling line of blue flew to the man's glaive, the metal hummed, drinking in the charge until its edge too burned with light.

Another flick and the bolt jumped, leaping to the next man's blade.

"He is stronger," the moustached man muttered.

"Peter," Halcyon introduced, "Dagon. Adan. Tessen."

The man's lips twitched.

"Belfleur."

The moustached man winced.

"Beautiful flower?" Peter snorted.

"I maintain that my parents are insane," Belfleur sniffed.

Dagon was a silent man with a face like stone but his eyes darted like dragonflies across a pond, the soldier seeing much but saying nothing. Adan and Tessen were brothers, it was clear to see, both had the same almond eyes and the same mouths that always seemed to smile. Adan was an inch taller but Tessen had waves of grey in his long dark hair.

"Where's Hayato?" Halcyon demanded.

"One of the wyverns dropped a dud bomb in our trench but the idiot boy ran off screaming. He got killed by one of the Asuryans," Dagon reported briskly.

Halcyon cursed as he led his men further down the trenches. Flames flared, a wall of heat hitting them all as a wyvern's shadow washed over them. The war raged on around their lone tunnel of sanity, the men picking their way through bodies of men and monsters.

Peter said nothing, merely studying the soldiers around them, noting everything.

They seemed to be good soldiers, not even flinching at the blasts that rang out all around them, uncaring of the bodies that clogged the trenches. They listened Halcyon and trusted him, marking the man as a good leader. And they needed him to be a battle mage. Stuck in this unknown place, stuck in the middle of a war, Peter knew he had to stick with them for now.

"We need to retreat," Adan said mildly, "The Asuryans are advancing."

"And the orders from the General are?" Halcyon grunted.

A pregnant pause filled the air as Halcyon whirled, glaring.

"Well?" he demanded.

"The General led a skirmish deep into the Asuryans' lands... we have not heard back from them," Tessen said almost apologetically.

Halcyon growled and stabbed at a dead Asuryan, one of the flesh and metal monsters, this one with an arm that ended in machine gun.

"Any reports from the other trenches?'

Tessen shook his head.

As much as Peter wanted to ask questions, to demand to know what was happening he held his tongue. These were soldiers and any questions that made them look at him strangely, that made them suspect he was anything but what he pretended to be...

Spies were generally not treated very well.

Belfleur suddenly froze, looking around wildly as his moustache twitched on his lips.

"What is it?" Halcyon demanded, his glaive held ready to strike.

The others were already falling into a battle formation, blade out in all directions, their faces bleak in the blue light of their polearms.

"I don't – " Belfleur sniffed the air and the blood drained from his face, "A TIRYAG! TIRYAG!"

A shadow darkened the trench and their heads snapped up. A behemoth crouched at the edge of their trough, a hellish marriage of the living and the machine. Long spindly arms reached out, steel claws ripping into the dirt as the Tiryag tore the trench apart. Like all the monsters of this world, this thing was a war machine given life and flesh. The turret and barrel of a tank served as the head on a lithe body of dark sabre-like fur. It had no mouth to make sounds as it continued to tear mindlessly into the dirt, trying to get to them like an anteater after its meal.

"FALL BACK!" Halcyon roared, "FALL BACK!"  
He slashed the air with his glaive and arc of electricity flew at the Tiryag. The creature reared as the sparks exploded against its chest but as soon as the shock faded it was back to its digging, its scythe-like claws slicing easily into the dirt.

"Hey battle mage!" Belfleur yelped, grabbing Peter by the shirt and shoving him forwards, "DO SOMETHING!"

Peter cursed, hitting the man across the head before whirling, lightning stabbing out at the Tiryag. Electricity coursed through its body, the monster convulsing but as before as soon as the shock faded the creature had recovered.

"WHAT ARE YOU USELESS?" Belfleur all but screeched as Dagon watched Peter without a hint of expression on his face.

"SHUT UP!" Peter snapped back.

He hurled a wall of green flames at the Tiryag and blasted a whole straight through its chest. The creature crumpled, its hands still stuck in the dirt as Peter smirked at Belfleur.

Belfleur stared at him, stunned.

"Maybe you shouldn't annoy the boy," Adan pointed out helpfully.

Halcyon ignored them all.

"Move!" he roared, hefting his glaive, "Before more – "

Two more Tiryags appeared beside their trench, their cannon heads aimed straight at them.

"PETER!"

Without hesitating, Peter struck streaks of green fire lashing out and blasting the creatures back.

. . . . . .

Edmund woke in a great hall. He shot up, looking around frantically as the two people sitting beside him frowned.

"What... where..." Edmund blinked again and again, "What the – "

He sat on a bench of stone, one seat in a long line, tucked neatly beside a bright-eyed boy and a handsome woman. Edmund blinked again.

Sunlight gleamed through a mosaic of stained glass set at the pinnacle of a vast domed ceiling, bathing each stand of seats in individual colours. He sat in the sunlit azure of a summer day's sky but a shift in the light and he was drowning in the deep blue-green of the ocean. Another shift and it became sapphires, iridescent, the white stone all around him drinking the colours in.

Across the great hall, the opposite stand shimmered with the glory of sunset and flames. Beside that the stained glass was clear and many-faced as a diamond, a rainbow sheen streaking the people who sat there. Rich honey amber dripped across another stand and the last was alive with the greens of the earth.

And down on the ground at the foot of the five stands and standing in a shaft of pure uncoloured sunlight was a stone table. White circled in black, it was like an inverted eye, six chairs, simple and unadorned, sat empty, each spaced evenly apart.

"Isn't this just amazing?" the boy beside him breathed.

"Yes..." Edmund echoed, still trying to figure out what was going on, "Amazing."

He had plucked from the tower, from the madness of the Ophanim Machine exploding, from the dread of the Horsemen rising to this place. He looked down and the clothing he had worn was gone, replaced by a shirt and breeches of simple white linen, a single sash of blue the only splash of colour. All others sitting in this blue stand were dressed the same.

"Come the Guardians of the City Below. Gather at the Circle of Light."

A man stood before the stone table, a heavy white stole thick with gold threaded scrollwork draped across his shoulders. His voice rang loud and clear in the great hall, resounding off the walls.

"Unsheathe the Blue Sword. Come the Red Heart. Reveal the All-Seeing Eye," the man intoned, chanting the words like a mantra, "Aloft the Gold Scales. Brandish the Green Hammer."

He closed his mouth but his words seemed to linger in the air, all five stands silent.

There was a creak and a door set in the bottom of the blue stands swung open. The people all around Edmund rose and he stood with them, still frowning, his mind still reeling.

A willowy woman with mahogany skin and green-flecked eyes marched confidently out of the doors. She dressed in the same white linen shirt and breeches as Edmund but in place of a sash she wore a cloak that was alive with rippling scales of blue, each flick and move undulating the colours like the ocean's waves.

"SHINK!"

In the absolute silence of the hall, she unsheathed her sword, a bejewelled thing layered with lapis lazulis and placed it on before a seat on the round stone table. In whispers of moving cloth, the blue stand all knelt in a bow, Edmund sinking with them. The woman stood behind her chair, waiting, her eyes fixed firmly ahead.

A second door swung open and a demure woman with shorn hair swept into the hall. In her hands she held a leather-pressed box, a single drop of ruby anointing the lid. A shawl wisped a trail of red silk in her wake, the rest of her dress made of simple and hardy wool. She placed her box beside the sword and waited.

The red stand sank in supplication as a third door opened.

A figure stepped out but swathed in white and veiled, it was impossible to tell if was a man to a woman. Before there was quiet but now there was absolute silence as the mysterious figure marched to the third seat. A pane of glass, square-cut and unadorned, joined the sword and the box. The third stand, the stand glimmering with all the colours of a dewdrop, did not bow instead they covered their eyes as one.

Edmund frowned.

A slim man walked from the fourth door and in his ink-stained hands he held a simple set of iron-wrought scales, a gold coin balanced on each end. He had the look of a thinker about him, not strong in frame or body but a certain wisdom in his face, a stern sharpness in his eyes despite his age. He placed the scales on the table and stood back and the gold-bathed stand sank into a bow.

The fifth door opened and a towering man, his arms and shoulders thick with muscle strode out, his boots ringing loud on the tiles. There was no doubting this man was a blacksmith, soot stained his face and the leather apron he wore. His beard was a wild tangle of braided hair, his head bald skin crowned with auburn wisps. The object in his hands was a joke of a thing, no tools would be forged with that toy, jade worked into the shape of a smith's hammer.

He placed the hammer down and his stand, all burly man and woman with calloused fingers merely crossed their hands across their chest.

"Gathered is the First Sword. Gathered is the First Heart. Gathered is the First Eye. Gathered is the First Scale. Gathered is the First Hammer," the man in the white robes called, "Come the one who binds us all. Come the one from the City Above, the one who sees the City Below. Come the High Inquisitor!"

A sixth and final door opened and this time all stands stood tall and proud.

The figure that stepped out was masked and cloaked, their features completely unseen but he moved with such authority, such absolute confidence that Edmund inexplicably felt he could trust this man with anything.

The mask he wore was simple, white with holes for eyes and a slit for the mouth. Five streaks of colours ran across the cheeks, the colours of the five Guardians.

"Please," his voice was soft, musical, beguiling, "Sit."

The accent, the tone was ambiguous, impossible to tell an origin or even the gender. But such strength, such iron will...

It had to be man, Edmund decided.

The five guardians sat, their emblems before them and the stands took their seats.

"What news from the Hearts?" the High Inquisitor asked mildly.

"The sleeping sickness seems to be spreading through the common quarters," the woman in red said, her voice brisk and efficient, "One in three stricken seems to fall into an everlasting sleep. We Hearts have been working to determine the cause and nature of this illness but thus far our efforts have been thwarted."

A murmur rose from the stands as many of the Hearts, the healers in red, grimaced, hating their ignorance.

Edmund sat and listened, trying to taking every in, trying to piece it all together. He was in another world that much was clear but he was alone in an alien realm. Were the others here? Were they in these so-called common quarters?

Edmund itched to rise, to run out of this great hall and search for them. But to strike out blindly was foolish, he had to gather all he could and plan. The others would be doing the same, they unlike him were used to arriving in strange worlds, were used to adapting. They were probably worried about him. Edmund's lips twitched as he remembered their lessons.

If anyone asked he was a traveller from far, far away.

But surely that excuse would not work, not when he was somehow dressed in the uniform of these people. To say he was a stranger would be dangerous.

Edmund sighed. It was time to see if he was worthy of being known as the Silver-tongued king.

"Do the Eyes believe there is anything solid in the rumours the sickness is of unnatural making?" the Inquisitor directed his question at the veiled figure.

"The Eyes see nothing, The Eyes hear nothing but we will search until the truth is distilled," there was something formal about his words, a ritual answer.

Everybody, the Swords, the Hearts, the Scales and the Hammers, carefully avoided looking at the Eyes.

Edmund surmised that the secretive sect had something to do with information gathering and spying. The Hearts were healers, the Hammers were blacksmiths and the Scales were merchants and money-keepers but what of the Swords? What was he? A soldier? A mercenary?

"The Hammers? How goes the building of the new common quarters?" the Inquisitor asked.

"It is going well," the blacksmith rumbled, "It will be complete in three moons."

"The costs are being kept to what is expected," the money-keeper beside him reported, "A little over but within the expected parameters."

The blacksmith shot a glare at the keeper but the man ignored his gaze. Hammers and Scales in the stand followed their cue, rumblings echoing as they shifted angrily in their seats. Clearly there was tension between the two but it was not a thing grounded in one argument but a lifetime of it. Edmund could clearly see the cracks and fractures. He noted it in his mind, you never knew when such things could be helpful.

"Heal this rift at once!" the Inquisitor demanded, his voice striking like a gong, "The Circle cannot be made weak because of mere dislike. We are the Guardians of the people, we stand strong, together or we are dust. Do not shame us all because your antics!"

The blacksmith and the money-keeper flushed, bowing their head as those in the stands winced, many hiding their faces.

The Inquisitor glared at the First Hammer and the First Scale until they whispered hurried apologies, red-faced and shifting in their seats. It was very often in Edmund's experience that men and women of power did not appreciate reminders of their own limitations. But there was no anger in the two men, just sheepish embarrassment. Edmund's respect for the Inquisitor rose.

"We must not be divided lest we fall," the Inquisitor's voice was gentle and insisting like a teacher's, "I thank you First Scale for your dedication but ask that it be tempered. You and your guild do good work in keeping our people clothed, fed and sheltered. And First Hammer I thank you for your dedication to the work for the people. Do not let cost restrain you. Quality of work and the safety it ensures is more important than coin spent."

The two men nodded, placated as smiles lit up on the faces of the two stands. Edmund nodded, impressed. All that he had seen so far was that High Inquisitor was just and fair and more importantly knew his people well.

"And the Swords? How goes the pursuit of the Dawn-Bringer?"

The First Sword's lips twisted bitterly. A hush fell over the hall as everyone waited for her reply.

"I regret to inform the Guardians and the Circle that the Dawn-Bringer struck again last night," the woman closed her eyes, "Five more people have been slain."

"NO!"

"By the cloud's above!"  
Curses, cries rose from the assembly, even the head of the guilds grimacing. The First Sword lowered her head.

"I accept all blame in this matter," she said quietly.

"There is no blame to be laid at your feet," the High Inquisitor's voice rang in the hall, scything through the noise of the stands.

They all fell silent, looking at their leader. The man was like a stone in the midst of a raging river, strong and unassailable. They looked to him for guidance, for reassurance and he did not disappoint.

"Gather all the Blue Swords, every last one, even the new initiates," the Inquisitor commanded, "I want the Green Hammers, those skilled in battle, to join them. Tonight we will patrol the streets until we have found the Dawn-Bringer and have brought him before this assembly to be judged."

He rose, tall and certain, his will, his voice thundering like an avalanche, unstoppable and irrevocable.

"We will ring the bells and call a curfew. I had wished to avoid a panic but no more! No more lives shall be lost! Blue Swords do not rest until the Dawn-Bringer is before my feet!"

And he turned, sweeping away from the table. The First Guardians rose, bowing as the stands cheered.

"Did you hear that?" the boy beside him grabbed at Edmund, "We're getting our swords and so soon!"

"Blue Swords!" their leader rose, "To the garrisons. Now!"

"This is beyond what I could have hoped for!" the boy breathed.

Edmund finally looked at the boy properly and the breath fled from his lungs. The others had told him about this, warned him but to see it...

The mop of gold hair, the dancing steel eyes and even the bruises that marred his boyish features... he was a mirror-image, a doppelganger.

Edmund swallowed past the lump in his throat.

"Corin?"

. . . . . .

"From where do you come?" Rosalinda's lilting voice sang the words.

Galeal glided silently beside the tall woman, a small smile curling her rosebud lips, her eyes dancing with joyful light. But every now and then her grin slipped revealing the terror beneath.

The kitsune, the white foxes had vanished as soon as they had stepped through the gates of the Pearl.

The Pearl, she tasted the name.

Susan looked all around her and she still couldn't believe what she was saying. She always thought that Cair Paravel, the citadel of the Golden Age, was the most exquisite thing she had ever seen. It had broken her heart to see its shattered remains. But the memory had stayed with her always – the warmth of the pale earthen walls, the line of pillars leading up to a wall of sheer glass overlooking the crashing waves of the Great Eastern Sea. It had been the jewel of Narnia. Even Navachandra, the bastion of the Sisters of the Mystic Lake, even the Palace of the Sun, abode of Paxton, those confection of white marble had paled in comparison.

But this place, this sprawling palace home of the Empress, it took Susan's breath away.

It was clear to see why it was named as it was. The stones, they rippled with the nacre of an oyster's shell, waves and bands of colours washing over each wall. Each block had a different pattern, a different mosaic but yet they blended together, greater than the sum of their parts.

Spires and bridges soared and twisted through the air, impossibilities at every corner. The design flowed, here glacial spikes stabbing up into the sky, there a swirling conch where rainbows danced, another place an immense dome of glass, a sunlit dewdrop grown large.

The garden was as perfect as the palace, sweeping plains of evergreen and wild tangles of forests, somehow fitted perfectly together.

They walked through an orchard of roses, each flower perfect blossoms of red, pink and white; dew beaded on their petals.

"Far away," Susan managed to tear her eyes from the beauty all around her, "I have travelled far."

"Your accent is strange but it has its own beauty," Rosalinda noted, "Do not lose it."

It was said as a compliment, warm and smiling but it was also an iron command. Susan forced herself to smile.

"Where are the others?" Galeal said finally.

If Rosalinda noticed the slight tremble in her voice, the woman said nothing.

"They are at the Naginata Court."

Galeal offered a small sigh.  
"Another one?" she asked and for a split second she was the girl she meant to be – young, sharp-tongued.

But as quickly as the mask slipped it was back, the girl once more the smiling, playful courtesan.

""What do you known of the Naginata Court?" Rosalinda's eyes flicked to Susan.

"Nothing," the queen said honestly.

Rosalinda sighed and shook her head, rippling her red-gold hair.

"Our Empress is the most beautiful woman in all the world," she lectured as all three walked through the roses, the flowers gently touching their arms and cheeks, perfuming their skin, "Many great kings and lords fight for her favour. Once upon a time that meant wars, meant battles without end as they fought for her affection. But the Empress decreed that no more innocent blood shall be shed. If men was to fight for her, they would do it alone and before her eyes so she may judge who is worthy of being her king."

Susan blinked.

"They kill each other... for her?" she asked incredulously.

"All men are fools. Especially those that believe they are in love," Rosalinda said dryly.

Galeal said nothing, her hands were touching her face, her fingers drawing a line across her cheeks. The girl did not seem aware of it, the same movement repeated again and again until Rosalinda gently clasped her hands and brought them away.

Susan gritted her teeth.

She knew very well that the legends of old said men had done the same for her, that wars and battles had been fought to claim her hand in marriage. But aside from that one little episode with Rabadash where she claimed momentary insanity (the desert heat had fried her brain!), nothing could be further from the truth. Most suitors had run at the first snarl from Peter and only fools would fight for a queen that viewed them at best as sweet idiots and at worst as brainless nuisances that thought her even more brainless. She was a master of politely turning men away and an even greater master at showing them just how good she was with her bow and if her arrows happened to hit the specially crafted man-shaped targets in uncomfortable areas...

Well, how could she help it if she was slightly clumsy and slipped?

Fighting over her beauty.

Susan snorted.

Honestly. Did this Empress have no shame?

"But rarely do fights lead to death. Most stop at the first blood drawn," Rosalinda shook her head, "the Empress will never share her throne but yet men still dream."

"Some fights are fought over the Treasured Ones," Galeal said quietly.

"Foolishness. The Treasured Ones have the right to choose. They are not slaves," Roosalinda said heatedly, her control slipping.

"There is talk," Galeal trailed off as Rosalinda shot her warning look.

"Talk?"

Susan giggled. She would play the butterfly, darting here and there, mindless, attracted only to light and colours. People usually talked quite freely before such people, never dreaming that many were simply a ploy.

"Oh do tell," she urged, "My village is ever so far away. We hardly hear anything from the Pearl."

Rosalinda looked at her, suspiciously but Susan merely batted her eyelids back. Galeal smiled, loving the role of sophisticated noblewomen talking to a country bumpkin.

It was slightly alarming how easily she fell into that role but Susan shoved those voices aside.

"There is talk, whispers that some great lords are going to attack the palace. That they will claim the queen between them," Galeal whispered, eyes darting around furtively.

"Really?" Susan breathed, awed.

She needed to draw as much information out of the girl, need to know as much as possible. In a world where she was unarmed, knowledge was her only weapon.

"No more talk," Rosalinda mounted stairs that seemed made of glass, "Silence."

The doll-like girl instantly pursed her lips, her painted smile returning in the next breath. They could hear cries, cheers, the walls shaking as they rose higher and higher.

"The Naginata Court."

It was a colosseum built of shimmering pearly stone, a spindle with curving paths weaving in from all sides. They stood on a bridge that arched above and below Susan could see the stands were filled. In the centre two men were fighting, their swords clashing again and again.

"Come," Rosalinda beckoned, "We must hurry. The Empress already suspects your flight Galeal."

The girl paled but said nothing, merely quickening her step as Rosalinda led them through dizzying twist and turns, hurrying through ramps and bridges, steps and walkways until they came to one last tunnel, sound and light booming in from the far side.

Rosalinda quickly adjusted Susan's dress, twisting and pinning her hair into a complex coif.

"It will have to do," the woman sighed, Susan bristling at her tone.

She led them through the tunnel and they stepped into the light.

Sound hit them in one solid wall, Susan staggering.

The stands rose high all around her, packed with men and women, all on their feet, all cheering wildly. They waved banners and flags woven with sigils and emblems of salamanders and griffins and other fantastical creatures.

They stood on a vast balcony overlooking the fight, they were armoured but yet the steel plates seemed like lace to them as both men moved with speed and dexterity, their swords flying at each other.

Men and women, boys and girls, all turned to look at them. It had been a long time since Susan had felt like a hen amongst peacock but amongst these people, these Treasured Ones, she felt inadequate. They were beautiful, living pieces of art, sculpted and moulded from the palest of marbles, the most burnished of bronzes, the darkest of woods. Some were the classical beauty so celebrated in the arts of Susan's world, the muses of painters and poets. Others were startling, chosen for the colour of their eyes, or for the unusual shape of their mouths. But all gathered in this place were living, breathing treasures.

"Where is the Empress?" Rosalinda asked, sweeping her eyes over them, a mother watching her brood.

"She is still in her chambers," a tall, wild-haired man replied, "The men below do not know that."

They laughed but there was something fake about it, each and every voice pitched at the exact right tone to blend together. Susan shifted uncomfortably.

"This is Susan. She is to be trained," Rosalinda introduced, prodding the queen forwards.

Most smiled welcomingly but some sneered at Susan. One woman in particular, a veritable valkyrie in a sheer silk gown, set her a poisonous look. It did not escape Rosalinda's notice and the woman pressed her lips together.

Many of the men and women were marked in the same was as Rosalinda had been. A scar here, a cut there, not enough to mar their beauty completely but just enough to damage.

Susan frowned. But she was pulled from her thoughts as trumpets still roared out. The Treasured Ones all turned looking at a set of crystal doors to the left of balcony. Those that were untouched, those that had no scars all dropped to the ground, bowing until their heads touched the cool marble floor.

Rosalinda jabbed at Susan and wincing, she did the same.

"She comes!" a voice called as the crowd in the colosseum fell silent, "She comes! Daughter of the Heavens. Ruler of the Pearl! She comes! She comes!"

The doors swung open and a figure stood there, silhouetted in bright light.

"See her!" the voice roared as Rosalinda and those of the Treasured Ones that stood dropped into curtseys and bows, "See her! She comes!"

The woman stepped out into the light.

"The Empress!"

. . . . . .

Halcyon kicked the dead Tiryag and looked at Peter, brow raised. Peter stared back, green flames still dancing on his fingers.

"You'll do," the soldier said, impressed.

"Thank you," Peter smiled thinly.

Their faces were painted green by the fire that still burned on the Tiryags' remains, their furred bodies nothing more than overcooked flesh clinging stubbornly to charred bone, their metal turret-like heads twisted, buckled metal.

"I've never seen a mage do that," Adan pointed out, "Where did you learn that?"

Peter glanced at the man and his eyes, framed by lines of age, were all too sharp. Their trench, a tunnel of flame-lit darkness, was the lone line of stillness in a world gone mad. The earth shuddered and writhed like a living thing, screaming in pure agony as bombs rained down on it again and again.

"Traveller. Far away," Peter shrugged, "Picked up a few tricks here and there."

Adan frowned but held his tongue. His brother, Tessen, suddenly stiffened.

"Grab him!" Dagon snapped as Belfleur hurried to support the taller man.

"What – " Peter began.

He started as Tessen suddenly convulsed, his eyes rolling to the back of his head. Words, frantic, whispered, spilt from his lips as he writhed and seized in Belfleur's hands. Peter started forwards, ready to sing, to heal, but the others' expectant looks froze him in his tracks.

Finally the movements stopped and Tessen straightened, ashen, his eyes unfocused.

"What news?" Halcyon demanded.

Adan frowned at their leader as he helped his brother, gently wiping the thick sweat from his brow. Dagon and Belfleur waited, the taller man serene and patient, Belfleur fidgeting and twirling his ridiculous moustache around his fingers. Peter was too busy trying to figure out what had just happened.

"The General!" Tessen breathed, "The General led a squad into the Asuryan lines. They... they've managed to capture their leader."

Everyone stared at him, eyes wide.

"By the gods..." Belfleur licked his lips, "I never thought..."

Dagon merely laughed.

"Why do you look so shocked? It's the General! If anyone could do it – "

"There's more."

Tessen's soft words were like a knife, he knelt and picked up his glaive. They all watched him, waiting, dreading.

"The Caster with them... he sent out a message. They're under heavy fire... Asuryans, Tiryags, wyverns, they're all trying to cut them off. Everyone who's heard the message is to go at once to support them."

Belfleur cursed loudly and explosively as Halcyon merely grunted.

"You've got enough power left after Tiryags?" he demanded, looking at Peter.

He was not trying to be insulting, just trying to judge what weapons and tools he had at his disposal. Peter could understand that, in the heat of battle, on the brink of disaster, there was no time for politeness, no time for coddling, you had to know if your people would break and you had to know two seconds ago.

And in the few moments Peter had known the man, he already respected him enough to be honest.

"Tired but I'll hold," the High King said flatly.

So Tessen was able to communicate with others somehow. It wasn't due to any alien technology, his Gifts with machines would've told him that. So was it magic? Was Tessen psychic?

Peter wondered wryly when such thoughts seemed as natural to him as wondering if a man could fight or shoot.

"Men?" Halcyon demanded.

"To the death," Dagon saluted with his blade as Adan and Tessen did the same.

Belfleur grimaced but followed suit.

"Alright," Halcyon led them further down the trench until he came to a single rickety ladder that led to the land above, "We have to move quickly."

Peter followed, marching beside the men. He was alone in this hellish place but as always the darkness was here, in men that sprouted guns from their hands, in dragonish planes that were monstrously alive. He might have been by himself but he was still a soldier, still had a war to fight.

Halcyon climbed out first, crouching low behind the wall of a crater as the other crawled out after him. Peter came last, his Gifts humming beneath his skin, lightning and witch fire ready to strike. Heat flared and bloomed spilling over the meagre wall, the sky a light show of flashing silver and flicking red and yellows, stark against a smog of thick black smoke.

The screams hit them like a wall, the screeches of the wyverns, the bellows of the Asuryans stabbing into their ears. Worst were the strangled screams of men hurt and dying, their chokes trailing off into silence. They huddled, fighting the urge to run back into, to hide. They were not cowards but no sane man could face such destruction and not tremble.

Halcyon and his men lowered their war masks into place, the red demon faces a shield against the madness.

"GO!" Halcyon roared, his voice strained, "MOVE!"

They ran in a pack, glaives bristling from all sides. Asuryans instantly bounced after them, whirring blades and roaring guns sprouting from their arms. The soldiers slashed out with their glaives, bursts of lightning cutting through the monsters. A wyvern whirled, roaring as it descended, razor claws cutting through the earth.

"PETER!" Belfleur screamed but the king was already moving.

He wove lighting and fire together and hurled it, a single line of power punching through the thing's neck. It crashed to the ground, headless as Peter smiled in satisfaction.

They were not the only squads running through the battlefield, Peter could see other men and women charging haphazardly through the ruins, lightning and bursts of light shooting out, cutting through the enemies in their path.

"NO!" Halcyon snarled.

A troop of soldiers folded, disappearing under a swarm of Tiryags as the monsters fired their cannon heads, limbs cart-wheeling through the air, burning flesh falling like rain.

"NO!" Tessen yelled, grabbing the man by the arm, 'We can't get waylaid!"

He was leading the way, following the instructions he had heard. Halcyon cursed but nodded, his glaive shooting out and slicing an Asuryan neatly in two, the two halves of the twisted monster slapping wetly against the ground.

Another Asuryan leapt, guns blazing but Belfleur blasted him from the air, a stab shooting lightning at the thing.

"I need more power!" the diminutive man boomed.

Lightning leapt from Peter to the glaive as Belfleur grunted his thanks. A Tiryag loped towards them, elecricity washing uselessly over it. It aimed its turret-like head at them and fired. Fire and air boomed and Adan and Tessen were blasted away, hitting the ground painfully.

Peter struck without thought, burning the thing of existence in a wash of green fire. Dagon was already by Adan and Tessen's side, his roughs hands surprisingly gentle as he checked them over.

"Alive!" he barked.

Peter fell beside them and sang, his powers falling over them, slipping into their bodies in a thousand hair-fine tendrils and knitted them back together. Dagon gaped at him as Adan and Tessen stirred.

"MOVE!" Peter yelled at all three of them, "DAMN YOU MOVE!"

All three were soldiers, well-trained and used to the being faced with surprised, they were on their feet, already running before Halcyon and Belfleur even knew what had happened.

"How goes this day?"

They merged with another troop, a group of eight soldiers and a man in flowing robes that had to be their battle mage. Their leader elbowed Halcyon and laughed as they were out for a stroll in the woods.

"You always found too much humour in death Sidian," Halcyon said sourly.

Smoothly the two groups joined, their pace unfaltering as they continued to barrel through the madness. Their mage, an arrogant-faced man with thinning hair, glanced at Peter and sneered. He was draped in fantastical robes of brilliant blue worked through with silver in sprawling patterns. An elegant raise of his hands and lightning stabbed out, destroying a trio of Asuryans. He looked back at Peter with a challenging mocking smile and the High King glared back.

"ARGH!"

Three soldiers were snatched up into the air as a wyvern swooped. Blood rained down on them all as the creature's razored claws sliced the three men to ribbons. Through the gory of shower of blood and falling flesh they ran, the wyvern wheeling through the air, bringing with it a flock of its brethren. Belfleur was suddenly wondering aloud why he had bothered waking this morning. Dagon hit him across the head, rolling his eyes.

"MAGE!" Sidian barked, "DO SOMETHING!"

The battle mage swept his arms around in a complex flurry, lighting spilling out all around him. With a word he jabbed his fingers forwards. The spell leapt, crashing into the first wyvern and tearing it apart but the others of the flock merely barrel-rolled away, the mage's face falling.

He tottered, straining to conjure another smell as the wyverns dove. Bombs fell from their talons, blasting the earth as the soldiers fell into a battle formation, their faces so carefully blank that it almost broke from the strain.

"PETER!" Halcyon boomed.

Peter reached out with his Gifts. The wyverns were a mechanical monster, living killing metal but they were still machines. And Peter knew exactly how to deal with machines.

His Gifts closed all around them, the creatures screaming in agony as Peter hurled his will against them. They were not the brainless computers and machines that he was used to seizing, these things had their own minds, an insane urge to destroy and rend and trying to batter them into submission was like trying to control a chariot of runaway horses.

But it was enough to daze them, to hold them in place until bolts of lightning flew from the mage and the soldiers. Melted, burning metal crashed to the ground as Peter staggered, his mind wrenched back into his head.

He clutched at his temples, groaning. Adan grabbed him, his dark eyes searching but they held a large measure of respect. Peter nodded his thanks as they continued to run, fighting off enemies at every step.

"THERE!" Tessen and a woman of Sidian's soldiers yelled

But it was unnecessary. Tiryags swarmed the edges of a vast blown-out crater, the earth within still boiling hot. Lightning brewed in the skies above, the blighted light glancing over the wyverns' scales, the air thick with them. Asuryans poured down the sides of the crater, gun-ending arms blazing.

And they came from all sides, soldiers, masked like Halcyon and Sidian's men, cutting through the swarm of Asuryans. Gunfire roared and soldiers went down, the bullets ripping through their armour, the bodies already piled high.

"TESSEN!" Adan screamed, the name ripping free from his mouth.

But his brother was already dead, a neat hole drilled through his skull, his eyes staring blankly up at the heavens. Adan fell to his knees beside him, screaming his name,

"ADAN NO!" Dagon roared.

But the enraged man was already throwing himself at the Asuryans, his glaive flashing. Throats were slit, bellies were torn open as Adan wept and fought, blinded to all else but his sorrow.

Peter hurled lightning by the fistfuls, blasting the monsters, the mage beside him unleashing spell after spell. The soldiers fought like demons, glaives stabbing out, lightning flying but through sheer numbers the Asuryans were winning, swarming their lines.

Sidian died, torn from limb to limb by the Asuryans and his soldiers screamed their anguish.

"ADAN!" Belfleur yelled, the man ducking and stabbing, taking a monster through the throat.

Adan whirled, glaive flying out but a bullet tore his knee. The man fell with a roar, his face twisted in fury.

"ADAN!" Halcyon tried to reach him but he was forced to fight for his life, three Asuryans stabbing at him with their knife-like hands.

An Asuryan placed the barrel of its gun to the back of Adan's head as the man cursed, still trying to rise.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" he spat, "I'LL – "

The gun went off and the man's body fell limply, sprawled beside his brother.

The fight had lasted for just a few short minutes and already the dead was falling to the wayside like discarded trash.

"RUN!" Belfleur bellowed, "RUN YOU FOOLS!"

The mage threw one last spell and the Asuryans blocking their way were thrown back. The man collapsed, his breath rattling in his chest, blood spilling from his mouth.

"GO!" he managed to scream as light suffused his body, "GO!"

Halcyon, his armour ruined, led the charge, Dagon beside him. A ragged band of bloodied survivors, they skittered over the blood-slicked ground as the mage screamed.

His final spell tore his body apart, power flying out in all directions and lancing through the Asuryans. The monsters fell as the soldiers ran over their bodies, finally reaching the lip of the great crater.

Green fire roared and blew the Tiryags off the ridge, Peter clutching at his bloodied arm, his teeth gritted against the pain.

"GO!" he snapped as Belfleur looked at him worried, "GO!"  
They leapt from one mad battle to another, tumbling down the sides of the earthen basin. Asuryans roared in their faces, swinging to meet them. Halcyon mercilessly cut them down, his face set into an icy mask. Belfleur was swift, the man in seven places at once, his enemies falling at his feet.

Peter pushed back the pain, the weariness that threatened to engulf him and flung his hand outwards. Lightning speared into the Asuryans, burning them alive and the finally he could see the General.

He was armoured and masked like all his soldiers, red mask covering his face. But the horns on the helm were long, more elaborate, curling back on itself like a ram's. He moved with a grace that took Peter's breath away, the glaive in his hands like a living thing.

Mangled Asuryans piled high all around him, a few lone soldiers fighting beside their General.

The man dropped, sweeping his glaive around, the keen edge slicing through the Asuryans' legs, bringing them down. He drove his weapon through the head of one, ripping it free and neatly decapitating another.

The General was dancing, always moving, every flash and stab of his glaive felling his enemies. He drove his polearm through another monster, swinging the creature around and smashing it into another trio of nightmarish ghouls. They fell and the General tore his weapon free and with three quick jabs claimed another three lives.

Halcyon led the few standing soldiers to the General and they all instantly fell in line, forming a circle around the man. An Asuryan screamed, chained and roped, bucking and writhing on the ground.

"I WILL RIP THE FLESH FROM YOUR BONES!" he spat at them, "I WILL TEAR OUT YOUR EYES AND SWALLOW THEM WHOLE!"

The General ruthlessly stomped down on his prisoner and the creature yelped in pain.

"Halcyon, I am glad to see you are here," the voice was softer than Peter expected and he frowned.

"We need to get out of this death trap, General," Halcyon said roughly, towering over his leader, "Many have fallen today."

The General's eyes peered out from his mask and looked at the soldiers gathered around him. There were now fifty in total, men and women, all scored with the wounds of battle. The man nodded and reached down, grabbing the captured Asuryan as the thing spat in his face.

"We need to get the Tiryags away. I only have four mages with me," the General looked at the line of Tiryags at the lip of the crater, the things firing with reckless abandon down at the soldiers in the pit.

"We have a mage with us who can do that... PETER!" Halcyon barked.

The High King was exhausted to the bone, the fire of his Gifts mere embers but they did not have the luxury of rest. They had to fight their way back out and get back to the safety of the trenches. Peter forced himself to straighten and face Halcyon, meeting his eyes calmly.

"The Tiryags?" the General asked.

Even Peter was taller than the man but he had seen the way the warrior fought. The General was a fine warrior, the fallen all around him a testament to that and that alone deserve a measure of respect.

"No problem," Peter summoned green fire to his hands, it came in guttering sparks but it gathered, "We need to move quickly."

He spoke to them not as soldier to his commanders but as equals. Halcyon raised a brow but the General merely nodded.

"Let's hurry," he said decisively.

A word and the soldiers were ready. Despite what they had endured, despite the friends and lovers they had seen fallen, each was ready to do their duty. Tiryags were crawling down into the crater as if sensing their intent. The wyverns screeched above as the Asuryans looked at them.

Silence fell, the two sides staring at each other.

The General took a deep breath.

"CHAAARGGE!" he roared, pointing his glaive forwards.

With a cry, the soldiers ran as the Asuryans raised their weapons. Light burst out, the mages with the soldiers doing all they can to destroy their enemies.

Green flames boiled over the first Tiryag, nausea hitting Peter in pounding waves as the monster fell. He panted, sweat pouring off him but Dagon grabbed his arm, dragging him onwards.

"WATCH OUT!" a soldier screamed, "ABOVE!"

Wyverns loosened their loads, bombs falling as Peter roared. He thrust his hands into the air and everyone gaped as a sheer sheet of boiling flames exploding from his fingers. It swept up and spread, a shield of liquid fire rising to meet the falling explosives.

Everyone, humans, Asuryans looked up, amazed as the bombs fell onto the fire.

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"

The shockwaves fell, slamming everyone against the ground. Peter hit the mud and dirt and blood rushed into his mouth. He gagged, coughing, sprawling onto his back as the fire faded, every bomb destroyed.

"I have never seen that before..."

"Yes, we were trying to work where he had learn that," Halcyon rumbled as Peter's vision flashed from coloured to grey and back.

The General was leaning over him, his mask cracked right down the centre. With a grunt, he tore his helm away and tossed it aside. In the blighted light Peter saw the man's face and his world froze.

. . . . . .

Corin.

Edmund felt as though he was walking through a dream.

Corin.

Corin, Prince of Archeland. Corin Thunder-Fist. Corin the vanquisher of the Lapsed Bear of Stormness. Corin, his friend and ally.

Corin who was dead for thousands of years.

The boy ran beside him as bright-eyed and reckless as ever.

The others had told him this could happen. They had told him about Tumnus in the world of darkness and vampires, about the Beavers in Charn. They had told him of the ghosts from their past who had met them on their journeys but hearing about it and living it were millions of miles apart.

"Isn't this just fantastic! Initiates don't normally wear the sword until after their first year but with the Dawn-Breaker, everyone has been armed," Corin laughed, dancing on the spot, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, "This is everything I have dreamed of!"

Did that mean Cor was here? That Aravis was here?

So much was running through him. He would have loved to see them all again but seeing them reminded him of how much had changed, had much had been lost even before the Great Darkness came. Joy, sorrow, regret, all mingled, the flavours of life, inescapable, magical.

Edmund sighed.

He was an initiate of the Blue Swords, the law-keepers of this world, barely trusted to walk straight let alone wield a blade. But desperate times had forced much to change.

"Corin. What do we know about the Dawn-Breaker?"  
Corin looked at him, frowning.

"Traveller. From far away," Edmund said swiftly.

Corin blinked and suspicion in his face faded.

"The Dawn-Breaker came to the Lower City two moons ago. He is a killer, he stalks the streets and takes lives in the dark of night. No one has seen him. No one has been able to find him but every night more perish," Corin breathed the words with an excited smile, a schoolchild on an adventure, "The Blue Swords have been desperate to find him but he slips between our fingers."

Edmund nodded and glanced up at the nights sky above. As always there was this cloud of silver mist hovering above the city, it was like nothing nature could produce, it was stagnant, never moving, a perpetual fog that spanned for leagues above.

"The City Above," Corin's eyes danced as he followed Edmund's gaze, "I would love to see that one day."

"That's a city?" Edmund gaped, staring up at the strange clouds.

"I know. It's unbelievable!" Corin's voice was loud in the empty alleyway.

Edmund tore his eyes away. City Above. Lower City. High Inquisitors. Swords. Hearts... there was so much. He had only been to two worlds and he was already overwhelmed. The others, how did they see all this and not feel so infinitely tiny?

The streets all around them were neatly paved, the house built wall against wall, each facade neat and white-washed. It was strange to see a city so clean because most, no matter how prosperous, had refuse, had slums that most tried to ignore but from this night of wandering Edmund could see none of that. The Hammers of the Green had done the unthinkable in building a city so pristine.

"Quiet."

Edmund and Corin whirled. The First Sword stood behind them, hands on her hips, her dark eyes narrowed. Aloe, leader of the Blue Swords, marched towards them.

"You will chase the Dawn-Breaker away you fools," she snapped.

Corin flushed but nothing repressed the boy for long.

"Any news from the other quarters?" he asked eagerly.

The streets were void of all but the Blue Swords, the people hiding in terror from the killer that lived amongst them.

"Nothing," Aloe growled, "A pox on this man! Once I get my hands on hi – "

A scream tore through the silence and Aloe whirled, her sword in her hands. Corin's jaws dropped, the boy hardly daring to believe before he let out a whoop and charged after the woman. Edmund unsheathed his blade in one fluid movement as he ran.

Aloe's eyes flicked towards him. The woman did not miss very much.

"You handle your sword well fledgling."

Edmund resisted the urge to show her just how good he was with his blade. He sighed, realising just how much Peter had really rubbed off on him – he wasn't as big-headed as his brother hopefully but neither did he appreciate the slight on his skills.

Well as big-headed as Peter was before he had met the others, Edmund amended silently, Inara and Jason in particular had done a fantastic job in beating his swollen head down.

The thought made him smile.

"THERE!" Corin yelled out unnecessarily.

A door hung splintered from its hinges, a woman sprawled across the threshold, her blood slick across the ground. She dragged herself forwards, breaking skin and nails across the flagstones.

"Help," blood poured from her lips, "Help!"  
Screams rang out from inside the house as Aloe cursed.

"Dawn-breaker," the woman rasped staring up at them with wide eyes, "Inside... my children. My children!"

"Attend her!" Aloe roared as she leapt over the woman and charged into the house.

Corin instantly ran after her as Edmund tried to drag him back. The boy slipped through his fingers and the king cursed, dropping to his knees beside the woman.

"You'll be fine," he whispered, turning her over.

Blood soaked through his white linen breeches and Edmund knew he was lying.

"HEARTS!" he roared, hoping desperately that one of the red-clothed healers were around, "HEARTS!"

The woman scrabbled at his shirt, her bloodied fingers leaving streaks behind. Edmund held her, cursing his own helplessness.

"My children..." she whispered feverishly, "My children..."

She suddenly blinked and seemed to see past him, a confused look passing over her.

"My children?" she frowned.

And her movements stilled, the life fleeing from her eyes. Edmund checked her pulse and hung his head.

Gently he laid her aside and rose, his blue eyes flashing. He could heard the clang of metal on metal and cries coming from inside the house.

Edmund twirled the sword in his hands, getting used to its weight and balance. He had failed to stop the horsemen from rising, had failed to stop Paxton and the darkness. But here was one battle he could win.

Edmund marched into the house.

Corin lay unconscious at the base of the stairs but the rise and fall of his chest told Edmund the boy was alive. Without even stopping, the king mounted the staircase, the sound of battle drifting down from the floor above. He stepped onto the landing and straight into a fight.

"GAH!"  
Aloe hissed, bleeding from a cut on her arm. She stabbed forwards but her foe seemed to flow around her blade, his fists flying out and cracking her across the face. Aloe staggered against the wall and had to duck as a knife slammed into the wood.

Edmund charged, blade flashing and the man leapt back.

"I'm guessing you're the Dawn-Breaker," the Just King said flatly.

The man merely laughed, blood still wet on his face.

"You are correct."

His was a hawkish face, his eyes dark and sharp, piercing Edmund through and through. His nosed jutted out like the prow of a ship, stabbing out above a mouth that seemed to always hold a mocking smile.

"Would it be too much to assume you actually know what is going on here?" the killer asked, arching one brow.

"Know what?" Edmund demanded.

Behind him Aloe wrenched the Dawn-Breaker's knife from the wall, her dark eyes trained on the Dawn-Breaker. The man chuckled and his voice was like velvet, warm and heavy. Dark hair hung thick to his shoulders, a leather cord tying the locks away from his broad forehead. He had the arrogance of a lord and the clothing of one, a dark crimson coat thick with brocade and scrollwork running down to the length of his knees where it met the gleaming boots that hugged his powerful legs,

"Do you know who I am boy?" the man inquired mildly.

Edmund blinked. There was an emblem on one breast of his coat, woven from threads of gold. It was the symbol of an eye within an eye, one the others had warned him all too strongly about. The badge of the Great Darkness, the brand he emblazoned on all his greatest followers.

"You are a thing of darkness," Edmund spat.

The Dawn-Breaker laughed, humour bleeding into the arrogant lines of his face.

"I have destroyed worlds in the name of the Great Darkness and I will destroy this one as well!"

With a cry Edmund and Aloe lunged but the man somehow managed to dodge their blades, the air warping around him.

"You can't stop me!' the man mocked, "You are but worms to my glory!"

"WATCH OUT!" Aloe screamed.

The Dawn-Breaker punched the air and his fists stopped as though it had hit an unseen wall. Edmund gaped as lines radiated out from the man's hands, fractures that zigzagged out like a web between them.

"What the – "

There was a sound like breaking glass and the impossible cracks in the air split apart. The rips seemed to scream, the world shrieking at the wounds it had to endure.

"I am the Dawn-Breaker!" the man laughed, "I am the destroyer of worlds!"

Edmund was blinded as light poured from the splits in the air as Aloe cried out. They reeled back, desperately blinking tears from their eyes as the lights dimmed, the cracks sealing themselves shut.

The Dawn-Breaker stood on the balls on his feet, watching, waiting.

"What was that?" Aloe demanded.

The man merely smiled and punched the wall behind him. Lines shot out again, threads of light splintering the wall and it exploded outwards, stone flying as though flung by a catapult.

"You will be seeing me," the Dawn-Breaker vowed, laughing, "And I will crush your dreams."

And he threw himself backwards out of the hole in the wall. Edmund and Aloe ran, just in time to see the Dawn-Breaker land on the street below with bent knees.

Aloe made to hurl herself out but Edmund grabbed her.

"Are you crazy?" he snapped, "You'll break your legs!"

The Dawn-Breaker grinned up at them one last time and turned. He stopped.

The High Inquisitor stared back at him through his colour-streaked mask, still hooded but the rest of his robes tossed aside to show a simple white shirt and loose flowing pants.

"I cannot allow you to escape," the High Inquisitor said simply, "Surrender or I will be forced to kill you."

A sword appeared in his hands. The Dawn-Breaker stood his ground, his eyes trained on the leader of the Guardians.

"High Inquisitor!" Aloe screamed, "DON'T!"

"It's my duty to stop this thing from harming our people," the High Inquisitor's voice carried up to them, soft but carrying the strength of a mountain, "I will not stand aside."

He slashed out and the Dawn-Breaker danced back as Aloe and Edmund whirled from the hole in the wall, running for the stairs.

"Show no mercy!" Aloe spat at Edmund as they flew down the stairs, leaping over Corin.

"I didn't plan to," Edmund said coolly.

They burst out of the front door and onto the streets as the Dawn-Breaker grabbed the Inquisitor's arm, blocking his blow. Aloe charged but the killer lashed out, ploughing a kick into her chest. The First Sword hit the ground wheezing as Edmund struck.

The Dawn-Breaker threw the Inquisitor away and threw himself back into a flip, neatly dodging all of Edmund's attacks. The man moved with impossible speed and flexibility, always managed to distance himself from Edmund's blade. The Just King attacked again and again, hoping to wrong-foot the man but the killer was easily his equal, flowing around his sword.

Edmund blinked and the man was suddenly just inched from his face, laughing. He punched Edmund in the face and the Just King staggered back.

"Perhaps next time we meet you will present a challenge!"

The Dawn-Breaker punched the air again and cracks splintered out. They swiftly widened becoming light-filled tears in the air. With a wave, the killer threw himself straight into the fractures in space. They snapped shut behind him, the light instantly dying.

Edmund was left standing in the street, clutching at his swollen jaw, his eyes wide.

The Dawn-Breaker was gone.

"By the Mane!" he cursed furiously as he turned.

Aloe was beside the High Inquisitor, helping the man up. The hood had fallen back, the mask in shattered pieces on the ground. The First Sword and the High Inquisitor turned and Edmund's jaws dropped.

"Impossible..."

. . . . . .

If the Treasured Ones were the stars in the skies than the Empress was the moon, shaming and out-shining them all, as flawless and immaculate as a piece of polished diamond.

She smiled and light spilt from her face like the honey-toned warmth of the sun. Her green-blue eyes danced with laughter, her smile open and beguiling. Auburn hair fell in sleek tumbling waves, woven through with strings of pearls and wild roses, finding an echo in the gown that clung to her, a gossamer thing of silk worked into the pattern of sprawling vines and blooms.

She walked out onto the balcony and the crowds cheered her name.

Susan stood, pole-axed, gaping. But it was not the Empress's beauty that stunned her, nor was it her gracefulness or the adoration that poured from her people.

She knew the Empress. Knew her better than almost anyone else in all the worlds.

"THE EMPRESS OF THE PEARL! THE BELOVED ONE!" the announcer roared over the cheers of the crowd, "ENVIED BY THE STARS THEMSELVES!"

They cheered her name again and again, the fighting ceasing as the men who fought for her favour fell to their knees.

"THE EMPRESS! LUCILLE THE GENTLE!" they all screamed, clapping and stomping their feet, "LUCILLE THE GENTLE!"

Susan could not breathe.

"THE EMPRESS! LUCILLE THE GENTLE!"

. . . . . .

Peter stared up at the woman looking down at him. She frowned, blue-green eyes concerned. Her auburn hair was cropped shot, sliced in one straight line above her brow. It was impossible what he was looking at, impossible that she –

Peter forgot how to breathe, let alone cry out in shock like he wanted.

"Help him up?" the General asked.

Halcyon dragged Peter up as the High King continued to gape at their General. She frowned at his strange behaviour, her glaive clutched tight in her calloused hands.

"Is he in shock?" she demanded.

"Nothing's rattled him before," Halcyon growled, "Boy? You alive in there?'

There was hardness in her that had not been there before, a tempering that could have only came from much battle and loss. Peter felt like weeping at that thought, weeping at the knowledge at what she had to endure. But still he could not talk or move, his mind frozen on the woman before him.

"Thank you for saving our lives," the General stuck on her hand, an impish smile on her face, "I'm sorry but we haven't been properly introduced..."

The battle raged on all around them but the General ignored all that, focusing on the strange man before him.

"I'm General Lucia," her lips quirked, "General Lucia the Magnificent."

. . . . . .

The High Inquisitor studied him thoughtfully.

He had been wrong, Edmund thought distantly, the High Inquisitor was not a man.

The leader he had seen, the fair and wise leader who had handled her people so extraordinarily well was not a stranger, was not some strange figure from another world.

Edmund knew who she was.

She was taller than him but there was no mistaking those blue-green eyes. Her auburn hair was plaited and pinned to her head in an elaborate fashion, so alien to the wild and free manner she liked to usually wear it. But the fierce look on her face, the annoyance was something he knew almost as well as his own features.

How? How was she here? What was happening?

Edmund's mind was blank, the Just King speechless for once.

"You fought well young sword," despite the defeat she had suffered, the High Inquisitor smiled kindly at him, "I shall see to it that Aloe rewards you."

The First Sword merely sniffed.

"Why are you not bowing?" she demanded, "Don't you know who this is?"

"Leave him," the High Inquisitor chided, "He is in shock at what has happened."

"That is no excuse!" Aloe growled, "Bow fledgling!"

She stalked towards him, frustrated at having the Dawn-Breaker so close to her clutches and yet so far away, the woman resoundingly beaten.

"Bow before your High Inquisitor," she thundered, "Bow before High Inquisitor Lucinda the Just!"

. . . . . .

In the Pearl, a palace of unimaginable beauty, staring at a woman whose grace outshone even that Susan whispered one word.

In the midst of a battle, attacked by men who were as much machine as flesh, with dragonish planes bombing them from above, Peter stared at the proud warrior before him and whispered one word.

In the streets of the Lower City, having just seen a man escape through a crack in the air, Edmund stared at the defender of the people, a wise and benevolent leader and whispered one word.

All three whispered the same thing and the word was said with shock, with love, with longing.

"Lucy."

. . . . . .

Author's notes: Cue cliffhanger! Since I've hit a 100 reviews I just want to thank you loyal readers who have stuck with me all this way. So thank you very much from the bottom of my heart to Holly-Batali, Phygamlion, bon, Autumnia, ray1, GryffinLord, Emmaplease, ReginaCaelum, Artemistmg, Larka Rinna Luna, GirlWaterShaman, siliana, Hiddenfilly, QueenLira, Perthy25, Patty Potter-Pevensie. You guys have been the ones to review almost every chapter and your compliments, advice and criticism have helped shape this story and me as a writer!

Just one last note to buzzingbee – Love the fact you adore my story so much but unfortunately I can't update as regularly as I like due to real life. Curse you real life!


	79. Adventures of the other half

As promised just in time for Yuletide! Happy holidays everyone!

Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 79: Adventures of the other half **

"Let my people go."

The pharaoh of Tzara, the king of the desert kingdom, burst into laughter. He was a powerful man, his bared chest rippling with muscles, his hands strong and capable. Arrogance was ingrained in every line on his hawkish face, his kohl-lined eyes cold and predatory.

"No."

He rose from his palanquin of gold, his slaves falling to their knees, bowing deep as their ruler rose.

"Never."

A necklace of lapis lazuli hung around his neck, echoing the sapphire blues that was part of his elaborate headdress. Gems too hung from his waist and shone along his curved sceptre.

"We will strike," Makat grounded out, "We will lay down our tools and cease building your infernal tombs. We are the Tzaraath and we are slaves to no one!"

The pharaoh smile and the flash of his white teeth was like light hitting a dagger's razor edge.

"If you do not work..."

Amun's voice dropped to a low threatening hiss.

"... I will round up every last one of your firstborn and execute them before your very eyes."

Makat blanched as the pharaoh padded towards him, moving with the liquid dangerous grace of a hunting cat. He was suddenly brutally aware of the differences between them, the trembling emaciated slave with greying rags hanging from his body and the pharaoh, towering and strong, the war general of an army of thousands, his every word and command obeyed as the will of the gods. The breath froze in his chest as his wide eyes locked onto the pharaoh's sneering face, the slave remembering all the depravity this man was capable of, the thousands that had perished all for a whim or imagined slight.

"Leave. Before I have you flayed before your friends," Amun ordered, his voice deceptively soft.

Makat sucked in a deep breath,

"Let my people –" Makat spluttered, "ARGH!"

He choked, gasping for breath as Amun's hands, hands that had slain thousands of enemies, had been steeped in pools of the blood of innocents, closing around his throat.

"Go."

He heaved Makat away, the scrawny slave tripping over his own feet and smacking hard onto the desert floor. The air was driven from his lung as Amun towered over him, his eyes mocking the pathetic worm squirming before him.

"Now."

With his face burning and hot angry tears spilling down his face Makat staggered to his feet and turned, running from his enemy like a coward. Sick with shame and with Amun's scornful laughter ring loud in his ears, Makat ran as the slavers burst into laughter, jeers flung after him like spears as he stumbled and tripped along the broken dirt path and back to his people, back to the Tzaraaths, the once owners but now slaves of the desert kingdom of Tzara.

"You will build my temple before the next swelling of the Nile," Amun snarled, his eyes sweeping over the gathered slaves, "Or you will all die."

His eyes narrowed and pierced Makat as the slave wept brokenly, the other slaves flinching from him, hiding, trying to distance themselves from the one who had enraged the pharaoh.

"You want to be free of me?" he spat.

Amun raised his hands.

"Sutekh," he commanded.

A portly form waddled forwards, bowing and cringing, thinning hair oiled and glistening.

"Make an example," Amun sneered and a cry rose from the Tzaraaths, a broken moan that held no strength, only despair, "Then put them to work."

"Yes your greatness," Sutekh bowed, shuddering in excitement, "At once."

Amun stepped back into his palanquin and his slaves rose at once, women hurrying into place, fans wafting their great king as others strewn rose petals onto the burning sand, paving the pharaoh's way with blood-red.

Dancers cavorted as musicians struck up a grand booming cry, the pharaoh leaving from the shadows of his half-finished temple and back once more to his palace, bored with what he had just commanded.

There was a still silence, each Tzaraath holding their breath, too terrified to move, too terrified to make the smallest gesture that would curse them to an early g –

"YOU!" Sutekh jabbed with one finger, his eyes glittering between the doughy folds of his face.

"NO!"

The slavers rushed forwards grabbing the man, dragging him forwards as the Tzaraath fought, cursing, screaming, praying.

"PLEASE! CAT GOD! PLEASE SAVE ME!"  
Sutekh howled with laughter, uncoiling the raw-hide wipe from his belt, holding it with expert ease, a thick fat tongue licking his lips.

"BOW TO ME!" he roared, "BOW!"  
The Tzaraath was pushed to his knees, his eyes wide, staring at Sutekh, staring at death.

"PLEASE!"

Sutekh raised his hands and every Tzaraath wept. The air was thick with sand and sweat and screams, the thunderous crack of the slaver's whips punching through the howling shrieks and sobbing moans.

"BOW TO ME!" Sutekh roared, foaming at the mouth.

The Tzaraath watched in numbed silence knowing that protest would only draw more punishement. Sutekh was a man who delighted in savagery, panting and shuddering like a thing in heat as he wielded his whip with abandon, howling with laughter as the sand turned red.

"BOW TO ME!" he shouted and giggled all at the same time, "BOW!"  
His victim fell, tripping over his own chains as his face was slashed in half by a bloody tear, Sutekh falling on him like a shrieking vulture. Blood flew through the air, splattering the other slaves as they flinched, Makat staring, paralysed with horror and wrenching guilt. Sutekh whipped the man over and over again, laming him, hobbling him, killing him.

And long after the slave had fallen still the portly slaver staggered back, wiping the foam from his lips as his chest heaved in and out, the bloody whip held in a white-knuckled fist. His eyes were wide, his pupils constricted as a satisfied smile cross his lips.

"Take him away."

Other slaves hurried forwards, unlocking the shackles, dragging the mangled corpse away.

"Let that be a warning to you all," Sutekh grinned, "NOW WORK!"  
And punctuating his command with a bloody crack, the slaves lurched to their feet, stumbling to the temple as ropes were taken up once more. Slavers watched over them, whips in hand as the Tzaraath began dragging the immense block of stones across wooden rollers, their eyes and faces dead.

Makat trembled as his people glanced at him and looked away, shadows lurking in their eyes.

"Sor... sorry..."

He screamed as Sutekh's whip tore his back open, the slaver's belly shaking with laughter as Makat stumbled forwards.

It had gone so wrong... so horribly wrong. But there had been an omen, the appearance of a god with golden eyes, a divine creature walking amongst their midst – a living sign of upheaval and change, a chance for their salvation.

Makat was forced back into line and the Tzaraath hung his head.

He had been wrong. It would take more than a Cat God to break Amun. And that realisation hurt more than any lashing he had every endured.

There was no hope. There was nothing but death.

And Makat staggered forwards, broken forever as far away, perched on sandbank in the shades of a date tree grove the Cat God watched, eyes narrowed.

Zaru growled, his ears pinned back.

He said it once and he'll say it – he really, really _hated_ this world.

**. . . . . . .**

Lightning slashed the skies and the land was momentarily ablaze with blighted light, every shadow so sharp it could cut flesh.

"Where are we? WHERE ARE WE?"

"Can you do me and the whole world a favour and just go drown in your own stupidity? It'll save someone the trouble of killing you later."

Chelsea turned, her eyes wide and scared, her hands pressed hard against her mouth as though to stop herself from screaming or vomiting, or possibly both.

"Inara..." she held out her hands, "Please... what's – SOMEONE PLEASE!"

"Yes, keep shouting so that any nearby predators would be attracted to us," Inara said scathingly, "You have no brains and no looks and absolutely no redeeming features so seriously why are you wasting my air?"

Chelsea gaped at her, a flush crawling across her face as Inara slowly got up, turning and surveying the blighted land before them. It was a place of darkness and misery, not a single scraggly tree or river to break up the dry and desolate land. The sky rumbled with perpetual brewing storms, the ground ash and sulphur and rot. Inara could feel the taint of the place seeping into her skin, invading every pore until she felt was drowning in oil and sludge, her gut clenching as her throat clamped struggling to hold her stomach contents back.

Inara closed her eyes and simply breathed, drawing in her breath over seven counted seconds and holding it for seven more before expelling evenly over another count of seven. She tried to blank her mind as her lungs filled and emptied, drawing in calm using the techniques she had learnt in the Temple.

Inara grunted as her whole body ached as though she had been pounded by a thousand hammers, the girl acutely aware of the hollowness gnawing away at her. The Naga in her mind and body was silent, exhausted into a mindless slumber as the Temple's strength flowed sluggishly through her, trying to muster but she had used too much, there was nothing she could do but wait and hope.

"Damn it," Inara's eyes fluttered open.

"What do we do now Inara?" Chelsea begged, "Inara?"

Inara turned and stared at her sister. Chelsea was terrified, needing someone to tell her what to do, how to think. She was older than herself, on the cusp of womanhood but still so far off, nothing but a scared little girl who needed someone to love her.

"Chelsea."  
Inara's voice was flat.

"Why?" she demanded.

Hate and fury poisoned Inara's mind, every instinct in her body telling her to pick up a rock, to charge her sister and dash her brains out here and now. Chelsea had killed Belphegor, she had killed the last demon and set the Horsemen free. And all that after her lies about wanting to be free of Paxton. But something held her back.

"Why?" she demanded.

Chelsea trembled, tears spilling down her face.

"God damn it Chelsea. You've doomed the worlds, I think I deserve an answer."

"I..." Chelsea's voice shook as much as her body, "I'm not like you."

Inara merely stared at her, the silence forcing the words form Chelsea's mouth.

"I'm not like you. I said it before. I am not like you. You're strong. You can face Paxton and stand up to him. I can't. I'm not you. I'm weak and I'm pathetic."

The mask of self-confidence was shattered, the preening, petty princess consigned to the flames and all that laid beneath was a rotting writhing mess of fear and terrible truths.

"It was easy to stay I would be strong. Easy when I was just with you. I mean look at you!" Chelsea stared at Inara hungrily, enviously, in awe, "You fought back when you were a child. You refused to let him break you. You came back and Daddy... Paxton was willing to give you the world and still you said no."

Her sister laughed bitterly.

"You're strong Inara. Stronger than you think. I'm not. That's why. They brought me back before him and he... he..." Chelsea swallowed, "He looked at me and I was me again. Weak little me."

She looked away, shamed as Inara studied her.

"That doesn't excuse what you did," Inara said softly, "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"I can make it better," Chelsea begged childishly, "Paxton is gone. I can fight. I can help. I can – "

Inara and Chelsea were suddenly thrown off their feet as the ground beneath them exploded outwards. They hit the ground, their eyes wide with horror as dark tentacles writhed through the air, teeth-lined suckers opening and closing like hungry mouths.

Inara sucked in a deep breath as Chelsea screamed and screamed and screamed.

"RUN!" Inara barked, "SHUT UP AND RUN!"

And she scrambled to her feet as a monster emerged from the ground, its body a hideous column of dark and mottled skin. Heads grew from the monster's trunk like poisonous fruit, each face cherub-like and howling with a babe's desperate hungry cries. The horrible corruption of nature rose up into the air, long carapace-armoured legs unfolding. The baby-like faces screeched in hunger as tentacles whipped through the air, searching for them.

Inara was on her feet, her eyes wide as she grabbed for the power inside of her but there was nothing to reach for, nothing to use which meant she had to –

"RUN!"

**. . . . . . .**

Caspian ran for his life. He flew around the corner, his boots pounding loud on the steel ground, his harsh breathing cutting through the mechanical hum that filled this place. The king threw a desperate look over his shoulder and cursed his lack of a weapon.

Caspian dove, hiding himself behind a short wall and waited. He could hear footsteps, could hear soft breaths coming closer and closer.

The king balled his hands into fists.

A shadow slid across the ground, crawling towards Caspian. The king rose into a crouch, waiting.

The sound of footsteps got louder and louder and –

Caspian leapt from the shadows, lashing out, a war cry on his lips.

"ARGH!"

His enemy staggered back, clutching his face. Caspian gave him no time to recover, kicking him in the gut and sending him crashing to the ground. Reaching down, he dragged the man up by the scruff, his fist cocked back ready to –

Caspian suddenly froze.

His jaws dropped as a sick feeling rose in his gut.

"Elias?"

The scientist glared at him, one eye already swollen shut.

"I assume you have a reason for this?" he asked wryly.

Caspian cringed and instantly helped him up, mortified beyond belief.

"By the Mane!" the king breathed frantically, images of Susan shooting him full of arrows in bloody vengeance flashing through his head, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Elias poked at his injury and hissed as Caspian winced with him. Both of them had enough bruises and cuts as it was, marks of that last battle at the tower before the demons had fallen. Elias looked at him again, his one good eye narrowed and Caspian winced, hands held in front of him in defence.

"It doesn't look that bad?" the king offered hopefully.

"You're lucky I'm injured already otherwise you'll have to come up with a good lie for this," the scientist pointed out.

Caspian breathed a sigh of relief.

"Of course it's obvious that this wound is a lot fresher compared to the others. The others are going to know something had happened."

The king swore as Elias smirked at him. Usually he wasn't so petty but he had just survived a battle than had almost torn a world apart and his reward? Getting punched in the face by one of his own.

He was choosing to be petty.

He had earned it.

"Don't tell Susan?" Caspian tried.

"Or I could tell Inara," Elias countered.

Caspian's face fell. Susan would shoot him with arrows but probably in non-vital areas. Inara would laugh her head off then snap his neck then laugh again. Maybe he should just count his blessings he hadn't punched Inara. The last thing he needed was to give Peter another reason to fry him alive.

"Sorry?" Caspian tried again.

Elias laughed and the king knew he was forgiven. Surreptitiously he wiped the sweat from his face.

"Where are we?" Elias asked.

"No idea," Caspian looked around at the silent city of black steel all around them, "One minute I'm in the tower and – "

He stopped. He and Elias looked at each other bleakly, both remembering the same dark memories.

The tower. The battle against the Paxton. The Ophanim Machine vomiting out fire as the world threatened to collapse all around them. Then the light and the clouds of colour flying through the air. The horsemen were free. They had failed. Miserably.

Elias swallowed the sour taste in his mouth, his eye still throbbing painfully.

"Where are the others?' he asked trying to ignore the pain.

Caspian's dark look said it all.

"I'm getting really tired of being constantly separated from each other," the king muttered, "It's getting really old."

Where was Susan? Where was Inara, Zaru and all the others? Were they in this world, somewhere in this vast city or were they so place completely unknown? Worry and fear stabbed him but Caspian pushed it away, the others would look after themselves, they had been doing that long before he had come along.

Caspian sighed, exhaustion seeping down to his very bones. When will it end? World after world, darkness after darkness, it seemed like they had been fighting for all eternity. And still there was no light in sight. Lucy was still lost. Aslan still trapped by the Great Darkness. And Narnia...

An ache ran through Caspian as he thought of his home, his kingdom. What was happening to his people? Were they still fighting against Gavin or had they...

No.

Caspian smiled as imagined what Reepicheep would have to say about the thought of surrendering, of losing to the Great Darkness. Narnia was missing its king but it was still in good hands – Trumpkin, Glenstorm and the others of the council, they would keep the people together, they would be fighting. Caspian knew it, knew that the Great Darkness had not won yet. Narnia still stood strong, still stood against Gavin. And Caspian would fight the same battle no matter where he was, for his people, his kingdom and Aslan.

"Elias?" he blinked.

The scientist was looking around, his face pulled into a frown, the scientist muttering to himself. They were standing in one dark street in a deserted city where the roads were made of steel. All around them rose towers, obsidian pillars that pierced the perpetual night above, their purpose known only to themselves. Light was meagre in this black city, spilling out in soft blues from long oval globes that hung suspended between the towers.

Elias's eyes were trained on one of those globes, the scientist still murmuring under his breath as he walked down the dark street, Caspian hurrying to catch up.

"Elias?" the king asked, "Elias?"

Elias looked at him, distracted and it was a look Caspian knew well, having seen it one too many times on both his and Cornelius's faces. He suppressed a sigh and knew just to keep silent.

"They look familiar," Elias said vaguely.

He stepped out of the street and onto a broad boulevard, one lone globe shining its electric blue light down onto black metal road, light and shadows fanning out in a ghostly blossom.

"What is that?" Caspian breathed, mesmerised.

Cables, so thick that both he and Elias joined hand in hand could not wrap them arms around them, rose from the ground like immense roots plugging into the glowing glass light. More cables snaked out from the top of the oval thing, stretching out, up into the dark sky before threading through the towers and out of sight.

Elias approached the strange blue light as Caspian followed, both drawn like moths to the flames. The scientist suddenly stopped, just metres from the glass egg.

"No," he breathed, "Impossible."

"Elias?"

"No," the scientist was shaking his head, "No. They can't – "

He ran stopping inches from the glowing light, the globe hanging just before his face. Caspian watched as Elias reached out, touching the glass thing gently. Something inside the oval ball shifted.

The breath fled from Caspian's lungs.

"Is that..."

A face was pressed up against the glass, a woman with white hair, her eyes shut as though in sleep. The fluid inside the globe shifted, the light flickering and the woman was lost once more inside the depths of the glass.

"A person," Elias sighed, nodding, "This... this is a cryogenic pod."

"What?" Caspian blinked.

"In Metech we had them. Still just experiments. Cyrogenic pods... a cell where people could be placed into an artificial sleep and woken centuries later," Elias's lips twitched, "A form of time travel. Much less elegant than the rings but still... this is impossible."

He brushed his hands against the glass and metal capsule and grimaced at the chill that into his skin.

"These shouldn't work. They... the ice crystals destroy the cells. They can't – "

"Is it any less impossible than half the things we've seen?" Caspian asked wryly, "Gods. Monsters. Zaru."

Elias laughed. He looked up at the glowing tanks that hung in the air by thick black cables like grapes on a vine.

"There must be a power source," he looked around, "There must be –"

Elias hurried off, following the cables as Caspian stopped before the globe, studying it, the blue light cold against his face.

Eternal sleep. His body ached for it, ached for rest but he could not, would not whilst his kingdom was still in peril, not whilst the Great Darkness lived.

"CASPIAN!" Elias's voice cut through his thoughts, the king turning and running to the scientist.

His footsteps rang loud in the stillness as he sped through another street and out onto an open plateau. Caspian froze.

"There," Elias smiled in satisfaction, "I knew it."

It stood on a distant hill, the lone beacon in this forsaken place, a tower of light and glass that spilt warmth onto the dark city all around. Pods grew thick all around it on branches of black wires, sprouting like fruit from the trunk of a great tree. The great glass bar rose high above the dark towers, lighting up even the heavens themselves, clouds crowning its splintered, jagged peak. The light pulsed in waves, washing over the land like a white tide, the blue of the pods complete the illusion of a sea.

"So those pods... they hold a sleeping person?" Caspian asked hesitantly.

"Yes."

There were millions of capsules, millions of sleepers in this city, all connected by those great dark threads, all connected back to the tower of light. Caspian shuddered at the thought, a whole city, a whole world of sleepers. But why?

"What is all this?" he asked, "Why are they all..."

"I have no idea," Elias whispered back.

Footsteps rang out behind them.

Caspian's eyes widened.

"DOWN!" he roared, shoving Elias to the ground.

A crossbow bolt flew over their heads. They dove, hiding behind one thick cable that rose from the ground.

"What – " Elias spluttered.

"This was why I attacked you," Caspian said grimly.

A dark figure stood at the mouth of the street, a crossbow in his hands, hooded and cloaked. In one swift movement, he set another arrow into place. This was the man Caspian had been running away from. He had attacked the king as soon as he was even aware of this world, arrows flying through the air, the king dodging frantically, fleeing for his life.

Caspian cursed his idiocy. He had been so enraptured by the pods, by the dark enigma that was this place he had clean forgotten about his attacker. And now he was going to pay for that. The Telmarine part of him was grumbling darkly, it would teach him right to be killed right here and now for his mistake.

"Do you have your – " Caspian began without any real hope.

"No," Elias said grimly, "My crossbow and orbs are gone."

Caspian cursed.

"Well," he licked his lips, "Get ready to run."

The dark figure advanced, crossbow trained on their hiding place as Caspian picked up a dark rock and weighed it carefully. He glanced at Elias and the scientist nodded.

"NOW!"

Caspian hurled the stone with all his might. The man twisted with a grunt, dodging awkwardly as Caspian and Elias seized the chance, running for a street that opened to the left of the plateau. Caspian heard the string of the crossbow snapping forwards, heard the arrow whistling through the air and knew he was not going to make it.

His screams punched the air as the arrow punched into his back.

**. . . . . . .**

Makat stumbled away from his people, away from the orange blooms of fire that struggled to hold back the night and staggered on tottering limbs to the Nile's shores. The river shimmered in the darkness, the precious water it brought the lifeblood Tzara, a gift from the gods themselves. The same gods who had apparently put Amun on the throne.

"Makat?"

Makat didn't even turn as blue-grey eyes burned in the darkness, gold and ochre stalking through the shadows towards him.

"I can't stand to be around them... I can feel their eyes on me. They hate me."

"They don't," Zaru said gently, "You just scared them."

He could smell it in the air. The fear and the uncertainty. The Tzaraath were so broken they didn't even know the meaning of hope or freedom. They didn't live, they merely existed, dragging themselves from day to day, praying that each breath wasn't their last. Makat was an oddity, a lone freak amongst his people, the only man with the strength and inspiration to dream. But that was dangerous a thing to have in this world. His people didn't want to be saved, they simply wanted to bow their heads and shuffle along the grim path to their graves, to die from old age and sickness and not by the whip or blade.

"Maybe I should just give up," Makat dropped to the sand, burying his face in his hands, "Maybe I should just – "

"NO!" Zaru growled, swatting at him, "If you give up now I'm going to..."

Makat laughed bitterly and Zaru stopped. Nothing he could threaten the man with even hope to match what the pharaoh had already done. Amun ruled with an iron fist and the Tzaraath were crushed in his grip. Makat was a freak. The only one of his people who dreamed of something better but all the wishes and dreams in the world wasn't going to win the war – a harsh lesson the slave had learnt on this very day.

"I got him killed," Makat whispered, still refusing to look the leopard, "I'm going to get more people killed."

"He was going to die anyway," Zaru said flatly.

He smelt sand and water and sweat but also the dark cloying stench of fear and hate, the pall of despair that settled over him and seeped into his skin like a disease. The leopard shuddered.

He hated this place. He was a Narnian, used to running free and being wild, used to roaming where he willed, used to the sweet taste of grass and rain and freedom. This place was a burning, wretched hell, a festering slum of terror and death, his skin crawling with each breath and the scents he had to take in.

"Amun killed him because of me!" Makat whirled on him, "Don't try to lie to me Cat God! I killed that man!"

The Tzaraath's voice broke, shattering into a hoarse whimpering cry. He fell to his knees, staring blankly out across the river, staring at the freedom that was only a few miles away.

The Tzaarath compound was bound by high walls on three sides, its fourth opening up to the Nile River. Many a Tzaarath had tried to flee only be pulled down and be torn apart by the river's savage crocodiles, their dying screams flying across red-tainted waters and into every shanty home, emblazoned forever as terrible nightmares and cautionary tales.

The prison's lone gate was always kept open, guarded by soldiers that prowled the entryway with steel and hungry eyes, executing any who tried to escape. Many a Tzaraath had died, their twitching bodies spewing out burst after burst of red as the soldiers had howled and bayed with a jackal's insane laughter, the savagery of Tzara's army a ghastly reflection of their ruler's madness.

"You were meant to save us," Makat whispered, confused, weeping, "You were meant to..."

Zaru sighed.

"I said I would help," the leopard growled, "And I am not a god."

Makat ignored him as he always did.

Zaru had tried. He had really, really tried to tell the Tzaraath he was not a god, that he was not some glorious harbinger of hope and light. But they had worshipped him all the same, tried to feed him every last scrap of their meal even as their own children starved. For the first time Zaru realised the harm he had caused by pretending to be a god all those times before.

Fire and sulphur punched Zaru in the nose, the leopard shuddering as Makat's rage erupted, the slave losing all control as he whirled on him, fists clenched, his whole body shaking.

"You are a god!" Makat screamed at him, "You could strike him down with a thought! Why are you letting him do this to us? We are Tzaraath! Don't we deserve happiness? Don't we deserve something?"

He roared, his anger fighting to break out of him, something dark and demonic raging in his eyes.

"WHY HAVE YOU ABANDONED US?" Makat screamed to Zaru, to the river, to the heavens, "WHY!"

"I am not a god!" Zaru roared back.

He didn't know what to do. He had no idea what he was doing. He had tried to tell Makat to calm his temper, to not confront the pharaoh as he knew that only ill would come of it. But Makat and all the Tzaraath looked to him for guidance and Zaru had no idea what he was doing.

"WHY?" Makat screamed, tears spilling down his face.

Zaru could do nothing but wind around him, offering warmth and support.

He had literally fallen into this world, smacking hard into the burning sand as the Tzaraath had screamed, staring in stunned astonishment at the talking leopard that had cursed and screamed at the heavens, mothers clapping their hands over their children's unmolested ears.

Zaru had spent his first days frantically trying to escape from this world. But he was trapped in this blasted place, nowhere to escape to but endless desert. He had no choice but to wait and pray that Susan would one day come.

Zaru hissed at his helplessness, at Amun and all the evil that the pharaoh wrought.

"Crying will not solve anything," that made Makat only howl louder than ever as Zaru panicked, "Stop crying? I'll sing? I'll give you something to eat?"

It chafed him, at how he couldn't even move freely within the city. Tzara's streets brimmed with Amun's spies, a single whisper would be enough to see Zaru bound and gagged and tossed in the pharaoh's exotic menagerie. He was stuck here inside the Tzaraath's prison compound and the food _sucked_.

Surprisingly Makat stopped, exhausted, listless.

"You want to save your people?" Zaru tried again to make Makat see reason, "You want your freedom? Makat you have to smart! You can't just barge in and expect the pharaoh to take your seriously. You have to have a plan."

"Plan?' Makat begged, "What plan? Amun is invincible. He has an army that will tear us apart. We are not warriors. We are slaves. There's no way we can win."

"Well not with that attitude," Zaru muttered but inwardly he knew Makat was right.

The Tzaraath were bred to be slaves and they acted like one, docile and devoid of fight. And in that moment Zaru realised just how much he missed his family. They had weathered through war and hell together time and time again and each time they had prevailed, each time they had stood up and fought, back to back and against impossible odds. A savage yearning for his queen ran through him and Zaru allowed himself a bitter smile.

Susan would've known what to do, what to say. She would've been able to rouse these people, to make them stand tall and proud and fight with her.

Zaru looked out at the desert, at the Nile River and longing slashed through him. He tried to imagine what Susan would say, what she would do but everything he thought of seemed to inadequate.

"You have to start believing – " Zaru tried, each word feeling like a lie.

"Believe?" Makat jeered, "What do we possibly have to believe in?"

"Me," a stranger's voice said, booming all around them.

Zaru and Makat screamed as the whole world roared around them, a blinding glare suffusing the night.

**. . . . . . .**

Inara threw herself down the embankment, stone and shale slicing into her skin but given the other fate that awaited her she gladly took the pain.

"RUN YOU STUPID COW!" Inara barked hitting the bottom and stagger to her feet.

Chelsea hesitated, peering fearfully down at the steep jagged slope as the monster lumbered towards her, the baby-like faces howling with hunger, fat tears spilling down their mottled face. The ground shook as the behemoth slammed a crab-like leg into the ground, armoured plates clacking together noisily. The jolt sent Chelsea pitching forwards, the girl slipping down the rough hill as Inara shook her head in disgust, racing forwards.

"You want to get eaten?" she snapped dragging her sister up.

Chelsea was crying, whimpering as the monster screeched, tentacles writhing through the air. Inara grabbed her sister by the chin, forcing her to look up.

"I know you're scared," Inara said intensely, "But we have to move otherwise we're dead. You want to save the worlds? Then run!"

Chelsea nodded and they took off as the monster crouched low and launched itself into the air, its cries turning from hunger into one of thwarted rage.

"Oh that is not fair!" Inara felt like crying, "There's no way that thing can jump!"

A shadow fell across them, growing larger and larger as the beast plummeted down. Chelsea shrieked, her voice high with fear and Inara resisted the urge to slap her upside the head.

"GO!"

They raced against the falling shadow as the baby-faced monster howled. Their feet stirred up plumes of ash that attacked their eyes and nose, both girls gasping desperately for breath as Inara tried not to notice the too-white sticks and stones that seemed to litter the land.

"ARGH!"  
Chelsea cried out as she tripped, razor stone tearing into her leg as Inara cursed.

"COME ON!" she grabbed at her sister and dragged her forwards, panic building as she practically felt the monster's foul breath hot like a furnace against her back.

"HOLD ON!"

With seconds to spare she lunged forwards, diving, both Nixons rolling in a tangled chaos of limbs and yelps as the monster slammed to earth, the two sisters barely escaping death. Instincts screamed at Inara and she lunged to the side, Chelsea screaming as one massive leg slammed into the earth, just missing both of them. Inara staggered to her feet, staring in horror at the massive behemoth that towered over her, its cherubic faces glaring down at her with ravenous hunger.

"Come on!" Chelsea screamed, already on her feet, "RUN!"

Tentacles whipped at them, tearing gouges into the earth, hurling chunks of rock at them as they raced forwards on unsteady legs, adrenaline barely keeping exhaustion at bay as through sheer dumb luck rather than skill or speed they managed to put some distance between them and the monster. The behemoth screamed with rage, lurching to its long spindly legs as Inara and Chelsea simply ran, their hearts almost ready to burst, their lungs sucking in ash, forcing them to cough and splutter for breath.

"WE CAN'T KEEP RUNNING!" Chelsea screamed as the monster shook the earth with each step, "WE CAN'T OUTRUN THE F – "

And the ground suddenly gave way beneath them, solid flat earth dropping into a deep dark crevasse. Inara's eyes widened but they had no time to scream, no time to even think before they were falling into the darkness, the beast screaming its rage as it leaned over the precipice, its cries echoing down, down, down into the darkness.

**. . . . . . .**

Caspian hit the ground, his legs suddenly jelly weak. Elias turned, his eyes widening as he saw the black shaft sticking out from the king's back.

"CASPIAN!"

"RUN!" the king roared at him, "ELIAS GO!"

The scientist ignored him, throwing himself beside the king, trying to stem the blood with his hands. Their attacker calmly walked towards them, his crossbow already loaded.

"ELIAS!" adrenaline pounded through Caspian, pushing back the pain, the knowledge he was dying, "DAMN IT! LEAVE ME!"

"The less you shout the less you bleed," Elias growled back at him.

A shadow fell across both of them. Elias looked up, glaring defiantly as the bowman stared back at them, his face lost in the shadows beneath his cowl. The scientists scrabbled around for a weapon, anything but there was nothing but smooth steel ground.

"Elias please!" Caspian begged.

He would beyond saving but Elias was not. He kicked out, cursing, trying to get the man to move but the man was as brave and as reckless as any mouse knight Caspian had ever met. Elias stayed where he was, refusing to move, daring the man to attack.

"CRACK!'

The crossbow smashed into Elias's face, knocking the scientist aside. Caspian roared, trying to kick his ttacker but the man stomped on his leg stopping him.

"WHO ARE YOU!" Caspian screamed, bucking wildly, his blood spilling freely on the ground.

Elias groaned, lying in a heap just out of his reach. At least he was still alive. Caspian's vision flickered, the whole scene swimming before him. Beyond the scientist's prone form the tower of light flashed and pulsed, white washing over the millions of sleepers locked inside their cells of blue.

"I'm sorry," the bowman rasped, speaking for hte first time, "But I have t – "

"STOP! STOP!"

Caspian turned his head and almost wept in relief as figures in flowing white ran from the streets, holding aloft lanterns. The attacker froze, cursing beneath his breath.

"STOP HIM!"

They thrust the lanterns forwards and fire leapt from the lamps in billowing waves. The attacker whirled and fled, fire lashing where he had just been. The bowman ran, crashing through a shouting wall of white-shrouded people, bowling them over before disappearing into the darkness, his footsteps swiftly fading.

"Is he gone?" voices called out, "Is he – "

The white-cloaked figures righted themselves, the fire in the lanterns burning down once more to mere candle flames. They sung, light falling over Caspian and Elias, whispered murmurs rumbling through the crowd.

"Who is this?" one of them demanded, stepping forth.

He stood over the king, Caspian twisting to look at him, darkness pulling at the edges of his vision.

"Who are you?" the man demanded, looking at him with dark serious eyes.

Caspian tried to rise but pure agony shot through him. With a cry his limbs gave way and he crashed back to the ground, coughing up blood and phlegm.

"Don't move," a slim woman knelt down beside him, her elegant fingers wrapped around the bolt stuck in his back, "You're hurt."

"Who are you?" the other man pressed, eyes flashing.

Caspian blinked, something grabbing at his thoughts. He tried to focus his eyes but everything was turning to haze, one thing blurring to another.

But... but...

There was something on the man's front, on all of the white cloaks. An ensign, one Caspian had seen all too many times before.

An eye in an eye.

Where had he seen it before? Where –

The emblem of the Great Darkness.

His eyes widened and a cry left his lips. Caspian tried to rise again, tried to fight against the darkness that wanted to drag him down into unconsciousness.

No! He couldn't! He would be at their mercy. The Great Darkness... enemies –

"WHO ARE YOU?" Caspian screamed at them.

"He's in shock" the woman studying him said gently.

"WHO ARE YOU?" Caspian shoved her arms away.

"Sedate him," the man ordered ignoring the king.

Caspian writhed, trying to pull himself up, trying to run.

"WHO ARE YOU?" he bellowed.

The woman reached into her cloak and pulled out a small vial. With well practised movements she poured a measure of the fluid within onto a square of white cloth.

"WHO ARE YOU!"

"Hold him," the woman commanded.

Arms held him down, pinning him to the hard ground as Caspian bucked, struggling like a madman. The woman held the cloth to his face and Caspian gagged as cloying fumes choked him. His eyes fluttered.

No...

Darkness seeped into his vision.

"Who are you?" he wondered.

And he knew no more.

**. . . . . . .**

They were in a place of utter darkness and bitter cold. They stood on nothing but yet they didn't fall, suspended eternally above an endless abyss.

Zaru sucked in a deep breath and all he could smell was death, his hackles rising as a bitter cold crept into his bones.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?" Makat shrieked, his face milk-pale.

"Be at peace Makat."

A pair of burning red eyes pierced the darkness and Zaru instantly smelt blood and hunger and power, pure and undiluted. His legs trembled, ears pinned back as he braced for an attack, knowing already if it came he would die this very day..

"Ammit..." Matkat whispered, awed as the creature revealed itself.

The monster padded forwards on clawed paws, sniffing, tasting the air, tasting them. Red eyes peered up over a snout brimming with yellowed teeth. It was the head of a crocodile, thick-scaled and brutally powerful, a deep growl boiling up and out of its throat. Thick hair hung around its neck, a black mane that flowed into yellow black-spotted fur and lithe powerful forelimbs. It hindquarters was not made of scale or fur but of thick grey hide, its back legs thick and heavy, thudding with each step. Crocodile, leopard and hippopotamus, this beast was a chimera of all three, its red eyes brimming with primal hunger and malicious intelligence.

"What is that?" Zaru yelped.

His fur stood on end as the creature swung its head to look at him. His legs trembled as something deep in him screamed at him to bow, to kneel, to give way to this glorious terrible monster.

"Ammit. The Devourer of the Dead. The Eater of Hearts," Makat managed to stammer out, his face going even paler, "She eats all those who had deemed unworthy of the afterlife."

The goddess inclined her head regally.

"Huh," Zaru managed.

"So you are the queen's protector," Ammit's eyes flicked towards him and a terrible force instantly crushed him against the ground.

Zaru screamed as he felt invisible hands tear into his chest, prising his ribs apart. Blood gushed into his mouth as the air between him and Ammit was rent in two. Makat stared as a pair of scales, gold and suffused with light, appeared. A single feather lay on one dish, the other empty.

Ammit roared and Zaru's screams were drowned out, claws ripping into his heart. Something, a rush of air and blood, flew from his mouth and struck the empty side of the scales. Ammit watched, eyes narrowed as the scales swayed, unsure, teetering.

"Cat God!" Makat screamed, rushing to his feet as Zaru tried to breathe and sucked in nothing.

Slowly, very, very slowly the scales stopped. It was perfectly balanced, the feather and whatever it was that was on the other side the same exact weight.

"You are worthy," the Heart-Eater snarled.

And the scale and the feather vanished as Zaru sucked in a deep breath, his legs buckling and giving way. He laid there, struggling for breath as the invisible forces that had attacked him faded, his heart trying to remember how to beat.

Gritting his teeth he rose, fighting against agony and terror as he made himself look the monster-goddess straight in the eye.

"Impressive," she said coolly.

"How do you know who I am?" Zaru managed to gasp out.

"My sister told me."  
"Sister?" Makat muttered dazed.

"She likes to wear purple."

Makat froze as Ammit's hungry eyes turned to him, studying him, her eyes piercing him through and through. The slave was paralysed as he felt the goddess's power rifle through his mind, holding every tiny part of him up for inspection, every minute thought and desire examined and analysed, picked apart. Every tiny mistake became a horrible bloody crime, every moment of kindness a world-saving gesture. Everything was made larger, amplified, Makat's body shaking as he writhed in ecstasy and terror, love and pain.

After a moment, after an eternity he was free again, slammed back into his own body

"Why are we here?"  
Zaru's voice seemed to be coming from very far away.

"AMUN!"

The world around them erupted, blue-white flames stabbing at them as Makat and Zaru screamed, heat stripping the skin from their flesh. Ammit roared and they were made whole once more, tender skin covering horrific burns as they writhed.

"HE HAS BETRAYED US" Ammit roared, her voice booming in their heads, drowning out all thought, "HE HAS BESMIRCHED THE THRONE _WE _GAVE HIM!"

She screamed and flames rained down on them, Makat's screams thunder-loud in Zaru's eyes.

"STOP IT!" the leopard shrieked, blinded by smoke and agong, "STOP IT!"

His fur was burned to cinders, his skin blistering and peeling but the goddess's power surged through him once more, healing him, fixing him only to have him go through the same torture again and again.

"STOP!"

"WE HAVE SEEN YOU!"

The flames faded and Makat was straight straight into Ammit's eyes, her reptilian mouth just inches from his own.

"The gods have seen you. We hear you and we want to grant your wish," she hissed, her short tufted tail swinging frantically, "You will destroy Amun and restore balance to Tzara. Will you help us?"

Makat staggered back away from the goddess, panting, his face gleaming with sweat, his eyes wide. He hardly dared to breathe, dared to believe that all he had ever wanted was here, now, right before him.

"Yes..." he whispered, dazed and dishevelled, "YES!"

"And why am I here?" Zaru demanded.

The goddess swung towards him, hissing at his disrespect but Zaru glared defiantly back. Ammit was the not the first god he had faced nor the first monster, if she was going to kill him she would've done so already.

"You will help him. You will protect him until it is done," Ammit commanded imperiously.

"Okay..." Zaru paused, "Why should I?"

Makat gasped, stunned at Zaru's impudence. Didn't the Cat God realise who he was talking to? This was Ammit. No matter who you were – slave or pharaoh, it mattered naught to the goddess of the heart, she judged you for who you truly were, without pretence, without falsehood and destroyed all those who were unworthy.

"I will help you," Ammit snarled as Makat choked on his tongue, "Once Amun is dead and the Tzaraath are free... I will return you to your family."

Zaru's eyes widened.

Do we have a deal cat?" Ammit growled as her claws sheathed and unsheathed themselves, her heavy hind legs stamping the ground.

"Well... it's not like I have anything else to do," Zaru said casually as his heart blazed with hope, "Since I'm working for you... can I at least get some better food?

Ammit barked a laugh.

"Return Makat our champion, return and wreak the gods' fury onto Amun and his people," she commanded.  
"But how? TELL ME!" Makat screamed desperately, "TELL ME HOW!"

It was so close. His freedom, his people's freedom was so close. He was the god's champion and he would not fail them. Amun would fall. Amun would pay... but how?

"We can't – I need –" he continued, stumbling over his words, frantic as the Mother raised her hands, "I NEED – SOMETHING! GIVE ME SOMETHING! ANYTHING!"

His eyes bulged.

"NO!"

"RETURN!"

And suddenly they were back on the shores of the Nile River, reeling, nausea grabbing them and shaking them violently until everything ached. Zaru grimaced as Makat vomited noisily.

"So..." Zaru glanced at Makat as the slave straightened slowly, face milk pale, "The gods of Tzara wants you to kill Amun."

Silence filled the night as Makat looked at him, eyes dark and devoid of light.

"But how!" the Tzaraath whispered desperately, despair filling him, "I am one man. He is king. There's no..."

They both froze as something glittered in the water before them. Zaru frowned as gentle waves bore the object to shore.

"What the..." Makat stumbled forwards, reaching out, grabbing onto the thing.

It was a sceptre of pure black obsidian, an arm-length rod of black stone that pulsed with a heart of fire. Zaru sniffed it and sneezed as power, an echo of the power he had smelt in Ammit calling out to him.

And as Makat stared at the stony staff in bewildered, the leopard smiled a fang-filled predatory grin.

"What is this?" Makat murmured, turning the sceptre over in his hands

"That..." Zaru's eyes glittered with unholy light, "... is the thing that's going to help you win the war."

**. . . . . . .**

"What is this place?" Chelsea whispered, petrified.

Inara looked pointedly down at the hand wrapped around her arm and Chelsea yanked it away, flushing slightly. The two sisters crept back into the darkness, their breath misting in front of them.

"What does it look like?" Inara asked lowly.

Moonlight knifed through the cracks in the cavern roof, blades of silver-blue steeping the caves in a wan chilled light. Everything pallid seemed to glow, the quartz-like stone, the chalky dust and the mountains and mountains of shattered bones. Hollow-eyed skulls stared up at the roof, the cracked and broken heads nestled amongst shattered limbs and snapped ribs, no body left untouched or undefiled. Flies buzzed, feasting in their thousands as maggots squirmed and writhed amongst the fresher bodies, flesh and fat melting into a foul dark soup.

Shadows flickered and moved along the walls and white-clad figures marched into the cavern, dragging a heavy dark thing behind them. Inara watched as the mysterious figures threw the broken body onto the mounds and mounds of bones and bodies, dumping it casually amongst the other corpses as though it was trash before walking away, disappearing back they way they'd come. Inara let out a long breath, stepping back into the shadows.

"I'm going to follow them," she said quietly.

"What?" Chelsea gaped at her, "And leave me here... in this hell?"

The blood drained from her face, terror spilling into her eyes.

Inara looked at Chelsea, looked at what Paxton had created and for once she didn't hate the girl, didn't want to strangle her own sister.

What she had done, what she had unleashed was unforgivable.

"Please," Chelsea begged, "Please don't leave me."

But if anybody could understand Chelsea, it was Inara. She remembered what her sister had told her. Paxton had succeeded with Chelsea where he had failed with Inara. He had managed to break her, to twist her into his own image.

They were all alike Inara realised. Paxton, Chelsea and herself.

She remembered her childhood dreams, her wishes for a loving family, for people who adored and treasured her. And Paxton and Chelsea wanted exactly the same thing, to have people love them wholly, unconditionally.

But somewhere in Paxton's twisted mind, it had become a need to dominate, to have people worship him without question, to have it all no matter the price.

He had torn Chelsea apart, destroyed her and rebuilt her so that she had nothing to cling to but him. So he could ensure that there was always someone who would look at him with adoration in his eyes.

Paxton had seemed almost human when she had returned and that was because he finally had everything he ever wanted. The world loved him, worshipped him and he had drunken it all in. The hole in him, that hunger for love had been filled and Paxton had been complete... for a time. But the mistakes he had made, the question that entered people's minds as he had failed to the kill the demons... it had unleashed the monster again.

All three of them, bound by blood, bound by a thirst for love.

Were they really that different? Was Chelsea a future of her that could've happened?

Suddenly she realised as much as Susan and the others had needed her to fight, needed her to stand by them, she also needed them, needed this long crazy journey they'd been on. She had been alone her life, unloved, unneeded but now she had a family, people she could always rely on, people who loved her and laughed with her and held her during the bad times. She had become a warrior of the Temple, a half-Naga, a fighter to be feared but she had also become a sister, a daughter and a lover. And that made her want to laugh and cry all at the same time.

Peter's face flashed in her mind and her chest tightened. Was he alive? Where the others alive? They infuriated her, annoyed her, loved her. And standing beside her sister, Inara was filled with a sudden savage longing to see them again.

"Chelsea you are strong."

She had been lucky, her family rescued. Maybe Chelsea just need the same. Inara glanced at her sister and Chelsea stared back.

"Don't be afraid to be alone," Inara said gently, "You can stand on your own feet."

After an eternal moment Chelsea finally nodded.

"Now..." Inara glanced to her left as more white-clad figures emerged into the cavern, more bodies joining the open graveyard, "I'm going to find out what's going on in this hell-hole."  
Inara nodded, smiling at her sister and a weak grin flashed across Chelsea's face. She padded out from the shadows, her eyes turning silver. Peter, Susan, Elias... all of their faces swirled in her head but she dammed them up, focusing on what she had to do. Up close Inara could see the white-clad figures were dressed in the sterile white gown of doctors and nurses, face masks covering up their mouths, surgical caps over their scalps. Three of them drifted back the way they'd come, a fourth crouched over a body, scalpel flashing as he cut into the rotting flesh.

Inara cleared her throat and the doctor's head snapped up, his bulging eyes horribly magnified by his oversized goggles.

"So..." she smiled, "You using that?"

The face-mask moved, the man going to scream but Inara lashed out, knocking him in one swift brutal blow. A few short minutes later a slim figure dressed in a slightly too-big white gown marched up the path of darkness, her silver eyes glowing in triumph.

**. . . . . . .**

She walked through the dark city, the city of sleepers, ignoring the glowing blue pods arrayed high above her head.

She was not a figure that inspired fear. Her plump face was round and pleasant, all rosy-cheeks and bright dancing eyes. A crisp white apron slashed her portly waist in two, bright against the black of her dress, fabric flapping around her fleshy legs as she tottered forwards. Light glanced off the hairpins in her steel-coloured hair, the metal pegs twisting it into a neat little bun on the top of her skull.

She smiled and it was the warm and welcoming beam of a grandmother, all sunlight and warm apple pie.

"Oh golly..."

She stopped before the immense pillar of glass before her, light rippling over her face, beating like the throbs of a heart.

"This would not do," she clucked.

A moat of pure syrupy darkness flowed around the tower of light. It bubbled and churned like a tar pit, screams and cries rising from it like smoke.

Help, the voices begged, help us, help us those who are damned.

The woman pursed her lips.

She had many names in many tongues but the one she chose now was Ma-Mere, the Mother, but that was just a joke that she enjoyed. She much preferred her other names, the ones that made people tremble and beg for mercy but that did get boring after so very long. Yes, her name for now was very fitting because that was what she did, from her sprouted so many things, so many wonderful terrible things.

"Stop it," she said to the darkness, "Quiet ducklings."

The pool of shadows seemed to tremble at her voice and the cries vanished, the violent movements stilling to gentle swells. She smiled and looked back up at the brilliant column before her.

"You failed," she said suddenly.

He stepped out of the shadows, still heavily cloaked and hooded, his crossbows in his hands.

"Yes," the man said flatly.

He did not waste her time with lies or excuses. She smiled, that was good, it seemed that the many years she had lived had only served to make her more impatient not less.

"You do know if you fail to kill the little king you will never see her again," she warned without looking at him.

"I know. The Gardeners stopped me."

She sighed.

"Pesky things those Gardeners. Sticking their noses in other people's business when they should be focusing on their jobs," she shook her head, "I honestly do not understand why I am not allowed to kill them..."

Black mist seemed to seep from her skin and hover above her head like a storm cloud. The bowman said nothing as Ma-Mere turned, surveying him.

"Since your job has been made that much more difficult..."

She waved her hands and a bag flew from out of the shadows, hitting the ground at the bowman's foot. It sprung open, revealing a silver crossbow and tiny silver orbs that burned in the light.

"You may use these," she said, "Invented by one of the king's friends no less."

Her eyes flashed.

"We have her and nothing you can ever do will find her," she snarled, her face twisting into something that was not human, "If you cannot do the task given to you then we will kill you and your family. Is that understood?"

"It has been made clear to me where I stand," the man said coolly, unaffected by her age.

Ma-Mere spat and her teeth seemed suddenly razor sharp, her tongue forked. The black mist above her head swelled, growing.

"Good. Now leave!" she hissed.

The bowman snatched the bag up and was gone in a thrice leaving the Mother alone once more. She growled before heaving a sigh, her face becoming plump and blushing cheeked once more. She patted the bun on her head and straightened out her apron primly.

The pool of darkness had begun crying out once more but a glare and it fell silent. Ma-Mere studied the tower of glass, at the light it contained. She reached out as though to touch it but stopped herself.

"Do you know what this is?"

Jason Serra stepped out, ruach burning in his eyes. His face was blank, wiped of all emotions and thoughts, the Seeker nothing more than a puppet for the things that controlled him.

"I do wish you'll talk lamb but I'm afraid even I can't go against my master's wish," Ma-Mere said sadly.

Jason said nothing, could say nothing. The woman sighed and the cloud of black above her vanished.

"You are to guard this place," she ordered, "Let no one come here. Destroy them. Everyone last one of them. Even if it is your little friends your orders are to crush them without thought. Is that understood?"

Jason stared blankly ahead as Ma-Mere chuckled.

"I'll assume that's a yes. You are not allowed to leave until I return once more."

The Mother turned from Jason and her eyes looked at the blue pods above. A look of hunger flashed across her face and a fat tongue touched her lips.

"This is all such folly," she growled, "If you want to know the hearts of men he should've just asked me.

Sighing, she looked back at Jason, smoothing down her apron, patting her bun back in place. Once more a warm maternal smile spread across her lips.

"Now remember duckling..." she cooed, "I said everyone."

The Seeker made no sound, a silent sentinel standing before the ring of liquid shadows. Behind him the glass pillar continued to burn with light.

Ma-Mere gave him one last look, gave the light, the shadows and the blue pods one last look before she stepped into the darkness and out of the world.

**. . . . . . .**

"Let my people GO!" Makat screamed the last word as the Tzaraaths stared at him in shock.

The day was over, the Tzaraaths led back in chains to their caged compound. Most were bleeding, too exhausted and broken to do anything but shuffle along, flinching as the slavers jeered at them. Seven had been lost today, their bodies dragged out to rot into the desert but no tears were shed for them. Death was no stranger to the Tzaraaths. It was a dream, a wish they prayed for.

"Makat stop!" one woman begged, "Please! You'll be killed!"

But the other slaves merely looked away, distancing themselves from Makat as the slavers looked at him in astonishment. Suddenly Sutekh snorted and all the slavers burst into laughter, pointing and jeering at the lone battered slave trying to stand against the might of Amun.

"Come down!" Sutekh gasped between laughs.

His face turned deadly and a nasty smile dimpled his cheeks.

"Come down and a taste of the whip is the worst you would feel!" he snarled, uncurling his whip with deadly slowness.

Sutekh took a dangerous step forwards but Makat refused to shift, the Tzaraath standing on a dais built into the banks of the Nile River. Lush fertile farms clung to the river's edge, fed by the life-bringing water it brought. It was this lone mighty river that allowed a city, a nation to grow in the desert, the whole of Tzara depending on the Nile for all of its water and food.

"No!" Makat screamed defiantly.

Sutekh roared in anger, fat face flushing as he cracked his whip. The Tzaraaths were looking up, astonished, fearful as the slavers looked at each other unsurely, unnerved by the fire in Makat's eyes and voice.

"COME DOWN!" Sutekh roared.

He raised his hand ready to strike at Makat.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you."

The slaver's eyes bulged as Zaru calmly padded to Makat's side.

"Wha... wha..." Sutekh's mouth was moving but it formed no clear words.

Zaru slowly dropped into a crouch, ears pinned back as his lips curled showing long dangerous fangs. Sutekh paled, stumbling back as Zaru sniggered with laughter.

"AMUN!" Makat screamed, brandishing the obsidian sceptre he had found in the river "AMUN!"  
Tzara was a viper's nest of intrigue and political games, Amun's spies living in every street and if the pharaoh was to be believed in every house. It was no surprise to anyone that a split second later trumpets blared, playing the royal fanfare that always proceeded the pharaoh, son of the gods.

"WHAT IS THIS FOLLY?"

Servants hurried before Amun, tossing handfuls of blood-red petals onto the sandy streets, forming a path of flowers for the holiest of holies to tread on. Slave girls flapped feathered fans as others danced, their faces painted into permanent smiles.

Sutekh and his slavers instantly fell to their knees, the Tzaraath slaves instantly pressing their faces into the sand, none of them worthy of looking upon the face of the gods.

"You!"

Makat flinched as Amun pointed at him, his face contorted into a feral mask of rage.

"I humoured you before but now you will be executed on the spot!" Amun roared.

Sutekh smiled, salivating at the thought of more death but Makat's face was calm. He was shaking and pale but he did not budge an inch, Zaru pressing his furred form against the man's knees, silently offering his support.

"Let my people go Amun," Makat hissed, tightening his grip on his sceptre, "Or I will curse this land forever."

A stunned silence fell as the slavers and slaves gaped at Makat. Amun's face flushed completely red, the pharaoh too enraged to even speak. How dare this little worm defy him? How dare this little pathetic fly even think he would threaten him?

"Kill hi –" Amun began, his voice cold as the desert was burning hot.

Makat laughed.

"You do not believe me?"

"You think I fear you?" Amun snarled, "You think I will not tear you apart with my bare hands? You are a Tzaraath! You are dirt, filth, nothing! You are mine to rule, mine to kill because you are less than the meanest dog!"

He unsheathed his sword, a thing of gold and gems, more jewellery than weapon.

"I AM AMUN!" the pharaoh roared, "I AM THE SON OF THE GODS! WHAT ARE YOU?"

Makat raised his sceptre, the jet black stone instantly drawing all eyes.

"I have spoken with the Devourer of Hearts herself and she has found you wanting," Makat hissed, "See the true power of the gods and TREMBLE!"

And he whirled, Zaru watching intently as the man swept the sceptre over the Nile River. A wild wind roared, the desert shaking as Makat laughed.

"SEE THE POWER I WIELD?" he screamed, "SEE THE POWER OF THE GODS? AMUN... LET MY PEOPLE GO!"

The Nile River suddenly stopped flowing, its swift currents instantly freeze as Makat lowered his sceptre, sweat pouring down his face. Zaru stiffened as he smelt fire and lightning and pure undiluted power, the air crackling with it. His fur stood on end as his nose twitched picking up a whole new scent.

"Blood?" he blinked, confused.

Makat flicked a glance at him, as puzzled as he was, unsure of what the sceptre was actually going to do. Suddenly the suddenly placid waters of the river boiled, frothing as the river began to darken.

Zaru gagged, the coppery stench of blood growing stronger and stronger, Makat reeling back as he too smelt death and rot and decay. Like an oil slick the dark stain spread, contaminating every last drop of water.

"NO!" Amun screamed, terror in his voice, stunned by what he was seeing.

The mysterious sceptre had done its work and the once mighty Nile River was now a calm still lake filled not with water but with thick, crimson blood. Birds were fleeing, their feet and feathers stained red, crocodiles dragging themselves ashore, fish floundering in the bloody syrup, drowning.

And in the deadly silence that followed Makat turned, the sceptre clutched tight in his hands.

"Amun..." the slave smiled dangerously, "Let my people go."'

**. . . . . . .**

The doctor was dressed in tweed and starch, his white hair whorls of fleece on his head, his moustache a grey slash above his thin lips.

"Who are you?"

"I AM ZEUS!"

The doctor sighed and gestured at one of the orderlies by the machine. Inara flinched as the man twisted the dial as far as it would go, the patient screaming as he writhed, the stench of burning flesh heavy in the air.

"Who are you?"

The patient was a broken wreck, his hair long and wild around his thin emaciated face. Claw-like hands scrabbled at thin air, held back by thick leather straps. Copper wires ran from pads on his body, everything connecting back to the humming machine manned by two of the asylum's workers.

"Who are you?"

"I..." the man was weeping, "I am Ze... GARGH!"  
He screamed, his body lifting off from the cold metal table as thousands of volts of electricity tore through him, every nerve dancing jerking and spasming. He fell back down against the table, shuddering, tears pouring down his face.

"Please," the doctor said gently, brushing his patient's face with a mother's gentle caress, "Let me help you. Just accept the truth."

Zeus was shaking his head back and forth frantically, mumbling and groaning.

"Doctor Saddock?"

The doctor looked up as one of the nurses hurried in, her eyes wide behind her thick glass goggles. Displeasure flared in the man's eyes and the nurse quailed, swallowing hurriedly as Saddock rose from his chair, dark and terrible as a tyrant king.

"What?" the doctor snapped.

"We... we... we have a breakthrough on case twenty-six," the nurse stammered.

Doctor Saddock grunted, dismissing the woman with a mere flick of his hands before turning to the others in the room.

"Keep up the electro-therapy. Every five minutes," he gave orders in a crisp voice that expected complete obedience and nothing else, "You. You. You."

He jabbed at three of the orderlies, Inara stiffening as his broken dirty nails pointed at her.

"Come with me," he ordered.

Down filthy hallways Saddock marched, Inara and the others struggling to match his long-limbed lope. Cells lined every wall, the cages stacked five layers high, each and every one filled with screaming, miserable figures, many voices broken into the useless rasps.

"We had a new batch come in yesterday," one of orderlies said trying to fill in the forbidding silence.

Saddock ignored him, stopping in front of one of the cages as one of the nurses hurriedly unlocked it, stepping aside smartly as the doctor marched in.

"And how are we today Freya?"

The orderlies slid into place smoothly behind the doctor, blocking the exit as Inara fell in neatly beside them. Despite the flickering dying light in the cell Freya was a woman of extraordinary beauty but there was something dead about her, something that had been crushed and grounded to dust. She looked with pathetic adoration, her eyes begging for pity, for love, anything as long as she was acknowledged.

"I want to get better doctor," Freya whispered, hanging her head, smoky golden hair hanging around her face, "I see it now... I want to..."  
"Shh..." Saddock gently patted her bare arms, his lips pulled back in a triumphant hideous smile, "I can help."  
"I see it now," Freya continued hurriedly, cringing, "I was a fool to believe I was a god. I've hurt so many people... I..."

"No matter. Soon you will return home and you will right your wrongs," Saddock' voice was hard, scything, cutting to the bone and dissecting everything away, baring all every thought and dream to the world, "You will tell your people the way forward."

He turned to the orderlies.

"Leave us," he ordered crisply.

They dispersed, Inara hurrying away, her mind reeling with all that she had seen.

"Freya..."  
She recognised the name. Freya, the Norse goddess of love. And there was Zeus, the father of the Greek Gods. Was it a bizarre coincidence or were they actual gods? She thought Zeus had been killed in his world, slain by Echidna's children. What was he doing here? Why were they torturing him? What was this place?

"To make him stop."  
Inara blinked and turned as a wretched figure lurched forwards from the shadows of the cell, slim figures wrapping around the iron bars of the cage. A woman with crazed brown eyes and a shaved head pressed her face against the metal, her breath coming out in short sharp pants.

"Make him stop?"  
"To stop believing. To stop seeing the sky and –" the woman dissolved into hysterical chuckles, "To make him broken. Like a doll. Stepped on. Shattered."

Inara threw a cautious look around but the hallway was empty, the only living souls trapped in the cages.

"Who are you?" Inara demanded.

"Many names. Many faces," the woman chattered wildly, flinching from nothing, jumping at shadows,, "Athena. I was known as Athena. But now I'm Anna, poor twisted broken Anna!"

Inara felt cold. Athena. The patron goddess of Athens, thought lost when she had fled from the Nemean Lion. All of these prisoners were gods, this prison a holding place of the divine and blessed... but how? And why?

"The thousand eyes wants us. Feed on us like sheep munching on grass," Athena giggled, her eyes bulging in her skull.

Inara stared at her.

"You can read my mind," she said hesitantly.

Athena shrieked, recoiling from her as Inara hurriedly looked around but the hall was abandoned, the only witnesses the shrieking patients in their cells.

"He hurt me. He burned me again and again... the ram-faced liar!" Athena shrieked, "He... he talked to me. Inside my head."  
Athena slapped at her face, her nails gouging deep into her own skin.

"In my head. Like worms. Eating. Chewing. Biting. Taking everything away," the broken goddess looked at her with a whimpering, cowering look, "I was a god once."

Athena wept where she stood as Inara watched, frozen.

This place was a prison of the gods. Inara knew the Great Darkness had slain deities before but to be confronted with such horrible evidence, to see the extent of his might...

Inara felt sick to her stomach.

"You should be scared."  
Athena looked up and suddenly howled with laughter, giggling at a joke only she could understand.

"Shh..." she winked at Inara, "Behind you!"

And Inara whirled as metal flashed through the air.

"Ah!"

The gasp left her lips as she blinked, the silver dying from her eyes.

"Inara..."  
Inara stared down at the sword embedded through her stomach, her eyes wide, disbelieving. She looked up, her whole body numb.

Chelsea stared at her blankly, twisting the blade. Behind her Paxton smiled.

"Good job princess," the Cabal leader cooed.

He reached out and ruffled Chelsea's flaming red hair.

"I knew there was a reason I loved you!"

Inara stared at her sister, her eyes dimming, her mouth opening and closing as her strength, her blood, her life bled from her. Everything felt cold, everything felt distant, everything felt –

"... I'm sorry," Chelsea whispered, weeping.

"Chelsea –"

Chelsea ripped the sword from her body and Inara fell, fell to the ground and into the darkness, her life bleeding away as Athena's insane laughter rung loud and clear in her ears.

**. . . . . . .**

**Author's notes: **And that answers the question about what's happening with others. As for Lucy and the Pevensies?... you'll just have to wait and see!


	80. Together at last

Sorry about the long delay but I have just started work and so my work/life balance has now gone merrily into some place below the ground and much warmer. Sorry!

Disclaimer: Blah blah blah you know the drill

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 80: Together at last**

Susan stared and stared, unable to tear her eyes away at the woman before her. She was beautiful, more glorious than the sun and the moon, a living, breathing impossible thing of infinite grace.

"LUCILLE THE GENTLE!" the crowd roared, "THE EMPRESS!"

Empress Lucille the Gentle, Ruler of the Pearl, The Daughter of the Gods, the Envied of the Stars Themselves walked to the edge of the balcony. A gown of pearls and little else clung to her body, strings of perfect pistachio orbs twined through her auburn hair, bright against the earthen fiery strands. She laughed in pure joy to see her people, her eyes glowing brighter than all the gems she wore.

"LUCILLE!"

She raised one hand and silence fell.

"My people. The nobles of the Pearl. I bring good tidings," her voice carried across the Naginata Court, the colosseum where rulers and kings fought for her favour.

Below two knights knelt on their knees, their faces upturned, staring at her, drinking her in. Lucille's voice was light and music, as soothing as a song, as loving as a mother's.

"I have news from the battlefront."

Gasps rose from the Treasured Ones, even Rosalinda blinking. For the usually reserved woman that was almost a cry. But Susan was deaf to it all, seeing, hearing nothing but the woman before her.

"Our General has managed to capture the Asuryan leader!" Lucille cried out triumphantly, "Soon we will have their war general here, prisoner of the Pearl. The end of the war is coming and we stand as the victors!"

The crowd roared again, stomping their feet, going wild as Lucille smiled, enjoying the sight of her people celebrating.

This woman was almost her sister. There was so much of Lucy in the Empress, the irrepressible light, the open joy in her face. But she was also so very different – the poise, the performance that she made of every movement, every word. Everything this woman did was theatre, designed to enthral, to thrill. Lucy had been much more natural, much more real and alive.

So who was this woman who was almost her sister? Was Lucy somewhere in this Empress? Or was this another version of Lucy? This world's mirror of her sister?

No.

This was Lucy. Susan knew it, knew it like she knew the sky was blue, the sea was wet. Every instinct, every thought, the sharp ache in her chest – it all told her the same; this was her sister.

"Lucy..." she whispered.

Empress Lucille turned away from the balcony, her people still crying out their adoration. Her sea-hued eyes ranged over the impossibly beautiful people before her before settling on Galeal. She held out one elegant hand and little doll-like girl instantly darted forwards, kissing those long pale fingers as some of the Treasured Ones looked on enviously.

"Galeal. I'm so glad you are here," the Empress spotted Susan and a small frown creased her flawless features, "Rosalinda who is this?"

Susan's world broke.

"Rosalinda?" Lucille asked, looking at the flame-haired woman.

Lucy didn't know her. Lucy had no idea who she was. She was a stranger. The thoughts came again and again, mocking, taunting as Susan closed her eyes, fighting back despair.

Memories, fragments, millions of them, flashed, flurrying all around her like snow.

Lucy smiling, her eyes dancing with mirth and light.

Lucy laughing, hunched over as she clutched at her belly, gasping desperately for breath between each giggle.

Lucy sad, scared, her face slowly lighting up as her siblings comforted her.

Lucy standing fearlessly in battle, firing her bow over and over again.

Lucy angry, calling Peter a giant big-headed buffoon before whirling and storming out of the room, her brother wincing as the door slammed shut.

Lucy listening rapt as her sister read from a book, weaving a tale of daring and adventure, neither knowing that in a few short months they would be heroes in their own tale.

Lucy staring at her, hurt, betrayed as her sister lied, denying Narnia and the life they had led.

Susan closed her eyes.

That was Lucy's last memory of her, not Queen Susan the Gentle, not the warrior she had become but the pathetic little girl that had done everything to run from the pain in her heart. Was there any wonder that Lucy had forgotten about that? About her?

Susan met Lucille's eyes, trying to wake her memories.

Don't you know me? Don't you remember?

What had the Great darkness done to her?

She remembered those last moments in Charn, the ice palace crumbling all around her, the sight of Eustace walking away, her sister in his grasp. She should've saved her then, should've protected her and now...

Susan had failed once. But whatever the Great Darkness had done now, she would not fail again.

The Empress continued looking at Rosalinda.

"Susan, she's been sent here to be trained," the woman replied.

"Susan..." The Empress frowned, a strange look crossing her face as Susan held her breath, "That's a wonderful name."

She bestowed a smile onto the queen, warm but as polite and distant as though she was looking at stranger.

"Welcome Susan to the Court of the Pearl, the House of the Treasured Ones," she said formally.

Susan blinked the tears from her eyes and met the Empress's look squarely. Couldn't the other see the resemblance between them? The same eyes? The same pink lips?

"Thank you Empress," she said instead of giving voice to all of the words that stormed in her heart, "I am here to serve."

. . . . . . .

The General rode at the head of the army, a proud figurehead resplendent in black lacquered armour. The demon mask of her helm was pulled up revealing the youthful face beneath, her smile showing the world what a victory she had just won.

General Lucia the Magnificent tossed a look over her shoulders, at the caged wagon that rumbled behind her and her grin widened.

The Asuryan locked within snarled at her, cursing wildly as he rammed his head against the bars, the sound of steel glancing off steel clanging loud. The monster looked no different than the others of its kind, his face a ghoul's mask of patchwork skin held together with thick black stitches. Bloodshot eyes were mere slits amongst the collage of skin, his mouth a bright gash brimming with tiny razor teeth. One arm ended in long gleaming knives, the other a bloody stump where the gun barrel that had been there had been ruthlessly sliced off.

This was the Asuryan High Lord, the commander of the monstrous army that had threatened to crush the kingdom of Rainna. But now he was nothing more than a trophy, a prize to be showed off to the people.

"How are you feeling?" Halcyon rumbled.

The war-captain glanced at Peter, the High King's eyes trained on the woman that led them all. Peter caught the worried look at Halcyon's face and winced.

They had all thought him mad when he had grabbed at Lucia, had started screaming Lucy's name, trying to get the General to recognise him. He had almost been stabbed before Lucia had cried out, halting her men. Clearly Peter had been disorientated by the blast that had knocked them all down, drained by the spells he had performed. The man was hurt and he had saved them and if anyone touched him Lucia would personally punish them.

Peter gritted his teeth.

That was his sister. Lucia was his sister, his smiling, bright, eternally full of faith sister. But as much as he knew that, he also hesitated. He had seen her lead Narnians into battle before but never like this. General Lucia was ruthless, a brilliant tactician who cared only for victory. She had walked past the dead, soldiers who had fallen coming to her aid and only offered a quick prayer. Lucy would've wept, would've been filled with sorrow and regret. But not Lucia, this woman was all sharp mind and sharp eyed, willing to throw thousands into the fire if it meant crushing her enemies.

So who was this woman? Lucy? Lucia? And why didn't she recognise him?

Peter's eyes blazed.

Whatever the Great Darkness had done to his sister he would find a way to fix. And when he was done he was going to find wherever Gavin was hiding and rip his heart out.

"Fine," Peter lied not very well, "Just fine."

Halcyon raised a brow but before he could speak Belfleur and Dagon rode up, the only two of his original men still left standing.

"So what happens now oh glorious leader?" Belfleur asked with a smirk.

Halcyon glared at the diminutive man, the walrus bearded soldier completely unaffected by the dark warning look.

"Halcyon? Peter?" Lucia called.

It had been an insane battle to escape from the Asuryans and their wyverns and Tiryags. Hundreds had perished on all sides, the dead grounded into the dirt by boots and bombs, the General leading her people in a mad dash, fighting off enemies on all sides. They had ran and ran, fought and fallen until they had reached their own lines and sanctuary. It had taken several long moments before they even realised they had escaped, the Asuryans falling back, driven away by a flurry of lightning and magic. Lucia had been the first to recover. In one glance she saw both her second-in-command and her personal battle mage fallen. A few moments silent mourning and then she had looked up, glancing at Halcyon and Peter and promoting them then and there.

Peter was the leader of the battle mages, Lucia's own personal weapon. Halcyon was the war-captain of the Oni, the army of the Empress, whoever she was.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" the Asuryan lord screamed as they rode past his cage.

The black eagle ensign of his people was clear to see, the monster brandishing it as his banner, defiant despite his capture.

"You'd think he would have picked a new threat by now," General Lucia said idly as the two men joined her.

Peter wanted to grab her, to shake her and scream at her until she remembered who he was. But he also knew if he did that the Oni would attack without hesitation. So he kept to his saddle, biting his tongue.

"General?" Halcyon asked.

The broad man wore his armour easily, his demon mask also raised revealing the grizzled face beneath. This was a man who had fought campaign after campaign for his kingdom, little rattled him and as much as he disliked his new promotion he took it on without a word of complaint.

"What do the scouts say?" Lucia demanded.

"The Asuryans are not in pursuit. They had seen the odd wyvern flying around but they seem to be watching us only, not attacking," Halcyon replied swiftly.

"Peter?"

The battle mages had baulked at following the lead of a stranger and a boy at that. But Peter was not High King for nothing, a few choice words, a glare and perhaps just one or two lightning bolts and most had been willing to follow his command however grudgingly.

"Our reports tally with Halcyon's," Peter said simply.

Lucia nodded and looked ahead at the sprawling hills and farmland they were riding through. Mena and women at their work looked up, calling out greetings as the great Oni army rode past. Tranquil and still, this place were many worlds away from the hell they had just ridden from. But the army was used to such sharp contrasts, despite the friends and family that had been lost in those last few savage days they rode taller in their seats, their armour lighter upon their shoulders.

"General."

She turned as another Oni rode up to her. He was a thin whiplash of a man, a scar slashed diagonally across his face. He bowed his head, waiting patiently for his commander to give the word.

"Yes?" Lucia asked.

"Is it wise to bring our prisoner to the City?" the man asked, looking squarely at her, "Surely we would be placing our people in great danger."

Lucia's eyes darkened.

"Do you honestly think the Asuryans are stupid enough to attack the City?" she all but growled, "The Empress protects both the City Above and the City Below. Nothing the Asuryans possess can match her might."

The Oni flinched but held his ground.

"They would not be able to conquer us. But many would die – "

"Then they would die for the glory of the Empress!" Lucia snapped, running slipshod over his arguments, "We must take the prisoner to a secure place and there is nowhere more secure than the City."

Halcyon did his best impersonation of a deaf, blind and mute person but Peter was carefully watching. This anger, this indignation as if everything this man said was a personal affront – this was not Lucy.

"I am General Lucia the Magnificent. I am the commander of Oni and my word is law," Lucia snarled as the soldier stiffened, "You will obey or you will be punished. Is that understood?"

The Oni glared at her, his hands twitching. Halcyon rumbled a warning as Lucia's hand drifted down to her glaive.

"Is that understood?" and her voice was like winter.

"Yes, General," the Oni turned and spurred his horse away without another word, Lucia glaring at his back.

"Watch him," she growled to Halcyon, "He would be trouble."

It was him. Peter winced. This rage at having someone contradict one, this fury at someone questioning his commands – it was him.

So what did it mean?

Was this Lucy a twisted version of him, all his flaws and mistakes given life? But why the face of his sister? What was the point of it all?

He just wished he knew what was going on here!

"Look Peter," Lucia raised one hand, her earlier rage forgotten.

She pointed and Peter looked up at the skies.

"What is that?" he breathed.

A span of silver-blue mist hung thick in the air, still leagues away but unlike the clouds that fluffed the bright blue sky it was static, staying in the same place in the heavens. Shafts of sunlight fell through that mist, falling onto the ground below in pillars of warmth. He was mesmerised by the sight, drawn to it.

"That is the City Above and in the middle of all that is the most beautiful thing in the world..." Lucia smiled, eyes glowing, "The Pearl."

. . . . . . .

The barracks were in an uproar. Blue Swords ran here and there, frantically passing messages and reports as all who were not caught up in other matters flooded to the training grounds.

Gossip and rumour were given wing and it spread like the plague, the same story being told over and over again.

The Dawn-Breaker had been ambushed. Aloe, the First Sword, and the High Inquisitor herself had tried to stop him. The Dawn-Breaker had slipped away but not before claiming another five lives. And Corin and Edmund, two of the new initiates had somehow been involved.

Those four fragments were told again and again, embellished, given new details and flourishes as it leapt from one person to the next.

And Edmund suddenly found himself with literally hundreds of people clamouring to know exactly what happened.

"Ask Aloe," he said, walking down the hall as a woman grabbed at his arm, "Ask Aloe!"

Corin, fresh out of the infirmary and proudly showing off his bruises, was happy to field any questions, his answers becoming more and more outlandish.

Edmund rolled his eyes as he heard the latest wave of gossip.

"Corin. Stop it!" he growled.

The golden-haired boy grinned impishly.

"It's just a bit of fun Ed," he protested.

The king was dragging the boy down the hall having walked in on him holding a group of initiates spellbound with the grand adventures of Edmund. Apparently he had had to cut his way through a troop of Asuryans (whatever they were) before getting to the Dawn-Breaker. But an evil battle mage had ambushed him at the last moment, distracting him as the Dawn-Breaker escaped.

Edmund didn't know whether to be flattered, insulted or just plain bemused.

"Aloe and the High Inquisitor want to see us," Edmund said firmly.

Lucinda the Just. The High Inquisitor of the Guardians. The woman charged by the Empress herself with the protection of the people who lived in the shadow of the City Above. A woman who by all accounts was a fair and well-loved leader.

Lucinda was Lucy. Edmund had no doubts about that. It was something he just knew, could feel it in his gut, his bones, his heart. Lucinda was his sister. The hair, the eyes, the kindness, the drive to protect those under her – that was all Lucy. But Lucinda was an intellect, a strategist, she didn't have the warmth, the heart of the girl she should've been.

So what was Lucinda the Just? Why did she have his moniker? Was she real? Was this all a trap?

Edmund hated being blind, hated the fact that he seemed to be missing something vital to the puzzle before him.

But he had no time to dwell on it as he and Corin stopped before a set of doors, all broad planks bound by thick metal straps. The king knocked and waited as Corin bounced excitedly beside him.

"Come in."

Edmund and Corin pushed the door open and stepped into the room. Aloe and Lucinda sat at the head of the table, the other First Guardians arrayed in two rows before them. Edmund instantly bowed as Corin stared and gaped.

A swift elbow to the ribs made the boy bend as well.

"Rise," Aloe said tersely.

Her eyes were flashing, the woman still furious that the Dawn-Breaker had escaped justice on her watch. She was a proud woman, having fought from the lowest ranks to become the First of the Blue Swords, a feat no other woman had managed to accomplish. But despite her success her beginnings left her with an almost pathological need to keep proving herself as if to show the world it had not all been luck and chance.

Edmund rose and met Aloe's eyes smoothly. She glared at him but he did not flinch, howing the woman that he was willing to take her lead for now but he was not going to be her punching bag.

"Edmund. Corin," Lucinda smiled welcomingly.

She was more handsome than beautiful, a lean figure that seemed to exude calm and confidence. Her eyes spoke of warmth, of lessons learned and taught, bright and always searching. No, this was not a woman content to sit in her rooms, she needed to be out amongst the people, throwing her heart and soul into doing her duty.

"These are the two?" the First Hammer rumbled.

Beside the burly blacksmith sat the frail figure of the head of the Gold Scales. Scrolls and books laid out neatly arrayed all around him, an inky quill ensnared in the man's hands.

"Peace Hurrin," Lucinda said calmly.

"High Inquisitor?" Edmund prompted politely.

If Peter had been in his place, he was pretty sure his brother would've just lunged across the table and grabbed Lucinda, demanding to know if she recognised him. And that reminded Edmund all over again why he worried so much about his brother. Subtlety was not his greatest suit. Susan would be doing exactly what he was doing – playing along, careful not to make any enemies as they tried to get a feel of the land. Unless something managed to spark her temper, Susan in full flight was a thing to behold and to be terrified of, luckily it was usually Peter her ire was directed at.

Were the others here as well?

Inara would fare well. From what he had heard, from what he had seen the girl was no stranger to putting on masks, at lying through her teeth if needed. Caspian was the same, having grown up in the Telmarine courts, a cesspool of vipers and vultures if there was ever one. No, the king would have no problems navigating the mess they were all in.

Zaru would have probably hidden himself away, his senses and reflex putting him in good steed. Or knowing the leopard's luck, someone was already worshipping as a god and stuffing his face.

Elias.

Edmund hid a grimace.

He felt a kinship with the man, both of them men of intellect, men of questions and wonders, who delighted more in discovery than in bloodshed and victory. The scientist was brilliant, his mind so razor sharp it could cut but despite all that Elias could be blind to things right before his face.

He hoped the man was fine wherever he was.

And Jason.

The Seeker had always scared him. He knew Jason loved his sister, loved her like his own flesh and blood. But there had been so much power, so much hate and rage that it had made Edmund tremble. And unfortunately his fears had been confirmed.

He still remembered that night, the explosion of white light and flames, the Seeker attacking with abandon, all of them helpless to stop him.

The others had had time, had worlds to learn to trust the man. Edmund didn't.

He knew he was being cold-blooded, clinical but that was always his job, to not let his blood boil, to see with his brain not his heart.

Jason was dangerous. He was like a rabid dog and only time would tell if he needed to be put down.

" – I disagree," the First Heart, leader of the Red healers, said bringing Edmund back to reality, "We do not need to involve – "

"This has gone on long enough," Lucinda said gently, "We cannot allow the Dawn-Breaker to claim anymore lives."

"I agree," the First Hammer said flatly.

The First Eye said nothing, merely watching, noting everything.

"As do I," Aloe growled.

The First Scale nodded as the First Heart flushed. Reluctantly she nodded, all five Guardians in agreement.

Lucinda sighed.

"So it is agreed then. I will take the boys and Aloe to the City Above, to the Pearl to see the Empress. We will tell her all we have seen, all that we know and maybe with the gods' blessing she can help us."

"The City Above," Corin breathed, eyes wide, "I cannot –"

Edmund merely frowned.

"The Empress?" he muttered confused, "Who's that?"

. . . . . . .

Rosalinda led the way through winding halls that seemed made of glass, the walls pulsing with ghostly streams of light as though the aurora itself lurked within. The ground rippled beneath as though they were walking on water, each step lighting up the smooth ice like floor.

"This is the residence of the Treasured Ones. Unfortunately until you have finished your training you will be quartered in the main residences. However there is one thing I do need to show you..."

Susan said nothing, playing the part of the naive country bumpkin. She gaped and gasped at everything, shying as though scared the walls would bite her but she did not have to do much to act. The Pearl was just as exquisite on the inside as it was outside, everything bejewelled and bedecked. A part of her was sickened by all the wealth on display here, a drop of this could have fed the whole of Narnia for a year and more. Was the Empress so powerful, had so much gold and gems that she could splash it so pointlessly on all of this?

And the Treasured Ones. From what she could gather they were nothing more than pieces of art, expected to stand near the Empress and look pretty. And for that alone they were considered better than the commoners, better than everyone else despite the fact they did absolutely nothing of use. Susan knew she was considered beautiful by many and she had shamelessly used that to her advantage on more than one occasion but to put so much weight on looks, to see people rewarded so lavishly for possessing what some might consider ideal... it drove a bitter taste into her mouth.

'_You're beautiful.'_

Caspian's face swam before her, his fingers brushing against her face, twining through her hair.

Susan smiled, her mask slipping as she revelled in that memory, holding it like a shield against all the sickening decadence around her. Caspian loved her, not just for her face or how blue her eyes were but for who she was, for the scars she bore, for the scars they bore together. Love for the king surged through her, stronger than ever.

"Here," Rosalinda's voice broke into her thoughts.

The wall before her seemed to melt away. Rosalinda gestured and hesitantly Susan stepped through the sudden doorway.

"What is this place?" the question fell from her lips in a hushed whisper, the queen looking around slowly, mesmerised.

"This is the Hall of Mirrors."

Their faces looked back at them again and again, reflected in the walls, in the floor, in the ceiling above. Pane upon pane of mirrors, set at different angles, reflecting the light again and again. Twisted shapes lined the walls, sculptures of men, women, beasts and things that did not move, all made of glowing light-laced glass, some of the figures so impossibly fine that no human hand could have created them. Everything in this vast cavernous hall was ethereal and delicate, made of glass and light save two things.

In the very centre of the room stood a block of obsidian, a single short pillar of smooth black stone. It seemed to drink it all the light around it, its reflection as stark as its form.

And in the far wall, set beside two massive slabs of glass stood a single door, a thing of thick plates of rusted steel bolted together. The door shuddered and jolted on its hinges as though something was battering it from the other side, a shadow creeping out from beneath.

Susan looked wordlessly at Rosalinda. There was something about that door, something about the darker than black shadows that bled out of it that made all the hairs on her body stand. Her heart rammed itself against her ribs as though trying to escape, the moisture fleeing from her mouth. Her gut roiled, threatening to be ill as Susan tore her eyes away from the door and the secrets it held, looking at the mirrors, trying to bury herself in the beauty all around her. She was gasping for breath, sweat pouring down her back, hardly aware of Rosalinda's steadying hand on her shoulder.

"This is why the Empress is so important. Only she has the power to hold back the thing behind the door."

"What is behind that door?" Susan asked, still refusing to look at it.

But she knew the answer. Knew it in her very bones. She was trembling, trying to fight back thoughts of drowning in those shadows, of it pouring down her throat, choking the life from her body.

"There is a legend that the very first Empress find this door and opened it. And all the evils in the world rushed in, drawn to the magic within. She then closed this door and built this hall around it to protect the world from what this place held," Rosalinda's eyes were steady as she studied the door, unaffected by the menace it radiated.

Rosalinda flicked to Susan.

"And to this day the evils locked within are constantly trying to break free. Only everything it is not – light, beauty, purity – can keep it trapped. And this place, this Hall of Mirrors is the conduit for the whole Pearl, for the whole of Rainna. It is through this place and this place alone that the Empress can strengthen the wards that keeps that door locked."

"Has it ever broken free?' Susan demanded.

Was this the darkness she had to defeat? Or was her role here simply to keep it trapped? But what about Lucille? The Empress who was almost her sister, how did she fit in with all of this?

"No. If it did... this world would be destroyed," Rosalinda said quietly.

Susan forced herself to look again at that door, at the darkness it held within. Did she have to open that and destroy what lurked inside? Susan was no stranger to danger, to fighting against nightmares and monsters but something in her cowered at the thought of facing the thing behind the door. Or did she merely have to stop others from unleashing what lived within?

Susan looked at the chamber around her, this Mirror of Halls, and something in her knew, just knew that the final battle of this world would be fought in this place.

Her skin crawled at the thought.

"That is why we gather the Treasured Ones. That is why we mark them," Rosalinda continued, "The Hall of Mirrors can only be controlled by the one it considers the most beautiful, the most pure but that does not mean the strongest, the most powerfully willed and all that is needed to keep that door shut."

Rosalinda gently touched the scar dividing her face with a steely light in her eyes, touching the thing as thought it was a battle scar, a badge of honour that she had fought long and hard for. Susan stared at her incredulously, her mind filling in the blanks.

"You gather the most beautiful people here in the Pearl and then you scar them so they are less beautiful than the Empress?"

She had never heard of anything so outrageous before.

"Yes, only the most beautiful can keep the door shut but most would be destroyed it they tried. The Empress must stand unopposed, judged by the mirrors to be the greatest of us all because she is the only one who can keep the darkness in."

Rosalinda gently touched Susan's face, her long fingers dancing across her cheeks.

"You would need to be marked after you are trained," she said gently, "Do not be afraid. It is a great honour to fulfil your duty."

Susan gaped at the woman.

"Duty?" Susan spluttered, "Are you all crazy?"

Rosalinda said nothing as Susan whirled on her, face red.

"Beauty can destroy the darkness? What kind of rubbish is that? Scarring people just to make the Empress the most beautiful?" Susan found herself shouting, "What is wrong with you people?"

"CRACK!"  
Susan staggered as Rosalinda calmly lowered her hand. The queen righted herself, clutching at her burning cheek, her blue eyes flaring. Calmly Rosalinda reached into her dress and pulled out a square of cloth, handing it to Susan.

"I am your teacher. I do not appreciate a sharp tongue," Rosalinda said gently but firmly, the woman's voice like a sheathed sword, ready to strike down her enemies at any second, "The Empress must be unchallenged if she is to continue saving the world."

Susan merely looked pointedly at the offered cloth but did not take it. Rosalinda sighed and tucked it away.

"Soon you will learn," the taller woman said simply, "Tonight you will see Galeal marked and perhaps you will understand."

Rosalinda turned and swept out of the room, Susan having no choice but to follow her, the queen stepping out of the Hall of Mirrors, out of where the evils of the world were shackled by mirror and light, out of where the darkness lurked, out of where she would have to one day face it.

Susan looked behind her as the wall sealed itself shut, leaving behind only smooth glowing glass. She could walk away for now, hide and pray that she would never to have to know what monstrosity lay trapped behind that door.

But she was kidding herself.

Susan squared her shoulders. One day the battle would come and she would be ready. But first she had some wrongs to right.

"You may lead," Susan ordered icily, looking at Rosalinda, meeting the woman inch for inch.

If this woman thought she could break Susan than she was be sorely disappointed. Rosalinda eyed her, trying to cow the queen with the unspoken threat in her eyes, with the reminder that here she was all powerful and Susan was less than nothing. The Hunt-Beast and darkness in her both growled, both coming to life for the first time in this world, both ready to tear the woman apart. Susan welcomed them both, knowing they were weapons she could use against her enemies.

"This way," Rosalinda said mildly.

And the teacher of the Treasured Ones walked away, Susan marching after her, her blue eyes flashing from gold to red and back again.

. . . . . . .

The Empress of the Pearl sat at the head of the table, her hands clasped before her. Layers of snow-white lace wreathed her body as a sheer veil covered her face, only her eyes visible to the people inside the room.

High Inquisitor Lucinda on the far side of the long table, her hood thrown back and her mask with its coloured band of blue, red, nacre, green and gold, lying in front of her. Aloe sat by her side, her dark eyes unreadable, her sheathed sword resting on the table before her.

On either side sat Edmund and Corin, the boy bouncing excitedly in his seat.

So this was the Empress.

Edmund studied the woman, trying to see past her veil, see her face and beneath. The Empress – he knew nothing about this woman, not what she looked like, not what kind of ruler she was, he didn't even know her name. All she was to him was the Empress, the ruler of the Pearl, the exquisite palace whose halls he had just walked through. He had half expected Corin to pass out from sheer excitement.

"I understand you have news of the City Below and the madman that stalks its streets?" the Empress's voice was concerned, worry shining from her eyes.

Lucinda sighed, nodding as Aloe stiffened. The First Sword took the failure to capture the Dawn-Breaker was a personal insult, each death blood that stained her own hands.

"It's a lot more complicated than we believe..." Lucinda glanced at Edmund, "Tell the Empress child what you saw."

Corin beamed, eyes shining as he watched Edmund rose and bowed to the Empress, Lucille accepting the gesture with only a nod.

"The Dawn-Breaker has powers that cannot be believed your majesty," Edmund kept his voice calm, careful not to over-emotional lest everyone thought him over-exaggerating, "He... he can create cracks. Cracks of light in the air that he can escape through."

Aloe cursed then flushed as she realised what she had done but the Empress showed no reaction.

"Have you consulted the battle mages?" she asked.

"There are none left in the City Below," Lucinda reported.

"Consult with my mages here," the Empress ordered, "I will also order the remaining Oni here to patrol the city. Set up a curfew and gather the people in the main halls and guard them well."

Lucinda nodded.

"How many lives?" the Empress asked, her voice telling them all she did not want to know the answer, "How many lives have been lost."

"Five last night," Lucinda said quietly, "Thirty-three in total. The only good news is that there is unlikely to be an attack tonight. The Dawn-Breaker usually waits a day or two between each incident."

The Empress gasped. She pressed a hand against her lips, visibly shaken as tears from her eyes. So she a ruler with heart, Edmund noted, that was good to know.

"Has the families..." the Empress's voice was a broken whisper.

Lucinda nodded, understanding perfectly what the woman was trying to say.

"The Gold Scales are looking after their affairs and we are finding homes for the orphans," the High Inquisitor reported briskly.

"Thank you. Please... make sure they're all looked after," the Empress pleaded.

She looked at them all and from the way the veil moved, Edmund could tell she smiling behind her cover.

"I thank you all for doing your duty for the people. If the Dawn-Breaker is not to attack tonight then I do hope you will all stay. There will be a Marking Ceremony later," the Empress announced, "I welcome you all to view it."

Corin gasped, his eyes glowing.

"Until then you are welcome to wander the halls and view the beauty of the Pearl," the Empress smiled, "Lucinda. May I ask that you remain? The General is to arrive soon with..."

She paused as Lucinda nodded.

"Of course Empress."

She glanced at Aloe and it was a dismissal. The First Sword rose, her face set into a mask. Corin and Edmund rose, the blonde boy shaking with excitement. Swiftly the three left leaving Lucinda and the Empress to wait for the General.

. . . . . . .

Galeal looked up and swiftly wiped the tears from her face. She rose from her bed, her light form barely denting the thick down-stuffed mattress.

"It's you," her voice was no longer the refined song it had been before, now it was plaintive and small, the voice of a terrified young girl.

"I'm sorry," Susan said.

Galeal looked at her, her strange beautiful golden eyes bleak.

"For what?" she asked, "For doing your duty by the Empress? For reminding me of my duty?"

She laughed and there was bitterness and fire in her eyes, the tiny girl drawing herself up to her full height.

"I should thank you for bringing me back."

"For bringing you back here so they can mark you?" Susan closed the door behind her.

She was dressed in a simple white dress, a tray of delicate silver cups and flagon in her hands. Gently she set it down on a little teak table, the top inlaid with gold and jade. Rosalinda had explained her new duties to her briskly but thoroughly. It seemed the first part of training to be Treasured One was to be reduced to the status of a mere maid, Susan swiftly finding herself hurrying through the Pearl on hundreds of errands, many of them completely at the frivolous whim of the Treasured Ones themselves.

"To be marked is a badge – "

"Yes as Rosalinda keeps telling me. But what do they... Galeal, it's unacceptable," Susan wanted Galeal to fight back, to stand up for herself and make them all realise how barbaric it was to scar people just to ensure the Empress was unsurpassed.

"She must keep the door shut," Galeal said dully as though reciting it from memory, "She must stand unopposed."

"Galeal..."

"I tried to run Susan," the doll-like girl looked at her, "I tried to but the kitsune... each time... they know and they find me."

Kitsune? The white foxes Susan realised, remembering the lithe snow-white forms, their tails split into nine and each seemingly moving with their own mind. The Hunt-Beast had warned her about them they were predators, made for ambush and tracking.

"Rosalinda is not kind to those that try to escape their duty," Galeal finished quietly.

Susan's fists clenched.

"Do not be angry at her," Galeal said gently, "She is only doing her duty."

"Of course," Susan bit off.

They grew silent, studying each other. Susan saw a girl on the cusp of womanhood, her eyes already too old in that youthful face. The magnificence of the room, its opulence, seemed to bear down on her with overwhelming force, crushing all that the girl was and leaving her nothing but a pretty porcelain shell.

What did Galeal see when she looked at Susan? Did she see a queen? A warrior? Or someone who was like her once, wanting to fight but eventually crushed by the cogs of the machine she was caught in?

"I have a father. He is sick. Even the Red Hearts cannot help him. If I am to be marked, the money I receive will be enough to see him through comfortably for the rest of his days," Galeal said finally.

Susan closed her eyes.

"I must be marked," the Treasured One said and her voice was strong.

"I'm sorry," Susan said again.

Galeal merely smiled sadly. No, the girl was not giving in, she was not being crushed under the weight of Rosalinda and all the other Treasured Ones. She was doing what she had to in order to save her family and not many than anything else Susan could understand.

The door to Galeal's chamber swung open and a willowy virago swept in, a sneer on her scarred face.

"Maid," the woman snapped her fingers, "Please attend to some of the lords in the Pavilion of Heavenly Delight."

Susan gritted her teeth but sketched a bow before picking up her tray.

"And afterwards you will attend me," the blonde valkyrie ordered coldly, "And hopefully you have some training so you will not embarrass yourself."

Galeal said nothing, her eyes trained on the floor, the girl knowing her place. Susan stared at the blonde Treasured One, meeting her smirk with cold eyes. Slowly the queen allowed her lips to curl into a smile.

"What?" the taller woman demanded, "What are you – "

"Nothing Treasured One, just wondering if you knew about that blemish on your face" Susan said breezily, "But now I must attend the Empress."

She left the room as the woman spluttered, grabbing for a mirror. Susan knew it was petty victory but she smiled to herself nonetheless as she strolled down the hall, walking not like a servant but a queen who owned this palace.

. . . . . . .

The Treasured Ones smiled at him invitingly, fluttering their eyelids as Peter flushed, glaring at them. Beside him Halcyon laughed.

"Shouldn't you be used to pretty faces winking at you?" the soldier guffawed.

Inara's face flashed into Peter's mind and he wryly wondered what Inara would do to him if he winked back at them.

"Shut up," he growled instead as the two strode through one of the Pearl's many gardens.

In this place silver water spilled over rocks, crashing down into immense pools of blooming lotus and lilies, the air redolent with the flowers' perfume. Immense cairns rose from the lakes, the stones carved or shaped by wind, it was impossible to tell, into fantastical shapes – things that took on a different meaning from every angle you looked at it.

General Lucia was meeting with her Empress and she had sent Peter and Halcyon away, free to wander through the Pearl and sample all of its delights. The others were sequestered in one of the palace's rooms, grumbling but obeying Lucia only trusting her war captain and battle mage to not cause any trouble.

"Been here before?" Peter asked.

"Once."

Halcyon walked with Peter through the Pearl, apparently to act as a guide but the High King had the distinct feeling the man was extremely uncomfortable amongst the overwhelming opulence of the palace. He smirked but said nothing.

They stepped out of the garden and into another immense hall, this one with hanging silken tapestries, each one telling its own tale.

"Evil."

Peter and Halcyon froze, the war-captain's hand going to the glaive strapped across his back.

"Evil."

A man staggered towards them, his hands outstretched, searching through the air. Peter frowned as man lurched closer, moving with stiff unyielding limbs, his fingers scrabbling for something only he could see.

"What..."

"Bad. Bad Danaid," the man whispered, shaking his head as though trying to wake from a dream, "Bad Danaid. Evil. Evil."

He touched the walls, touched the tapestries, touching his own skin.

"Who are you?" Halcyon barked, "Show your face!"

The man did not seem to hear, his eyes trained on the ground, his face lost in a veil of his own hair.

"Evil. Bad. Cut it out. Cut it out," he said frantically, his words coming faster and faster, tumbling into each other.

This close Peter could see the man's arms clearly and he sucked in a breath as he caught sight of the angry scars that criss-crossed there. Puckered skin showed where he had tried to slash his own wrists, the old wounds jagged lines of pearly white running almost to his elbows.

"Bad. Bad. Must be punished. Evil, bad Danaid must be punished," the man mumbled, twitching, twisting as though unseen canes were striking at his flesh.

He looked up and both Peter and Halcyon froze. It was a face a ghoul, cracked bloodied lips pulled back revealing teeth bared in a held back scream. A look of utter terror was frozen on his face as though he had seen something, endured so terrible that he was forever caught in one lone moment.

"What – " Halcyon frowned.

His eyes widened as the strange man suddenly grabbed at one of the lanterns hanging from the wall, the flame trapped inside coloured glass that spilled rainbow light onto the tapestries. He held above his head, his eyes glittering.

"Danaid must be punished," he crowed,, "Danaid must be punished!"

"HEY! STOP!" Peter yelled, starting forwards.

The man crushed the lantern in his hands, stained glass cutting into his skin as oil and flames fell over him. His hair ignited, the man screeching, howling as he burned.

"What the hell?" Halcyon roared, recoiling from the heat, "HELP! SOMEONE! HELP!"

Danaid was laughing, the man lowering himself to the ground as his skin melted and bubbled. Sparks leapt from him, setting the tapestries alight. He lowered him to sit cross-legged on the floor, smiling, uncaring of the fire that ate at him, the fire that engulfed the hall around him.

"HELP!" Halcyon bellowed but the thick walls swallowed the noise, "DAMN IT SOMEONE HELP!"

Peter was already moving, his hand stretched out, Jadis's face flashed in his mind and he could hear her laughter in his head. He shuddered as cold sprung from his fingers, sweeping across the hall, choking the flames to smoke.

Danaid screeched, leaping to his feet, great sloughs of his skin falling away revealing raw flesh as Peter gagged on the stench of burning meat.

"Danaid!" a woman in red rushed down the hall as the man howled at Peter.

"Bad. Evil!" he pointed at the High King, "Bad!"

The woman grabbed the man by the arm and a light glowed from between her fingers, a blank look coming over Danaid's face. He slumped to the ground, his eyes fluttering as the woman cursed, brushing her hands against his blisters and burns. They began to heal before Peter's very eyes, ruined flesh turning into shiny white scars.

"What the hell woman?" Halcyon thundered.

"I'm sorry," the healer said hurriedly, "But he got away from the infirmary again. He wasn't meant – oh, Danaid."

She stroked his singed hair, cradling him as though he was a child.

"What is wrong with him?" Peter demanded.

The woman shook her head.

"We found him in the City Below and the Empress took pity on him. She wants us to cure him," she explained, "He has some malady of the mind but nothing we have done has worked. We can only keep him locked up. If we let him loose he'll trying to kill himself as he did just then. Throwing himself off the highest tower. Drowning. Stabbing himself. I'm amazed he's even alive."

Peter stared at the now still man, seeing all the scars that was etched into his flesh. Who was this man?

"Lyle?" a woman turned the corner, a cloak of shimmering blue falling from her shoulders, "Did you find – "  
She caught sight of Halcyon and her dark eyes blinked.

"Husband?" she asked.

"Husband?" Peter echoed incredulously.

But Halcyon ignored him, joy suffusing his face.

"Aloe!" he breathed, "ALOE!"

He leapt over Danaid and grabbed his wife in a tight embrace, swinging her around as Peter gaped. But before he could react another man dressed in red hurried to them, his face twisted into worry.

"Can you help me move him to the infirmary?" the woman in red asked the newcomer calmly.

Peter watched as two red-clad healers dragged Danaid up between them, the two swiftly carrying the unconscious Danaid away. Peter turned and grimaced as Halcyon and his wife embraced, their lips finding each other again and again. Knowing he would not be missed and not particularly in the mood to see something that would help him lose his lunch, Peter stepped out of the burnt, still smoking hall and back out into the garden.

. . . . . . .

Edmund gaped at the garden around him. This was beyond anything he could have dreamed of. Every petal that bloomed, every leaf that hung from the trees, every blade of grass that carpeted the earth was exquisite, perfectly crafted to mesmerise, to enchant. It seemed all other gardens, all other forests and woods were just faded copies, imperfect mimics of the beauty spread out before them. The plants were not just green and growth but the essence of life itself, untainted, pure, his eyes drinking them in.

He walked alone, Aloe having gone to visit some of her Red Heart friends that worked in the palace, Corin dashing off to see the Treasured Ones. But Edmund welcomed his solitude, needing the time to think, to plan.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a maid hurry across the garden. Wanting to know if there were any other gardens Edmund hurried to catch her.

A blonde man stepped out from one of the halls and Edmund froze.

"Peter?" the word fell from his lips.

The man whirled and his blue eyes widened.

"Ed!" he cried, uncaring of how loud he was.

The maid in the garden stumbled, spinning and Edmund's eyes bulged.

"Su?"

"Ed? Peter?"

"SU!"

With the same disbelieving cry, the three Pevensies ran towards each other, calling out each other's name, whooping in joy. Edmund staggered as Susan slammed into him with a hug, Peter following a split second later.

"Get off me!" Edmund yelped, trying to pushing his siblings off.

As always Susan ignored him, tightening her grip as Peter laughed, stepping back.

"By the mane," Susan breathed, "You're both alive."

They were alive! She was not alone in this world! She couldn't fight the wide grin that spilt her face, hope flaring in her. She looked over them, frowning as she noted the bruises and cuts on her brothers.

"What – "

"I landed in a battlefield," Peter said smugly.

"I had to chase a psychotic killer around," Edmund retorted not to be outdone.

They looked at Susan expectantly. Susan winced.

"Uhh... I'm training to be Treasured One?"

Her brothers were not impressed.

"The others?" Peter asked eagerly, "Inara?"

Susan and Edmund both shook their heads, grimacing as they realised their companions were still missing. Peter cursed loudly and looked up at the heavens as though expecting some divine sign to answer his question.

Where were they? Were they even alive? Peter hated this, hated the now knowing, the uncertainty. Once more a powerful urge to run off and find them struck him but he forced the feeling down.

"My sceptre and bow are missing. Again," Susan growled, "But my ring is here. It's pale. And I think I know what the darkness is."

Peter sighed.  
"So do I."

The Asuryans, the wyverns and the Tiryags. The darkness here was not just one thing, one entity but a vast army of monsters. He looked around the Pearl and he could imagine all too easily the wyverns bombing the palace into rubble, the Auryans and Tiryags swarming, all this beauty consumed in a rush of chaos and madness.

Peter cursed.

"The Dawn-Breaker..." Edmund sighed.

Susan frowned.

"What? I meant the darkness behind the door," the queen argued.

Her brothers blinked at her.

"What door?" Peter growled.

Susan shook her head but shoved those thoughts aside as she focused on the one thing her brothers had to know above all else.

"Peter. Ed. You... Lucy's here," the words came out in a rush, Susan waiting for their shock, for their excitement.

What she was not expecting was for them to both nod.

"I know," Edmund said wearily, "I'm surprised you know it."

"I've met," Peter's face was grim, "But she's not Lucy. I mean she looks almost the same but the way she acts..."

Susan's shock faded.

"You've met her? So it is her," she sighed, "But... she didn't recognise me."

"Me neither," Edmund reassured, "She's Lucy but then she's not. I have no idea who she is."

Susan nodded.

"Wait," Peter looked at them, "When did you meet her? We can directly from the battlefield to here. And then she wait to see the Empress..."

Susan grabbed his arm as Edmund gaped at his brother.

"See the Empress? Who are you talking about?" Susan demanded, "Peter, the Empress is Lucy!"

Edmund looked at her as though she had sprouted a second head.

"Don't you mean the High Inquisitor? High Inquisitor Lucinda?"

"You two are idiots! It's General Lucia! Lucia the Magnificent!" Peter snarled.

"No!"

Susan looked wildly between them, feeling as though she was in a dream.

"No! It's Empress Lucille the Gentle! Who are you two talking ab – "  
Her words cut off, Susan's eyes bulging as she caught sight of something over Edmund's shoulder. The two kings whirled, ready to fight but they too pulled up short.

Empress Lucille marched across the garden, her face set into a mask, her veil no longer covering her face. She was flanked on both sides. One her left, a woman in lacquered black armour, a horned helm on her head, the mask pulled up revealing flaring green-blue eyes. On the other side glided a taller woman, her hood and mask gone, her face frowning in thought.

Empress Lucille.

General Lucia

High Inquisitor Lucinda.

All three of them Lucys. Impossible mirror images, walking in front of them, clear for all three to see.

"What the hell?" Peter yelped as Edmund kicked him, trying to get the High King to be silent.

The three women ignored him as they swept out of the garden and into one of the palace wings.

"What is going on here?" Susan looked at Edmund, at Peter, her face still caught in that look of utter shock, "What the hell is going on here?"

Her brothers looked back at her, ghost pale, not an inkling between them all.

. . . . . . .

Empress Lucille looked through the bars of the cage. Lucia and Lucinda flank her, the General wielding her glaive, Lucinda clutching a sword.

"Why did you people declare war on me?"

The Asuryan High Lord leered at her, chained to the wall, his limbs splayed out. A fat tongue licked his swollen lips, his teeth as many and as barbed as a piranha's.

"Where did you come from?" the Empress demanded.

The Asuryan chuckled, his knife-like hands scrapping the walls, sparks flying through the shadows.

"There was once a forest where your kingdom was," Lucille continued pacing before the cage, "But almost overnight there sprung your wastelands, wyverns and Tiryags spilling out. That is impossible. I know it's impossible but it happened. So how did it happen?"

She stopped glaring at the monster.

"I am the Empress of the Pearl. I control the Hall of Mirrors and through it every tower and spire of this place. I can have you torn apart with just a thought," she hissed, eyes flashing, "TELL ME!"

The Asuryan laughed.

"We came into being. We were thought of and so we existed," the creature snarled.

"Thought?" Lucinda frowned, "Who thought of you?"

The Asuryan took in the three women, his eyes gleaming.

"Don't you ever wonder?" he hissed.

He tried to move but the chains jerked him back.

"Don't you ever wonder why you three all look alike? Don't you ever wonder why your names are almost the same?"

Lucia started as though it had never occurred to her before. She frowned at Lucinda, at Lucille and a hand came to her face, touching it gently as her lips moved in silent speech. Lucinda flinched but Lucille ignored them both.

"Stop with your lies," she hissed, "Tell me. Why did you declare war on Rainna?"

"Because our master commanded it," the Asuryan hissed.

"Who is your commander?" the Empress was like an avalanche of ice, implacable, unstoppable.

"You know who she is," the monster laughed, "You know exactly who she is."

"Stop playing games!" Lucia roared.

The General rammed her glaive against the bars, lightning flying out and striking the Asuryan. The creature screamed in pain, writhing.

"Stop it!" Lucinda snapped, grabbing the General's arm and forcing it down.

The Asuryan was laughing, cackling despite the fact his flesh was smoking and burning.

"What is her name?" Lucille demanded, "Your master. What is her name?"

"You know her name you know it well," the Asuryan replied simply.

He looked at the women before him, at the cell and chuckled.

"It looks so real," he shook his head, "Incredible."

"What do you people want? This war is killing millions on all sides. I want it to end," Lucille growled.

Lucia spat on the ground at the thought of making peace with such monsters but Lucinda was nodding, agreeing with their leader.

"Want?" Asuryan echoed the question.

"Land. Treasures. What are you people after? Why do you want to conquer us?" Lucille kicked the cage, "Damn you! TELL ME!"

"We don't want anything. We are soldiers. We merely follow commands."

The Asuryan's eyes glittered.

"But from what I can tell all she wants is to kill you all."

He laughed as Lucille paled. Lucia cursed loudly.

"Needless destruction?" Lucinda asked incredulously, "What is the point of that?"

"We soldiers. We merely follow commands," the Asuryan repeated.

"This is pointless!" Lucia snarled, "We should just execute it here and now!"  
Lucille's hand shot out, cutting the woman off.

"No, we will keep it here."

She cast a disgusted look at the chained up creature.

"Maybe a few days in the dark will loosen your tongue," the Empress said coldly.

"Have you ever looked behind the door?" the Asuryan taunted, "From what my master says it will end your world."

Lucille narrowed her eyes but said nothing, turning and stalking out of the dungeon as Lucia and Lucinda followed her, the Asuryan's mocking laugh chasing them out of the darkness.

. . . . . . .

The bells were ringing once more. Trumpets blared, all the people of the Pearl dressed in their most splendid, the servants strutting around like peacocks, the Treasured Ones living gems that outshone the stars themselves.

They lined the walls, silent as the Empress walked through the halls of her palace. Her gown was like the star-lit night made into cloth, brilliant with swirls and bursts of white and colours. Rosalinda was behind her, the woman in a sheath of gold, her face serene.

Galeal glided behind the two women, the tiny wane girl almost swallowed by her diaphanous dress, the silk the colour of a sunlit stream.

"Here comes Galeal. Here comes the girl. Here comes the one to be marked, the one to do her duty!" the herald cried, his voice booming in the silence.

On and on they walked, through the packed halls, thousands of eyes trained on the girl. Galeal trembled but her steps never faltered.

They finally came to a hole in the wall, beyond the Hall of Mirrors glittered. The Empress and Rosalinda walked through. Galeal hesitated but with a whimper on her lips, she joined them inside the centre of the Pearl.

Susan wanted to run to the girl, to hug her and promise her everything would be fine. But she would be lining.

Peter and Edmund frowned at her from the other side of the great hall, their faces confused. Corin was grinning like a hyena, his eyes dancing with excitement and Susan couldn't help but take a small measure of comfort from that all too familiar expression.

Peter jumped as the door in the far side of the hall jolted, thrashing in its frame as whatever was locked inside fought to break free. His skin crawled as he looked at the shadow that spilt out from the crack between the door and the ground. As he watched the darkness seemed to grow, seemed to reach out with hands and fingers, trying to get to him, trying to wrap around his feet and drag him down.

He tore his eyes away, his breathing suddenly harsh in his ears.

Everyone avoided the far, avoided looking at it. The metal banged again and again, the thing inside hammering at its prison and they talked, laughed, trying to drown it out.

There was evil in there. Worst than the vampires, worst than the Kraken, worst than the Great Darkness itself. Whatever was in there, Peter knew he would take one look and his mind would be destroyed.

"Stop it," Edmund said gently, "I can feel the charge around you."  
Peter grimaced and clamped down on his nerves, the lightning brewing under his skin dying. His eyes were then drawn immediately to Lucinda, to Lucia and the Empress and his unease returned.

Three women who looked like Lucy, who was Lucy but each different in their own way. Who were they? Was one of them the real Lucy? All of them.

Aslan help him Peter wished he knew, wished he knew what to do. He glanced at Edmund and his brother was frowning, studying the three women, the frustrated look telling him the king had as little idea as he did.

"This is incredible," Corin breathed, "This is –"

He stopped, his eyes going to the door and a shudder ran through the boy. But a split second later he was looking around at the mirrors again and his infectious smile returned.

"Susan."

Susan turned and the golden tressed Treasured Ones was there, a sickeningly sweet smile on her face.

"Perhaps you would like to meet the two knights that fought so bravely for Empress Lucille in the Naginata Court?" the woman was like a cat, a smug satisfied look on her face, watching as her prey danced into her clutches, "You left before the match ended."

Susan's eyes glittered but she said nothing. Behind her the Empress was walking with measured paces to the block of obsidian that stood in the centre of the room. Lucia watched her, Halcyon standing beside his general. Aloe clung to her husband's arms, the First Sword flanking High Inquisitor Lucinda.

"Let me present to your Lord Sopesian and Prince Rabadash," the Treasured One's grin widened as she stepped aside neatly, allowing two men to take her place.

Susan thought she could not be shocked by anything else in this world. Seeing Lucille and Lucinda and Lucia, seeing Corin, this hall and the door that made her want to run... she thought she had reached her quota of surprising things. But the two men before her were like a splash of ice cold water.

Both monsters. Both demons from her past. Susan shuddered.

Sopesian was as oily and viperish as she remembered. The Telmarine lord clutched her hands, bowing deep and offering a thousand compliments to her radiant beauty. The woman smiled, sensing her discomfort.

Susan looked at him and all she could remember was this man stabbing Miraz in the back, this man leading the Telmarines against her people. Hundreds had died because of this man's greed, this man's stupidity.

She wanted to grab him, strangle the life from his body for what he had done.

Kill.

The darkness had awoken, drinking in her rage.

Kill.

Susan forced herself to look away from Sopesian but the other man was worst.

Rabadash was as handsome as ever, her beard neatly trimmed, his eyes warm and open. But all this was an act. She knew the madness that lurked behind that masked, the ravenous hunger to dominate, to destroy everything that stood in his way.

Susan was disgusted with herself.

How in the hell did she manage to trick herself into thinking she loved this man? Caspian's face flashed in her mind and Susan felt sicked at her once blindness. The Treasured One's indulgent laugh tore Susan back to reality.

Rabadash's lips touched her lips and her other hand balled into a fist.

"You are as beautiful as the stars in the skies and match even the Empress herself," Rabadash cast her an appreciative look, his tongue flicking and touching his lips.

Susan tried not to vomit or punch him.

Kill him, the darkness whispered, stab your fingers into his eyes and tear them out. Now. Before he strikes first. Kill him.

The Hunt-Beast growled in her mind and the darkness fled.

This was the man who had almost trapped her in Tashbaan, who had almost destroyed Archenland and Narnia. And it had been her fault.

"Thank you your highness," she forced her to say, "But I am not as radiant as Yvaine."

The Treasured One glared at her as Susan smiled thinly back. Rabadash did not release her hands from his grip.

"You are too pretty to be marked. Perhaps I can persuade the Empress to pass you into my care," the Prince's finger stroked her skin and Susan gritted her teeth.

She was saved from beating him to death with her bare hands as the herald called out once more.

"SILENCE!"

A hush fell, the only noise in the room was Galeal's hurried breathing and the unending banging of the metal door. The sound was louder in the silence and everyone flinched as the maddened thing inside threw itself at the door to its cage.

Galeal stood opposite the Empress, the obsidian block between them. Rosalinda reached into her dress and pulled out a long knife, the blade the colour of amber.

"Hall of Mirrors," the Empress called, "Judge my hand."

She placed her hands on the stone and a faint humming filled the air. They all look around as the mirror shook, vibrating with the sound.

"Judge my hand and see my face," the Empress's voice was measured, "Am I the purest in all the land?"

Edmund started as Lucille's face suddenly appeared in all the mirrors in the hall. There came a terrible bellowing cry from behind the door.

Lucille's faces smiled, radiant with light and all were drawn by her face, transfixed by it.

"Hall of Mirrors..."  
Galeal's voice trembled.

"Judge my hand."

She placed her hands opposite the Empress's, Lucille smiling gently at the girl.

"Judge my hand and see my face," the words came out in a tumble, in a rush.

Yvaine, the gold-haired Treasured Ones, snorted, her own scarred face pulled into a smirk. Galeal flushed as Rosalinda's eyes flicked to the woman, something in her eyes promising retribution. Yvaine shuddered.

"Am I the purest in all the land? Galeal asked.

Her face appeared in the mirrors as the girl closed her eyes and bowed her head. Lucille and Galeal's faces flashed and alternated again and again in the walls and ceilings of the hall, both smiling, both laughing as glorious as the sun itself.

A monstrous noise came from the iron door, something booming and shrieking and it took Peter a long moment to realise the voice was laughing, howling in victory.

"The Hall of Mirrors have judged," Rosalinda said solemnly, "Galeal must be marked."

And she stepped forwards, the terrible knife in her hands gleaming as Galeal wept.

. . . . . . .

The Asuryan High Lord frowned as a line of light suddenly sprung into existence. It widened, zigzagging through the air, a crack hanging in empty space. A tall figure stepped out of that glowing break and it snapped shut behind him.

"Dawn-Breaker," the Asuryan greeted.

The killer studied him, favouring him with a look that showed just how little he thought of the monster. The Dawn-Breaker stepped closer to the cage, his boot clicking against the cold stone floor.

"You could have come earlier," the Asuryan growled.

"The time was not yet right," the Dawn-Breaker said coldly, "You should be glad I came at all."

He laughed as the Asuryan snarled, jerking at his chains. With a grunt the Dawn-Breaker punched the bars of the cage and the metal shattered. He pointed at the chains binding the monster and the air rippled around the thing's limbs. The shackles simply vanished, gone as if they had never existed as the Asuryan staggered forwards, flexing his knife-like fingers.

"What are our orders?" the monster demanded.

The Dawn-Breaker smiled and it the grin of an executioner as he raised his axe above the prisoner's neck.

"It is time."

"Very well then," the Asuryan clicked his steel claws against his teeth, "Lead the way."

. . . . . . .

Galeal knelt before Rosalinda and the woman gently cupped her face.

"This is your duty Galeal. Weep if you must but know what you are doing is protecting the world from destruction."

The plated door shook, the thing inside raging more than ever, slamming itself again and again into the steel, trying to break free.

"What..." Peter breathed.

His eyes widened as Rosalinda stabbed the tip of the blade deep into Galeal's skin and sliced. The girl shrieked in agony, writhing but Rosalinda held her in place as the knife scraped against bone, cutting through flesh and skin. Blood dripped to the floor, staining the glass.

Galeal's face in the mirrors twisted, screaming in silent pain before one by one they vanished, the Empress's face the only thing that remained.

Susan was rooted to the spot, horrified as Rosalinda pulled the knife free. A gash ran from Galeal's nose to her ear on the left, her right still untouched.

"Be strong child. Be strong in the knowledge you have saved the world."

"This is barbaric," Edmund breathed as Peter tried to stop sparks of lightning and green flames from leaping out of him.

Corin was silent, watching dumbfounded. The Treasured Ones merely nodded approvingly, many already clapping Rosalinda as she raised the blade once more.

"One more stroke and it will be done..."

Screams and roars boomed from behind the metal door, the shadow lengthening, stretching out for the obsidian stone. The Empress merely closed her eyes and the furious cries became screeches of anguish, the mirrors in the hall suddenly flashing with light.

"She's locking the evil away," Corin shook his head in disbelief, "I never thought I'll see it. But she's locking the door once more."

The door was shaking so violently that Peter half-expected it to dent, to rip itself apart but it stood strong as the Empress grimaced, her hands clutched tight around the black stone.

"BOOM!'

Glass exploded outwards, the Empress crying out as razor shards sliced her skin.

"Wha – " High Inquisitor Lucinda gaped as a shadow threw itself into the crowd.

Yvaine screamed, the noise choked out into a gasp as knives punched through her stomach. The Treasured One fell, eyes wide as the Asuryan tore its knife-like hands free.

"ONI!" The General bellowed, "ATTACK!"  
Soldiers poured into the room as Halcyon cursed, trying to pull his glaive free.

"SHINK!"

Aloe cried out, charging to engage the Asuryan as the monster lashed out. Men and women fell, cut to ribbons by his blade-like fingers.

"DOWN!" Peter roared, unable to attack as panicked people swarmed all around him, "GET AWAY!"

Green flames whipped out, pushing the people aside. Peter finally had a clear view of the monstrous High Lord and he instantly threw lightning at the thing.

The Asuryan whirled, a burst of electricity shattering mirrors as the darkness behind the iron door screamed in victory.

"NO!" the Empress screamed desperately, "DO NOT HARM THE MIRRORS!"

It was chaos in the hall, the soldiers were helpless, pushed away by the fleeing mob as the Asuryan tore all who came to close. Galeal was crying, Rosalinda protecting her as Treasured Ones fell.

A limb flew through the air, splattering to the ground as the Asuryan howled in delight.

"EDMUND!"

Corin was trying to fight against the tide of people, his hands convulsing as he reached out. Edmund grabbed him, jerking the boy free.

"What's going on?" Corin yelled, his face pale, his laughter gone, "What – "  
Blood splattered against his face as a lord collapsed to his knees, clutching at his throat. The Asuryan kicked him down and whirled, grabbing a woman and biting down on her neck.

"CLANG!"

Aloe's sword flew but the Asuryan deflected her blow, steel glancing off steel.

"ALOE DON'T!" Halcyon roared.

Lucia kicked men and women out of her way, smacking them down with her glaive as she tried to fight her way to the escaped prisoner.

A blue light blazed in one corner of the hall and Edmund's eyes widened.

"NO!"

Mirrors shattered as a crack split them in two, the tear burning with blue light.

Lucinda cursed.

"DAWN-BREAKER!" she yelled, the High Inquisitor almost crushed against the wall by the maddened stampede, "DAWN-BREAKER!"

The killer emerged from the light, delight shining in his eyes. His knife flashed out and a man fell, clutching at his gut, pink loops of bowel gleaming between his fingers.

"I will protect you!" Rabadash crowed.

He hacked at the crowd with his sword, uncaring of who he was attacking as he tried to place Susan behind him.

"RUN YOU IDIOT!" Susan yelled at him, "THIS – "

Rabadash whirled and backhanded her, Susan spun to the ground, clutching at her bleeding mouth. She looked up and into the face of a demon.

"If you are to be my wife," the maddened man whispered, "Then you will learn to hold your tongue!"

Susan roared and the darkness of Tash filled her, blazing through her veins. She leapt at the prince like a wild creature, her pain turned into strength. Rabadash staggered under the sudden onslaught, trying to raise his sword but Susan grabbed his wrist, twisting it painfully.

"ARGH!"

The sword fell and with eyes that burned with red, she snatched up his fallen blade. Twisting it, she crashed the pommel across his face and knocked him out in one swift blow.

"THE MIRRORS!" the Empress bellowed, weeping, "PLEASE!"

The Dawn-Breaker punched the walls and splits zipped through the glass, splintering the Empress's faces within. Light gleamed between the lines and the Dawn-Breaker laughed.

A whole wall was torn apart, disintegrating as the trapped darkness behind the door howled with booming laughter.

Lucia's glaive stabbed at the Asuryan but the creature whirled, dodging. Aloe and Lucia attacked, trying to kill the monster but the thing was ruthless, grabbing innocent men and women, using them as shields.

"ALOE!" Halcyon fought against the crowd, trying to get to his wife.

Corin grabbed at Edmund's shirt.

"This isn't what I imagined..."

The screams, the blood, the dying and the dead. This place of beauty had become a nightmare.

"This isn't..." Corin was crying.

"Corin!" Edmund snapped, "You are a Blue Sword! Your job is to defend the people! We don't have time to weep!"

He shook the boy and Corin looked at him, eyes wide. Slowly, very slowly he unsheathed his sword.

"I'm meant to protect the people?" he said it almost like a question.

"YES! NOW DO IT!" Edmund roared.

Corin clenched his teeth and nodded and the two charged, trying to get to the Dawn-Breaker.

"ALOE!" Halcyon screamed.

The Asuryan's knife-like fingers exploded out of the First Sword's back, blood splattering against her husband's face as he finally reached the woman. Lucia roared but the Asuryan lashed out, kicking her back.

"ALOE!"

The First Sword stared down at the blades into her chest. She looked at the Asuryan who cackled in her face.

"No... I... this wasn't..." she frowned, "What is this place?"

And the Asuryan lunged forwards his teeth ripping the skin and flesh from her face.

"ALOE!" Halcyon stumbled, weeping, his glaive stabbing out, "ALOE!"

He attacked, frenzied, thoughtless and the Asuryan danced around him. A swift kick brought Halcyon to his knees, the war-captain looking up as the Asuryan raised his hand, the blades gleaming.

The monster grinned, shinning metal teeth.

Hands, veins of black bulging from the skin, clapped around its skull. The Asuryan shrieked, trying to turn but a thousand volts of pure electricity suddenly coursed through its body, frying the thing alive. He screamed, flames exploding out of his eyes, his mouth as Halcyon watched.

Peter left the thing fall, the burning body collapsing to the ground.

He looked at Halcyon, at Aloe's body.

"I'm sorry," the High King said gently.

Lucia righted herself and looked across the room.

"EMPRESS!"  
Lucille was slumped against the obsidian stone, weeping as the Hall of Mirrors laid in ruins all around her. Only a few of the thousands of panes of reflective glass remained and the fight was still not over.

The iron door was still, the darkness within too busy roaring its victory to assault its cage.

Edmund slashed at the Dawn-Breaker but his sword seemed to bend in mid-air, completely missing the man.

"WHAT ARE YOU?" he roared at the killer.

"You know exactly who I am!" the Dawn-Breaker laughed back.

Corin tried to a clumsy stab and the Dawn-Breaker punished him, grabbing the boy and hurling him against a mirror. The glass broke, raining down on Corin as Edmund snarled, stabbing again. The Dawn-Breaker moved, the air rippling around him and the sword seemed to twist and bend, missing him completely.

"SU!" Edmund yelled.

Her sister leapt at the man, her eyes red and frenzied , a bloodied sword clutched tighty in her hands.

I'll kill you!" Susan roared at the killer, spitting at him, "I'LL KILL YOU!"

She was losing her to the darkness, letting it control her. Because with no bow, no arrows, no sceptre or blades, this maddened thing inside her was her most potent weapon left.

The Dawn-Breaker chortled, dancing with her, their blades flashing out again and again.

"You can see!" the Dawn-Breaker yelled at her, "Can't you see it?"

He punched the air between them and a split formed, blue light burning. Susan cried out, staggering, her free hand going up to her left eye.

"SU!"  
Edmund tried to grab her as Susan screamed, the darkness in her fading. Her left eye watered, the blue turning to the most royal of purples as she looked up.

The Hall of Mirrors wavered before her vision, flickering in and out. She saw steel, she saw a dark night's sky and she saw glowing balls of blue. Susan cried out, shaking her head and the ghostly images vanished, the hall of shattered mirrors solidifying all around her.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?" she yelled at the Dawn-Breaker as the crack sealed itself shut.

"I made you see."

He backhanded Edmund, the blow throwing the Just King away. Peter threw a lance of lightning but it died, vanishing before it could strike the Dawn-Breaker as the High King's eyes widened.

The Dawn-Breaker lashed out and another split in the air was created, a huge glowing tear in the world. A wild wind gushed into the rip, trying to pull everything in as the Dawn-Breaker lashed out once last time.

Lucille screamed as the obsidian rock exploded, the pillar falling to rubble before her.

"NO!"

The iron door shuddered as light filled all the cracks between each iron plate.

"STOP!" Susan yelled.

The darkness behind the door laughed and laughed as light grew as brilliant as sun, blinding everyone.

"BOOM!"

The door split in two as shadows rushed out in a billowing cloud of black. Susan and Peter staggered, pure terror pounding through their veins as they tried to remember how to breathe, the cloud sucking all the light and life out of the very air. Lucille screamed, weeping as the dark mist twisted itself into a stream, leaping across the room and rushing out through the hole in the wall, the cries of the people beyond loud above the screeching of the shadows.

"We shall be made whole!" the Dawn-Breaker crowed, "WE SHALL BE MADE WHOLE!"  
And he whirled, leaping through the crack in the air, disappearing before anyone could stop him.

The rip snapped shut.

The last wisp of darkness fled.

Susan fell to her knees, uncaring of the jagged glass slicing into her skin. She looked at Peter and Peter stared back at her.

As one they looked at the ruins of the Hall of Mirrors in silence.

There was nothing left to say.

The darkness was free.

They had been defeated.

. . . . . . .

Again sorry about the delay and sorry about bamboozling everyone with the three different Lucys! Enjoy the enigma!


	81. Dealings with the devil

As always apologies for the lateness but please enjoy the chapter! And review! Reviews are my life source!

Disclaimer: Blah blah blah we all know the drill by now

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 81: Dealings with the devil**

"Susan."

She laughed, a crown of flowers sitting lopsided on her head. Her blue eyes danced as she tried to stop her giggles, her lips curled into a loving smile.

"Oh no you don't!" the queen chided still laughing, "Caspian! NO!"

He tackled her, uncaring of how her perfect dress was mused as they tumbled to the ground. She shrieked, hitting at him as he laughed, great gouts of belly-shaking sound. Prickles of grass jabbed at him but he couldn't care less, the flowers all around sweet and thick with pollen.

"You thought you could escape my queen?"

The sunlight that drenched them was honey gold and warm, enveloping them, letting them know they were alive and loved.

Susan rolled her eyes.

"You're such a lug," she muttered.

Caspian feigned hurt.

"I would have you know I was raised by the finest of etiquette teachers and I am in no way a lug."

"Finest teachers?" Susan sniffed, unimpressed, "And were they found in the barn you were born in?"

She laughed as Caspian touched her nose with a teasing wink.

"Shhh... don't tell anybody."

And her lips were so pink and sweet he had no choice but to lean over and capture them in a kiss, his hands winding through her hair. She clung to him, meeting him halfway, opening her mouth and granting him entrance.

He drunk her in, intoxicated, wishing for nothing but what he had at this very moment.

The war was over, the Great Darkness was gone and all that was left was days of sunlight and joy. If only there was a way to freeze this moment, to hold it as it was, to live forever in this glory.

Caspian opened his eyes and pulled away, smiling as Susan stared back at him, breathless, her pale face flushed.

"I don't like that look on your face," she accused

"Me?" he placed a hand to his heart, "I have nothing but the most innocent of intentions sweet maiden!"

Susan raised a brow. The queen was hardly a sweet maiden, not when she knew exactly where to stab someone to make it hurt. But she said nothing, pulling herself up.

Their guards loitered around the edges of the clearing, politely turning their eyes away. It still chafed him how he could not walk freely through his own kingdom but though Gavin was broken, many of his army still remained

"I love you."

Caspian smiled, suddenly feeling shy as he met his wife's gaze.

"I love you too."  
But the words were not enough, inadequate to describe what he felt for her. She was his everything, the reason why he breathed, the reason why he lived. He was born to love her and even though it made him a giant girl to say it, he was glad that was his destiny.

A shadow fell over them both and Caspian looked up surprise.

Clouds boiled across the face of the sun, dark howling things that made the hair on his neck rise.

"Caspian?"

The darkness was swirling, twisting, reaching down with snatching hands of mist and smoke. Caspian cried out as they touched the earth, the plants withering and dying.

"Caspian?"

He whirled, looking at Susan and she was fading before his eyes, her form bleeding up into the dark clouds above.

"SUSAN!"  
He reached out for her, grabbing at her but his hands met air.

"SUSAN!"

The clouds rumbled, the darkness closing in, Caspian leaping to his feet and unsheathing his sword.

"SUSAN!"

He looked up and in the darkness he could see a face, a bloated swelling inhuman face that opened its mouth and screamed.

"SUSAN!"

**. . . . . . **

Caspian opened his eyes and all around him was blue. He tried to scream but bubbles burst from his mouth, panic climbing as he lashed out, his fists striking hard glass.

Where was he? Where was Susan?

Shadows moved across his vision, blobs of darkness swimming through the thick glowing blue all around him.

"Help!" he tried to scream but no noise left his mouth, the king gagging around the tube stuffed down his throat, "HELP!"

A line of light split the blue in half and Caspian could hear voices.

"Caspian! Calm down! You're fine!"

He punched out, trying to tear himself free from the cords and wires that cocooned him.

"If you punch me in the face again I'm going to be very angry," the voice said wryly.

Caspian blinked.

"Elias?' he tried to say.

The light grew as the blue drained away, splashing and sloshing out of whatever held him. Caspian blinked and his vision slowly cleared, Elias's face right in front of him. The king recoiled a little, still choking on the tube in his mouth.

"Hey, hey," Elias said gently as though soothing a hurt animal, "Just calm down."

He turned as Caspian scrambled to grab him, to demand what was happening. He blinked, remembering his last thoughts.

Susan. The field. The darkness. Susan vanishing.

He frowned. It had seemed all too real but it must have been a dream, a thing of his imagination because the darkness was not destroyed yet, Narnia was still far from safe.

A dream? A fantasy? What was it?

"Can we take the breathing tube out?"

A soft voice answered in affirmation and another face appeared, a blurred half-seen figure as Caspian frantically tried to blink the fluid from his eyes. Firm hands gripped his face, holding him in place as with a steady painful slide the tube in his mouth came away.

"Elias – " his voice was a croak.

"Just breathe," the scientist said gently.

The king coughed, great choking spasms as his body tried to remember how to breathe. Great hanks of blue fluid flew from his mouth, Caspian choking on the bitter taste. He was aware of the hands again, pulling the cords away from him, freeing him at last.

"What... what – "

He was lying in a pool of warm liquid, the muck clinging to him, hugging him like a second skin. His hands scrambled, trying to find a purchase on the smooth glass all around him but his limbs were stiff and clumsy, almost impossible to move.

"What..."

"You were injured. Do you remember that?" Elias asked gently.

The arrow. Caspian could still remember the agony that had roared through him, the fletching that stuck out from his back as he hit the ground. Painfully he nodded.

"You were hurt... badly. So the Gardeners put you into one of the pods to heal you."

Gardeners? Pods?

Caspian tried to rise again and this time strong arms helped him. The king sat up, his arms twin trembling supports as he looked around. He was sitting in a vessel of glass, thick blue fluid coming up to his wait, more of it glowing on the black steel floor all around him.

Beyond Elias's shoulder, Caspian could see the dark city he had been in, the pods that hung in the air glowing like stars and in the centre of it, that one lone pillar of light, singing warmth and comfort through the unending darkness.

"What – "

He looked to his side and his eyes widened as he saw a man in white, crouched over what looked to be a computer, his fingers dancing across the controls.

"Elias!" Caspian tried to scream but it came out as a whisper, "They... they – "

The man turned and Caspian could clearly see the symbol woven into his clothing, the eye in the eye motif, badge of the Great Darkness.

"I know," the scientist said gingerly, "But they're not our enemies. They are the Gardeners... they saved you."

Caspian pointed frantically at the symbol on the Gardener's clothes, the symbol of the Great Darkness but Elias took it in his stride.

"We will talk but for now rest. The healing is a strenuous process," the scientist nodded at two of the Gardeners and they pulled Caspian up from the pod, another roughly running a towel over the king as he spluttered in indignation.

"Elias!" his voice was finally rose above a whisper.

"What is the biofeedback like?" the scientist asked one of the Gardeners, "Has the corruption set in?"

"No and praise the Eyes it hasn't," the Gardener at the computer sighed with relief, "The circuits are still intact."

"Good. Set the feedback at thirty minus and try to reconnect from stage thirteen," Elias commanded, completely in his element as the Gardeners dragged Caspian, the king too weak to fight them, "We have him out and that's the important thing."

"Elias!" he tried to shout but his voice was gone, "ELIAS!"

**. . . . . . **

"MAKAT! MAKAT! MAKAT!"

Makat thrust his sceptre into the air and the Tzaraath screamed their joy.

The stench of blood hung heavy in the air, the mighty Nile River, lifeblood of Tzara, now nothing but a stagnant cesspool of clotting red.

"WE WILL BE FREE!" Matkat bellowed over the roar over his people, "THE TZARAATH WILL BE FREE!"  
Tzara was in chaos. In the night its citizens had rioted, driven to terror by the sight of the Nile being turned to blood by a mere slave. The pharaoh had acted swiftly, his soldiers viciously putting the fighting crowds down, slaying free men and women without thought. Martial law had been declared, the whole city in lockdown as Amun and his advisors retreated to the pharaoh's own chambers, frantically trying to decide their next move.

In their compound the Tzaraath had rejoiced. For the first time in the lives they were in a position of power and it was like a drug, intoxicating, addictive, making them lose all reason as they dreamt of what could be.

Zaru watched the overjoyed crowd with narrowed eyes and heaved a sigh

Didn't they realise the war was far from over? Even though he wanted to believe that they would be free after this one stunt, Zaru knew better. Amun was a tyrant, he had fought wars over less and after the shock had subsided he would find a way to strike back and when he did how many of these laughing Tzaraaths would be silenced forever?

A dark premonition struck the leopard and he shuddered.

He wanted to run down amongst the crowd and scream, scream for them to stop, to run. They were slaves, used to brutality, used to being crushed to the dirt and completely not used to standing up, to fighting for their freedom. For all the evils they had endured, they were still children when it came to war and Zaru wanted to protect them. Bu the leopard stayed where he was.

Ammit, the Devourer of Hearts, a god of this world had made a deal with him. Help Makat topple Amun from his throne and she would reunite him with Susan and all the others.

And that meant he would have to help these Tzaraath, these innocent children win the war.

The Tzaraaths froze and Zaru rose to his feet as a gong suddenly rang out, the ringing sound echoing down the empty streets of Tzara. Makat smiled, holding his obsidian sceptre up high as the Tzaraaths looked up at him with adoration in their eyes.

"Amun has summoned me to this palace!" Makat roared.

He was the lord of the Tzaraaths, their spokesman, their god. He was the master of the fire and fervour burning through the prison compound, the triumphant conqueror ready to take their hope and make it reality.

"WE WILL BE FREE!" Makat screamed to the havens.

"WE WILL BE FREE! MAKAT! MAKAT!" the Tzaraaths roared, believing for the first time in their lives.

To sound of thunderous applause Makat turned, the ragged sheet tied to his neck billowing like a cloak. Zaru leapt from his perch on a low wall, slipping through the crowd and to Makat's side as the slave smiled down at him.

"Ready?" Matkat grinned.

Zaru looked up at him, his eyes dark

"You have no idea do you?"

Makat frowned.

"Do you think turning the Nile to blood has finished Amun?" the leopard demanded, the two walking away from the cheering Tzaraath, leaving behind the light and the sound of joyous celebration.

"I have destroyed the river that is the lifeblood of this kingdom. I have shown everyone, Tzaraath and Amun's people that the gods do not him as their king!" Makat laughed, confidence filling him, his eyes bright, "Cat God... we have won already!"

"Has others tried to rebel before?" Zaru growled.

Makat blinked.

"Of course but – "

"And what happened?" the leopard demanded, "Tell me."

"Amun sent his army against them," the slave licked his suddenly dried lips, "Then he executed every last one of the rebels..."

A muscle in the man's cheek jerked.

"The rebels were led by his own son. Amun paraded his own son's head around his palace and left it to rot on a pike before the whole city."

Zaru sighed.

"Now do you understand? Amun is pretty much the dictionary definition of insane. You haven't won yet. And you can't let your guard down."

Makat shoved his sceptre at Zaru as if it proved something, the light in his eyes dimming but still burning away, almost feverish in its intensity.

"But the gods chose me..."

"This isn't a story Makat," the leopard knew there was something horribly wrong when he was the voice of reason, "The gods don't choose a champion and then everything is right with the worlds. Trust me. I know."

And how he knew. Caught in this war against the Great Darkness for years now, never resting, always going to the next world, to the next battle. When had all this happened? When had Zaru the fast-talking, greedy guts leopard woken up and realised he was a warrior? And why in the hell was he now playing the role of general?

Zaru just prayed he wasn't going to mess this up. Makat may be flying in the dark but Zaru was just as blind next to him. Channel his inner Susan... that's what he had do, channel his queen...

"We're going to win Cat God," Makat breathed, "And you why? Because I can _feel _it."

"Well I hope you can feel that I have some very severe protests against what you're about to do," Zaru snapped, "You're going to Amun's palace, into the heart of the enemy completely unarmed. He could have you executed on the spot."  
Makat smiled up at the heavens.

"The gods are watching over me," he said simply.

Zaru resisted the urge to ram his head against a stone.

"Makat. I knew someone who thought he was chosen by his gods. And trust me he made a huge mess of things and – "  
"No more talk!" the god's chosen cut him off, "Today will be a day of glory!"

And he hurried off, marching towards Amun's palace as Zaru cursed, hurrying to catch up.

**. . . . . . **

Inara's eyes snapped open and all around her were bodies. Fat flies swarmed over her, crawling across her face as she grimaced, sweeping them away with one hand. She spat out a fly, grimacing at the taste.

"What – "

The words died in her mouth as she remembered her last moments.

Chelsea. Sad. Small. Frightened.

Paxton. Jeering. Towering. Triumphant as Chelsea, her own sister, stabbed her straight in the gut, cold metal sliding into warm flesh.

Inara froze, expecting pain, expecting agony but all she felt was hunger pangs and limbs numb from immobilisation.

"I'm alive."

Her voice was a dry croak. She was alive. But how? She had collapsed, had fallen into darkness and light, had slipped away from the world with a cry on her lips and regret in her thoughts.

She had died. She knew it. She had –

But she was alive.

"How?"

Slowly, very slowly Inara pushed herself off the hard rocky ground. All around her were bodies, mangled and broken, rotting into meat and bones. They were all different – men, women, child; skin like snow, skin like coal, skin like the earth and skin like gold. No body was left unmarked, burns and festering sores breaking open as flies feasted in their thousands. This was a cavern of death but it was simply a dumping ground, a mass open grave what laid above.

Inara had seen the work of Doctor Aries, had seen Zeus and Freya and Athena, had walked in the halls of a prison of gods. And that meant these bodies, these pathetic corpses all around her had once more immortals, divine beings that shaped their worlds and people, vessels for untold powers. And they were all dead, tossed aside like unwanted garbage.

This was the might of the Great Darkness, the depth of its madness.

"Oh bloody hell."

She sat up slowly, groaning as muscles tugged and pulled. She was dressed in the same clothes she had been stabbed in, shirt and jeans stiff with blood, a gaping tear in the fabric. Gingerly she pulled it away revealing an ugly puckered scar, a mortal wound somehow sealed.

"What..."

A shadow fell over and Inara's head snapped up, the half-Naga staring up into the face of a demon.

"Inara Nixon."

Eustace Stubbs stared at her, his eyes not pure black as they were before but pools of pallid green, swirls of mist and light swimming in those glowing depths. Crystals grew on his skin like ice on stone in the height of winter, glittering against the possessed boy's waxy lifeless face.

"I saved you from death," the agent of the darkness said coldly.

Inara gaped at him, her eyes wide.

"What?" she squeaked.

"You must return the favour."

His voice was cold, so impersonal and clinical it made his previous tones sound warm and motherly. Inara was transfixed, unable to look away.

"You're not Eustace. Who are you?" Inara whispered, terrified.

His skin glowed, the tiny crystals pulsing with light, that terrible pale green fire that made Inara want to recoil in sheer terror.

"I am whole."

"You..."

Inara swallowed thickly.

"You're a horseman," tears spilt down her cheeks, Inara knowing she was completely at his monster's mercy.

"I am Death."

Inara bit down a scream and tried to steel her nerves, tried to stop herself from shaking.

"What's the favour?" she asked trying to hide her fear and failing, "Because really I don't do se –"

"You will kill your sister."

Inara's eyes widened and all the bravado, all the words fled from her body. Eustace stared at her, hard, unyielding, as demanding as any god.

"Why?"  
"Because if you don't she will kill you," he paused, letting his words hang in the air like a dark terrible cloud, "Then she will kill your friends."

**. . . . . . **

Amun laughed as Makat stared at him eyes wide.

"See!" the pharaoh roared to his audience, "SEE?"  
His magicians stepped back from the pools, what was once clear crystal waters now dark red blood.

"My magicians can duplicate what this worm has tried to scare us with!" Amun roared as his advisors cheered, Sutekh amongst them, "This is not divine retribution, it is just a simple parlour trick!"

"NO!" Makat raised his obsidian sceptre, shrieking, "IF YOU DO NOT FREE MY PEOPLE I WILL –"

Amun punched him, Makat hit the ground as the world spun around him. The pharaoh spat on him, his eyes molten darkness as his magicians watched on passively.

"My magicians has just turned water into blood as you have done to my city. They will undo what you have done," Amun growled, "I can have you executed..."  
Slowly he raised his sandalled foot and stepped on Makat's hands, grinning savagely as he grounded the slave's fingers into the ground. Makat writhed, wanting to scream but kept it in, forcing himself to endure it without a sound.

"But I won't... I want to see the look on your face when you realise you will never escape me," Amun hissed, "Get out of my sight!"

The guards grabbed Makat, dragging him away as jeers and taunts flew from all corners of the chamber.

"FAKE!"

"LIAR!"

"NO!" Makat screamed, thrashing, "LET MY PEO – "

The guards hurled him through the curtained doorway and Makat hit the stairs, tripping and falling, limbs scraped raw before he hit the ground in a mangled pile.

He looked up and Zaru looked down at him grimly, the leopard hiding in the shadows of one of the statues that lined the entrance to Amun's palace.

"He..." Makat choked on his tears, "He refused."

Zaru let out a long breath. He considered for half a second to pointed out he already predicted this but one look at the weeping man and the leopard held his tongue.

The first volley had been made from both sides, testing shots to see what the lay of the land was like. Amun had not executed Makat because to kill him would to do so would mean the pharaoh saw him as a genuine threat, that the pharaoh was scared his slaves might one day raise beneath the leader – that in itself was dangerous, if the tyrant allowed doubt to be sown amongst his kingdom...

So Makat was safe as now. Amun didn't want him he wanted the slave alive, wanted to break him and show him off to his people as a trophy.

Zaru forced a smile onto his face, tried to find confidence he did not feel.

"Well..." he cocked his head to the side, "Let's see what else that magical stick thing can do."

**. . . . . . **

Caspian pulled the coat tighter around him and tried to blink the sand from his eyes. He yawned, his jaws creaking, his limbs still heavy, his head stuffed full of wool and little else. But he could not sleep, every time he closed his eyes all he could remember was Susan, laughing, smiling, screaming as she was snatched away from him.

Caspian shuddered. He looked up as Elias came through one of the doors of the room.

"How are you feeling?" the scientist asked gently.

"What happened?" he demanded, his voice a rasp, "Why are you working with these Gardeners?'

He had been placed inside one of the pods. He knew that and it healed him. That had been all too clear he had felt for the wound in his back and all his fingers had met was puckered scar, a still tender scar taking place of where the arrow had punched deep into his flesh.

"Caspian, they're not the enemy," the scientist said gently.

"They work for the Great Darkness!" Caspian tried to yell but his voice refused to rise above a harsh whisper.

"The Eyes saved us," a voice said firmly.

Caspian whirled and one of the Gardeners walked in, a stout man with white robes stretched tight across his belly. He proudly displayed the crest of the Great Darkness, the eye in the eye seemingly glaring at Caspian.

"Jakob I said it would be best if I talked to him," Elias said pointedly.

Jakob ignored him as he waddled to the other side of the table, Caspian watching him warily.

"Nonsense," the man shook his head, "He questions the work of my people and I am here to defend myself!"

Elias threw his hands up in disgust.

"What is this place?" Caspian demanded, "Is this a place of the Great Darkness?"

Jakob favoured him with a look, a look a teacher might give to be particularly ignorant student.

"This was once a great kingdom. Our people prospered for centuries without war or famine," he lectured sternly, "We were great until our sun died."

He paced the floor, his face was like a mask but his eyes were dark, trapped forever in a nightmare he was still living.

"Our people were dying. Civilisation itself was collapsing. We had no light. No food. No weather. Nothing. It all seemed doomed. Our world was ending."

Caspian watched him, still wary as Elias showed nothing on his face, merely hearing the tale again.

"Then he came. The Eyes. He came in a blaze of glory and promised us salvation. He showed us a way forward. Even he could not save what he once had but he gave us... something."

Jakob walked to one of the walls and touched a button there, Caspian sucked in a surprised breath as the steel suddenly became as clear as glass. The scene it opened onto was one he had seen before in this place – the city of black, the sleepers in their pods and again that one lone tower of glass and white, gleaming like a blade as it stabbed up into the heavens.

"Our world was gone but it existed in our memories, in the minds of those who survived the days of madness," Jakob's voice was soft, weaving the story briskly and efficiently, "So the Eyes gave us one gift... he gave us dreams."

"Gavin built all this, the pods, the machines that power it," Elias said softly, "He called it the Orchard."

"And all the survivors except for a chosen few were placed inside the Seeds of the Orchard, and they were free of this dark, dying world. Kept healthy forever as they lived in a land of dreams, lived in peace and beauty forever."

Jakob's eyes pierced Caspian.

"You walked the dreams. Did you not feel at peace? Did you not have everything you ever wanted?" Jakob demanded.

Caspian flushed as Elias looked at him, frowning. The king carefully avoided his eyes.

"Better they sleep and live in a world of peace then to wander around this dying city," Jakob said flatly, "Only the Gardeners remain and we do so to ensure the Orchard still runs to this day."

A silence filled the room, Elias quiet having heard this tale before, Caspian slightly shamed. Jakob and his people had listened to the Great Darkness to save their kingdom from utter destruction. And if there was anything Caspian understood, it was doing anything to save his people.

"What about the darkness?"

Elias and Jakob both winced.

"Before you woke me," Caspian pressed on, frowning, "My dreams..."

He flushed against at the memory, thankful that neither men knew what he had been dreaming of.

"There was clouds and then..." the king looked at Jakob, "What was that?"

Nothing the Great Darkness gave was without its price. He had looked up into that sky, into those dark clouds and recognised it was for what it was – a force of evil, a thing of destruction and domination. Was that the sting in the Great Darkness's gift? A trap for the desperate people he had appeared to save?

"The Orchard has been perfect for years," Jakob suddenly look very tired, suddenly looked like the aging man he was, "But recently... there's been a glitch."

"A glitch?" Caspian demanded.

"The Eyes come every now and then to see us, to ensure the Orchard is intact," Jakob looked out the window, his eyes reflecting the light from the burning tower leagues away, "The last time he came to us... he brought us another sleeper to place into of the Seeds."

"Who?" Caspian demanded, "Who did he bring?"

Jakob shrugged, a look of frustration crossing his face. This was clearly a man who was used being in control, used to having the answers for everything.

"I do not know. I was not part of the Gardeners who received his commands. But the Eyes did not want this sleeper in any Seed. He wanted something new to be built and so he created the Tower."

No was doubting was he was talking about, the lone beacon in this forsaken place, the lone source of light and beauty.

"And that's when it started," Jakob whispered, "We started losing Seeds. We have no idea what was happening. The machines always watched over them, always told us they were sleeping in peace and dreaming of beauty but something was corrupting them..."

"What happened?" Caspian asked.

"Their minds were gone. Almost every sector of the Orchard was affected. We were left with millions of sleepers who were nothing but husks, mere meat kept alive by the machines. They no longer dreamed, they were no longer living, they just breathed and breathed and slept on," Jakob looked haggard, "We had no idea what was happening..."

"Caspian what did you see in your dream?" Elias asked, "What – "

The king's skin crawled as he forced himself to remember all that happened. The sunlit field, Susan by his side, the war won, everything he had ever wanted then the clouds, the darkness violating his dreams, snatching them.

"There was a darkness," the king licked his suddenly bone-dry lips, "It... it destroyed my dream. It tried to grab me."

"Then we woke you up just in time," Elias said grimly.

"The Tower? You think it has something to do with this?" Caspian asked.

"It has to be," Jakob slammed his fists against the table, "The timing is too perfect but why? Why has the Eyes done this to us?"  
He looked at the other two men, begging, trying to understand what his saviour had abandoned him.

"He loved us. He saved us. Why would he – "

"The Eyes has caused destruction of entire worlds before," Elias said gently.

The memories were all too fresh. The land of the Djinn, lost in an explosion of molten rock and flames. The experiment ending in Ataraxia, all the people in that world, laying dead, their eyes blank.

"But... but he saved us. Why would he..." Jakob shook, his whole body trembling, "We've lost so much already..."

"He brought darkness into this world through the Tower and something is attack the sleeper's dreams, destroying them and snatching their minds," Caspian said ruthlessly, "And Gavin is responsible. He is a monster and that's all you need to know."'

"Caspian!" Elias chided as Jakob glared at the king.

"No! He must have made a mistake! He would not harm us this way!"

Caspian and the Gardener stared at each other, each sure of their own position, each armed and armoured in their own certainty. Elias slammed his hand against the table, forcing both of them to look at him.

"Look. The Great Darkness saved this world. It was doomed and he saved it, whatever his reason millions are alive here because of hi –"

"Because he needed them for his own – "

Elias cut him with a look.

"But he also brought the Tower here and something is happening inside that place," Elias looked at them and Caspian frowned.

There was something wild and fierce in those normally quiet eyes, a growl to his voice that made Caspian hesitate.

"We need to save those people and the only way we can do that is to get to the Tower."

Jakob nodded frantically and Caspian did the same, one firm resolute jerk of his head. Elias looked at them both and sighed, knowing they were going to come to blows soon enough again.

"Then it's agreed. We strike out for the Tower."

**. . . . . . **

"Ding dong!"

Frowning Chelsea unfolded her from her couch, her eyes darting towards the window. A square of warm light tattooed the ashen ground but everywhere else there was only darkness and shadows, the world that had become the prison of gods.

She smiled to herself relishing the warmth of her house, the comforts it held. Daddy had awarded his little girl well, giving her a house that would not have looked out of place back in her own world.

She padded through the kitchen, a coffee machine percolating away as the fridge hummed gently in the darkness.

"Ding dong!"

Chelsea casually scooped up a sheathed sword from the bench top and walked to the front door, pulling the blade out and tossing the scabbard aside.

"Ding – "

Chelsea yanked the door open, sword in her hand.

"Who the hell –"

"Chelsea..."  
The redhead's eyes widened in horror as the point of her blade dipped, the older Nixon sister numb with shock.

"Miss me?"

And Inara punched her straight in the face.

Chelsea's head snapped back, blood spraying from her nose as Inara barrelled into her, both sisters stumbling into the hallway. They grappled, nails drawing blood as they brutally pounded each other, crashing into the walls, a small teak table destroyed as they slammed into it, splinters flying everywhere.

A vicious punch spun Chelsea to the ground, a swift kick sending her sliding across the ground as the sword flew from her hands.

Inara stood, breathing heavily as a dead silence filled the house. She watched without moving as Chelsea staggered to her feet, bruised and bleeding.

"How?" the older Nixon sister gaped.

She pulled herself up, trembling, her eyes wide.

"Chelsea," Inara said flatly, her eyes silver, "You think I'm the only one that wants you dead?"

Chelsea screamed and ripped a mirror from the wall, tossing it straight at her. The pane of glass spun through the air, Inara crying out as it sliced her cheek open. She clapped a hand to the wound, venom in her eyes as Chelsea laughed, trying to beat her terror down.

"Do you know how many have tried to kill me?" she mocked, "And here I am still – "

"Standing?" Inara casually wiped the blood from her face, "Give it a few more minutes."

With a cry the two sisters charged at each other. Inara's head snapped to the side as Chelsea's fist ploughed into her, blood spraying the wall. Inara twisted, blocking a kick, ducking a punch before slamming two open palms straight into Chelsea's chest, knocking her back. Chelsea dove for the sword, fingers closing around its hilt but Inara was there stomping on her hand. Chelsea screamed and Inara kicked her, sending her rolling and snatching up the sword.

The older Nixon ducked as Inara slashed at her with the sword tearing a gouge into the wall.

"Why are you doing this?" Chelsea screamed at her.

Inara slashed at her again, Chelsea dodging frantically.

"I have to," Inara said flatly, all emotions leeched from her voice.

She stabbed forwards and Chelsea spun, the blade flashing past and stabbing into the wall.

"WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT EVEN MEAN!"

Chelsea speared into Inara, tearing her grip on the stuck sword as both girls crashed through the door and into the living room beyond. They scrambled to their feet, Inara stabbing Chelsea in the leg with a splinter.

"BITCH!"

Blood splattered the floorboards as Chelsea punched Inara straight in the kidney.

"YOU THINK YOU CAN KILL ME?" Chelsea spat, insane with rage, "I AM – "

"Chelsea..." Inara straightened, eyes blazing, cracking her neck dangerously, "Let your fighting do the talking!"

She lashed out, fist flying as Chelsea grabbed her wrist, trapping her. Howling in victory Chelsea lunged forwards but Inara's hand shot out, grabbing onto Chelsea's, both Nixon sister having a hold on the other. They grappled, pulling and heaving, trying to win the fight with brute strength.

Inara narrowed her eyes.

"OW!"

Chelsea staggered back as Inara kicked her in the shins, ripping her hand free and clubbing her sister in the head with twined fists. Chelsea staggered back, the world spinning around her.

"THAT'S CHEATING!" she shrieked.

Roaring Inara lunged. Chelsea spun, Inara shooting past, tripping and stumbling to the ground.

"CRACK!"

A chair smashed into her back, disintegrating, broken wood flying everywhere as Chelsea towered over her. Inara groaned, trying to rise as her whole body shrieking in pain, shadows flittering through her vision. A small gasp left her lips and she went limp. Chelsea's eyes blazed as she kicked Inara in the side, sending her body rolling across the ground.

"Come on sis," Chelsea sneered, swagger back in her stride, the broken chair legs held tight in her hands, "I thought you were here to kill me!"

She limped towards her sister's prone body, adrenaline pumping through her veins. She was fighting for her life here, her pathetic miserable life. A sob choked her words but she shoved it aside.

Daddy needed her to be strong. Daddy loved her when she was strong!

"I always knew I was the better – "

Inara spun on the ground, sweeping her sister off her feet as Chelsea fell with a cry. She flailed trying to get up as Inara lunged, slamming into her and pinning her to the ground.

"No you're not," Inara said dangerously, staring down at her sister.

"Why are you doing this?" Chelsea screamed at her.

"You tried to kill me and you're wondering why?" Inara snarled.

Chelsea shook her head frantically, tears spilling down her face.

"You know why I do it!" she shrieked, "Paxton will kill me if I – "

"You're going to kill all of my friends. You're going to kill Peter."

Inara stared down into her sister's face and into a nightmare she had glimpsed only once. Eustace had shown it to her, placed his hands on her head and summoned a world of fire and pain where the ground was littered with all of her friends bodies, twisted and broken. She had staggered through the ghastly tableau until one face made her stop, his beloved features blank and wiped of all life.

Chelsea had been there, laughing at her, bloodied blade in hand, Susan's hair twined through her fingers.

"Too late," she had whispered as she had slit the queen's throat right before her very eyes.

Inara stared down into her sister's face.

"I saw it," she said faintly.

"No, it's a lie!" Chelsea screamed desperately.

Inara had yelled exactly the same thing to Eustace and he only had one argument for her.

'_What if I'm right?'_

What if the vision was real? What if Chelsea was going to kill Susan and Zaru and Jason and Elias and all the others? Could she risk it? Would she risk it?

"I'm sorry," Inara said flatly.

"NOO!"  
Chelsea bucked throwing Inara off her. Both girls rolled to their feet, flying at each other. Inara was thrown backwards by a punch, stumbling as her hand shot out latching onto Chelsea.

"ARGH!"

Glass shattered as they smashed through the delicate iron wrought doors, hitting the ground as jagged shards bit into Inara's back. The half-Naga grabbed Chelsea by the hair and arms, her hands slick with blood and heaved.

A low glass-top table broke into a thousand shards as Inara flipped her sister and slammed her down hard into the furniture. Gasping for breath, their skin red with blood, they attacked again, Chelsea stabbing at Inara with a jagged spike of glass, the half-Naga batting it out of her hands in one swift move.

"I WON'T DIE!" Chelsea screamed at her, "I WON'T LET YOU!"

Inara merely raised her fists. A merry fire blazed in the fireplace, warm light drawn to the gold and copper furnishings of the room, the space brimming with decadence. Chelsea screamed and charged.

Inara blocked her left hook, snapping back with an open-palm strike to the face. Chelsea's head snapped back as Inara shoved her pain and weariness aside, kneeing her sister in the gut. A swift one-two followed, Inara punishing her sister with a right and left hook but Chelsea recovered with lightning speed, grabbing Inara by the arm and hurling her against the back of the sofa. A kick ploughed straight into Inara's, driving the air from her lungs as Chelsea spun, kicking her again in the head and sending her flipping over the sofa's back. Cackling the redhead leapt clean over the settee but Inara was ready on the other side, her legs shooting out like pistons.

Chelsea was blasted clean over the sofa, smacking down into the floorboards as Inara rolled to her feet, her breath coming out in short gurgling gasps. On the other side of the couch, Chelsea rose to her feet, her eyes blazing in a blue, black and red face. Without a single word the two girls leapt straight back into the battle. Furniture was turned into weapons, Chelsea tearing a small lamp from its table and hurling it at Inara. The half-Naga ducked, sparks and glass flying as the lamp shattered against the wall. But the distraction was enough for Chelsea to fly at her, a leaping kick sending Inara sailing back into a glass and metal shelf, crunching hard against it. Inara hit the ground, glass raining down on her as Chelsea lunged for the fireplace, pulling an iron poker from its place.

"JUST DIE ALREADY!" she screamed, eyes bulging out from her blood-splattered face.

Inara threw herself away, metal slamming into the ground. She rolled to her feet, hefting a length of steel from the shelf's wreckage. Expertly she twirled it in her hands, her silver eyes burning with light.

The Naga, the snake in her head and soul ate at her energy, consuming it and turn it into raw strength and reflex but unlike before it didn't burn her from inside out, leaving her an empty husk. Purpose fought back fatigue, pushing her on. She would pay the price for her power but later... after this was finished.

"En garde," Inara said dangerously, "Sis."

And she stabbed forwards, her footwork flawless, thanking Edmund for all his lesson, as Chelsea found herself outmatched.

"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!"

A lucky blow struck Inara cross the head, the half-Naga staggering as Chelsea howled with laughter, swiping at her. Inara parried, twisted their rough weapons around, locking them together as her other hand shot out, punching Chelsea in the face. Chelsea staggered as Inara slashed, the twisted end of the steel bar tearing through cloth and skin as her sister screamed, blood spurting from her chest.

"NO!" Chelsea bellowed.

She spun, kicking a photo frame from the mantle above the fire place, glass smacking into Inara's face as the warrior staggered back, blinded.

"NO!"

Enraged Chelsea grabbed a crystal decanter from its alcove, the scotch within a burnished amber. Without thinking, without hesitating she hurled the whole flask straight into the fireplace.

"BOOM!"

The alcohol instantly boiled, fumes igniting as tongues of blue-white flames shot out. Inara stumbled back, yelping, slapping at her burning sleeve as red-hot embers sailed through the air.

The sofa ignited, smouldering as flames licked the leather, finding the stuffing and wood and instantly flaring. Smoke choked both girls as devilish shadows cavorted on the walls, the fire swallowing everything in its path.

With a roar Chelsea exploded out from the flames, a burning chunk of wood in her hands as she swiped at Inara. Inara ducked, hair singeing as smoke attacked her viciously, her vision blurring as her throat went raw.

She charged, head lowered and rammed into her sister like a raging bull, Chelsea choking on a scream as her flaming weapon fell from her hands. They smashed into a burning wall, plaster groaning and breaking as they punched straight through the fire-weakened wall and through to the other side.

Both were blistered, both were streaked with soot and ash and bleeding from a dozen places but losing meant death.

Inara snapped out a kick, Chelsea diving out of the way as the blow shattered a wooden post, the canopy over a luxuriously made bed slanting dangerously.

Smoke and flames leapt through the whole in the wall, the carpet catching fire as the two girls duelled furiously in the centre of the bedroom.

Chelsea backhanded Inara, grabbing her head and ramming her knee straight into her sister's face before flinging her back. Inara smashed into a table, splinters flying as her head cracked into the mirror behind, glass cutting deep into her scalp. The half-Naga swayed on the spot, gasping desperately as numbness swept through her body, each breath sending pain shooting through her. Blearily she saw Chelsea tear the bed canopy apart, a jagged bar of wood clutched in her hands. Chelsea lined up her weapon, a smirk on her lips.

"CHARGE!" she screamed, spearing the wood straight at her sister.

Inara screamed as wood tore through her side. Without a thought she pulled it out, howling in pain, and swung.

With a sickening crack it clubbed into Chelsea's head, the girl hitting the ground. They stared at each other, bleeding, broken, their eyelids as heavy as lead, wanting nothing more than to close.

Inara coughed, smoke pouring down her throat as blood came up. She watched, the world tilting all around her as Chelsea pulled herself to her feet, unsteady, her eyes unfocused.

"Come on," her voice was a mere rasp, her face resigned, "Let's finish this!"

The Naga in her head screamed and Inara put all that she had left into one last charge. They flew at each other, clumsy, limbs as heavy as stone.

Chelsea swung at her and Inara ducked. A swift blow to the redhead's belly and she was staggering, gasping for breath. Inara was instantly up, eyes burning silver as she raised her foot.

"ARGH!"  
Chelsea screamed as Inara kicked her straight down into her knee. Inara felt it, something breaking, something popping and with a sickening crunch the knee was pulled out its joint, Chelsea howling as she fell.

Inara lashed out again without mercy, the only thought in her head was that of crushing her enemy, grinding her into the dirt and keeping her there.

The piece of wood she held in her hands thundered into Chelsea's shoulder. Tendons snapped, bone grinding against bone. The girl's scream grew louder as fire exploded around her shoulder, her arm suddenly dangling uselessly by her side.

Inara raised her weapon, the jagged splintered wood red with blood.

One blow and she would crack Chelsea's head open.

One blow and she would've beaten her sister.

One blow and her family would be safe.

"Do it," Chelsea hung her head, accepting her face, "Finish it."

But Inara hesitated.

This girl was not her enemy. Her sister was not the evil villain she thought she had to be. Inara remembered what Chelsea had told her about her own childhood, about her own fears and hopes.

Chelsea was not the enemy. She was nothing but a little girl who had the misfortune of being born into the wrong family. She had done some terrible things in her life, had tortured Inara, had enjoyed making her life hell but that did not mean she deserved to die.

Staring at her sister, at the anguish in her face Inara finally forgave her for everything. The half-Naga lowered her arm as Chelsea gaped at her.

"Inara... what..." she was weeping, "Do it damn it! Kill me! I deserve it! KILL ME!"

"Chelsea. Stop," Inara whispered, "Just stop."

Chelsea was shaking head desperately.

"No. I don't deserve to live. FINISH IT! KILL ME!"

Inara tossed the piece of wood aside and turned from her sister, limping away.

"KILL ME!"

Inara ignored her.

"Hey."

Inara turned and Jill Pole was there, standing behind Chelsea, grinning at her. Inara's eyes widened, her jaws dropping.

"CRACK!"

Chelsea was falling, her eyes blank, her neck twisted, broken neatly in two. Jill smiled at her, eyes dark, brushing her hands clean.

"I knew you couldn't do it," the agent of the darkness sneered, "Pathetic."

Inara could do nothing but stare at her, too tired to even shout.

"You better run darling," Jill giggled.

A white light suddenly blazed through every window in the house, the very foundations shaking as a terrible cry rent the air.

"Daddy's home," Jill whispered.

"What..." Inara swallowed, sucking in blood and burning air and smoke, "Why?"

And she fell forwards and knew no more.

**. . . . . . **

The blood in the once mighty Nile River boiled, Zaru gagging at the stench of death. The crimson churned, body after body bobbing to the surface, every creature that had once dwelled within the waters long-dead. The leopard cringed as rotting fish and decaying crocodiles were spat up onto the shore, lolling amongst the ruined crops that had once grown tall and strong along the riverbank.

Makat's face was contorted into a fierce frown, his obsidian sceptre pointed at the bloodied river. Through the blood, through the rot Zaru could smell the Tzaraath's excitement – his fury and his obsession.

"You do know this will mean war," the leopard said aloud.

Makat glanced at him, fire in his eyes as he remembered his humiliation at Amun's hands. The pharaoh had brought this on himself, he had had a chance to let the Tzaraath go, to free them from his madness but the mad king had ignored the signs, the warnings and he would pay for his arrogance.

"We will win that war!" the slave snapped.

"People will die. Not just Amun and his cronies but innocent people who have done nothing wrong but – "

"The innocent people who have stood idly by as the Tzaraath have bled?" Makat screamed at him, "They're no much innocent than the pharaoh himself!"

Zaru stared at the man, smelling his rage and it scared him.

"Makat..."

"The second plague..." Makat roared, "It comes!"

The sceptre was the weapon of the gods, a symbol of their anger at Amun and Makat was their champion, the instrument of the pharaoh's destruction. He could feel it, feel the power in this sceptre, power to bend the forces of nature to his will and the power to fall Tzara with terrible plagues and disasters until the Tzaraath were free.

Fire coursed through his body and Makat felt the desert shrieking through his bones and veins, the might of earth behind and before him. He was justice, he was light and he would defeat the tyrant!

A word came into his mind and to his tongue.

"Tsfardeia," he whispered, whirling and stabbing the air with his sceptre, "TSFARDEIA!"

Zaru yelped as he smelt damp and mildew and the bitter sting of poison. The blood in the river churned as violently as ever as dark shapes began to flash through the blood, heading towards shore. Zaru's eyes bulged as he realised just how many shadows there were, the dark forms easily numbering in their thousands.

"Makat!"

The slave staggered back, the smoking sceptre falling from his blistered hands as Zaru leapt at him.

"What did you do?" he howled.

Makat blinked, staring at him as a dazed smile crept across his face.

"The second plague," he whispered triumphantly.

And the first wave of forms burst out of the blood and leapt onto the sandy shores. Zaru's jaws dropped as the horned toads stared at him, croaking, their voices joining as one, becoming a thunderous rumble in the still of night. More and more toads leapt from the blood, their skins the colour of oil in water, dull rainbow-like colours that shifted and changed with each passing moment. Poison, thick and white, oozed from their warts on their skins as they croaked, staring at Zaru and Makat as one.

Zaru blinked and blinked and just for good measure blinked again.

"Oh bloody hell!"

Sheer panic tore through his mind as he tensed, ready to fight, ready to protect Makat.. Zaru glared at the slave.

"Next time you conjure up divine retribution can you please make sure we're not in the middle of it?"

Makat blinked stupidly at him, still dazed, and growling, Zaru swatted him over the head, his eyes flashing

"Get up," he snarled, "NOW!"

The toads leapt and Zaru hissed, instantly slashing out as Makat yelped, scrambling back. The leopard's claw met nothing as he blinked, the toads leaping clear over his body. They rained down onto the desert behind, hitting the sand in puffs of grit before jumping again, all of the venomous amphibians completely ignoring the cat and human staring after them in shock.

As the first wave advanced exploding out of the bloody river, overrunning the banks in seconds. Around Makat and Zaru there was a lone clear circle of calm but everywhere else there was squirming, writhing bodies, fat tongues, bulging eyes and glistening poisonous skin. The army of toads was an overwhelming sight, their croaks hammering at Zaru's sensitive ears, their scent venom threatening to overwhelm his nose. Through the darkness they swiftly invaded the farms of Tzara, the outskirts of Tzara, the streets and in the space of few minutes they were everywhere.

Zaru gaped at Makat as the Tzaraath stared back at him, eyes wide, face white with excitement. Zaru opened his mouth, trying to speak, trying to talk but he could manage a tiny squeak. Screams suddenly sliced through the night, torches spluttering into life and the city of Tzara had a very rude awakening.

**. . . . . . **

They walked through the dark city, through endless streets of black buildings and black metal roads, past thousands of softly glowing Seeds, the pods where sleepers used to dream but dreamt no more. Elias had no idea where they were, only that they were moving ever closer to the Tower, its gleaming form half seen in the spaces between the tall dark buildings.

"Jakob," he called.

The Gardener turned back to him. In the three days that Caspian had slept inside his pod, healing the wound his attacker had inflicted, Elias had come to know the man well. Jakob was a scientist once, a man of like him until his world had ended. Chosen for his skills, he had been one of the few to made Gardener, warder and guardian of the sleepers in their Seeds.

The solitude had almost broken the man, working in the shadows of what had once been, all the people he had ever known and loved trapped forever in their sleep. Jakob knew only how to maintain the sleep, not to awaken them but even if he even could, the thought would've never struck him. It was too cruel to wake people from their own paradise and back to the nothing their world had become. And he was intelligent to realise his was a fruitless task, all he could do was keep his people stagnant, static forever, frozen in this time and place until age killed their bodies. There was no hope, no salvation, just toiling in the darkness until he too died.

More than one Gardener had taken their own lives upon the same realisation.

The man looked at him, frowning, muttering to himself, an unnerving habit he had.

"Has any Gardener tried to reach the Tower?" Elias asked.

"Of course, we did send teams to see what was happening," Jakob said blithely.

"And?" Caspian asked.

Jakob shrugged.

"None of them came back," he said as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

Caspian and Elias stared at the man.

"And you didn't think it was important to mention this before?' Elias demanded.

Jakob frowned.

"Well... I suppose that is a problem now that I think about it."

They gaped at him, the Gardener seemingly not noticing as he turned away, muttering once more to himself.

"He's crazy!" Caspian yelped, looking at Elias, "He's absolutely crazy!"

"I think he just hasn't been around a lot of people lately," Elias tried to reason.

In front of them Jakob had started singing, humming to himself as he absently-mindedly clapped along with the rhythm. He began to stomp the time as well, his boots ramming hard against the metal ground. Elias put on his most innocent look as the king glared at him.

"Well, it's too late to turn back now," the scientist pointed out as Caspian closed his eyes and let out a long breath.

"If we die I'm blaming you."

Elias wisely said nothing. Caspian glanced at the shadows all around, a pod above offering the only light in this section of the dark city. He tightened his grip on the gun he held.

"Do we know?" he asked quietly.

Elias frowned.

"Do we know about who attacked us?" the king clarified.

Healed though he was, Caspian could still remember that moment, the shock, the unbelievable agony as he grabbed at the arrow sticking out of his own flesh. The scar there ached as if remembering its own violent birth, his steps stumbling ever so slightly.

"No," Elias grimace, "I asked. I even checked the computer records. No one has any idea who our attacker is."

"You mean my attacker," Caspian said grimly.

Elias glanced at him as Caspian met his gaze squarely.

"He knocked you out then tried to kill me," the king pointed, "I think we can safely say it's me he wants."

"Any idea why?"

"He said he had to and he was sorry," Caspian could still remember those words through the fog of pain and blood loss.

Elias blinked but before he could add anything, Jakob called out, the man having wandered a few metres ahead.

"We're there."

Caspian frowned. The Tower was still miles away, its long profile pulsing with light but Jakob had stopped, triumph in his voice as he spoke.

"Here it is!"

It was set on a pair of metal rails that ran along the ground. Squat and made of the same dark steel as the city around, it was not an impressive thing. But one touch from Jakob and it instantly came to life, lines of glowing blue bursting to live, the thing humming as it rose several inches above its tracks.

"What – "

"This is a travel-rail. It leads to the Tower," Jakob mounted the stairs and stepped onto the floating platform, his hands wrapped tight around the rails that guarded its edge.

"The Tower where nobody comes back from?" Caspian asked dryly as he joined the man.

The Gardener seemed not to notice his tone. Elias stepped onto the travel-rail cautiously, the thing bobbing with his weight but soon righting itself.

"Hold on," Jakob warned, "It might get rough."

Caspian and Elias glanced at each other but before they could say another word Jakob hit a button on the travel-rail's control panel. It shook beneath their feet, blue lights flashing red and back as they grabbed at the rails.

"What?" Elias yelped, "What's going – "

Before Elias could get another world out, the travel-rail blasted off, rocketing along its track as Jakob whooped with joy, his voice drowning on his companions' cries of shock and horror.

**. . . . . . **

The first plague had sown discord and chaos, people running screaming in the streets, their world having been pulled out under their feet. There had been whispers, Tzara becoming a cesspit of unease and fears, all eyeing the pharaoh for salvation, the whispers loudening with each passing moment as the blood-filled Nile River curdled. Riots had broken out, people lashing out wildly, terrified of something they could not fight. Tzara's army had brutally swept them all aside, an uneasy peace stamped onto the desert city.

But the second plague had brought no only chaos but death.

"No..." the woman clutched at her husband's face, "No... please..."

She looked up, staring at the death all around her.

"PLEASE!" she shrieked, voice breaking with her mind, "WAKE UP!"

She lunged at a still child, shaking him frantically.

"Stop sleeping!" she shrieked, "STOP! WAKE UP! SMILE! PLEASE! WAKE UP!"  
But they were all cold.

"PLEASE!"

Behind her deep revibrating croaks echoed up from the well, the water within boiling and churning with a thousand writhing toads. The woman shrieked, flailing, knocking an amphora over. The cask tipped, water gurgling out, white with poison.

All over the city the same scene could be seen at every well and spring, the water thick with toads and their poisons. Many had perished, drinking before realising the danger.

It was too much. Like a spark in a haystack, the death set Tzara ablaze once more.

"STOP THEM!" the soldier screamed, "STOP THEM!"

The line of guards buckled as Tzara's citizens raged, fighting Amun's men with knives and staves and rocks, some biting and scratching like cornered beasts. Hundreds perished but the soldiers were few against the savage rioting crowds, soldiers falling under an endless onslaught, torn apart where they fell.

"NO!"

One of Amun's magicians staggered back, eyes bulging from his head as blood gurgled from gaping gash in his throat. He collapsed as the pharaoh kicked his body aside, his dark eyes sweeping his court.

"HOW?" he screamed, bloody knife in hand, "HOW?"

He stabbed at his magicians, at his advisors and slaves barking with laughter as they recoiled.

"He is a slave!" Amun barked, "He should bend to ME!"

He raised his sandalled foot, snarling as he stomped on a toad, ichor and venom sprayed the ground as the other toads stared at him unblinkingly, his own palace, his sanctuary as violated as the rest of his city.

His menageries of sacred animals were dead, cats and jackals and crocodiles sprawled still and silent on the ground, toads crawling all over their bodies.

Amun whirled and his court could only stare at him, timid and afraid.

"Bring that slave the square," he spat, "Bring him there and we shall see who is truly the chosen of the gods!"

The court stood, paralysed as Amun raised his blade, his face contorted into a demonic mask of pure rage and hate.

"NOW!" he spat.

And in a flurry of limbs and cloth everyone fled, the toads watching as glistening poison oozed from their every pore.

**. . . . . . **

The travel-rail screeched to a halt and Caspian was slammed into the rails, the man cursing wildly. Elias was breathing hard, his knuckles white around his support as Jakob laughed with pure joy.

"I..." Elias licked his lips, "That..."

"Fastest way to travel!" Jakob smacked the scientist on the back and Elias was left wheezing.

He caught sight of Caspian's dark look and instantly wobbled himself into place between the king and the Gardener just in case.

"Here we are."

The Tower stood right before them, a single pillar of painfully bright light, impossibly tall, its peak lost in the dark sky above. This close the world was all light on second then darkness the next, white and shadow alternating, flicking rapidly, the rapid change stabbing at the eyes.

"What is that?"

Elias stumbled off the travel-rail, his eyes trying to adjust to the blaze then the gloom but the thing that drawn the scientist was impossible to miss.

Whispers rose from it, cries for help and mercy that raised the hair on his skin. It laid as a moat around the foot of the Tower, the glass shaft at the centre of the corruption spreading through the Orchard, a pool of utter darkness.

"I have no idea," Jakob breathed.

Caspian ignored them both, the guns he had been armed with in his hands, the king looking around, searching, ready to shoot at the slightest hint of danger.

Elias stepped closer to the pool of shadows, studying it as the darkness rose, its thick syrupy form rising as though trying to reach the man. The whispers grew, louder, more frantic, the words bleeding together in one endless rush of pleading, begging sound.

"What – "

Elias knelt at the edge of the pool, frowning, trying to lean in closer.

"Elias," Caspian snapped out warningly but the scientist ignored him, Jakob by his side.

"I've never seen it before," Jakob frowned, "This... this wasn't here before."

And that's when it happened.

Caspian saw movement from the corner of his eyes and shouted but it was already too late.

A flash of silver shot through the air aiming straight for him, the king hitting the ground.

A second flash of movement.

White fire exploded out from the shadows.

"CASPIAN!"

White and silver met and exploded, flames flying out in all directions, heat warping the very air as Elias and Jakob cried out.

"NO!"

The shockwaves hit them, pitching them forward and straight into the pool of darkness as Caspian yelled out. The whispers became screams, cries of utter joy as both men plunged deep into the liquid black.

"ELIAS! JAKOB!"

Their attackers emerged from the darkness, from the smoke.

The mysterious bowman, every inch of skin and hair hidden in black, a very familiar silver crossbow held in his hands.

Jason, his eyes dead, his eyes blank, ruach burning at his fingertips.

They aimed straight at Caspian, the king's eye widening.

"Wait – "

A fire orb and a burst of ruach flew straight at the Telmarine as he shouted out, seconds away from being blasted out of existence.

**. . . . . . **

"This is a terrible idea."

Makat ignored him.

"MAKAT! MAKAT!" his honour guard, a contingent of Tzaraath, cheered his name, uncaring of the chaos they walked through.

The sound all around was deafening, the toads' croaks clashing and amplifying, punching into the ear and vibrating through the bones. The people of Tzara hid in their homes, watching the procession, the whole city holding its breath for what this day will bring.

"Amun is not going to give up!" the leopard snapped.

"He summoned me," Makat smiled down at his Cat God, amused by his blindness, "As equals. He fears me now. The end is coming Cat God!"

"You think a bunch of toads and a river of blood is going to finish him? You haven't hurt him at all! His army still stands strong! His magicians are still undefeated! You haven't won you idiot! "

Makat laughed.

"How can I lose? The gods are on my side? Have you not heard of the legends? The champions of Ra? They stand triumphant over evil, their word becomes law!" he brandished his sceptre high, "How can I lose with this?"

The Tzaraath cheered.

"MAKAT!" his people roared, "MAKAT!"

Zaru grounded his teeth together.

"The legends are not real life," he tried to calm the anger in his voice, tried to be reasonable, "The legends never mention the people who die in the crossfire! Look around you! Look at the people who hide in their homes!"

Zaru can smell death on the wind, could smell terror. How he wished it was only the wicked who had fallen but the plague had struck all of Tzara and those deaths, some were just innocent people who had nothing to do with their pharaoh's madness. There was blood on Makat and Zaru's hands, a debt to be paid.

"Are all the woman and children who died evil? How evil can a baby be?" Zaru demanded, trying to make Makat see, trying to pull his head out of the myth of righteous adventure and undiluted quests of good against evil.

Makat did not seem to hear him. Zaru growled, hackles rising.

"This is stupid. You cannot meet Amun. At least send your people back."

"The gods protect me and I protect my people," Makat smiled, "All will be well. See. We are already here."

They stepped out of the shade of the street and into a wide stone-paved plaza. Amun stood in the full attire of a pharaoh, his sceptre gold and lapis lazuli, his kilt and head-dress toned in the same two colours.

Toads writhed and crawled on the ground, as many as the sand grains themselves, a ceaseless invading mass, moving with one mind, one purpose.

"I am here!" Makat called.

Tzara's citizens stared at the slave who had brought their city to its knees and trembled. Makat walked through the sea of toads, the poisonous beasts melting out of his way as Zaru padded before him, his tail stiff with disapproval.

The soldiers stiffened, the darkly cloaked wizards of Amun's court piercing Makat with their venomous eyes. The people watched, cowed, wavering as god and demon faced each other but which was which? Which was saviour? Which was damnation? They could only watch and pray as two forces, both beyond their own, clashed before their very yes.

"Stop this," Amun snarled, his voice promising death.

Makat smiled mockingly, his obsidian sceptre held tight in his hands.

"Let my people go."

Zaru smelt fire and smoke boiling under the spiced oils and perfumes Amun favoured. It was the scent of rage, deranged and unfettered, loose and feral, straining to hurt and rend. But shot through that was the smell of rot and bitter darkness, gibbering fear and the instability that brought.

He wanted to scream, to grab Makat by the scruff of his neck and drag him away but it was too late. The stage was set, Makat against Amun, neither bending, two impossible forces smashing into each other.

"I will not bend down to you," Amun vowed, spitting out the words, "NEVER!"

The toads answered with their own thunderous voices, mocking his answer as his people stared at their king, haggard and broken but begging to him would be like begging to the stones – Amun simply did not care.

"Return my river back to me and destroy these toads," Amun commanded, his voice ringing through the air.

"I will," Makat replied calmly, the Tzaraaths standing tall and proud behind him, no longer broken, terrified slaves but people willing to fight for their freedom.

Hope was a fragile thing, an idea with no substance unless there was those willing to believe and pay for it no matter the cost. But once made into life hope was a fire, devouring all, consuming all, a blazing beacon that changed all it touched. Makat was that hope and the Tzaraaths had thrown off their shackles, their despair and were made completely anew. It was intoxicating, Zaru smelling spring and summer in the slave's once dying scents.

It made his hackles raise. Everything was so volatile, like watching a match before a pool of oil, the whole world ready to ignite at any given breath.

"... but the price is my people's freedom," Makat finished.

Amun screamed, stabbing his own royal sceptre at the slave like the judging fingers of a demented god.

"I AM THE SON OF THE GODS THEMSELVES!" he shrieked, "WHAT ARE YOU? MY WORD IS THE WILL OF THE DIVINE! MY WORD IS LAW!"

"Actually –" Zaru could hold his tongue no more.

Makat was an idiot, ignorant and proud but Amun was a tyrant, cruel and ruthless, crushing the Tzaraath beneath his sandals for no other reason than he could. Caging people, torturing them, breaking them – that was something Zaru could not stomach anymore!

The pharaoh's jaws dropped as everyone's eyes swung to the speaker.

"I think I'm the god here," Zaru smirked, his blue-grey eyes glaring at the pharaoh, "And my word is 'let these people go'!"

Whispers swept through the gathered crowd like wildfire, glances swapped and stored, Amun's eyes bulging as he stared at the talking leopard.

"No..."

The gasp escaped his lips, a sound of shock and weakness. There was no denying what was before him. A talking beast, a blessed creature of the gods of themselves, golden fun sunlit by the rays of the Mother. But why would it appear to the slaves? Why would it stand with the unworthy? The beast should be with him!

No... the beast was not blessed. It was a –

"DEMON!" he shrieked, pointing at Zaru, "VILE SNAKE! HE IS A LIAR! HE IS A DEVIL SENT TO DRAG US TO THE AFTERLIFE! DO NOT BELIVE HIM!"  
The pharaoh whirled on his people, brandishing his sceptre, his sword unsheathed and stabbing up into the sky.

"I AM GOD!" he yelled, face contorted, voice demented "I AM GOD!"

He glared at Makat, glared at Zaru, fire and sparks flying from his eyes.

"KILL THEM!" he spat, foam flying from his mouth, "KILL THE HEATHENS! KILL THE DEMON WHO DARES TO WEAR A GOD'S FACE!"

Tasting his terror Zaru smirked and lunged forwards, claws unsheathing.

The soldiers charged with a roar, baying for blood as the citizens screamed, fleeing, toads crushed underfoot as blood and venom made the stony ground slick.

"FOR ASLAN AND SUSAN!" Zaru roared with relish as he hurled himself at the soldiers.

He swiped and slashed, twisting and leaping through the flailing mass, the clumsy humans always a fraction too slow to even dream of touching him. His jaws snapped forwards, bone and muscle pulling away as the soldier fell.

"RUN YOU IDIOTS!" Zaru roared as Makat and the Tzaraaths stared at him dumbly.

Amun laughed as his magicians swept forwards, their dark cloaks flung back as they raised their hands. Incense filled the air as a golden crucible spewed out smoke and sparks, one of the wizards swinging the lamp on a staff of gold.

Harsh alien words flew from the wizened men as the sky rumbled overhead, the toads flying, venom spitting from their pores. A woman fell, choking on the poison as she was instantly swallowed up by the crowd, trampled underfoot.

"RUN!" Zaru spat as the Tzaraaths stared at him stupidly.

They were slaves, knowing only a lifetime of cages and obedience. They lusted for freedom but they did not know how to fight for it. Even Makat with all of his dreams and visions was stricken, unsure of what to do.

Cursing the leopard tore out a soldier's throat without hesitation, spring-boarding off his shoulders and launching himself at another enemy.

"DIE!"

One of the soldiers stabbed at him as Zaru leapt away, hitting the ground and rolling before slashing out, tearing the swordman's ankles apart. The man fell as the wizards screamed the last word to their spell.

"BOOM!"  
Makat was flung to the side as the air roared and screamed, writhing in pain.

"GARGH!"  
Three of the Tzaraaths were torn apart where they stood, invisible hooks and claws ripping into them, flesh and blood flying everywhere before they collapsed into a broken twisted heap.

Makat stared at the bodies, his face splattered with cooling blood, his mouth agape.

"RUN!" Zaru screamed as Amun's laughter boomed through the air, "RUN YOU IDIOT!"

The wizards were chanting once more, their powers igniting the air around them.

"NO!"

Makat whirled, stabbing his obsidian sceptre straight at Amun's men, screaming in fury.

The first man fell, blood exploding out from his eyes as the second toppled, crimson pumping his ears. The wizards stopped, eyes widening in horror as Makat screamed and screamed, lashing out once more.

Toads tore out of another wizard's mouth as he choked, falling to his knees as he vomited out more and more of the squat venomous creatures Amun's laughter cutting off as the soldiers lowered their swords with shaking hands staring at the Tzaraath with the black stone sceptre.

"YOU WILL PAY!" Makat screamed as the desert echoed his cry, storms birthing as the winds shrieked.

The fringes of the square was littered with bodies, some crushed by the panicking crowds, others poisoned, others struck down by the wizards' stray powers.

"KINIM!" Makat bellowed, his voice not his own, "KINIM!"  
He struck the ground with his sceptre and sand flew into the air. Before everyone's eyes, the sand changed, moving, buzzing. Gold became darkness and the dark cloud moved with one mind arrowing towards Amun and his men.

The sand around Makat's feet, leapt, bounding as one as Zaru's eyes saw the thousands of little insects that made up the swarm. They leapt as one over his head, the lice leaping towards the pharaoh.

"NO!" Amun screamed as gnats and lice swarmed him and his wizards.

They fell, slapping at themselves as thousands of tiny mouths bit into them. But Makat was not done.

"AROV!"

And in a screaming rush of wind and sand, a surging cloud of black moving forms plunged down from the heavens, sweeping through the swarms of gnats and lice. They came in a procession with buzz of a thousand beating wings, anywhere and everywhere, blotting out the heavens themselves.

The wizards screamed as they were swallowed up by the darkness, more spiralling down from the skies, bringing with it the tang of poison and blood.

"What..." Zaru's skin crawled as his keen eyes caught sight of the wizard's attackers.

They flew with a flys' gossamer wings but no hands of nature could've ever crafted such creatures. Cruel human-like faces, crowned with gold and framed with hair, bared needle-like teeth, each face shrieking with laughter, eyes burning like coals. Their bodies were like horses made in miniature, tiny hooves kicking out, slashing flesh. And their tail was not the soft hair of a true mount but the arching black armoured weapon of a scorpion.

The Arov howled and lunged forwards, hooves and teeth and stings leaving behind bloody blows and gashes.

The people of Tzara thrashed, besieged on all sides by tiny insects, natural and blasphemous but they could not fighting against an army that numbered in the billions. A troop of soldiers broke ranks and ran for their lives, screaming.

"NO!" one of the soldiers stumbled, slapping at insects as they flew into his eyes and mouth, blinding and choking him.

The human-faced Arov screamed the command and in a single vast wave, the insects swept through Tzara, every inch of space crawling with winged and carapaced creatures.

Makat slumped to the ground, his eyes wide, his pupils small and constricted as blood dribbled from his nose.

"No..."  
He was kneeling in a pool of his own people's blood and bodies, unaware and uncaring of the havoc he had just wreaked as gnats and lice and the monstrous Arov plagued Tzara.

"No..."

"This is the price of freedom," Zaru said flatly.

He was still young by any means but Zaru was also a veteran. He had been in many worlds, seen many battles and won and lost and the one thing he had learned was that nothing ever came without a price.

Makat wanted freedom? This was the price. Terrible and bloody but it had to be paid.

"What do I do?" Makat begged staring up at him, "I don't want this... I don't want people to die."

"You've started the war. Stupidly and foolishly, you blundered through the first steps onto that path" Zaru said harshly, "You can give up now and Amun will execute you and all the Tzaraath to prevent this from ever happening again... or you can fight and just pray that the losses are not too high."

Makat wanted answers. He wanted reassurances but Zaru couldn't give him that. He wished he could, he wished it was that easy but it wasn't.

"So..."  
Zaru stared into Makat's eyes.

"What's your choice?"

**. . . . . . **

Green light suddenly flared before him, the ruach and the fire orb smashing into it, detonating harmlessly against an invisible wall. Caspian looked up as a form dropped to the ground before him, the light fading.

The king gaped.

"Inara?"

**. . . . . . **

And here ends another chapter! I hope you've enjoyed it and once again apologies for the long delay but RL is a cruel mistress.


	82. The taking of the Empress

New chapter! Get it whilst it's hot – thank you to Autumnia, Emmaplease and buzzingbee for reviewing the last chapter. I know updates are sporadic but come on! More reviews please! Reviews give me inspiration and drive me to write faster and update more frequently! So please review this chapter at least!

Disclaimer: you know the drill by now hopefully…

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 82: The taking of the Empress **

The Pearl was in ruins. The City Above, a bastion of hope and light for centuries untold had been attacked. The Hall of Mirrors, the lock to the darkness behind the iron door had been shattered. The Empress, beloved one of the gods themselves, had been humiliated.

Everything was chaos.

Everything was in flux.

The Empress had retreated to her chambers, hiding away from the world and in her absence rumours ran rampant in her palace. But if there was unrest in the City Above, there was anarchy in the City Below.

The Blue Swords were pushed to their limits, the Oni working with them to try and keep order. Riots had broken out, the people of Rainna unable to take anymore. For weeks a madman had stalked their streets, killing men, women and child in their own homes. For weeks they had kept their faith in their Empress, in the High Inquisitor. But the monster, the Dawn-Breaker, had stolen straight into the stronghold of their beloved ruler and had shattered the Hall of Mirrors.

The darkness within was free.

The Dawn-Breaker had triumphed.

The world was coming to an end.

"Please kindly remember you are the Treasured Ones."

Rosalinda's voice was like a lighthouse glimpsed in the midst of a storm-churned sea, a harbour that drew them in all and gave them heart.

Galeal bore a bandage on one side of her face, the girl only half-marked. Her eyes burned as she looked at Rosalinda, the other Treasured Ones had eyes that were red-rimmed and glimmering with tears.

"We serve the Empress. We are her ambassadors. We have lost brothers and sisters..."

The nightmares were still all too fresh in their minds. The cries, the blood, bodies falling, ripped apart and trampled. Everything, everywhere just screaming faces and grabbing hands, a crush of humanity fighting to survive.

And the end of it all, the falling of the doors, the rushing of the darkness, the sign that everything they believed in, had lived for was a lie.

"But we must stand strong. If we crumble. If we allow our enemies to see our weakness... We are here to protect the Empress and we fight for her in our own way," Rosalinda said firmly, her voice ringing in the chamber, "As soon as you leave this room. I do not want to see tears. I do not want to see mourning. You must be strong. You must go about your way as if nothing has changed."

The woman stood tall in the centre of the room, surrounded by her charge, her students. Many of the Treasured Ones bore cuts and bruises. More were in the Palace infirmary, some with just broken bones, others with horrifying injuries, limbs mangled or just shorn off completely.

"The others will look to us and they will draw strength from us."

Rosalinda glanced at them all, her blues calm, her face serene, exuding the strength she wanted them all to have.

"The Hall of Mirrors have fallen. But the Empress still stands. The Pearl still stands. We still stand and until we take our last breaths we will stand as the Treasured Ones."

Rosalinda smiled.

"Now please... the day awaits us."

And she turned, swanning out of the room in a swirl of red silk and flaming hair, the Treasured Ones slowly following in her wake.

. . . . . . .

Edmund ducked, the chamberpot smashing against the wall above his head.

"Oh come on!" he snapped straightening, "That's a little unnecessary!"

"You failed us!" the woman shrieked at him.

She was haggard, her face streaked with dirt and tears, her fists beaten raw. This woman had lost her husband and son, both victims of the Dawn-Breaker. Edmund had heard too many stories that told of the same thing – the monster still on the loose, families and lives ruined, the Blue Sword failing completely in their sacred duty.

Even though Edmund had only been a Blue Sword for a few short days he felt the crushing weight of that failure, felt it in the dark despairing gazes that pretended not to look at him as he patrolled the streets, choking him when confronted with furious weeping men, women and children.

"We're doing all we can," the word were impossibly weak.

Aloe was dead. Killed by the man her very own husband had brought to the Pearl in chains.

Edmund remembered all too well that night in the Hall of Mirrors. The Dawn-Breaker and the Asuryan High Lord, the chaos and the death, the breaking of the door.

In the days that had followed the City Below had all but descended into sheer madness. Riots brewed at every corner, criminals working in plain daylight, arsons gutting building after building. The faith in the Blue Swords and all the other Guardians had failed, the High Inquisitor herself cursed with every breath.

The Empress was a fraud.

The High Inquisitor was her dog.

Edmund was tired of walking through the streets, endlessly and fruitlessly searching for signs and clues that were just not there. He was tired of being spat on, of being attacked.

And he was once more cut off from Susan and Peter. His sister was still in the City Above, the Pearl all but sealing itself off from the outside world. Peter was gone with the other Oni, sent on a mission by the orders of the Empress herself.

Edmund sighed. He had barely seen them in the aftermath of the attack on the Pearl, a few short moments snatched between the chaos and now this. He just prayed they were doing better than he was.

"Liars!" the woman screamed, "LIARS ALL OF YOU!"

Edmund had no choice but to weather her abuse, her fists and walk away, his grip white-knuckled around the hilt of his sword. He rounded the corner and the woman kicked out at him one last time before dashing off. The Just King ignored her, too exhausted to even care anymore.

"Ed?"

It was Corin, his eyes as haunted as they were that night of the attack. He looked as dishevelled and wane as Edmund felt, his sword still awkward in his hands.

"Anything?" Corin asked roughly.

He had been aged. The light that had once been in him, that irrepressible spark, had been all too abruptly snuffed as he watched Aloe fall, as he watched his Empress weep brokenly amidst the ruins of her hall. Corin was no longer a boy but something caught in between, a scarred soul in a young body.

Edmund shook his head and another line seemed to crease Corin's face. It pained the king to see that. Corin has always been a spark of light in the courts of both Narnia and Archenland, his laughter and boyish ways always bringing a smile to other's faces. Even as he had grown that had remained unchanged and to see it now, so completely crushed, a part of Edmund mourned.

"There's nothing. Nothing but people yelling at us," the boy said despondently.

"We'll find something," Edmund tried to sound confident, tried to sound anything but utterly exhausted.

Many of the Blue Swords had already fled, the Barracks all but abandoned.

Edmund closed his eyes.

Bad news stacked on more bad news building a mountain that threatened to crush them all.

There was a scream, cries of anger and shock and Corin and Edmund glanced at each other. The boy's face was bleak but he nodded, the smile that had always graced his face now looking strange and plastered on.

"Let's go," Edmund said wearily.

Sword in hands, the two Blue Swords ran, their steps ringing in a city on the brink of destruction.

"FAILURE!"

"YOU LET US DIE!"

It was something Edmund had seen much too often. A mob, anger feeding on anger, hate on hate. They roared and they raged, battering at the enemies they could see and once they were none they touched on each other with equal ferocity. But this mob, this herd of human beasts had a target.

"DEATH TO THE EMPRESS!"

"DEATH TO THE GUARDIANS!"

High Inquisitor Lucinda stood over a cowering form, her sword in her hands, her face serene despite the fact she was surrounded by a mob that was baying for her blood.

"INQUISITOR!" Corin roared.

"CORIN! NO!" Edmund yelled.

The blonde boy lunged, his sword slashing down. A man fell, clutching at his chest as Corin roared, whirling, his eyes wide and crazed as though he was a cornered beast. A woman, a mere girl, screamed, clutching the bleeding stump of her hand. Corin staggered, the sword falling from his hands, blood gushing from his nose. A brute laughed, kicking the boy, stomping on him as Corin frantically tried to fend him off.

"CRACK!"

The oaf fell, Lucinda standing over him, her sheathed sword in her hands.

"Please," she said to the few that lingered still, "I have no quarrel with you."

A man grabbed at her but the High Inquisitor cracked him over the head with her sheathed blade, knocking him out in one swift blow. Edmund booted another woman back, chivalry all but forgotten, the Just King punching and kicking any who stepped too close.

First one fled, than another, than a third, the whole mob disintegrating, running to find easier targets. Only the unconscious remained and the two Corin had fell, the man staring blankly up at the sky, mouth opening and closing mindlessly as blood bubbled out, the woman was still weeping, still clutching her severed limb.

"The Red Hearts will come soon," Lucinda said gently kneeling down beside the woman.

Despite the fact that they had been ready to kill her, the High Inquisitor showed them no hostility, tearing off strips of her own gown to help bind their wounds.

Edmund helped Corin up, wincing at the huge mottled bruise that was already forming on the boy's chin. Corin winked at him, spitting out blood and teeth.

"Shouldn't have charged in," he managed to grin but it did not reach his eyes, "But I got them good!"

"Yes, attacking an unarmed man and woman with a sword and almost mortally wounding them," Edmund muttered dryly, "That's great."

A part of him was horrified that the boy could give so little regard to the suffering he had caused. But before Edmund could say another word, a gibbering voice cut him off.

"Pain. Pain. Pain."

Edmund turned and stared at the man lying on the ground, a sac of bones and skin. The man twisted his head, the knobs of his spine protruding from his back, his cheeks and eyes sunken and hollow. Wiry hair grew stubbornly from one side of his head, the other the waxy shiny rolling scars that came only from burns.

"Bad. Bad."

The man was beating at himself, his fists rapping against his ribs, bruises and sores covering almost every square inch of his being.

"Bad Danaid! Danaid must be punished! Punished for what he has done! For what he has seen!" the man screamed, bucking, throwing himself against the ground.

"High Inquisitor?" Edmund looked at Lucinda, the shock of seeing the woman who was almost a twin of his sister having finally worn off, "Who is this?"

Lucinda rose, her hands bloodied.

"That is Danaid."

"What – " Corin was openly gaping as the man wept, picking at his wounds, making them bleed afresh.

"A gift from the Empress," Lucinda said simply, "He's going to help us find the Dawn-Breaker."

. . . . . . .

There were mountains to the north of Rainna, huge monolithic teeth known simply as the Kings. Who and what the kings were had been long lost in the mists of time. High above the land they rose, their shadows so black, so absolute that for miles all round nothing grew.

The mountain side were bored with vents, sulphur and smoke pouring out, the faintest of red glowing to show the molten heart that beat at the centre of the earth.

It was blighted, forsaken place; a shadow to the glory of the Pearl so many miles away.

A wind swept down from the great peaks, bringing with it the taste of ashes, bitter and stinging. Peter grimaced, rubbing the grit from his eyes and looking aslant at his companion.

Halcyon was like a corpse, his face a solid rigid mask, tension stiffening every single muscle in his body. He breathed but he did not live, his thoughts forever frozen in that one moment, his wife falling before him, her face torn from her skull.

Halcyon was dead but his flesh still lived on, stumbling ever onwards until someone finally finished the job. The perfect man for a mission such as this.

"Onwards," the war-captain commanded, his voice as hard as his face.

They walked, crawling and stumbling over great rivulets of petrified lava, the stone as warm as blood. With bleeding and blistered feet they marched on having long abandoned their horses, the steeds refusing to enter the shade of the Kings.

At the head of the small army Lucia ran, her armour as light to her as cloth, her glaive burning with blue light. Everyone gave her a wide berth. She had failed the Empress, had failed her people, miserably and completely. In her mind the breaking of the Hall of Mirrors was as much her fault as the monsters who had done it. The darkness behind the door was free and General Lucia the Magnificent would restore her honour by destroying it once and for all. She did not sleep, did not eat, did not do anything but run, every hunger pang, every moment of pain and suffering penance for her failure.

Belfleur suddenly froze in his tracks, his head coming out, nose flaring. The others instantly stopped, tensing, waiting.

"Above!" the diminutive man suddenly called out, stabbing up at the heavens with his blade.

They dove for cover, plunging into cracks in the earth. Rock scraped against their skin, screeching against their armour as they fell. They waited, huddled in the darkness, their eyes searching the sky.

It soon emerged from over the horizon a silver thing winging its way through the air, light glancing off its form. A wyvern, one lone draconian plane searching the air and land, the fourth they had seen so far.

"Another sentry," Dagon growled.

"We must be getting closer," Peter said grimly.

He crawled out of the crevasse with ropes of green flames, Lucia dragging herself up beside him, the General's face like ice and stone.

"Kill it Peter."

"What?" the High King gaped at the woman who was almost his sister.

Her blue-greens eyes flashed.

"KILL IT!"

The wyvern screeched, its head swinging around as it the General's cry.

"KILL IT!" Lucia roared as the other Oni stumbled back out into the light, "KILL IT NOW!"

The machine in the sky was turning, its talons outstretched. The Oni were falling back into a defensive formation, glaives out but Lucia and Halcyon stood alone, the General roaring at the heavens, the war-captain silent and still beside her.

"HALYCON! GENERAL!" Belfleur yelled, desperately as the wyvern screeched again, rage in its eyes.

"PETER!" Dagon roared.

The wyvern was diving, wings flared, ready to strike. Lucia howled wildly, ready to fight to the death.

"COME ON!" she screamed, "COME AND GET ME!"

A great burst of light rent the air, thunder hammering at them as a single searing bolt of lightning speared the thing straight through the chest. It fell, crashing to the earth, torn apart by the impact as Peter slowly lowered his hand. Smoke hung thick in the air, the Oni breathing a sigh of relief as Lucia whirled, furious.

"Why the hell did you do that?' she spat.

"I saved your life," Peter returned icily.

The General lowered her glaive, her eyes flashing.

"You stood there and did nothing when I ordered you to. I assumed you didn't have the nerve to do what was needed," she growled.

Once upon a time Peter would've exploded, would've started shouting but the High King had finally learnt to hold his temper. But it was hard. Susan and Edmund were back in Rainna, his sister in the City Above, his brother in the City Below. Neither place was safe at the moment. So the last thing Peter wanted to do was to traipse through the bloody mountains with a deranged suicidal doppelganger of his sister whilst Susan and Edmund were in any possible danger.

"This has to stop," Peter said flatly.

Halcyon watched them, his eyes bleak and uncaring. Once upon a time he would've leapt in, would've tried to smooth the tension but that part of him had been hollowed out and killed.

"What has to stop?" Lucia said dangerously.

The Oni did the best to pretend they were both blind and deaf.

"This crazed mission you're on. What happened in the Hall of Mirrors was nobody's fault and marching yourself towards certain doom will not change anything!" Peter spat.

"Shut up mage!" Lucia tried to tower over him, tried to crush him with her command, her control.

"No."

Peter met her glare for flare, refusing to back down, refusing to let her do anything but see the truth.

"Killing yourself is not going to solve anything so I would bloody appreciate it if you stopped trying!" he snapped, "You want to destroy the darkness? Then maybe you should try to live until you actually face the damn thing."

He understood her, knew exactly what she was feeling. The guilt, the shame, the burning need to do something, anything to atone for what he had allowed happen under his watch. That was the price of leadership, the weight of lives lost bearing down on your soul until you felt you were drowning in blood.

But blaming yourself, punishing yourself was useless. People trusted you to lead them, to do the right thing, the smart thing and throwing your live needlessly away was neither. Lucia had to realise that.

"The Empress gave _you_ this task. If you can't do it then leave now and stop dragging the rest of us down with you!" Peter yelled, "This isn't just your life on the line here! It's all of ours. So Lucia the Magnificent why don't you open your bloody eyes and show us why you're so damn Magnificent?"

Inwardly he cringed. How many times had his family shouted this to him before? Lucia glared at him but there was hesitation in her eyes, something changing as his words finally sunk in.

Her shoulders slumped. Exhaustion flooded her face.

"You're right. You're right," Lucia said finally, respect in her eyes, "Men..."

The Oni finally looked at her, Lucia smiled at them and the General was gone, a young woman, battered but unbroken, grinning in her place.

"We rest. One hour then we start moving again," she turned and looked up at the Kings, "The darkness is up there somewhere and I think the Asuryans are coming after it as well."

She looked back at her men and the General was back. But her eyes were bright, no longer filled with hate and anger.

"One hour. Use it well."

. . . . . . .

Susan stepped through the hole in the wall and glass crunched underfoot. The only other woman in the great hall ignored her, her arms wrapped around the stump of obsidian stone rising from the ground.

The naming of Pearl itself was a lie, the real pearl had always been the Hall of the Mirrors and the iron door it guarded, the palace the shell which enclosed and protected it all. The hall had been an exquisite thing, mirror upon mirror, reflecting each other, trapping the light, forcing back the darkness behind the door through sheer beauty or so the legend went. But all that remained of the hall was shattered glass, ruined stone and an iron door that lay warped and cracked on the ground. Each empty pane was like a set of gaping jaws with teeth made of the few shards of glass that still remained in their place. They snarled at Susan as they walked through the destruction, hungry, angry maws that wanted to swallow her whole.

"Empress?"

Lucille was Lucy and she was not. More beautiful than Lucy but more cold, nothing like the Valiant queen that had made her people loved her. But seeing the Empress weeping so brokenly, every instinct in Susan was to go comfort her.

"Leave me."

"I'm afraid I can't do that Empress."

The woman looked at Susan, anger trying to rise but it was swiftly drowned in sorrow, in despair.

"Please," Lucille begged, tightening her grip around the obsidian block, "Just go."

"I'm here to help," Susan said gently.

How many times had she done this? How many times had she held Lucy in the night, rocking her to sleep and wiping her tears away?

But this wasn't Lucy.

"I failed my people."

Lucille's voice was so quiet that Susan almost didn't hear it.

"I fail them."

Horror. Guilt. Disgust. It all roiled through her voice, the words crawling out from her throat, choking her. She clung to the block of obsidian like it was her lifeline, her dress pooled all around her, her bare legs fresh with cuts from the broken glass all around.

"I was given one duty. One simple duty to guard the Hall of Mirrors. To keep the darkness under lock and I failed..."

Lucille screamed, thrashing, wailing, punching the floor, glass stabbing into her fists.

"I HAVE FAILED!"

Susan let her rage, let scream and thrash and let all the poisons in her mind flow free. Tears fell, sobs heaving her chest as Lucille finally quietened, all strength lost, collapsing against the black stone stump.

"Yes. You failed," Susan said simply.

Lucille looked at her and even that was not enough to get a rise out of her. She simply smiled, glad that at least someone was telling the truth, glad that someone was allowing her to accept what she had done without falling over themselves to assure her otherwise.

"You are the Empress. You are meant to protect us. You have failed but you are not finished," Susan's voice was calm, level.

There was no warmth in her voice but no rage either. She was simply stating facts. Logical. Factual.

If she had been Lucy, Susan would've hugged her, would've whispered soothingly into her ear and let her weep. But the Empress was not her sister, more used to being a distant symbol to her people than an actual human being. Her emotions were usually kept behind that beautiful mask, not a soul knowing her secrets and fears. Those tears were leaking out from behind those shields but any gentleness, any reminders that she was breaking and those cracks would seal shut and the mask of the Empress would be back up once more.

"Are you going to abandon your people?"

"What?" Lucille hissed, "NO! NEVER!"

Susan raised a brow.

"Then why are you here crying when your kingdom needs you?"

Lucille stared at her, eyes wide. A blush suddenly settled over her cheeks, the Empress rising swiftly, shaking the dust and glass from her dress.

Susan smiled.

The guilt was gone, tucked behind that iron will facade. The hurt, the pain, it was all but gone, only the slightest glimmer left as she cast one last look at the ruined hall.

"Return to your training Susan. It seems we all have work to do," her voice was smooth, the tears gone.

Susan smiled as the Empress turned, her feet grinding the glass to dust as she stalked towards the hole in the wall.

"And Susan?"

Susan looked at the Empress.

"Thank you."

The Gentle Queen allowed herself a triumphant smile as the Empress left, her footsteps fading away. As the last of the footsteps faded, Susan turned to look at the iron door.

Darkness had lived in there, all the ills and sicknesses in the world locked inside that cell. It was gone now, escaped, the thing that must be crushed to save this world.

Susan found herself walking towards that empty prison, only half aware of what she was doing.

Peter, Lucia and the Oni had gone to hunt that thing. Some of the mages had dreamt of it, had seen that it was hiding in the mountains to the North. Edmund had been sent down to the City Below with Lucinda and Corin, the three Pevensies all split up again. But Susan did not despair. They each had their own battles to fight and she had to focus on hers.

She came to the doorway and stopped.  
What would she see? What would be –

Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the prison of the darkness.

"What –"

Sheafs of paper lined the walls, plastering every possible bit of space, layered so thick in areas that it bulged inches from the stone.

"By the mane..." Susan breathed.

Again and again in thick black strokes the same images. People screaming, people dying, people begging for their lives, weeping over broken bodies. The lines seemed to move, leaping from paper to paper, reaching for her. A wild wind swept the papers from the wall and threw it at her, Susan staggered as she tried to tear the sheafs from her face.

She looked at the papers she held in her hands. Monsters chased figures through the reams and reams of parchment, catching them, tearing them apart. Black lines, jagged, savage, smeared. Susan reeled, staggering backwards, the black figures raising claws trying to tear her apart, raising hands begging for help.

She tripped and fell out of the prison of the darkness. The wind died, the flurry of papers fell to the ground. And Rabadash was smiling down at her.

"I will make you mine," the mad prince said.

And despite the threat in his voice, his eyes were laughing. Once again Susan was brutally reminded of how stupid she had once been, how had she ever deluded herself into thinking she could have loved him and that this man was even capable of that emotion?

"Enough of this dance. If you come with me now I will be gentle," Rabadash promised.

Susan rose, papers fluttering from her, black marks smudged on her dress, her skin. She drew herself up and met him squarely, remembering his defeat, his punishment and clinging tight onto those memories.

"And I refuse," Susan snarled, "I am not afraid of you Rabadash. I am not even impressed. You think you are a prince but I know what you are..."

Rabadah's face swiftly contorted into the demon he really was, fists clenched, his skin flushing.

"You are an ass," Suan said with relish, "And I am above you."

"BAM!"

She did not even flinch as Rabadash punched the wall beside her head, not a flicker of pain showing on his dark face.

"I will enjoy breaking you dear one," the prince gave her a tooth-filled smile, "And that day will come a lot sooner than you think."

He turned and stalked off as Susan watched him go, her whole body weak and trembling.

. . . . . . .

"What is he?"

Soveine was the First Heart, the strongest healer in all of Rainna, able to cure anything short of death and even that could be slowed with her powress. Her fingers were splayed over Danaid's temples, her face a picture of serenity as she focused all of her strength and talent onto the man.

"What is he?" Edmund demanded again.

"We found him."

The First Eye stood tall above all their heads but his form was swathed completely in white, a sheer veil hanging over his face so that not even his eyes could be seen.

"The Empress had a dream and we found him wandering the streets, a gibbering madman," Soveine opened her eyes and Danaid stared back at her, his mouth slack, drooling running down the side of his chin. He blinked at the healer as if he had never seen another human being before, something alien and foreign to be studied. He reached for Soveine, clinging to her as the healer turned and looked at her leader, Lucinda nodding her thanks.

"At first we had no idea why the Empress should dream of a madman," the First Eye continued.

The mysterious figure was the leader of the All-Seeing Eye, the spies and whisperers of the Circle of Guardians. His role was simple, to find out what was happening, everywhere and anywhere and to keep Lucinda and the Empress informed of all the ebbs and flows in the City Above and Below.

"But we soon realised something," Soveine explained.

She gently touched the man's head and he closed his eyes in pleasure, nuzzling against her as though he was an animal.

"He sees things. He says things in a voice that is not his own. He kept describing a man, tall and proud, with an eye in an eye symbol sewn on his clothes. But we had no idea what he talking about," the healer met Edmund's eyes, nodding at his shock, "It was not until we actually knew what the Dawn-Breaker looked like that we finally understood Danaid is somehow connected to that killer."

Edmund had seen too many things for even this to surprise him for long. He merely nodded, squaring his shoulders and meeting their eyes directly. The others had stopped seeing him as a mere boy for a long time now, the way he held himself, the way he commanded and advised others quickly forced even Lucinda to see him as an equal.

"So what is the plan?" he asked.

Corin was silent, the boy staring at his own hands, still dirtied and bloodied from the fight. The two he had attacked had survived but barely. Now that the adrenaline had faded there was nothing left to do but to remember, to remember the screams, the almost death on his hands.

"This is the part where things become a little unfortunate," Lucinda said almost apologetically.

"The connection between Danaid and the Dawn-Breaker is tenuous," the First Eye said, his voice mild, "But we have found one thing that can strengthen it..."

He nodded at Soveine, the healer glanced at Lucinda and the High Inquisitor grimaced.

"Do it," the woman ordered, "Quickly."

"Wait! What strengthens the connection?" Edmund demanded.

Soveine gently laid Danaid back down onto the bed, stroking his cheeks. He smiled, laughing as she smiled sadly down at him. She placed both hands on either side of his face and a dark look fell across her features.

"Pain," Soveine closed her eyes, "Pain strengthens it."

And Danaid screamed, his back arching off the bed as he tore at his own face.

"What! Stop it!" Edmund wanted to clap his hands on his ears as Danaid continued to screech, bucking, throwing Soveine away.

"He is close! Blood. So much blood. Bad Danaid! Bad! Why?" the crazed man looked at them all, looking down at his hands.

Corin had leapt to his feet, the boy pressing himself agains thte walls, staring in horror as Danaid lurched to his feet.

"Why Danaid?" the man was beating at his head, "Why? Little girls. Little boys. So many, so many of them. Their blood. My hands. My hands."

He was staring them, seeing something only he could see.

"Me. The man. The hawk-faced man. Eye in an eye. He... he kills again."  
Danaid fell to the ground, grovelling. Soveine was shaking, horrified at what she had done. Lucinda and the First Eye stood their ground, watching with eagle-eyes. Edmund felt nothing but pity for the man before him, the screaming, scar-faced man that was biting at his own fingers, teeth sinking down to the bone.

"Where?" Lucinda asked, "Danaid. Where is he?"

The man looked up at Lucinda and he instantly beamed, laughing, clapping his hands in delight.

"Oh you..." the man reached out with bloodied hands, reaching for Lucinda, "You. You. You."

He repeated the words again and again, a mantra, a prayer. Edmund and Corin glanced at each other, both as confused as the other, trying to understand what the man was saying. The Just King wanted this to stop, wanted them to just let the man sleep but he held his tongue, knowing they needed to do this. Lucinda knelt and reached out, touching Danaid's hand, their fingers threading together. The First Eye snarled a warning but the High Inquisitor ignored him. She looked deep into Danaid's eyes as he reached and stroked her cheeks, smearing his blood against her skin.

"Danaid. Where is he? Where is the man you see?"

"I see many things," Danaid smiled and it was a smug satisfied look, "Us. I see all of us."

"Where is the Dawn-Breaker? Where is the killer?" Lucinda pleaded, "Please Danaid. We need to know."

Danaid smiled sadly.

"What a silly question. You know. We all know."

He waited expectantly, peering at Lucinda. The First Eye growled.

"Let me question him High Inquisitor. Let me – "

"Tell me!" Lucinda growled, ignoring the Guardian, "Danaid! TELL – "

The pitiful man slumped, bowing his head, weeping brokenly.

"He's with the Scales," Danaid sobbed, "He's killing everyone in the House of the Scales."

. . . . . . .

Lucia pulled the spyglass away from her face.

"It's there."

She passed it to Halcyon but the man merely gave it straight to Peter, not caring enough to see what certain doom he was plunging himself into. Peter glanced at the war-captain but Halcyon was staring resolutely ahead, eyes straight on like the impossible perfect soldier. Grimacing, Peter put the spyglass to his eyes.

He could see, still far off in the distance, a cave in the face of a cliff. There were others, a vast network honeycombing the sheer rocky facade, but what drew his eye to this particular cave was the darkness. He could see it, smoky tendrils bleeding out, twisting sinuously through the air before sinking back into the depths of the cavern. He pulled the glass away and met Lucia's gaze. He nodded.

"There doesn't seem to be anybody around," Dagon reported, slipping his own spyglass back into his pack.

Belfleur sniffed the air.

"It seems clear," he said dubiously.

"I doubt it," Peter growled.

There were three other battle mages with them, the strongest of the strong just like all the other Oni Lucia had personally selected. They all had the same bleak look on their faces as the High King because they could feel what the others couldn't.

The rocks were burning. The ground beneath them trembled. Silence choked the Kings in a pall that seemed to thicken the very air itself. Every breath took effort, their lungs dragging in poisons that weakened their bodies.

All of that, all of the wrongness was coming from that cave where the darkness lurked.

"I'm not sure we can stop what's inside there," Peter hated to admit it but it had to be said, charging in foolhardily would only get them all killed.

"We don't have a choice," Lucia growled, "That darkness almost destroyed Rainna once. We can't let it succeed the second time.'

The other battle mages said nothing, letting their leader plead their case.

"That thing is more powerful than you can possibly imagine," Peter snarled, "I can feel it. You can't. And if it wants to I think that thing has the power to swallow the sun."

He felt cold but it was not the chill of wind or winter but a cold that had stolen into his very heart and bled the warmth from him. The Oni could feel an inkling of it Peter could tell, could tell from the slight tremor in their hands, the sweat that beaded on their lips. Even Lucia was looking paler, her eyes shining brighter than they should.

"And it was trapped. Nobody has ever tried destroying that thing and I'm not sure it can even be done."

Lucia looked furious but Peter was angrier. Here was the darkness that had to be destroyed in this world and he wasn't even strong enough to do it. He wanted to charge, wanted to throw lightning and fire at the thing until it burned but the wrongness in the air and in the earth and in him made him hesitate.

"Then we will seal it," Lucia said decisively, "Get close enough to blast the cave and cause a rock fall."

"I don't think that's enough to stop it."

Peter tried to keep his patience, tried to stay calm but Lucia's bull-headed insistence, her blindness was going to get them all killed and the Oni were too well-trained to fight against their General. And the war-captain, the one who was meant to protect them was staring at the cave, uncaring of the fight happening before him. Peter growled, thankfully for them there was at least one person here who was willing to speak the truth as he saw it.

"We have to do something!" Lucia growled, "And do you want the darkness to roam free?"

Peter wanted to strangle her.

"Getting ourselves killed is not going to hel – "

"WYVERN!" Belfleur roared, "WYVERN!"

They instantly dropped to the ground, glaives out, shouting as they saw the familiar silver forms. From the west they came, a vast army, a flock of screeching roaring draconian planes that blotted out the sky itself.

"The Asuryans!" Lucia cursed.

Dark forms were falling from the creatures, every single wyvern winging their way towards the Kings, towards the cave where the darkness hid. As they flew, their talons slackened, dark forms dropping.

"It's an invasion," Dagon growled.

Tiryags slammed to earth, the cannon-headed monsters loping forwards, charging towards them as their winged brethren continued their way to the mountains.

"We'll have to fight our way through!" Lucia roared.

"BOOM!"

The earth around them exploded, geysers of dirt and ash shooting up into the air as the Tiryags charged, flames gushing from their turret heads.

Peter roared and green flames leapt from his fingers, sweeping across the petrified lava fields. The first wave of Tiryags burned, their furred bodies igniting as they began firing wildly, blasting their own kind apart.

With a roar Halcyon charged, swinging his glaive, lightning flying forwards.

"CHARGE!" Lucia roared, "CHARGE!"

And they ran, the Tiryags thundering towards them, the wyvern above flying towards their prize.

. . . . . . .

Rabadash turned and she was there. He drank her face in hungrily, fingers twitching, yearning to reach out and grab her by the hair and see her cry. But he held his place, the made prince knowing he had to choose his moment perfectly.

"Are your men ready?" her voice was measured.

The prince slowly placed his goblet on the table, careful to take just long enough to tell his master he was not her dog to call whenever she liked. Finally he turned to look at her.

"Of course," Rabadash sneered, "We have been waiting for your word."

If she showed any annoyance at his belligerence it did not show on her face. She

"It will happen tonight," she said simply, "Do not fail me."

"My men will succeed or I will personally execute every last one of them personally!" Rabadash cried, uncaring of how loud his voice rang in his chambers.

"If you fail me I will kill you," his master warned, eyes flashing, "I have waited too long for this moment just to have you ruin everything."

Rabadash sneered at her. It was pathetic what he was seeing. A woman giving in to her emotions, letting her heart colour everything. A leader should as cold and hard as steel, should see clearly and not be quick to anger. Any soldier knew that. And he would have her tongue for daring to question him. Didn't she know how glorious he was? Didn't she know how many men had breathed their last breaths on his sword?

But he should hardly be surprised. Women were always dithering, always questioning their betters. Their mouths should have been sewn shut at birth. Yapping like dogs, confusing honourable men like him with their treacherous words.

He glared at the extravagance all around him. This kingdom and its Empress made him sick. A woman ruling over men – that was just unnatural. He had come here not to fight for her beauty or her favour like all the fools before him had but to worm his way into her court, to come smiling and offering gifts, biding his time. It made him laugh to think of that moment, to think of the shock and horror on her face as he tore her bodily off her throne and make her grovel at his feet.

His eyes darkened.

That had been his plan but now the Empress was a mere side thought. When he slept it was not Lucille that he dreamt of pinning down on his bed but a woman with dark hair and blue eyes.

Susan.

A spike of heat ran through him. He licked his lips.

She was spirited and fiery, the perfect challenge. He would enjoy breaking her, would enjoy watching her realise there was no escape from him.

Rabadash met his master's gaze and could not hide the glee in his eyes. Her eyes narrowed but she said nothing. Suddenly the door to Rabadash's chamber swung open. A servant started, dropping the sheets she held.

"I'm sorry!" she yelped as the prince glared at her, his rage making him tower over her, "I'm so – "

She bent, grabbing at the sheets, bundling them against her chest. She straightened, more apologies flying from her lips, her legs shaking. Her wide eyes slid from him to his master and she froze, gaping.

"What – " her jaws moved but no sound came out, "Who... who are you?

She turned to run but Rabadash lunged, slamming her soft form against the wall.

"Please..." she was begging, Rabadash nuzzling against her, laughing as she wept against him.

"I'm sorry," his master said behind him, "I'm so sorry."

A knife flashed, the servant gaping, grabbing at the dagger sticking from her gut. Rabadash dropped the girl and she fell, tangled amongst the sheets she had carried. He laughed, relishing the terrified look on her face. She stared up at them, trying to gather breath, trying to scream but blood spilt from her mouth and her eyes went cold and still. Silence fell in the chamber as Rabadash's master sighed, sadness in her eyes.

Rabadah sneered. Grieving over a nothing servant. The prince hated he was working with such a weak, spineless woman but like with the Empress he had to bide his time with this woman as well.

"Do not fail me," his master warned, turning back to him, "Or I will do the same to you."

And she turned, stepping over the servants body and out of his chamber. She would be gone by the time he reached the door, Rabadash knew that so he kept his place.

A few seconds passed and the prince cursed loudly realising he now had a body to dispose of.

. . . . . . .

The First Scale died in her arms, the man staring up at her, blood bubbling from the gash in his throat.

"I'm so sorry," Lucinda whispered, weeping, her tears falling on the man's face.

He had served her well, loyal and kind, looking out for all people of the City Below, directing money to help the poor. He didn't deserve this, didn't deserve to die in fear, watching a madman tear his people apart.

"It's dark..." the First Scale was staring, looking at something beyond her shoulder, "It's so dark."

Lucinda stared down at him.

"Edwin what – "

The man gave one last choke and his movements stilled. Lucinda closed her eyes, tears fighting to break free as she gently closed his eyes. Screams rang out, the sound of glass and breaking wood loud in her ears as she gently laid her friend aside. She rose, her face set into a mask, her sword in her hands.

"Danaid."

The wizened man was cowering behind one ruined wall, ripping at his hair, digging his nails deep into his own flesh. He looked at her, eyes feverish, muttering frantically beneath his breath.

"Stay here" Lucinda ordered.

He smiled and Lucinda found herself smiling back. She shook herself and turned, running for the hole where the door had been. It was the strangest thing, she felt a connection to Danaid, felt an urge to protect him that went just beyond pity or sympathy. But she swiftly wiped the question from her mind. There were other things to be getting on with here.

The first body made her stop, a prayer and a curse slipping from her lips. The second made her blood freeze. The third, the fourth... it was like setting fire to already burnt flesh, she had nothing left in her to feel.

Body after body, men and women, mangled amongst the ruined furniture, the spilt coins. The House of the Scales had become a slaughterhouse and as more screams tore through the air, Lucinda knew it was just beginning.

"SOVEINE!"

The First Heart looked at her, bloodstained from finger to elbow. A woman clung to her, blood pouring from her eyes and mouth.

"He's in the main vault!" the healer snarled, "GO!"

Her hands glowed as she tried to heal the woman, tried to stem the blood that poured from her like a river. Lucinda gritted her teeth and ran, the sole of her boot slick with red.

"Inquisitor!"

Some stirred amongst the dead, missing limbs, ribs shattered, bellies torn open. They begged for her, asking her to save them, cursing her when she couldn't.

Lucinda tried to make herself deaf to it all, tried to be blind but a sob rose from her throat.

"WATCH OUT!"

A flash of blue and a crack tore through a wall, the stone crumbling to dust. Lucinda dove as it exploded outwards, flying debris ripping through the air. Lucinda pulled herself up, dust thick in the air like smoke as a single figure stepped through the destruction.

The Dawn-Breaker was a proud and powerful figure, shoulders broad beneath a coat of black. The sleeves were thick with scrollwork, the strong hands that emerged red with blood.

"Hello Lucinda," the killer greeted.

She pulled herself up, her sword in her hands.

"Why are you attacking us?"

Her eyes flicked to the emblem on his breast, the eye in the eye symbol embroidered seemingly glaring at her.

"We have done nothing to you!" Lucinda roared, "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?"

"This?"

The Dawn-Breaker swept his arm around, encompassing the death, the destruction all around him. He looked back at her, amusement lighting up his swarthy face.

"Why should you care?" the man asked her, "It's not like this has any consequence... unlike some of the other things you have done.'

Lucinda circled him, spitting and snarling, fire boiling in her eyes. The Dawn-Breaker watched her, hands clasped behind his back.

"What I have done?" she demanded, "You've murdered innocent people!"

"No, I'm freed them," the Dawn-Breaker sneered.

With a roar, she charged, slashing at him. He twisted, her sword slicing past. Growling she thrust and parried, attacking him in a frenzied flurry, the man dodging with impossible ease.

"BAM!"

He punched her, Lucinda staggering back, spots of light racing across her vision. She righted herself, spitting out blood as the Dawn-Breaker laughed.

"You can't defeat me woman," he said lightly, "This fight is pointless."

Screaming she stabbed at him, the man standing fearlessly as she lunged. Lucinda gaped as the tip of her sword turned just inches from her enemy, the whole length of the blade bending around him like a river around a stone. The Dawn-Breaker smiled.

"How..." she stared at the man, "How – "

He kicked her, his heavy boot ploughing into her chest and sending her flying back. Lucinda slammed hard into the wall, dropping to the ground. Her vision wavered, greying at the edges as she tried to pull herself up.

"It's amusing how hard you fight for all of this. It's all so..." the Dawn-Breaker raised one fist, "Useless."

As if on cue a mob of people tore around the corner, wild-eyed and covered in blood, the few surviving Gold Scales. They ran, mindless with terror, pushing and shoving each other, trampling those that fell in their rush.

"No," Lucinda's voice came out as a whisper, "No!"

The Dawn-Breaker turned and the first line of Scales seemed to recognise him, their eyes widening in horror. They tried to turn, tried to run but those behind them pushed them forwards.

"Please!" Lucinda screamed, "STOP!"

The Dawn-Breaker punched the air.

The rip sprung forwards like a lance, spearing the first man through the chest. He cried out as lines of blue crisscrossed his flesh, growing, tearing him apart. Blood and flesh splattered the others as they screamed.

"NO!"

Lucinda wanted to bury her face, wanted to tear her own eyes out but she forced herself to watch, forced herself to see the bitter end. The last of the Gold Scales were killed, torn apart before her, a great plume of blood splattering the walls.

The Dawn-Breaker clenched his fist and the holes in the world closed, the last of the bodies slapping wetly against the ground. He turned as Lucinda glared up at him, weeping.

"I will kill you!" she screamed at him, "I WILL – "

"LUCINDA!"

Edmund and Corin ran through the shattered remains of the wall, stopping as they saw the Scales' remains. Corin instantly paled, clapping a hand to his mouth, swallowing frantically as Edmund merely closed his eyes.

"They're all gone," the Just King said flatly, "The rest of the Scales, the Blue Swords and Oni protecting them... they're all gone."

Lucinda pulled herself up. The tears were gone, nothing left but pure steel, the High Inquisitor looking at the-Breaker with death in her eyes

"I don't care what happens to me," she said, her voice soft, "But I will kill you."

"You can't kill me," the Dawn-Breaker taunted.

"Why?" Lucinda demanded, "Because you're strong than me? Because you have powers I couldn't even dream of? No, I will kill you because nothing will stop me from doing so."

The Dawn-Breaker rolled his eyes.

"You really are so very blind," he said almost sadly, "The sooner you open them, the sooner this can all end."

They charged at him, all three of them, their swords humming through the air. Corin swung but the Dawn-Breaker caught his blade in mid-air, fingers closing around the keen edge without harm. The boy gaped and the man backhanded him, spinning him away.

"CLANG!"

Whirling, he met Edmund's blade with Corin's, still gripping onto the razor point. Whirling he lashed out, kicking the sword from the Just King's hands, the flat of blade smacking straight into Lucinda's face. She staggered, the Dawn-Breaker's taunting laugh loud in her ears.

"BASTARD!"

She stabbed at him, the man leaping back. Edmund threw a punch but the killer batted his fist away, ramming his own straight into the king's face. Edmund's head snapped back, the king reeling, blood exploding from his nose.

The Dawn-Breaker stood, not even gasping for breath as Edmund tried to stem the blood, Corin rising shakily onto his feet. Lucinda snarled, whirling her sword in her hands before leaping again.

"CLANG!"

The Dawn-Breaker parried her blow, Lucinda's blade raining down on him in a frenzied storm, the man weathering them without break a sweat.

"CLANG!"

She feinted but he saw through her ploy, sweeping her sword away as she stabbed at him. He grabbed her wrist, twisting, the sword falling from her fingers and he threw her straight into Edmund, both falling in a tumble of limbs.

Again he stood, breathing easily, the mocking smile still firmly on his lips as his opponents rose once more, all bleeding, all battered and bruised.

"This is beyond foolishness," he informed them dryly, "Please stop."

They came at him again, the man sighing. Edmund charged, the Dawn-Breaker meeting his sword. Snarling, the Just King twisted the sword together and with a flick he disarmed the man. But it was a short-lived victory, the Dawn-Breaker twisting around his next lunge, ploughing an open palm into his chest. Edmund fell with a grunt, Corin leaping over him. The boy punched the Dawn-Breaker square in the face but it did him no pain, the man snatching him and hurling him clean through the air. Corin smacked into the ground, wheezing for breath as Lucinda bore the brunt of the next attack, her sword once more bending around the man as he wrenched her by the hair, drawing a scream before head-butting her brutally. She fell, eyes fluttering, mouth opened in a surprised circle.

"Please. Just stop."

He was not even marked. Edmund staggered, trying to remember how to breathe as the Dawn-Breaker raised a brow, daring him to attack again. The Just King had to shove down pain, had to shove down nausea and terror just to stand. The Dawn-Breaker smiled, dark eyes gleaming as Edmund spat blood from his mouth.

"Ed... please..." Lucinda begged, "Don't."

He saw a lot of himself in this strange woman. By all accounts she was a fair and just leader, dedicating herself to those lowest in the kingdom as much as the rich and powerful. Under her care, the Red Hearts had fed and clothed the poor, healing houses and schools springing up almost on every street. The Blue Swords had kept the peace, driving off any who wished to cause harm or profit from misdeed, the All-Seeing Eyes aiding them in their task. The Green Hammers had built houses to shelter all who needed it and the Gold Scales had ensured that coin was given to all, that none should starve in the streets of the City Below. Her life, her purpose had been to protect her people, to better them and she had succeeded until the Dawn-Breaker had came and spat on everything she had tried to so hard to achieve.

He understood that pain, understood the crushing weight of all your failures, feeling that all eyes were on you and that you were found wanting. He and Lucinda were so alike and it only confused him more.

Here was Lucinda, a woman who almost a twin of his sister but she was also him, him and Lucy bled together into one person.

Who was she? Was she Lucy? Was she him? Or was she something else altogether.

But whoever she was, Edmund couldn't help but want to protect her, to shelter her from the darkness that stalked her kingdom.

He faced the Dawn-Breaker and bent, picking up his sword. The Dawn-Breaker's eyes glittered, daring him to make the first move. Edmund gritted his teeth, his blue eyes narrowing.

The man was fast, was impossibly strong. He could punch a tear into the world itself and he could make swords bend around him. There was no way Edmund could defeat him in fair combat so he had to be smart, had to think of a way to outmanoeuvre the man and –

"Dawn-Breaker."

The man turned, frowning.

"Danaid!" Lucinda gasped, "DON'T!"

The crazed man lurched forwards, his eyes trained purely on the killer before him.

"You're here," the Dawn-Breaker sounded surprise, "I thought you would've run away a long time ago."

"I couldn't," Danaid's voice shook but he met the man's eyes, trembling violently.

The Dawn-Breaker glanced at Lucinda.

"Of course," he smiled.

"What the hell are you people talking about?" Edmund demanded, "Danaid! Get away from here! This is dangerous!"

"No."

Danaid looked at the king and gone was the madness, the terror. He even smiled, Edmund frowning.

"Leave," Danaid's voice was strong, his words no longer jabbering strings of half-sentences, "Dawn-Breaker leave now."

Edmund was gaping, who was this man? Where was the screaming lunatic who tore at his skin? How did Danaid and the Dawn-Breaker know each other? He was frozen to the spot, trying to work it all out, piecing together a puzzle he only had a fraction of the pieces of.

"I'm sorry Danaid. But I have my orders," the Dawn-Breaker said flatly.

"NO!" Danaid yelled, "PLEASE! SHE IS NOT – "

The Dawn-Breaker moved in a blur of motion. Danaid cried out as a strong hand grabbed his wrist, fingers closing in a bone-crushing grip.

"LUCINDA!" Edmund lunged but the Dawn-Breaker swatted him away, the Just King falling to the ground.

The High Inquisitor screamed as the Dawn-Breaker suddenly towered before her.

"It is time," he ordered.

"PLEASE!" Danaid screamed, "PLEASE DON – "

The Dawn-Breaker punched the air and a rip in time and space sprung into existence, wind howling, blue light burning.

"INQUISITOR!" Corin screamed.

The Dawn-Breaker grabbed Lucinda by the arm, the woman fighting him desperately.

"LUCINDA!"

Dragging his two prisoners, the Dawn-Breaker lurched sideways and staggered into the tear, Edmund and Corin ran, their pain and injuries forgotten.

"LUCINDA!" Edmund dove but the blue gash snapped shut, the Just King stumbling to the ground.

"No..." Corin stared at where the Dawn-Breaker had vanished, taking Lucinda with him, "No... this can't..."

The killer was gone and with him Danaid and the High Inquisitor, leaving behind Edmund and Corin and the bodies of hundreds of innocent lives.

. . . . . . .

Galeal touched the raw wound on her face and hissed in pain, tears springing to her eyes. This was not what she had imagined it to be like. It was a nightmare, one that haunted her dreams, her waking moments. Her life had seen so simple before all this. Be marked, be a member of the Empress's inner circle, acting as her ambassador, her voice and hands when she could not be present.

Her marking ceremony should have been the crowning moment of her life, the moment when she would fulfil everything she had spent her life training for. But her marking ceremony had been the beginning of end. The iron door had fallen that night, Treasured Ones had died. Their screams, she could hear it everywhere, beneath the humdrum noise of everyday life, becoming louder and louder as night fell. Those were those moments she hated, when all was quiet and all she could hear was those cries, those weeping pleas. A bruise circled one slim ankle, a brand where one hand had grabbed at her as she had tried to run. She had kicked out, not caring who she was hurting as she tried to run from the demons in the room.

She touched the gash on her cheeks and welcomed the pain. It made her feel something, something other than terror, than numbness and it reminded her, oh so sweetly, oh so brutally that she had lived whilst others had not.

Tears fell and their salt stung the wounds and she wept more, caught between pain and joy, not knowing which was which, not caring to know the difference.

She had allowed herself to be cut so that the door would remain shut, so that the kingdom, her own family would be safe. She had dedicated her whole life to accepting that fact.

And now it was all a lie.

Galeal stabbed at the wound again, crying out, punishing herself for her stupidity, for her failure. She did it again, just to feel.

"Galeal?"

She whirled and Susan was there, staring at her, eyes wide with horror.

"Don't..." Galeal was crying, "Please. Just leave me..."

"Galeal."

Susan snatched a towel from her bed and pressed it against her cheeks, blood and tears soaking into the cloth.

"I..." Galeal trembled, trying to remember how to lie, how to put on a mask, "I..."

Susan drew her into her arms, cradling her like a child as Galeal clung to her weeping.

The Gentle Queen trembled with rage at what they had done to this girl, what they had done to all the other Treasured Ones. Barbarianism was barbarianism no matter how much you dressed it in ceremony and pretty pearls, they had hurt this girl and had made her believe it was necessary and now she couldn't use that lie to protect her.

Susan wanted to punch something, someone, very, very hard.

"It's okay," Susan whispered, "It's going to okay Galeal."

"No! It's not! The darkness is free! The Hall of Mirrors is gone!" Galeal screamed, "Nothing will ever be right again!"

"The darkness will die," Susan promised her, promised herself.

Her skin crawled as she remembered watching it spring free from its prison, remembered that sick feeling she had in her gut just being close to it. But she had to destroy the darkness, had to rip it apart if she wanted to protect this world. How she was going to do it unarmed as she was Susan didn't have a clue.

Susan didn't know how long she stood there, cradling Galeal but slowly the girl's sobs faded, the Treasured One silent as she simply held onto Susan, too tried to even think.

The door swung open and Susan turned. Rosalinda stood in the doorway, her blue eyes hiding everything she was thinking and feeling as she studied the scene before her.

"You better get ready for the party," she said finally.

The Empress had decreed that a party should be held in one of the great gardens this very night, a bandage for the terrible wound they had suffered, a night of joy and celebration amongst such despair and darkness. Susan knew it was the right thing to do, to have something to remind people there was still life left after the disaster but she could not imagine herself trying to smile, trying to lose herself in frivolous dress and drink when so much hung in the balance.

"We're not going," Susan tried to keep her voice calm.

"It is an order," Rosalinda said gently.

Galeal instantly tore herself from Susan's grip, dashing to bathing chamber attacked her rooms. Susan watched her go with a grimace and waited for the door to slam shut before whirling on Rosalinda.

"What is wrong with you?" she growled, "Don't you see how bad she is? She doesn't have the strength to go to your stupid party!"

"Galeal is a lot stronger than you think," Rosalinda said with that infuriating calmness, "She will survive."

Susan hissed, her blue eyes flaming.

"You betray those under your care," she snarled, "You should be protecting them, helping them, not letting some delusional woman cut them, hurt them like that!"

Rosalinda weathered her rage without a flicker of emotion on her face. Susan longed to lash out, longed to dig her nails into the woman's composed face and rip it off, revealing the monster beneath. The darkness in her crowed, urging her on but Susan shut the voice out, fighting to cling to her sanity and control.

"I protect them to the best of my abilities," Rosalinda said softly, "You think I like the marking ceremony? You think I enjoy watching them being cut? Being scarred for the rest of their lives but I have no choice."  
Susan opened her mouth to argue but Rosalinda cut her off.

"The Hall of Mirrors only accepted the most beautiful, you know that and only the Empress was allowed to control it. Do you know what they did before I came alone?"

Rosalinda's eyes were dark, haunted.

"They used to execute all who could've challenged the Empress. They stoned men, women and children to death to keep the darkness locked up. So yes Susan I know what I do is wrong. I know what I do causes pain and scars seen and unseen but at least they're alive to feel it," the woman's voice did not rise in anger but the softness had become hard, harder than stone, than steel.

Susan stared at her as Rosalinda gently ran a hand over the queen's dress, smoothing out the wrinkles. She brushed the hair from her face, her cool fingers running over her cheeks.

"You have your battles to fight. I know you are a warrior, I can see it," Rosalinda smiled at her and it was the warm gesture of a loving mother, "But so do I and I fight it with the tools I have."

The door to the bathing chamber swung open and Galeal stepped out, a fresh bandage over her wounds.

"Come Galeal. I will help you choose your dress. Susan, go down to the gardens and help with the decorations," Rosalinda ordered.

Susan stared at the woman's back as she glided away. She blinked and turned, slowly leaving the room as Rosalind's voice murmured. Suddenly Galeal laughed, her voice free and joyful once more.

. . . . . . .

Lightning speared the Tiryag through the chest. For a split second it stood rooted to the spot, filled with light from within as its limbs flailed around wildly.

"BOOM!"

It detonated, its metal head shooting up high into the air as chunks of smoking, burning flesh rained down all around them. Lightning leapt from the spot where it had burned, stabbing down at another Tirag. Peter smiled savagely as the second monster burned.

"There's too many of them!" Belfleur yelped.

Another wave of wyverns swept in from the west, swooping low, disgorging more Tiryags from their talons. On and on they came, the air burning with their silver forms, the Tiryags falling as heavy as rain.

"We can't keep – " Dagon grimaced as Tiryags fired at them, blasting some of the Oni out of existence.

Halcyon said nothing, his face as dark as his eyes as he sliced and slashed at the air, flinging bolt after bolt of lightning at the hated monsters, fighting not to live but to die. Lucia leapt as a Tiryag swung at them, steel claws scything through the air. She dove forwards, her glaive shooting out and ham-stringing the thing, Halycon ramming his blade through its chest as it fell.

"I have a plan," Lucia told them firmly.

A trio of Tiryags crouched, their tank-like heads firing away as the battle mages wove walls of air and wind, turning the explosions aside.

"Well maybe you would like to implement it now!" Peter spat.

The Tiryags were immolated where they stood, waves of liquid green flames spilling over them as Peter glared at Lucia.

"The plan?" he demanded.

She reached for a sheath on her belt and from it pulled out a flute carved from the purest of white ivories. The other Oni gaped, stunned as Lucia smiled at Peter.

"This," she twirled the thing between her fingers.

"Is that supposed to impress me?" Peter demanded.

He whispered a word, pointing at Tiryag and thrust his Gifts at it. The monster crashed to its knees, its head firing wildly into the air as red hot pain poured through its veins. Peter had absorbed this trick from the hags of Charn, taken from when Aita had forced his Gift to life, his body and mind draining every drip and dram of power and magic around him, his body almost torn apart by the sheer force he had drawn in.

Invisible thorns stabbed the beast, brands and knives sinking in its flesh as the Tiryag clawed and fired at its own brethren. If it had a mouth it would screaming for its life.

"You have no idea what this is do you?" Lucia smirked.

Peter glared at her as Lucia placed the flute against her lips and blew.

A single gloriously sweet tone flew from the end of the flute and Peter gaped as wind and fur suddenly exploded out of the tip. Delicate paws touched stone, long luxurious tails winding and unwinding through the air like serpents. The creatures that had just been unleashed from the end of the ivory pipe looked at him and Peter found himself looking into eyes that were as bright and intelligent as his own.

"What..."

"Kitsune. The Empress's own personal leash," Lucia boasted.

They were foxes of the purest white, their eyes almonds of startlingly bright blue. A soft glow spilt from their sleek pure forms. The light spilt over the Oni and a calm stole into their souls, their fear, their hurts fading into pleasant warmth.

"Take us to the cave," the General asked one of the kitsune, "Please."

The white fox cocked its head looking at her as the Tiryags stormed towards them.

"General! We can't trust them! Remember the stories, they like to trick people, fool them only the Empress can – "

Belfleur stopped, gaping as the kitsune nodded as one.

"So what – " Peter yelped as a tail wrapped around his arm like a shackle, the fur soft and thick.

More looped around his other limbs, around his torso, binding him to one of the white foxes. He cried out, thrashing wildly as it was lifted off the ground, the kitsune carrying him as though he was nothing more than a bag of feathers. All the Oni were in the same precarious position, lost in a cocoon of fur, carried on the lithe foxes' backs.

Peter could just make out Belfleur's face and it was a delicate shade of green, even Dagon looked slightly apprehensive. Lucia were grinning like a lunatic.

"GO!" she yelled, her voice slightly muffled, "GO!"

One of the kitsune raised its head and yipped, the others of its leash echoing its cry. Their muscles bunched, their passengers balanced on their back. The Tiryags bore down on them, explosions ripping the earth, the foxes unfazed by it all.

Suddenly they exploded forwards and Peter found himself shouting. They moved with impossible speed, in a blur of wind and sound, dashing towards the Tiryag as the monsters tried to stop them.

They leapt and dived, dodging claws and blasts with supernatural swiftness, their strides swallowing up the distance to the mountains in the space of a few thoughts. Just as suddenly as they had started running, the foxes reached the foot of the mountains, wyverns screaming as they noticed the intruders.

"BOOM!"

Bombs fell, the explosions trigger rock falls, stones as large as houses tumbling down the cliffs as the kitsune charged into the deluge without thought. They leapt from stone to stone as sure-footed as mountain goats, out-stripping any Tiryags that tried to follow, dodging the wyverns that swooped at them.

Up and up they climbed, moving as swiftly as bullets, the Oni caught in their tails, closing their eyes as the world around them whipped past in dizzying flashes.

Suddenly the kitsune stopped, their tails loosening. Peter hit the ground with a grunt, his legs shaking as he rose. He gaped at where he was.

They stood on a plateau high up on the mountains, the gaping maw of the cave behind them, tendrils of darkness leaking out in syrupy strands. Lucia was already on her feet, the others pulling themselves up, some clutching at their heads.

"I feel sick," Belfleur groaned.

Dagon pushed the small man away from him. The kitsune looked at the darkness seeping out from the cave then at Lucia. She sighed and held out the flute that had summoned them. The kitsune leapt and their forms became smoke and air, rushing back to the tip of the instrument and out of sight. Lucia put the white flute away and turned, staring at the cave.

"Halcyon. Peter. With me," she ordered, "The rest of you keep the wyvern away!"

The dragons were falling from the sky, screeching as they lunged with talons outstretched. The Oni attacked, lightning flying from their glaives as the draconian planes roared, outnumbering the humans by a hundred to one.

Peter whirled, ready to charge straight into the cave but stopped.

"What – "

Lines of darkness lanced up into the sky, tearing through the wyvern like a knife. Every monster it touched softly vanished, their edges blurring, colours fading before being erased completely from existence. The Oni cried out, whirling, glaives up, ready to defend themselves but the darkness in the cave ignored them, more and more black tentacles shooting, wiping the wyvern from the sky.

Some tried to flee, crashing into their own, falling from the sky in a tangle of wings and talons.

"What is going on?" Dagon cried, looking frantically from sky to cave, watching as the darkness destroyed the wyvern,

"DAGON!"

A wyvern plunged from the sky, one whole wing completely missing. The Oni looked up, eyes wide as Belfleur screamed.

"DAGON!" Peter lashed out with a rope of green flames trying to snatch the man away but he had acted too slow, nothing he could do but –

Dagon was crushed beneath the wyvern, Belfleur crying out as though he had been stabbed. Peter cursed wildly as his flames lashed the wyvern's flank, the High King too slow to save the man. Halcyon showed nothing on his face despite watching one of his closest friends perish before him. But they had no time to grieve.

"GENERAL!" one of the Oni roared.

They turned as the cave vomited out streams of darkness. The dark tentacles lunged, arrowing through the air, stabbing out at the wyvern, lashing out at the Oni.

"PETER!"

"GENERAL!"

Lucia and the High King cried out as the darkness grabbed them, bound them in black bands.

Belfleur and Halcyon lunged, their glaives falling, trying to slash the ribbons. But they were too slow.

Peter and Lucia yelled as they were yanked away and pulled straight into the darkness within the cave.

. . . . . . .

Lanterns lit up the great garden, candles burning, their perfume mingling with the sweet scent of the flowers. Treasured Ones strolled through the grass and trees, greeting and talking with the nobles who gathered. Music danced through the night, some of the Treasured Ones playing with instruments that seemed to be glass tubes rising from pools of water. They ran their fingers along the rims of the pipes and sweet bell-like tones flowed out, their fingers moving swiftly and deftly, notes weaving and joining together into a siren's song.

One woman danced, her movements slow and graceful, twirling to the music, ribbons flying from her fingers.

A hush fell over the garden as the Empress stepped out from amongst the trees. She smiled and it was impossible to imagine that only days before she had lay amidst the ruins of the Halls of Mirrors, weeping over what had been lost. Her slippered feet was soft as she glided serenely down the winding path.

"My friends," her voice was loud and confident, "I am so glad you can join for this gathering. Please. Enjoy the music, the dance and the conversation. Do not speak of work, do not speak of things that will make you sad."

Her blue-green eyes shined, her red hair coiffed into perfect tight coils.

"Speak only of joy."

And she clapped her hands, cries of delight ringing out as more dancers tumbled out from the trees, lively music struck up on stringed instruments as the watchers laughed for joy.

Susan wove her way through those that were gathered, a flagon in her hands, pouring out sweet wine into goblets made of crystal glass.

The Empress descended down onto the garden proper and nobles instantly flocked to her, eager to show their presence, to show that they still supported her.

Susan breezed past Rosalinda and their eyes met, something dark and serious in the woman's eyes before it faded into familiar warmth. She nodded approvingly as Susan poured drinks for a man who's eyes seemed perpetually fixed on what was below her neck.

Susan fought down the urge to roll her eyes.

As much as she had protested the thought of this party, it was a good idea. Since the night of the attack a pall had fallen over the whole of the Pearl, laughter all but vanishing from within its walls as hurried dark whispers and frightened looks swiftly took its place. But this night there was a lightness in the air, the brittle mask on everyone's face melting away to show genuine joy.

Susan smiled but something still worried at her.

Where was Rabadash?

Her blue eyes swept the garden, her fists clenching around the handle of the flagon.

Where was the mad prince?

As if summoned from thought he strode out from the shadows of the tree, richly handsome, the gold and jewels he wore enough to feed a small village for a year. Susan watched him. Why was he smiling with such abandon? Why were his eyes glittering with mirth?

The Hunt-Beast growled a warning, the darkness baying for blood as she ground her teeth together. She watched as the prince crossed the garden and placed himself before the Empress.

Kill. Kill him before he kills you. The darkness was whispering, its voice like light touches on the edges of her mind. Break him. Tear him. Kill him.

Aslan help her but Susan couldn't help but agree.

She hurried to get close, ignoring the goblets thrust at her face. Her steps quickened, the Hunt-Beast roaring in her head, sensing something was wrong. She opened her mouth ready to cry a warning but Rabadash and the Empress were already speaking.

"My dear Empress," Rabadash's voice was a few shades too warm, "I am afraid I have a surprise for you."

The Empress favoured him with a smile but it did not reach her eyes.

"A surprise my good prince? Pray tell what is this surprise?"

Rabadash grinned and punched her in the face. The Empress collapsed without a sound as cries rang out. Nobles and Treasured Ones stood frozen, unable to believe what was happening as guards instantly charged at the prince, their glaives burning with blue light.

"TWHIP! TWHIP! TWHIP!"

They went down in a flurry of arrows, the mad prince laughing wildly.

"Now!" Rabadash roared, unsheathing his scimitar, "NOW!"

Soldiers poured from the trees, Susan's eyes widening.

"Calormenes!" she cried out.

They fired again and again, arrows tearing through flesh, forms dropping. Treasured Ones screamed as the Calormenes snatched them, binding their limbs with rough rope before they could fight back.

A dark man charged at Susan and she hurled the flagon straight at his face, blinding him as the Hunt-Beast and the darkness roared. Without hesitation she lashed out, breaking his nose. He staggered, blind and bleeding as Susan tore the dagger from his belt and gutted him with it. The man stared at her surprised as Susan smiled back.

"You people tried to capture me once," she hissed, "Unfortunately for you I've grown a lot since then."

She tore the knife from his stomach and left him drop.

"SUSAN!"

Rabadash screamed her name and ice stabbed her spine. Susan tore the scimitar away from the soldier's dead hands and instantly noted the blade was smeared with green.

"Poison," she whispered.

Her eyes snapped up and locked onto Rabadash. He leered at her and hate filled her. This man was not exactly the same as the one who had betrayed her, had tried so hard to destroy her kingdom but in the spirit he was a monstrous as the Rabadash of Narnia.

Susan grinned at him. She had always hated the tale of the Horse and His Boy, the story of Cor and Shasta told by bards throughout Narnia and Archenland. Those stories had made her seem like a shrieking damsel without a thought in her head. Here was the sequel and she was going to be the all-conquering hero!

"RUN YOU IDIOTS!" she roared as nobles and Treasured Ones stood, still frozen, unable to believe their sanctuary had been so swiftly violated, "GO!"

Their paralysis snapped, screams leaping from their throats as they turned. Many fell, arrows sprouting from their backs but it was only men who fell, the women left to be captured.

Two Calormenes flew at her, poisoned blades flashing through the night. She dropped, sweeping their legs out from under them, falling on them before they could recover. A slice and the first man screamed in pure agony, his eyes rolling to the back of his head. A stab through the heart and the second went still.

The darkness was howling in laughter, enjoying the thrill of the fight, the death that stained her hands.

"TREASURED ONES!" Rosalinda roared.

A glaive was in her hands, Galeal beside her, the tiny girl wielding a knife.

"PROTECT THE EMPRESS!" the flaming-haired woman commanded in an iron voice.

Calormenes charged but Rosalinda met them deftly, dancing a deadly dance with the glaive, men falling before her. The woman's voice seemed to wake the Treasured Ones from a dream, the men and women suddenly remembering they could fight as Rabadash cursed loudly.

Susan grinned savagely, enjoying his fury. The Hunt-Beast suddenly barked a warning and her head snapped up.

Silver forms glittered in the sky above, the things screeching and roaring.

"WYVERNS!" Galeal shrieked.

Susan remembered Peter's stories about the planes who were as much monsters as machines. She curse but had no time to think as a blade swung at her face.

"CLANG!"

Susan glared at Rabadash over their crossed blades, the prince snarling at her, lust and hate in his eyes.

"Come with me Susan and I will be gentle!" he hissed, spitting at her, "We will have much pleasure together you and I!"

"I hate to tell you this..."

They sprung about, their blades clashing again, pins and needles stabbing at Susan's arm as she blocked his blow.

"... but I'm not a blushing maiden," her eyes red, burning with Tash's light, "And I highly doubt that you can compare with the one I love."

She kicked him, Rabadash staggering, howling with laughter.

"I love your fire! I love it! But I would love watching that fire die!" he screamed.

They threw themselves at each other, scimitars meeting again and again. All around the Treasured Ones were fighting the Calormenes, their beautiful faces twisted in snarls as they attacked with snatched weapons, the fight as fierce as any wall.

Rosalinda took a man in the throat and his blood splattered her face. Without hesitating, she whirled and slashed at another soldier, her melodious voice cursing them savagely for what they had done.

Lucille laid amongst the chaos, out cold as her people fought all around her.

"Rabadash I'm not sure if anyone has told you this – "

Susan ducked to avoid being stabbed in the face. Both their blades were poisoned, the slightest touch meaning death but so far Susan had avoided being struck at all. Her dress clung to her, damp with sweat, pain shooting up her arms as she tried to parry the man's heavy blows

"But clearly your brain is as small as your manhood!" Susan roared.

Rabadash shrieked at her, screaming in rage and he charged, slashing wildly. Susan twisted, his blade shooting past.

"CRACK!"

Her elbow smashed into his face, breaking teeth as Susan twirled the scimitar in her hands and stabbed.

Rabadash staggered, staring at the wound in his chest. Susan limped away, gasping for breath, smiling at him, the darkness howling in delight.

"I can't believe I ever looked at you as anything but a piece of dirt!" Susan growled, "And Rabadash..."

She raised her hand, her scimitar gleaming in the light.

"Tell Tash it was me!"

And she hurled the blade at the prince. The tip of the weapon pierced his chest and threw him back, Rabadash falling to the ground in a messy tangle of limbs, his death as inglorious as all of other soldiers and Treasured Ones who fell.

Susan stood, gasping for breath, swaying on her feet. She allowed herself a smile before she turned.

She blinked at the woman who stood behind her. Her eyes widened.

"What – "

A heavy fist clubbed into her face and Susan fell, the cries of the wyverns above the last thing she remembered before she sank into darkness.

. . . . . . .

Peter found himself staring up at a roof of stone and rock. He blinked, trying to focus his vision. What happened? He stiffened as he remembered the darkness grabbing him, dragging him into its cave and –

"Peter?"

He twisted his head and Lucia laid sprawled beside him, the General bleeding from a cut in her scalp.

"Where are we?" he rasped.

"I... I think we're in the cave," Lucia pulled herself up, her glaive lost somewhere in the darkness of the cavern.

Peter slowly rose, wincing and creaking. The cave was dark but no more dark than any cave. The hair rose on his neck as he thought of the darkness who hid here, the darkness who had destroyed wyvern with impossible ease. Steadying his nerves Peter held out his hands and green flames ignited, lighting the cave around.

"What –"

Drawings adorned the walls, crude dark lines making up the simple pictures. Peter frowned as he studied them. They were of the same things repeated again and again, the same story being told a thousand times.

A girl.

A ship with hands that reached out and snatched her.

Terrible monsters towered over the girl as she screamed, knives sticking out from her flesh.

The girl hurting others as the monsters watched, dancing and clapping in joy.

And the girl alone in chains and weeping tears of black.

Peter felt cold, his eyes darting here and there, reading the same story over and over, the flames flickering in his hands.

"What the hell?" he demanded.

Lucia froze as a sniffle echoed in the cave. The General froze, her hands curling into fists.

"Hello?" she called.

Sobs reached their ears, the broken wrenching sobs of a small child frightened out of their mind. Peter and Lucia looked at each other and slowly they edged their way further into the cave.

"Hello?"

Whimpers echoed out to them.

"There," Peter whispered.

The pitiful cries were coming from a cairn of stone, the light painting a slight figure hiding amidst the rocks. The form was small, a silhouette of someone no more than six years.

"Don't be scared," Lucia said with surprising gentleness, "We are here to hel – "

The words died in her throat as the figure turned.

Chestnut hair.

Freckled cheeks.

Pale skin.

"Lucy!" Peter breathed.

The little girl wept, her eyes twin pools of utter darkness, her tears as black as ink. It his sister, not as he had last seen her but the baby Lucy of his memories, of his childhood. Peter stared at his impossibly young sister and she reached out with hands stained with blood.

"Peter!" she begged, "PETER!"

. . . . . . .

Susan opened her eyes and five figures stood before her.

Empress Lucille the Gentle, her beautiful face ghost pale, trembling hands buried in the folds of her dress. She tried to smile but the gesture shattered, tears spilling freely down her face.

High Inquisitor Lucinda the Just, thoughtful, studying her as she stood tall and without fear.

The Dawn-Breaker, his hard face almost carved from stone, lines of arrogance and cruelty grossly exaggerated. She knew who he was with one glance of the emblem stitched into his coat.

Danaid, a man she had seen in the gardens or the infirmary, as mad as ever, slapping at his own abused skin, whispering frantically beneath his breath.

And the fifth figure she could only see as a shadow against the light, standing at the edge of the plateau overlooking a truly blighted place, a land of sand and stone and little else.

"Susan."

The Gentle Queen frowned.

"Who are you?" she demanded, "Where are we?"

"We're in the lands of the Asuryans," the mysterious figure said softly.

Lucille closed her eyes and wept. Lucinda touched her arm but said nothing.

"Who are you?" Susan demanded, "WHO ARE YOU?"

Danaid screamed, the Dawn-Breaker laughing.

"I've missed you Susan."

The figure stepped out of the light and Susan felt as though she had been punched... again.

"No... what... who..."

She stood in chainmail and a red tunic resplendent with a golden lion rampant. She was a figure of legends, a figure of the Golden Age and a figure from Susan's memories.

"Lucy..."

This was the queen who had fought back the giants, the Calormenes and a hundred others who had threatened the peace of Narnia. She even held the dagger from Father Christmas in her hands. Her face shone sweet with kindness, golden with beauty and strength. Her long red hair was plaited and bound, ready for battle.

"No," the woman who had been Queen Lucy of the Golden Age corrected gently, "I am Valiant."

. . . . . .

Author's notes: Again thank you to Emmaplease, Autumnia and buzzingbee for reviewing the last chapter. I'm not sure why only three people reviewed but if there's something that's displeasing you with this story please drop me a line, constructive criticism helps me learn and helps shape this story.

Buzzingbee – sorry about the sporadic updates but here's the latest chapter! Thank you for being one of my frequent reviewers and for you dedication to this story! I'm sorry I can't always update as frequently as you'll like but I hope I'm not killing you with the slow updates.

Autumnia – Thank you for your reviews for every chapter I've written! I can always depend on you to give detailed reviews filled with fantastic support as well as constructive points. As for the inspiration for this world I have to say physically it's the movie Tron (the black city with blue-lit touches) and in terms of plot it's an amalgamation of a bunch of plot ideas I had that never fully resolved into whole worlds on their own. As for your comments regarding Chelsea – the last world was about blurring black and white and make you realise that family abuse and issues is always muddy and grey and sometimes there are no such thing as true villains. Chelsea was meant to be a tragic figure in some way – she was the way she was because she had Paxton as a father. That is why Inara didn't land the final blow because she understood that.

Emmaplease – I have no idea which chapter it was that you first started reviewing but your reviews are always greatly appreciated and whilst I don't always reply to your reviews you can be sure I always read them and am glad to keep you entertained for this long. And yes – Chelsea and Inara's battle was meant to be the EPIC showdowns that I occasionally love to write. Please keep reading and reviewing.


	83. What Elias saw

New chapter! Thank you for being so patient and thank you for reviewing! Keep it up!

Disclaimer: blah blah you know the drill

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 83: What Elias saw**

His name was Edwin and he was the First Scales, the leader of the Golden Scales, the money minders of the City Below. He was proud of his work, his contribution to the people. Many thought his guild was useless, paper shufflers and ink hands, nothing like the amazing healers of the Red hearts, the builders of the Green Hammers or the protectors of the Blue Swords. But they were the ones who kept the lifeblood of the kingdom flowing, they made sure that gold went to the right hands, that the Guardians had enough to do what they were meant to do. The Gold Scales were the ones who made sure that all had food on their tables, that all slept with a roof above their heads. They were the ones who opened the kitchens to feed the poor, the ones that kept the shelters open so that none had to sleep out in the cold.

It was not a glamorous job, not a particularly exciting one but Edwin had done more good as a Scale than he would have had as a lacklustre Sword or Hammer.

No, he had never expected to be remembered in song or legend as a great and triumphant hero. Those tales were reserved for people greater than he was and he had long ago made his peace with that.

He had been content, doing work that he loved, doing good for the city he loved. And he had expected to die in his bed, old and grey, surrounded by his family, passing away quietly with a smile on his face.

But he had died in terror.

Memories flashed. Everything blood and pain. The House of Scales in ruins. His people all dead.

He had ran, ran for the door, screaming, shouting for the Oni, for the Blue Sword to come and from around the corner his killer had emerged.

Edwin had heard tales of the Dawn-Breaker, had helped look after the orphans, the shattered families he had left behind. But he had always believed that Lucinda and the Blue Swords would find him, would bring him to justice and the only time he would see that infamous man was at his execution.

He never expected the Dawn-Breaker to walk through the halls of his guild and tear it apart, stone by bloody stone. He never expected the Dawn-Breaker to grab him by the collar and with one swift stroke cut his throat.

Edwin remembered Lucinda holding him, remembered speaking his last words and then he had closed his eyes.

He had died.

He knew that.

But where was the Plain of Pleasures? Where was the sweet afterlife? Where was anything but darkness?

He screamed but his cry was just one of thousands. They were all swimming in shadows, drowning in it, begging for help, for someone to her and care.

This could not be the end. This could not be the afterlife.  
Suddenly he saw snatches of a figure, a thing of warmth and flesh, something aside from shadows and voices. Edwin lunged for it with hands that did not exist, grabbing to that living thing. And once he had a hold, Edwin screamed one single word.

HELP!

Elias flailed through the liquid darkness, shuddering violently as he felt that thing ghost through him. His eyes widened as he felt thoughts, alien, foreign flood into his mind.

He was Elias but he was also Edwin, the First Scale, killed at the hands of the Dawn-Breaker.

HELP!  
He saw the City Below, saw the Hall of Guardians and the all hundreds of different places that made up the man's life.

HELP!  
The cries faded, the thoughts fading as Elias was left to float, to sink in endless darkness. Fear climbed but he refused to panic. Elias twisted, studying the shadows, frowning at the voices that reached out, the ebbs and currents in the darkness all around. He reached out with one hand, trying to feel the black. It slipped between his fingers, not a liquid, not a gas, not like anything he had felt before.

Fighting would not help him here. Elias had to think his way out. So what was this place? What he did know? The dead were trapped here, their thoughts lost in the shadows. What for and why? The darkness before him ... the Great Darkness...

His mind leapt in great bounds, connecting thoughts and ideas.

The Great Darkness and his puppets in all the world. His puppets...

The scientist suddenly smiled. He knew what this liquid darkness was. But before he could do a single thing another mind touched his and Elias was pulled into another life lived and lost.

. . . . . . .

"INARA!"

The half-Naga lay sprawled on the steel ground before him, almost every inch of her form covered in cuts and bruises or splattered with blood.

"INARA!"

She was still, so very still. Ignoring Jason, ignoring the bowman trying to take his life, Caspian threw himself beside Inara, cradling her battered form.

"INARA!"

A faint moan was his only answer and Caspian could breath again. She was alive but as his dark eyes took in her injuries, the terrible gash in her side, the blood that stained his hands, he couldn't help but wonder for how much longer.

"Sha..." her eyes fluttered, Inara staring up at him dazed and confused, "Shaggy?"

Caspian laughed, relief flooding through him.

"You're all right," he lied, "You're safe."

Inara tried to speak but her eyes fluttered close and she went limp in his arms. Caspian looked up. Jason was staring at them, blinking as though trying to wake from a dream. The bowman still stood in the shadows, Elias's own silver crossbow in his hands.

Caspian reached for the guns he had dropped, his eyes darting from one foe to the other and back again.

Jason shook his head ever so slightly and the confusion was gone, that terrible blank look painted once more over his face. It drove a dark spike of fear into his heart. Caspian remembered that night all too vividly, the night Jason had fallen into the Great Darkness's web, the night he had turned on them all. The explosion of white fire, seeing Susan's body fly through the air and the sickening realisation who had been behind it all. He had tried to run, tried to get away and Jason had knocked him out without a pause.

Caspian raised his weapons.

He knew the hell Jason was in. Being a prisoner in your own mind, your own skin as something dark and terrible drove you to hurt the people you loved that was a nightmare branded into his very soul. He could still remember that moment in Balthazar Academy, stabbing Susan in the gut, her blood gushing hot on his hands. Of all the horrors and terrors he had seen and endured that was the one that still woke him almost every night in cold drenching sweat. And the moments caught between waking and dreams, not knowing if it was him who was screaming, him who was moving his limbs or some dark horrible creature pulling at his string like a puppeteer – those were the moments where he had to fight to stop himself from throwing up.

Jason was a friend. Jason was a brother in arms. Jason was family. But now he was the enemy just as Caspian had been and if anyone had given him the choice then to die or to live, he would have begged someone to slit his throat.

"BANG! BANG! BANG!"

White fire swallowed the bullets, melting them to slag. The bowman hit the ground, bullets hammering into the steel walls.

Before Jason or his attacker could react, Caspian heaved Inara over his shoulders and ran, firing wildly behind him.

Ruach surged, a sheet of pure white chasing him as Caspian dove, throwing himself around a corner, slamming hard into the steel ground. Fire shot past, Caspian gasping for breath, Inara groaning in his arms.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

Elias and Jakob were lost, pushed into the sea of darkness that surrounded the Tower. Jason and the mysterious bowman were hunting him. And on top of all that he had an unconscious, deathly wounded Inara to protect.

Caspian smiled wryly.

"You're going to be so annoyed you missed out on all this fun," he told Inara.

"BOOM!"

Flames, red and yellow, shot past the opening of the street as Caspian stared.

"What – "

The ground shook as white light flared. Above, the cables that fed into the Tower from the pods all over the city swayed, the Seeds themselves shook, the sleepers inside thrown from war to war. The light of the Tower flickered, the screams in the pool of darkness rising.

"BOOM!"  
Another explosion rang out, Caspian daring to crawl to the opening to have a look at what was happening. His eyes widened.

Jason lashed out, streams of white fire flying from his fingers. The ruach stabbed at the bowman as he leapt back, the crossbow in his hands flinging a fire orb straight at the Seeker. The silver ball shot through the air, flying straight into a wall of pearly flames.

"BOOM!"

Fire and air exploded out, sweeping through the Orchard as Caspian was shoved back, landing in an undignified heap. He was instantly back up, his mind working frantically.

He had thought Jason and the bowman were working for the darkness, that both were intent on crushing him. But it seemed neither were allies of each other.

The Narnia king smiled.

He had a plan.

. . . . . . .

The skies of Tzara were dark, a buzzing, whirling storm of wings swallowing up the burning blue. Shutters were locked tight, cloth wadded beneath doors as every citizen of Tzara hid, terrified in their houses.

The River Nile was still a vast pool of clotting blood, a foul stench wafting through the streets as the bloated bodies of fish, eels, crocodiles and frogs rotted, not a single creature managing to survive the bloodied waters. The toads that had rampaged through Tzara were gone but every drinking well was poisoned by their thick white venom, dozens perishing from their poison alone but others had died in the resulting riots, soldiers and civilians tearing each other apart in the madness.

Zaru watched from his perch on the gates around the Tzaraath's encampment, the sky above him completely clear. The ground was clean, bereft of all but sand where everywhere else in the beleaguered city lice swarmed. The third plaque did not kill but it shattered the morale and spirit of Tzara, every citizen screaming in helpless anger as they slapped at gnats and lice, their skins rising in angry welts.

"No more!" the people screamed as one to the heavens, "NO MORE!"

And throughout the streets and farms the Arov made their domain, their bite and stings not lethal but enough to weaken, enough to bring unending agony.

"NO!" a farmer screamed wildly, battering at the blue mist, "STOP!"

His cattle stampeded, running in fear but the demonic flies jabbered, attacking, stinging and biting. The cattle writhed and screamed, their forms lost in the swarms of darkness, their lifeblood spilling onto the ground as the Arov gathered, feeding.

"NO!"

The calves stumbled, heads hitting the sand as their mothers bellowed, fighting to break free as the Arov horde thickened, bating at their necks, feeding and feeding, more and more blood pulled out of the animals' bodies.

"NO!"

The farmer fell to his knees, too weak to even move as the Arov rose into the air, gnats and lice swarming to fill its place as every living thing in the farm fell, groaning faces pressed deep into blood-soaked dirt.

"No..." the farmer wept, "Please... stop..."

The Arov swept into the next farm and every animal was soon shivering pathetic piles on the ground, took weak to even stand.

"What is your wish pharaoh?"

Amun stared at Sutekh, the slaver's face pale beneath his oiled tan. The once mighty king of Tzara was pale, no more the mighty warrior but the vanquished, humiliated before the very people he ruled.

Hate and anger burned in his eyes.

"No mercy," Amun spat even as gnats poured through a hole in the wall, flooding the room.

Sutekh flinched as the insects sank bloody-thirsty fangs into him.

"Kill them," Amun growled as on the streets and in their homes his people begged the madness to end, "Kill them all."

Sutekh rose, terrified but nodding.

And across the city in the slave's compound, Zaru leapt lightly off the wooden walls, his nose telling him what was to come.

The door to the largest of the ramshackle huts swung open and Makat was there, pale, grim-faced, his obsidian sceptre clutched tight in his hands.

His people, the Tzaraath, weeping over the lives lost today, looked at him as one, looked at him for guidance, for his next command and wish.

"The Tzaraath..."  
Makat thrust his sceptre into the air.

"Have declared war," he finished quietly as Zaru and the Tzaraaths stared back at him, unsure of what to do.

. . . . . . .

Dagon had grown up in a village far south of the City Below, born to farmers and destined to be a farmer. His world had been tiny, bound by village walls, his dreams no bigger than making his farm thrive and finding a nice girl to marry. But all that had changed when a procession of white horses had rode through the centre of his little town.

From the moment he saw Empress Lucille the Gentle, Dagon was in love. But he knew it could never be, queens only fell in love with soldiers in fantastical stories told by bards. But as soon as he laid eyes on her, Dagon knew he would die to protect his Empress.

And so he had left his small safe town and became one of the Oni, the army of the Empress. He had served under Halcyon, the man most knew would one day become the General's war-captain and Dagon had been proud of what he was doing. He fought those who wished to harm his people, fought those who wished to tear down the Empress. He lost friends, some as close to him as blood but they had died in glorious service to Lucille the Gentle.

Then the Asuryans had come and with them the wyverns and the Tiryags and Dagon truly knew war. But still he had fought, fought for the Empress until he had been killed, crushed to death by a falling wyvern. It was almost laughable.

But where was his reward? Where was his glorious bright afterlife?

WHERE WAS HE?

He grabbed at the only thing that was solid, the only thing that was not darkness and screams.

WHERE WAS HE?

Elias kicked out but the shadows were as thick as molasses, ropes of it looping around his limbs, trying to pull him down. Dagon's thoughts, his voice fell away, sinking back down into the black from whence it came. Elias sank with him, not struggling to rise from this pool as before but diving, trying to reach the bottom of oblivion.

Where was Jakob?

The thought made him pause, the Gardener was somewhere here with him but where was the man? Elias shoved his worry aside, focusing on what he had to do here.

Down and down, he sank, falling, swimming, not moving at all. Time and space had no meaning here, distance a mere illusion.

Another thought touched him and he was Delaine, a maid in service to the Empress. She had lived her life simple and plain, proud that she served the Empress and the nobles of the Pearl. She had even volunteered to serve Prince Rabadash to protection the others from his madness. He had hit her, he had struck her but she had held her tongue, knowing that Rosalinda would instantly switch her for another servant. But she was strong to bear it and many of the others couldn't.

But still she had cringed when she walked into Rabadash's chambers and found him there. He was meant to be out, riding in the gardens or duelling with the guards in the training yards, he was never in his chamber at this time of the day. She had tensed expecting screams, expecting fists, expecting soft dangerous words and looks. What she hadn't expected was to stare at a woman who was a twin of their beloved Empress.

Then Rabadash had grabbed her, slammed her against the wall, she had screamed, had begged. She thought she couldn't feel anymore scared then she did then, couldn't feel any more but that had been nothing compared to the moment when she realised she had been stabbed.

She had been frozen, staring in disbelief, pain held back by shock. And then the darkness had came, rushing at her, swallowing her, throwing her into nothing.

Everywhere there was black, everywhere there was oblivion. Where was she? WHERE WAS SHE?

Elias pushed Delaine away, her thoughts, her terror smashing through his skull and into his brain, he and maid one and the same. She was screaming and he was screaming.

"NO!" his voice, her voice.

Delaine clung to him, trying to be him, steal him, to crawl inside the warmth of his flesh and hide from the darkness. Elias fought, his body not quite his own, his mind grappling against a screaming thing that tried to devour him whole.

"YOU ARE DEAD!" he screamed frantically.

NO!

The shock drove Delaine away, the maid weeping, shrieking as Elias gasped for breath but his lungs found no air in this place, had no need for air. Gathering his shattered nerves, Elias dove further down into the darkness. Sinking like a submersible in the dark unknown of the deep, thoughts touching him like fish, half unseen, half unknown.

And suddenly he was hovering above an impossibility – a lake of darkness in a sea of darkness, one obsidian disc that stretched for miles all around, its surface rippling with its tide and currents, a part of the sea but apart from it.

But Elias was not fooled. He knew what this place was. Here, the shadows, the thoughts and the energy that made it up was so thick, so concentrated and condensed that it pooled at the bottom, so saturated compared to what was above it existed as its own body.

He tried to smile but this was not a place for joy.

Elias swam and finally he saw it.

A hint of blue drew his eye, just like the lure of an anglerfish drew the eyes of its prey. A hum ran through the black, cutting through the screams a neatly as a nice.

It was a thing of steel and lights, a whirring, clanking beast of gears and bolts. And it was alive. The screams were loud, deafening, frantic because the machine had mouths. It gobbled and it feasted, each massive maw sucking in thousands of litres of shadows, spitting it back out and swallowing the voices, the thoughts that were trapped in the teeth of its jaws.

The voices screamed as they burned, vanishing, winking out, their deaths unleashing untold energy that was funnelled into the bell of the beast and pumped away.

It was an impossible. A mad dream that he never thought could have come true. There were words stamped onto the metal of the machine, the name of the creator emblazoned in blue. Elias read it and he closed his eyes.

Malik Industries. Elias could still remember the fortress in the sky, the experiments that had almost ripped him apart. He could still remember that moment, that terrible moment when he had killed an innocent woman. Mary, brown hair, brown eyes, a little shorter than he, a mother with small children. He remembered her as well as he remembered himself. The guilt, the familiar shame came but Elias forced it away, knowing he was already doing all he could to atone for that one sin. The scientist opened his eyes and studied the machine; couldn't help admiring it. It ate and it ate but Elias was safe because as hungry as the machine was it could not swallow living flesh, it was not designed to.

"Marcos," Elias breathed, staring as the thing that ate souls, "What have you done?"

. . . . . . .

Silence fell over the Orchard, the only sound the frantic whispers and cries of the things that lived inside the darkness. The Tower stood tall, a single gleaming blade of glass that pulsed with light, a thing of smooth beauty in a world that was made of dark steel. It grew from a pool of shadows like the stamen of a flower, cables connecting it to all the Seeds in the Orchard, the glowing pods where the sleepers slept and dreamt their dreams. But was the Tower feeding the Seeds or did the Seeds feed the Tower? It was impossible to tell but the important thing was that they were connected. The light flared, illuminating the land like the flash of a camera before it died, plunging it once more into twilight, the blue glow of the Seeds like stars in the night sky.

Flash.

Light again.

Dull.

Night again.

All was quiet, the fury and fire gone. A lone figure stood before the pool of darkness, as sill and foreboding as a gargoyle that guards an old castle roof. The only thought in his head was the last thing he remembered hearing.

'_You are to guard this place_.'

Blink.

'_Let no one come here. Destroy them. Everyone last one of them.'_

Blink.

'_Even if it is your little friends your orders are to crush them without thought. Is that understood?'_

Blink.

No other thoughts in his head but his last command, no other desire but to follow that command. A soulless puppet. The perfect soldier.

Movement. In the shadows.

He raised his hands, his power leaping to his fingers. No thought but to follow the command, to kill, to destroy, to eliminate anything and anyone who came to the Tower. Jason pointed and power exploded from his hands.

Caspian leapt, hitting the ground as white fire tore through the air. He rolled to his feet and ran, praying frantically under his breath as more and more bursts of ruach flew at him. Dents were punched into solid steel walls, burning shrapnel spraying the air.

"ARGH!"

"BOOM!"

A flash of light and a wall was torn apart, invisible hands snatching the debris and clapping it together into one single solid slab. Jason gestured and it fell from the air like an anvil, Caspian running for his life.

"BANG!"

The whole ground shook as steel hammered against steel, Caspian stumbling. He smacked into the ground face-first, pain punching him hard but he was instantly up, running as the steel weapon rose once more, crashing over the spot where he lain. Blood poured down his nose, white spots danced in his vision but Caspian continued to run.

"Hurry up!" he roared at the darkness, "COME AND GET ME!"

A silver ball flew through the air and Caspian laughed in victory. His gun was in his hands, his fingers already pulling the trigger. A single bullet drilled through the air and the silver orb flying at the king – an impossible shot but Caspian made it with ease.

The slug tore through the explosive's outer shell and it ruptured.

"BOOM!"

Flames blasted Caspian away, saving his life as the steel slab smashed into the ground once more. The fire seared the steel, turning it red hot, making it twice as deadly as a wall of white fire rose around Jason protecting him from the blast.

The bowman leapt down from his perch, his crossbow swinging from Caspian to Jason and back again. Caspian rose to his feet, his front drenched in his blood, soot-smeared and wild-haired but a grin curled his lips.

"Who are you?" he asked almost conversationally.

The bowman raised his crossbow. Jason raised his hands. Caspian met them with his guns, one to each of his enemies.

It was a stand-off.

All three men looked at each other, their faces like mask, none moving.

"Last chance," Caspian warned.

Neither of his opponents moved so much as a muscle. Caspian sighed.

"Well I tried being reasonable."

He fired, Jason lashing out, the bullet aiming for his heart melting in mid-air. The bowman dived, Caspian already moving.

"BANG!"

The burning metal hurtled to the ground, just missing Caspian as drops of liquid metal flew through the air. His arm blistered as it sprayed him but the king kept moving.

The bowman swung his crossbow around, firing as Caspian fired again. Again fire orb and bullet met in mid-air.

"BOOM!"

Caspian was thrown through the air like a ragdoll, falling to the ground in limp lifeless pile. The bowman froze, staring as if surprised he had finally fell his prey. But he had no time to savour his victory as Jason whirled on the last man standing.

Ruach boiled forwards, swallowing the distance between them as ghosts hurled the burning metal lump at the bowman. Like a comet it flew, tailed by fire both red and white. One look and the bowman ran, the burning metal trailing him.

Jason watched, face devoid of everything as the man before him threw desperate look over his shoulders. His hood had fallen away but his face was bound with bandages, slits for eyes and nose the only relief from the black cloth.

His boot skidded on the ground and he was pitched forwards. It saved his life, the comet shrieking overhead, smashing clean through a tower in an explosion of fire and flying metal.

Jason blinked and gestured, white fire whipping at the man as he tried to rise.

A dark figure speared into the bowman knocking him down as ruach sliced through the air. The bowman stared at his rescuer.

"What?" Caspian raised a brow, "You thought I was dead?"

"BAM!"

He punched the man straight in the face, stunning him and pulled the crossbow from his hands. Grabbing the man by the collar, he heaved him up.

Jason threw chunks of jagged metal at them, each piece of debris as razor sharp and deadly as a knife. Caspian ran, dragging the bowman, sheer dumb luck saving them as the steel sliced at their hair, their clothes and skin but missing anything vital.

Caspian threw the dazed man around the corner and dived in after him.

Flames licked the air, shadows coming to life as Jason looked around. There was no one in sight, no one to threaten the Tower. He gave the slightest of nods and lowered his hands, staring blankly ahead once more, waiting, his orders looping endlessly in his head.

Beyond the corner, Caspian swung, cracking the bowman across the face with the crossbow. The man staggered back, a kick sending him reeling.

"Now..."

Caspian pointed the crossbow straight at him, a fire orb firmly in place.

"Who are you? Why are you after me?" the king demanded.

The bowman stared at him, dark eyes glittering in the gaps of his cloth mask.

"This all your fault!" the man spat furiously at him.

"Yes clearly because I'm not the one who is hunting you. I'm the one who shot an arrow into your back," Caspian's voice was so dry it was seconds away from igniting into flames.

"You have no idea do you?" the man's voice shook, "You are just like your uncle. A traitor to his family!"

Caspian's eyes widened.

"I AM NOTHING LIKE MY UNCLE!" he roared.

The bowman laughed and Caspian lunged at him, teeth bared. They slammed into each other, Caspian raining blow after blow down on the man as he continued to laugh, his voice jagged and wild. Blood spilt, Caspian's knuckles splitting.

He rammed the hilt of the crossbow into the bowman's face, breaking bone and cartilage. Caspian staggered, taking a blow the gut. His head snapped to the side, a fist thundering into his jaw. He bellowed, barrelling into the man, slamming him hard against the thing that stood in the street. A second blow and the bowman was sent flipping over the rails, crashing down onto the platform of the travel-rail.

His face set into a furious mask, Caspian marched up the stairs and towered over the bowman as he laid wheezing on the ground.

"Who the hell are you?"

He reached down as the bowman tried to stop him but with a single jerk, he tore the bandages free. Caspian's jaws dropped.

A swarthy face stared up at him, a scar closing one eye, a head of tightly curled hair and a bearded face poking through the ruined cloth.

"General Glozelle..."

The Telmarine swept the legs out from under Caspian and the king fell beside him.

"I'm sorry," Glozelle whispered, "I'm so – "

He lunged, his hands closing around Caspian's neck, choking him. Caspian's face flushed, his eyes fluttering as he tried to fight the man off. A blow to the face and Glozelle's hands loosened, Caspian tearing them away from him, head-butting the man.

King and general leapt to their feet, facing each other, Caspian staring, Glozelle's lone dark eye unreadable.

"Why... why..." Caspian tried to speak but his tongue was thick and dead in his mouth.

"I'm sorry my king," regret filled Glozelle's voice, his face was full of loathing and shame but it was not directed at Caspian but himself, "I must – "

He swung but Caspian ducked, his hands shooting out. Cloth ripped and the king tore the bag of fire orbs away from the general. Whirling, he swung the crossbow he still held around and one of its arms smacked into the control panel, the buttons instantly lighting up.

The travel-trail hummed, the platform rising inches above its track. Glozelle froze, staring.

"What – "

Caspian dived between the man's legs, clutching the bag of orbs, his crossbow and fell down the stairs. Glozelle made to follow him but the travel-rail roared to life.

"NOOO!"

The train-like machine shot like a bullet from a gun, tearing down its track as Glozelle was hurled against the rails, clinging on for dear life. Caspian watched the general and the travel-rail disappear off, swallowed away by the distance as he laid on the cold hard steel. His mind whirled, his heart thundering in his chest.

"What – "

He looked up at the dark skies.

"What the hell is going on here?"

. . . . . . .

The whip dropped from his numbed hands.

"When did this happen?" Sutekh raged, "WHEN?"

The portly slaver turned to the soldiers around him, his doughy face flushed.

"HOW?" he spat, "HOW?"

He turned back to the Nile River, where the waters were still a stagnant quagmire of blood, and screamed his rage.

The pharaoh had declared war on the Tzaraath, ordering Sutekh to be the general of his army, to sweep into the Tzaraath's compound at dawn and burn the heathens alive. Sutekh had slept with a smile on his face, thirsting for the morning, dreaming dreams of men cut down where they stood, of frantic pleading women as his hands slid around their throats and closed.

But now he was standing on the shore of the Nile, humiliated and he hated, was terrified of being made the fool.

"HOW?"

Where the Tzaraath's compound once stood there was now nothing but a neat straight bank, the bloodied waters of the Nile lapping gently at the sand and mud. Off shore, right in the centre of the dying river Sutekh could see the familiar gates of the compound, the slaves out of his reach.

"This is impossible!"

But there it was – the camp he was meant to raid, the people he was meant to kill was on an island in the centre of the Nile, an island that had not existed the night before. Somehow, through some dark arts that traitor Makat had moved the land itself.

Fear stabbed the slaver but it quickly vanished, lost beneath a wave of red hot anger and frustration.

"CURSE YOU!"  
His whip was in hands and he lashed out, punishing his own soldiers, unleashing his fury.

"SWIM! ALL OF YOU! INTO THE RIVER!"

Terrified they obeyed, the first line of soldiers throwing themselves into the thick blood the clear waters had become. It didn't take long for the first screams as crocodiles and hippopotami exploded out of the waters, their deadly jaws breaking bodies with ease.

A dark cloud descended onto them the Arov, the cursed insects Makat had summoned, as thick as smoke from a forest fire. Their human-like faces howled with laughter as their stingers and fangs attacked every inch of exposed skin. Sutekh screamed and slapped at the insects eating his flesh, his army dissolving into chaos as many fled, driven away by the anger of the gods.

"FIRE!" Sutkeh bellowed, "FIRE!"

He could not go back to the pharaoh without the slave's head on a stick, death here would be a thousand times better than the death Amun would visit upon him.

"FIRE!"

Torches burst into life and the soldiers who stood, the soldiers who would not be hunted down and executed along with their families, waved them around frantically, the Arov screaming, burning by the thousands. The air was thick with smoke and bitter scents, each dying insect bursting in splashes of blood and gore. They fled, screeching, hunting for easier prey as the hippopotamuses sank down into the bloody river, disappearing from sight. The crocodiles lunged, grabbing the unlucky men who had fallen into the river.

Sutkeh stood, the ragged remnants of his army arrayed behind him, burning torches held tight in their hands. Their faces were haunted, eyes wide as they huddled behind the flames like primeval men, using fire to drive off the unknown, the monstrous. They trembled where they stood, trying to make themselves to the screams of the men in the river, the terrible snapping of bone and limbs and the splashing of the crocodile as they spun and spun, breaking their victims into lumps of meat.

"Kill them," Sutkeh snarled, "KILL THEM ALL!"

Some of the soldiers threw down their torches and arrows rained down on the crocodile, drilling through their armoured hide and the victims they held in their jaws. Others under Sutekh's command spun smartly on their heels and began firing, killing the soldiers who were running from the shore. Service to the pharaoh was absolute and in battle there was no retreat, only the ever-advancing march onwards. The crocodiles fled, the last of the soldiers drowned or having spilt the last drops of their blood onto burning sand and silence fell once more over the banks of the Nile.

Sweat rolled down Sutkeh's doughy face, his face frozen into a look of horror. Fear forced him back, fear forced him forward, the slaver caught between two violent forces that crashed together with all the strength of two of massive armies. He shook, his teeth mashed so tightly together his jaws threatened to lock.

"My glorious leader?"

Sutkeh looked at the soldier and the man, taller and stronger than he, quailed. Despite the cold fear that gripped his heart a thrill of satisfaction ran through the slaver and that woke him into action. He straightened, his belly spilling out over loincloth.

"I was hoping to hold this off," he announced grandly.

Sutekh liked standing at the head of an army, liked having everyone's eyes on him. Amun may the son of the gods but here, in this moment, he was a god to these men, men who could have killed him without much effort. The thought made Sutekh laugh.

"Signal them!" the slaver ordered, "Then we wait."

Several men pulled pouches from their clothing and hurled it at the flaming torches. The small sacs instantly ignited, green fire blooming, pluming high up into the air. Sutekh watched the poisonous flames burn, his mouth suddenly dry.

This had to work or he would quickly find himself in Duat, his heart weighed again a feather, Ammit waiting to devour him. Sutekhn closed his beady eyes, his scrunched face more piggish than ever before. He had served Amun faithfully, had served the gods faithfully and his reward was clear so why did terror strike his heart?

Sutekh waited, his gut clenching as he prayed to all the gods in the pantheon known to Tzara. But for the first time a question stole into his mind, a question that ripped the ground up from beneath him and sent him tumbling down in the void.

Amun or Makat, who was the chosen of the gods?

. . . . . . .

The Tzaraath cheered as the Arov swept in, harrying the soldiers, many fleeing, many leaping into the bloodied river in their madness. They cheered again as Sutkeh ordered the execution of some of his own men. They cheered once more as those men died.

Zaru watched, eyes narrowed, studying Sutkeh's face as fear flashed across it, chased away by laughter then by arrogance and finally a puzzled dark look that made him look more stupid than thoughtful.

Green flames flared and the leopard hissed.

"What is that?" Makat asked him hurriedly.

The man was crouched low, the two perched in one of the guards towers that had once stood at the gates to the slave compound. But now the gates opened out to nothing but the river, the whole camp embedded in an island floating in a river of blood.

"Trouble," Zaru hissed.

Makat had made this place, slamming his sceptre down into the earth and praying. The guards in the tower, the guards before the gates had given a single scream before they vanished into thin air. But before anyone could even gape, the ground shook beneath their feet. The Nile had churned, the earth groaning and screaming. With a great wrench, the slave compound had torn itself free, shooting out across the river, slicing through the blood like a great warship. The sudden island had shuddered to a halt but the transformation was not yet complete.

The ground rumbled once more and a spring had burst into life, clear crystal water spurting high and where the fluid fell the earth became soft and loamy. Green wormed their way up into air and their leaves unfurled, growing, multiplying, trees and crops springing up in a single breath.

The Tzaraath had fallen to their knees and wept as Makat stood stunned at what he had done. The compound was no longer a prison but a sanctuary, food and water more bountiful than anything they could have ever imagined in their wildest dreams.

Some had begged Makat, said there was no need for war, not when they had this place to live in peace but the slave was not to be swayed. This was a beautiful place but so was a gilded cage that trapped songbirds. They would never be free or at peace until they were out from under Amun's rule and out of Tzara.

"What is happening my lord?" a voice cried from the gathered slaves below.

"Green flames come from their torches!" Makat called back, "But none are coming to this place!"

Another cheer roared out as Makat smiled excitedly at Zaru. The leopard merely looked back at him, no a flicker of emotion on his furred face.

"All we have to do is endure and eventually Amun would awaken to the error of his ways," the slave said excitedly, one hand wrapped around the black sceptre, "His armies cannot touch us here!"

"You do realise we've trapped ourselves in a hole right?" Zaru pointed out, without much hope of making Makat see their predicament, "That doesn't exactly scream winning strategy."

Makat laughed.

"Are you always so miserable Cat God? Can't you enjoy a victory?"

Zaru had to remind himself slowly and firmly that killing the man himself would negate his deal with the Devourer of Hearts.

"Come," Makat rose and there was an air around him, one of command and assurance.

He smelt different. Less of fear and desperation, a bit more like Susan or Caspian or Peter – the scent of a leader, a king coming into his own right. Zaru sighed and followed the slave as they walked down the stairs out of the tower and into the compound proper.

"What do the green flames mean?"

"Have the soldiers gone?"

"Are we free?"

A sea of Tzaraath crushed them, a thousand questions trying to drown them.

"Makat. Makat. I am with child would you please bless – "

"What do the gods say?"

"Makat can I – "

"Makat – "

"Makat – "

The slave laughed, brushing aside hands, his people opening up before him. They snatched at him, grabbing his hands, his clothing as if to reassure themselves that he was here, that he was real. Zaru weaved between their legs, resigned, eager to get through this crush and to some proper hot food and –

His nose twitched.

Snake.

Scorpion.

Bitter.

Burning.

Zaru looked around frantically, hissing and spitting, leaping between legs.

A hand reaching into a cloak.

A dagger, keen edge smeared with green and smelling of snakes, of toadstools and toads.

Zaru's eyes widened.

"MAKAT!" he roared.

He lashed out, not caring who he was scratching, not caring about anything but the man charging at Makat. The slave whirled, eyes widening, his sceptre coming up instinctively.

"CLANG!"

Metal glanced off the dark rod, the man stumbling and Zaru was instantly on him, biting deep. The dagger fell from his useless hands as the would-be assassin screamed, falling.

The crowd was stunned. Staring at the fallen man.

"WHY?" a woman screamed and the crowd ignited.

They kicked at him, beating him as Zaru roared, trying to fend them off.

"GET AWAY YOU IDIOTS!" he howled, hackles raised, "GET AWAY!"

The assassin was weeping, his dagger just out of his reach.

"I had to..." he whimpered as Makat stared down at him, "They... they have my family... if I don't... they..."

"TWHIP! TWHIP! TWHIP!"

Tzaraath fell, clutching at darts sticking out from their necks, their arms. They dropped, faces already turning blue, their eyes rolling to the back of their heads. Screams rang out, the proud panicking as Zaru searched desperately.

"THWIP!"

He leapt and a dart struck the assassin, killing him as Makat trembled where he stood, frozen. A wall of Tzaraath stood around him, pale-faced men and women willing to die for the man.

"MOVE YOU IDIOT!" Zaru screamed at him.

A ragtag band charged at the slave, poisoned laced daggers held high in their hands, looks of terror and shame stamped on their faces. Some of the Tzaraath leapt at them, trying to protect their leader, their saviour.

"ARGH!"

A man fell, a gash across his cheek enough to kill as one of the assassins fell, brained by a chunk of stone. Zaru roared and bounded forwards, leaping him, slashing at a man's throat. He fell as Zaru hit the ground, leaping aside, dodging a dagger before slashing, tearing the woman's leg apart.

"NO!" Makat screamed as darts hammered into the human wall before him.

They fell, struggling to breathe as their saviour wept.

"NO!"

Makat lashed out with his sceptre and the end slammed into an armed man running at him. He fell, blood gushing from his eyes and ears as Makat whirled, howling. A woman keeled, vomiting out Arov as the demonic flies flew at the few standing assassins, blinding them as they shrieked.

Zaru tackled another assassin, swatting the pipe from her lips as she tried to fire point blank at Makat. She hit the ground, Zaru roaring at her. The woman sobbed, throwing her hands up in surrender but a Tzaraath lunged, stabbing her in the chest with one of the poisoned knives. She died as her killer rose, staring dumbly at the blood on his hands.

The leopard looked around. The assassins were all dead, their bodies laying amongst the people who had stood between them and their target. Makat was shaking, his sceptre held on with a white-knuckled grip.

He made choking noises, too stunned to even scream, to even cry.

"Makat?" Zaru spat the blood from his mouth.

The man was like one gaping raw wound, his emotions, his pain leaking out of him in thick rolling waves. He looked at Zaru and something had died in his eyes.

Attacks from Amun and his soldiers he could understood but a betrayal, an attempt on his life from within, from the people he loved... something in Makat broke.

"They tried to poison me..." the words came out in a whisper.

A dark crazed look suddenly flared to life.

"I WILL POISON THIS LAND!" Makat screamed.

His sceptre swept over the horrible tableau around him, over the dead bodies of his people.s

"DEVER!" Makat shrieked.

The bodies burned without fire, crumbling to ash and dust, borne up into the air by a wild breeze as Zaru cried out, hammers beating at his skull, needles stabbing at his skin.

"SHKHIN! BARAD!"

With a roar, the ash erupted upwards like a volcano, shooting high up into the sky and blacking out the sun. A tempest scattered the soot in all directions imaginable, Makat the centre of a storm that that burst over the whole of Tzara.

. . . . . . .

"What is that?"

Sutekh grabbed at the soldiers around him, shaking them violently.

"WHAT IS THAT?" he screamed as ash and smoke boiled up into the sky, "WHAT IS THAT?"

A wind began to howl, a wild savage thing that was like a jackal. It raced across the heavens, something dark, something poisonous falling in its wake like rain. And all the animals in all the farms of Tzara screamed with one voice, their eyes bulging from their heads.

The Arov had weakened them, had drained blood from their body and all but killed them but this was the final blow.

Horses, donkeys, camels – they fell, the life fleeing from their eyes as terrible cancerous tumours devoured flesh and bone. Riders were pitched from their mounts, death coming so swiftly that they didn't even have time to dismount. Carts and chariots toppled, adding to the chaos, the confusion.

Cattle, sheep, goats – they coughed and they vomited, black blood spilling over sand and each other, malady spreading like fire through tinder, leaping from farm to farm, killing anything that could provide meat or milk to the people of Tzara.

This was the fifth plague, a pestilence that killed all the livestock in Tzara but there was still more to come.

A second wind, a gentle whispering zephyr unfurled, spreading across the desert kingdom, falling with all the lightness of a piece of lace. It settled, touching every man, woman and child, sinking deep down into their skin.

Sutekh screamed as skin warped and blistered. He screamed as the boils burst, pus and blood flowing freely, the raw open flesh screaming in pain. The soldiers threw their weapons down, screaming at each other, clutching at the pustules that grew thick on their skin like grapes on a vine.

All over Tzara, on the skin of the lowest peasant to the skin of the pharaoh himself, buboes burst into life. The youngest babe and the most toothless of the old all suffered the same fate. They screamed, staring at the nightmare that lived in mirrors and clear water, clutching at their faces, at every square inch of skin.

The sixth punishment, boils on the skin, blisters and pustules that burst, flaying the skin as more bubbled into existence, an endless cycle of pain and misery.

The desert wind seemed to scream, to yell no more but the sceptre and the gods were not yet done.

A third wind rose and this was the wind of storms, dark clouds conquering the sky, the swollen grey birthing lightning and thunder. The inflicted people of Tzara looked up and trembled, wondering what was to come.

It started with a fantastical flash of lightning, thunder drumming the air in a deafening tattoo. The ground jumped, wind rushing down to meet it and then came something the desert had never seen before.

Ice fell from the sky. The heavens seemed to be spitting the hail out with the force of bullets from a gun, the frozen stones tearing through the roof of farms, of houses, of the palace itself. It stripped the leaves and the barks from the trees in the orchard, the fruits torn open, spilling their pulp and seeds like blood. It pummelled the crops, snapping stalks, mashing it into the ground.

The farms, the once prosperous orchards and paddocks that could have fed Tzara ten-fold, were now vast open graves. The water that fed the irrigation channels poisoned by blood or toad venom, the animals it had reared now bloated water-logged corpses already thick with flies and all the trees and grains that had grown on tilled earth mere mulch.

Lightning leapt from hailstone to hailstone before striking earth, blasting smoking molten glass holes in the sand and in the streets of Tzara. Rain and wind raged, trying to scour the palace clean of the evil that lived within. And through it all, through lightning, hail and rain, great tongues of fire writhed like immense burning serpents. Flame and ice fell, burning Tzara, freezing it.

Hail and fire, this was the seventh plague to have struck Amun's kingdom and slowly the storm died, burning out, sunlight shining weakly through the steel-coloured clouds that still hung thick and heavy above.

Sutkeh looked, stared at the dead animals that floated in the soupy bloody river, at the pounded dirt all around him. He stared at the blisters on his skin, at the dead soldiers around him and he began to shake.

His chins wobbled, his fingers going into spasms as he tried to remember how to breathe. He had failed, he had failed and Makat had unleashed more of the god's fury on them.

He could feel Amun's hands around his neck, could feel his blade sliding into his body, could feel stone crushing him, could feel fire licking his skin, boiling his fat to toil.

Sutekh sobbed. He was already dead.

The sound of feeding made him look up. The crocodiles were already feasting on the remains that had been swept into the river, their evil heads sticking out of the blood like monsters from the darkest and most primal of legends. Their jaws cracked bones, marrow flowing free, their teeth tore flesh, great chunks sliding down into their gullets.

He was already dead.

Sutkeh raised his arms, spreading it out before him.

"Glorious leader?" one of the surviving soldiers yelped, his face covered in angry pus-filled boils.

"We are the dead!" Sutekh screamed mindlessly, "WE ARE THE DEAD!"

Hands flew out, trying to grab him as the portly slaver threw himself straight into the bloody Nile. The crocodiles swarmed, a nightmare mass of scales and teeth, the reptiles fighting each other to devour such a tasty treat. Sutekh did not scream as powerful jaws slapped around his leg, he did not scream as his limb was torn away from his body. He did not scream as he was torn apart, his innards spilling out.

Sutekh did not scream because he was already dead.

. . . . . . .

LISTEN.

Elias sank and floated in the endless darkness, his eyes closed tight, his hands clutching at his temples. He thought and the thoughts became words, travelling through the murk like a whale's haunting song.

LISTEN.

The cries around him swelled, multiplying, growing so loud that his very bones shook and ached. He was buffeted by thoughts, by lives that could not have been and yet were. They tried to overwhelm him, tried to crawl under his skin and into his skull.

HELP US.

HELP US.

Elias growled, his mouth opening in a silent angry shout as the flurry of voices around him ignored his commands, screaming out their pain, wailing their lament.

LISTEN!

Silence spread like fire amongst damp twigs, slow and spluttering. But they listened, they fell quiet, their cries forgotten.

I CAN HELP YOU.

Elias almost lost himself in the thunder of cries that answered his words. He clutched at his head, convulsing in pain as the voices came as an avalanche, battering him, smashing him against some hard and implacable. Elias clung to a memory of his face, clung to memories of Susan and the others, trying to remember who he was as a thousand thoughts rushed through him with all the aching breath-taking rush of diving into icy waters.  
LISTEN!

Bubbles rose from his lips, lazily rising as silence descended once more.

I CAN HELP.

There were cries this time, voices that screamed for silence, for the others to listen as chaos rose once more. The darkness churned like a storm-tossed sea, trembling, threatening to erupt but slowly it stilled. Elias thought once more and his thoughts became a broadcast, an endless stream of words and images that beamed to everything that lived in this dark and mysterious sea.

HELP ME RETURN TO THE SURFACE. HELP ME FIND THE OTHER MAN WHO IS HERE.

The voices shrieked their protest.

NO. HELP US NOW.

Elias shook his head, a futile gesture they could not see. His mind screamed, groaning under the weight of cancerous thoughts that pressed down it, trying to crush everything he was like a steel can left in immense ocean depths. Memories were his weapon, memories were his shield, they were what reminded him that he was he, that he was Elias and not a disembodied voice stumbling through endless shadows.

I CANNOT. HELP ME AND I PROMISE I WILL HELP YOU.

Darkness bubbled beneath his feet.

Dagon.

Elias was rising, shooting out from the endless depths like a cork exploding from its bottle. Edwin, Delaine, Adan, Tessen and all the other hundreds and thousands of voices and thoughts trapped in the black whirled around him, pushing him up, up and up, out of the dark to where light glimmered, light that they could not touch. As Elias floated, a thin cataract of ephemeral shadows the only thing that separated him from the flashing lights of the Tower, the thoughts fled, diving back down as Elias frowned.

ELIAS.

The scientist froze as this the voice did not come from one thought, from one disembodied thing but from all around, the darkness itself speaking to him. The voice hammered into him with all the force of a runaway train, Elias gasping for breath.

HELP ME.

It was a girl's voice, tiny, scared despite the loudness of it all.

WHO ARE YOU?

YOU KNOW WHO I AM.

And Elias was pulled out of the shadows, out of the darkness and sent spinning through light and sound. His knees crashed against stone, gravel scraping deep as Elias stumbled, falling face first into the dirt.

"I'm sorry but I had to bring you here..."

Elias looked up and stared into the eyes of a little girl with pure black eyes and pure black tears. She looked at him, a sad broken thing despite her monstrous eyes and Elias couldn't help but feel the need to wrap her in his arms, to shield her from whatever big bad thing was trying to kill her.

"Where I am?"

"In a dream. My dreams," the little girl whimpered.

Shadows rose around her, liquid like the darkness Elias had been swimming in and the scientist's breath caught.

"You can control it?"

The girl wept.

"I shouldn't be able to but... he's done things to me. He's changed me. Made me into a monster," she looked at the man, "He broke me."

She clung at her thin shift, trying to shield herself behind the cloth but it was pitiful pathetic gesture. Again and again she whispered those last words until they stopped being words and became an endless whinging keen. Again Elias fought down the urge to comfort her.

"Why did you bring me here?" he demanded.

He was crouched before her in a cave of jagged stone, the ground and air boomed, monstrous screeches echoing loud in the stone chamber as flashes and burst of light tried to claw their way deep into the cave.

"Help me," the girl begged.

"How?" Elias demanded, "How can you control the pool? It doesn't make – "

"They are all trapped in my dreams. When they die here, they die there but he does not let them escape. He traps them, uses them through. I am the sleeper in the Tower. I am the Empress, the General, the High Inquisitor. I am everything but what I am meant to be."

The girl stopped gasping for breath, her eyes wide in her pale face. She trembled, shaking her head, terrified at what she had done.

"Help me," she begged, "The pieces have to be put back together. My brothers, my sister are trying but they don't kn –"

Elias stared at her.

"Susan. Peter. Edmund," he said slowly.

The girl smiled and it lit up her face.

"My family," she agreed.

"They are here?" Elias demanded.

"They are sleeping," the girl smiled but the mask broke under the weight of her dark tears.

Elias studied, looked past her dirty-streaked face, past the black eyes and looked at her properly. He was surprised he didn't see it before, the shape of her face, the familiar jut of her chin.

"You are Lucy."

"I am a part of her. Lucy broke."

Elias was piecing all that he heard, all that he had speculated, a newer more complete picture forming in his head.

"How do I help you? How do I make you whole? How do I help you wake up?"

The girl wept, this time not from sorrow but from relief.

"You must bring the pieces together. You must make them realise who they are," the girl ordered and there was something of Susan and Peter and Edmund in her voice, a surety, a resolve that could not be shaken, "Then this will be all be undone."

The screeches were getting louder, the girl flinching as she turned to look at the mouth of the cave. Elias could make out silvery forms, winged and taloned things of metal.

"Please..."

Tendrils of darkness rose from the girl's body, writhing like snakes.

"Help me."

And the black tentacles exploded outwards, shooting out through the mouth of the cave, snatching at the silvered things, exploding out at Elias and knocking him back into the pool of shadows.

He gasped, bursting through the surface of the dark moat. The Tower flashed and flared behind him, his legs working frantically to keep his head above the shadows.

"BOOM!"

He could hear cries, could see white flames leaping through the air. A figure ran from the fire, silhouetted against the burning brightness.

"Jason. Caspian..."

Elias instantly sucked in a deep breath and dove back into the shadows.

HELP ME!

. . . . . . .

"YES! ME! KILL ME!" Caspian roared.

Jason turned from Inara's limp form, his head cocked as he studied the king. Caspian jumped and stomped, waving his hands frantically.

"YES YOU IDIOT! ME!"

By the mane he was going to die. He was going to die. He was going to... but one look at Inara and Caspian held his ground, cursing violently.

"HEY!"

Jason raised his hand and Caspian ran, adrenaline roaring through his veins, washing away his pain and exhaustion. But it did not drive the questions from his head, the voices that demanded him to turn around and run after the travel-rail, to find out why Glozelle was here and trying to kill him.

But memories flashed, Caspian remembering as he ran. General Glozelle, the stone-faced teacher of the duelling fields, a harsh but fair master, watching dispassionately as his future king rose on tottering legs. Glozelle the traitor, a monster who had tried to assassinate a man he had helped raise in his sleep, who had led men to chase him deep into the forest and so start off the Restoration war. Glozelle the victor, the soldier who had the chance to run a spear through his chest but hesitated, shame and regret in his eyes, the polearm lowering a split second before the dryads had snatched him away. And finally his last memory of the man before this place. The courtyard, him standing helpless and voiceless as Glozelle led Prunaprismia and his cousin away, wanting to shout out, to stop them. But he had let them go, he was not cruel enough to hold them in a place that was no longer home.

Caspian dived, almost losing his head as ruach snapped through the air like a whip.

Why was Glozelle here?

Where was his aunt?

Caspian was forced to duck again.

Was Glozelle working for the Great Darkness? Was his aunt in danger? Snatched away like had been? What about his cousin, what about –

Caspian suddenly realised he did not even know the boy's name and shame knifed through him. In those days after the war, before Prunaprismia had left he had avoided her, could not look her in the face knowing he had killed her husband and stolen a father from her son just like Miraz had stolen his away. But he also could not look at her without anger, without hating her for everything her husband had done. Shame, hate and love all twisted together; Caspian had been too weak, too scared to face all of that.

And now he regretted it, wished he had been strong enough to keep them in Narnia, to keep them safe.

"BOOM!"

The ground beneath him heaved and Caspian was thrown off his feet, the Seeker charging at him. They were once more before the gleaming Tower with its ring of liquid shadows, the flashing light giving Caspian snapshots of his attacker. A blink and one hand was raised, a blink and he was another step closer, a blink and white fire was blooming.

Desperately Caspian fired the crossbow in his hands, a fire orb spinning out, flung straight at Jason. Invisible hands snatched the explosive from mid-air, hurling it away. Caspian watched, wide-eyed as the orb struck the face of the Tower and promptly exploded, blinding light flashing out. Jason reeled, Caspian throwing an arm before his face as the air was suddenly alive with lightning, reeking of burned wire smell.

The light faded and Caspian looked up.

He thought he had reached his quota of shocks having unmasked Glozelle but the thing he now saw blew that straight out of his head.

The Tower was cracked, slashed by a gouge that oozed out blue, the light that burned within extinguished. A face, wane and pale, eyes closed as though in death jutted out from the thick clear glass, the walls of the Tower wrapped tight around her like a cocoon. Caspian stared, forgetting how to think, how to breathe as he rose.

"LUCY!"

Queen Lucy the Valiant, Lucy the Faithful, Lucy the smiling laughing imp that made Caspian wish he had not grown up so alone was entombed in the Tower, the dreaming sleeper right in the centre of the Orchard. She had been snatched but Edmund and Eustace, lost again in Charn but here she was, right before him, so close but –

The walls of the Tower rippled and the glass grew, repairing itself, sealing Lucy inside once more.

"NO! LUCY!"

Caspian raised his crossbow, determined to blast the whole thing apart bit by bit, uncaring of anything but the girl that was quickly vanishing from sight.

"LUCY!"

She did not stir, did not open her eyes, could not as the Tower made itself whole and began to flash with light once more.

"LUCY!"

Light flashed and Caspian whirled, ruach surging at him as the king dived, rolling to his feet and running as Jason marched forwards, letting fly again and again. Caspian ran until he felt like his lungs were about to burst, zigzagging wildly, trying to evade the attacks flying at him but Jason twisted his hands and ruach snapped at his heels.

HELP ME!

He heard the voice not as a cry but something in his head and Caspian stumbled.

"What – "

The dark pool suddenly rose, voices screaming out. A sheet of shadows fell like the blades of guillotine slicing through the white flashes, swallowing it whole as Caspian gaped. The Seeker did not move, did not do anything but raise his hands, hurling blast after blast of ruach at the liquid darkness that reached for him with inky fingers. White fire lashed darkness, voices shrieked in agony but still the darkness held, snatching Jason up. Ruach boiled in a shield around the Seeker, the black ooze howling with a thousand different voices, a discordant symphony of suffering and pain but it reared, Jason caught in its grasp.

"BOOM!"

In one swift terrifying move it rammed the Seeker straight innto the ground, denting the hard steel. Ruach winked out, the darkness splitting, raining down, flowing back to the pool as Caspian edged forwards, his eyes wide in his skull, having seen too much this day to even feel anything.

Jason was out cold, lying still on the ground. Caspian turned, looking at the Tower that held Lucy, at the liquid shadows that had just come to life. He raised his crossbow.

"Don't."

The shadows boiled, a thin tendril rising like a kraken's arm neatly depositing Elias and Jakob's prone form onto the ground before disappearing off back into the pit. The scientist looked ragged, almost grey with exhaustion but he stood without swaying.

"What... what..." Caspian was suddenly tired to his very bones, wanting to just curl up and forget this strange and exhausting day had ever occurred, "Elias. Lucy..."

"I know," Elias looked back at the Tower, at the sleeper within dreaming her dreams.

He turned to the king as the man stared back at him, eyes filled with pain, with anguish. Elias licked his lips. Remembering the words the girl in the cave had spoken to him.

Lucy was broken.

"We have to help her."

They had to be put her back together again.

. . . . . . .

Amun stared out at his city, the capital of his kingdom. Before when the river had turned to blood, when toads had swarmed the city, his people had rioted, had gone mad with terror. When gnats numbered as numerous as the sand, when Arov stalked the streets they had torches buildings, had trampled through the streets with flaming torches to drive the insects away.

But when boils erupted on their own skin, when pestilence struck down every creature that fed and worked for them, when hail and fire tore their farms apart the people of Tzara did nothing. They had been broken.

Amun roared and his sword was in his hands, the pharaoh lashing out, the blade glancing off the walls of his palace, stabbing deep into his chair, his table, into the belly of a servant who had been taken by surprise. Amun screamed and he raged, cursing the gods, cursing the demons, cursing everything and anything that wasn't him.

Sutkeh was dead, the fat coward killing himself rather than face the divine justice of the pharaoh. The few soldiers had limped back into the palace had been executed for their failure to kill that snake Makat.

Amun kicked the dead body of the servant aside, hissing in satisfaction as he imagined it was Makat. No, he would not just kill that worm, he would personally visit every single bit of hell imaginable on that slave before executing him.

Amun smiled imaging everything he could do – brands, drowning, burning oils – but he was pulled out of his dreams by a knock on his door.

"ENTER!" he thundered.

The doors swung open and the servants who opened them instantly dropped to their knees and crawled backwards, bowing and scraping, just praying their pharaoh wouldn't command them to stay. But Amun ignored them, his hot eyes focused on his wizards cowering before him. The men clutched at each other, standing as one little cluster, each trying to shove the other ahead.

"Well?" Amun snarled.

The mages whispered at each other, jabbering away, trying to hide but the pharaoh had no time for their little games.

"ANSWER ME!"

The wizards jumped.

"I'm sorry oh-glorious-son-of-the-gods," one of the mages whimpered, "But we cannot undo what that – "

"CANNOT?" Amun screamed at them.

The mage stared at him like mice staring in the face of a serpent, knowing they were staring into the eyes of death but unable to move.

"WHAT GOOD ARE YOU?" Amun howled, "GUARDS!"

His soldiers came as covered in pustules and buboes as he was. One wizard fell to his knees weeping brokenly as Amun spat at them. The pharaoh drew himself up, his face ugly with boils and hate.

"TAKE THEM AWAY! KILL THEM AND LET THEIR BODIES ROT BEFORE THE STEPS OF THE PALACE!" he screeched, "TEAR THEIR LIMBS OFF! BREAK THEIR TEETH AND THEIR FINGERS!"

The guards dragged the mages away, the men begging for their lives as Amun continued to rage, the boils on his face bursting, pus and fluid spilling down his cheek, his neck. With a final roar he threw himself down onto his chair, the back as high and inlaid was as much gold and lapis lazuli as any throne.

Slowly he dropped the sword from his hands, letting it clang hard on the ground. He rested his elbows on the table, his fingers steepled.

He had tried brute force.

He had tried a surprise attack.

Amun let his anger flow out of him, let his mind purge itself of hate and filled instead with crystal-clear purpose.

Makat had to fall.

Order had to be restored.

A smile curled the pharaoh's lips as a new plan unfolded. He rose swiftly from his seat, calling out once more but his voice was bleached of all anger, of all madness.

"Call the scribes!" he ordered, "I want a message to spread out through the land!"

. . . . . . .

Inara laughed and Peter laughed with her.

"I can't believe..." the half-Naga shook her head, "Oh god... how am I going to look Susan in the face?"

Sunlight poured through the kitchen window, the room rich with the scent of flowers plucked fresh from their gardens and from the cookies baking in the oven. Peter looked up from where he sat at the table, sharpening and oiling his sword.

"Well to be fair he did start it," the High King smirked.

Inara raised a brow at him, untying the apron from her waist and hanging it up.

"Our daughter called her cousin, your sister's son, an – and I quote – insufferable tosspot with girly hair just like his dad," Inara buried her face in her hands, trying to fight back laughter, "I would pay to see Caspian's face when he heard that."

Peter didn't even bother trying to hide his laugh, rising from the table and crossing to her. He clutched her hands, the rings on their fingers clinking together.

"I think Susan would find it funny. Ed certainly did," he smirked.

Inara glared at him.

"Don't encourage her."

Peter gave her a Cheshire cat grin.

"I won't."

Inara huffed and glanced out at the summer's sky outside. She glanced at the clock, at the swords that hung in a cross above it.

"Inara..." Peter sighed.

"What?" Inara battered her eyelids at him.

"We have to pick her up in half an hour," Peter chided, "That's hardly enough time to ride to the borderland kill the giants and come back in time."

Inara snorted.

"You may not be good enough to pull it off but I'm a mum, time management is one of my greatest weapons."

Peter rolled his eyes but couldn't help the smile twitching his lips. His hands reached up, cupping her face, his blue eyes drinking her in.

"I love you," Peter said softly.

He had said it to her so many times, the first in that pit where he had saved her from the demons. It had been the first words he had said to her after the final battle with the Great Darkness, the monster lying dead before them. He had said it to her when he had held her and with shaking hands showed her the ring. He had said it again on that glorious day, the sweetest moment in her memory except for the day their daughter had been born.

Inara smiled, her eyes glowing.

"I love you too."

And he captured her lips in a tender, soul dissolving kiss.

"Inara.

Inara grumbled.

"Go away Elias," she muttered against Peter's lips.

"Inara."

Her eyes flashed silver with annoyance.

"Inara."

"WHAT?"

She whirled and almost screamed as through the window, in the heavens themselves Elias's face floated above her.

"Elias?" the half-Naga rushed to the sink, staring up at the face of the scientist, a face made of air and clouds and light, "What the hell?"

"Inara you are dreaming."

The face in the sky did not move, its lips sealed closed but Inara could hear the scientist's voice as loud and clear as toiling bells.

"What..."

She turned back to look at Peter but he was already vanishing, disappearing like dew in the morning sun. She looked at her house, at the thing that never was and all her memories, all the sights and sounds and smells of years gone by was suddenly hollow and meaningless.

But still she wept, wept for something she didn't even know she loved.

"I'm sorry but you were gravely injured I had no choice but to put you into one of the Seeds," Elias's voice rumbled.

"Seeds?" Inara demanded.

The house melted away into mist leaving the half-Naga to stand alone in a field.

"Elias what the hell is going on?" the half-Naga screamed up at him furiously, "What – "

A coldness stole into the air and Inara blinked. Edmund's voice became more urgent, the words practically spilling out of him.

"Soon you'll be taken into another dream. Susan, Peter and Edmund are also there. So is Lucy," his voices were breaking up, fading and crackling like static on a radio.

"Lucy?" Inara blinked, "Wait, youngest sister Lucy?"

She was reeling, disorientated, the last memory in her head that of watching as Jill snapped Chelsea's neck. Inara shook her head, trying to erase that terrible picture, trying to erase the terrible guilt. Her stomach rebelled, a migraine pounding into her head but before she could even begin to feel nauseous Elias spoke again.

"You have to wake them up."

"HOW?"

There was long pause, the face in the sky frowning.

"Lucy is broken into pieces. You have to gather them and put her back together again."

Inara blinked as the gloom grew, swallowing more of the land.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Inara barked, "Put her back together again? I'm not all the king's bloody men and all the king's bloody horses."

Elias's face was fading but she could still see the glare he sent her.

"FIND THE GIRL IN THE CAVE. FIND LUCY THE CHILD AND SHE WILL HELP YOU."

"Elias what – "

She blinked as Elias's face vanished, torn apart by a dark funnel of wind that howled and shrieked. It fell from the heavens, touching ground, tearing it apart. Inara stood, paralysed, gaping as the black roaring tornado swept towards her.

"Wait! ELIAS! WHAT – "

She screamed, her cries drowned out as the dark wind snatched and swept her up into the eye of the storm, the world around her falling away and into nothing.

. . . . . . .

Elias stared at the screen.

"I think she got the message."

He breathed a sigh of relief and looked down at the pod where Inara slept. His eyes slid to the Seed beside her, another of his family lying in a pool of blue. Grimacing, he tapped at the computer screen pulling up scans and readings, his eyes picking through the mess of numbers to see something only he could understand.

"I still don't think this is a good idea," Caspian barked.

"It's the only way. Someone has to come into the dream and Inara needs to heal," Elias sighed, "But I still don't like it anymore then you do."

Caspian cursed but knew Elias would not place any of them in danger unless he had to. But he knew Inara was a good choice. She would not break, would stand up and keep on fighting when others would yield. He smiled wryly as he imagined the beating, physical and verbal, he would get for doubting her. But he still didn't like it.

"What is the Tower?" Jakob demanded, "What is happening to the Orchard?"

Jakob wiped at the thick sweat on his brow, his skin grey beneath the muck. Elias glanced at him worriedly. The Gardener had promised no ill effects from his dunking in the dark pool but the man was unsteady on his feet, his eyes slightly unfocused as if each saw a slightly different view of the world. Elias sighed and stared through his computer screen at his own memories.

"I'm an idiot not to recognise them before but it was just whispers," Elias shook his head, frustrated at his own dullness, "The Seeds were an invention of Metech's military."

Elias looked at the two glowing pods before him and couldn't help but feel a savage hate at how this invention had been twisted, had been violated to become prisons and cells.

"It was for injured soldiers, the worst hurt was often put into medical comas but not many survived. The method was too crude, the body healed but the mind rotted. So the pods were designed in the most secret of laboratories, a machine that could place their memory into dreams, to heal the scars within as well as the scars outside," Elias leaned heavily back into his chair.

His lips twitched in a smile that rotted and faded.

"I remember when Marcos heard about it – "

Caspian cursed remembering all too the well the madman who had captured them, who had forced them to play out sadistic experiments simply to prove a point. Elias said nothing, his own pain and nightmares still too fresh and raw.

"Marcos had a theory... we were both experimenting at that time with organic machines, living things that could be made and adjusted so that it would act as computers do."

Elias remembered those heady days, both green and fresh out of school, both eager to change the world, still believing and arguing for very different things. But they had worked well together, their research already bringing their accolade and fame, work that would cement their names into the stratosphere of science and technology.

"You have to understand that the human brain is a wonderful thing, the information it can hold, the way it accumulates and stores data... no computer can match its swiftness, is plasticity," Elias's fingers itched to tap at the computers, to make diagrams and pictures to illustrate his point but for now he let words build the story, "We were looking at ways to use the human brain as a part of a computer, to allow technology and nature to marry together. But... the human mind already has data in it, has memories, personality, its own sense of right and wrong. It's not empty like an unprogrammed machine."

Caspian was staring at him blankly, trying to wrap his head around concepts that were light years ahead of the world he had grown up in. Jakob merely nodded.

"But Marcos thought with the aid of the healing pods that we could trap the mind in dreams and separate it from the brain. Let quarantining the program and leaving the hardware intact but... it was a monstrous thing to consider, to take away what is humanity and leave only a vegetable behind."

Elias remembered the arguments, the shouting and the fist-waving. It was memory he had almost forgotten because the lesson he had learnt had been woven into the very core of his being, as memorable as taking his first step or saying his word, a part of him that so often he forgot. He had learnt one thing – that there had to be limits to science, that fences of black and white, right and wrong had to guide and direct the search for answers to everything.

"Marcos went further. He calculated that the mind itself could be an energy source, that those impulses, those memories could be somehow consumed in some fantastical machine to release energy rivalled only by nuclear powers but..." Elias laughed, "I just put it down to much caffeine and not enough sleep. The numbers he produced... they are little better than fairytale things."

Elias looked at Caspian, at Jakob bleakly.

"The pool of shadows somehow traps the minds and thoughts of those that die in the dream. Their bodies are kept alive in the pods, perfect machines that can be used for prodigious calculations and feats of mathematics," the words were coming out of him in a rush, Elias needing to voice his thoughts to make sure they connect, that they make sense, "And the minds... there's a machine at the bottom of the pit that is somehow destroying them."

"For power?" Caspian asked hesitantly.

Elias said nothing, his bleak face saying it all.

"The bodies are used as computers. The minds as fuel," Jakob looked crushed, his life's work meaningless, everything the Eyes had given them turning to ash.

"I'm sorry," Elias said gently.

Jakob began to cry, angry, heavy child sobs as Caspian awkwardly patted him on the back. He squawked as Jakob threw himself at the king, clinging to him as he drenched his chest in tears.

"And Lucy?" Caspian demanded, gently setting Jakob down onto the tiny bed in the room.

He had seen the little queen inside the Tower, the sleeper in the centre of this world, trapped. His mind flicked from her to Glozelle and back again, the king torn, unsure of what he should be pursuing, who he needed to save.

"Her dream traps them all. Their death in her dreams frees their mind. I don't know why she's so important," Elias worried over that last mystery, "I think she's a conduit or..."

He trailed off.

"Why are we waiting around?" Caspian demanded, "We know where she is. We have Jason. There's nothing stopping us from tearing that Tower apart!"

"Destroying the Tower would not wake her or the others. Inara is in her dreams, it's up to her."

He hated his helplessness as much as Caspian but the scientist was not going to butt heads against something he could not fix. He winced as Caspian whirled, kicking a chair down.

Caspian felt a moment of satisfaction as the chair crashed into the wall but it was quickly gone. Glozelle was here in this world, his aunt and his cousin only Aslan knew where. He had failed them and now he was failing Lucy. Why? Why did he always fail those he cared about?

Jakob was staring blankly ahead, not listening, not caring at what was happening around him. Elias rose from his chair, shucking off his coat revealing the thin shirt and pants he wore beneath. Caspian pulled himself away from his dark thoughts to stare at him.

"Elias. No! It's too dangerous!"

"He needs our help."

Elias walked to the third and final Seed in the room, its glass door opened.

'I've managed to isolate this and Jason's pod. They are linked together and out of reach of Lucy's dream."

"Elias..." Caspian gritted out.  
"The Great Darkness is controlling him Caspian," Elias was as steel-willed and reckless as any mouse knight Caspian had ever met, "If I can free him from that I'm going to take whatever risk there is because he's family."

Caspian opened his mouth but stopped, unable to think of any other argument. Elias nodded grimly and stepped into the pod, hissing as the warm fluid rose to his knees.

"The pods will open at my command," Elias told him, "Inara's will open when she wakes. But I have no idea what's going to happen to the Orchard once Lucy is free..."

Caspian took in his words with a grim face. Elias sketched smile.

"Wish me luck."

And he sat, sinking down into the blue fluid Caspian watching with dark eyes as the glass lid slid shut, sealing the scientist within. The Seed began to hum, began to glow as Caspian rested one hand on the pod, thick glass cutting him off from his friend.

He looked at Inara, at Jason, at Elias, all three of them sleeping. They were going all they could to save their family, the people he loved.

Time he did the same.

Caspian straightened, squaring his shoulders.

"Jakob."

The man said nothing but Caspian pretended he heard.

"Look after them... I need to go see someone."

The king walked out of the room, checking the guns in the holsters on his hip, picking up Elias's crossbow from where it leaned against the wall. He cast one look back at the three glowing Seeds, Inara going where he could not follow, Elias diving into Jason's mind. Squaring his shoulders Caspian left, slamming the door shut before him as Jakob continued to stare blankly out into space, everything the Gardener was utterly crushed.

. . . . . . .

Again! Please review! And yeah I know I didn't have any Peter/Susan/Edmund in this chapter – building suspense!


	84. A matter of survival

Woot! New chapter! Sorry about the delay but here it is!

Disclaimer: What's mine is mine, what's not is not

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 84: A matter of survival **

Lucy was once a girl who thought she knew who she was. She had been strong, had been full of light and joy and had believed that Aslan walked beside her no matter where she was.

Had been.

There was a great divide in her life – Before and After. Before she had been taken, before darkness had reached out from a painting of a Narnian ship and snatched her away. And After... afterwards there was nothing but guilt and pain, nothing left of the person from Before.

The Great Darkness had snatched from the light and in the shadows had twisted her, had bent her and hammered at her until she was what he wanted.

But Valiant knew only of fragments, nightmare snapshots of the things Lucy has done, of the things done in her name. Lucy Pevensie had been destruction, a killer, the thing that lived under the bed and in the closet, a nameless primeval thing of pure terror. And she was not even strong enough to bear that burden on her shoulders, to stick her chin out proudly and stubbornly and fight for her soul. No, the darkness had won, the corrosive cancerous memories has shattered her, completely and utterly. Lucy had been ripped apart, giving birth to angels, to monsters, to strangers.

And then the queen had been put to sleep but still she had no found rest. She had made this place, the Pearl, the City Below, the Asuryan Wastelands, creating a world from nothing. As she slept Lucy had given it life, had given it trees and animals and had given it people. Where they came from Valiant was not quite sure, that knowledge was not known to her. But it amazed her that Lucy had done this, brought a whole world into existence just as Aslan had done.

Lucy was a god.

Once upon a time Valiant would have been horrified at that blasphemy but she was beyond that now, what was a little bit of heathen thoughts in an ocean of blood and death?

Beside her the Dawn-Breaker suddenly laughed as if sensing her thoughts and delighting in the answer.

Destroyer. Creator. Mother. Daughter. Lucy was everything and nothing because the memories that made up who she was was gone, neatly cut up and divided amongst the fragments of the woman they had sprung from. Valiant felt an echo of her birth, an unseen axe cleaving her skull and beside her, the others flinched too.

She was Valiant, the queen from Before. She was everything Lucy couldn't be. And she was going to put her put together again.

Susan gaped at her, at the ghost from her past. Queen Lucy of the Golden Age stood before her, Lucy the Valiant, Lucy the Brave, the Beloved of all of Narnia. She was exactly as Susan remembered her, not a single chance from the woman she had ridden with on the fateful hunt for the white stag.

"What – "

Susan rose, staring at Valiant, at Empress Lucille the Gentle, at High Inquisitor Lucinda the Just, at the Dawn-Breaker, at Danaid.

"What the hell?" she demanded, "What the hell is going on?"

She jabbed a finger at Valiant, no weapon at hand but her anger.

"Who are you? You can't be here! You can't be!"

She half-expected her older self to appear, for High King Peter the Magnificent and King Edmund the Just to stand beside Valiant but they did not appear, Valiant flanked by two women who looked exactly like her and two men, one a killer, the other a shambling wreck.

"What is going on?" Susan begged.

"She's the enemy," Lucille snarled, "She's the leader of the Asuryans and we are her prisoners."

The Empress glared at Valiant, hate twisting her features. Her fists, snaking out from voluminous silky sleeves, were clenched.

"We have to escape," she growled, looking at Susan, "We have to go back to the Pearl."

But despite her words Lucille did not move. The Dawn-Breaker laughed, his voice loud and jeering, his dark eyes glittering with amusement. Lucille flushed but said nothing as Lucinda glared at the madman who had terrorised the City Below.

"Silence!" she growled savagely, "Or I will – "

"Kill me as you have tried to do so many times?" the Dawn-Breaker held out his hands, "You're welcome to try!"

Danaid screamed, clutching at his head as everyone looked at him. He slapped at himself, bruising already abused flesh, gouging the skin from his own body uncaring of the blood that he spilt.

"No more," he drooled, eyes bulging from his head, "No more fighting. No more death. PLEASE!"

Valiant gently touched him on the shoulder and the man flinched away but the queen persisted, stroking him like a pet, slowly calming him down.

"What is going on?" Susan repeated and this time her anger, her confusion was in check.

"I need your help," Valiant said.

Susan was her sister and she wasn't. Because Valiant's sister was the Gentle Queen, the High Lady of the Narnia Court and the famed fair maiden with hundreds of suitors buzzing around her like bees around a particularly sweet bloom. Jealousy stabbed her but Valiant shoved those old pains aside.

"It's time for this to end," she continued.

"What to end?" Susan demanded.

"This."

Valiant gestured at the wasteland all around, to the sky where wyverns flew, to the ground where Asuryans and Tirags roamed like savage wolves. She pointed to where leagues away and yet no distance at all the Pearl floated in the sky on mist and clouds.

"Do you know where we are Susan?" Valiant asked.

Lucinda was silent, watching them, studying them, the bright intelligence so like King Edmund that Valiant wanted to weep. She should not be here, the Golden Age was gone and with her. She was the woman of history and legends and yet she was not even old enough to exist. Gone once before and her second birth was no less unnatural. But Narnia was in trouble and as a queen of old Valiant would do anything to save her people and her kingdom.

Susan blinked at her.

"We are in a dream. Your body and the bodies of your brothers are sleeping in a place known as the Orchard. Lucy is with you and she dreams of this place and like a web it has snared you," Valiant said gently.

Empress Lucille snorted, cursing her name as Lucinda nodded as if recognising some revelation.

"It's time for Lucy to wake up. It's time for the dream to end."

Susan gaped at her, looking from her, to Lucille, to Lucinda. Lucia's face flashed through her mind. A dream, this was all a dream. But... Susan looked around her, she could _feel _the wind brush her cheeks, could _taste _the bitterness in the air. How could this be a dream?

But some things began to occur to her. Peter had said they had travelled for days to reach the Pearl from the battlefield where they had snatched the Asuryan High Lord. To her it been no more than a day. She had heard whispered that after weeks of travel Lucia and her men had reached the cave where the darkness had fled but to her it had been no more than hours.

This was a place of dream time – illogical, fluid, flowing in all directions and yet as stagnant as a pond. Was this proof?

"How do we wake up?" Susan demanded, "And what are you? Why do you look like Lucy? Why does Lucille, Lucia and Lucinda? What are these two?"

She pointed at the Dawn-Breaker and Danaid, arrogance and misery personified. It seemed to her the world was wavering as if sensing she knew the truth and yet still trying to hold her in its grasp. Susan shook her head angrily, red leaping into her eyes as the darkness and the Hunt-Beast roared.

"WHAT IS THIS?"

Lucinda gasped, recoiling as purple flared into Susan's left eye. The Gentle Queen staggered, clutching at her twitching eye as the world segued around her. It shimmered like a heat haze, blue light bleeding through. Susan gasped as she felt fluid, warm and thick, press against her skin, the queen trying to move but she was frozen to the spot. Everything around her was suddenly blue light and liquid, claustrophobia swiftly setting in, Susan struggling to breathe.

But the light vanished, the fluid pressing against her skin gone. Susan was left to stand, gasping, looking around frenetically.

Her left eye...

That was where the Sight resided, the ability to dream, to see what was and what would come and also the power to tear through illusions and see what truly was.

Susan looked at Valiant and she believed.

"Lucy was taken by the Great Darkness..." Valiant glanced at the Dawn-Breaker, "I'm not too sure about everything. I'm from Before but he is..."

"Lucy was my master's favourite," the Dawn-Breaker said with relish, "Lucy the Faithful, the one who wept for him at the Stone Table, the one who fetched him and saved Narnia. Aslan loved Lucy the best and my master took great pleasure in bending her until she snapped."

Susan stood without a trace of emotion on her face as the Dawn-Breaker laughed, his coat embroidered with the emblem of the Great Darkness.

"Lucy did things she thought she could never do. It was really annoying having her pester me like a gnat," the Dawn-Breaker's voice became higher, mocking, "'Don't do this!', 'Don't do that!', 'Ooooo... I could never!'. But I was the only one who knew what had to be done to survive. I mean it was us or them. And I chose us and Lucy couldn't handle it."

The Dawn-Breaker's eyes drank Susan in, his look lazy and salacious, every word flying from his mouth a keen edge made to bleed her dry.

"She broke. She shattered into itsy bitsy pieces. I was born from the darkness, from what she had done and I protected us."

"What..." the words fell like drops of leads from Susan's mouth.

The Dawn-Breaker laughed, a triumphant call into the wasteland.

"Killing people, torturing people. To me it's like mead, pure ambrosia. But to the weak it does terrible things. Lucy broke herself to protect herself."

"We are all Lucy," Lucinda said quietly, "If Valiant and the Dawn-Breaker could be believed. We are all Lucy. Fragments of her. Different parts of her, made from that trauma."

Susan gaped at them, eyes darting from queen to Empress, from Inquisitor to killer to madman.

"What?" she screamed at them, denying their words, "NO!"

"The Dawn-Breaker is the part of Lucy that hurts people," Valiant was ruthless, uncaring of Susan's tears, "I am the part of her that is the queen of the Golden Age. Danaid is the part of her that thinks she should be punished."

Danaid wailed as if hearing these words, hearing the truth caused him physical pain. He beat at himself harder than ever raising welts, shattering his own nose.

"Lucia, Lucinda and Lucille are the things she created to protect herself. Because the three people she trusts to always save her are..."

"Her family," Susan breathed.

"Lucy sleeps because she does not want to wake. She cannot, her mind is fractured," Lucinda took up the narrative, her sharp mind, Edmund's sharp mind putting it altogether, "To wake up... we have to be put together again."

"No! What is this nonsense!" Lucille has Susan's temper, her stubbornness, "Lucinda! Stop listening to these snakes!"

She lashed out at Lucinda but the High Inquisitor bore her blows in silence, Lucia screaming at her, trying to drown out the truth. Susan looked at Valiant.

"So we get Lucia here and this dreams ends?"

Valiant sighed.

"Not just Lucia... there's another."

"Another Lucy?" Susan gasped.

"And there's more... most in this dream are others who sleep in the Orchard caught up in Lucy's madness," Valiant grimaced, "But there are some in this dream who are imagined things that have taken on a semblance of life... if Lucy wakes they vanish..."

Susan frowned, not understanding where the queen was going. Valiant looked at her bleakly as the Dawn-Breaker howled with laughter, clutching his gut as he guffawed at some wonderful joke.

"They will fight us. These dream things will kill you all to keep Lucy dreaming."

. . . . . . .

"I can make you forget. Lock all your pain away but with it goes your memories," the old man warned, "Memories of your wife and child."  
Elias stared at the stranger, the stranger he had met in this dingy little drinking inn in the middle of nowhere, the stranger he had just spilled his long and tragic life story to. For the briefest second he wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the old man's offer – forget Yolanda and his beloved Delilah? Forget their smiling faces? Impossible. How could anyone –

But he remembered how he had seen their last faces serene and cold to touch, peaceful in death.

"Do it," Elias begged, alcohol slurring his speech, "Please!"

The old man looked at him shrewdly. The lines that criss-crossed his face was the mark of years lived and lessons learnt, his eyes clear and all-knowing. This was man who had plumbed the depths of the world and seen it all – a keeper of secrets and a maker of them.  
"Are you – " the old man began worriedly.

Elias felt his daughter's cold body in his arms once more and he wept, hot tears spilling so fast and quick it felt like he was crying blood.

"I can't live with their faces inside my head," Elias rasped, trying to control himself but failing, "I can't go on knowing how I failed them. Just do it… please!"  
The old man nodded in satisfaction and Elias recoiled as his eyes turned completely black.

"Hold my hand," the elderly man ordered his voice low and gravelly.

Elias slowly reached out, not knowing what was going on but desperation blocked out all other thoughts. His fingertips touched the man's and instantly he cried out, rocking back in his chair.

Fire and shadows raged through his mind and he could hear a voice inside his head.

'_Forget... forget...'_

Elias screamed as a creature emerged from the light and smoke a man with a ram's head on his shoulders, black horns gnarled and twisted, fur grey as steel and twisted into a tight whorls. It opened its mouth revealing blunt yellowed teeth as the same terrible voice rumbled out from its throat, repeating itself again and again.

'_Forget... forget...'_

The monster's eyes were like fire, drawing him in, paralysing him as he stood transfixed, unable to tear his eyes away. The ram's mouth opened and closed in burst of mechanical movement, its body forming and reforming beneath it like smoke in the wind.

'_Do you wish to forget?'_

"YES!" Elias creamed.

Despite his terror he couldn't ignore his heart's desire.

"PLEASE!"

'_There is a price.'_

"I'll pay it! Whatever it is..." Elias was weeping once more, "I'll pay it."

'_There will come a day when you will betray you love to the damnation of the worlds.'_

Elias wanted to laugh. Love? How could he love again after all that he had suffered through? He could no more love again than humans could form wings and fly. If that was the price that he would gladly pay it because it would never come to pass.

"YES! I'll pay it! Now! Strip me of my memories! Take it away! Take it all away!"

The ram-beast boomed with laughter and it blinked. Elias gasped as pain sheared through his mind, snatching memories from their place, winding it all together and holding it in claws of ice and darkness. Deeper and deeper the power burrowed, stripping him of his last days with his family, the birth of his daughter, his wedding day, the first time he had ever laid eyes on Yolanda. And soon they were gone leaving him hollow. The ram-beast roared and the memories were locked behind a wall of power, power drawn from the white fire that burned through Elias. The memories raged fighting to break free but the cage tightened, locking them in before settling deep with his subconscious, locked away forever.

And Elias slumped to his knees, his eyes blank as the ram-beast leaned forwards.

"Jason..." it whispered in his mind, "Jason Sierre."  
And it was gone leaving Jason Sierre passed out on one of the many streets of Lawless.

"Nathaniel..."

Elias stood above the Seeker's body, eyes wide, mind reeling at what he had seen, what he had experienced. For those short moments he and Nathaniel had been one and the same, two minds in the same body, thinking the same thoughts, feeling the same crushing guilt and sorrow.

"Nathaniel..." he wept for Jason, for the man he had been and he finally he had lost, "Oh Nathaniel."

Elias tore his eyes away and looked around, down at the dusty road that ran through the centre of this shanty town, the sun beating mercilessly at his head, his back. He breathed and the air seared his nose and throat, his body protesting so violently against the heat that he shuddered with cold, pushed beyond what it could endure. But he noticed it all dimly, his thoughts focused on the man sprawled at his feet.

Elias wiped the tears from his eyes and forced himself to look at Jason for that was what the man lying before him was now. Not Nathaniel the meek, not Nathaniel the father and husband but Jason Sierre the Seeker, the brash fearless rough-tongued warrior that had saved his life too many times to count. But there was much of Nathaniel in Jason, the way he looked out for them, the way he loved Susan and Inara as fiercely and dangerously as a sheepdog.

The thoughts in his head vanished as Jason stirred on the ground.

"Jason?"

He was in the man's dreams and what were dreams but a reflection of the mind that thought of them? Dreams were a boiling pot of memories and fantastical things, weaving the strands of what was and what was desired into a thing that was a world that defied logic.

But that still didn't stop Elias from gaping as Jason looked at him, bleary-eyed.

"Elias?" the man's voice broke.

Jason frowned and Elias could see the moment when memories broke releasing their poisons.

"NO!"

The Seeker screamed, clutching at his head as everything he had done returned to him. Not only his sins but Nathaniel's as well. He had hurt...

Jason could see Susan's body flying through the air, could see the others he loved crying out, running for their lives as he ruthlessly hunted them down. He remembered delivering Asmodeus to Paxton, remembered Jill laughing victoriously as she stroke his head like a hound. And then a flurry of faces that screamed as he robbed them of their lives, his powers smashing through a vast house of white. And finally the Ophanim Machine... the horsemen...

His hands... blood, betrayal and disaster, those were all on his hands. And all because he had been too weak, too stupid. Jason screamed and wanted to sleep forever, to crawl into the darkness and know no more.

"Elias..."

The scientist stared at his friend as Jason looked back up at him, his eyes weeping water and white fire.

"I'm sorry."

Elias looked at him, at Jason, at Nathaniel.

"I forgive you."

Jason smiled sadly at him and in a single breath the Seeker seemed to age before Elias's very eyes.

"I don't."

And the world, his dreams, exploded into hot white flames.

. . . . . . .

Peter stared at the little girl before him. She looked back at him, cherub-cheeked and wan, weeping ink tears from black eyes.

"Peter..."  
She reached out for him and despite his shock, despite the fact that he was facing a possible enemy Peter couldn't help but reach out and take her into his arms, the familiar weight making him smile. Liquid darkness rose around them in a protective bower but despite that Peter knew that this was his baby sister, that this was the little girl he had spent his life watching out for. She went against his shirt, staining it with black as Peter gently held her, comforting her as he had done for years through the childhood nightmares, through the war and in Narnia and beyond.

"Lucy..."

"I'm not Lucy," she whispered.

"Peter!" Lucia roared, "Who the hell is she?"

Peter looked at the general who was his sister and at the little girl he held. Two Lucys, two impossibilities. Great, he felt a headache coming on.

"I'm not Lucy," the little girl said again.

Peter knew who she was. The old nickname came easily to his tongue, a smile curling his lips as he remained those golden childhood days. Father had called Susan Butterfly and Lucy?

"Ladybug," he felt her smile against his chest, "Ladybug."

Ladybug looked up at him, smiling through her tears.

"Save me," she begged, "Peter... we need to – "

The cave shook, Tiryags trying to burrow through the opening, blasting rock with their cannon heads, tearing at it with their steel claws. Ladybug shrieked and darkness flew out at the monsters, one touch and the things vanishing from sight.

Lucia cursed, her glaive burning blue in her hands.

"PETER! WHAT THE HELL IS SHE?" the General cursed.

She lunged forwards as if to stab the girl but one look from the High King and the woman froze.

"Ladybug? What's going on?" Peter asked gently.

She looked up at him, terrified, something too old and broken in those depthless eyes. He gently set her down on the ground but one tiny hand clung to his shirt.

"I made this place but I want to leave now," she babbled, "And they're trying to stop me. They want to live and they're trying to –"

"Who are you?" Lucia snarled.

The little girl turned looking up at the woman who was a grown version of her. Lucia froze, recognition sparking in her eyes, unease tightening her grip on her glaive. Ladybug smiled sadly.

"It's time to wake up," she said in a stage-whisper, "The dream has to end."

Peter was stunned to see Lucia cry. She shook her head, her mane of red head waving as the glaive fell from her hands.

"No..." she begged the little girl, "It can't. We can't – "

"We must," Ladybug said with adult surety.

Lucia's lips pressed into a tight thin line. Rage flooded her features and the glaive was back in her hands once more.

"You can't!" Lucia shrieked at the girl, "There's a reason why we kept you locked up! A reason why – "

She lunged at Ladybug, the little girl screaming. Green flames flared grabbing the General, shoving her back as Peter roared in fury.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded.

"I'M PROTECTING US!" Lucia howled at him, "Do you know what she's done? What she's capable of? She'll kill us all!"

Ladybug screamed and the terror in her voice drove a spike into Peter's heart. He placed himself between the two, uncaring of the darkness that rose around Ladybug, uncaring of the fact that her eyes were black with no white. It was his sister, somehow snatched from his past and placed in this cave, how he did not know but he knew it was just as he knew the sky was blue.

"It's already begun," Ladybug whispered, "They're coming."

Lucia screamed. Peter watched her carefully, not moving an inch, lightning and green fire dancing on his fingers.

"General?"

Lucia turned and one of the Oni was there, the demon mask of his helm pulled up to reveal the man's youthful face. His eyes slid past his leader and he frowned at the little girl behind Peter.

"Is that the darkness?" he whispered.

"KILL IT!" Lucia barked as Peter cursed, "KILL IT BEFORE IT KILLS US!"

The Oni hesitated, his glaive coming up as Peter raised his hand, ready to blast the man into charcoal. But before he could do a thing the soldier suddenly gasped, eyes bulging from his head. He stared down at the blade that stuck out from his chest. Lucia gaped as the Oni stared at her, his mouth opening in a silent plea.

The Oni fell, his murderer standing behind him, bloodied blade in hand. Belfleur looked at them, the laughter wiped from his whiskered face, his eyes glittering.

"I'm sorry General."

More Oni flanked him, each wearing the same blank, deadly look.

"But we can't let you wake up."

. . . . . . .

"FIND THE GIRL IN THE CAVE. FIND LUCY THE CHILD AND SHE WILL HELP YOU."

That was the last thing Inara remembered and now she was on her back staring up at a stormy seething sky. She laid there, not moving, afraid to even breathe, knowing that at any second the pain would return, rushing back in a red hot wave. Again and again those last moments of the fight looped endlessly in her head.

Crack.

Jill snapping Chelsea's neck.

Crack.

Jill snapping Chelsea's neck.

Chelsea had tried to kill her, Chelsea had made her life living hell so why did she feel guilty? Why did she want to cry?

So Inara lay there, waiting for pain, trying to make her mind blank.

"Inara?"

A face appeared over her, a dark blot swallowing the sky.

"Inara?"

The voice was familiar.

"Freckles?"

"Wha – where – " Edmund gaped at her, looking away and looking back just to make sure she was really there, "How did you get here?"

They had been digging through the wreckage of the House of Scales, uncovering nothing but bodies and spilt coins but in the middle of a ruined room, lying in a shaft of light that fell through the hole in the ceiling was the half-Naga.

Sick and nauseous from so much death Edmund had thought he was hallucinating but here she was, looking at him blankly, not a single mark on her body.

Inara had realised the same thing looking down at herself. The last she had remembered she had been covered in cuts and bruises, her side a mess of raw meat but there was no scars on her, not even the ones that were so old she forgot they even existed.

Her jaws dropped as she remembered her dream, remembered the Elias face in the sky.

"Freckles!" she grabbed at the king as he yelped, "We're in a dream. This is Lucy's dream. We have to... we have to find the girl in the cave. We have to find her and somehow she'll help us out of here."

"What?" Edmund tried to make sense of the flood of words spilling from her mouth, "Inara slow down, what – "

"Edmund?"

Corin staggered into the room, bruised and marked, moving as though his limbs were weighed down with lead. Inara ignored him, still clinging to Edmund, her eyes wide as she tried to explain something she only half understood.

"This is a dream," she said slowly, 'This isn't real. We're trapped in a dream. Lucy's. And we need to find her in a cave to get out."

Edmund blinked at her. And blinked again. Then blinked again just for good measure. His mind was dissecting everything he had seen, digesting what Inara had told him and trying to fit everything together.

A dream...

He licked his lips.

"This is a dream," he whispered, tasting the words and knowing it was right, "This is a dream."

"Apparently. I was in another dream, a really, really good dream where..." Inara trailed off as Edmund frowned at her.

She flushed and looked around, eyes widening as she took in the destruction all around her. Her nose crinkled at the all too familiar smell of blood, hanging copper thick in the air, a sure sign of a slaughter. It saddened her to realise how pedestrian death seemed to her, the thought of hundreds of bodies alarming her no more than seeing a spider track across a wall. She shoved that thought of her head but she couldn't help but think that this journey across the worlds had given and taken so much away.

"What is this place?" she demanded looking back at him, "Why is – "

"The darkness,' Edmund said dryly helping her up, "Surprised?"

"Are they going to jump out from behind the furniture with a cake?" Inara returned.

Edmund had to laugh. Sword-fighting or verbal tussle, Inara was always up for a good spar. But such joyful sounds seem like sacrilege when so many lay dead around him. His good humour swiftly fled. The Dawn-Breaker was going to pay for what he had done and Edmund was going to be the one to dole out that justice. His heart clenched as he thought of Lucinda, snatched away by that killer. If the real Lucy was in a cave then who was Lucinda? Why did she look like Lucy?

But this place was all a dream and perhaps the simple explanation was that it was simply dream logic – illogical, irrational. But still that answer did not satisfying him.

"Where's Petey and Queenie?" Inara asked unaware of his bewildering thoughts.

Edmund grimaced.

"Susan is in the City Above and Peter's on a mission, he went west to hunt the darkness in the mountains," he trailed off, staring at the Naga, "The rumours are the darkness is in a cave..."

Inara looked back at him, eyes wide.

"A cave?" she remembered the scientist's words, "Lucy's in the cave. Well Lucy the child... Whatever the hell that means."

They gasped as they both realised what they were saying.

"Lucy's with the darkness!" Edmund's hand instantly went to his sword, "They've got her. We have to – "

"Rescue her and she'll tell us what to do next," Inara finished, smiling as her eyes turned silver, "I like this plan. Charge into the darkness, stab things, rescue the princess and just pray she's not in the wrong castle."

As usual Edmund only understood half of what she was trying to say. Inara caught the look on his face and sighed.

"Rescue Lucy and get the hell out of this dream," she clarified.

"Ah."

Inara smirked.

"Ready?"

Edmund matched her grin for grin as they turned. The Just King blinked.

"Corin?"

The boy stared at them, his face drawn into a dark and sorry look. His sword was in his hands but the blade was unraised, pointed straight down to the ground.

"You found out," he said hollowly.

"Corin what – " Edmund froze as Corin looked up at him, tears spilling down his boyish face.

"I didn't want to do this," Corin looked away, unable to meet Edmund's eyes, "But I want to live. We all do."

"What – "

"BOOM!"

The roof was torn away, a strong wind tearing the remnants off the walls and casting it far away as Inara and Edmund let out cries of shock. The sky was gone and instead they were staring up at a land that hung above, a damned place of ash and threads of red hot lava, volcanoes rising in black chimney spires.

"What – "

It was an impossibility two worlds mirroring each other, the City Below and a land of flame-spewing mountains, the vent of a volcano hanging directly above them. Even though the fire, the liquid rock was miles above Inara could feel the heat searing her skin.

"We can't let you live. Not when it means we die too," Corin looked at Edmund pathetically, "I'm sorry. I hope we can still be friends."

"About that..." Edmund gritted out, "I hope you understand if I ever see you again I will kill you."

He glared at the traitor. Corin was within a lunge's lengths away but Edmund did not strike him down, he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Corin the traitor, Corin the friend, they swirled in his head becoming one and the same and Edmund savagely cursed his weakness.

"I'm sorry," the blonde Blue Sword said sincerely, "But I'll give you a chance to run."

Above the land rumbled, magma boiling in the mouths of the volcanoes. Panic spread through the City Below, people fleeing but they could not outrun the land that had become the sky itself. Inara took Corin's advice.

"RUN!"

With a roar the volcanoes in the land above erupted. Superhot ash, sulphur and air blasted down at them with the power of a million cannons. The House of Scales was instantly obliterated, Edmund and Inara running as everything around them burned.

"BY THE MANE!" Edmund cursed as he threw a look over his shoulders.

Lava didn't fall, it raced to earth, swallowing everything in its path in a river of red and black. Every volcano that hung upside down was erupting, letting forth a gush of flame and rock that rivalled any Biblical apocalypse.

They burst out of the front door of the House of Scales, flames chasing them away. People were screaming, air poisoning them, embers igniting cloth and hair, people melting as lava touched them.

"WHAT THE HELL?" Inara didn't care she was screaming, didn't care that each breath seared her throat, "WHAT THE HELL?"

"It's a dream," Edmund said grimly, "Dreams change."

He blinked as a group of Blue Swords and Green Hammers marched around the corner, their faces all blank. They waded through lava as thought it was water, unaffected by the heat by the fire that tried to set them alight.

"Inara..."

The half-Naga looked. The Blue Swords drew the weapons, the Green Hammers brandishing scythes, hooks and tools, their faces suddenly savage in the red light. Inara cursed, lava rushing at them in a great burning blood.

"We don't have time to fight them!"

Edmund glanced behind them, a river of molten rock blocking their retreat. He closed his eyes, fighting his rebelling stomach as he saw a woman pitched into the lava, screaming as her flesh blackened and melted. He looked ahead and the Blue Swords and Green Hammers were marching towards them, weapons raised.

"We're trapped," he realised.

Inara snatched the sword from his hand and spun, throwing it with a cry. It thunked into a wooden wall, sinking deep as Edmund let out a protesting cry. Ignoring him Inara charged, leaping.

Her foot hit the sword and muscles bunched, Inara using it as a step, flying up, hands shooting outwards. She snagged the edge of a roof and flipped, landing neatly onto the top of the building metres above.

"HURRY!" she yelled down at Edmund at he gaped at her, "COME ON!"

Edmund cursed and ran, throwing his hands up as Inara grabbed him, dragging him onto the roof. They ducked, stone and bricks flying at them as the gathered crowd below let loose. They crawled forwards, climbing to their feet, running, leaping from roof to roof, island to island as rivers of lava flowed in between. The land above continued to vomit down ash and flames, the two only just managing to stay a half step ahead.

"GOD DAMN IT!"

Blue Swords and Green Hammers suddenly appeared on the roof before them blocking their way. Their faces were strangely blank and there was no mistaking their intent.

"We're sorry," they intoned as one.

And before their eyes, in the hell light of the lava the humans began to change. Quills exploded out of their backs, tearing through cloth as fur and scales burrowed free from flesh. Fingers fell, claws tearing out of exposed bone as blood and teeth gushed from their mouths. They stabbed the claws deep into their chests, ripping, tearing, meat and blood flying free, monsters stepping out from the skin suits they had been stuffed into.

They towered over their prey, shambling abominations of claw, fangs and iron cords of muscles. But the worst thing was their eyes, burning orbs of yellow and red that held both savage rage and glittering human intelligence.

Inara raised her fists as Edmund did the same reluctantly.

"You know this would be a great time for me to have my sword but you threw it into a wall," he said lightly as though discussing the weather.

"Nobody likes a whinger," Inara paused, "But yeah sorry about the sword."

Despite their predicament Edmund grinned.

"Apology accepted."

They stood side by side, eyeing the monsters but creatures did not move as if waiting for a signal. It came swiftly, the volcanoes suddenly dying the downward explosion of lava stopping as Inara and Edmund glanced at each other.

Strange upon strange, impossibility upon impossibility but this was all a dream and all things were possible.

"What – "

Water, dark and swift as any flood gushed out of the dormant volcanoes, crashing into the City Below, hitting the lava that still flowered there. Molten rock cooled, water boiling into steam in the blink of an eye as everything suddenly became burning mist. Edmund and Inara cried out, reeling, clutching at their faces, their skin blistering as with a roar the monsters bounded forwards.

Blind and in agony king and warrior staggered forwards, ready to fight to the death.

. . . . . . .

Elias burned and yet he did not because his real body was safe in its Seed in the Orchard but he screamed nonetheless, the pain all too agonisingly real.

"JASON!"

Ruach poured into his mouth and Elias's screams choked.

"JASON! STOP THIS!" he begged.

He staggered through endless fields of fire, searching, trying to find anything that wasn't burning white.

"JASON!"

Cackling stick figures things of complete black danced in and out of the fire, howling and chattering always half-glimpsed and never fully see.

"JASON!"

There came screams, cries ripped from the throats of a thousand men and Elias spun, trying to find direction in this endless place.

"JASON!"  
And the white fire before him parted like a curtain. Evil foul things howled with laughter as worked wheels and chains, the operators in a vast machine that stretched as far as the eye could see. A conveyor belted shrieked and rumbled along its tracks, a contraception of steel and wood that bore its cargo through grottos and chambers.

Screams rang loud over the piercing whistle of pipes that spewed steam and sulphur but Elias was glad for the poisonous clouds that obscured his view. Because he had stepped from one hell into another that was far, far worse.

Jason, a thousand copies of him, were bound to the conveyor, one after the other in an endless industrial stream. They were carried off like stock in an abattoir, carried off to a thousand different dooms.

Elias turned and vomited out, emptying his stomach of everything he had ever eaten as Jason was decapitated, crushed under stone, drowned, burn at the stake, ripped from limb to limb as he screamed and screamed without end. His body was tossed aside again and again, joining the mountain of meat and bone that ringed this place. And yet still more Seekers came, an endless supply of Jasons to slaughter.

"JASON!"

It was everywhere he looked. One glance and black things were tearing the Seeker's eyes out, shoving it back into his mouth and forcing the man to chew. Another look and the things were now cracking Jason's ribs open, sticking their hands into his chest and tearing out his beating heart. A third and now they were pouring oil all over the man and setting him ablaze, throwing coins as Jason writhed screaming in the fire.

The insanity, the brutality, it hammered into Elias until he was screaming, until he thought he was going to go mad. He fell to his knees, vomit in his mouth, clawing at his own eyes and ears trying to make himself death and blind. But even if he could do that he could smell the stench of burnt flesh and torn bellies, could taste it. And the screams even if Elias could tear off his own ears he would still feel it in his very bones.

"Please..." Elias begged Jason for this was his dream, "STOP IT STOP!"  
But Jason continued to die time after time. He was thrown into a tangle of metal barbs, ripped to pieces. He was tossed into a machine that grinded him to paste. Leather was stitched across his nose and mouth and he suffocated, face turning black.

The thousands of Jasons screamed as he was cut, as he was bled but the Seekers did nothing to stop his death, his torture and humiliation, a crushed bleak look reflected a thousand-fold in dark blue eyes. Elias wept, he raged, screaming that he would be willing to take the man's place, would do anything to make Jason stop.

"STOP!"

"Impressive is it not?"

Elias turned, shuddering, drenched in sweat as the screams continued to boom all around him, screams Elias knew he would hear until that final day when he closed his eyes for the last time.

A half-man sat in a wheeled chair before him and there was no other way to describe him but as a half-man. From the waist up he was a warrior, a wiry man with muscles like steel cords. His hair was a wild burst of red and his eyes were surprisingly light, bleached almost of all colour, something about their shape not quite human.

"I wish I could have dreamed of this," the man said, "But I could never have done this."

He wheeled himself forwards for below his waist where powerful legs should have sprouted there was nothing but two stumps, useless meat that tapered down into stubby points. It was a mockery of nature that such a powerful man should be so incomplete but if the half-man felt any anger or frustration it did not show on his pleasant face.

"Who are you?" Elias demanded, backing away, his hands coming up in fists.

The man smiled at him and his teeth seemed pointed.

"You may call me Strife."

Tubes ran from the bulging veins in his arm to bags that hung on the handles of his chair and into this connection dripped something thick and red, flowing deep into his body. The man closed his eyes and breathed in the madness all around him, savouring it as a man would savour a good vintage of wine.

"WHO ARE YOU!" Elias screamed, unable to take anymore of the man's mocking smile.

And because this was a dream and all things could happen, his face shifted that into a visage of a wolf, snarling and roaring. Strife merely eyed him coolly as Elias staggered back, his face shifting back. The scientist clutched at his cheeks, stunned.

"Interesting," the crippled man said as he wheeled his chair forwards once more.

Despite the broken ground he moved easily and smoothly forwards, powerful arms pumping.

"There's still a bit of the wolf in you isn't there?" Strife asked casually.

"What are you?" Elias growled.

The man's eyes flicked up at him.

"I am the one who helped put your dear friend in this position," Strife looked out across the machine hell, at the endless row of Jasons that went to the deaths, "But this is ultimately all his work. It's marvellous. I never could have dreamed of something so..."

Strife stopped, pausing, mulling over his next word.

"... honest. He wants to die. Brutally, slowly, again and again. Punished for his sins," the half-man laughed, "But then again my good scientist you have an inkling of what he feels."

Marcos. Mary. Her blood on his hands. The look of surprise on her face as she died. Yes, Elias had learnt a lot on his journey across the worlds and he had learnt of the darkness that all men, himself included, were capable of.

But he was stronger than his sins, he had accepted them and stood with shoulders unbowed knowing that he could bear his burdens and not be crushed by them. Elias met Strife's eyes brazenly and the man in the chair chuckled.

"He's of no use to us now," Strife said simply and there was a tired look in his eyes, "We have what we need and he is free of us. Now he could only wake and be free or stay forever trapped in this dream."

Elias looked down at the hell, at the Jasons dying over and over, their screams a constant that faded into the background itself. The blood drained from Elias's face, his hands trembling frantically as he tried to will the man to break free, to end this insanity. But the conveyor belt kept groaning away, the lack demons kept dragging fresh victims to break on their racks, to hang and disembowel like cattle. This place was not a hell but a factory of mass production, a factory of death and misery.

Elias wished he had his weapons with him, wished he could have blasted this place into ashes.

"So here's the challenge my wolf friend," Strife's voice was flat, the man's eyes fluttering shut as though he was fighting against sleep, "Free your friend or let him die forever."

And he faded away like smoke stirred away by wind, leaving Elias to stare at the spot where he had been.

Free you friend...

Elias whirled.

Thousands of Jasons were dying again.

Or let him die forever...

Elias closed his eyes and when he opened them again they were like two lumps of smouldering coal. With a roar he charged down the hill, throwing himself headlong into hell unarmed but completely fearless.

. . . . . . .

Valiant looked up, frowning. The sky seemed to ripple the wyverns screaming as the distortions touched them.

"It has begun," the Dawn-Breaker said casual cruelty in his voice.

"NO! NO! NO!" Danaid screamed, "PLEASE! NO MORE! SO MUCH. SO MANY!"

He was shaking, grabbing at things only he could see.

"WHY?" he screeched at them, screeched at the air, "WHY! WE MUST WAKE! THIS MADNESS CANNOT CONTINUE!"

He jerked to his feet and ran, lunging for the edge, trying to throw himself over but Lucinda grabbed him, flinging him to the ground as Danaid cursed her with every breath he held.

"WE DON'T DSERVE TO LIVE!" he screamed at her, 'DO YOU KNOW WHAT WE HAVE DONE? WE DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE!"

The ground shook, the air rippling once more as the Asuryans below screamed, clutching at their heads.

"What's happening?" Susan demanded looking at Valiant.

The queen looked back at her, her face grim.

"The dream is unravelling. It's fighting to keep us apart, it's fighting to keep itself alive," she said flatly.

Lucille glared at the woman, murder in her eyes but the Empress kept still, a serpent in the grass waiting for the ripest moment to strike.

"We have to move," Valiant ordered, "We have to go to Lucia and the other one now."

She stuck two fingers in her mouth and whistled sharply, wyverns wheeling through the air, rage in their eyes. They flapped and they snarled, fighting against invisible chains that dragged them towards Valiant, the queen staring at them with a look of pure concentration, sweat beading on her golden face.

"They're fighting me," she gritted out, "The dream-creatures are trying to rebel."

The ground shook but this time it was because Tiryags were clawing through the stone, trying to reach them. Lucinda cursed, grabbing for a sword that was not there as the Dawn-Breaker laughed, cracking his knuckles in anticipation.

"COME TO ME!" Valiant roared.

And the wyverns dived, glaring at her, hating her, fighting her every step of the way. But they came nonetheless, landing on the edge of the plateau, waiting despite the murderous look on their faces.

Gunfire rang out, the Asuryans swarming the lone monolith sticking from the ground, the Tiryags raising their cannon-heads.

"GET ON!" Valiant ordered, "NOW!"

Lucinda moved first, dragging Danaid with her as the Dawn-Breaker followed with wide marching strides. Susan turned to Lucille and saw the stubborn look on her face, the same look that all too often came over her own features.

"Empress, we have to move," she said urgently.

"I will not go anywhere with that woman," Lucille said icily glaring at Valiant as the knight-queen looked evenly back.

"BOOM!"

An explosion tore an edge of the plateau away, stone erupting high up into the air. Susan flinched, looking back at Lucille, fighting back the urge to strangle the woman.

"Do you want to die here?" the Gentle Queen snarled, "Or do you want to live and save your people?"  
Lucille's eyes widened, the Empress wavering.

"COME ON!" Susan snapped, grabbing onto her arms.

The Empress let herself be dragged towards the wyverns, Valiant bringing up the rear, clutching at her temples as she tried to control the metal dragons before her.

"BOOM!"  
"KREEE!"  
A wyvern fell, a hole blasted into its side as Tiryags began to emerge onto the great stone plain. Lucille was running now, more wyverns being blasted into twisted metal, Valiant screaming as each of her pets fell. There was only one more left, the others already scrambling onto its back.

"GO!" Valiant roared, "GO!"

Susan ran without fear, without thought. Lucille leapt, her dress ripping onto the wyvern's spikes and spines, scrambling for purchase as Lucinda reached down, pulling her up. Danaid's hands closed around Susan's arm, the thing knobbly fingers possessing an iron strength. The man screamed and strained, his broken body pushed almost to shattering point as Susan's finally foot found purchase, the Gentle Queen falling face-first onto the wyvern's broad back. Valiant swiftly joined them, gunfire and cannon blasts tearing the air and ground all around.

"FLY!" she screamed at the wyvern as it screeched its hate, "FLY DAMN YOU!"

The draconian plane took off, Tiryags leaping to get at it, metal glancing off metal as the wyvern screamed in pain. Gunfire hammered its wings, metal feathers falling, the dragon writhing in agony, threatening to throw them all off.

"DAWN-BREAKER!" Valiant roared desperately.

The man rolled his eyes but complied, cocking back a fist. With a cry he punched the air and a crack of blue zigzagged horizontally through the air, spearing through the swarming Tiryangs and the Asuryans. The monsters were torn apart as the Dawn-Breaker laughed, relishing destruction no matter the victim.

"HANG ON!" Valiant yelled.

The wyvern shot through the air, others of its kin diving to stop it. The Dawn-Breaker punched the air again and the wyverns were killed, rent into scrap metal. But the debris did not fall, it defied gravity, hanging in the air. They stared as the colour and sheen were bleached away, the lumps of metal turning into lumps of white. The chunks unfurled, sliced into slivers into sheets and they were suddenly surrounded by a flurry of paper.

"What – " Susan gasped.

The reams and reams of paper folded itself, crafted by unseen hands into planes, into birds, into stars. They were flying through unfalling white, crisp edges running against their face and arms.

"ARGH!"

Lucille staggered, clutching at a bleeding cheek as in a burst of wild howling wind, the paper things flew at them. Danaid screamed, his skin sliced again and again as the origami ornaments drew blood, white staining into red.

"What is this?" Susan yelled.

She could not see, blinded by the blizzard of paper white. She could not hear, everything drowned out in the flapping of a thousand wings. She could do nothing but to stagger, to cry out as she was cut a hundred times, praying to whoever was listening she would not tumble off the wyvern's back.

"DAWN-BREAKER!" it was Valiant's voice, Lucinda's voice, even Lucille's, "DO SOMETHING!"

Paper tore, the sound of ripping like thunder in her ears. She could suddenly flashes of skin, of hair, of something other than white paper. The origami things were pulling back, falling away as Susan looked at her companions. They all stared at each other, covered in cuts and free-flowing blood.

"Stop it," Danaid begged to anyone who would listen, weeping, "Stop it."

The Dawn-Breaker spat on him as Lucinda snarled at the man. She lunged at him but Valiant grabbed onto her, forcing her back as the Dawn-Breaker jeered and mocked her struggles. Susan watched the tableau with narrowed eyes.

If Valiant's words were true then these five people, these five men and women, were all Lucy, fragments of the whole. The Lucy who had done what was needed to survive, the Lucy who felt she deserved death because she had lived, the Lucy of the Golden Age and the two of the three Lucys that she had created to protect herself. But there were still more pieces out there, more parts that needed to be put together to make Lucy whole again.

Her sister was broken. Susan stared the bickering Lucy-shards before her, seeing how they hated each other, how they fought one another. She wanted to weep, wanted to rage, wanted to vomit, wanted to close her eyes and open them and find herself back home again with Lucy grinning above her. But she couldn't do that because Lucy was broken and she had to be put together again.

Susan sucked in a deep breath.

"SHUT UP!" she roared, "CAN YOU ALL JUST SHUT UP!"

They looked at her, angry, puzzled, shocked and it was all expressions Susan recognised, faces she had seen a thousand times.

"You can all fight later but in case you haven't noticed – " she jabbed a finger forwards, "They're attacking again!"

The Lucys whirled as in a white flurry the pieces of paper began to fly together, twisting and sticking. The wyvern screamed, fear in its voice but Valiant closed her eyes, shackling its will to hers. A shudder rattled its scales but it still winged its way ahead, its eyes bulging as it saw the thing that stood in its way.

It was a spear of paper, the end moulded into a fine point, lethally sharp despite the material it was made from. It hovered before them, waiting as the riders of the wyvern stared at it in horror.

The Dawn-Breaker roared and lashed out, hitting the air, a crack in the world splitting open above the left battered wing of the wyvern.

"GO!" he snarled, forgetting that he hated them, that he looked down on them, "HURRY!"

The spear shot forwards and the wyvern gave one terrified shriek. The white spar tore into its open mouth, breaking steel teeth, thrusting itself obscenely deep into the dragon's throat. It choked on its death cries and life winked out from its eyes.

"GO!"

Susan leapt, diving for that tear of glowing blue hanging in the air as the wyvern fell away beneath her. Beside her, above her, below her the different parts of Lucy were lunging for the same thing.

What happened if one of the Lucys died? Susan thought crazily, would a part of Lucy be missing forever like removing an appendix or the tonsils? Would Lucy become incomplete, a half living thing? And what of this dream? This dream was Lucy's dream and it was trying to kill them. Was Lucy trying to kill herself?

So many thoughts, so many crazed ideas but no answers to be had as Susan dived into the blue glowing rip in the air and let the light swallow her whole.

. . . . . . .

Belfleur slid the mask down from his helm, the twisted red demon facade leering at Peter and Lucia. They watched, eyes wide as the mask became the man, the metal warping, binding to the man's face, flesh and metal knitting together. The thing that had been Belfleur grew and the cave grew with him to give him space. Black lacquered armour became skin, thick carapace that swallowed light with endless greed. More arms sprouted, four more to make six in total, each wielding a blue-burning glaive. Belfleur laughed but he was no longer Belfleur but a monster with a demon's face and an insect body. The other Oni stood behind him, seven towering behemoths in total.

"Huh," Peter said finally, "I think we're in trouble."

Ladybug shrieked, trying to hide behind a rock as the shadows that always attended her shuddered violently.

"I'm sorry," the thing that had been Belfleur rumbled.

The Oni charged, their six arms swinging out, metal blade tearing through rock. Peter gritted his teeth and wove lightning into a lance, hurling it straight at one of the monsters. The glaives stabbed forwards, a lightning rod which drew the power deep into the weapon.

"DAMN IT!" Peter cursed.

Green fire exploded out of him, blowing the creatures back but the Oni swiftly recovered, stomping forwards once more, every step shaking the cave.

"DO SOMETHING!" Lucia screamed at the girl cowering behind them, her own glaive a mere matchstick compared to the monsters', "SOMETHING!"  
Ladybug looked up, black eyes wide, trying to speak.

Belfleur swung, his blades cleaving into the earth as Peter and Lucia dived. Ladybug stared up at the creature before her and screamed.

A jet of emerald flames bashed into Belfleur's head staggering him as Peter climbed to his feet. The Oni looked at him with flames spilling from their eyes, the demon's mouth griming with teeth.

"I hate you," he said to the monsters, to the world at large.

He ran, ducking and jumping as the blades stabbing into the ground, into the wall. On the other side of the cave Lucia crawled to Ladybug, cringing as shadows rose to meet her but she pushed through them, the liquid ice cold against her skin.

"Ladybug..."

The girl looked at her and Lucia tried to soften the steel that was at her core, tried to smile even as she wanted to scream.

"Ladybug please," Lucia begged, "You have to stop them."

Peter flew through the air, smacked by the flat of a glaive. He sailed high, crashing into the wall and into the ground, wheezing as the Oni howled with laughter.

"LADYBUG!" Lucia begged, "DON'T LET PETER DIE!"

The tears stopped, the girl looking at her brother, at the strongest, smartest, bravest brother in the whole wide world. Peter crawled to his feet and Oni were towering all above him, blades raised but her brother merely spat at their feet, glaring at them all. If Peter could be that strong than so could she! Ladybug met Lucia's eyes and nodded, fear lingering but it was held back, resolve on her baby face.

"Good!" Lucia cheered, throwing her arms around the girl, "DO IT!"

Ladybug nodded and sucked in a big breath.

"PETER!" she screamed in the red-faced explosive, trying to rupture your eardrums cry of a frightened child.

Shadows reached out with black ink arms, grabbing the Oni and throwing liquid coils around them before they could move. The darkness squeezed and they simply vanished, Peter gaping at where the monsters had stood.

"YES!" Lucia crowed, "DESTROY THEM! DESTROY THEM ALL!"

The little girl swung her head around, glaring at the remaining Oni, arms raised as she commanded the shadows to attack, to wipe them from –

Two figures appeared from the shadows, standing in a sudden spot of light, their faces illuminated to all.

Ladybug stopped, her eyes widening.

The walls of the cave rippled, the entrance of cavern sealing itself shut to the cries of the wyverns and Tiryags beyond.

"Ladybug," two voices rung in the closed shell of the cave as loud and glorious as the cries of a cathedral organ.

Despite the fact that Belfleur still towered over him, glaives ready to strike him down Peter was frozen to the ground, his eyes threatening to spill from his head.

"Mother?" the words were slow, hesitating, "Father?"

Daniel and Helen Pevensie stood before Lucia and Ladybug, their faces warm and open, tears spilling from their eyes.

"We thought we lost you," they said together, their voices echoing, "Ladybug. We thought we lost you."

Lucia raised her glaive, her teeth bared in a snarl.

"Who are you?" she roared, flailing her blade, "WHO ARE YOU!"

"Mummy! Daddy!" Ladybug cried as the shadows retreated, wrapping around her, "You are here!"

"Of course we are here," her parents said in unison, "We love you Ladybug. Please come with us."

They looked at Peter and smiled. The High King recoiled as he caught sight of the fangs that poked out from their lips.

"NO!" he screamed desperately, "They're not our parents!"  
But Ladybug was ignoring him, the little girl Lucy stumbling forwards on tottering legs, reaching out for her parents, weeping unabashedly. The things that looked like Daniel and Helen merely smiled, holding out their arms, their grins fake and plastic.

"DON'T LISTEN – "

Belfleur charged at him, Peter forced to run for his life as the cave wall behind him bulged and grew, an earthen corridor forming as the Oni chased him down into the darkness.

"PETER!"

Lucia cried out, taking a step forwards but she turned looking at where Ladybug lurched forwards, transfixed by the things pretending to be her parents. The General cursed as the things' faces wavered, melting away to revealing teeth-filled grins but Ladybug did not seem to notice.

Lucia roared and charged at the fakes but she slammed into an invisible wall, unseen hands grabbing her and propelling her through the air. Lucia's head rammed into the wall and she staggered, vision greying.

"Ladybug..." she whispered as the little girl limped to her doom.

Down in the darkened corridor, Peter whipped around, standing fearlessly as Belfleur bore down towards him, demon face twisted, all six arms with their six glaives stabbing at him.

Peter hurled a word straight at the monster and the word brought pain, excruciating never-ending pain that poured fire into his veins and tore barbed wires across his skin. Befleur reeled, screaming as Peter lashed out with whips of green fire.

He tore a glaive from Belfleur's hands grunting as he manipulated heatless fire to bring it up, swinging it around until it was pointed at the screaming Oni.

"I'm sorry," Peter grunted.

He had genuinely liked the little man but this was war and he was going to trying kill him. The High Kingthrew his arm outwards and the glaive flew, stabbing Belfleur straight in the chest. The Oni fell, crashing to earth as Peter already began running, back to the cave, back to where Ladybug was being tricked.

He just hoped he was not too late.

Behind him he could hear Belfleur rising, the Oni screaming and cursing, clutching at the glaive in his chest. Peter cursed but pressed on, gasping for breath, weak with fatigue and hurt.

"LADYBUG!"  
He burst back out into the light, Lucia groaning on the ground near his feet. Belfleur was roaring, flaming eyes burning in the dark as he got ready to attack again. But Peter ignored everything but the sight of his baby sister reaching out for the things that were not their parents.

"LADYBUG!"  
But before he could take another step that the sound of thunder and the air above them flashed blue.

"What – "

It was a tear, a crack in the air itself and it opened up wide, a wild wind escaping from its maws. Peter stood and stared, gaping in shock as six figures fell from the light and hit the ground below.

. . . . . . .

Steam became mist, ash became salt and the ground below melted into water. They didn't even have a chance to cry out before they were drowning, falling and sinking, water above, water below, water all around. Others would have panicked, others would have flailed around desperately until top was bottom, bottom was top. They would've struggled, kicking themselves deeper and deeper, their brains screaming for air, their lungs burning with need. And then they would've died, water rushing to claim their new friend, to draw them down into the darkness where fish fed on their bloated flesh. But the Just King and the half-Naga were smarter, forcing themselves to relax, to let the natural buoyancy of their bodies to draw them back to the surface. One squirming kick and they broke the surface, struggling to keep afloat in a storm-boiled sea.

"What – "

Inara choked, a wave slapping her mouth.

"The – "

A second wave dunked her but she came back up, spluttering, wiping water from her eyes.

"HELL?"

Edmund looked around as he too struggled to keep his head above water. Gone was the City Below, the volcanoes that spewed fire than water, the Blue Swords and Green Hammers that had metamorphosed into monsters before their eyes. They had been plucked from that place and placed into here, a vast lake that churned and roared like the sea, the ruins of some vast city emerging halfway above the waves. A glance at Inara and a long sigh afterwards they struck out for a rooftop that tilted above the waters, fighting against riptides and currents that tried to sweep them away.

Above the sky was a clear summer's day, clouds and birds mocking them as they threw themselves against a pillar, trying to get water-slicked fingers to grasp white stone.

"STOP TRYING TO KILL US!" Inara roared at the skies.

"I don't think that's helping," Edmund pointed out.

He dodged a kick to his head. Slowly and painfully, inch by inch they managed to crawl up the pillar and flopped onto the roof, gasping and panting like beached fishes. The sun beat down on them, hot and strong, their clothes steaming as salt dried on their skin burning their wounds. Finally they found the strength to look up.

"What is this place?" Inara demanded.

Edmund looked around, at the few treetops that showed above the waters, at the buildings that stood drowned in the vast lake.

"Wait a minute..."

Some of the buildings were not made of stone but something that was almost like glass or pearl, shimmering a nacre sheen. He looked back the tree tops, at the perfect leaves and the few perfect blossoms that grew on the branch tips despite the waves that tried to consume them.

"This is the Pearl," Edmund gasped, "This is the – "

"Uhh... Ed?"

The Just King turned to look at her.

"What is that?"

He turned and his eyes widened.

"OH COME ON!" he yelled.

Their eyes were blank, filled with nothing but a deep savage hunger. Gaping jaws slashed their bullet-like heads in two, row upon row of serrated shearing teeth arming the maws that swallowed bodies whole. They swum through air as thought it was water, tails working frantically, flying towards them with the speed of arrows in flight.

Sharks, a whole swarm of impossible sharks that swam unbound from water. Inara looked at him, he looked back at Inara.

They blinked in unison.

"RUN!"

. . . . . . .

"SU!"

His sister looked at him, eyes wide, her face ghost pale. Peter started as red swam in the blue depths of her eyes, purple and gold rippling.

"Su?"

"COME TO US!

The Helen and Daniel things were screaming, arms convulsing wildly as Ladybug froze looking at the figures that fell from the glowing crack above. The tear sealed itself shut with a snap, the blue light vanishing.

"HURRY!"

Ladybug looked back at the things she thought were her mother and father and she hesitated. The two creatures screamed, their face melting, eyes and nose vanishing until all that was left were mouths of teeth and forked tongue.

"LADYBUG!" Lucia roared.

The Helen and Daniel creatures lunged at the girl as she screamed, Peter charging forwards but someone got there first. A blade sang out, slicing through the monsters, the things vanishing into smoke and air as Peter stopped.

"Lucy?"

Valiant turned to look at him, smiling.

"High King Peter," she greeted, sheathing her dagger, her chain mail whispering as she moved, "It is good to see you again."

"Su?" Peter asked frantically, his eyes on Valiant, "Su?"

"They're all Lucy. Pieces of her and they have to be put back together," the Gentle Queen said quietly.

Peter gaped at his sister, not understand a word she was trying to say. Susan sighed, trying to think of a way to explain something that even she didn't quite understand.

Behind them Lucille was on her feet, her eyes lighting up as she saw her General.

"LUCIA! STOP THESE MADMEN!" the Empress ordered, "They're trying to – "

She stopped, paling as the Dawn-Breaker lunged, snatching the glaive from Lucia's hands and casually tossing it aside. Danaid was gibbering wildly, torn between terror and ecstasy, laughing one moment, weeping the next.

"We are all here," Valiant said looking around.

Lucille. Lucia. Lucinda. The Empress, the General and the High Inquisitor of the Pearl and the City Below.

The Dawn-Breaker, the killer, the murderer who made the streets red with blood and Danaid, a man who's every waking moments was torture, who's dreams were endless nightmares.

And finally Ladybug, the darkness behind the iron door, the girl in the cave, shadows her only friends.

"Who is this?" Lucille demanded, looking at the girl.

Ladybug recoiled from her eyes, shadows rising around her, trying to protect her.

"The darkness," Lucia said dryly.

The Empress's eyes widened.

"What?"

"She's the darkness simply because out of all of us she is the one remembers everything," the Dawn-Breaker laughed, "And is not enough to keep them secret."

Lucille shuddered as Lucinda grabbed her Empress's hands, trying to steady her.

"So what happens now?" Susan demanded.

Valiant looked at the women and men who stood around her, smiling.

"We become one."

"ARRRRGGGGGH!"

The scream came not from a mouth but from all around them, the cavern and the ground heaving and cracking. Belfeur exploded out of the corridor on the side, wielding his six glaives, blood gushing from the wound on his chest.

"What – "

"She does not want to wake," Valiant said calmly.

Rain, the colour and thickness was falling from the roof and everything it touched burned, all of them screaming as it melted skin and flesh.

"The dreams are fighting us!" Danaid screamed as he writhed on the ground in agony and in ecstasy, "THE DREAMS!"

"We have to get out of here!" Lucia yelled.

For the first time all the pieces of Lucy wanted the same thing. Peter sang, trying to heal them all but his voice broke, the king grasping for the dying embers his Gifts had become as Susan lost herself to the darkness with her, the demon laughing drinking in the pain.

"There is no escape!" the Dawn-Breaker bellowed, screeching as he fell to his knees, the muscles of his calf dissolving, "There is only one dream in all f the Orchard."

"No."

They turned looking at Ladybug, the little girl staring back at them even as acid melted her scalp.

"There is one other dream."

"HURRY!" Lucinda screamed, "DO SOMETHING!"

Ladybug and the Dawn-Breaker lashed out, shadows and blue light exploding together, hands snatching at them, pulling them, pushing them. They fell, something in the air tearing and they were suddenly in a completely different place.

. . . . . . .

The black thing screamed as Elias punched it and despite its ugliness, its inhumanity it crumpled easily. Elias snatched the stone knife from its hands and tore Jason's bonds free. He grabbed the man, dragging him out of the cage, out of where the demons had spat and laughed at him, throwing scraps of rotten meat into his face.

"RUN!" Elias roared at the Seeker.

Jason looked blankly at him and sat down.

"OH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!"

A demon charged at them and Elias hurled the knife, knocking the thing down.

"Elias go," Jason said flatly.

His voice, his words were repeated by all the other Jasons in this place.

"Please..." Jason closed his eyes, "Let me go."

Elias kicked him and the Seeker let him.

"I am going to say this only once so you better listen!" Elias roared.

Demons were charging towards them, a swarm of black gibbering monsters sweeping towards them. Elias cursed and looked down at the Jason before him. The man continued to stare blankly away, caught in memories of the things he had done.

Desmond and the Hermit of the Southern Marches, their faces bloated before him with and all the other nameless, unknown people he had slaughtered, haunting him with their screams, their wide disbelieving eyes. He saw flashes of that attack Eustace had ordered him on, the Seeker assaulting that massive house of white and killing everyone that had been there. Not just the king that had resided inside but his guards, his staff and the men, women and children who had just happened to be there to visit that dreadful day.

The children...

There was one particular memory that burned and poisoned like acid. A little girl of no more than six, her mother dead at her feet, staring up with wide blue eyes at the white-fired monster that had leapt straight from her nightmares and landed squarely in front of her.

"Please..." she had begged, crying her big fat little girl's tears, "Please mister..."

And he had burned her alive.

Jason turned his head and vomited, his whole body shuddering. Elias touched his shoulder trying to comfort her but the Seeker shrugged his hand aside.

"Leave me alone!" the man barked.

"Oh shut up you idiot!" Elias snapped back at him, "Come on we..."

An arrow flew at them and slammed into Jason's throat, killing the man. Elias cursed and whirled, running, past Jasons that were chained, that were being boiled alive in oil.

"GO!" they all screamed at him, "LEAVE ME!"

Elias ignored them, choosing another Jason at random and freeing him as the demon army continued to swell.

"Jason..." Elias began.

"Leave me alone Elias," this Jason, missing one eye and an ear, told him, "Leave me to my punishment."

Elias didn't stop and consider how foolish his plan was. Grabbing any Jason he could get his hands on and pray that at least one of them would wake up and see how stupid this all was. He couldn't think about the futility because he had to keep trying.

"Damn it Jason! Stop this – "

Elias staggered as Jason shoved him back, towering over him.

"DO YOU KNOW WHAT I'VE DONE?" the Seeker roared.

That little girl, looking at him, begging him.

'_Please mister...'_

"I DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE!"

The little girl burning, screaming. Was there another man like him out there somewhere? A man who thought he had everything only for it to be snatched away? How many lives had he ruined? How many families had he torn apart?

And the Ophanim Machine, the horsemen... how many more little girls would die because of that.

"I'M NOT EVEN REAL!"

He had been a lie, a puppet for the darkness, a lie given life until the moment he was needed to destroy the worlds. Why saving a murderer? Why bother saving someone that was nothing more than figment of dark imagination.

"LET ME DIE!"

Elias faced his wrath unflinchingly, glad to see something that wasn't defeat.

"No! Damn it you imbecile!" Elias hurled at him, "Killing yourself is not going to fix anything!

The demons were charging towards them but the two stood in the centre of all hell, completely ignoring them as they argued. Jason set his chin stubbornly. Elias may not be able to see it but he didn't deserve to live and nothing Elias could say would ever change that.

"I will not – "

Elias punched him square in the face. Jason fell and Elias stared down at his own fist, stunned at what he had done. But his head quickly snapped back up, furred and teethed, the scientist roaring at Jason.

"Will you listen?".

Jason merely stared back at him with those blank, dead eyes.

"Please!" Elias shouted, not only to the Jason in front of him but all the other Jasons, the thousands of men that died again and again, "PLEASE!"

Jason closed his eyes and the demons charged, screaming and yelling. Elias cursed and ran, the Jason he had freed quickly disappearing under a crush of black things.

"SORRY!"

Another Jason screamed as Elias tore the spear from his side, this Seeker hanging from the boughs of tree as his bowels hung in loops from his torn belly. The man swore at him and Elias smiled, glad at last to see some fire in the man.

The demons moved swiftly, jumping and leaping but Elias was still just out of their reach. He ran for the conveyor belt as the gears grinded and screeched, the machine continuing its ceaseless march, an endless line of Jasons spat out from the dark unknown and brought to their doom. The spear came up, Elias charging with a roar.

"TANG!"

Metal bit into metal as Elias drove the polearm straight into the gears. They screamed their pain, the long belt screeching to a halt. The screams stopped, the whole imagined hell stopped as the Jasons, the demons all stared at the lone man who had dared to stand against the insanity.

"You idiot..." Jason whispered, "They're going to kill you..."

Elias glared him, letting his face showed that he was willing to die if only to save his friend.

"Stop this," the scientist ordered, his voice harsh and panting, "Jason... please. Stop this."

The world screamed at him, Elias blasted back by a wild wind. He was blinded, dazed as the demons howled their anger, leaping at him as Elias cried out, throwing his arms up in a pathetic defence. But before a single hand could touch, blue flashed in the dark sky above.

"ARGGGGH!"

They fell, falling in crumpled heads around Elias as the scientist stared in shock. The demons froze, hesitating.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!" a very familiar voice roared.

Peter pulled himself up, his arms trembling violently, the black veins that marked them still bulging obscenely. He glared at the queen who had once ruled by his side so long ago, demanding answers.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU PEOPLE?"

They were out of the cave, out of the shower of acid that had threatened to melt them all but now they found themselves in...

Peter froze, eyes widening as he took in what was around him.

"Jason?"

Hundreds of pairs of dark blue eyes stared back at him, broken and dark, the man hanging from hooks, stretched on racks, bleeding and dying everywhere he looked.

"Jason?"

Susan threw herself beside the conveyor belt, pulling at the bonds that held one of the Jasons to the contraception.

"Jason! What..." the queen was weeping, her fingers fumbling with the ties.

She cursed her own clumsiness, all her emotions bleeding together, laughter and sobs bubbling from her lips as she tried to free the Seeker.

"What happened? Jason are you – "

"This is his dream."

Susan and Peter looked at Elias.

"I came here to try and free him but..." Elias looked at the two, "How are you here? I separated the Seeds from the others. You couldn't – "

"You think we can break through your pathetic protections?" the Dawn-Breaker sneered, "We are not as weak as you."

Elias stared at the man, frowning. His eyes drifted across the others, instantly noting how alike Valiant, Lucia, Lucinda and the Empress was. He took in Danaid's weeping, shrieking form without a word and finally his eyes settled on Ladybug.

The little girl smiled at him.

"You..."

The pieces flew together, the picture forming.

"Lucy. You are all pieces of Lucy," the scientist shook his head, "Dissociation. My word... to see the physical representation of a dissociated identity..."

Everyone stared at him. Even the Jasons who were nearby. Elias flushed.

"What is this place?" Susan demanded, her eyes red.

She could see the demons but they hung back for now, hesitant. The Dawn-Breaker sneered at them, cracking his knuckles, daring them to attack. But she scarcely noticed that the queen only having eyes for the torture, for the madness all around them. She wanted to throw up, wanted to curl up into a ball and cry. But most of all she wanted to fight, to tear the demons apart and free her friend.

Kill. Break. Kill.

The darkness in her was speaking and Susan found herself nodding to its words, agreeing.

"What is this?" Susan demanded.

"This is Jason's mind," Elias said gently, "He is free of the darkness but..."

"I deserve to die."

Susan turned and stared down at the Jason she had tried to free.

"What?"

The Seeker looked up at her and it was one of those few rare glimpses she had of the man who lived inside. Gone was the gruffness, the rough mask he wore, here was the man, the man who loved her like a daughter and it was there brimming in his eyes, mingled with hate and shame.

"I... Susan... I hurt you. I hurt... I killed her," Jason could see the little girl again in his mind, "I killed her."

He was crying and Susan cried with him. Her shaking hand reached out, touching his hair, trying to soothe him as a mother would.

"I killed her," Jason repeated the words over and over, his voice hoarse, "I... I'm a monster. I'm nothing…"

Nothing but a lie, an idiot who believed he was truly alive when all long his life had just been someone else's plan.

"No," Susan begged, "No you're not. Jason – "

"Leave me," Jason looked at her keenly, "Please. Susan. Just..."

Susan silenced him with a look, her eyes now all blue.

"Damn it Jason! Don't you dare break your promise!"

Jason looked at her, frowning.

"You promised me you would help me. You promised me you would stand with me until the very end! You promised me you would help me save my kingdom!" Susan screamed at him, "Don't you dare break your promise! DON'T YOU DARE!"

She grabbed him, shook him and he bore her punishment without a word.

"Do you know how many times I wanted to give up?" Susan yelled, "Do you know how many times I just wanted to run away from all this?

Elias gaped at her, Peter gaped at her. To them she had always been the iron-willed queen, the war general that had led them through one disaster and another. Her strength was the one they relied on but to hear her say this?

It didn't dim their respect, no, it strengthened, strengthened them to see that she too had doubted, had feared but had stood unbowed.

"You were always there helping me! You were always there yelling at me when I wanted to stop! You were there protecting me, teaching me!" Susan kicked the machine Jason laid on, "Damn it! Don't you give up because without you..."

She fell to her knees, clinging to him, crying.

"... I don't I think I can do this."

"You can."  
Jason looked at her, his love for her clear to see.

"You can do it Susan. I know you can."

"Please Jason... please... don't go."

The demons attacked and Peter was torn away, lightning flying from his fingers as he destroyed the monsters that tried to kill them, tried to stop Susan. The Dawn-Breaker roared and he shattered the air, cracks zipping through land and sky, breaking everything they touched. Lucia snatched up a blade and threw herself recklessly into battle, Valiant and Lucinda by her side. Lucille dropped to her knees, comforting Danaid as he screamed, unable to bear the sound and the fury of battle.

Elias stood behind Susan, guarding her as the queen tried to get through to her knight.

"I... there was a girl. A child and I killed her. I've killed so many people..." Jason looked at Susan, eyes wide, horrified, "I can't help you... I almost killed you."

"I forgive you and I knew it wasn't you," Susan said strongly.

"I don't trust myself," Jason argued and there was fire in his voice, "How can I help you when I don't even trust myself?"

"I don't trust me either."

Susan turned and Ladybug was there, the little girl who was her baby sister with black weeping eyes. Those eyes were trained on Jason and the Seeker stared back at her in wonder.

Behind them a demon charged but Elias grabbed it, his face shifting into that of a wolf's and chomping down. The demon fell as Elias spat out blood and grit, shaking his lupine head frantically.

"I've done bad things," Ladybug said with all the seriousness only a child could muster, "And I don't trust myself either."

Jason stared at her, stared at the little girl and she suddenly smiled.

"But maybe we can trust each other. If you're being naughty I'll scold you and if I'm naughty you'll scold me," she said simply with that impish smile wide on her face.

"Why?" Jason said softly, "Why should I – "

"Because that little girl you hurt wouldn't want you to hurt yourself."

"Why not?" Jason roared at her, "I killed her mother. I killed her. I..."

He knew this girl was Lucy, knew it from the likeness of her face to Susan.

"Ed once grabbed my hand and used it push a vase over. Mummy found out and Ed said I did it but I told her the truth," Ladybug said earnestly as Susan laughed, remembering the story, "And you know what Mummy did? She scolded Ed because it was not my fault."

Ladybug looked at Jason and he looked back at her in wonder.

"It's not your fault. My Susu thinks you're good and my Susu is always right. She wants you to be her friend again? Please? Pretty please? She'll be sad if you won't."

"I'll be devastated," Susan smiled through her tears.

Jason looked at them, looked at Susan, looked at Ladybug.

"Please mister," Ladybug batted her eyelids, "Help us."

He had murdered innocent people, he had murdered a little girl, savagely, brutally, mercilessly. He deserved to die but the people he loved did not deserved to be dragged down with him. He looked at Susan, looked at Lucy. They needed him, wanted him and without him they may fall. Jason closed his eyes. He didn't deserve them but he had them and yes he deserved death, deserved to be tossed into the pit and forgotten but that could wait until after they, Susan, Inara and all the others, were all safe.

He would live not for himself but for them.

"I will."

Susan hardly dared to hope.

"Jason..."

The Seeker smiled at her but it was a sad broken expression. Susan touched his cheek, tears in her eyes.

"The dream must end," Ladybug turned and looked at her own parts fighting the demons, "It must end."

The little girl smiled sadly and Susan .

"I tried to hide. Tried to be a hero but it must end."

The crushed look on her face said it all – there was no hiding, no run away. Eventually it would all come crashing down and the truth had to be faced. Jason saw it and he echoed her small pale smile.  
"Yes," Jason closed his eyes, "It must end."

Susan cried out as Ladybug collapsed, her eyes rolling to the back of her as all the other fragments of Lucy did the same. The demons howled and lunged but Jason smiled and the creatures disappeared, not a single trace of them left behind. The other Jasons were erased from existence in the single breath, the hell that had ensnared them vanishing bite by bite.

Susan whirled and looked at Peter, at Elias.

"What's happening?" she demanded.

Elias smiled at her, eyes gleaming with triumph.

"It's time to wake up!"

And the world around them melted away.

. . . . . . .

Inara dived, taking Edmund down with her as a shark barrelled past, teeth gnashing furiously. The water rose, trying to take them as they scrambled away from the grabbing waves.

"ARGH!"  
Inara cried out as another shark shot past, its rough skin tearing at a gash in her arm. Blood flew and the sharks bellowed their hunger, eyes glowing red as great whites, hammerheads, bulls, tigers and goblins exploded out of the water. Edmund and Inara froze, staring at the vast swarm of savage carnivores that wanted to eat them alive.

"Inara..." Edmund had to ask something that had been bothering him since he had discovered the truth of this place.

"Yeah Freckles?"

They were stranded on a lone stone roof rising from the storm swollen lake, predators all around.

"This is a dream right?"

"Yes," Inara said, silver eyes darting to and fro, the sharks watching them.

"What happens if we die here?"

Inara licked her dried lips.

"I think we are about to find out."

And the sharks charged, a thousand pairs of teeth-filled jaws lunging for them as Inara and Edmund braced themselves. But before a single shark could touch them, light bleached the sky to white, Edmund and Inara crying out as something strong and invisible grabbed their limbs and snatched them away.

. . . . . . .

In a Seed of glass and glowing blue Jason Sierre opened his eyes and smiled sadly.

He was awake.

. . . . . . .

Author's note – and cliffhanger! So now we finally have the answer to the riddle of the multiple Lucys! But what about Zaru? How does his adventures in Tzara tie into everything? You'll find out next chapter as the adventures of the Orchard wraps up!


	85. Monsters

New chapter! So sorry about the long delay but once again real life has taken over! GARGH! Sorry!

Disclaimer: You know the drill by now… surely….

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 85: Monsters**

Makat walked through the streets of Tzara, his only companion the gold Cat God that loped by his side. The citizens of the great desert kingdom hid in their houses, only the foolish daring to show their boil-covered faces to see the monster that had brought ruination upon them all.

The Nile had turned to blood, toads had poisoned what little water that had remained, gnats and demon flies had plagued them, the livestock had perished and boils had inflicted them all. And if all that had not been enough hail and fire had rained down from the heavens, razing their orchards and farms.

The whole of Tzara was teetering on a knife's edge, the air ripe with fear, anger and madness.

Zaru could smell it all, the miasma hanging thick the stench of rotting meat, growing and swelling as Makat marched his way to Amun's palace.

The leopard glanced at the saviour of the Tzaraath. The man's face, once so young and foolishly open was now as grim and haggard as a grizzled soldier running into battle. Despite his age grey silvered his hair and there was a stiffness in his movements. A boy had been entrusted to save his people and the toll was grinding him down into an old man.

The last attack had been the most terrible, Makat betrayed by the people he had loved, would have died to save. But the would-be assassins had not been hardened killers looking for profit but terrified men and women trying to save their own families from Amun's clutches. Zaru had killed to protect Makat and it made him sick.

He looked at Makat again and his gaze stripped another layer off the slave.

The hopeful bright faced child-man was gone, that flame guttered down into nothing. The one who had listened to those ancient tales of courage and valour and dreamed with bright eyes of being one of the heroes, one of the martyrs was dead. Because he had learnt what those stories never spoke off. Makat was now one of those heroes, one of those warriors and saints and he had found out as Zaru himself had in Shift's World and in the Temple that those legendary adventures and deaths were just that – fairytales, caricatures stuffed full of romance and pretty words. They never told you how it felt to stand knee deep in blood, staring in horror down at the lives you had stolen, the lives you had failed to save.

Some days Zaru found it hard to smile but he had learnt to do so because if he lost that... the leopard wasn't sure he could live with himself.

Zaru breathed in slowly.

Makat smelt of sickness but it was nota disease of the flesh, no this was a sickness of the spirit.

A growl left his lips. He wanted to slap the sceptre from the slave's hands, to roar at him to run, run for the hills and never look back. Makat was not meant for this, was not strong enough to. But Zaru held his tongue. The gods had chosen Makat and he needed to help this man win the war so he can have Susan back.

Zaru sighed.

His head hurt from trying to figure a way out of this mess and his stomach was rumbling reminding him once more all the meagre rations he had lived on for the past few weeks. Huh. Well, there was all those dead livestock that was just going to waste... if he got someone to cook it for him maybe he could eat the diseased mea...

Great.

Now the hunger was affecting his brain.

Zaru groaned loudly.

"What is it Cat God?"

"I don't like this," Zaru said for the thousandth time.

Makat said nothing. The proclamations had came swiftly on the heels of the last three plagues he had afflicted, revenge for the attempt on his life. By now all of Tzara knew Amun wished to meet the slave in the palace to discuss matters of the utmost importance and all the smallest child knew that these fancy words hid poisonous intent, the whole city waiting to see who would triumph in this latest battle.

"I cannot be seen to run away from the pharaoh."

Makat's words were flat and as bleak as his face. Zaru had found his enthusiasm and naivety annoying but at least that was better than this statue. Zaru breathed in again and beneath the sickness all he could smell was iron intent. He shuddered at that cold clinical scent.

"Makat..."

Zaru hesitated. Despite everything they had gone through he was not Makat's friend just a mere ally. As long as Makat managed to topple the pharaoh and free his people and as long as Zaru was returned to his family did it matter that the man scared him?  
The leopard focused on what he had to do for now.

"You are putting yourself into Amun's hands. This is isn't a good –"

"Amun is scared of me," Makat said distantly, his eyes fixed resolutely ahead, "I am not afraid to strike him down."

"Then why don't you?" Zaru demanded.

Makat looked at him and Zaru couldn't help but shudder.

"It is better to have an enemy who is scared of me and willing to talk rather than kill him and have an angry, vengeful enemy in his place," he said as if quoting a lesson a wise teacher had once spoken to him.

Zaru stared. Makat looked back at him mildly. Zaru wanted to yell, wanted to know who the bloody hell this man was and where the real Makat was but he said nothing because he knew this man could do what Makat couldn't – win this bloody war.

"He probably wants to talk," the leopard said finally, "Offer you a deal."

Makat glanced down at the god and for a second a ghost of a smile seemed to hover above his features. But it was gone, vanishing like motes that sometimes floated in the eyes.

"And what should I do?" there was something mocking about his voice that made Zaru narrow his eyes but Makat's face was serene.

It was Ammit the Devourer of the Hearts who had sent them this task and she had been clear in what she wanted. Makat wanted to free his people, the gods wanted the pharaoh dead. Before the attempt on his life Makat had chosen to ignore that order, caring only for freedom. Makat had abhorred the thought of killing but this dark creature walking beside Zaru was something all together different.

Zaru dithered. Should he say the words to save this man's soul or should he say the words that will end this battle and sent him back to Susan, Elias and the rest of his family?

"You know what the gods want," the leopard said finally and couldn't help but cringe as

Makat smiled in reply.

"Of course."

The palace was up ahead, looming before them, growing larger and more ominous with each step. Zaru took a deep breath and they were suddenly at the gates of Amun's fortress, ready to face the mad king once more.

. . . . . .

Two faces flashed in his head as he walked, alternating with each other as he marched through the darkness of the Orchard.

Left foot and Glozelle's face was there as he had last seen the man, clutching at the supports of the travel-rail as it blasted off along its tracks.

Right foot and it was his aunt's that haunted him, grim-faced as she held her son in her arms, marching towards a portal that hung between two trees.

Left and happier times, Glozelle carefully showing his prince the moves to a complex battle dance, smiling in approval as the young man copied it perfectly.

Right and it was Prunaprismia, shaking her head as she applied a poultice to a wound he had sustained on the training courts.

Left. Right. Left Right. Glozelle and Prunaprimia, his memories haunting him.

"I know you're there," Caspian called out suddenly.

He turned and General Glozelle stepped out from the shadows, a sword in his hands. Caspian calmly raised the silver crossbow in his hands.

"Hello Caspian," the general said as though he had just met the man on a morning stroll.

Caspian's finger rested on the trigger of the bow, a slight move and the man before him would be burned out of existence. But not yet, not until he had some answers.

"Why are you here?" Caspian demanded harshly, "Where is my aunt?"

Glozelle studied his face and bewilderingly a smile flashed across his dark face.

"You've grown," the man said softly, sadness heavy in his voice.

Caspian snarled at him, brandishing his weapon.

"Damn it Glozelle! Answer me!"

"Your aunt has been taken."

Oh Caspian had suspected it, had dreaded it but to hear it out loud... the king staggered, the face draining rapidly from his face.

"No..."

"The darkness. It came out night from across the sea and snatched her away," Glozelle's voice was exactly as he remembered it, dry and level.

But the general's eyes no longer hid everything, they showed his torment, his anguish at the loss of Prunaprimsia. Caspian was frozen by the pain he saw, suddenly realising there was something in the picture he was missing. Glozelle had been a loyal soldier of the crown, a guardian who had developed a measure of affection for most of the family he had sworn to protect but the hurt he was seeing, the agony...

It came to him and stole his breath away.

"You and my aunt..." Caspian said slowly.

Glozelle smiled and there were tears in those dark eyes.

"I love her," the man said his stoic mask shattering.

Caspian's crossbow wavered.

"No," he tried to deny the man but it was clear to see on his exhausted face.

"She is my wife."

Caspian felt like he had taken a blow to the gut. He didn't know why it surprised him so much, it was hardly shocking for a widow to find a new husband but Prunaprismia and Glozelle... at best they had always been civil towards each other but he never would've dreamt...

"Is she happy?" Caspian begged, "Is she – "

Glozelle spoke in the manner expected of the Telmarine court – formal and stilted, any real feelings and thoughts stifled by formal words that meant nothing.

"She was overjoyed at our union. We were peaceful for three years," Glozelle said distantly.

Caspian glared at him.

"Alright talk like a real person!" he snapped, "If you're going to try and kill me again let's at least have a real conversation!"

Glozelle eyed him as Caspian flushed, openness of feeling in battle was a weakness that was one of the many lessons the general had drilled him into him. But Caspian steeled himself jabbing his crossbow forwards to hide his embarrassment.

"You have changed," Glozelle said finally.

"Where is Prunaprismia?" Caspian pressed.

Glozelle looked to the shadows, shame and loathing roiling in his eyes.

"She is taken and the Great Darkness is keeping her captive," the man said finally, "I don't know where."

"And they made a bargain."  
Caspian was not stupid.

"You kill me and my aunt is free."

"And Manuel will have his mother back."

"My cousin," Caspian had never known his name before.

"Yes."

What kind of man didn't even know the name of his own family? Caspian felt sick but his face showed nothing. He had let Prunaprismia go, had let her choose exile and now she was in danger because he had not been strong enough to do what was needed and keep her safe.

But what could he do now?

His duty was to his kingdom, to Aslan, to this war that had engulfed entire worlds. His aunt was just one woman and Caspian knew, knew it coldly and brutally as if asked to sacrifice her for all the worlds he would do it. He would dither, he would doubt, it would take days and days of debating and second-guessing but he would do it. Because Caspian was not just a man, not just a nephew or a friend, he was a king and kings sometimes had to do the unthinkable.

He and Susan had discussed the same, dreading it, pulling the words out like teeth but it had to be said. They loved each other, he loved her with an ardour that scared him but they had made each other promise if the day came when they had to sacrifice one for the good of others it had to be done. To save the world he would see his Susan dead. Did it make him a hero? Or a monster?

But Glozelle was asking him to sacrifice Narnia for his aunt, he was asking the king to sacrifice himself for the woman who had raised him and for a time loved him like her own.

One life for another.

Caspian squared his shoulders.

Let the fates decide how this would end.

"I'm here," Caspian said.

Glozelle nodded.

"So you are."

"Fight me."

Caspian knew that if Susan was here she would screaming at him, braining him with her sceptre. But... he had to do this. Had to give his aunt a fighting chance. No, he would not go soft on his old teacher, they would fight to the death, they would let the dicey chance of fate decide if his aunt would live or die.

Caspian felt sick. Prunaprismia was in terrible danger and it was all his fault, all his doing and now him and her husband had to die. Could he do it? Could he doom his aunt and rob her of some of the joy she had found?

Caspian raised his crossbow and Glozelle smiled at him.

There was no hate between them, no anger, no quarrel. This was a battle of love.

"I will not hold back," Glozelle said as a warning.

"I don't expect you to."

They stared at each other through the gloom, a Seed above the only light. Without a sound Caspian fired, Glozelle already a dark blur.

"BOOM!"  
Fire spewed out into the shadows as Caspian charged. The two man slammed into each other, the crossbow sent flying as they lashed out with bare knuckles, trying to beat the other into bloody submission.

There was no mercy, no quarter given because this was the fight for Prunaprismia.

. . . . . .

"My friend."  
Amun smiled as though he genuinely believed that he and Makat was as close as blood brothers. The slave eyed him coldly with those dead shark-like eyes and the pharaoh's mask slipped, showing the hate and the fear that rotted beneath. But Amun swiftly recovered and gestured at the table that stood behind them, a great golden thing that groaned under the weight of the decadent feast that decked its top.

"Please join me at my table."

Slaves hurried to pull the throne-like chairs out, Amun confidently taking his place at the head of the table.

Zaru glanced at the food, his stomach roaring its hunger but he did nothing but salivate at the sight. He couldn't eat, not when he knew the people of Tzara were slowly starving to death, not when he could practically hear the weakening whimpers that floated up from the streets. The plagues had ruined all the farms and orchards of the kingdom, every livestock that could have given meat or milk dead. The city limped on, surviving on the few meagre stores that remained but it was not enough.

Zaru had smelt death in the streets, not the death of the king that should have died but the death of innocent people caught up in this insane struggle.

"Please," Amun gave them a lazy smile as he plucked a date from a golden plate, "Eat."

Makat looked down at the food.

"Don't touch it," Zaru snarled.

"I wasn't going to," Makat said mildly, "It's poisoned."

It was a statement, no heat behind it but Amun flushed, his lips pulled back into a silent snarl. The pharaoh swiftly recovered, his smiling mien back once more.

"Well, I had to try," his dark eyes flicked to Zaru.

The pharaoh was desperate and more than a little bit mad but that did not meant he wasn't still a craft enemy. Zaru could see that Amun was noting the fact that the he could detect poisons and that the king's mind was already at work spitting out some brand new scheme. The leopard growled a warning but Amun merely offered him a taunting smile before looking to Makat once more.

"And so I have failed," the pharaoh shrugged his broad shoulders, carefully showing how strong he was compared to the two before him, "But let this not delay our long awaited talk."

Makat did not sit, the leader of the slaves standing tall and proud before the man that had once terrified him so. His face was bleak, carved from stone in dark brooding lines.

Zaru's nose twitched.

He could smell Amun, could smell his towering all encompassing rage, righteous and hungry. But he could also scent he fear the pharaoh was so desperate to hide. But whatever victory he took from that was swiftly gone as he tried to smell Makat.

He growled.

Makat smelt of dirt and sand and sweat but those were physical scents. Where was the fear? Where was the hope? Makat smelt of nothing, no emotions, no feelings. It was as though the sickness he had felt before had eaten the man through and through, rotting his mind and soul until there nothing left but clean scentless bone.

The leopard shuddered violently.

"Makat – "

They were not friends but Zaru had to know the Makat could still feel, that some fragment of the boy he had been was still in there somewhere.

"What do you want?" Makat demanded completely ignoring the Cat God.

Amun sipped from his wine, the poison in it not affecting him in the least.

"There are some negotiations that we need to discuss."

Makat said nothing as Amun made a big show of putting his goblet down.

"Surely you understand open war would mean disaster for both our people," Amun said confidingly, "And even if you do topple me there will be chaos. Armies will be raised as those will wish for power fight for my vacant throne. Your people will be caught between them all like a chick amongst falcons."

Zaru understood what Amun was trying to do and tried to voice a warning but Makat cut him off.

"So what are you proposing Amun?"

The pharaoh flushed that a mere slave would address him with such impropriety. But despite how hard his fists clenched the king said nothing.

"I am willing to free your people – "

Zaru expected Makat to cheer, to throw down his sceptre and dance a jig but this new Makat did nothing, the dark frown on his face deepening.

"But you will stay within the confines of this city. You will no longer be slaves but you will live as free citizens of Tzara subject to my command," Amun smiled arrogantly, "I am sure that this is a pleasing arrangement."

Makat considered his answer for a single breath.

"No."

Amun's eyes widened.

"WHAT?"  
The mask was gone, the pharaoh leaping to his feet as the slaves fled the room, knowing better than to stay. Zaru growled, ready to throw himself between the two men but Makat raised his sceptre and Amun instantly froze.

"I offer you and your people freedom," the pharaoh spat, "And you throw it back in my face?"

The guards at the doors raised their swords but a growl from Zaru stopped them in their tracks.

"I am the Cat God and I can burn you where you stand!" he snarled, "NOW STAY BACK!"

The guards froze and Zaru swung his head back around to see Makat and Amun stand face to face, madness against implacable coldness.

"I will not accept anything less than absolute freedom!" Makat thundered, "Your armies guard the banks of the Nile stopping my people from leaving our compound. Your mages work to protect them from my powers! Call them to retreat and let us leave!"

"NO!"

Amun hurled the goblet at Makat but it missed, wine splashing against stone.

"I WILL NEVER FREE YOU!" Amun spat at him, spittle flying from his lips, "I CAN NEVER FREE YOU!"

Makat did not hear those words but Zaru did and the leopard instantly knew what the pharaoh meant. Freeing the Tzaraath, the lowest of the low would shatter Amun's rule and his own life would be forfeit. He would be hounded from sunrise to sunrise by every power hungry lord salivating at the thought of separating the king's head from his neck and seizing the throne for themselves. In his own way Amun was as trapped as the slaves he ruled and as long as he valued his life he could not let the slaves go free.

Zaru groaned and once again cursed the mess he was in.

"The gods have demanded my people go free!" Makat hurled at the so called son of the gods, "They will not accept such an insult!"

Amun laughed and his eyes were suddenly triumphant, the fiery spike of righteous anger rose and Zaru instinctively stepped back, hackles raised.

"The gods have spoken to me as well snake-tongued demon!"

Zaru frowned, he could not smell a lie on the man and a glance at his face, the pharaoh's eyes burning with fervour, told Zaru that Amun was telling the truth. But... why would the gods speak to the mad king?

His instincts screamed at him and Zaru found himself hissing and snarling.

"Makat – " he yelled warningly.

"THE GODS WOULD SEE YOU DEAD!" Amun roared at the slave, "I WILL NOT REST UNTIL ALL OF THE TZARAATH ARE DEAD!"  
Faced with the pharaoh's rage, his insanity Makat merely raised his sceptre.

"I see your heart is still hardened against the plight of my people."

His words were so formal and cold, nothing like the impassionate pleas of the slave who just wanted his people to be free. Again premonition struck Zaru and the leopard suddenly found himself looking form pharaoh to slave, not knowing which one he feared more.

"You tried to poison me and for that you will be punished," finally a smile crossed Makat's lips but the grin drove ice into Zaru's spine, "Arbeh!"

The sceptre seemed to shudder and jump and Amun instantly froze.

"It comes," Makat said calmly.

Zaru stared at the man in horror.

"What have you done?" the leopard demanded frantically, his ears pricking up at the sound of buzzing, "Makat –"

Like the Arov, the demonic flies that had been the fifth plague, this came from the heavens in a billowing black cloud that swallowed the sun. The people of Tzara watched, crying out, screaming, praying for salvation as the eighth plague struck.

The air was suddenly ripe with hunger and ravenous gnashing teeth.

"MAKAT!" Amun and Zaru roared together.

The pharaoh screamed as the plaque flew through the open balcony and into his chamber in a burst of whirring wings and frantic chewing mandibles. Locusts, thousands and millions of them, descended onto the poisoned feast on the table, devouring it in a thrice. They flew and bated on the carpet, consuming that meagre meal as Zaru roared, frantically swatting at the things that bit him.

"Cat God!"

Makat walked calmly through the chaos, the locusts fleeing from him as Zaru turned on the slave, eyes wide.

"What the hell are you doing?" he growled, "MAKAT! STOP THIS!"

Makat eyed him coolly as the locusts continued to buzz and fly around them, repelled by an unseen wall. Zaru stared at him as the slave seemed completely uncaring of the destruction he was causing. All throughout the city locusts were chewing their way through wood and clay, invading ever store of food left in the city kingdom. Gone were the farms, gone were the animals and now gone were the food, stuffed into the tiny bellies of a million swarming insects. Before the city starved but in a few short moments it was now completely barren.

"Amun must be shown that we are too powerful to be played with. I will accept total freedom or nothing at all."

"Makat," Zaru tried to make his words soft, tried to making the man understand, "It's not just Amun you are hurting, it's innocent people. Children who have done no wron –"

"From poisoned waters poisoned fruits grow," Makat snapped, "No one in this cursed place is innocent!"

The slave swept his sceptre around and the locusts flew from the room leaving Amun on the ground to stare up at him, ghost pale beneath his dark skin. He bled from numerous bites, his skin sticky with his blood and the crushed bodies of the locusts he had killed. The guards were nothing but bloody skeletons, the ravenous hordes having stripped everything from their bodies. Completely ignoring Zaru, Makat turned, the victor in this latest little game.

"You have three more days to reconsider," the slave warned, "Otherwise you and your people will die."

Amun turned hate filled eyes onto the man.

"Then it appears I have three more days to crush you," he vowed, spitting at the man.

"Perhaps you need one more show of the god's powers," Makat raised his sceptre to the roof and it took everything Zaru had in him not to leap at the man, to tackle him to the ground and to demand to know exactly what the hell he was doing!

Makat should have accepted the truce, should have accepted this war that was costing both sides heavily. He should have taken what was offer and slowly work for more, change by steps so that Tzara would not be shattered.

But –

Zaru wanted it over quickly and swiftly so he could be returned to where he should be. Did it really matter what happened after he left, did it matter if he left a world in ruins? Zaru was fighting against himself, flailing to know what to do.

But Makat was already speaking.

"Choshech!" the slave roared.

And darkness spilled across the sky, fall like thick heavy velvet, pressing down on the damned city kingdom of Tzara.

Makat looked at Amun, his face lost almost to the shadows so that his voice seemed to come from everywhere.

"This darkness will stay for three days. If you do not free my people you will be crushed."

Without waiting for a reply the slave turned and marched away leaving Zaru to pierce the shadows with his eyes and see the stricken look on Amun's face.

Slowly the leopard turned his back on the king, a sick and heavy feeling in his gut.

. . . . . .

Caspian took a blow to the mouth and his teeth rattled into their sockets. Without hesitating he spat the blood at Glozelle, blinding him.

"CRACK!"

Glozelle staggered, his cheek already swelling into a bloody blue mess as Caspian kicked him, his boot cracking the man's ribs. They slammed into each other, Glozelle driving a fist into Caspian's face. Caspian stumbled, spinning, clubbed fists raining down on his shoulders and missing his head. A kick to his knee and Caspian fell, crashing to the steel ground. He rolled, Glozelle stomping where his head had been. A kick to the gut and Glozelle was keeled over, a second kicking striking him straight in the face and flipping him over.

They staggered to their feet, both bloodied, both trying to see through swelling eyes.

With a roar they charged again. Caspian's head snapped to the side and blood sprayed the side of a building. He rammed his fist into Glozelle's flank, going straight for the kidneys and the blow made the general scream.

"UGH!"  
Caspian choked on his cry as Glozelle jabbed his throat, the king reeling back, eyes bulging from his head. Glozelle spun and kicked Caspian straight in the face, knocking the man down again.

The heel of Glozelle's boot fell with the speed of a guillotine, trying to shatter Caspian's sternum but Caspian caught it, shoving knocking Glozelle off balance. The king rolled to his feet, blocking and defending furiously as Glozelle swung at him.

He caught Glozelle's wrist and wrenched, the general howling in pain. He threw his other fist at Caspian but the king caught that as well, the two grappling frantically. With a cry, Glozelle twisted and Caspian cried out as he found himself flying through the air and slamming hard into the ground, cursing the man's speed.

Glozelle fell on him, a dagger in his hands.

"TING!"

Caspian moved, the blade glancing off the steel ground. Glozelle stabbed down again and sliced Caspian's arm, biting to the bone as the king roared in agony. He head-butted Glozelle and shoved him off. Bloodied and battered the two men slammed into each other again like two wild things. Glozelle's blade glanced off Caspian's' collar bone and the king cried out, punching the general heavily in the eye and sealing the lid shut. A second blow swatted the blade from Glozelle's hand and Caspian dove, tackling the older man to the ground, eternally grateful that Jason had trained him so brutally well on hand to hand combat.

Glozelle bucked trying to throw the king off but Caspain was quicker, slipping behind the general, his arms closing around Glozelle's throat in a strangling grapple as he tried to choke the man to death.

Lost in the heat of battle, in bloodlust Caspian thought of nothing but what he had been trained for. Triumph blazed through him as he realised what he had done. It was the mark of a great soldier in Telmar if they could best the teacher, the man who had taught him his skills and knew the best and the worst of him. And finally here and now Caspian had done just that, he had finally bested his teacher!

"ARGH!"

Glozelle tore at the limb around his throat, his eyes rolling to the back of his head. Caspian towered behind him, sweat and blood thick on his face, adrenaline pounding through him as his face twisted into a feral snarl. Glozelle lurched to the side, desperately trying to stagger Caspian but the younger man wrenched him upright, choking him further.

Every instinct, every drip and dram of training Glozelle himself had beaten into Caspian was screaming at him to tighten his grip, to crush the man's windpipe once and for all. Caspian's eyes burned, a triumphant smiled at his lips as he tightened his grip, Glozelle's cry thin and choked.

"I'm sorry..."

But Glozelle was not speaking to him but to Prunaprismia, to Manuel, to the family he'd never seen again.

"I'm so – "

Caspian's grip loosened and the king staggered back, eyes wide with horror. What the hell was he doing? The king roared with disgust, at himself, at Glozelle and the Great Darkness for pitting them against one another and in that moment made a decision. He pushed himself away from Glozelle, snarling at himself. The older man turned and looked at him, his throat bruised, his dark eyes calm.

"You should not have done that."

Glozelle rose as Caspian watched him warily.

"I taught you that you have to have no mercy for your enemies."

But there was no reproach in his voice, the general simply stating facts. Caspian said nothing as another dagger appeared into Glozelle's hands. Glozelle looked at him, waiting, wanting to hear what his former student had to say. Caspian straightened, standing like the king he was, tall and proud and as unshakeable as pillars of stone.

"I will not kill you," Caspian said, his voice ringing strong, "I don't want to kill you."

"Then you will die," Glozelle replied softly.

Caspian laughed. Did Glozelle think this was the first threat he had received? When Glozelle saw him last he was still growing from the sheltered boy prince that the general had taught on the training fields. Now he was almost as scarred and battered as the man before him, tried and tested as any well seasoned battle sword.

"I said I didn't want to kill you. It doesn't mean I won't fight you," Caspian pointed out.

"I will not stop until you are dead and Prunaprismia is safe."

It was a vow and said with all the intensity of one. Caspian nodded, willing to accept that as Glozelle looked at him sadly and nodded as well. There was nothing else to say now. Without a sound they lunged at each other once more, falling into the familiar steps of battle.

The blade sung through the air as Caspian ducked and dodged, side-stepping, spinning, Glozelle swinging at him again and again. A lucky slice cut open his cheek, a second slashing a shallow cut across his belly. Caspian hissed in pain as Glozelle stabbed for his throat.

A sidestep and Glozelle's knife missed by a breath, Caspian shoving the man, knocking him down. Caspian ran, Glozelle hurling the blade at him the king screaming as it sliced into his shoulder. But he pressed on grimly, bleeding, limping, pain suddenly as normal to him as breathing. He dived, a second knife striking the wall as he snatched up his target, hitting the ground and spinning around on his side.

Glozelle froze, another dagger (just how many was he hiding?) already in his hands, ready to throw it straight at the king. But Caspian had him in his sights, the loaded crossbow in his hands ready to burn the man out of existence.

They stared at each other, frozen, faces set.

Stalemate.

"You fire that at me and I will die," Glozelle was trying to shake him, trying to distract him so that he could strike.

Caspian smiled.

"Oh really?"

And he fired, Glozelle leaping back but the target was never really him. The fire orb struck the floor and detonated, flames and light bursting out, the force of explosion catching the general and hurling him back. Glozelle smacked into the ground with a resounding crash, his smoking form flecked with glowing embers

Caspian rose on shaking legs, his crossbow still set on the seemingly unmoving heap. He waited for long heart-pounding moments he waited, knowing the depths of the man's wiles but finally it sunk it that Glozelle was not about to rise anytime soon.

Triumph and despair hit him in equal measures.

"Great, now what do I do now?" Caspian asked the darkness around and the Seed above.

He couldn't just walk away because Glozelle would be back after him before either of their wounds even had time to heal. And even though Caspian did not fear him, who knew what could happen in Glozelle's madness the others could be caught in the crossfire. And Caspian didn't exactly relish his other choices – he could not kill a man who's only sin was trying to save his family and killing Glozelle would only condemn his aunt. And keeping Glozelle a prisoner was also not a prospect Caspian looked forward to. Besides the fact that dragging a man intent on his blood from world to world was a mammoth task in itself, Glozelle was too crafty and skilful to be fettered for long by any chain or rope.

Caspian cursed the Great Darkness with all the filth he knew and being friends with Inara and Jason he had acquired a great many choice words.

The light from the Seed above suddenly died, plunging him into darkness. His head snapped up.

"What?"

Caspian turned, looking around frantically and like dying stars more of the Seeds winked out, a wild and harsh roar sweeping through the Orchard.

"What the hell?"

He ran, turning the corner and suddenly he could see the Tower, could see it flashing, pulsing light as always. But before his astonished eyes the burning white thing suddenly went out.

Silence fell as Caspian stared, all that Elias had told him about the Tower flashing through his mind.

"Lucy!"

The ground beneath him bucked, Caspian stumbling as crack cleaved the dead glass Tower in two, screams renting the air.

Without thought, without fear Caspian ran for the Tower, leaving Glozelle alone in the darkness.

. . . . . .

Jakob jumped as the three Seeds before him suddenly went dead, the light fading to nothing. The Gardener of the Orchard rose from his seat, his eyes wide.

"Hello?" he called, edging away from the Seeds, feeling foolish.

There was no reply as Jakob stared at the three dead machines before him. By the Eyes... were they dead? Had he somehow killed them? Was he meant to somehow save them? Jakob began to wring his hands frantically, muttering to himself.

"Oh dear oh dear," he poked uselessly at the computer screen as it flashed numbers and diagrams he could not hope to understand, "What should I do? What should I –"

He screamed as one of the Seed's glass lids hissed open, fluid splashing out. A gasping, chest-heaving thing rose and Jakob screamed again, throwing himself against the wall, trying to melt into the steel and concrete.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" Inara roared, wiping the liquid from her face.

She had been seconds away from being torn apart by flying sharks – bona fide sharks that flew through the air like birds! And there had been volcanoes, ones that spewed fire then water!

What the hell?

Inara pulled herself out of the metal capsule she was in. She looked at the portly man staring back at her in open terror and frowned.

"Who are you?"

Jakob was saved from melting into a jabbering mess by the opening of the two Seeds. Inara cried out, struggling to help her friends as Elias and Jason sat up, as blinded and confused as newborns.

"Cowboy!" Inara gasped.

Jason looked at her and she froze seeing the dead bleak look in his eyes. He didn't say anything merely studied herself before looking away as though ashamed to meet her eyes.

"Cowboy?"

She looked at Elias.

"Doc?"

The scientist looked back at her and Inara knew she had better keep quiet about Jason for now. Inwardly snarling she shoved her questions aside, trusting that Elias knew what was best. So she did what she was so good at doing – pretending, act like Jason wasn't standing miraculously next to her, acting like she had completely forgotten that her friend had once tried to kill them all.

"What happened?" she demanded, her words layered with so much meaning.

Elias ignored most of them, his mind flickering back to the crazed dream he had been caught in, the hell where Jason had died again and again, the desperate fight he had put up to try and stop it all. And then the others...

The others.

Elias laughed.

"Lucy is free," Elias threw his arms around Inara, hugging her as she spluttered, "She's free!"

"Elias," Inara began tearing herself away from, "What are you – "

They all cried out as the ground suddenly shook, water splashing out of the Seeds.

"What – "

Jakob ran to the window, his eyes automatically seeking out the Tower. What he saw made him stumble back, gaping.

"The Tower! The Tower!"

Elias heaved himself out of the Seed, trying to move on shaking legs. Jakob whirled and grabbed him, eyes wide.

"IT IS FALLING!"

. . . . . .

Susan pressed against the glass before her and it opened, spilling her out onto hard steel ground. She fell with a yelp, mashing painfully against the metal as fluid gushed out all around her.

"What..."

Her sceptre clanged to the ground, her bow and arrows and her daggers also emerging from the deluge as Susan let out a thankful sob. She pulled herself up, eyes wide as she took in the dark city all around her. She turned, staring at the strange tank from where she had so unceremoniously been released from.

"Hello?"

"ARGH!"

Her head snapped around and her eyes widened as she saw who else was flailing on the ground beside her.

"Ed?'

Her brother pulled himself up and looked at her wryly. The last thing he had remembered was cowering with Inara on that sinking rooftop, sharks eyeing them hungrily as the beasts tried to decide which morsel of him they wanted to devour first. Edmund shuddered at the memory.

"Hi Su," he said simply, trying to wipe the muck from his face.

Susan gaped at him.

"Wha – what – what? Ed are you okay?"

"What am I chopped liver?" a third voice growled.

The two siblings turned and Peter was marching towards them, somehow looking dignified despite the blue goo that clung to his body. Susan smirked at him.

"You are alive dearest brother and I am ever so glad," she dead-panned.

Peter rolled his eyes but he laughed after that as Edmund marvelled once more at how his brother had changed.

"Where are we?" the High King demanded, his face suddenly serious.

Susan gathered her weapons, her Gifts to her and looked around at the strange black metal city and the glowing blue things that hung from the air like fruits on the boughs of trees.

"I'm not sure...

She looked at Peter and it came rushing back to her. The Pearl, the City Below and Lucy...

Susan's eyes widened.

"Lucy!" she breathed, hopeful, terrified.

Empress Lucille the Gentle.

High Inquisitor Lucinda the Just.

General Lucia the Magnificent.

Valiant.

The Dawn-Breaker.

Danaid.

The little girl with black eyes.

Lucy. Broken and shattered, her mind and soul splintered into pieces.

Where was she?

Susan looked around frantically as if she expected her little sister to appear before her.

Where was she?

"Su?" Edmund asked worriedly, "What – "

He yelped as ground heaved, all three leaping to their feet.

"What – "

Peter suddenly stiffened, his head turning to the east as he felt something awaken, something so dreadful and powerful that his blood froze.

"Peter?"

He took off without a word, Susan and Edmund struggling to catch up to him, stumbling and limping on legs that were suddenly weak. They yelled their brother's name, their foot stomping on hard steel but Peter did not stop, running for something only he could feel. They rounded the corner and froze.

"What is that?" Susan breathed.

Peter studied the spear of glass that rose high up into the heavens, the column cold and dead. The world was silent around them, holding its breath for –

With a sound like crashing thunder, like cracking ice the Tower was broken in two. The world screamed and suddenly all three of them understood, felt it into their very bones.

"LUCY!"

They ran, towards battle, towards safety – they didn't care. All they cared about was that they were running towards their sister.

. . . . . .

She watched with pursed lips, her doughy face pressed into a scowl, her eyes burning like hot coals. Muttering under her breath she settled the bun on her head, snarling at the loose strands that dangled before her vision. With shaking hands she pulled them out of her own skull and tossed them aside without a thought.

A dark cloud boiled above her head as thick and angry as an unbroken thunderhead, it roared and writhed like a living thing, eager to break free of its invisible bonds and devour everything in its path.

"Oh hush!" she snapped at it.

The darkness quietened as she turned her eyes once more onto the broken thing before her. The Tower was cracked in two, the sleeper within waking and all her master's plans, all her plans, laid in ruins.

She snarled, her nails digging into her palms as her hands became fists.

"Why so angry dear sister?"

Ma-mere whirled, eyes sparking as she glared at the figure that wheeled his way towards her. Strife was exactly as he had seemed in Jason's dream, a mockery of a soldier, strong and powerful in the arms and shoulders, his legs nothing but vestigial stubs. But if that weakened him in any way it did not show in scarred face and colourless eyes. They laughed at the woman's anger, uncaring of the darkness that hung above her like a tainted halo.

"I should have been allowed to kill them!" Ma-Mere spat out of the last words, her face flushing.

For a moment her face shifted into that of a monster's, pig-nosed and greedy, her mouth brimming with tiny teeth. But it was gone, the apple-cheeked visage of a grandmother snapping back into place.

"I'm afraid that our master has been a mistake my dear," she tutted, "If he had allowed me to handle these children as I see fit this would have never happened."

She glared at the broken Tower, at the moat of shadows and souls that girded it. Her precious little garden all ruined and all because she had not been given leave to do what was needed.

Ma-Mere shook her head.

Silly, silly boy. Did he not know the trouble he had brought on himself? If he had just let her run this world as she had seen fit...

The Mother pressed her lips into a tight thin line but really it was too late now and her master, bless his little gentle soul, could not be expected to get everything right.

"I can fix it now," she said idly.

"No you will not," Strife said calmly.

She whirled, surprisingly light on her feet and glared at the man before her.

"Do not tell me what to do brother!" she snapped, "You have no – "

"The master commands it."

The Mother fell silent as she stared at the half-man. Strife looked back at her, his strong arms resting easily in her lap.

"We are to leave. We have other business to attend to," Strife said in a no-nonsense voice.

His hair seemed to move of its all accord, a candle flame of red perched on his head. His colourless eyes darkened, flushing deep red as Ma-Mere sighed.

"Oh that trifling little matter..."

She cast one last longing look at the Orchard. She really hated to leave things undone, to leave things in such a pretty little mess but when the master called what could she do but jump to his side? The poor lamb needed someone to watch over him and her brothers simply could not be trusted with such a task.

"Can I leave behind a little gift for my pets?" she asked, her mind already made up.

Strife growled under his breath but nodded as Ma-Mere trilled a laugh, black smoke swirling above her. A wave of her hands and a scream tore through the air, the liquid darkness surrounding the Tower boiling away badly. Ma-Mere smiled in satisfaction, wiping her hands fastidiously on the white apron around her waist.

"Why thank you dear heart, your patience is much appreciated," she chuckled as she turned away primly from own handiwork, taking her brother's chair handles in her grip.

"And how goes our plans in that other place?" she asked sanguinely.

"It is moving as I predicted," Strife's voice was military, hard and bereft of flourish, "The campaign is almost at an end."

The Mother clucked, gently touching Strife on the shoulder, a worried look on her doughy face. The half-man shuddered at her touch as black tendrils drifted down from the cloud of smoke above her head, trying to reach the man. A single glare from Strife and those thin wisps instantly retreated.

"You do good work," Ma-Mere beamed, "But you should rest more."

Strife sneered at her as the two walked away from the Orchard, Famine pushing War along in his metal wheeled chair.

. . . . . .

The travel-rail blasted along its tracks, the occupants within hanging on for dear life. The wind tore at Inara's hair, at her face, pressing her against the guardrails. Black metal streets raced past, now and then Seeds drawing her eyes, some still glowing with light, others completely dead.

She struggled to turn her head, to look down at her feet where Elias crouched, frantically working on a complex jumble of wires and microchips, a small tool in his hand sparking as he welded and soldered the mess together.

"Elias what – "

The travel-rail screeched to a halt and Inara would have been catapulted forwards, bowling Elias over if a strong hand hadn't grabbed the back of her shirt. As it was she was jerked back with a yelp as the travel-rail came to a complete stop.

She turned and Jason was staring at her, his dark blue eyes unreadable. Despite the blank empty look on his face Inara forced herself to smile.

"Thanks Cow – "

The words died as he looked away, refusing to meet her eyes.

"Jason – "

Inara stopped, not knowing what to say. Get over it? Stop feeling so guilty? Hey, at least you're alive and we didn't die from your crazed attempt to kill us all so everything's cool?

She was good at reading people, good at instinctively knowing what they were feeling. Andonly an idiot couldn't see Jason was in pain, that every moment he lived with what he had done was living hell. No that was not the problem, the problem was that Inara didn't know what to do. What could she say? What could she possibly do that could take away all that anguish?

Jason was suffering and she couldn't do a damn thing about it.

Crack.

Inara flinched, that same damned memory playing again.

Crack.

Chelsea, her eyes wide as Jill snapped her neck with a laugh.

Crack.

Inara clenched her fists, she was sick of being weak, sick of being unable to do a god damn thing whilst the darkness took and took from her.

Crack.

Inara forced the tremors from her body and looked at Elias as he rose.

"What's that Doc?" she tried to make her voice light.

Elias looked down at the machine in his hands as it hummed, gears working rapidly as dance flashed in a strange dance-like sequence.

"We need to get this to the Tower and throw it into the pool of shadows," the scientist said grimly, looking up and meeting Inara's eyes, "It's the only way to destroy the machine and free the minds that are trapped in there."

Every word he said was English but Inara still didn't understand what he was trying to say. The half-Naga gaped at him.

"What?"

Elias only vaguely heard her. He was too busy remembering his dive into that pool of darkness, sinking into the shadows as voices of lives lived and lost begged to know where they were, begged to be freed. And as if denying them peace was not enough of a violation, the Great Darkness had crafted a machine that swallowed them, devouring them as fuel. Horror and disgust swelled, sparking into anger and Elias vowed he would fee those voices, those thoughts and spirits even if it killed him.

"ELIAS!"

Elias glanced at Inara.

"Just get this..." he brandished the mechanical thing in his hands, a satisfied smile on his face "... to the pool."

The scientist stepped off the travel-rail and was immediately off, Inara cursing as she ran to catch up, Jason silently ghosting her.

"ELIAS!" Inara yelled, "ELIAS!"

It came to them in a wild breeze, whispering screaming voices that made their skins crawled. They yelled at them to flee, to turn around and run for their lives as Inara froze for a step.

"Elias we – "

"ROWWWWRRR!"

A shadow fell over them and slowly they looked up.

"Oh my..."

It towered over them, blotting the sky, its immense shadow trying to swallow them all. The blood-red demon laughed, a thick black tongue snaking out as drool fell in thick ribbons to the ground. Its torso was armoured in thick black carapace, six strong arms sprouting from its shoulders and sides like the spindly limbs of an insect. And if all that was not terrible enough, in each hand it wielded six long glaives whose edge burned with blue light.

"What the – "

"RUN!" Jason roared, speaking for the first time.

The monster leapt, its glaives sweeping up and the Seeds and the cables above were sliced. Glass and steel crashed down all around them, blue goo falling like rain as they raced through the wreckage, the beast bellowing its rage and hunger.

"WHAT THE HELL! WHAT THE HELL?" Inara yelped.

The thing slammed its foot into the ground with a thunderous crash, the metal ground groaning in protest, shockwaves blasting out stumbling its prey.

"ROOWR!"

The behemoth stabbed at them, the blade tearing through the air. Its other arms were working furiously, striking the debris that lay strewn on the ground with the flat of its glaives, sending gigantic chunks of glass and metal flying towards them like projectiles from a trebuchet.

They ducked and they wove, everything madness, everything chaos, sheer dumb luck their only saviour.

"DO SOMETHING!" Inara didn't know who she was screaming at, at her friends, at the monster, at anyone who was listening, "DO – "

Jason whirled, hands raised, blue eyes sparking. Elias watched him, expecting white fire to leap from his fingers, for an invisible wall to slam into the monster.

But nothing happened. No fire, not even a spark.

"What..."

Inara gaped at Jason as the Seeker stared at his hands. Ignoring the monster tearing towards them, ignoring the destruction Jason closed his eyes and a knowing, sad smile crossed his face.

"WATCH OUT!"

Jason's head snapped up but Inara already had him by the collar, diving forwards as a blade sliced through the air. They landed with a crash, staggering to their feet as the demon-faced thing screeched in fury.

It stomped the ground again, staggering them as they scrambled frantically forwards, the monster's laugh thunderous in their ears. The creature charged, slashing wildly, eager to see limbs fly, to see blood spilt.

"RUN! RUN! RUN!"

Ducking, dodging, they ran, legs and lungs burning, whipping around the corner and –

The Tower stood before them, cracked and broken, the pool of shadows at its base screaming as something in its depths hummed and roared, blue lights flickering through the syrupy black.

"What – " Inara began.

But there was no time for her to gape, to wonder as the thing chasing them screamed.

"DOWN!" Elias roared.

They dived, entire buildings exploding outwards, disintegrating into twisted scraps of metal that tore through the air.

"MOVE!" Inara roared, leaping to her feet, crying out as a jagged shard sliced into her arm, "MOVE!"

She whirled but Jason was still on the ground, staring at the Tower with a frozen look of horror on his face.

'_You are to guard this place.'_

A sweet grandmotherly old face swam in his mind and Jason screamed, clutching at his temples.

"NO!" he yelled as bloodlust swelled, his heart pounding adrenaline through his veins, "NO!"

'_Let no one come here. Destroy them.'_

"Cowboy!"

Inara grabbed him, pulling him up as he writhed in her grip. The beast was stepping through the wreckage, boom its laugh as it raised its six glowing glaives.

"DOC!" Inara screamed, "DO SOMETHING!"

Jason's eye s fluttered. Her voice sounded far away, sounded like it was echoing down a long dark well...

He was suddenly exhausted, burnt out to his very bones. The voice screamed at her, smashed hammers into his skull and he just wanted to rest, wanted to close his eyes and let the voice take over...

"DOC!"

'_Every last one of them. Even if it is your little friend your orders are to crush them without thought.'_

Nausea punched him, his stomach rebelling as Inara fought to keep him up.

"COWBOY!"

But Jason was not listening to her.

'_Is that understood?'_

The last words reverberated, tearing through him.

'_IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?'_

Elias gasped as Jason looked at him, eyes burning white.

"GAH!"

"INARA!"

Inara tore at the fingers around her throat, the Seeker's grip like an iron band. The blood rushed to her face, her breath fighting to get past the crushing block as spots danced across her vision. Elias roared, slamming into Jason but it was like throwing himself against a brick wall, the scientist staggering to the ground.

"Jason! STOP IT!"

'_EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!' _

"Ja – " Inara's face was turning blue.

The monster was bearing down on them.

Elias kicked Jason but the man didn't even grunt.

'_CRUSH THEM!'_

Inara looked at Jason, her eyes bulging from her head, tears flowing freely but despite it all, despite the agony, the darkness clawing at her, she managed a smile. There was no hate in her eyes, no anger, just sadness.

"Jason... " her words were last between desperate breaths, "Forgive..."

I forgive you.

'_CRUSH THEM!'_

Inara's eyes filled with joy, with sorrow, with one message for him.

I forgive you.

'_Crush them.'_

I forgive you.

'_Cru...'_

Jason's eyes closed and when they opened again they were dark blue once more. His grip on Inara loosened and the half-Naga staggered away as Elias pulled himself to his feet. Jason looked at them both, the voice in his head dwindling to nothing.

They stared at each other, all else forgotten as Elias and Inara searched Jason's face, trying to see if he was still the man they knew.

Jason looked back at them. Behind his smooth mask shame and guilt ate through him like acid, hollowing him out until all that remained was memories of his sins and his mistakes, festering in him like pus and disease.

He didn't deserve to be here. Didn't deserve to be with his friends, to breathe the same air, to feel the same light on his face but he here was and he had promised to that little girl in his dreams that he would live and fight for them.

For them...

Jason was no longer a man, he didn't deserved to be called one, all he was was a sword, a shield, a thing to be used then forgotten.

Inara and Elias studied him and for a brief glorious moment, a ghost of a smile crossed Jason's lips.

"It's gone now," he said simply.

And Elias and Inara looked back at him, knowing that there was now something a little less wrong with the worlds.

"ROOOOWWRRR!"

The beast screamed and slammed his glaives into the ground, a tall form flying from nowhere and tackling them aside, the blades tearing through the black metal tiles.

"Caspian?" Elias barked.

The king pulled himself up and he was swaying, looking like he had several anvils dropped on him and then ran over by a bus for good measure. But he still managed a smile, blinking at them owlishly.

"I think you owe me now," Caspian rasped.

Inara snorted.

"I've saved you more," but her voice was a hoarse, still trying to recover from the strangling grip Jason had on her just moments before.

She glanced at the Seeker but there was no hatred in her eyes, just relief as she saw that almost smile break across Jason's face.

"The Tower..." Caspian began and a smiled curved his face, "Lucy –"

"She's free," Elias grabbed the man's hand as the king almost wept with joy (Inara carefully remembering this moment to use as blackmail material later), "Everyone is free."

Another earth-shaking cry reminded them that they were running for their lives. The demon-faced thing charged, glowing glaives slashing the air and –

"BOOM!"

Green flames and lightning slammed into the thing's chest, sending it staggering back.

"Peter!"

Their heads all whipped to the side and there they were, the kings and queens of old, the High King in the lead, a storm and an inferno boiling from his hands.

The Oni screamed, slicing through the conflagration, lightning drawing into its glaives, turned aside by its thick armour. Susan roared and a silver arrow drilled through the air, punching between the plates of its armour as the thing bellowed in rage, staggering back.

The three Pevensies barrelled into their friends, green fire springing up around them as a shield. Peter looked at Caspian, saw the bruises and cuts on the others and instantly sang, his Gifts pouring over them in warm honeyed tones, their wounds leaving nothing behind but streaks of dried red.

The song died and for a brief moment they could only stare at each other. Susan's eyes roved over her family, taking in Inara and Caspian's grins, Elias's concern and the bleak serenity in Jason's eyes. Her breath caught, memories of the Seeker's dreams rushing back to her.

"Jason – "

The man, her guardian, her self-appointed knight said nothing, continuing to look back at her with those empty dark blue eyes.

She wanted to grab him, wanted to throw her arms around him and whisper that everything was forgiven, that everything was forgotten. But Susan did not move. Jason was not a man for empty words and that was the only thing she could give right now.

But Susan did not despair. Jason was back and whatever else they had managed to save him from the darkness. Healing would come, peace would come but for now he was free of the darkness at last.

Susan didn't bother to hide her smile, her hope.

"Wait."

She suddenly realised something.

"Where's Zaru?" she demanded, half-expecting the leopard to leap out of nowhere and tackle her to the ground.

They all stared at her.

"I thought he was with you!" Inara, Caspian and Edmund all yelled at her, at each other.

They stared at each other again, realisation dawning. Peter cursed loudly as worry tore savagely into Susan's heart. She looked around frantically as if hoping to see the leopard materialise out of the green flames.

"Damn it!" her eyes flashed red, "DAMN IT!"

Here she stood, surrounded by her friends and her family but yet Susan still felt a pang, strangely vulnerable and alone without her closest guardian, her dearest friend by her side. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Zaru..."

"Kitty's fine," Inara tried to smile, "He's probably sipping a pina colata somewhere on a beach whilst nubile slaves worship his godliness."

Susan opened her mouth but a furious bellow from the Oni suddenly jerked them rudely back into reality. Edmund was the first to recover, his mind already snapping back to the battle on their hands.

"The Tower," he looked at the broken white pillar, at the pool of darkness that raged at its base, something there calling him, "Lucy..."

"Lucy's in there," Elias confirmed.

Susan and Peter started, staring at the scientist as he looked back them. The Oni stabbed at the fire but it spat at him, forcing it back.

"We have to rescue her!" Peter roared, sparks leaping from his eyes.

Caspian nodded briskly, setting another fire orb into the cross he held. Susan looked at her friends and a savage smiled crossed her face. For the first time in a long time they were together once more, missing Zaru, battered and bruises but still standing, still strong.

Susan drew her sceptre, relishing the darkness cackling in her head, the soft growl of Hunt-Beast. Lucy was finally within her reach and nothing in this world or any other would stop her from rescuing her sister!

Hope flared, purpose filling her.

"This monster..."

Her eyes flashed red.

"... doesn't stand a chance!"

. . . . . .

For three days Tzara lived in perpetual darkness, for three days the people of Tzara languished in their homes, locked down by marshall law, starving and wasting away to nothing.

There was no water, everything that could have been drinkable either blood or filled with toad venom, the people surviving on wine and vinegar for sustenance.

There was no food, the livestock all dead from disease, the farms stripped by hail and fire and the stores devoured by locusts.

There was no peace, gnats and lices inflaming their boil-covered skin, every waking moment another minute of hell.

For three days the war came to a grinding halt, Makat back with his people sat in their compound, Amun retreating into his palace, holed up with his generals and advisors. The people of Tzara waited and pray for an end to come.

"It is time," Makat said to Zaru.

The leopard looked back at him silently. All that Makat had been, the boy with hope in his eyes, the slave with a thousand dreams was gone, scoured and burned from existence, hardened into this stone-faced man before him.

"Makat... maybe – "

Zaru stopped as Makat whirled on him, the sceptre clutched tight in his hands.

"What?" the slave growled at him, "What do you want me to do Cat God?"

Laugh. Smile. Be scared. Be human.

Those words bubbled in Zaru's minds but they seemed stupid, too silly to be said. He winced, wishing for a silver tongue, wishing there was something wise and brilliant he could say that would make Makat open his eyes and wake up. But nothing came to his mind and his mouth remained shut.

"Nothing," the leopard said finally, hating himself, hating this world.

Makat nodded as if he had just won a great argument and turned away as Zaru sighed, his skin crawling. He breathed in and again he smelt nothing, Makat was nothing, dead in every sense except for the fact he was still breathed and walked.

"Laugh," he whispered it was a prayer, a command, "Laugh!"

The old Makat would have been shattered by the weight he had tried to bear but this Makat would hold, would stand against Amun and the pharaoh would break himself trying to destroy his enemy. And Zaru needed Amun to fall, needed Makat to win so he could go back to his family. If Zaru was being brutally honest Makat was just a tool to him, a means to an end but the leopard couldn't help but care.

Makat waved his sceptre over the bloody river and the clotting blood bubbled and thrashed, stone rising out of the blacking red. Fearlessly the slave stood on the rising bridge of stone, heading off for shore as his people silently watched him go.

The time of jubilation, the time of triumphant cries and glorious dreams were long gone. This war had caused the death of many of the Tzaraath, killed by the pharaoh's mages or by assassins in their midst. Zaru shuddered, after three days locked inside the compound, three days of smelling, breathing in nothing but grief and barely held back despair he just wanted to be free.

Even as he stepped onto the shore of the Nile and away from the former slave compound, their hopelessness, their anger and pain seemed to cling to him like a film of oil. Zaru growled under his breath, hackles rising as hot desert winds carried the scents of the city to him and all he could smell was death and misery.

This war was destroying everything it touched.

"Makat – "

He knew the slave could win. Hell, all of Tzara knew Makat had the power to raze the city to the ground. But this wasn't about destruction, it wasn't about outright victory it was about forcing the pharaoh to bend knee and admit defeat, to admit he wasn't the divine son of the gods.

Humans. Zaru had lived with them for years now and even with all his senses, all his insight they were a mystery to him. Beasts killed to eat, to defend their young and their mate. Humans seemed to do it just to see others bleed.

Zaru suddenly felt incredibly old and incredibly young.

"You," Makat pointed outwards.

A token force had been left on the shores, a laughable group of guards barely out of childhood. The boy soldiers blanched, their swords trembling in their hands as cold dead eyes fixed on them. Their gaze darted from Makat's face to the sceptre, to and fro, back and forth, fear climbing and swelling with each and every second.

"I wish to see Amun in the city square. He will meet me there," Makat ordered flatly.

Always the slave had gone to the king but now the king would come to the slave. It was all coming to a head, Zaru could feel it in his very bones.

Today he would either return to his family or lose them forever. His claws unsheathed themselves, his ears pricking back.

The final confrontation was coming and he had better be ready if he wanted to see Susan and the others ever again.

. . . . . .

Susan and Peter screamed, letting their powers fly.

KILL!

The darkness in Susan's head howled with laughter and she let it, her eyes burning red, power flying from her sceptre as green flames exploded from her brother's hands.

"GAAARRRRGGGH!"

The Oni screamed, one its hands blown away, the glaive held there flying, spinning through the air.

"HELP US! HELP US!"

The pool of shadows around the Tower rose and surged as though a storm was raging in its depths. Flashes of light pierced its syrupy surface, the humming and whirring of machinery rattling their very bones.

"HELP US!"  
The screams of the thoughts and minds inside the pool grew louder, hammering at their ears, their heads and hearts.

"HELP!"

"STOP IT!"

Elias couldn't stand it anymore. He knew what lurked deep down in the darkness, knew there was a machine that opened its maws again and again, swallowing those lost souls whole, tearing them apart for nothing but fuel.

The thing in his hands was growing hot as though sensing its time was coming. Elias raised his head, fixing his eyes on the moat of black around the Tower. All he had to do was drop the disruptor into the darkness and the resonance frequency would synchronise with the machine's causing a neutralising –

Elias stopped himself.

Get the disruptor to the machine and the voices would be free.

"Cover me!" he yelled at Caspian as the king stared at him, eyes wide.

"What?" Caspian squawked as Elias ran, weaving through the destruction, his eyes trained on the broken Tower and the darkness around it.

"ROOWWRR!"

"ELIAS!" Susan screamed desperately.

The Oni slashed out with one of its burning blue glaives and lightning exploded out from the tip.

"ELIAS!" Inara ran for her friend as Elias turned, eyes widening.

Lightning blasted into the ground, hurling the scientist off his feet.

"PETER!" Edmund yelled.

The High King was already moving, trying to get to the downed man as the others whirled around, murder in their eyes.

The Oni bellowed its anger, pounding its chest, glaives rattling off its armour. Caspian instantly squeezed the trigger of his crossbow, a fire orb spinning through the air.

"BOOM!"

A slice and the Oni split the thing in two, flames and lightning exploding out, showering down on them.

"JASON!" Susan growled.

The Seeker looked at her, his blues blank.

"Jason," her voice was soft, a plea, "We need – "

"I can't use my powers."

Susan's jaws dropped.

"What?"

Jason could feel the ruach, could feel the white fire burning through the very core of his being but raged as it did, it could not break free. It was as though there was a glass wall between the power and himself. And he knew what the wall was.

He had used the ruach to hurt his friend, had almost killed them with it. He had used this power to help the Great Darkness and had helped it set its generals free. He couldn't be trusted with the power. Not now, not ever. This wall was his protection, his failsafe.

Susan stared at him and Jason looked back at her.

"I can still fight," he vowed.

And Susan gave him one of her daggers, spinning around, putting her back to him, trusting him to protect like nothing had ever happened.

Jason had to laugh bitterly at that.

"ARRRGGGGHHH!"

The Oni swept his glaives around, lightning flying. Out of its line of vision, Inara was leaping deftly through the destruction, bouncing off chunks of debris, a twisted piece of metal held in her hands like a sword.

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"

Fire mushroomed all over the monster's body, Caspian and Edmund hurling fire orbs by the handful, blinding it, allowing Inara to get close.

With a bellow the monster lunged, Caspian and Edmund running, jagged bolts flying through the air.

"GAH!"

The lightning suddenly swerved, stabbing straight into Peter as he stood rooted to the spot, drawing the electricity in like a rod.

"PETER!"

The High King was lit up from within, his screams loud as trillions of volts of pure power tore through him, his Gift desperately trying to keep him alive. He convulsed, smoke rising from his body, the ground around him melted to slag.

Susan roared, her sceptre stabbing forwards, a jet of pure red blasting the Oni back. It staggered, lightning fading, glaives falling from his hands as Inara raced up a slanting fallen wall. With a cry she leapt through the air, flying straight at the Oni's demon face.

Its huge eyes swivelled around, widening as it finally saw her.

Inara grinned, her own eyes burning silver.

"GAAARRRGGGH!"

She lashed out, slashing one eye in two, ichor exploding out. With a quick flick of her wrist she sent a fire orb flying into the other.

"BOOM!"

The ball exploded, gouging the eye from the monster's face, leaving behind a smoking blackened hole. The Oni screeched, arms flailing, one swinging fist smacking Inara out of the air. The half-Naga flew, arching through the air, smashing into a wall and finally hitting the ground in a bloodied mess.

"INARA!"

The Oni clutched its ruined eyes, screaming, stomping around wildly as Caspian and Edmund darted forwards, dragging Inara out of its path.

Susan took stock.

Elias was down, cold and still amongst blackened steel, his chest thankfully still rising and falling.

Peter laid amongst cooling molten steel, his body still twitching from the massive charge that had torn through him.

Caspian looked up, nodding over Inara's bloodied form, relief in his eyes.

Three down.

Four of them still left standing.

She looked at the Oni as it continued to bawl out its pain, its limbs flailing, the behemoth trampling anything that stood in its path as it floundered and thrashed. It screamed and screamed, blood pouring down its face, its cries drowning out even the screams from the pool of darkness.

"We need to pull it down!" Edmund yelled.

This creature was all that stood between them and Lucy. One more victory, one more death and Lucy would be safe. Nothing could stop them now!

"How?" Susan roared back.

One glance around and Edmund had his answer.

"THE CABLES!"

Broken Seeds laid strewn on the ground, bleeding out blue, the Sleepers still trapped within, others completely obliterated Sleeper and all. The cables that had once connected them also laid on the ground, winding through the debris like thick black snakes. One look at one another and their plan was made.

"GO!" Susan yelled.

They ran, Caspian and Edmund grabbing one end of one cable, Susan and Jason the other. The line snapped taut between them as they charged straight at the Oni, war cries flying from their lips.

. . . . . .

The pharaoh entered the city square alone and he walked not with the bowed shoulders of a man defeated but with long powerful strides, pride and arrogance draped around him like a cloak. He grinned and his smile was full of teeth.

Zaru instantly had his hackles up.

"Makat," Amun's voice was warm, full of amusement.

All around the streets were seemingly empty, not a soul in sight but Zaru's sharp senses told him otherwise. In every home, in every darkened corner, eyes were watching, the people of Tzara all desperate to see who would win this final battle.

Clouds hung thick in the air above, the darkness that had swallowed the sun for three days reluctantly relinquishing its prize. This was the kingdom of the sun god and a mere slave had managed to snatch the golden symbol of the divine away with just a wave of a stick. Fear thrived in every heart, the air choking with it. Tzara was unravelling, its pillars cracking, everything was in flux, one more breath and the whole city would crumble and a new age would be born. But nobody knew if it would be a golden age or an age of terror.

Zaru felt another stab of unease. Amun was a monster there was no doubting that but Makat could not rule, did not have the strength or the heart to. The slave wanted to see Tzara burn but what he kept forgetting was that the people of a tyrant were not tyrants themselves, many were guilty of nothing more than trying to live their lives.

Bu the gods wanted Amun to burn... surely they had planned for what laid beyond. They had to... right?

"What is your decision?" Makat growled.

Amun laughed, his dark kohl-lined eyes flashing.

"I have talked with the gods. I have dreamt of Horus and Anubis and all the pantheon and they came to me with bowed knees!"

Anger, righteous and brimming with hate, exploded from both men, Zaru yelping as the fire and pepper smell punched him hard in the nose. It staggered him, the leopard growling as Makat's face showed nothing.

"They told me of the demons that came to you!" Amun hurled at the slave, "The demons that promised you wealth and women and glory if you listened to their lies!"

There was no falsehood in his words, nothing that Zaru could sense. The pharaoh was telling the truth. Was he deluded? Was he so crazy and desperate that he believed his own words?

Whispers came to his ears, the unseen watchers gasping and crying out as the new revelation. Once upon a time they might have supported Makat's plight, might have pitied the Tzaraath and wanted them to be free. But that was before their farms had been ravaged, their water poisoned, before they had to watch their family and friends slowly starve to death.

Makat had fought to free his people, had fought with everything he had and damn the consequences. He had crushed anyone that had stood in his path and for all his noble goals... how was he different from Amun?

"Makat!"

Zaru could not hold his tongue anymore. The man had to see what he had become, had to see the harm he was doing.

This war had to stop!

Susan's face flashed in his mind but he pushed it away. He would find another way back to her, find a way that didn't involve a whole kingdom being dragged into hell.

"STOP – "

Amun cut him off, laughing as he drew something from his robes.

The cries from the watchers were sharp and loud.

Makat's mask was obliterated by surprise, the slave's eyes wide in his wizened face.

Sunlight glinted on gold, the clouds ahead burning away before a fierce sun.

"This is the true weapon of the gods!" Amun howled, thrusting a golden sceptre up towards the heavens.

And Zaru felt, felt the power emanating from the thing just like the black sceptre Makat held in his hands.

"What..." he looked frantically between the two weapons, his mind racing frantically, "What the hell?"

'THIS WAS WHAT WAS GIVEN TO ME IN MY DREAMS! THIS IS THE THING THAT WILL SAVE TZARA FROM YOUR TYRANNY!" Amun screamed, spittle flying from his mouth.

Makat's eyes flashed.

"Stop this!" he roared, "Stop this insanity!"

Slave and pharaoh circled each other, Amun's eyes baleful and feral, Makat's flushed and filled with rising panic.

"Free my people! Admit your mistakes or I will unleash my wrath upon your head!" Makat screamed.

"I will burn your people to the ground then I will cleanse the land of your poison!" Amun vowed, "Tzara will stand strong!"

"STOP IT!" Zaru roared at them, "DON'T YOU SEE! SOMETHING ELSE IS GOING ON HERE!"

He lunged between them, trying to make them see reason, see sense. Makat and Amun bellowed, thrusting their sceptres at each other.

"BOOM!"

The very air exploded, Zaru blasted back into a mangled heap. He hit the ground, vision greying, desperately trying to rise.

"Stop!" he croaked, his voice a mere whimper, "STOP!"

" I will strike down every last one of your firstborn!" Makat screeched, "I WILL – "

Amun laughed and sliced air with his sceptre.

"NO!" Makat screamed.

Light bleached the sky, the air, everything suddenly stark white and stark shadows, Makat's face a twisted mask of horror. A split second later sound rushed to fill the void, a thunderous burst of drums and screams that flattened them to the ground. They screamed, blood pouring from their ears.

"STOP!" Makat tried to rise, the wind pushing him back down, "PLEASE!"

The land held its breath for a single second, the silence in the eye of a storm. Zaru pulled himself up, blood pouring from his ears, his mouth.

"No..."

Shockwaves tore through the desert kingdom, houses flattened, the very air molten hot. White flames billowed high on the horizon, black smoke boiling up and around as a geyser of boiling blood exploded out from the Nile.

Huge chunks of burning stone fell from the sky in shrieking jets of fire, ejected from the epicentre of the blast like meteors, tearing apart everything they touched. The earth gave one final heave and the light, the sound faded and all was suddenly silence.

Makat didn't need to ask what it was. He felt it, felt it in his very bones.

"No!" the sceptre fell from his hands, the slave falling to his knees, "NO!"

Smoke continued to climb up into the sky, the smell of blood strong in the air. Zaru smelt the air and through the ashes, through the soot, all he could smell was death. He tried to move but the world spun wildly around him, the leopard staggering.

"The Tzaraath is dead," Amun sneered at his mortal enemy, "They are gone like shadows before the glorious sun."

The pharaoh laughed, uncaring of the lives he had just ended, the slaughter he had just caused.

"NOO!"  
The sceptre was back in his hands, Makat rising, his eyes bulging from his head. He was crying, screaming, cursing Amun with every breath in his lungs.

"Makat b'chorot!" the words rose from his throat in guttural rasps, black swallowing his eyes whole, "MAKAT B'CHOROT!"

The sky and ground around him rippled, shifting and segueing like a mirage. A single dark line was etched suddenly into the air and it widened, a hole ripped into the very fabric of existence itself.

They came, four demons, four kings of heaven and hell. .

Paxton armoured in gleaming white and armed with an arrogant smile. Strife in his wheelchair, his face sagging with weariness. Ma-Mere with her rosy cheeks and motherly smile, clucking worriedly as she spotted Makat. And Eustace dressed in black and emblazoned with the sigil of the Great Darkness, his face bleak and dreadful.

Conquest. War. Famine. Death.

The four horsemen, the four great generals of the Great Darkness.

"What is that you want?" Ma-Mere asked gently, touching Matka's bowed head.

The slave looked at her, eyes bloodshot, tears spilling down his cheeks in a never-ending stream.

"KILL THEM!" he screamed at the woman, "KILL THEM ALL!"

Ma-Mere laughed and patted his head, spinning on her heels as she faced her brothers.

"You heard the duckling," her eyes flashed, black smoke rising from her skin and gathering above her head like a thundercloud, "Kill them."

And the four horsemen struck.

Screams rang out, people fleeing for their lives as hands of black struck out, snatching them up. Ma-Mere stood, a satisfied smile on her cherub face as the cloud of darkness above her head bellowed its hunger. A ghoulish face appeared amidst the tendrils of black, a skull-like mien with a mouth that was an endless hole of red and teeth. A house were torn apart, smoky hands darting in, pulling weeping squirming prey. They tried to fight her, tried to run but the smoke grabbed them in an iron-grip, choking the air from their lungs.

"Sorry poppets…" Ma-Mere's eyes gleamed, "But I'm hungry."

They were dragged towards the monster above her head, men, women and children screaming as monstrous jaws closed around them, blunt teeth grinding their bodies to meat, blood spraying the sandy ground.

Famine fed and fed and the streets ran red with blood.

"NOOO!"

A woman screamed, her child ripped from her arms, both of them lost in a whirlwind of smog until they were shoved into the beast's mouth, torn apart and swallowed down as the thing grew with each and every morsel. Ma-Mere laughed, walking through the streets of Tzara as every living thing in her path was plucked up and gobbled alive.

Famine stalked the streets, eternally hungry, forever ravenous.

Strife looked sadly at the fleeing people before him, his eyes dull. The half-man heaved a sigh and slowly wheeled his chair forwards.

"You don't need to look so miserable!" Paxton roared with laughter.

Conquest raised his arms and a bow of white light clutched between his fingers. He pulled the string back and fiery arrow stretched itself into existence. With a laugh Paxton let it fly.

"BOOM!"  
Buildings exploded, detonating in bursts of white as bodies were tossed through the air, limbs and lumps burning flesh falling like rain. Paxton howled with delight and whirled, firing again.

The fiery shaft flew straight at Amun's palace, striking its walls, tearing through the whole temple of stone and gold in one brilliant flash. Stone melted, great rivulets of molten rock flying through the air setting houses ablaze. Every pasting second there was more chaos, more death, more people fleeing onto the streets and into the clutches of the horsemen.

"Come on!" Paxton laughed, "Unleash your powers! Let yourself FLY!"

He shoved his hand forwards and a beam of white light stabbed through a man, burning him alive.

Strife looked down at his powerful hands and smiled sadly. He looked up and his pale eyes became blood red.

"Ride."

A whispered word and the wheeled chair he sat it changed, warping and shifting. Wheels became legs, the seat becoming a saddle as a great horned head snorted and shook furiously, fire and sulphur leaping from its eye and nostrils.

War sat astride his metal steed, a clockwork thing of gears and chains and bolted red plates of steel armour. The monstrous horse roared and charged, its rider let flying a war cry as a sword that dripped with blood appeared in his battle-scarred hands.

Soldiers were pouring towards the city square, the full fury and might of the great Tzara empire rushing to meet this new threat. One look at the monsters they faced and the might army faltered.

"ARRRGGH!"

War tore straight into their midst, his sword cleaving all that it touched, limbs flying, bodies sliced as he rode through their ranks, death trailing in his wake.

"GARGGGH!'

A man fell, his chest cracked open, lung and heart trembling in the desert air as blood sprayed through the air. Red soaked the sand, pooling inches thick. Cries rang out as the puddles of blood began to boil, great bubbles of black and red swelling the surface.

"ROOOOWWRR!"

The bloody bubbles burst, disgorging screaming things with burning red eyes. They were demented, feral things that held swords and spears in their hands, leaping out of the blood that had birthed them and falling onto anything that stood nearby.

More soldiers fell, folding under the frantic rush of these things as Strife rode rampant through the streets of Tzara, scything through the soldiers like a farmer through wheat, his face completely void of expression.

Tzara was devoured chunk by chunk.

Tzara was burned by blast after blast of white light.

Tzara was slaughtered by sword and spear and blade.

There was no mercy, no quarter given – nothing to do but to run and run and pray.

And in the centre of all this madness Makat and Amun stood, facing each other, the pharaoh screaming at the slave, the slave looking back at him a face of ice.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Amun screeched, "I'LL KILL YOU!"

He charged, waving his sceptre, fire flying from its end but before the flames could even touch Makat, the faded. The pharaoh stumbled, eyes widening as Eustace looked at him.

"Thank you for your help," the possessed boy said.

And Death killed the king with a crystal spur, driving it through his throat. Amun fell without a sound, eyes wide, body twitching.

Eustace turned as Makat fell to his knees, the battle done, his people, the pharaoh's people all dead, perished in a single day of madness.

"Why?" Makat begged to the heavens, "WHY?"

"We can help you," Eustace said calmly, "We can return your people back to you."

Makat looked at the agent of the Great Darkness, desperate, hope flaring.

"How?" he begged, "How?"

"Work for us," Eustace said calmly, "And we will save your people."

Makat looked at him, studied his face.

"How?"

"Paxton," Eustace said flatly.

It was said in a normal tone and despite the screams, the crashing and falling of buildings all around them Paxton turned and walked to the horsemen.

"Show him," Death commanded.

Paxton laughed and snapped his fingers.

They appeared around him. A man with a jackal head, a woman with ostrich feather's in her hair, a thing with an ibis-face and a creature that was crocodile, lion and hippopotamus all melded together.

Anubis, Ma'at, Thoth and Ammit. The gods and goddesses of the dead, the keepers of Duat, the underworld of Tzara.

"Ammit..."

The Devourer of Hearts had been the one to send him on this quest, to start this war that had ended so disastrously. Makat blinked and he blinked, seeing the silver collars that bound the gods' throats, the glowing chains that linked them to the dark-haired man in white.

"They are now ours," Eustace said coldly, "They tried to get you to destroy this world. They cost you your people's lives. Work for us and we will force them to return your people, we will punish them and give you justice."

Makat stared at the gods of death, all of them refusing to meet his eyes. They had done this, they had forced him to march down this path, promising him glory, promising freedom and now everyone he had known and loved was dead.

"Yes."

Makat rose.

"YES!"

He would save his people! He would crush their enemies!

"YES!"

Paxton laughed and Eustace nodded.

"Then be gone."

He pointed and Makat vanished, the slave snatched away by wind and sound.

"No..."

The two horsemen turned looking at Zaru as the leopard stared back at them.

"What..." the leopard licked his dried lips, "What is this?"

Paxton snarled and pointed at the cat, light gathering at his fingertips but Eustace cut him off with a wave of his hands.

"Stop."

Conquest glared at him but one looked from Death and Paxton whirled away, cursing, dragging the Tzara death gods after him as he rained his displeasure down on the screaming masses around him, white burning entire crowds alive.

"What is this?" Zaru screamed at Eustace, knowing he could not fight the thing the boy had become, knew he didn't stand a chance.

"This was a trap."

Zaru froze. Eustace gestured all around him, gestured at Famine as she continued to shove entire families into her gullet, to where War rode, every drop of blood he let giving birth to monsters, to where Conquest forced gods to slay their own people.

"You could have prevented this."

Zaru opened his mouth to argue but the leopard had nothing to say. The horseman was speaking the truth. He knew Makat had started on a dark path, knew the man had hardened his heart too much. Makat had marched into war a monster and now this world was doomed. If he had spoken up, if he had cared enough to try and stop Makat, would all this be different? Would the man, this world have been saved?

Realisation struck Zaru like a physical thing and he felt sick to his stomach.

"What do you want?" he said finally.

"Makat will go forth as one of our deadliest weapons. He will bring destruction onto untold worlds, turning rivers to blood, bringing all the plagues that befell this world onto others. Millions of lives will be lost... and it is all your fault."  
Zaru could see it in his mind's eyes, could see the destruction, the death and he wept.

"What do you want?" he begged.

"We played him. We were the ones who gave him the sceptre. But you were here. You could have changed all this but you let him become this monster."

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?"

Eustace blinked.

"We want the Word."

Zaru's jaws dropped.

"No."

"We want the Deplorable Word."

Zaru could hear it in his head, the word that was not a word, a word if spoken could destroy a whole world in the blink of an eye.

Gavin wanted to rebuild all of existence but he had to wipe the worlds clean, had to start with a clean slate.

The Word would allow him to destroy everything that had ever lived in a single breath.

Aslan would allow him to sing a new paradise into existence.

The Deplorable Word and Aslan, the end and the beginning, omega and alpha.

"No."

Makat would destroy worlds, would kill millions and the Word would do so much more.

"NO!" he threw at Eustace.

"If you deny us, Makat will slaughter entire cities and their death, their blood will be on your hands," Eustace said calmly.

Zaru could already feel it, could feel the guilt, the helplessness. He would give his own life to stop the man, to turn back the clock and fix what had happened. He would give anything to stop what these monsters had set in motion but not this... anything but this.

"NOOOOO!" Zaru howled, roared and bellowed.

Eustace studied him, Zaru glaring defiantly back.

"Perhaps in time you will agree. Every night you will see with your own eyes what your selfishness, what your blindness has wrought. And you will beg to have this chance again."  
There was so much confidence in his voice, so much surety that Zaru was terrified out of his mind.

"I will never give the Word to you!" he tried to beat all the doubt of his mind, his soul.

"You will," Eustace said simply, "I know you will."

More screams rang out, more death, the horsemen wiping out the last remnants of Tzara, chasing down the few remaining survivors for sport. Zaru shuddered to his very bones, knowing that this was all his doing. He wanted to cry, wanted to curl up into a ball and disappearing forever. But life would not give him that luxury.

"What are you doing to do now?" the leopard demanded, "Kill me?"

He wanted to die.

"No," Eustace raised his hands, "I will return you to your family."

Zaru's eyes widened.

"Wait! WHAT –"

A wave and the leopard was snatched away, pulled away from Tzara, from where Conquest, War, Famine and Death rode supreme, obliterating an entire world in a few short bloody hours.

. . . . . .

The Oni roared, thrashing wildly as they charged towards it, the cable strung up between them.

"WHAP!"

The cable slapped against one massive leg, Susan and Jason angling away as the Oni bellowed.

"WHAP!"

Caspian and Edmund snagged the other, the four of them running towards each other, the cable looping around the beast. They crossed each others' paths, the cable tightening, encircling the Oni as it tried to take another step forwards.

"IT'S FALLING!" Edmund roared.

The Oni gave a desperate cry and it toppled, arms flailing as it tried to stop its fall.

"BOOM!"  
It crashed to the ground, Susan and the others hurled off their feet by the shockwaves. But they were quickly up, weapons in their hands as they charged towards the fallen titan, the Oni screaming out its pain, its nose broken and mashed against the steel ground, its teeth shattered in its mouth.

It managed to turn itself over, face to the sky as Susan swung her sceptre around, the rubies on the end burning with light. But before she could unleash her attack, before she could let her anger and hate fly, the Oni's body convulsed, its body arching as it gave out a choked scream.

"What – " Caspian gaped as the Oni vomited out a huge gush of black, its body shrivelling as it rejected everything that was inside its body.

The black arched high in the air and from it, beautiful white forms fell delicately to earth.

"NO!" Susan gaped.

The kitsune glared at her, the long-tailed foxes yipping angrily as their serpentine tails undulated slowly. Black blood fell like rain but the white foxes remained untouched as pristine as fresh fallen snow.

"What the hell?" Caspian demanded.

"GET BACK!" Susan roared.

The kitsune lunged, murder in their intelligent eyes as Susan shoved her sceptre forwards. The foxes wove gracefully around the blast, not even slowing as their tails stabbed forwards, hitting them like fists, knocking the air and sense from their bodies. They hit the ground, winded, trying to rise as with feral cries the kitsune lunged, ready to tear their prey apart.

. . . . . .

She was cold and so very tired.

Where was she?  
"It's time to wake."

Who is that?

She tried to see in the darkness but could see nothing, hear nothing, feel nothing.

"The others need you. It's time to wake."

That voice... it was so familiar, echoing in her head.

"Who are you?" she dared to ask.

"I am you."

She could suddenly place the voice. It was her own but richer, filled with wisdom, polished by time and experience.

"Wake up Lucy. It's time to wake up."

She knew who it was. It was her but the her from the Golden Age, Queen Lucy the Valiant, proud and brave, champion and protector and everything that she was not.

"Please. I don't want do," Lucy begged.

"You must," Valiant all but growled at her, "You have to."  
"But I've hurt so many people. I've betrayed – "

"YES!" the Dawn-Breaker howled with laughter, "And it was great! Their screams, their – "

"We deserve to die," Danaid whimpered, "We deserve to be killed for what we di – "

"SILENCE!" Valiant roared.

Lucy was left alone for a split second, tears spilling down her face, shaking her head frantically.

"Please. I don't – "

"You have to," Empress Lucille told her firmly, "We have to win this war so we can rebuild the Pearl."

"We have enemies to kill!" General Lucia roared.

"It is the only way," High Inquisitor Lucinda said simply.

Lucy floated, wanting to just close her eyes and sleep, to flee back into the warmth and the darkness and hide away forever.

"Aslan."

Lucy froze.

This time the voice was that of a child's, a whimpering blubbering cry.

"Aslan. You have to save him."

Aslan.

She knew the Great Lion had been captured, knew that the darkness was hurting Him, trying to break Him.

Tears spilled down Lucy's face.

"I have to," she said brokenly, "I have to. For Aslan."

She forced herself to smile.

"For Narnia."

Valiant smiled back at her, her eyes glowing with pride and love.

"Good girl," she said approvingly.

"For Peter and Susan and Ed."

Valiant was fading, the queen of old disappearing now that her task was done but the others, the other fragments of her, the ones she had created still lingered in her mind, six impossible people living inside her head.

"For myself."

Lucy opened her eyes.

. . . . . .

"GARGH!"

Edmund cried out as sharp teeth closed around his arm, the king frantically beating the fox's head, trying to free himself.

Caspian fired an orb and it blasted the kitsune back, giving them precious breathing space.

"There's too many of them!" the Telmarine yelled, "There's too – "

"BOOM!"

They whirled, gaping as the broken Tower exploded, chunks of crystal glass flying through the air.

"What – "

The Tower had been levelled, broken off neatly so that a round platform was all that remained. The shadows that laid around it screamed, trying to flee but frozen where they were, the machine still working away ravenously.

"By the mane..." Susan whispered.

There stood a single figure on the remnants of the Tower, a young girl with auburn hair and flashing blue-green eyes.

"LUCY!" Edmund roared, charging towards the Tower, leaping over stunned kitsune, "LUCY!"

The white foxes recovered swiftly, growling as they lunged at the king, grabbing him with their tails, their teeth trying to find his throat. Edmund went down with a cry, bucking, trying to throw them off.

"ED!" Susan and Caspian yelled, racing after the Just King, Jason half a step behind them.

"No."

Lucy spoke in a whisper but in the dead silence it was a loud as a scream.

"No."

And the pool of darkness rose, tendrils of black flicking out, tearing through the kitsune. The foxes simply vanished as the shadows touched them, disappearing without a sound. Edmund was left to lie on the ground, covered in blood, desperately gasping for breath.

The dying Oni also disappeared, wrapped up in black and swallowed away.

"Be free," Lucy said, looking at the darkness, knowing that these were the minds, the souls of the people who had died in her dreams, "Be free."

The machine deep down in the darkness suddenly grinded to a halt, gears screeching as they jammed. The spirits the machine had just caught, inches away from utter destruction, broken free with frantic weeping prayers.

"Be free," Lucy said again, "Be free."

And the dark pool exploded up into the air, the voices, the thoughts, the souls flying out in all directions, laughing, cheering, soaring away.

Susan stared up at the spectacle in wonder, tears in her eyes.

"Susan."  
She turned, gaping and Zaru was there, looking older and more tired than she had ever seen her beloved guardian.

"Zaru!" she ran to him, throwing her arms around the cat, breathing in his similar scent, "Zaru! Where were you? What happened?"

The leopard looked at her and Susan's breath caught at the crushed, bleak look in his eyes.

"Zaru?" she was almost afraid of her closest companion.

"Nothing," Zaru said flatly, "Nothing happened."

Susan stared at him.

"What – "

But she was forced to look away as Edmund and Caspian gave out twin cries of surprise and delight. The Gentle Queen turned, eyes and mouth wide as carried by a fading length of black, Lucy gently touched down onto the hard steel ground.

She stared at the people before her, her face so tiny and so very, very sad.

Susan was weeping, was smiling, laughing as Edmund did the same.

Lucy's smile unfurled and collapsed.

"I'm – "

She took a step towards them.

Peter, Elias and Inara laid wounded and unconscious on the ground. Susan, Edmund and Caspian stood, smiling through their tears as Zaru and Jason watched on from behind them.

"I'm back," Lucy said simply.

Finally they were together once more.

. . . . . .

Author's notes: And another world finish! I can tell you right now there will be two more worlds before the grand return to Narnia and the final arc!


	86. Tournament of the throne

New world! New chapter! And this is the second last world before they hit Narnia! Woot! Too high to care about spoilers!

Disclaimer: What's mine is mine, what's not is not

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 86: Tournament of the throne**

Elias looked at the girl sitting before him carefully, studying her face, taking note of every minute detail. She stared back at him, her eyes hold nothing but amusement, her hands folded demurely in her lap yet there was something in her face, something in her smile that told him she was in absolute control.

"Who am I speaking to?" Elias said slowly, firmly.

Arrogance stole into her face, a superiority that sneered and mocked but it was a reflex, an expression not of malice but something much more deeply ingrained. She didn't think she was his better, she knew it, felt it etched into the very fibre of her being, as normal to her as breathing. But despite that slip sweetness shone from her face, her eyes pools that pulled him in, trying to drown him into unreason.

"What strange questions you ask," her voice was deep, every syllable spoken like the notes of a song.

Elias could feel a blush crawling up his neck.

"Who am I speaking to?" he forced himself to repeat instead.

Anger flashed in her eyes but the frown that twisted her features only seemed to impossibly enhance her beauty.

"I am Empress Lucille the Gentle. Ruler of the Pearl. The Guardian of the Door," she unconsciously drew herself up, staring down at him.

Elias couldn't help but squirm in his chair, her gaze staring through him. He felt like a child, felt like he should throw himself before and beg for forgiveness but he kept his place – he had a job to do here, a very important one.

Lucy Pevensie sat across from him in the small room, burning sunlight spilling through the window behind her, beyond that the empty streets of the ghost town they were in and beyond that the endless rolling plains of burning sand. But his attention was focused on the girl before him, on the woman she had suddenly become before his very eyes.

"And why are you here?"

Lucille frowned, confused as Elias jotted down a swift note. He felt out of his depth, he only had a passable knowledge of what he was attempting but unfortunately he was only one who could help Lucy, could help her gather the broken pieces she had become and put them back together again.

"I want to help you defeat the darkness."

It was easy to write Lucille off as a pretty face, a vapid beauty but she was also the Empress, a woman who had ruled the Pearl, guarding the darkness against those who wished to claim it for years, had pitted herself against the Asuryans without fear. She –

Elias stopped himself.

What was he doing?! There was no Lucille, there was no Pearl, no Empress – she was nothing but a figment of Lucy's imagination, a part of her brought to life by sheer need. He couldn't think of them as separate people, Lucille and Lucy they were one and the same.

"Why?" Elias asked, "Why do you want to help us?"

Lucille met his eyes squarely, proud and implacable.

"Because only with the darkness dead can I return home and rebuild the Pearl and save my people."

Lucille and Lucy were one and the same, the Empress nothing more a ghost.

Elias scowled.

Too bad Empress Lucille didn't seem to realise that.

"You are not real," he said flatly, trying to shock her, trying to crack her mask and see what really lived underneath.

Lucille's face blanched, her fists clenching and it was suddenly like all the air was sucked out of the room.

"Do not speak such lies in my presence!" she snapped, her voice crashing into Elias with all the force of a tidal wave.

Elias again felt that insane urge to bend knee, to beg for forgiveness but he held himself in place, studying the woman before him. Her face was flushed, her eyes spitting fire, Elias searched for something, anything to tell him that his words had made an impact but there was nothing in those blue-green depths but fury and complete and utter belief.

He cursed violently inside his head as his face showed nothing. Lucille fell silent, glaring at him balefully, her hands not in fists but in outstretched claws, ready to leap across the room and tear him apart.

"I'm going to count to three," Elias said, his voice slow and calm, "And when I finish you will disappear."

"What the hell are you – "

"One."

Lucille paled.

"STOP IT!"

"Two."  
"STOP!"

"Three."

And Lucille changed before his eyes.

. . . . . . .

Twelve steps.

It took twelve steps to walk to the wall, another twelve to walk back the other way. Twelve steps again and again. Walk. Stop. Turn. Twelve. Twelve. Twelve.

"Stop."

Caspian turned.

Susan looked at him, one brow raised, her arms crossed across her chest. The king flushed, unconsciously straightening, tugging at his collar nervously.

"Hi."

Even to his own ears, his voice sounded thin, falsely light. Susan was not impressed. She crossed the room in determined paces, grabbing his arm and forcefully dragging him into the other room. Caspian yelped as she all but hurled him into a chair, her blue eyes flashing.

The Hunt-Beast was growling in her head, the creature of the woods sensing that something was wrong with her mate, could feel his pain like it was its own.

A hint of gold touched her right eye but Susan swiftly pushed the beast away, the queen hardly needing the creature to tell her something was wrong.

"Su – "

"What is it?" Susan said gently.

Caspian opened his mouth to lie but a scowl from her made him stop. He hung his head,. Trying to lie to Susan was impossible she knew him way too well for that, knew that he was hiding the truth before he even opened his mouth.

"Something happened in the Orchard," Susan continued softly, "And it's been bothering you ever since."  
Caspian held his tongue, refusing to meet her eyes. The queen sighed.

"Caspian – "

The soft plea in her voice finally made him look up. Susan looked down at him sadly.

"There're too many secrets already."

She didn't have to clarify what she meant, Caspian knew all too well. They were back together again after so long, all the Pevensies reunited, all of them reconnected. But where there should have been laughter and joy, there was an all engulfing silence that threatened to swallow them all. There were too many secret, too many things left unsaid, too many hidden scars. Caspian had lost count of the times Inara had woken up in the middle of the night screaming and cursing. He could see Jason in his head, face and eyes dead, not a flicker of emotion on his face. He could see Zaru, refusing to eat or sleep, wasting away before their eyes.

And Lucy...

Caspian closed his eyes.

They had always relied on each for strength, always held each other up against impossible odds but they were drifting away, consumed by things they tried to desperately to deny.

"I saw Glozelle."

The words were hard to say, Caspian closing his eyes, the feel familiar acid burn of guilt eating his gut. Susan said nothing, letting him take his time.

"He... he tried to kill me."

Susan stiffened, the darkness in her head roaring at those words, the Hunt-Beast snarling in fury.

"What?" she couldn't help that single word breaking free.

Caspian smiled bitterly.

"The Great Darkness has my aunt. He has Prunaprismia and he made a deal with Glozelle," he looked up at her, eyes dark, "My life for hers."

"Casp – "

"We fought. I beat him then I had to run to help you guys fight that Oni," Caspian continued, ignoring her, "I went back afterwards but he was gone..."

She sank down into the chair beside him, her hands on his arm.

"Caspian – "

The king twisted his head to look at her.

"I wanted to die. I wanted to save her," he admitted softly, "I've failed her so many times already."

"Caspian," Susan tried again.

"But I couldn't. My first duty is not to her. It's to Narnia and all my people. I have to live. I have to return for them."

Susan knew the two most fundamental parts of Caspian was at war. Caspian was a king, a warrior with a duty to his people, but he was also a man who loved family and blood, worshipped it because it had been denied to him for so long. Prunaprismia had been a mother to him, had been for many years until they had drifted apart and some little part of Caspian still loved her. And his nephew, the one he had never known, would never know – Susan knew how much that loss haunted him still.

She slid his hand into hers and squeezed gently, giving him her strength, her unwavering support.

"I can't save her," Caspian said as if realising it for the first time, "I can't."

He closed his eyes, pain written all over his face. Susan said nothing, knew no words could assuage his pain.

"He came back. He came to see me one more time," Caspian's gaze and voice was faraway.

"What happened?" Susan said finally.

Caspian looked at her and surprisingly he smiled.

. . . . . . .

_Flashback_

Caspian stood on the balcony, his bed untouched behind him, a gentle bitter wind brushing his face. He could see the Orchard, the world caught forever in its twilight time, the Seeds glowing once more. The flashing lighthouse of the Tower was gone, shattered, Lucy reclaimed.

It had been a battered group that had returned to Jakob's quarters, subdued, carrying their fallen companions back. Lucy had been in their midst, the last of them finally freed but she was silent, no smile on her face, just complete and utter devastation. All questions were met with one worded answers, hugs and smiles returned perfunctorily. Peter, Inara and Elias were still out cold, Jakob taking over their care as the others fell into bed one by one.

Caspian let out a long held breath.

They had won but it didn't feel like it. He looked out at the dark steel city and knew that Glozelle was somewhere out there, that beyond this world his aunt was still in Gavin's clutches.

The world tilted and Caspian lurched stepped away from the edge, fighting back fury and guilt. He was helpless, stuck in this blasted world whilst his kingdom and his family fell to the shadows. He lashed out, striking the metal railing, cursing loudly.

"DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN – "

He froze, cold steel pressed into the small of his back.

"Glozelle."

He didn't even need to turn.

"You let me sneak up too easily," his older teacher said softly.

His back still to the man, Caspian allowed himself a small smile.

"I wish I could die. I wish I could save Prunaprismia. I owe her a lot but I can't."

Glozelle kept the blade pressed against his skin but did not move forwards, did not press down and end his life.

"I have to fight for Narnia. I have to protect our people," Caspian said simply, "Duty above all."

The code of the Telmarines. Honour and duty, stronger than stone, than the mountains, towering above all else. Duty above all, the code they were all meant to live by.

"Duty above all," Glozelle said softly and the blade disappeared.

Caspian turned and looked at the battle-scarred general, Glozelle studied his face and a small proud smile crossed his usually taciturn face.

"You've grown."

"So have you."

There was a gentleness to Glozelle now, a fatherly look that softened the steel-hearted man. The general was still a soldier at heart but that was not the only thing that defined him anymore.

"I could never do it," Glozelle confessed, "I could not kill you."

"Why not?" Caspian asked, unfazed by the strange camaraderie that had sprung up between them.

"You are my king."  
And Glozelle sank to his knees in supplication, bending his head as Caspian stared down at him in astonishment.

"I pledge my allegiance," Glozelle said formally, "My sword is yours."

Gathering his startled thoughts, Caspian touched the man on the head.

"I accept your sword," he said, repeating the time-honoured words, "Arise."

Glozelle straightened and the two Telmarines looked at each other.

"My aunt..." Caspian said softly.

"I will find her," Glozelle vowed, "I will protect her. Focus on the war my lord, focus on saving our people. I will save Prunaprismia."

Caspian wished he could join the man on his mission, wished he could cross the worlds and look for the woman who had helped raised him like a son. But he was a king and king did not give into such selfish desires. He squared his shoulders, raised his chin and nodded.

"May Aslan bless you," he said softly.

Glozelle's eyes darkened but the man did not say a word as he turned and disappeared through the door. Caspian stared after him, wishing him every blessing, praying he would succeed, praying that his nephew would get his mother and father back.

His shoulders slumped, Prunaprismia's face flashing in his mind. He turned back to look at the Orchard.

"Please," he begged to whoever was listening, "Keep them safe."

_End of flashback_

. . . . . . .

Susan gently touched Caspian's face and he looked at her, his eyes dark, trying to fight back fear, trying to hold himself together.

"She has to be alive," he said roughly, "And if she is Glozelle would find her."

"You did the right thing," Susan said, smiling sadly.

Caspian returned that small expression.

"I know."

The others had their secrets, had their own reasons for hiding it but between them there would be none. Susan and Caspian had gone through too much, had battled through hell and back and back again for such things. They had scoured themselves, have torn open the threads of their heart and exposed it for the other to see in all its bleeding terrible glory.

They were strong, they could live apart and still survive Susan knew that but together...

Caspian's arms went around her and she held him as he held her.

Together they were indestructible.

She tried to cling onto this moment, to hold onto it because somewhere deep down in her soul, the Sight was whispering and it spoke of a storm that was about to break.

. . . . . . .

"Who am I speaking to?"

This woman was not the serene beauty from before. This woman did not veil her superiority, her haughtiness – this woman revelled in it.

"I am General Lucia the Magnificent!"

Elias resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"And why are you here?' he asked.

Lucia snorted, eyes darting around the room, looking for a weapon, ready to leap out of the window if needed and charge headfirst into battle. They could both hear the footsteps pacing the other side of the door, Edmund refusing to leave until he knew Lucy was fine.

"I am here to destroy my enemies and return the Pearl to its full glory!" Lucia thundered, "I swear by the gods they will fall to my glaive!"

Elias was now also fighting the urge to ram his head against the repeatedly.

"The Pearl is not real," he tried, tensing, ready to dive out of the way just in case the general attacked him.

Lucia instantly whirled on him, hissing and spitting, filled to the brim with righteous anger. Muscles bunched, the General ready to throw herself forwards but Elias calmly raised his crossbow, a fire orb set in place.

He was sweating, trembling, knowing if the girl attacked him he would do nothing to stop it but when he spoke his voice was calm.

"Please," he said softly, "Listen."

Lucia stared at him and Elias knew given half the chance she would have his head.

The General was crazy.

Elias could feel sweat beading on his skin.

The others had told him about the General, had told him about her strength and her stubbornness but it was as though those traits were now poisoning her. Was it because Lucia thought her world was dead? That she had fight tooth and nail to save what remained? Or was it because she now knew she was nothing but a lie and it was breaking her mind?

Elias desperately wanted Lucy to return but he was the one who had suggested this, suggested bringing each and every one of her alters out – to talk to them and try and figure out a plan. It hit him once again how out of his depth he really was.

The crossbow trembled in his hands but his aim did not waver.

"Put that down."

Lucia spat out each word as a threat, her young girl's face twisted into a monster's mask of hate. Elias's skin crawled as Lucia fought to keep herself still, her mind working frantically for some way to rip out his eyes, to grab that crossbow and brain him with it.

General Lucia was a living thing of hate and vengeance, not a warrior but a demon lost to bloodlust, blind to all else but death to her enemies.

Lucia had a death wish and she was going to get Lucy killed.

But how could he stop her? She wasn't like a cancer or an infection, not something he could just cut out and toss away. She was a disease of the mind, an affliction that he had no idea how to fix.

Peter had tried to sing to his sister, had tried to stitch her back together with magic and she had screamed, convulsing wildly as she pleaded and begged with seven different voices. Peter had ran out of the room and had promptly been sick, the rest of them staring at each other in open horror.

"Are you listen to me?!" Lucia snarled, snapping Elias back to reality.

He tried to calm himself, tried to show the woman he was the one in control here but secretly all Elias wanted to do was run.

He couldn't do this. He couldn't –

"I know you found out the truth," Elias said instead, trying to reason with the General, "I know you know that Lucy is real... you're just a part of her."

Lucia suddenly burst into laughter, clutching her sides as she howled out her mirth. Elias flinched but he kept her crossbow trained on the woman, watching the top of the girl's head.

"Lucy?!" Lucia looked up, staring straight at Elias's face, "Lucy?!"

Something dark stole into her eyes, something glittering and very unpleasant.

"Lucy is nothing but a scared little girl," Lucia spat, "She ran away from the fight. I am her but I am better than her, I deserve to live because I want to live!"

Elias's eyes widened.

"She doesn't deserve Narnia because she gave up on it. I will never give up on the Pearl!" Lucia hurled at Elias, "I will crush Lucy and all those other idiots inside my head until I'm the only one left!"

Staring at the woman's fierce, laughing face the breath fled from Elias's lungs and dread spilling into his veins.

"I will fight. I will fight and fight until the darkness is dead, until I have avenged my people!" Lucia screamed at him.

Her people? Did she mean Narnia? The people of the Pearl? There was no sense to this alter, no rhyme, no reason, just a burning savage need to hurt. Elias gritted his teeth, a headache crushing his temples.

"When I count to three you will sleep," he said firmly.

Lucia roared, veins bulging on her neck as Elias raised his crossbow, blood pounding through his head.

"One..."

Lucia was laughing.

"I will win! I will be the only one left!"

"Two..."

Lucia fell silent, staring at him in a silent challenge, chin jutting out stubbornly, her eyes laughing at him.

"Three!"

And she vanished, slumping in her chair as Elias lowered his crossbow, his whole body trembling like a leaf.

. . . . . . .

She trembled in his grasp.

"Inara?"

They stood in the shadow of the house they had appropriated, only a few lone souls out in the heat of the day. A harsh desert wind scoured the streets but here in the gloom, a weaving of stealth around them, they were alone.

"Inara. Talk to me."

The half-Naga stepped away from him, Peter looking at her helplessly.

"Kiss me," Inara said roughly, looking up at him, "Please."

She was using him. Trying to forget in kisses and holds, trying to drown herself in him and he was too damn weak to stop her. Peter sighed and obeyed, grabbing her face, dragging them together, their lips meeting again and again.

"Inara," he tried to say but she grabbed him, forcing him to kiss her, "INARA!"

The air around them flashed green and Inara was forced stumbling back as Peter flinched, mortified by his lack of control.

"Inara..."

She looked up at him, no anger in her face just sadness. Peter found himself dumb, unsure of what to say, wanting to break down her wall but hesitating, not knowing if he could handle what laid on the other side.

"I'm sorry," she said, running a hand through her hair, "I'm... god I'm such an idiot!"

She made to turn away, cursing under her breath, her breath coming up in short sharp pants, Peter staring after her.

"Inara..." he said it was a whisper as she took a step into the light, "Inara..."

What are you a coward?! Peter screwed up his courage and lunged forwards, grabbing her hand. She whirled, anger sparking, ready to slap him but Peter stared back at her, blue eyes filled with nothing but concern.

"Tell me," he ordered, his heart thunder in his chest, "You owe me that."

There was a brief moment of rebellion, her eyes hardening but as swiftly as it had came, it fled. She hung her head, looking down at her with great interest, Peter waiting impatiently.

"I killed her."

It was so soft that Peter thought it was his imagination.

"What?"

"I killed her," Inara repeated looking up at him and her eyes were anguished, "I wanted to kill her and then Jill was there and I knew I could have stopped her, I should have stopped her but I did nothing but stand and watch as Jill snapped her bloody neck!"

Tears spilled down her face, sobs and laughter flying from her throat, Inara writhing, fighting, not knowing what to do.

"I shouldn't care! I should be glad she's dead but I looked at her and all I could see was this scared little girl and I wanted to kill her!"

Inara collapsed into his arms and it came out, the whole story, spilling out of her in a river of pain and guilt. Peter held her, saying nothing, just letting her free the poisons in her mind.

Finally the words died, Inara sagging against Peter, tired to her very bones.

"Chelsea was scared. Paxton terrified her and she would do anything he said. She wasn't evil, she wasn't a villain, she was just a girl who wanted someone to love her," Inara said emptily, "Like I was."

"Inara –" Peter protested but Inara ignored him.

"And I set out to kill her. I knew all that and I tried to kill her."

Inara laughed, her eyes dead, her body trembling. She wanted to run, wanted to be sick, wanted to close her eyes and forget. But she couldn't. All she could see in her mind was that last moment, that sickening crack as Jill murdered her sister. She should have stopped her, should have never started that fight. Inara gritted her teeth and forced herself to listen to Peter.  
"But you didn't," Peter argued, "You had her in your sights. You could have but you didn't."

Inara smiled bitterly.

"But I wanted to. I really tried to. I stopped but... I was willing to beat up a scared little girl. What the hell does that make me?!"

Peter sucked in a deep breath.

"You were trying to protect us. You thought she could harm us and you tried to save us," Pete pleaded, "That doesn't make you evil!"

"What if Eustace had asked me to kill a roomful of children?" Inara snapped, "What if – "

"What if he asked you to eat a piece of cheese instead?!" Peter growled back at her, "You did what you had to and if you think I would ever hate you for that, if you think I would ever blame you for that then you don't know me at all!"

They glared at each other, angry, spitting mad, ready to punch each other's lights out.

"Why do you love me?!" Inara roared at him, "I'm disgusting! I – "

"Get over yourself!" Peter shouted right back, "You think this makes you a bad person?! I never knew you were so damn stupid!"

Inara glared at her, eyes flashing silver but Peter didn't let her talk, didn't care he was possibly shoving his whole entire leg into his mouth but he had to say everything he wanted to say.

"Inara. You tried to stop a threat. But you stopped. You stopped before you crossed that line. Eustace manipulated you, Jill ambushed you. Sure you feel guilty, you feel like you're a monster. You think the rest of us haven't done things we're proud of?!"

Peter remembered all too well the many things he had ordered in his name as High King, things he wished he could undo, the lives he had taken to safeguard his kingdom and family. He didn't know what was worse, dreaming of their faces every night or waking up one morning and realised he had forgotten the names, what they looked like.

"But you can't let those things destroy you," Peter growled, "I won't let you!"

They stood inches from each other, staring at each other, Inara confused, Peter pleading.

"If you think you're a monster, if you think you've do something horribly, horribly wrong I will spend every waking minute of my life proving otherwise," Peter vowed, "You made a mistake. That doesn't change who you are."  
He kissed her.

"You're strong."

He kissed her again and she gasped against his lips.

"You're full of love."

He pulled back, staring intently into her eyes.

"You're a warrior, you're a hero and nothings ever going to change that."

He kissed her one final time, fierce and possessive, trying to push all of his love, his affection into that one kiss.

"You're beautiful Inara," he said, looking at her, love burning bright in his eyes, "Everything about you in beautiful."  
Inara stared back at him, breathless, shaking.

"Wow," she tried to smile but it failed, tears spilling down her face, "You told me you sucked with words you bastard!"

Peter smiled right back glad to her fire back. His words tumbled through Inara's head, everything shifting and changing. If he could still believe in her, if he could hear all that and still forgive her and not turn away in disgust...

The weight on her shoulders shifted and Inara suddenly found she could breathe again.

She pictured her sister in her head, smiling, plucked from that one memory after the attack on the Ophanim complex the first time they had really spoken and understood each other.

'_I'm so sorry Chelsea,' _Inara said silently, '_I'm so…'_

The Chelsea in her head smiled and suddenly Inara knew everything would be alright. Peter was right, Inara had set out to kill her sister but when the moment had come she had refused to cross the line, she had allowed her sister to live despite knowing what could happen if Chelsea walked away from that fight alive.

Inara had stopped, she had refused to damn her soul.

Jill was the one who had killed Chelsea, the guilt was on her, and Inara vowed that black-eyed trollop would pay.

"Come back in?" Peter said gently.

"No."

Inara smiled softly at him.

"Let's just stay here awhile."

Peter laughed and gathered her into his arms.

. . . . . . .

High Inquisitor Lucinda gently settled her cup down, daintily wiping the tea from her lips. She looked across the table to where Elias studied her and for brief of moments she thought she saw a wolf staring back at her, eyes glittering and baleful, grizzled grey fur clinging to a long vicious face. She blinked and the vision faded, Elias staring at her quizzically.

"The others..." Lucinda paused, grimacing as she heard and felt the voices hammering around inside her head, "The others refuse to submit."

Elias frowned as Lucinda sighed. Out of all the alters this one was the first to actually understand what was happening to her, to accept the fact that she wasn't real. Lucinda wanted to help but like Elias she didn't have a clue how.

"What's it like?" Elias asked suddenly unable to hold his curiosity for anymore, "What is it like have so many... do you disappear, do you..."

"I retreat," Lucinda said wryly, "For the lack of a better world. It's like I become a passenger instead of the horse handler. I can see and hear... most things and if I try really hard I can seize control. But it's tiring."

She seemed taller and more graceful than either Lucille or Lucia, Lucy's face serene and reposed. Every word that came from her lips were polished, weighed up and cut exactly before it was allowed to leave. And she was studying and dissecting Elias as much as he was analysing her.

"We argue," Lucinda said, "The Dawn-Breaker and Lucia clash a lot and trust me he is not happy to find that he has no powers. The Empress is usually by herself, plotting away. Danaid and Ladybug hide, too scared to deal with any of us. I try to maintain the peace, try to keep Lucy in charge but..."

She rubbed her temples, looking washed out.

"It's hard," she admitted finally.

"You're telling me," Elias said gruffly.

They glanced at each other, startled and laughed. It was bizarre Elias knew this woman was not real, could not exist but he couldn't help but like this aspect of Lucy.

"What are you planning?" Lucinda asked.

"I only have a working knowledge of dissociation," Elias admitted, "I know that it's important to talk to all the alters, to try and unite them by engaging them but..."

Lucinda's lips twisted into a bitter smile.

"Most of us are crazy?" she tried.

Elias laughed but he instantly stopped. Lucinda's eyes were warm as Elias spluttered an apology.

"It's all right. I know more than anyone how damaged some of us are," Lucinda suddenly winced, clutching at her chest, "Please. You have to fight on. You have to make us whole again."

Elias leapt from his chair, spilling his cup, the porcelain shattering on the ground.

"Lucinda!"

The Inquisitor looked back up at him, crying out as her whole body twitched violently.

"Sorry... they're..." she turned away, cursing at something only she could see, "NO!"

Elias tried to touch her but she flinched away.

"I... I..." Lucinda looked at Elias and smiled sadly, "I have to go."

"NO! Don't – "

But Lucy was already falling, collapsing back against her chair leaving Elias to stare at her prone form, the drip-dripping of spilt tea the only sound in the room.

. . . . . . .

"NO! Don't – "

Edmund fought the urge to kick the door down and charge inside but he stopped himself, his nails digging into his palm as he tried to breathe, tried to think about anything but what was happening behind that door.

Damn it.

Elias had made him promise, had made him swear not to interfere and the scientist knew as well as he did that Edmund was a man of his words.

"Lucy..."

He closed his eyes. Elias had tried to explain to them what happened to his sister, that the guilt of what she had done whilst under control of the Great Darkness had been too much to bare, that she had broken her own mind rather than endure. Her mind, her personality, her very soul had fragmented, separating itself into very different people as a way to protect herself, to shield her from her own memories.

The Dawn-Breaker had been created so that all the sins, all the blood she had spilt was on his hands and not hers. Danaid was born because of that need to be punished, to be tortured every waking moment for what she had done. Lucia, Lucille and Lucinda were all mirrors of her siblings, a simulacrum of the strongest people she had known, Lucy's need to fight and protect given life.

Edmund stood before the door and angrily wiped the tears from his eyes.

He knew more than anyone what it felt like to have sins on your shoulder, to have it crush you until you couldn't even breathe.

"Lucy..."

How dare the darkness do this to her?! How dare it do this to all of them!? Edmund had heard the story of Gavin, had heard about how the boy wanted to save the worlds but this? All of this?! How could the monster justify itself any longer? How could it kill and maim and tear everything apart and still lie to itself?

Edmund punched the wall and he welcomed the pain, welcomed anything but anger and misery.

"Damn it! Damn it!"

He wished he could save Lucy, wished he could fix her. But how could he? How could he stitch her mind back together?

He was helpless, useless, everything he was terrified of becoming. He should have stopped this! He should have been faster, stronger, smarter. Why did he always do this?! Why did he always fail!

Because he was weak.

Edmund cursed.

"DAMN IT!" he screamed.

"Ed."

He whirled and Susan was there, watching him carefully.

"Come downstairs. You need to stay away," she said firmly.

"How can I?!" he snapped in a furious whisper, trying not to disturb Elias or his sister, "I was with her when the Great Darkness took us. I should have saved her! I should have saved Eustace. I – "

"Do you honestly think that self-flagellating yourself is going to solve anything?" Susan demanded harshly, "What Lucy needs us to do is be there for her. She needs us to be strong because right now she's not. We can't afford to wallow in self-pity."

Edmund stared at her.

Where had his sister gone? Queen Susan the Gentle would have been weeping, would have been wringing her hands at the thought of the torture her beloved sister was going through but this Susan, this warrior queen, took it all unflinchingly, refusing to do anything but believe and keep on moving forwards.

He let her touch him, let her draw him away from the door.

"We will make that bastard pay," Susan vowed, her eyes burning.

Pay for hurting Lucy, pay for forcing Jason to betray them, pay for hurting Zaru and Inara and Peter and all the other millions of sins and horrors it had done. The Great Darkness had thought to break them by doing this?

Edmund took courage from his sister and forced himself to nod.

"We are going to save her," he promised, eyes burning.

"I never doubted it," Susan smiled back.

The Great Darkness's days were numbered, Edmund vowed savagely. He was going to take revenge, bloody bit by bloody bit. And in that moment when he tore out Gavin's heart, he was going to look at the monster and tell him one simple thing.

It was for Lucy. It was all for Lucy.

. . . . . . .

Elias didn't even need to ask who was sitting before him now. Lucy's back was ramrod straight, her shoulders squared and wider than ever. The changes suffused every cell in her body, her eyes darker, her hair somehow almost black. She sneered and arrogance was carved into every stark line on her face.

She laughed and it was fill with mocking mirth, her eyes raking his form and finding him severely lacking.

"Dawn-Breaker."

The man inside the girl sneered, completely unaffected by the fact that he was not what he had appeared in Lucy's dreams. But Elias could see an echo of the man inside Lucy's body, could see it in the way she moved, that proud almost regal bearing, the heavier more powerful stance. It wasn't just a change in the mind that heralded the alters, it was a complete change in body as well.

Elias should have been fascinated, should have had a thousand thoughts racing through his head as he absorbed this new tidbit of information. But all he could do was stare at the Dawn-Breaker and be repulsed.

Lucia was bad enough but she was a thing of Id, of base anger and fury. The Dawn-Breaker was cold and calculating, an agent of the Great Darkness and relished it completely.

"This body will belong to me," the Dawn-Breaker said flatly, "Then I will return to my master and help him destroy you all."

The Dawn-Breaker paused, a thoughtful look crossing his features and once again it struck Elias how wrong it was to see such malice steal across Lucy's freckled face.

"Or maybe I'll kill you all in your sleep," he said with relish.

Even the voice was different, deep and rough, the voice of anything but a girl on the cusp of womanhood.

The Dawn-Breaker looked at Elias and smiled at the shock that was written all over the scientist's face.

"You can't stop me. I am stronger than all those idiots running around inside my head," the Dawn-Breaker boasted.

Elias could not think of a single word to say. The monster was not lying, if given half chance he would slit their throats in a thrice. Did that mean they would have to keep Lucy locked up now? Did they have to sleep with one eye opened always?

The Dawn-Breaker chuckled, loving the thoughts playing across Elias's face.

"You have no powers," Elias said desperately trying to shake the man.

"When I return to my master he will give it back to me," the Dawn-Breaker said flatly, displeasure all over his face, "But all it takes is a strong hand to end a life."

"You're a murderer," Elias spat.

The Dawn-Breaker wagged his finger, clucking his tongue disappointedly.

"No. I'm not a murder. I'm a slaughterer," he sounded ridiculously proud, like a child with a prize, bragging to all who would hear it, "My chambers were piled high with my spoils. Skulls and hearts as far as the eye could see. I've never had so much fun in my whole life."

"Your life is a lie. You don't exist," Elias tried desperately.

The Dawn-Breaker sneered.

"I am real because Lucy needed me. Her flesh is my flesh and soon she will be gone and I will become what I was meant to be," his voice had a fey quality to it, a premonition that made Elias sick to his stomach.

The scientist sucked in a deep breath and he rose from his chair, hating what he had to do but he had learnt all he could from the Dawn-Breaker. Now he just needed to know if the man could be fought at all.

The Dawn-Breaker frowned, narrowing his eyes as Elias took a deep breath.

"What – "

"You've killed people!" Elias roared at him, eyes flashing, "Doesn't that make you feel anything?! Innocent lives were lost because of you!"

The Dawn-Breaker flinched and triumph filled Elias.

"You should be dead!" the scientist hurled at him, "You should be punished for what you have done!"

The man before him writhed in his chair, panting for breath, pain twisting his body.

"STOP IT!" the Dawn-Breaker screamed, "STOP IT!"

Tears spilled down Lucy's face but it was still the Dawn-Breaker who spoke, the agent of the darkness cursing Elias, threatening to rip out his throat, to kill everyone he loved. Elias stood his ground, hating what he was doing but the Dawn-Breaker had to be taught who was in control here.

"YOU SHOULD BE PUNISHED!"  
"NOOO!"

Lucy feel, her knees scraping against the rough wood as she collapsed completely, all the strength melting out of her. Elias watched, hardly daring to breathe.

"Please..."

Lucy was whimpering, her face mashed against the ground.

"Please..."

The Dawn-Breaker was gone, all the malice and arrogance that was the mark of the man vanishing.

"Please..."

Lucy pulled at her hair, her nails digging into her scalp.

"Please..."  
She looked up and Elias couldn't help but gasp. Her eyes were filled with anguish, her face haggard, hollowed and lined. Tears fell freely as the gaunt-faced thing pulled his knees to his chest, rocking himself back and forth, keening with so much pain that Elias wanted to weep. The Dawn-Breaker had been a violation of Lucy but this thing, this broken dying thing was an affront, Lucy should have been full of life, of laughter, not this pain, anything but this.

"Kill me!" Danaid screamed, "I don't deserve to live! Please... just... just end it! I don't – I can see their faces! I can –"

He clapped his hands over his eyes pathetically as if that could block out his memories. Elias stared at the trembling heap on the ground and could feel nothing but pity.

"Danaid," Elias had heard about this alter, this version of Lucy that remembered everything she had done and wanted nothing more than to be killed for it, "Danaid please – "

"STOP TORTURING ME!" Danaid screeched pulling himself up, "STOP PLAYING WITH ME! JUST LET ME – LET ME – "

"Danaid..."

He was pulling at his own hair, clumps of red yanked free, his teeth working his lips into a bloodied mess. Elias cursed and instantly fell down beside the man, grabbing his wrists, cringing as Danaid fought him with a wild feral strength, howling rank air into his face.

"When I count to three," Elias tried to keep his voice level, "When I – "

"JUST LET ME DIE!" Danaid spat, "JUST LET ME –"

"You will rest," Elias continued relentlessly, "One..."

"KILL ME!" Danaid roared.

"Two..."

"JUST LET ME DIE!"

"THREE!"

Danaid's eyes instantly rolled into back of his head and he fell against Elias. The scientist closed his eyes, trying to remember how to breath as his heart jack-hammered against his ribs.

Dawn-Breaker and Danaid. They were going to get Lucy killed. And Elias was meant to stop it. He was sweating, his whole shirt thick with muck.

"How?!" the scientist demanded to the room, to whoever could be listening, "What the hell am I meant to do?!"

But there was no answer, nothing to do but to hold Lucy and pray.

. . . . . . .

Zaru had not moved for over an hour. His stomach rumbled but the thought of eating made him want to vomit. He couldn't eat, didn't deserve to.

His eyes fluttered, threatening to close but he stopped them with a growl, shaking his head frantically. He couldn't sleep because every time he tried to...

Makat.

Zaru wanted to cry.

Last night he had seen the former slave wave his sceptre over a city of glowing lights, had heard the screams as locusts descended. He flinched, remembering the terrible buzz and whir of a thousand wings as the feeding swarm tore chunks of bloody flesh from fleeing forms, biting and biting until there was nothing left but bloodied bones. The night before he had stood helpless as toads poured into a place of emerald trees, the clear brook waters turning milky white as twitching bodies fell to the ground, foam bubbling from their mouths. And the night before that he had been a ghost in a city of red stone, trying to wake as a mother ran out onto the streets, screeching and weeping as she clung her dead son to her chest. Her screams had stabbed Zaru in the heart, the leopard crying with her as more and more parents appeared, more pathetic bundles clutched in their arms as they begged their gods for answers, to know why their children had all died in the night.

Night after night he woke on choked screams, the smell of death soaking the air, mocking laughter filling his ears.

He couldn't take it anymore, couldn't take seeing what he had done, what he had allowed to happen. He could have stopped Makat, could have saved him but he hadn't and now the slave was damned and dragging entire worlds down with him into hell.

He was drowning in blood and he was too tired to even care, praying for sleep, for death, for anything to stop the dreams.

Maybe if he just –

No!

Zaru gritted his teeth. He could not give the Deplorable Word to the darkness, no matter what they did to him, no matter what atrocities Makat did, the word could not fall to Gavin. That was his burden, his task, the only thing he had left in the world.

But... but... he was so tired, so sick of seeing what his stupidity and blindness had caused.

"You idiot!" he growled, shaking his head in disgust, "And giving him the word would save more lives?! How sleep deprived are you?!"

Zaru leapt up unable to be alone with his thoughts anymore, needing something to distract him, anything to push the memories of his dreams from his head. He wanted to run but he knew he could never outrun the things he had seen, the things he had caused.

Zaru choked on a sob.

He wanted to tell Susan, to beg her to tell him what to do but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He couldn't bear to see that look of disgust, that look of disappointment cross her face as she looked at him and wonder why she had ever trusted him.

His body was shaking, sick without sleep, without food but Zaru couldn't sleep, couldn't eat as guilt roiled his stomach. His mind dithered, lurching from memory to nightmare to jabbering thoughts, Zaru stumbling, almost falling flat on his face.

What was he going to do?! What was he –

He turned the corner and a shadow fell over him. He looked up with bloodshot eyes.

"Hi."

Jason stared down at him, his mask firmly in place. Zaru wished he could smell the man's scent but it seemed lately all he could scent was death and his own stinking guilt.

They stared at each other, both haggard, both lost in their own dark memories.

"How are you doing?" Zaru tried to sound light but it failed miserably.

Jason's face showed absolutely nothing and Zaru couldn't help but smile.

"It's hard isn't it?"

The Seeker knew exactly what the leopard was talking about. He could still see that little girl inside his head, could hear her screams as he burned her alive. A chill ran through him. He blinked frantically, trying to clear the memory away, trying to focus on Zaru's haggard face.

The leopard stared back at him as Jason frowned. What the hell was the cat so worked up about?

But deep down he knew, could tell from the bleakness in Zaru's eyes. They both carried blood on their hands, both deserved to be locked up and the keys thrown away.

"It is," the Seeker merely grunted.

Zaru smiled bitterly, perversely glad there was at least one person who understood him. Again he breathed and again all he could smell was his own shame, the death he had caused, all that clinging to him like tar.

"How do we do this?" he begged, "How do we live with ourselves?"

Jason snorted, his eyes turning cold and dark..

"I don't know about you but I plan to fight and die in battle."

It hard to tell if he as joking or not but looking up at his bleak face Zaru couldn't help but feel that was exactly what Jason was planning.

"Tell me how that goes," Zaru said with false humour.

They eyed each other, two traitors, two murderers, understanding each other perfectly. A smile curled Jason's lips but it was as lethal as a blade.

"When it gets tough you can always drink yourself stupid," Jason said seriously.

Zaru had to laugh at that.

"Then lead the way," he gestured with his head.

Jason nodded and turned, Seeker and leopard stepping out onto the street, two murderers walking side by side.

. . . . . . .

She held the stub of charcoal in a child's grip, fingers wrapped clumsily around it, drawing with jerky awkward movements. Paper littered the table they all spoke of the same tale – a young girl dragged off kicking and screaming, bulging horrible eyes watching her from the shadows as she was tortured by howling things, tiny body writhing in agony. On and on the pain went until she wept, until she broke and began torturing others in turn, the same eyes watching with satisfaction in their depths.

The drawings were crude, stick figures but they seem emanate life, strange alien feelings rushing through Elias, taking his breath away.

"I remember."

Lucy looked up at him and her eyes were wide and filled with things that should not have been there. Her lips trembled, tears spilling down her face and when she spoke again it was in that babyish tremulous voice.

"I'm the only one who does."

Ladybug continued to draw, repeating the same nightmare over and over, caught forever in those last few months, years of her life. Because that was when Ladybug had been born, in those terrifying moments when the darkness had broken Lucy and turned her into a monster.

Elias gently reached out and took the charcoal away from the little girl.

"I'm scared," Ladybug wept, big heaving childish sobs racking her body, "I'm so scared."

The scientist's eyes flashed, the charcoal crumbling in his hands as they tightened into fists.

"We'll protect you," Elias vowed fiercely, "We won't let the darkness get you again.'

"It grabbed me. I begged Eddy for help but it still got me," the little girl said dumbly, staring out into nothing, "I – "

She began screaming, limbs flailing as she threw herself back into her chair, shaking her head frantically as she tried to forget.

"It hurt me..." she whimpered, "It hurt me. I –"

Ladybug screamed and beyond the door Elias could hear Edmund yell out in panic, Susan's voice rising, trying to calm her brother down. Elias cursed violently and looked at Ladybug, wincing as he grabbed her face and forced her to look at him.

She fought him, crying pathetically, her breathing fast and frantic.

"When I count to three you will sleep," Elias said soothingly, cringing inwardly as she tore at his hands, "Three..."

"Please!" Ladybug screamed at him, eyes bulging from her head, "Don't let me go into the dark! Don't – "

"Two..."

The little girl screeched, throwing every last drop of air in her lungs in that final cry.

"DON'T!"

Elias choked on his own tears and forced the last word out.

"Three."

Ladybug slumped, Elias catching her, gently setting her back into the chair. His heart felt like a lump of lead in his chest, bile creeping up his throat as he leaned back into his own seat, waiting with bated breath.

Slowly Lucy stirred, her eyes fluttering open.

"It is done?" she asked hoarsely, her eyes clear.

Elias nodded slowly as Lucy gave him a tiny thin smile. She could feel them all in her head, Lucia and the Dawn-Breaker screaming at each other, Lucinda frantically trying to placate them. Lucille was a distant alien presence, the Empress coldly ignoring them all as somewhere in the shadows Danaid and Ladybug wept.

She shuddered, knowing they were nothing more than a symptom of her sickness She wished she knew what she had to do to make herself whole but the Valiant Queen had no answers.

"Do – "

Elias sighed and Lucy's smile fell.

"I don't know," the scientist's voice was filled with despair, "I'm sorry. I have no idea what to do."

The Dawn-Breaker was laughing, jeering at the pathetic man before him as Lucy fought the alter down, a grimace crossing her face.

"It's all right," Lucy said gently, trying to smile, trying to be brave, "It'll be all right. We'll find a way. We'll find something."

Elias forced himself to paste on a smile.

"Of course we will," he said with bravado, "We'll find a way."

But none of Lucy's alters and neither of them believed a single word they said.

. . . . . . .

Susan rose and it was the middle of the night. The heat of the day had long fled the air so cold it bit into her skin. Pulling her sheets around her she looked around in the gloom, the Hunt-Beast's eyes helping her see as clear as day.

Why was she awake?

She reached down and pulled her sceptre free from beneath her bed. Inara was curled up in the other bed, dead to the world. In the third Lucy slept, her lips working silently, her faced pulled into a tight frown. For a long moment Susan stood there watching her sister sleep, still unable to believe that she was back, that her whole family was safe once more. She smiled but the grin quickly fled as she remembered what Elias had told them with a devastated look on his face.

Lucy was sick, her mind was fragmented and none of them had a clue how to put her back together again.

Susan closed her eyes, swallowing deeply, nausea punching her hard. Forcing herself to move, she put her sceptre aside, pulling the sheets up around her sister's form, and gently smoothing the hair on her head as she had done so many times before. That simple well-loved move soothed Susan, silencing the disquiet boiling in her chest.

"We'll find a way," she promised, "We'll make it all right Lu."

She took her sceptre back up and stepped out of the bedroom. A light under one door showed her Elias was still hard at work, darkness in the other told her that Edmund, Peter and Caspian were asleep. She stood on the landing, eye searching, trying to place that strange feeling inside her head.

Frowning she took the stairs, drifting down into the parlour of the house.

"Why are you up?"

Susan gasped and whirled, suddenly finding herself looking straight into Jason's eyes. The Seeker was lounging in a chair, a bottle in his hand and booze on his breath. Zaru lolled at his feet, eyes as bloodshot as ever, studying his queen carefully.

"I should ask you two the same question," Susan shot back trying to calm her thundering heart.

"Couldn't sleep," Zaru said carefully.

Her anger swiftly faded, Susan studying the pair. They looked back at her, masks firmly in place but she knew them too well not to notice the dull look in their eyes. Inwardly she cursed she usually depended on Zaru to read other's emotions for her but now the leopard was walling her out, trying to hide whatever it was he was feeling. Jason's guilt she knew all too well but Zaru?

Something had happened and she desperately wanted to know what. She hated being in the dark, hated seeing her friends suffer and being unable to help. Another part of her just wanted to grab them by the neck and shake them until all their thoughts and secrets came tumbling out for all to see but Susan wisely chose to ignore that particular thought.

"Please," she said softly, "You can – "

She froze, her jaws dropping as Jason leapt to his feet, Zaru swiftly doing the same.

"Susan what – "

She looked at them, eyes wide.

"It's laughing," she whispered, stunned, "It's laughing."

That's what had woken her. The darkness in her head was howling with laughter, giggling between each chortling burst, pure ecstasy pouring through her veins. The Hunt-Beast was roaring and snarling, trying to beat the darkness down but it ignored the thing, fighting its grip, sniggering and trembling with pure delight.

It's coming. It's coming.

Susan twitched.

"What – "

The darkness ignored her question, chanting the same thing again and again.

It's coming. It's coming.

The glass rattled in the window panes as all three of them whipped around, eyes wide.

"What's going on?!" Zaru roared, trying to smell the air but again his guilt and his shame choked his senses.

"VOOM!"

All the candles and lanterns in the house suddenly roared into life, flames shooting up into the air. Upstairs cries rang out, bodies hitting the ground as the sleepers jerked out of their beds.

Jason instinctively grabbed for the ruach but he cursed as he once again hit that glass wall that cut him off from the power. The white fire raged, desperate to be free but Jason did not fight for it, knowing he could not be trusted with such strength

"What the hell?!"

The house shook to its very foundations, things falling from shelves and alcoves, shattering on the floorboards. The candles and lanterns flickered and flared, shadows dancing across the room as footsteps thundered on the stairs.

"Is this house haunted!?"

Inara stumbled into the parlour, eyes flashing silver, the others behind her. The half-Naga looked livid, ready to break something with her bare hands.

"Are we sure this house isn't built over a graveyard?!" she demanded as floor creaked and groaned, every wall in the house threatening to topple.

Edmund rolled his eyes but before he could say a word, the floorboards heaved, sending all of them stumbling. They yelped, scoring cuts and bruises as they grabbed at furniture that rattled and shook, trying to steady themselves. The whole room was rioting now, every piece of furniture, even the walls and the floor coming to maleficent life. Caspian cried out as the chair he was holding exploded into splinters, woody shards stabbing into his skin. Elias and Peter were hurled off their feet, the table they were leaning against bucking like a wild bronco.

"We need to get out here!" Edmund yelled, his voice cutting through the madness, "Now!"

He staggered towards the door, the floor warping and twisting beneath him, trying to drag him down.

"ED!" Lucy tried to run towards him but a chunk of the ceiling fell, forcing her back.

"LUCY!" Susan whirled but the darkness in her head suddenly screamed with mirth and her spine turned to ice.

She whipped around just in time to see Edmund reaching for the door.

"ED NO!" she yelled as the whole house shifted on its foundation, jolting them all, "EDMUND!"

Edmund turned to look at her frowning and the door exploded inwards, a wild wind blasting him back against the far wall.

"ED!"

Black smoke poured in through the doorway, Peter desperately throwing bolts of lightning at it as Inara and Caspian instantly unsheathed their swords, trying to shepherd the others behind them. Susan lunged, grabbing Lucy and throwing her into Elias's arms. She ignored Lucy's cries, placing herself before her sister, ready to protect her at all costs.

"NO!"

The whole front wall of the house was torn away, darkness spilling in. They didn't have time to move, to cry out, to even think. The darkness struck them with all the force of a hurricane, sweeping them up, their feet leaving the ground as they flew through the air. They were blinded, ears popping, struggling to breathe as the wind and smoke blew them far, far away.

. . . . . . .

The darkness was laughing.

Susan opened her eyes and everything around her was shadows and icy air.

It's here. It's here. It's here.

The darkness was chanting the words over and over, in sing-song delight.

Susan pulled herself up and the shadows all around was so absolute that even the Hunt's sight could not penetrate it. The others were sprawled out all around her, all of them slowly moaning and groaning their way back to life.

"That hurt," Zaru grunted pulling himself up.

Elias clutched his temples as he tried to get his vision to stop seeing double.

"Can we stop having these little mystical misadventures?" Inara wondered darkly.

"But they're so fun!" Edmund muttered dryly.

Peter crawled to his feet and his eyes instantly went to this youngest sister, Lucy wincing as she rose.

"Are you okay Lu?" Peter asked frantically, the questions firing from his lips, "Are you – "

"I'm fine Peter," Lucy said softly.

She glanced at Susan, at Edmund and Caspian and they couldn't help but smile at the very familiar stubborn look unfurling across her face.

"I'm fine," the Valiant Queen repeated, her voice strong.

Susan and Edmund nodded but Peter hesitated. Edmund growled, ready to kick his brother if he said something stupid but Inara beat him to the punch, grabbing Peter by the arm and spinning him around. Peter blinked as the half-Naga glared at him, hands on her hips.

"Aren't you meant to ask about me first?" Inara spat as Peter gaped at her, "I am your girlfriend!"

The High King froze, blinking frantically as Inara raised one brow, waiting for his answer.

"I – What?! I –"

Peter flushed, trying to speak as Inara suddenly sniggered, gently smacking Peter across the back of the head.

"Breathe sugar bear," she smirked, "I'm kidding."

Peter glared at her murderously as Inara smiled toothily back.

"I'm going to kill you," he vowed.

"Please, you love me too much to do that," Inara winked back.

They smiled at each other with so much adoration that even Susan had to look away uncomfortably.

"Where are we?" Jason demanded, completely ignoring Peter and Inara.

They looked around even Zaru shaking his head, straining to see beyond the circle of light they were in. Unseen by Peter Caspian slipped a dagger into Lucy's hand, winking as she smiled back at him gratefully.

IT'S HERE!

Susan froze.

"What – "

"BOOM!"

Something fell to earth, slamming down onto the dark ground as they were all jolted, stumbling for balance.

IT'S HERE!

The sceptre burned hot in her hands and Susan yelped, almost dropping it. Zaru gagged, something finally penetrating through the cloud of guilt and death that choked him, the scent of pure rot and pure poison hitting him like a blow to the face. The others were looking around frantically, dread sinking down to their very bones, their instincts screaming at them to run. But before they could move, before they could even raise their weapon it emerged from the shadows.

"By the mane..." Caspian breathed, the blood draining from his face.

Two giant eyes stared down at them from the gloom, one eye showing a pit of endless fire, the other a window into a cave where souls screamed and screamed as they were bound to the rack and flayed.

Gold glimmered, the beast crowned and bejewelled like the richest of kings. Four taloned hands hung from wiry powerful shoulders, a thick black tongue flicking out from beaked lips, tasting their fear and drinking it in.

"Tash," Susan whispered.

The darkness was shuddering, writhing around in pure joy as the Hunt-Beast cowered.

"You are in a nothing place," Tash's voice shook the world around them, sending their hearts into frantic thunderous paces, "You are in place where we can speak."

"What the hell do you want?" Caspian growled despite the sweat beading on his pale brow.

Tash laughed, the sound so powerful and terrible that all of them wanted to clap their hands to their ears.

"I have come to collect."  
Susan instantly knew what the death god was talking about.

"Collect what?!" Peter snarled, lightning and green sparks leaping from his hair.

Tash merely raised one hand and pointed straight at Susan.

"We have a bargain you and I. And I have come to collect," the vulture-headed god said with relish.

"WHAT?!"

Tash mocked their fury with laughter, his eyes glittering with mirth. But for the first time Susan noticed that the god was injured, one arm dangling uselessly by his side, his tattered cloak nothing but strips of rag hanging from his shoulders. Cuts slashed his emaciated chest, dark blood weeping like water.

"What do you want?"

She had taken the sceptre and she had used it to defeat the witches of Charn and she had done it knowing Tash had wanted something in return. She had taken that price without hesitation and despite the dread spreading her she knew now was the time to pay that debt.

"A war is coming," Tash hissed, his eyes focused on her alone.

"Tell me something I don't know," Susan said flatly.

Tash cocked his head to the side, studying her, his beaked mouth somehow twisting into a smile.

"Your fire is delicious," his voice was salacious, dark delight brewing in each word, "No wonder Gavin is so eager to have you in his clutches. Imagine the joy to be had from making you bend knee."

Caspian cursed, ready to rush at the god but Elias held him back.

"By the way..."

Tash's eyes slid to Zaru, the leopard freezing.

"I have harvested a great many souls in the past few days and many of them have cursed Makat's name with the last breath they held," the Calormene god's eyes lit up as he saw Zaru's guilt crush him, "Perhaps you would like to send a message to those damned souls?"

Susan frowned but she pushed her questions aside.

"What do you want?!" she snapped.

She would not let the god toy with them, would not let him hurl barb after barb and watch them bleed. Tash studied her, his wounds still bleeding the mocking joy slowly leeching from his eyes.

"The Great Darkness has declared war on me."

Susan didn't know why she was so shocked. Gavin wanted all gods dead but why destroy an evil who was so good at laying waste to worlds? Perhaps Tash had once felt safe in that knowledge, believing he would be left alone for now. But Susan knew that was not true, Tash had been careful to manipulate her to this point, to force her to make a bargain and reap its reward.

"You want us to fight for you," Lucy realised, eyes flashing, "Why should we – "

"The darkness has sent one of its great generals against me," Tash growled, "One of the great generals you helped release!"  
Jason flinched at that, knowing all too well what he had done. The others were also remembering that day, that final fight in Inara's world. Their goal had been to keep the demons alive and destroy the Ophanim machine but they had failed, utterly and miserably failed. On that mockingly sunlit day their enemies had triumphed and now the darkness was stronger than ever.

As one they grimaced, cursing under their breath.

"Who?" Peter demanded, "Who – "

"War."

Tash's eyes bulged as they all turned slowly.

A wheeled chair creaked out from the shadows.

Strife studied them all with curiously colourless eyes, his powerful arms working the wheels of his chair, his flaming hair a lone burst of colour in this eternally dark place.

"You..." Elias gaped recognising the man from Jason's dreams.

Zaru was struggling to breathe, remembering what this man had done in Tzara, remembering the demons he had unleashed with each stroke of his sword. The leopard trembled, memories poisoning his mind, shame and guilt tearing all his scars open once more, the screams of the dying obliterating all else in his mind.

"YOU!" Tash hissed, fire leaping from his eyes.

A wild wind rushed at the horseman but Strife sat unmoved in his chair, letting it rush by him in a cloth-flapping wave.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Edmund demanded furiously.

Strife turned his colourless eyes on the Just King and he was struck by how wearied the half-man looked. He sat heavily in his chair, the skin slack on his face, dark beneath in a half-rim beneath his eyes. But still War wheeled himself forward into the circle of light, the champions of Aslan caught between horseman and death-god.

Tash roared and the dark world around them shook, reverberating with his cry. Screams answered the sound, shrieking screeching voices rife with agony.

"I challenge you..." Strife said calmly.

Susan bit back a scream as her sceptre burned her hands, the skin of her palms blistering, the rubies flashing with frantic light. Zaru was choking beside her, drowning in an endless red sea of anger, gagging on sulphur and fire. Caspian was falling, Prunaprismia's face in his head, screaming at him, blood gushing from her eyes and mouth, the Telmarine lady wanting to know why he had let her die.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Tash howled, clawed hands slashing the air, "I'LL RIP OUT YOUR EYES AND FEAST THEM! I'LL – "

His rage struck them all like a physical force, all of them reeling, struggling to breathe as the air seemed to thicken, seemed to burn.

Peter yelped, his Gift flaring to life. With desperate gulps it tried to drink in all the power swimming around him, trying to trap it like it had to so many other powers and talents. But Tash's strength, the god's magic was so vile, so utterly repulsive that the High King's Gift screamed unable to stomach when it consumed, vomiting out every last drop as Peter groaned in pain.

Edmund's scars were aching. The skin of his chest was smooth, unbroken, nothing left of the sign of Abaddon that had once been branded there. But he could feel it now, threads of hot wire writhing beneath his skin. He clutched at wounds that did not exist, trying to swallow his scream.

Inara and Elias clutched at their heads, crying out as flashes of wild things crashed through their mind. Inara saw snakes, a huge pit of twisting, hissing serpentine things that bit at her. She yelped because even though she was immune to their poison it did not stop the pain, pure fire pouring through her veins. Iron loops closed around her throat and she was falling, struggling to breathe, Tash's wrath enough to almost kill her.

Elias was stumbling through frozen tundra, smoky-eyed wolves snapping at his heels. He was standing with his friends in the darkness and he also being chased, the scientist in two impossible places. He stumbled in the snow and the wolves were on him, baying for his blood, their teeth sinking into his flesh as Elias choked on his blood. He fell, flailing wildly, fighting off beasts only he could see.

They stiffened as they felt Tash's clawed hands touch their flesh, his skin burning them like a brand. Zaru yelped as he too was marked by the death-god's fingers, the leopard screaming in agony.

Strife sat in his chair, watching them falling, watching them scream and twitch as Tash continued to hurl threats at him, threatening to rip out his spine, his spleen, to dash his brains out and feast on them.

"No!"

Lucy grabbed at her, trying to silence the voices that raged inside her skull. Lucinda was speaking, trying to soothe her, trying to beat the others back.

'_Go to him!' _the Dawn-Breaker shrieked at her, _'He is one of the horseman! He will lead us back to the master!'_

'_Kill him!' _Lucia roared, the General shaking her glaive, _'He is a creature of the dark!'_

Lucy staggered as the two fought for control, trying to beat her into submission, to shove her into the dark and disappear.

Stop it. Stop it!

Lucinda echoed her cry, trying to keep the peace but her voice only added to the confusion.

Stop it.

'_Go!'_

Lucy paled as she found herself moving forwards, inching towards the man in the chair. Lucia roared, also pushing her, wanting to get within striking distance.

Stop!

'_STOP!' _Lucinda yelled desperately.

Danaid and Ladybug were begging for help, Lucille ignoring them all. Tears poured down Lucy's face, her head pounding with pain.

Stop.

Her voice was getting weaker, Lucia and the Dawn-Breaker almost drowning her out.

She took another step closer to the horseman in the chair.

Stop.

_GO!' _Lucia and the Dawn-Breaker roared and Lucy could not fight them anymore.

She was weeping, blind and deaf, stumbling another step closer to Strife. She suddenly stopped in her tracks, a hard hand closing around her wrist. She looked up and Jason stared back down at her.

The Seeker could feel Tash's rage and he could feel it shaking the walls that surrounded the ruach, the white fire throwing itself furiously against the barrier, trying to break free. With a grunt he pushed it back, the wall threatening to crack.

No. Jason gritted his teeth, trying to imagine the wall whole, trying to make it hold. It had to hold. He couldn't be trusted with laid beyond. Not yet. Not ever.

Lucy stared up at him and Jason gave her a grim smile, both of them fighting a battle against themselves.

"... to a Tournament of the Throne," Strife finished, his voice somehow audible above their screams, the wild roar of the wind.

And Tash fell silent, his wrath fading, the nightmares, the power assaulting the humans before him vanishing.

They slowly rose to their feet, gasping for breath, eyes wide in their pale faces.

Strife studied Tash, the death-god now smiling in smug satisfaction.

"I accept," the vulture-headed deity hissed, "These are my champions."

He gestured, his hands encompassing them all.

"You will have to choose a Crown," Strife said mildly.

Tash's eyes flicked towards the humans before, the god studying them like a glutton studying a box of treats. They all tensed, weapons drawn, ready to fight. Finally one hand jabbed forwards, pointing at one of them.

"She will be my Crown."

Lucy stared at the god, eyes wide as Peter growled, Susan and Edmund cursing loudly.

"What are you – "

"These are my champions. My Crown has been chosen already," Strife announced cutting off Peter's voice.

Seven figures stepped behind him, their features lost in the gloom. Tash chuckled studying the shadowy things, sneering at what he alone could see.

"So it begins," Tash said with relish, "You will lose."

War looked at the god, his face as wearied as ever.

"We shall see. We begin as soon as your champions are returned. I am one short but – "

He looked at Tash's champions, studying them, dissecting them and analysing them all in one swift gaze.

"Many of them are crippled. I will let it pass."

"Crippled?!" Inara growled.

Strife ignored her as he swung his chair around in one big arc, wheeling away as the seven silhouettes followed behind in two marching military lines.

Tash watched them go, hissing and spitting.

"What the hell?!" Susan roared.

"That thing," the death-god spat out that word, "Has challenged me to a battle. A war in miniature. My champions against his. The goal is not to slaughter each other but to take each other's Crown, a person who the champions must protect at all costs."

"Wait."

Peter's voice was deadly cold and the High King didn't care it was a god he was hissing at.

"You chose my sister to be that Crown?! You set a horseman after her?!" he spat.

Tash glared at him, enjoying his rage, knowing it was useless.

"Your sister made a bargain with me. This is the favour I want from her. She will fight for me or our deal is broke and I claim her soul right here, right now."

Caspian cursed loudly, his sword in his hands, ready to charge at the god but Susan grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"We need to help him."

"What?!" Caspian snapped.

"We let the darkness beat Tash and we are letting another god fall, another victory to Gavin," Susan said flatly, hating what she had to say.

Zaru shuddered as he remembered the Tzaraath gods, shackled by chains to Paxton.

"We help him win and we are helping our cause," Edmund finished disgusted but knowing it was the logical thing to do

Tash laughed and it was a cruel, harsh sound, designed to ground them down into the dirt.

"All you have to do is fight against his seven champions and snatch or kill his Crown," Tash's eyes glittered, "It is as simple as that."

"No!" Inara protested, "We can't – this is insane! We don't work for – "

"I will grant you two things beyond the ending of our bargain," the death-god broke in.

They all stared at him, knowing that something was coming, trembling at the glee in Tash's face.

"The Great Darkness is expending a lot of strength in this campaign. If you will it will weaken him and I will gain great power, in that moment of victory I will have a single window where my strength and the boy's strength is equal. I will use it..."

"To do what?" Lucy asked.

Aslan help her, she wanted to be this Crown, wanted to throw herself head long into battle and show her siblings she wasn't a victim, she wasn't someone that need others to look after her. She was the Valiant Queen, she was as good with a blade as any of them, as brave and courageous.

"I will use it to return you all to Narnia."

The kings and queens of Narnia froze, their companions looking at them, knowing what this meant.

"Impossible," Caspian breathed.

"I will also grant you one other thing," Tash continued, laughing, relishing the power he wielded over Aslan's pawns, "I will help you heal your sister."

The Dawn-Breaker shrieked in her head, cursing the death-god as Lucy's jaws dropped.

"Now..."  
Tash already knew what the answer was.

"Will you fight for me?"

They looked at each other.

"We have to..." Elias whispered, "We..."

"We can win," Lucy tried to smile, "We can do this."

"Do we have a choice?" Caspian growled in disgust.

Jason said nothing, already steeling himself for battle. Susan closed her eyes and prayed she would regret this moment.

"Okay," it came out as a whisper, growing stronger, becoming a command, "We will."

Tash laughed and light flared, bleaching away the darkness, picking them and pushing them through time and space, returning them to the land they had been snatched from – the land of Lawless.

. . . . . . .

And end of chapter – next up an arc of epic, epic battles!


	87. Skirmish in Old Haven

New chapter! Get it whilst its hot!

Disclaimer: What's mine is mine, what's not is not

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 87: Skirmish in Old Haven**

They were free. At long last they were free.

"My brothers! My sisters!"

He stood before them, tall and magnificent, his hair gleaming gold, his face as proud and distant as the highest mountain peaks. When he spoke, he didn't talk to them, he talked down to them.

"This is our chance. This is our moment. All we have to do is to strike them those fools and we will live forever!"

There no hesitation in his eyes, nothing in his words or behaviour to suggest that he doubted their victory. Their victory was inevitable, their enemies as good as dead simply because he believed it.

"We must tread carefully brother."

Gossamer silk wound around her buxom form, the woman's impossibly pink lips pulled into a pretty pout. Her eyes smouldered, twin pits of boiling flames that could ignite the most insane passion with a mere look.

"We have failed before," she pointed out.

They were the oldest, the most powerful but even she had to bend knee to her brother, they all had to because he simply would not accept otherwise.

"Don't worry sister," he growled, "You will have plenty of toys to play with."

She laughed but what sprung from her throat were not joyful sounds but a siren's song, a melody designed to inflame the senses and to make grown men stagger. She shifted in her seat and that move made the gown press across her chest, baring almost every square inch of immaculate flesh.

It was wonderful to see her brother back to his normal self. He really was a thing of beauty, filled with such certainty and power, brimming with hubris once more.

"It has been too long," she noted, idly playing with her blonde-white hair.

"I am so hungry."

Luxuria looked at another of her family and Gula stared emptily back, his heavy jaw gaping freely. One doughy hand was pressed to his immense girth, the only wrapped tight around the arm of his chair. He was shuddering, shaking, the centuries of sleep having kept his hunger at bay but now that he was awake...

"Soon there will be food," Superbia sneered, mocking the portly man's weakness, "And they were be gold as well."

Avaritia's eyes glittered, the strong man twirling and flipping a gold coin in his hands again and again, enjoying the heaviness of it, the familiarity. His coffers were already filled to bursting but still he had to have more, all the jewels and all the gold in the world – they were his, his alone, his to treasure! And any who stopped him would fall to his sword!

Acedia stayed silent as ever, a tall skeletal thing with dead eyes who stood slouched in the corner, as ragged and bare-boned as a scarecrow abandoned in the fields. They all ignored him, terrified of him. Because whilst they ignited need and desire in all that they touched Acedia was the opposite, he devoured it, draining men dry of dreams and wants and living them as shambling husks.

Luxuria shuddered.

"But I don't want to fight!"

Ira was the smallest of them all, a pretty girl in pretty clothes with a little girl's thunderous scowl on her face. Luxuria clucked and drew her arms around the youngest of them all, soothing her.

It would not do for Ira to unleash her powers here now was not the time.

"If we all do our part we will not fail!" Superbia growled, glaring at them, "I will lead us into battle and if you listen to my commands we will win!"

"Sometimes..."

Invidia looked at the oldest brother, her emerald hair as shocking as ever. She was a slight thin, a melancholy look on her face as she looked at Superbia with hate and desire.

"I really envy the way you lead us."

Superbia stiffened but he did not let it rattle him, could not. He as the strongest of them all, the wisest, the swiftest. He alone stood at the pinnacle, strong on the top of his alabaster the towers, the others scrambling at his feet.

He was unmoveable, as unshakeable as the mountains and they would all do well to remember that.

"The time for talk is over," he growled, "Soon we will fight."

He looked at his brothers, his sisters and his smile infected them all, all of them rising to their feet, shoulders squared and thrown back, filled with certainty, with pride.

"We will win. We will snatch their Crown and we will crush it in our hands!" Superbia roared, eyes slashing, "Victory will always be ours!"  
Against their judgement, their very nature they cheered back, so powerful was Superbia's influence.

Victory would be theirs! Victory for the Saligia! For the Seven Sins!

Superbia laughed and with a sweep of his hands they were gone, marching into battle once more.

. . . . . . . .

He had been born here.

The main street of Old Haven was nothing more than a forlorn strip of sand and dirt, packed hard by centuries of feet and hooves and baked endlessly by the merciless sun. It had been here, in the biggest town in all of Lawless, that Nathaniel had tried to drink his memories away. It had been here the Great Darkness had first touched his life. It had been here, waking up in the middle of this very street that Nathaniel had died and Jason Serra had been born.

His nails drew blood as his hands clenched into tight fists.

Jason had to be born, Nathaniel had to be so lost in his despair that he would say yes to a complete stranger, would willingly give up his memory, his lives for a few brief years of sweet ignorance.

The Hermit of the Southern Marches had shown him the alternative, the world in which Susan waged her war alone, losing so much that her heart was as black and hard as coal. That world had ended in death to everyone that Jason had loved.

But was this the better choice? A world where he betrayed those he had come to care about? A world where he had helped the very enemy he was supposed to stop and not only that, give them the biggest victory imaginable?

Four monsters rode free amongst the worlds and it was all his doing, the death and destruction they caused all on his hands?

Jason Serra had been born in this town. This was his home – a miserable cesspool of shanty homes, booze bars and brothels. The perfect nest for a monster.

"Well that looks familiar."

Jason turned and fixed his cool gaze on Edmund's face. The boy king tried to appear nonchalant, resting easily against the railing of the veranda. But tension filled every muscle of his body, Edmund ready to attack, ready to run if needed.

Jason snorted.

If he wanted Edmund dead he would be, no matter how well prepared he thought he was.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"Trying to avoid Peter," Edmund shrugged as Jason raised one brow, "He is not happy Tash is using Lucy as the Crown."

"And when have we ever cared what Peter wanted?"  
Edmund smirked.

"Exactly."

They fell silent after that Edmund studying Jason, the Seeker pretending not to notice. Several times the king opened his mouth, ready to say something but every time he stopped, frowning, lips moving quietly as he ran through his speech once more, honing, shaping, making sure everything was exactly what he wanted. After the sixth time that happened Jason lost his patience.

"Just come out and say it," he snapped.

Edmund winced but met his eyes gamely.

"It's not your fault you know," he began, "Look I know what – "

Jason looked at him completely unimpressed.

"You don't need to rescue me."

Edmund blinked, expecting the man to explode at him, for the Seeker to cut him off with cold words and cold stares but this... Jason's face showed nothing but a small amused smile.

"I'm not going to throw myself off a cliff," the Seeker said simply, "I did what I'm did and killing myself or getting myself killed is not going to change that."

"So what are you going to do?"

It was shocking to see Jason with his walls so far down, his thoughts and feelings given so freely.

"Fight."

Jason's eyes glinted with a familiar hard light.

"I'm going to help you save the worlds," the Seeker all but spat out.

Edmund studied him carefully, blue eyes thoughtful.

"But you still hate yourself."

Edmund could see it in Jason's face, could recognise the dark look that lurked there because it was a look that had lived with him for so long it would always be part of him now. Jason snorted.

"You do as well."

Edmund flinched.

It was so long ago that some of the memories had started to fray, to yellow and age like a photograph left in the dark for too long. But there were some parts of it that was still impossibly clear, still so razor sharp that it cut. Jadis's face. Her ermine cloak around his frail form. The taste of Turkish delight. They were a part of him, they were what part him who he was today. And woven through all that now was nightmares of the darkness and heavy steel armour, dreams of green flames and a lute that played endlessly – more reasons to hate himself, more reasons to lose himself to despair and darkness.

But the judgement at Gomorrah had showed him that he was more than that. That he had to use those things to make himself stronger not let them break him. Jason was right. Crying and weeping and wishing for absolution solved nothing. They had to seize the chance they had been given, whether they turly deserved it or not, and fight for their soul every day and every night.

"Can we trust you?" Edmund wondered aloud.

Was he talking about Jason? About himself?

""If you don't trust me you can try and attack me," Jason's smile was all teeth, "But I'm not going to make it easy for you."

Edmund offered the Seeker a cool smile, letting the man see that he was not in the least bit intimidated.

"If I trained you might stand a chance," Jason offered.

"I've seen you train Inara. It's basically an excuse for you two to beat each other half to death," Edmund pointed out.

"What are you a coward?" the Seeker smirked back.

Before Edmund could answer that the whole house suddenly shook, the Just King stumbling against the railing.

"PETER!" Susan and Inara roared from somewhere inside the house.

Sighing Edmund turned, hurrying to deal with the latest brewing disaster as Jason watched him go, the smile on his face slowly folding away. He turned and stared back out at the main street of Old Haven, his thoughts just a feather lighter than before.

. . . . . . . .

Inara rose, staring at the patch of charred wall behind her. She whirled, eyes silver and Peter gulped, hands raised in surrender. Sweat beaded on his face as he realised he was now facing two extremely peeved women.

"PETER!" Despite everything Lucy couldn't help but gape as she saw her brother quail before the combined fury of Susan and Inara.

"Sorry! Sorry!"

Lucy blinked as Peter flushed, apologising profusely. The shock was not only from seeing lightning leap from her brother's skin but from the way he immediately admitted fault, the frantic way he tried to smooth things over. Peter had never been the peacekeeper in the family, he was too much of a bulldozer, trampling anything that stood in his way. Even when he had made mistakes, not matter how disastrous, his first instinct had always been to anger, to let fly with his temper.

Lucy loved her brother but even she had to admit he was an idiot sometimes. For a brief second her mind stole back to their last time in Narnia, to the day after the failed raid. She still shuddered at the memory of Peter and Caspian turning on each other, swords drawn but one look at the Caspian now, lounging comfortably in an overstuffed chair, a smirk on his face as he watched Peter dig himself a bigger and bigger hole, the High King desperately looking at the Telmarine for help, told her how much things had changed.

They had all changed, Lucy realised.

Edmund was finally more willing to smile, more willing to be open even to people who were almost strangers to him. And Susan... Lucy was glad her sister was back, that the pain and the despair that had haunted her had vanished. Now the Gentle Queen commanded her people as well as any seasoned general, Peter and Edmund trusting her lead as much as they trusted their own.

And what of her?

Lucy could dimly feel Lucia in her head. The General was studying the figures before her, weighing them up, listing the ones who could oppose her, the ones she could use, the leader of the Oni making her own plans.

Lucy turned cold.

She knew she was broken. Knew that impossibly other people, other minds lived inside her head but whilst some, like Lucinda, talked to her, made their intentions clear, others like Lucille and Lucia was as alien to her as the moon.

"Aslan."

But the Great Lion could not save her anymore, could not save any of them, no matter how much she prayed for it. There was no more Aslan to sacrifice Himself on the stone table, no more Aslan to awaken the trees. He was gone, trapped by the Great Darkness and now even standing amongst her family Lucy had never felt so alone.

"I don't think I'm strong enough,"

"Of course you're not!"

And the Dawn-Breaker was standing beside her, dark eyes burning with malice. Lucy jumped but the others did not notice, the man in the room nothing more than an unseen ghost to them.

"Just go back to sleep!" the assassin sneered, "And let me take care of everything!"

Lucy froze, sweat pouring down her face.

"No…"

"You did it once…" the Dawn-Breaker's voice dropped to a silky whisper.

The Orchard. The Seeds. The sleepers and the dreams. It all rushed back to her and Lucy suddenly burned with shame.

The Dawn-Breaker laughed and he seemed to tower over her, the Valiant Queen cast in his shadows, dominated in every possible way. She shrank as the monster reached out, his fingers reaching for her hair. He smiled a lover's smile, soft and seductive, his eyes trying to draw her in.

"You can do it again…"

"NO!"

Lucinda and her screamed with the same voice, the High Inquisitor appearing before her eyes. Lucy whirled to the woman, begging for help, for something to cling onto.

"Don't listen to him," Lucinda snarled.

The Dawn-Breaker smirked as Lucy shook her head, trying to get the voices out of her head. Her eyes snapped shut, a scream welling in her throat, trying to climb out.

"Lucy?"

Her eyes snapped open and Peter was there, Lucinda and the Dawn-Breaker vanished like the figments they were.

"Lucy?" the High King watched his sister carefully, Susan and Inara looking over his shoulders.

Lucy gave him a shaky smile, trying to fight the tears off her face. She could still hear the Dawn-Breaker's voice, could feel Lucinda's steely determination as she fought the monster back. Wildly Lucy grabbed for something to distract him.

"It's too late."

Peter froze, frowning at her as Lucy threw her shoulders back. She wasn't the Valiant Queen for nothing and it was about time she earned that title!

Shoving the Dawn-Breaker and Lucinda and all the others to the back of her head, Lucy met her brother's gaze with steady eyes.

"We've already made the deal," she said gently, watching her brother grimace, "We can't change anything."

"I should be the Crown!" Peter snarled, "I should – "  
"Why do you think Tash chose her?" Caspian pointed out, flatly, "Because he knew we would die before we let anything happen to her."

Peter stopped, eyes widening as now it was time for Lucy to grimace.

"We have to Peter," she forced herself to say, "If we win…"

The High King closed his eyes, hating, hating what she was about to say.

"We go home," Susan said softly, hardly daring to breathe, "And…"

"He'll fix me."

It came out broken, the Valiant Queen hardly daring to believe. The words seem to hang in the air, a small fragile and talisman and with that there was no arguments. Peter straightened and there was a deadly strength in his eyes.

"We will win," he vowed looking at Lucy, "It doesn't matter what they throw at us, we will win."

Zaru watched this all through a haze of foggy exhaustion. He was tired to the bone, his eyes falling shut every second, every time it took to open them again a Herculean task he wasn't sure he could continue doing.

Darkness.

His breath evened, his numbed mind sinking into oblivion, into –

Makat's face, furious, twisted, barely human as he stabbed his sceptre forwards, a woman screaming as she exploded into gouts of thick black blood.

Zaru gasped, jerking up, sleep fleeing as his hackles rose. A sob curled in his throat but he do not utter it, trying to keep still, to keep silent.

He was so tired, so very tired but sleep...

Sleep was worse than death, his guilt, his shame waiting for him in the dark.

"So what's the plan?" Elias asked.

Susan sighed.

"We don't know anything about what's going to happen."

The door banged open and Edmund stuck his head in, smirking as he saw the charred patched on the wall. He looked at Peter and his brother instantly scowled.

"Shut it," he warned.

"Didn't say a thing," Edmund sing-songed.

Peter growled.

"Awww... fluffy buns don't pout," Inara cooed.

For the thousandth time Peter wondered why he had chosen her out of the all the people in the worlds to love. Inara laughed but when she turned to the others, her face was dead serious again.

"Isn't it simple? Anyone who tries to get to Lucy we kill," she said flatly, eyes holding the slightest glint of silver, "Painfully and slowly."

Right. That's why he loved her.

"I can defend myself," Lucy said softly.

But the others didn't hear her or chose not to.

"A rotating roster," Susan decided, "Two people with Lucy at all times at the least. We need to make sure they don't – "

"BOOOM!"

The air roared, thunder booming as though they were suddenly inside the cavity of a drum, a monstrous titan pounding away ruthlessly. Their teeth shook in their sockets, all of them yelling out as they tried to steady themselves.

Without a single word they rushed for the door, the roar growing, swelling, hitting them like a physical thing as they burst through the front of the house and to the veranda outside. Jason waited for them, wordlessly pointing.

A pillar of smoke rose high up into the air, the screams of the dying audible even above the sound that was slowly fading away.

"Peter! Elias! Stay with Lucy!" Susan ordered, "We – "

"No! I can – " Lucy began desperately.

She was cut off as Peter barrelled into her, pushing and herding her back into the house, Elias half a step behind the king.

"Peter!" Lucy tried frantically, "Please! I can – "  
Beyond their shoulders she could see the others hefting their weapons, nodding to each other before charging off down the main street of Old Haven.

"Peter!"

"I have to keep you safe!" Peter snapped at her, "Lucy! Please! Listen!"

"It was begun!"

Lucy felt the breath desert her lungs. The Dawn-Breaker was howling with mirth, his face bloated in her head, his will trying to shove hers aside. She fought him, her vision greying, threatening to turn to black.

"It has begun! Soon we will be reunited with our master! SOON!"

Limp and trembling Lucy let herself be dragged back into the house, fighting an internal battle of her own.

. . . . . . . .

Superbia looked around them, at the curved charred walls of the crater they had just blasted into the centre of this miserable little town and smiled. Bodies laid all around them, some charred, some disintegrated, others bundles of melting flesh and exposed bones, moaning away the last few seconds of their sad little lives. Gula was already feeding, fat stubby fingers jamming lumps of torn off flesh into his mouth. He grunted and he groaned around each mouthful, eyes rolling into the back of his head in pure ecstasy. Luxuria looked at him with distaste, the angelic woman gliding away from her heavy brother.

Avaritia picked his way through the destruction, snorting as he uncovered the odd rude copper coin. Despite his distaste, he shoved each and every scrap he found into the folds of his robes. Invidia looked as she always did, lost and confused, searching for something that even she didn't quite understand. Acedia stood, towering above them all, face and eyes as empty as ever and at his feet Ira rocked herself back and forth, covering her ears, eyes shut tightly, whimpering frantically under her breath.

Looking at them all it was almost impossible to believe they were seven of the oldest creatures to ever walk the worlds, alive and thriving in each and every place, immortal always in the hearts of the men.

They were the Saligia, the Seven Deadly Sins. And the oldest of them all looked at his brethren and uttered one command.

"Disperse."

They moved swiftly, the seven Sins of Old leaping out of the gaping hole in the ground and vanishing into other parts of the city, chaos and death spreading out in each and every direction.

. . . . . . . .

The smell of smoke and burning flesh thick in the air as they fought against the wave of people running away from the destruction, the press of bodies threatening to sweep them away.

"GET LOST!" Inara yelled, shoving and kicking, "STOP – "

"GARGH!"

"ARGH!"

Screams rang out as bodies fell, the crowd faltering, looking around frantically trying to figure out where the danger was coming from.  
"HELP! HELP! HEL – "

The cries were cut off with strangling chokes as more screams rang out, the mass of people surging to life, trampling each other in their madness to get away.

"TWHIP!"

Caspian staggered, blood spraying his side as a woman next to him was cut down. Her arm shot out, ringed fingers closing around the king's arms, dragging him down as she fell.

"TWHIP!"

An arm went flying through the air, blood spilling hot and thick as more and more bodies hit the ground.

"THERE!" Zaru roared.

"TWHIP! TWHIP! TWHIP!"

He could see it now, a golden blur that sped through the air, cutting everything it touched. A man staggered, sliced almost in two and as the thing cleaved through it flesh Zaru could finally make out what it was. It was a long coil of golden chain, spiked and bladed all along its length. It seemed to move with a mind of its own, searching for fresh victims, lancing forwards, whipping across, slicing through flesh and bone as easily as air.

"ED!" Zaru roared.

The chain dove for the Just King, stabbing towards him at a blistering speed. Working on pure instincts, on pure reaction Edmund slashed out with his sword and chain crashed against the blade in a shower of sparks.

"ED!"

The chain fell to the ground, limp and lifeless, only the blood covering its links showing how deadly it really was. The crowd had all but fled, only the dead and dying left.

"Impressive."

A lone figure stood before them, the end of the chain held tight in one hand. In the other he held a long flat blade, a thing of wrought gold and gem inlays, as much as weapon as a thing of overwhelming vanity.

Gold eyes studied them, bright against the man's polished wood skin. Studs of gold protruded from his skin, the piercings making him a fierce beast of spikes and horns, primeval especially against his rich clothing made of the silk and velvets, every square inch thick with gold scrollwork.

"Who the hell are you?" Caspian growled.

Their weapons were drawn, all of them forming a rough half-circle before the man. Zaru growled, adrenaline pushing his exhaustion back, Jason's eyes alive for the first time as he studied their enemy. Susan kept her bow trained on the killer, the voice of the darkness urging her to kill.

"I am Avaritia."

Edmund blinked.

"Greed," he realised, a sick feeling in his gut, "You're – "

"We are the Saligia. We are the Sins," Avaritia sneered, cutting him off with a baring of golden teeth, "We are your enemies in this tournament."

"Wait... our enemies are the seven deadly sins?" Inara realised.

Avaritia's eyes flicked towards her and they gleamed with vicious amusement. Inara paled but the grip on her sword did not loosen. She gritted her teeth, her eyes turning pure silver. But it was Edmund who spoke.

"Go."

"WHAT?!" Susan and Caspian looked at him as Edmund raised his sword.

"There's six more of them. I'll handle him," Edmund could tell from the easy way that Avaritia held his sword, that this monster was as skilled a blademaster as he was, "Other people are dying Su."

Susan cursed, her sceptre flashing red from its sheath on her back but she knew her brother was right. The others kept their eyes trained on the Sin standing before them, carefully saying nothing.

"Don't do anything stupid," Susan said finally.

Edmund gave her a wry smile.

"Have I ever done anything stupid?" he said lightly.

For a brief second it looked like Susan was going to change her mind, going to argue but she nodded at him. One gesture from her and they were off, rushing away from the main street of Old Heaven, leaving the Just King to fight his battle.

Avaritia sneered and one a flick of his hands, the gold chain returned to him, coiling around his arm, spikes digging deep without drawing blood.

"You can leave this fight," the Sin mocked, "I have plenty of fresh pickings to distract me."  
Edmund realised that the people the monster had killed were all wearing jewellery and fine clothing, proud symbols of wealth that had marked them for their slayer. Fury rose and settled under his skin, his blue eyes flashing.

"Only one of us is leaving this fight," Edmund vowed, shifting back into a battle stance.

Avaritia did the same, his long curved sword held easily in his powerful hands.

"Any last words?" the monster mocked, light glint

Edmund did even bother to reply, charging forwards with a cry as Avaritia rushed to meet him, the blades clashing together with a thunderous crash.

. . . . . . . .

"MOVE!"

Caspian shoved her forwards, Susan staggering as huge clawed hand slammed to earth. She rolled to her feet, her hand leaping to her quiver, arrow to bow and in flight in the blink of an eye. The ogre swatted it aside, roaring at her as over its shoulders Susan could see Inara and Jason fighting against a creature of wood and nails, the blades biting deep but doing nothing but annoy.

"STOP IT! STOP IT!"

In the centre of all the madness a little girl with burning red eyes stamped her feet, her face flushing as she screamed at them furiously.

"STOP IT!"

A house was torn apart by invisible hands, wood and bricks slammed together, given life as the newborn monster opened its door mouth and roared, window eyes opening and closing quickly. Zaru cursed, leaping out of the way as this new enemy bellowed grabbing for him.

They had been ambushed just two streets away from where they had left Edmund to fight his fight, caught by a sweet little girl with rosy dimpled cheeks. She had laughed, blood smeared across her pretty white dress as flies buzzed amongst the bodies piled high all around, torn bellies spilling out sewerage and muck.

Zaru had roared at her, demanding to know who she was and fury has flashed across her face. One scream from her and the houses, the very ground itself had come to life.

The dirt and stone giant Susan and Caspian fought gave a dull cry and lunged forwards, its prey much too swift for it. It stumbled, crashing into the front of a bar, demolishing the facade as the little girl continued to scream out her rage.

"Ira..."

The girl quietened, choking on her sobs as the three monsters she had conjured stilled, staring blankly ahead. Susan and the others turned to face the newcomer, all of them bleeding from a dozen cuts and aching from a dozen bruises.

"I do apologise..."

Luxuria glided towards them, her sweet flesh suffused with light, the buxom woman incandescent and ethereal against the sullen backdrop of Old Haven.

"Ira cannot control her temper," she smiled, the grin an open invitation to all who would covet her.

Caspian and Jason were openly staring, desire stirring in their veins. One look from her and they were captivated, unable to comprehend her beauty, transfixed and paralysed, their bodies trembling with need.

"Lust?" Susan growled as the Hunt-Beast snarled jealously in her head.

"Luxuria," the beauty answered in a sultry teasing tone.

She pulled at the hem of her gossamer dress and it fell away, flowing from her body like water. Caspian took a step forwards, drawn irrevocably as Jason forgot how to breathe.

Her bare skin was marked with a thousand tattoos, a riot of beasts and symbols stark against her milky white flesh. A copper serpent coiled around one shoulder, a tiger glaring from one hip. A rose blossomed around her navel, one breast anointed with flames, the other with stark tribal marks.

A hand ran slowly and teasingly down form sternum to leg, Luxuria savouring the power she held over Jason and Caspian. Even Susan and Inara were struck by her influence, the two women staring at her, want setting a slow flame in their minds.

"You are all so beautiful," Luxuria's face was sad, "But I am afraid we are enemies."

She raise one hand, pointing at them and the tattoos on her skin moved, writhing with life.

"My deepest apologies."

It was Zaru who saved them all, the leopard immune from the Sin's charms as he dove, tackling them all out of the way. The snake marking on Luxuria's arm lunged and leapt from her skin, ink becoming scales, picture becoming life as the head of the great serpent surged forwards with poison-thick fangs.

Luxuria roared, a scowl twisting her impossibly beautiful face and she whirled, her hands shooting out. Ira screeched as her own sister slapped her, the little girl's eyes turning pure red.

"I HATE YOU!" the Sin of Wrath roared.

Lust laughed as Ira screamed and the sound was like a bomb going off. Zaru was hit first, reeling as the sound stabbed into his ears, piercing his brain and sending every nerve in his body convulsing in pure agony. He hit the ground, writhing as blood leaked from his ears.

"ARGGGH!"  
The others were screaming too, hands clapped over their ears trying to block out Ira's cries. Luxuria laughed, the glow from her body spilling over them, desire pounding through their veins. They were torn, caught before pain and ecstasy, hammered and stroked, their body not knowing how to react.

Luxuria stepped forwards, the snake once more rising from her skin, the Sin ready to kill her enemies in one swift blow.

KILL! KILL!

The darkness's voice broke through her pain, through the seduction trying to bind her mind and in that one precious moment of clarity Susan grabbed for her sceptre and swung it around with a cry.

Ira and Luxuria were thrown off their feet in a burst of red light, the girl's screams fading as the monsters she had created crumbled to dust. The two Saligia hit the ground and still trembling, still aching with pain and want, their enemies staggered to their feet.

Luxuria rose, murder in her eyes as Ira scrambled to her feet, eyes wide, stunned that someone had dared to attack her, too shocked to be angry.

"This fight is a little unbalanced," Luxuria growled, glaring at the five enemies before her.

"You killed innocent people and expect us to play fair?" Caspian snapped back, "My heart bleeds for you. Truly."

"Can we not anger the crazy homicidal maniacs?" Inara muttered.

Luxuria laughed and she pointed one long finger at them.

"Don't worry dear," she cooed, winking at Inara saucily, "We can play alone later."

"DOWN!" Zaru roared, already seeing the tattoos moving.

But it was already too late.

Vines exploded from her hands, long wicked thorns stabbing at them as blood red blooms perfumed the air. They were forced apart, forced to backpedal hurriedly as prickles and barbs flared in their faces.

"SUSAN!" Caspian yelled as he and Jason stumbled back, a wall of green rushing towards them.

Zaru roared, his claws completely useless as he was forced to turn tail and run, the sickening sweet scent of the roses all around drowning out even the stench of his guilt.

A bower of thorns rose above and around Susan and Inara cutting them off as the two girls stood back to back, weapons raised, ready to fight against the plants. Their breathing was loud and harsh in that little cocoon, both knowing that if the vines decided to attack they were going to be cut to ribbons. But instead of sealing their doom the rose vines shifted, sun bleeding back into their prison.

"What – "

The plants fell away completely and Inara and Susan found themselves standing alone, facing Luxuria and Ira as the two Sins smiled at them.

"That's better," Luxuria smirked the vines retreating back into her skin, becoming just tattoos once more, "Just us girls."

Susan tightened her grip on her sceptre, the darkness's voice rising, growing stronger, urging her to lunge, to stab and kill and burn.

"Is this the part where we have to kill each other?" Inara asked, eyes silver, "Because I've got to say... that's the part I like best."

Ira surprised them all by suddenly bursting into peals of delighted laughter. Far off Susan and Inara could hear more screams, more cries as the other Sins continued to wreak havoc on the town of Old Haven. Susan tried to control her rage, her whole body trembling.

How many people were going to die today? How many people had already died? Silently she cursed Tash, cursed the darkness, cursed her stupidity for dragging her family into this mess.

"She's angry," Ira giggled, red eyes glowing, "She's so very angry!"

She laughed again, clapping her hands in excitement as Susan and Inara tensed. .

"I know dear," Luxuria patted her sister on the head, "Soon you'll have a new dolly to play with."

"I'm going to go out on a limb and say getting angry around her is not a good idea," Inara said slowly.

"No..."

Luxuria's smile was full of predatory intent.

"Ira's wrath contaminates the very air around her. It turns inanimate object into her pets – things of unbridled rage and murderous fury. The angrier she gets the more pets she makes and the stronger she gets," Lust laughed, "And if you get angry around her, you're just letting her into your empty little heads and she will play with you like a marionette."

Susan blanched.

"Inara..."

"Contrary to popular belief I can control my temper," Inara said flatly, "How about you Queenie?"

Susan flinched, a flush suffusing her cheeks as the Hunt-Beast roared in her head, the darkness cackling with malicious laughter.

"I'll take on Lust. You take on the girl," she snapped.

Inara smirked but said nothing.

"Please my name is Luxuria. Lust just seems so..." the Sin paused, delicate lips twisted into a odd little smile.

"So blunt?" Susan sneered.

"No..." Luxuria's eyes danced, "Vulgar."

They split, Luxuria against Susan, Ira against Inara. The half-Naga was breathing in and out through her mouth, long deep breaths as she tried to find that pool of stillness deep down inside of her. Past the anger, the nerves and the hate, she could feel it. She plunged herself deep into the calm, everything suddenly becoming sharper, clearer. She looked at Ira and smiled, knowing there was no way the little girl could control her now. The little Saligia grinned right back with a pixie's face, sweet innocence hiding the monster that lurked within.

"Well now... I guess we fight," Luxuria said with a sigh as light filled her skin once more.

She grabbed Ira by the hair and tugged, causing the little girl to shriek as rage filled her eyes. Inara tensed as the ground around them rose, the sand and earth infected by the girl's wrath.

Luxuria thrust her hips around obscenely, laughing as the tattoo of a tiger roared into life, the feline leaping from her skin and landing before her, an oversized beast with burning eyes and yellowed teeth. A flick of one finger and a swarm of butterfly with jet black wings hovered above Luruxia's head.

Susan tightened the grip on her sceptre as Luxuria opened her arms, baring her chest without the slightest hint of shame.

With a roar Inara charged but the ground beneath her heaved, throwing her away as Ira screeched her fury. The ground became mud, rising in a giant tidal wave of sand and clay as Inara struggled to her feet.

"INARA!"

The half-Naga cried out as the tall of earth fell on her in a crushing deluge, the girl lost to sight as Susan screamed her name. Distracted Luxuria struck, the tiger and butterflies leaping forwards.

A red burst of light struck the tiger, forcing it back as the butterflies dived. Susan screamed as wings sliced into her skin, her hands suddenly slick with blood. She staggered back. Blind as she was cut in a flurry of black razors, caught in a deadly fight for her life.

. . . . . . . .

The roses fell away, the thorns retracting as Zaru finally staggered free from the veritable jungle that had just threatened to swallow him whole. Blood specked his fur, the plants having scored more than a dozen wounds all over his body but he was alive and for that he was eternally grateful.

A low moan made him turn around.

The leopard slowly turned, hardly daring to breathe as another groan flittered into his ears. A man's face entered the corner of his eyes and Zaru felt ice slide down his spine.

"What the..."

The whole street was full of bodies, living breathing forms with dead staring eyes and mouths that opened and closed like fishes.

"What..."

Men, women and child, they laid on the ground like fallen rag dolls, still alive but as unmoving as corpses. Every face held the same blank look, every pair of eyes deep dark wells that looked down into nothing.

Zaru slowly picked his way through the bodies, looking for any signs of life, anything but empty dead faces.

"Come on..."

He poked a man in the face with his paw, trying to wake him from his stupor.

"Wake up! WAKE UP!"

He smacked the man with the flat of his paw but Zaru got nothing but an unending stare.

"What – "

He suddenly heard a rustle of cloth.

Zaru whirled and stared into the face of death.

"Who... who are you?" Zaru stuttered, backing away.

The man stalked forwards on all fours, his limbs long and gangly, the joints like the knots of a branch. White hair hung in scraggly wisps from a balding crown, the limps stirring with each rattling breath the creature took.

His eyes were dark and bloodshot, ringed by dark skin, his face wizened and aged like a fruit left too long in the tree. He was a ghost, his skin so pale it was always translucent; he was a wraith, moving with silent grace; he was a ghoul, his face filled with unending hunger.

"Who are you?"

"I..."

His voice was a whisper of a thousand voices, his cracked red lips moving, the sound disjointed from the movements.

"I am Acedia..."

His splayed fingers touched a child that lay on the ground and the boy instantly came to life, whimpering, shuddering under his touch. But as soon as the Sin had moved on, the boy was still once more, once more dead to the world.

"I am hungry," the Saligia drooled, "So very hungry..."

Acedia was the sin of neglect, of waste and apathy. Where his brethren inflamed the senses and ignited passion and desire, Acedia fed on it. He was an empty abyss, an eternally hungry maw, always searching, always feeding, always looking for more.

And this cat, this animal before him was perfect.

Acedia's nose flared.

He could see the cat's emotions, could see the black cloud of shame and guilt that clung to it like a miasma. It was rich, it was ripe and delicious and he wanted it. He would chew it all up, would suck that cat dry until there was nothing left in it, until all that blame and remorse was in his gullet, until everything that cat felt or would ever feel – love, hate, joy and sadness – was all his.

His hands touched another of his victims and the woman groaned, bucking, Acedia growled as he tried to draw from her and found there was nothing left.

So empty... he was so empty...

Hungry.

He was so hungry!

Zaru felt his skin crawl as he watched the hunger grow and grow on the man's withered face. The leopard's eyes darted to and fro, trying to spot an escape, a weapon, anything that could save him. Acedia darted forwards, drooling, long pink tongue snaking out from his ruined lips as Zaru growled under his breath, claws unsheathed.

"You're perfect," Acedia giggled, "You're perfect!"

With a cry the wraith-like Sin lunged, Zaru yelping, stumbling back as long bony fingers snatched at him. The leopard whirled, running for his life as Acedia skittered after him on all fours.

"Argh!" Zaru screamed, "GET AWAY! GET AWAY! GET AWAY!"

Acedia roared and swiped at him, Zaru ducking, twisting, taking off as the gangly monster tried to co-ordinate all his limbs.

"This isn't happening!" Zaru yelped to himself, "THIS IS NOT – "

He whirled around, leaping, springboarding off a limp form and throwing himself straight at his enemy, Acedia's eyes widening as Zaru roared straight in his face.

The leopard's claws flashed out, ripping through skin and flesh. He clipped Acedia's shoulder and flipped over his back, crashing to the ground as the Sin staggered, clutching at his bleeding through.

Zaru rose, smirking.

"You want to eat me?!" Zaru roared, "I'm the one who does the eating here!"

Acedia turned and his hands fell away revealing a throat that was ripped to shreds, the breath rattling in the exposed windpipe.

But there was no pain on the Sin's face, no shock, just hunger. The creature grinned and Zaru's whole body slumped.

"Awww... man."

Acedia was shaking, trembling with need. He was hungry, starving and this cat was denying him his feast!

Despite the gaping hole in his neck, Acedia felt no pain. He could not feel pain, no emotions, no feeling except for that infernal hunger and what he stole from others. How he hungered for those moments, those few brilliant glimpses that illuminated the dark, those fading flashes of love and hate and everything in between.

Acedia continued to train his cold, dead eyes on his prey as the Sin's throat repaired itself, the mortal wound in his flesh knitting itself shut. It was gone because he denied its existence, was blind and deaf and numb to it in every sense.

Zaru hissed as Acedia stared in wonder at the dark cloud of emotions that hung around the cat, watching it swallowing everything that touched it.

"It's mine..." Acedia growled, "It's all mine!"

He exploded forwards as Zaru ran, leaping over bodies, pushing everything he had into this sprint. His heart was slamming against his ribs, his legs and his lungs practically bursting into flames as he tried to outpace the monster chasing him.

Zaru dove through narrow alleyway, Acedia seemingly flowing around the corner, outstretched hands pulling the fur from the tip of his tail.

Without thinking, without hesitating Zaru lunged, leaping up on top of a stack of barrels and bounding straight onto the rooftops. He ran, leaping from building to building, skittering down smooth wood planks, his claws gouging deep into the weathered lumber.

"Oh come on!" he cried as Acedia exploded up onto the roofs, a giant gangly white spider that swallowed the distance between them in giant leaps and lunges.

A weathervane was torn from its perch, crushed into a rough spar and hurled straight at Zaru. It struck his paw, the leopard crying out in pain as he lost his balance. He skidded down the roof, screaming all the way as he shot off the edge, all four paws shooting out in every direction, trying to snag a purchase.

"ARGH!"

He smacked into the roof of a veranda, rolling off and crashing to the ground in a puff of sand.

"What is that?!"

Through a haze of red pain Zaru cracked open his eyes, groaning, blood in his mouth.

"No..."

A group of people, a few strong men guarding a herd of women and children looked at him, hesitating.

"Run..." Zaru tried to say but he could not find the breath, something in his chest sending a stab of pain straight through him, "Run..."

Acedia slammed to earth with a cry as the people screamed, staring in horror at the hungry-faced beast that had descended into their midst. The Sin screamed with laughter, baring shark-like teeth as Zaru desperately clawed away, one hind leg dragging uselessly behind him.

"No!" he wheezed.

Acedia lashed out, one long-fingered hand closing around a woman's face. She thrashed, her screams muffled as the Saligia raised her high above his head.

"ARRRGGGGH!"

Smoke, light, liquid – something that was like all three but still completely different bled out from between Acedia's fingers. It shimmered with light, a brilliant kaleidoscope of every hue imaginable, shifting and changing with every glance as it wove its way through the air. Acedia opened his mouth and in one gasping breath, he sucked up every single drop of that incandescent light and the woman went still in his grasp.

The Sin swallowed and satisfaction, joy suffused his withered face. He dropped the woman and she hit the ground, eyes wide and unseeing, mouth opening and closing, the woman completely dead to the world.

Acedia laughed, he giggled and snorted, feeling the woman's joys, her hate, her anger and passion all roiling through him as it burned its way into his gut. But as soon as he was hit with that explosion of emotions, that moment of pure unadulterated life it faded, digested into nothing but fading memories.

More! He had to have more!

They began to scream, men and women trampling over each other as Acedia hands shot out, grabbing more victims. He dragged the emotions from their body, all their ability to feel, to love and to hate and he devoured it all leaving empty husks in his wake.

A crossbow slammed into straight between his eyes, a man standing his ground, firing at him fearlessly. Acedia tore the bolt and snapped it in his hands, his flesh unable to feel pain, blind to it.

He pulled the life from the man's throat and shoved it into his own, swallowing convulsively. Children were taken but Acedia did not savour their taste – they were too young, too simple in their feelings to be any real treat. No, those who had lived, those who had loved and betrayed, hurt and had shamed, those were the richest, their feelings so much more complex, light and dark all twisted together, their flavours lingering for longer.

Like a shark amongst fish, he tore through them all in the blink of an eye. As the last man hit the sand, Acedia fell back onto his haunches, breathing frantically, trying to cling onto those last few seconds of pure ecstasy.

But then it faded and despite the dozens of people he had just drained, their soulless lifeless bodies laying discarded and forgotten on the ground, Acedia could feel the hunger rising once more.

Where was the cat?! Where was –

His eyes raked the streets but the cat with the delicious guilt was gone.

"NO!" Acedia cursed.

He sniffed the air, sensing the darkness calling to him, begging to be eaten. Acedia dropped to all fours and ran in long loping strides, on the hunt for his crippled and bleeding prey.

. . . . . . . .

Gula opened his mouth and his tongue shot out. It exploded through the air, a long grotesque thing of pure pink muscle, dripping with saliva and bristling with buds.

Caspian leapt out of the way and the tongue smashed through a wall, bursting through the wood as its spit burned and sizzled its way through the planks. Gula swallowed and the tongue shot back into his mouth.

The Saligia was toad-like in almost every single way, stubby fingers on fat hands, his head and round body squished together with almost no neck in sight. His mouth was impossibly wide, his lips large and bloated, his eyes big and bulging. But despite his girth, his weight, he moved with impossible grace.

Jason charged, daggers slashing through the air and Gula dodged each and every thrust and slice, not even blinking as the Seeker threw every single inch of his deadly skill into the fight.

"BAM!"

A single pudgy hand slammed into his chest and the Seeker was hurled away, Caspian leaping into the fray. Gula twisted, kicking, sending the king flying as in the same move his huge mouth opened and his tongue shot out again. Caspian crashed to the ground, Gula's tongue shooting out above him.

"ARGGGHH!"

The very tip of the muscular organ split, revealing a giant mouth brimming with fangs.

"HELP! HELP!"

The monstrous appendage lunged forwards and the man was caught, instantly swallowed to the waist. Screams rang out as men and women tried to climb over the wall of wreckage cutting them off from safety, all of them trapped with the Sin of Glutton, locked inside his own personal pantry.

The man's free legs kicked and kicked, the whole top half of his body lost inside the tongue's mouth. Gula inhaled and everything, tongue and thrashing man was swallowed, the Sin's lips stretching impossibly wide. A single gulp and the man was gone from sight forever. Gula's body trembled and right before their astonished eyes, the Sin seemed to grow, more rolls of fat trembling around his waist, more chins jiggling under his immense jaws.

The Sin took a deep breath in, satisfaction rolling across his doughy face as his eyes searched for his next victim. They fell onto a man, a merchant with a sizeable belly spilling out over his belt and the Saligia's eyes lit up.

"No..." the merchant's many chins began trembling, his eyes wide, "No..."

He knew what was coming, knew –

"Hey."

The Sin turned. Jason stared back at him, blue eyes cold.

"Boom."

And in one lightning move he hurled a fire orb straight into the monster's gullet. Reflexively the Saligia swallowed, eye bulging from his head.

"DOWN!" Caspian roared at the people behind him, "GET DOWN!"

"BOOOOOM!"

Fire tore the Saligia apart, Jason hurled by back the explosion. Chunks of black flew everywhere as Caspian reeled from the blast, dark feathers touching his face.

He blinked.

Feathers?!

"JASON!" the king was already running for his friend, "JASON!"

Birds – ravens, crows and vultures, all dark winged eaters of carrion and rotting flesh – dived at them, screeching and pecking, talons slashing at them. Gula was gone from sight, fires and ash falling as the scavengers descended, drawing blood, tearing strips of flesh from flailing limbs.

Caspian charged through the flurry of shrieking forms, swinging wildly, knowing he had to keep moving, had to keep fighting unless he wanted to be torn apart where he stood.

Jason was already up, vision hazy, ears ringing but he managed to stabbed forwards and take a vulture in the throat. The bald bird screamed, spraying black blood everywhere as Caspian unsheathed his sword, scything any creature that stood in his way, clenching his teeth as clawed feet ripped at his skin, pulling the hair from his head in bleeding chunks.

A woman fell, beating at a dozen crows as they swamped her, pecking at her eyes. A man chocked on a raven as the thing tore at his mouth, ripping his tongue to shreds.

Amidst the chaos, the shrieking flying forms, a single large form leapt from the ground and floated easily to a nearby rooftop. It was another carrion eater, a great bird with an ugly pink bald head and a long beak built to stab deep into the dead and rip out the innards, a thing with a ruff of white feathers around its long neck and feathers as dark as night.

It watched its brethren swarm the humans below with bead eyes, the sun behind casting its shadow long and wide within the slaughter field.

Jason and Caspian fought back to back, the enemies flying at them growing thicker and thicker as the dead fell and fell.

"CAAAAWWW!"

The great bird on the roof raised its head and with a single shriek, the ravens and the vultures rose, Caspian and Jason left swaying on their feet, gasping for breath.

They watched, half blinded by blood and sweat as the clouds of dark birds arrowed up towards that lone creature on the roof. They flew around it, faster and faster, dark feathers all blending together into one endless swirl of black.

The flock of birds seemed to shrink, seemed to turn in on itself, separate forms melting together, joining until…

Black paled, fading to white.

Two large eyes emerged from the black, a fat mouth appearing moments later.

The great cloud of flesh eaters, of death birds and scavengers had coalesced, merging into one being.

Gula stared down at them, a look of satisfaction on his doughy face. All around the dead lay, eyes gouged from their heads, tongues missing, their soft bellies torn open to reveal the pink moist prizes within.

Caspian and Jason stood alone, staring up at their foe as Gula studied them.

"Any ideas?" Caspian said shortly, refusing to show fear.

"Are you going to run away now?" Jason demanded, tightening his hold on his daggers.

"Have I ever ran away?" Caspian shot back.

Jason had to give him a cold smile at that. They both tensed as Gula's body trembled, the toad-like Sin's jaws working frantically.

"Here we go."

Gula opened his mouth and his tongue shot out like a spear, flying straight at them as Jason and Caspian ran for their lives.

. . . . . . . .

There was a creak and they all turned, blinking as the wall seemed to tremble, the glass rattling in its panes, light bleeding in through the cracks in the wall.

"What – "

The whole facade of the house suddenly exploded inwards, Peter and Elias thrown away in a storm of debris as Lucy cried out in horror.

"PETER! ELIAS!"

"There you are."

Lucy's head snapped up, eyes widening as she stared at the figures framed in the smoking hole in the wall.

"I have been looking for you… Lucy."

The man who spoke was tall, towering above them all, as aloft and proud as the tallest mountain peak. He held himself ramrod straight, piercing eyes looking down at her on either side of his beak-like nose, the golden irises rife with mockery and delight.

His clothing was simple, a white toga with one strong shoulder bared, sandals separating his feet from the ground.

"Come with us now," Superbia said, his voice ringing with command, "And we shall leave your family alone."

"LUCY!" Peter roared, shoving debris off him, "DON'T!"

Lucy fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"I'm not going to give up!" she snapped at her brother.

Elias had his crossbow aimed at the intruders, the scientist bleeding from a cut on his forehead. Despite the danger he was facing, the golden-haired intruder merely sneered at them.

"Invidia," the leader of the Sins commanded.

The slight form beside him instantly sprung forwards, her skin holding the slightest tinge of green, her eyes and hair shockingly bright bursts of emerald. Elias cried out as she landed right before him, batting his crossbow out of the way before slamming a fist into his face, knocking him down.

"ELIAS!" Peter roared, charging.

The girl spun and there was desire in her eyes, a hunger that seemed to obliterate all else. She grabbed Peter's outstretched hands, flinching as lightning leapt from his skin and into her. But still she clung on, dragging Peter closer, her green eyes drinking him in.

"I envy you," she whispered.

And she kissed him on the lips. Peter gave a muffled scream as the touch burned his whole entire body, pure pain ripping through him. He staggered back, reeling as Invidia gently touched her lips.

She shuddered on the spot, eyes rolling to the back of her head as Lucy gaped at her. Superbia laughed as Invidia slowly stilled.

"What the hell?!" Peter screamed.

A bolt of pure lightning flew at the girl but she merely held out her hands.

Green flames leapt from her fingers, sweeping the electricity away.

Peter stared at her in pure horror as Invidia held out her hands, lightning and fire dancing between her fingers. She looked at him, wonder in her eyes as a soft smile curled her lips.

"I envied you," she said simply.

Peter blanched.

"Now do you know why this tournament is so unnecessary?" Superbia boasted, "Because there is no hope that you can actually defeat us."

He looked to Lucy again, trying to give her a warm smile but it came across as a mocking sneer. He seemed incapable of any other type of expression.

"Now come with us and we will let your family leave."

'_NO! DON'T LISTEN TO THEM!'_

'_THEY WILL RETURN US TO OUR MASTER!'_

Lucy shuddered as Lucia and the Dawn-Breaker's voice boomed in her head, the two alters trying to drown out the other. Lucinda tried to calm them, tried to pull them apart but impossibly they were fighting each other, Lucy battered by flashes of their faces, by vivid bursts of their voices.

"Dawn-Breaker," Superbia laughed, "Come with us and we will return you to your true glory."

Lucy cried out as she took an involuntary step forwards, the man inside her head, the soldier of the Great Darkness, howled with victory, trying to seize control. Her vision blurred, threatening to fade to black as Lucy clung on.

Stop it. Stop it. Stop it.

'_LET ME GO!' _the Dawn-Breaker shrieked, his face looming in her mind, demented with rage and desperation, _'LET ME GO!'_

'_They will only win if Lucy is dead. If we are dead,' _Lucinda said grimly, a disembodied voice that drowned out the man, _'Do you still want to go them?! Do you want to die?!'_

The Dawn-Breaker hesitated and Lucy felt his control slip, felt the tension in her muscles fade.

Thank you. Thank you!

She could feel Lucinda's acknowledgement of her thanks, could feel the High Inquisitor fade away as Lucia continued to rage, the General wanting to lunge forwards, to strangle her enemies with her bare hands. But for now Lucy was stronger, able to keep the woman in check.

The Valiant Queen met Superbia's eyes and despite the fact that he towered over her, that he was bigger and stronger there no fear in her eyes.

"No," Lucy said flatly, "I don't think I will be joining you."

Superbia growled as Peter smiled, fierce and proud.

"We will slaughter your whole family!" the Sin of Pride roared, "This is your – "

"And if I go with you, you'll leave my family alone?" Lucy scowled, hands on hips, "I may look young but I'm not stupid."

Pinpoints of fire leapt into Superbia's eyes and the Sin surged forwards with a cry, hands outstretched. Peter moved to block him but a burst of lightning from Invidia forced him back, the High King desperately defending himself.

A flash of silver flew at Superbia but the Sin moved with impossible speed, swatting the fire orb away. Another wall of the house was blown apart as Superbia whirled, glaring at Elias.

"You dare attack me?!" the Sin roared.

Peter was blasted across the room by a brilliant burst of emerald flames, the High King crashing into the wall as Lucy cried out his name. But she could not move, could not even turn around to see if he was getting back up. Her blue-green eyes were fixed on Superbia as the man seemed to drawn himself up, growing bigger and taller, his presence dominating the whole room.

Lucy was suddenly struggling to breathe, struggling to even think as she quailed before Superbia, caught like a mouse before a serpent.

"YOU THINK YOU CAN CHALLENGE ME?!"

His words crashed into Lucy and Elias like thunder, shaking them to their core. They were buffeted, dashed against rocks as his words slid into their veins, into their minds, reverberating, growing with each echo.

"I AM SUPERBIA! I AM THE GREATEST! THE STRONGEST!"

Lucy's knees buckled, her mind dazed and reeling. She had to bend, had to bow, had to throw herself before this god and beg for forgiveness. She had to –

Superbia laughed, triumph roiling in his voice as Lucy stared at him, terrified, awe stricken, adoring. Her knees began to bend, everything in her head, even Lucia's voice drowned out by the words of the eldest Sin.

She had to… she had to…

Gold fur suddenly flashed in her mind, tawny eyes staring at her with reproach. Dimly she heard a lion's roar.

"Aslan…"

And Superbia cried, staggering back as though he had been struck. Lucy stared at him, trembling as she realised how close she had come to surrendering just by the sound of his voice. Beside her Elias shook himself as if waking from a dream.

"What the…" the scientist's face twisted and he had his crossbow up, aiming at Superbia, "What did you do?"

The Sin snorted.

"You think that will even scratch me?" he sneered, "I am the strongest of my siblings and they have already began defeating your beloved friends."

There was such confidence in his voice, such belief that Lucy found herself trembling once more. How could they fight someone who was so assured of his victory? Who didn't think he could win but knew he would?

"I am stronger."

Superbia picked up a single chunk of stone and without even the slightest hint of strain crushed it to dust in his hands.

"I am quicker."

And he was suddenly in the other corner of the ruined room, Elias and Lucy backing away slowly, sweat rolling down their faces.

"I am smarter," Superbia's smile took on a predatory gleam, "Elias? That co-efficient you could never work out? The answer is eighty-two."

Elias froze, instantly understanding what the Sin was saying. The equation that had been the bane of his existence, the key equation to the Spectrum Convertor, the one he had spent countless hours of his life calculating over and over. He thought he had the answer, had thought he had finally gotten his experiment to work only for it blow up in his face. He still remembered that day, the explosion, suddenly finding himself in the Woods between the Worlds.

Eight-two. The answer to that equation had been eighty-two. How many nights sleep had he missed just to try and work out that simple number? Had many simulations? How many scraps of paper and data space had he wasted?

Elias looked at Superbia and true terror stole into his heart. The Saligia was not lying, he was smarter than them, more cunning and knowledgeable than them all. Superbia was a savant and Elias suddenly felt very, very inadequate.

"And I am ever more powerful than you can possibly imagine," Superbia snarled.

He whirled as Peter slowly crawled back to his feet, the High King dazed. Lucy screamed as lightning burst from Superbia's fingers, a blinding flash of light more powerful, more encompassing than anything Peter could have produced. The deadly bolt struck the High King straight in the chest, blasting him through a wall and tossing him far across the room on the other side.

Superbia turned back to them, sparks dying on his fingers.

"Whatever you can do. Whatever you talent is… I can do better," Superbia hissed.

He took another step forwards as Lucy and Elias stared at him, stunned. Invidia waited patiently, her green eyes studying them.

"Now… Lucy. Come with us," Superbia growled.

In that moment of shock, that moment of wavering, Lucia struck. Lucy was suddenly shoved back into the recesses of her mind, unable to even cry out as the General seized control.

'_NO!' _

"YES!" Lucia howled, Elias shouting her name as he realised what was happening.

With a feral cry, the General threw herself straight at her enemy, armed with nothing but her bare knuckled fists.

. . . . . . . .

They slammed into each other, blades clashing. Edmund blinked blood from his eyes, a gash on his forehead bleeding still as his fingers threatened to slip from his sword hilt. Avaritia growled at him over the cross of their blades, his gold eyes dancing with delight. They sprung apart and charged once more, the Sin's blade like liquid gold, everywhere at once as Edmund fought for his life.

"GARGH!"

He stumbled back, blooding from his thigh as Avaritis whipped his other arm around, his heavy blade held easily in the other. The monster's gold chain weapon exploded forwards like a striking cobra, Edmund diving to the side as its spiked links shot past.

Avaritia was instantly on him, Edmund struggling to fend him off as he tried to rise. A kick sent the Just King staggering. A backhand from the Sin tore Edmund's cheek open, the king bleeding again as he tried to push through his pain, his utter exhaustion, losing precious ground with each second.

"ARGH!"

He fell to one knee, screaming in pure agony as the gold chain wrapped itself around his arm, metal thorns digging deep. Avaritia laughed, yanking on the other end dragging Edmund towards him.

"You fought well," the dark-skinned monster showed over his gold teeth, all of them filed to points, "Your sword is impressive. I would enjoy having it in my collection."

Edmund gritted his teeth, forcing himself to look at his vanquisher. He tried to raise his sword but his body refused to co-operate, pushed beyond the brink. He closed his eyes as Avaritia's blade came to rest lightly against the skin of his neck.

"I'm going to find a way to come back and rip you apart," the Just King vowed, knowing that for him this was the end.

Avaritia merely laughed as he raised his sword, ready to deal the killing blow.

"ROOOWWWRRR!"

Edmund's eyes snapped open as a golden form slammed into Avaritia, knocking the Sin aside.

"ZARU!"

With a growl Avaritia torn the leopard off him, tossing him to the ground and kicking him brutally in the ribs, sending the cat skidding across the ground.

"ZARU!"

Zaru laid in the dirt, gasping for breath, blood staining his fur.

"Run," he managed to rasp, eyes searching for Edmund, "RUN!"

Edmund could only gape as a tall pale form slammed to earth before them, a monster of bones and ghostly skin, a ghoul with burning eyes and thin claw-like fingers outstretched and pointing at them.

"Acedia!" Avaritia roared, "Can't you keep your own toys in check!"

"COME TO ME!" Acedia bellowed, deranged with hunger, with need, "COME!"

Dark eyes bulged as Acedia sniffed the air, scenting Zaru's guilt. But Sin of apathy suddenly froze, sensing something new, something so much more complex and rich. He looked at Edmund and delight suffused his face.

"Delicious…" he could taste it so clearly, could taste the boy's own shame, so mature and intricate for one so young, "Mine… all mine!"

He lunged at Edmund, the Just King crying out in shock as the Sin reached out from him.

"NO!"

Gold exploded out of Acedia's chest, the Sin freezing in its tracks as Avaritia roared.

"He's mine!" the Sin swordsman growled, flecks of foam flying from his mouth, "You don't get to steal what is mine!"

Acedia looked down at the length of metal sticking out from his chest and merely blinked. He ignored the injury, was blind and numb to it and it simply vanished, the chain melting out of his chest, the sucking chest wound disappearing as though it had never existed.

But he felt no anger towards his brother, was incapable of it. He merely reached forwards once more but this time Edmund was ready for him.

With a cry the Just King lunged, slashing wildly. His blade cleaved through Acedia's hands, white thin unbleeding fingers flying through the air but the Sin did not even make a sound. Once again he ignored the wound and it was as if it had never been, his fingers completely intact.

Edmund's eyes bulged as Acedia's fingers closed around his face, closing off his mouth, his nose, choking him as the king tried to fight the monster off.

"NOO!"

Avaritia slashed his brother's back, the wound melting out of existence as soon as it had been dealt.

"I refuse to let you have him!" the Sin of greed roared, "I want to see the fear in his eyes when I steal his life!"

Acedia opened his mouth, Edmund struggling as Zaru tried to rise, his leg crumpling under his weight.

"EDMUND!" the leopard roared desperately, "EDMUND!"

Acedia's eyes glittered and Edmund writhed in his grip as he felt something shift deep inside of him.

What…

His eyes widened, pure pain rocketing through him as he felt something tear, something break away. He convulsed, his desperate screams muffled as invisible hooks tore into him, ripping him to shreds.

NO! NO! NO!

He tried to fight but something was welling in his chest, climbing up his throat and –

Acedia and Avaritia suddenly froze, their eyes faraway. Edmund felt that thing trying to rise, settle down slowly once more, pain fading to blissful numbness.

"That fool!" Avaritia roared as Acedia dropped Edmund, turning to his brother.

"We have to," the Sin of apathy said sadly, "We can't – "

"I know," Avaritia cursed.

He looked at Edmund, at Zaru, both badly injured, too exhausted to even move.

"Guess someone loves you," Avaritia spat, "But this was only the first skirmish. We will win."

"What…"

But before Zaru could get out another word, Avaritia and Acedia were gone, disappearing to fast for even the leopard to see. The king and the leopard looked at each other, hardly daring to believe. But the two Sins did not come back, did not return to crush them.

As one they let out a let held breath and let themselves fall into sweet embrace of unconsciousness.

. . . . . . . .

The Hunt-Beast roared in her head and Susan was suddenly standing tall and proud, tawny light spilling from her right eye. The tiger froze, the butterflies swarming her suddenly fleeing as the queen heard the beast inside her head scream its rage.

Luxuria blinked, stunned as her tiger suddenly whirled on her, terror and anger on its striped face.

"Using beasts to try and kill me?" Susan spat.

She was the Hunt, the thing that all animals feared, the thing that was bigger and stronger and more hungrier than them. She pushed her will towards the tiger and felt its mind crumble, felt its instincts scream at it to attack its own mistress, anything to avoid the wrath of the Hunt-Beast.

"Bad idea!" Susan snarled.

The tiger lunged and Luxuria cursed, a single gesture turning the beast of the jungle into ink, into a static picture on her skin. The butterflies too were pulled back into the tattoos, the Sin of lust studying her enemy carefully.

Susan flinched as she heard Inara scream, Ira roaring with rage as the earth continued to churn, throwing the half-Naga left and right, smashing her against the ground. She longed to turn, longed to join the fight but the darkness in her was screeching in anger. If she tried to help her friend, Ira would take that anger and twist it, pull at her strings until she was as helpless in her grasp as a marionette.

"You think beasts are the only thing I control?" Luxuria sneered.

Susan's eyes widened as stylised flames, patterned red and blue, shifted on Luxuria's skin, flowing towards her fingers. Her sceptre came up, rubies flashing.

"Burn," Luxura howled, "BURN IN MY PASSION!"

Flames leapt at Susan, the queen cutting through it with a burst of red. But still the fires came, Susan diving, the sandy ground melted to glass. Luxuria laughed and followed her tracks, hurling burst after burst of flames at the queen.

Susan knew she was running, knew she had done absolutely nothing to hurt the monster. Inara cried out again, a hail of stone hammering her to the ground. Ira towered over the half-Naga, her eyes completely read as she kicked her enemy, Inara sent flying.

They were losing.

Susan cursed, spinning, throwing bolts of red power at Luxuria but a wall of fire blocked the attack, the queen forced to jump as tongues of burning blue darted at her.

They were –

The fire suddenly died revealing Luxuria, the Sin standing with her head looking to the north. Ira's angry screams were also cut off, the little girl frowning as she cocked her head to the side, listening to something only she and her siblings could hear.

"Damn it!" Luxuria cursed, "That little maggot!"

She stalked to Ira, her pale eyes flashing.

"We have to go!" Lust growled as Susan stared at them both, confused, "When I get my hands on – "

She struck Ira, the girl's head snapping to the side as she let out a furious cry.

"Bury them!" Luxuria commanded, "We need to go now!"

Ira looked at Susan, venom in her red eyes as the queen was rooted to the spot.

"What – "

The little girl stomped her feet, screaming and the ground rose as though it was water, cresting into a huge wave of sand and dirt that blocked out the sun.

"Wait!" Susan yelled, Inara a groaning heap just metres away, "Don't – "

Ira gave one last yell and an avalanche of earth fell on Susan, smashing her hard into the ground.

. . . . . . . .

Superbia overpowered her with laughable ease, grabbing her outstretched arms and hurling her into the wall. She smashed into the wood, flopping to the ground but was up, Lucia refusing to give up.

"I will destroy you for what you have done to my people!" she yelled at the servant of the darkness, "I will crush you!"

She snatched a chunk of wood from the ground and charged again, holding it as a spear as Elias yelled at her to stop.

Superbia laughed and grabbed the wooden spar as it flew at his chest, twisting it out of her grip and in one swift move flipped it around and struck her across the face, sending her skidding across the ground.

Lucia rose once more, bleeding, swaying on her feet but refusing to back down.

'_NO!' _Lucinda roared inside her head, _'STOP!'_

Coward.

Lucia spat on the ground.

Why was it always her that had to fight? Why was it always her that had to be the courageous one and put a stop to their enemies?!

Lucia pounced and for a third time Superbia overpowered her, grabbing her slight form and throwing her up at the ceiling. She screamed as her back smacked into the boards, gravity grabbing her and slamming her hard into the ground.

Lucia laid sprawled on the ground, gasping desperately for breath as Superbia towered over her, eyes glowing.

"I was hoping it would be a little more fun than this," the oldest of the Saligia sneered.  
He raised one sandaled foot, ready to stomp down and crush her head. Lucy could only stare, still wheezing as the monster above gave her a mocking little smile.

"Pathetic – "

Superbia lashed out, swatting a second fire orb away, the explosive spinning into the wall, detonating. The whole house shook with the blast, beams and boards creaking, the whole thing threatening to collapse on them all.

Elias lowered his crossbow, eyes wide.

"Invidia," Superbia commanded coldly.

The Sin of envy struck, a band of heatless green fire leaping from her fingers and locking around Elias. The scientist yelled, thrashing, trying to break free as Invidia allowed herself a little tiny smile.

Lucia tried to rise but Superbia stomped on her back, drawing a cry of pain and dropping her back down.

"Time for my victory and after so long…" Superbia laughed, "This is going to be – "

A burst of green flames forced him back, the Sin of pride yelling as Invidia instantly whirled around. Peter stood amongst the ruins, clutching his burnt and blistered chest, hate in his blue eyes.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" the High King roared.

Superbia narrowed his eyes, mouth opening to speak but he suddenly froze, gold eyes darting to the side.

"Superbia," Invidia said, her voice soft and whispery.

"I KNOW!" her brother growled under his breath, "That fool! I will – "

"We can't hurt him," Invidia said again in her quiet little voice.

Superbia snarled and fixed his golden eyes onto Peter, onto Elias and finally onto Lucia. The General trembled, staring at him, terror in her blue-green eyes.

How could she be defeated? How could she –

And suddenly Lucy was back, Lucia falling away, the Valiant Queen looking around wildly, trying to figure out why her whole body was aching.

"What…"

"We will be back," Superbia vowed, "And we will crush you."

Peter threw a lance of lightning at the Sin but bolt struck nothing but air, Superbia and Invidia vanishing in a flurry of movement.

The green fire around Elias melted and the scientist instantly grabbed for his crossbow, looking around wildly.

"They're gone…" he said when no new attack came, "They're…"

"PETER!"

The High King crumpled without another sound, his whole body still smoking. Lucy tried to pull herself up but her muscles screamed in agony, the queen stumbling.

An ominous crack suddenly broke through the air.

Elias looked up, his eyes wide.

"No… please," he begged, "You can't – "

"ELIAS!"

Lucy's screams were lost as the whole house collapsed into splinters and kindle, all three of them lost in a hail of burnt and smoking wood.

. . . . . . . .

Gula staggered back, eyeing them with his wet large eyes as Caspian and Jason stood gasping for breath, both men bleeding and stumbling on their feet.

"Any ideas?" Caspian said wryly.

He had lost his sword, snatched from his hands by the Sin's monstrous tongue. Both the Seeker and the Telmarine had thrown everything they had at the monster and had done nothing but slow it down. They were both bleeding, both pushed almost to their limits and with every passing second hope faded.

Gula's cheeks worked and both men tensed, not knowing what to expect.

"Keep fighting," Jason growled.

But the Sin of glutton before them suddenly blinked and its fat head swivelled to the side. He stood frozen, seeing and hearing something only he could sense.

Gula's head turned back towards them and a smile curved its long fat lips.

"What – "

Gula slammed his two hands together and with a single clap his huge form dissolved into black.

"CAW! CAW!"

Jason and Caspian watched eyes wide as the Sin dissolved into a flock of ravens and vultures. A single large form suddenly broke its way free from the mass, a carrion eater with a pink bald head and it as winged its way above the ruined streets of Old Haven, the rest of the birds followed, Gula leaving his enemies behind in the flapping of dozens of wings.

Jason and Caspian looked at each other, stunned. Relief flooded through the king but one look at the bodies all around drove home how close they had come to death.

"The others," Caspian said frantically, "We have to find the others!"

Without another word, Caspian ran towards the wall of debris blocking their path, struggling to climb it as high above the crows and vultures continued to fly away from the ruins of Old Haven, their cries echoing far and wide.

. . . . . . . .

Susan opened her eyes and Caspian was looking down at her.

"What happened?" she croaked, her whole body aching.

His face said it all.

They had lost. Miserably and utterly. They had lost. Susan wanted to scream, wanted to cry but most of all, as her whole body ached, she just wanted to sleep.

Caspian smiled sadly, knowing what she was thinking.

"Sleep," his voice was rough but gentle, "I'll watch over you."

And with those words ringing in her head Susan closed her eyes and let the darkness fold her into its sweet embrace once more.

. . . . . . . .

A/notes: And there we have it round 1 of Susan and Co vs. The Seven Deadly Sins. First score – 0:1!


	88. The fall of Cienaga

Woot! New chapter – onto the adventures of Susan and co. in Laweless land!

Disclaimer: What's mine is mine, what's not is not

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 88: The fall of Cienaga **

"Please…"

Gula stared at him, head cocked to the side.

"Please…" he begged, already knowing it was useless, "Please… not me… not – "

He screamed as the sin of glutton exploded forwards. Lips closed around his body, blunt teeth mashing his flesh and in one swift gulp Gula swallowed him whole.

"Gula…"

The monster turned, his cheeks and neck bulging obscenely, his victim still struggling within, his cries muffled and choked.

"I think you've got some on your chin," Superbia smirked.

Gula swallowed and impossibly a whole human being had vanished down his gullet. Superbia turned, gold eyes gleaming as lightning and flames flared.

Luxuria laughed, tattooed fire leaping from her skin in bursts of boiling blue flames. Beside her Invidia threw lightning from her hands, the Saligia's face as blank and dead as ever.

Men screamed, immolated where they stood. Their clothes ignited, burning to cinders as their blades melted in their hands, molten steel searing the flesh to bone. They fell, Luxuria howling with mirth, her dark eyes reflecting the fire she wielded. At her feet yet more men grovelled, kissing her toes, worshipping the very ground she walked on.

She lowered her hands, flames becoming static tattoos once more as she smiled down at her little pets. With each word of mindless adoration that spilled from their lips she could feel her strength growing, could feel red hot desire spill through her veins and into theirs.

Avaritia cursed, tossing away ruddy pieces of copper and tin, sifting through the dead for anything that was of any real worth. Once he would have pocketed anything, feeding on his own greed but now he was beyond that, stronger, able to indulge his avarice once more.

Ira screamed, the sound of her voice booming like cannons, throwing men back against the wall. Another screech and dirt and stone came to life, earthen hands exploding out of the rock and crushing the men alive. Acedia hung from the cavern ceiling like a great pale spider, a screaming man caught in his grasp. The Saligia cackled as he pulled the very emotions out of his victim, filling his endless stomach with every last tasty morsel.

Superbia stepped aside as Acedia dropped his victim, the long-limbed sin unfurling himself neatly to the ground. His pale eyes turned to Luxuria's pets, lightning up with hunger as Gula and Avaritia turned their gazes onto the silent men. A glare from the second oldest of the sins and the three Saligia backed away.

"Well that was bracing," Superbia sneered looking at the mangled forms all around them.

"That idiot is still in danger!" Ira snarled at him, eyes flashing, "We have to – "

"More victims," Acedia cooed, enjoying the last lingering traces of feeling.

Avaritia bared his filed teeth in a vicious grin.

"More riches," the sin of greed breathed.

Superbia looked at his brethren, saw the desire, the obsession in their eyes and he couldn't help but smile back. Like them he could feel his strength returning, could feel it peaking. Too long had they slept in the darkness, too long had the worlds been bereft of their touch.

Superbia let out a loud bray of laughter, mocking the worlds, spitting in their faces. They were free! Free once more! And now…

They turned the corner and a fresh wave of men charged at them with fierce cries, arrows flying, blades slashing. All brave strapping men who thought they had a chance of victory.

Superbia danced through the chaos, grabbing one guard by the head and snapping his neck with a sickening crunch.

The worlds were going to burn.

"The gates," the gold-haired sin pointed at tall iron doors that barred their way, beyond he could feel the pain of the their Crown, a barb-wired tangle of emotions that made him want to tear it out with his bare hands, "TEAR IT DOWN!"

Luxuria stabbed her nails into Ira's arm and the little girl shrieked, her eyes becoming pure red, her cherub face twisting into a demon's demented mien. Her cries woke the earth, golems of dirt and stone rising, throwing themselves at the gates with maddened abandonment.

Avaritia's blade was like a living thing that lived for the taste of blood, singing as it sliced through limbs and throats, the fastest and most skilful of men nothing but sheep to the slaughter.

Their enemies fell, their blood pooling around their feet as the seven sins rained destruction and death amongst them all.

"THEY'RE KILLING HER!" Luxuria's pets raged as some of the guards charged at the creature of lust, "KILL THEM! KILL THEM!"

Foaming at the mouth they lunged, tackling the guards with their bare hands. They drove the men into the ground, tearing at them with their nails, smashing their head open with lumps of rock. Luxuria laughed as her minions tore their own friends apart, her gossamer gown hanging around her elbows, her tattooed flesh bared to the world.

Gula and Acedia fed together, the sin of listlessness ripping the souls, the very ability to feel out of his victims, leaving empty staring husks behind. His brother gobbled them up, tongue shooting out like harpoon, bristling with its own fang-filled maw.

"Hurry up!" Superbia snarled backhanding Ira across the face.

The little girl spun but steadied herself, screaming at her brother, at the world as her fury infected the earth around her. It heaved, a wave of dirt slamming into the gates blocking their wall.

"BOOM!"

The steel doors fell, crushing men as it crashed to the ground. Loops of green fire exploded from Invidia's lithe form, shoving the destruction aside as the seven deadly sins strolled through the ruined front gates of Cienaga City.

This was one of the most precious places in all of Lawless, what this place held was more valuable than gold, than oil or cloth or wood. It bubbled out from deep under the earth, filling up the base of the vast cavern. Previous little rivulets threaded through the stony ground to tilled earth that stood bathed in columns of golden light, the heavens above visible through bore holes drilled through the stone above.

Here was one of the few places in Lawless where crops grew, where timber could be harvested. Here was the lifeblood for land miles all around. Here was water.

"I want it," Avaritia breathed, his powers instantly telling him the value of what he saw, "I want it all!"

Houses had been built into the walls of the vast cave, a hive of windows and doors with frightened faces peering out. And like any great insect nest there were guards, a veritable army of soldiers storming out of their barracks. Rough men with rude faces and battle-scarred hands charged at the seven Saligia, all bristling with spears and knives, already to fight to the death.

"There are so many…" Acedia breathed, tasting the terror in the air, the rage, his eyes wide, "There are so many…"

Invidia looked around, jealous of all that she saw, envious for a thousand and one different reasons. They had homes! They had friends! They had black hair! They were taller than her! They were shorter than her! They had whiter teeth than her!

That was Invidia down to her very core, a boiling poison pot of irrational spite and hate, all darkness and corrosion locked behind a paper-thin ice mask.

"Invidia…"

She looked at her older brother and all she wanted to do was tear his face off. How dare he order her around? How dare he look down on her? Why should he have all the power?! Why should he be the one in command?!

But she said nothing, biding her time.

"Kill them," Superbia knew exactly what she was thinking but he also knew she would not strike, knew he could easily overpower her if she dared.

He laughed right in her face, enjoying her envy as Invidia stepped in front of her brethren, emerald eyes blank as she stared down the men charging towards them.

She raised one hand and a flush of pleasure raced through her as she summoned the powers she had claimed as her own. A smile curled her lips. That boy had deliberately flaunted it before her, had taunted her with it. She had wanted it, had longed for it and now it was hers. Soon everything she wanted would be hers!

Lightning leap from her fingers and stabbed through the soldiers, frying them alive as they screamed. Acedia howled with laughter, feeding on all that pain and despair as Superbia grinned widely, sure of his strength, his superiority once more.

Suddenly a flash of white scythed through the blasts, smacking into Invidia and knocking her a few steps back. She straightened, green eyes flashing a few cloaked figures stepped through the slaughter field of burnt charred corpses.

"Who the hell – " Luxuria began furiously.

His sister did not know and that meant Superbia instantly did – that was his gift, to know more than anyone else, to be faster and stronger than anyone else.

"Seekers."

This was the terror of Cienaga. The Baron of the Water City was one of the few men in all of Lawless that could afford his own personal army of bounty hunters. And as if that was not enough…

"Interesting," Invidia said, "I envy your powers."

Five men and women, all scarecrow figures of rags and pinched faces, crouched at the feet of the Seekers. They looked at the sins with white fire spilling from their eyes and their fingers. These were the Cursed, the Possessed, the demon people of the sandy plains. Their powers were as much feared as they were needed. They were shackled for their own good, beaten into submission until they were no longer people but tools.

"Hold!"

The leader of the Seekers was a silver-haired man still broad-shouldered and straight-backed despite his age. Whilst some of his men gripped their weapons in hardened grips, he stood unarmed, studying his enemies with a cool calculating eye.

Superbia gave him a wolfish grin, relishing the challenge.

"Luxuria and I will handle our guests," the leader of the Saligia said smoothly, "Gula and Avaritia… find the idiot."

Avaritia hissed, gold eyes flaring. The seven sins were standing in a circle, completely ignoring the army waiting to crush them

"Why should I – " the sin of greed demanded.

"Because he's most likely being held by the owner of this little hovel," Luxuria snapped, "And where he is that's where most of the gold and food are as well."

Her brother instantly smiled, fingers twitching at the thought of getting his hands on more riches. Beside him Gula said nothing but hunger burned as always in his wet swollen eyes.

"As for the rest of you," Superbia cast a disparaging look over Ira, Acedia and Invidia, "Destroy this place."

And they were gone, disappearing in a rush of sound and movement as Superbia and Luxura turned towards the Seekers and their Cursed, both sporting arrogant calculating grins.

"Stop them," the man at the head of the army commanded coldly.

He had his force well trained, most of Seekers splitting off, disappearing into the catacomb of inner streets, two of the Cursed dragged away.

"Who are you?" Luxuria cooed, her pets still lapping at her feet.

"I am Argent," the silver-haired Seeker snapped, "And you are invading on our lands."

"Truly I am sorry," Superbia mocked, "But you will find that soon these will be our lands."

Argent stiffened, his Seekers muttering amongst themselves, hate in their battle-scarred faces. Luxuria's eyes swept the ranks, a dainty pink tongue touching her lips as she spotted those who she would long to shackle under her enchantment.

"This is your last warning to leave," Argent snapped.

The giant cavern rocked as white light flared, screams ringing out as the other Saligia rained destruction down onto the people of Cienaga. Still Argent stood tall and firm, unshaken as finally a single knife appeared in his hands. He held it with expert ease, eyes calm and steady.

"Oooo…" Luxuria cooed, her whole body shivering in delight, "I want him."

"And you shall have him sister," Superbia leered.

Argent said nothing because there was nothing else to say but one thing.

"Attack," the elder Seeker said simply.

A jerk of the chain and the Cursed attacked, lashing out with skeins of pure white fire as Superbia and Luxuria laughed, hurling themselves into battle with abandon.

. . . . . . .

White fire slashed her and Invidia tumbled through the air, knocked from her perch on the roof. She plummeted towards the ground, not a cry spilling from her lips as she smashed into the ground in a mess of blood and broken limbs. But even as she lay bleeding she began to sing, summoning her stolen talent as song glued her body back together.

She rose, whole once more, green eyes staring up at her attackers.

"FIRE!" the Seekers roared.

Crossbow bolts flew in a quick thick rain, Invidia merely blinking as fletched death tore down towards her. A flick of one hands and green fire ignited the air, burning the shafts to cinders as the Seekers cried out.

The Cursed lashed out again with a wild scream, white fire spilling down as Invidia ran. The light struck the earth like a bomb, blasting sand and dirt up into the air. Invidia charged through the destruction, leaping, grabbing onto a roof edge and flipping herself up onto the rude clay and dirt landing. She whirled, the Cursed screaming from another roof up above, power building up inside that emaciated form once more.

"I envy your rage," Invidia said quietly to herself, the soft words nothing like the virulent storm of petty hate and desperate want burning through her.

"BOOM!"

The building she stood on detonated, swallowed up by pearly flames as Invidia leapt, a tongue of heatless fire lashing out and looping around the edge of a roof, the sin of envy swinging out of harm's way.

"WATCH OUT!" the Seekers cried.

Another rope of emerald flames and Invidia was flying towards them, lightning stabbing out from her fingers.

"POW!

"POW!"

Bodies detonated, electricity stabbing through them as Invidia landed on the edge of the roof. An arrow flew at her, the Saligia snagging it in midair. She hurled it back, taking a Seeker in the throat.

"WIDMORE!"

The man crumpled, clutching at the shaft sticking out of his neck. The Seekers whirled on Invidia, enraged by the lost of their brothers in arms.

"I envy your closeness," Invidia told them sadly.

The Cursed threw himself forwards, scrambling on all fours like a rabid dog. He screeched and white fire wreathed his form, stabbing forwards as Invidia leapt, the earth beneath her feet burning and scorching as the attack narrowly missed her.

She waved her hands and lighting and green fire twisted all around her body. A flick of a finger and blades of crackling sparks and emerald flames stabbed forwards.

"GARGH!"

Limbs went flying, the Seekers cut down where they stood. The Cursed roared and charged but Invidia had his measure, grabbing his outstretched hand as he lashed out. Without a sound she twisted, hurling the pathetic creature off the roof, turning as the man plunged to the street below. He died in a mess of smeared red as Invidia turned to the survivors on the roof.

"Who…"

A woman clutched at the seared stump of her arm.

"Who are you…"

"I…" Invidia blinked away tears, "I envy your innocence."

With a sad smile on her face Invidia immolated the rest of the Seekers.

. . . . . . .

Jurek had been trained to fight other Seekers, he had been trained to deal with the wilders of the desert plains. Hell he had even helped capture the Cursed. But what he saw made him boneless.

"No…"

Daggers fell from nerveless hands, Jurek stumbling back, scrabbling for the door.

"NO! NO!"

They descended.

"N – "

He could not see anything but black feathers and flashing beaks. Jurek staggered, screaming, flailing wildly as talons drew blood. They tore at his eyes, at his cheeks, even thrusting their heads into his mouth and ripping away. He fell, unable to even cry out as bloodied chunks fell from his lips. He choked on the shredded remains of his tongue, his eyes ruined bloodied holes, the thing that was once Jurek begging for death. Through the pain, the longing for death Jurek felt a presence towering above him.

He heard a voice above the shrieks of the things eating him alive.

"I will be kind."

And Avaritia disembowelled him with a single slash, steaming loops of fat pink bowel spilling out as the crows and the vultures feasted with delighted cries. Jurek was finally and mercifully dead, the flesh stripped from his bones in minutes as Avaritia turned to the other Seekers on the wall. They stared at him, pale, already begging for mercy with their wide terrified eyes.

"Run," the sin of greed laughed, baring his golden teeth, "RUN!"

The carrion-eaters lunged for the men on the wall, the Seekers fleeing for their lives as Avaritia howled with laughter. He moved with lightning speed, falling amongst them, his great sword flashing through the air.

He cleaved through flesh and bone with each stroke, the scavenger birds all around him feeding as men fell.

"KILL THEM!"

White light flared, power blasting Avaritia back as feathered forms fell crumpled to the ground.

"Good job."

The Cursed smiled in pleasure, rubbing herself against her owner's hands as the Seeker awarded her with a good scratch behind the ears.

"I did good?"

A length of rude chain linked the man to his little scarecrow of a charge. Despite the bruises that marred her body, the crusted whip marks on her back the Cursed did not look up at her master with fear in her eyes but endless love. A smile from the Seeker made her giggle in joy.

Avaritia pulled himself up, glaring at the pair that had dared to attack him. The Seeker eyed him carefully, not budging an inch despite the murder in the sin's eyes.

"You really should not have done that," the sin of greed hissed.

Dead birds littered the ground around him, a few flapping forms croaking out the last seconds of their lives. Avaritia did not even have to turn to know that something big and black was landing on the walkway behind him. The Cursed jabbered wildly, eyes wild with fear as she took in the bald-headed death-stork glaring at her. The long-limbed bird issued one fierce cry from its beak and the broken crows and ravens on the ground instantly dissolved into smoke, every last wisp shooting through the air and coalescing around the stork. The dark fog boiled and swirled, growing and twisting until Gula was once more standing behind his brother.

"Interesting," the Seeker noted coolly, "Who are you people?"

He stood alone, his allies having long fled but that was all right, he preferred to fight alone anyway. He stood without fear, without an ounce of concern, ready to do battle and win as he had always done. It wasn't a mere thought. It was a cold hard fact.

Avaritia read it all in his face and couldn't help but laugh as how wrong the silly man was.

"Who are we?" a savage grin twisted his face, "We are your doom!"

His finger stabbed the air and the Seeker and the Cursed had no time to move, no time to even gape as a barrage of daggers appeared from thin air, every lethal blade arrowing straight for them. Avaritia smiled as two bodies fell to the ground in bloody severed chunks. The daggers clattered against the stone wall and fell, instantly dissolving into light and air. With a satisfied sigh, the Saligia sheathed his sword.

"Hurry up with the scraps," he told his brother as Gula eyed the bloodied bodies all around with hunger in on his face, "We have a crown to rescue."

He marched off, searching for gold amongst the bodies as Gula squatted and began to feed.

. . . . . . .

Ira rode on a wave of water and air, the two elements twisted into a fierce roaring storm below her feet. Crossbow bolts and spears flew at her, all eager for her blood but a scream from her and they were all swept from the air.

"NO! NO! NO!"

Her shrieks rebounded around the cavern, her eyes flashing red. The Seekers below stared up at her, already unleashing a second wave of bolts. Ira howled her fury and the earth beneath their feet erupted, throwing bodies high up into the air.

"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!" the little girl screamed at them, demented with fury, "WHY ARE YOU ATTACK ME?! I HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING!"

Her voice cracked and she let out a voiceless cry as her eyes flared, a mist of red light clinging to her tiny frame. Cries rang out as great underground oasis heaved, the water in the vast lake swelling, rising into twisted sinuous forms with tossing heads that reared and roared. The men, all hardened warriors, screamed as those watery faced turned to them, glaring with murder in their eyes. The lake lunged, a great wall crashing onto the shores of Cienaga, the water a wild fierce thing that frothed and boiled, snatching at bodies and smashing them hard against the rocks.

But the destruction of her enemies brought Ira no pleasure. She was angry, she was furious, she was livid that they had died so easily, that they had robbed her of the satisfaction of dragging out their deaths.

"NO!" she bellowed.

Cracks raced across the ground, zipping up the walls of the immense cavern as stalactites fell. The great cones of stone stabbed down into the streets and houses of Cienaga, dozens buried alive in the rubble.

"NOO!"

She tried to calm herself but she couldn't and it angered her more, rage feeding on rage in an endless vicious cycle, her fury infecting everything around her.

Earth and water rose like living beasts, throwing themselves at the city that dared to rest upon its back. Stone became mud swallowing entire streets, waves washing away the remnants. And in the centre of all that chaos Ira floated on her howling cloud of wind, her chest heaving frantically.

"No. No. No. No."

Her little hands curled into tight fists, the red mist clinging to her swelling and throbbing.

"No…"

Her teeth sharpened, pricking her lips as Ira began to hyperventilate, the madness around her hitting fever pitch.

She had to calm down! She had to – WHY COULDN'T SHE CALM DOWN!?

Ira's head snapped up to the stone ceiling above, red light dripping her eyes and down her whole body.

"NO!"

With a final piercing shriek, the monster locked inside Ira broke out in a burst of spines and horns, holding itself aloft on bat-like wings as its roar shook Cienaga down to it very foundations.

. . . . . . .

He was flying, dancing amongst the stars, everything around him light and joy. Voices came to him, warm echoes from ages gone past, promising him endless, endless love.

He opened his arms and the movement opened his heart, all of that pouring into him, into his very soul as he teetered on the edge of ecstasy and madness, unable to take any more and yet longing, needing more. He danced on air, on water, on nothing and the world swayed to his movements, the sun bathing him in endless gold.

He opened his eyes and stared into the face of a monster.

"Who are you?" he laughed reaching out with one hand, "Who are you strange man?"

Acedia studied the laughing empty man before him and he could feel saliva dripping from his mouth. This whole dank little hovel was getting to him, the air thick with mindless, endless joy. It was artificial, it was false and it was intoxicating.

"What is this?" the sin of neglect demanded, grabbing at the man before him, "What is this?!"

He could feel the earth shaking, could smell flesh burning as his siblings tore Cienaga apart. But though terror dominated the streets, none penetrated this temple of bliss and smoke.

"What is this?"

Smoke trailed from braziers on the wall and in it Acedia tasted pure pleasure.

"It's dreamweed," the man before him said sleepily, eyes unfocused, "It's my world."

"Yes," Acedia tasted the name, the air, "Yes it is."

And he placed his hands on the man's head and drew every last drop of that joy out of him. The man gasped, body stiffening as he tried to fight the Saligia but soon the blank joy in his eyes became simple blankness. Acedia laughed, pure ecstasy licking his veins, savouring every last drop even as it began disappearing off into the ether.

"MORE!"

He dropped the man and instantly snatched for another – this time a woman who was giggling to herself as her hands played with something only she could see. She laughed and laughed until Acedia took that ability away, eating it as though it was food. Gibbering wildly Acedia pounced again and again, his victims too drugged up to even fight back.

The sin's black eyes were wide in his emaciated face, his mouth agape as he gorged himself. Never could he have imagined such delight, such purity of emotion, such a grand, grand feast!

He sucked down the last man's being, felt icy grey nothing snap into place and instantly dropped the empty husk the once feeling man had become. Acedia stood amongst the limp forms, his breath coming up harsh and fast, his skin crawling and twitching as though a thousand insets were burrowing beneath his flesh. He looked up and his pupils were blown, his mouth working convulsively as he tried to contain everything he now felt.

"YES!"

He threw his hands to the ceiling and feel to his knees, worshipping the dream hash, thanking it for all it had bestowed upon him. He breathed in the drugged smoke but it was a pale glimmer of what was already fading inside of him.

"No…"

Acedia was weeping, begging the burning braziers for more.

"Please…" the sin of neglect, of numbness and blindness was terrified of being left in the darkness once more, terrified of being left bereft, "PLEASE!"

But his terrible powers were already at work, breaking down all those feelings he had consumed and melting it into nothing. All too soon he was left with nothing once more, deaf and numb to the world.

"No…" Acedia collapsed to the ground, his body heaving with sobs, "Please… no!"

But it was all gone the Saligia left to flounder around in the smoke of the dream hash weeping for everything he had lost.

. . . . . . .

The tiger bit down and with one jerk of its head tore the man's throat out. The Seeker fell in a spray of blood as a swarm of black butterflies descended, their weapons like razor blades slicing flesh open as they engulfed a pair of men. They shrieked stumbling back straight into the grasp of a red rose thornbush, prickled vines ripping them apart.

Luxuria laughed, her silk shift wrapped around her arms as she bared her tattooed flesh to the world, the painted things on her skin coming to life. A copper-scaled snake leapt from her arm again and again, striking with lightning speed, poisoning anyone who dared to stray too close. But even as the bodies fell Luxuria could not help but feel regret.

She sighed, eyes lingering on the corpses. All such pretty, pretty men and women they were and they would have all made excellent pets. And now they were dead, no use to anybody at all.

"What a waste," she tutted, "What a terrible, terrible – "

Luxuria saw a flash of silver hair amongst the chaos and her perfect rosebud lips instantly curled into a grin. Through the fighting she slipped, nothing touching her immaculate flesh, the sin of lust as ephemeral and glorious as an angel of the heavens. Her brother was the polar opposite, a gold-eyed demon with blood on his face and hands, howling with delight as he tore his enemies apart from limb to limb.

"This is no fun!" Superbia roared, "Where's the sport?!"

A Seeker slashed at him but Superbia dodged with supreme ease, grabbing his wrist and breaking it with a single twist. The man screamed, his hand convulsing in Superbia's iron grin. Feral-faced Superbia stabbed his free thumb into the man's eyes one by one, blinding him before kicking the broken form aside.

Superbia whirled, taking a blow straight to the gut without flinching. The Seeker who had attacked staggered back, clutching at his hand and screaming in pain. A backhand sent him flying.

"Having fun brother?" Luxuria was suddenly beside him.

She thrust her body forwards and a hound, as dark as shadows and with fire streaming from its eyes, leapt from her belly as though sprouting from some fantastical monstrous birth. Superbia watched as the hell-hound leapt at some poor woman, tearing the flesh from her face in burning bites.

"It's been too long," Superbia replied with savage joy.

"Yes brother dear…" Luxuria watched as her tattoo beasts continued to tear through the shattered Seeker army, men and women now running for their lives.

She let out a trill of musical laughter.

"It has been."

"KILL THEM!"

Before either Saligia could react a burst of white fire swallowed them whole, blistering heat touching their skins. Luxuria's animals howled in agony, writhing where they stood as the light slowly faded.

Two Cursed cowered in their chains as their masters offered them scraps of dry meat as treats, praising them with loud raised voices. The two frail forms instantly shrieked as their enemies rose, smoking rising from their skins.

"That was…" Luxuria hissed, not a hair out of place.

"Pathetic," Superbia growled.

Unperturbed one of the two Seekers narrowed his eyes at them.

"Attack!" he snapped, jerking on his Cursed's chain.

The woman shrieked, one long-nailed finger flying out, white fire leaping but Superbia was infinitely swifter.

The Cursed cried out as Superbia was suddenly by her side, the Saligia moving with impossible speed.

"What – "

The Seeker was thrown away by a single punch, the hulking man tossed through the air as though he was nothing but a bag of feathers. The Cursed screamed as Superbia grabbed her by the throat.

"You dare?" the sin of pride roared.

A boot slammed into the other Seeker, tossing her away as she tried to attack. The Cursed in Superbia's grip gave one last frantic yelp before he snapped her neck.

White fire spilled through the air the last of the Cursed attacking desperately but Superbia whirled, white light dancing on his own fingertips. Fire clashed with fire, Superbia's attack easily swallowing the Cursed's. The emaciated man could only scream as pure flames washed over his body, burning him to cinders.

"Oh dear…"

Luxuria's human pets gathered around her once more, lovingly touching her, reassuring themselves she was fine as sin of lust watched her brother rage.

She winced as a single blow caved a man's skull in, grey and blood leaking everywhere.

"I do apologise…"

She touched a strapping young man on the head and he turned into her touch like a housecat, purring just as loudly as one.

"But I think we're not going to be making any other new friends today," Luxuria sighed as Superbia thrust his fist straight through a Seeker's chest, his hand exploding out of his back in a gout of red.

"Come…"

Her pets whimpered as she drew them to her, tangling them all in a mess of limbs and wet kisses. She could feel their desire, was feeding off it as wanted sparked want. Her whole body tingled, longing for their touch, their worship as she leaned back into their embrace. Superbia killed and killed, lost to bloodlust as his sister surrendered herself to the pleasures of the flesh.

. . . . . . .

The door was torn off its hinges and the inner sanctum of the water baron was breached. The Seeker guards within were already forewarned, every man in place, daggers drawn as they faced the two monsters that had dare invade their sanctuary. They did not quiver, did not show the slightest hint of worry as they faced a thing both monster and man, his chin and front smeared with blood and gore. His companion was no less fearful, a proud dark-skinned lord swathed in silks and brocade, an immense sword forged from pure gold held easily his hands.

"Watch out," Avaritia grinned, gold-teeth glimmering, "Behind you."

The Seekers whirled, eyes widening as they saw the swords hovering behind them. They could only cry out as the blades suddenly thrust forwards, golden points exploding out of their backs. They dropped as one, the weapons melting to light and smoke as Avaritia chuckled.

"Fools."

His eyes passed over the bodies already ignoring them as he surveyed the rich tapestries on the wall, the delicates porcelain vases that stood in strategically sunlit alcoves. Water trickled from a fountain in the very centre of the room, the ultimate symbol of wealth and status in Lawless. Indulgence showed too in the chandelier of glass and crystal that hung above, spraying light and rainbow onto the fire glazed tiles laid out in a sun patterned mosaic on the floor. Avaritia saw it all, knew its value and wanted to snatch it, to lock it away and make it his, now and forever.

"No…"

He shook himself, trying to fight his nature, the very reason for his existence.

"We have to hurry!" he growled as Gula looked longingly at the sacks of bleeding flesh on the ground, "COME ON!'

He dragged his brother across the atrium, all that gold, all that coin and riches calling for him with dulcet tones.

We are yours! They sang. We are yours!

With trembling legs Avaritia forced himself to approach the wooden door on the far side of the chamber.

"BREAK IT DOWN!" the sin of greed shrieked, his control almost breaking.

Gula surged forwards and one with strike of his massive hand, the door was obliterated. They stepped through the wreckage and was instantly met by the ruler of this once great underground city, the water baron of Cienaga.

"How dare you?"

His voice thundered in the tiny antechamber, his fury giving him strength, making him a monster that seemed to fill up the whole room.

"How dare you attack my city?! My people?!"

He was dark haired, dark eyed, darkly clothed, spark leaping from his eyes. He brandished a knife at his enemies, foaming at the mouth, his eyes wide in his narrow face.

"I told you…" a thin voice rasped.

The water baron whirled, cursing and spitting at the bound man behind him.

Cyrus Grey, the Cursed Man of the Greater Plains, the Child-Taker, the Killer of Jason Sierre, merely laughed. His face was battered, his lips split, dried blood all over his face and clothes. His sleeves were pulled back, oozing cuts and blistering brands puckering his flesh.

"I told you I have powerful friends…"

Avaritia cursed him as Cyrus laughed.

"Kill him," the Cursed ordered coldly, straightening in his chair.

The water baron spluttered, eyes wide.

"What?! What?!"

Avaritia growled, not wanting to obey the man, to give him power over them. But he had to, Cyrus was everything to them, Cyrus was the –

"I am your crown!" Cyrus spat at Gula and Avaritia, "KILL HIM OR HE WILL KILL ME!"

"GULA!" Avaritia roared.

The water baron screamed as the sin of gluttony opened his mouth. His tongue shot out like a chameleons, the strong pink muscle brimming with teeth at its tip. The jaws snapped around the man's arm, snagging him as he stabbed at the tongue wildly trying to break free.

Gula's eyes glittered and with a single gulp, swallowed the man whole. His neck worked convulsively as one of the most powerful men in all of Lawless was gone in the blink of an eye.

"You were told to stay in one place!" Avaritia roared as he stormed towards Cyrus and tore his bonds free in a thrice.

The crown of the Saligia merely smiled at his anger, certain of his safety. He was the crown chosen by the Great Darkness, the Saligia were his to command, their strengths, their powers all his to control. He laughed, relishing in his might, his glory.

"I'm sorry I could stand here and listen to your incessant bleating but I have something very pressing to attend to…"

He rose and turned to the wide windows, to where a storm raged over the lake of Cienaga, to where his enemies were torn apart and crushed.

"I need to find the second seal."

Cyrus laughed as Avaritia clenched his fists, the slaughterer of entire civilisations utterly and completely powerless before this mere mortal.

. . . . . . .

"So what do we know?"

The others looked as drained as Susan felt. Barely a day had gone by since Old Haven had fallen, razed almost to the ground by seven monsters and already she saw them in her dreams.

They had been crushed, utterly and completely, all their skills and powers swept laughingly aside. Susan didn't even know why they had been left alive. They had been at the creatures' mercy, the deathblow coming and for some inexplicable enigmatic reason they had been allowed to live.

Why? Susan wished she could just accept a piece of brilliant luck but still the question niggled at her.

"They're the seven sins," Peter said softly, "Pride. Lust. Greed. Envy. Wrath. Glutton. Sloth."

"No not sloth… Acedia," his brother corrected gently.

Everyone stared at him blank and Edmund sighed.

"Sloth was not one of the original sins. Acedia is. The sin of neglect, the sin of being blind and numb to all the joys the world has to offer."

Inara frowned.

"So being emo is a sin?"

Everyone shot Inara a withering glare but she merely smiled back at them.

They were all sporting wounds from their failed fight against the Saligia, all bearing cuts and bruises, not even Peter's talent enough to fix them all. The High King himself was dozing where he sat, exhausted to the bone, his voice raw and barely above a rasping whisper. But despite it all they were still able to bicker and banter, to be as every bit as annoying and frustrating as they had always been and for that Susan was so very, very glad.

"So what do we know?" the Gentle Queen repeated bringing the conversation back on track.

"They're powerful," Caspian said darkly, "Really powerful."

He had almost been eaten alive by a dead-eyed monster, a thing he had barely been able to hurt at all. If he couldn't fight against the Great Darkness's underlings how was he to destroy Gavin himself? How was he going to save his kingdom? How was he going to save his aunt?

Prunaprismia's face flashed in his mind and Caspian forgot how to breathe. Glozelle was out there somewhere, fighting to save her, trusting that he would save everyone else. Caspian hoped, he prayed he would not let his old teacher down.

"They all have different powers," Elias pointed out, "Tied to what they are."

Everyone in the room winced as they remembered what they had had to fight against.

"Avaritia… greed is a deadly swordsman," Edmund instantly recalled, "Glutton, Gula, devours everything in its path."

"And if that wasn't enough," Caspian added dryly, "His tongue is like a snake and he can turn himself into a flock of carrion-birds."

"Wait…" Zaru blinked, "Like a snake?"

"With teeth and everything," Caspian said bleakly.

Jason said nothing but his clenched fists and masked face said it all.

"The others?"

"Little Miss Angry makes things come to hulk smashing life when she's miffed," Inara supplied helpfully, "But I – "  
"Let your guard down and got yourself beaten up?" Jason spat.

Inara grimaced as Zaru smirked. She opened her mouth ready to fire back a retort but she stopped herself, not knowing how this stranger who was her friend would react. The old Jason would have just ignored whatever barb she threw, but this new Seeker? The one who had tried to kill them all? The half-Naga could feel everyone's on her, waiting for her and she took refuge in habit. She jabbed Peter in the chest forcing the king to open his eyes.

"Support me honey cakes!"

Ignoring her Peter closed his eyes once more as she huffed, the tension bleeding out of her.

"Lust has these tattoos all over her and they come to life. She also has considerable sway over men," Susan glanced at Caspian and Jason wryly.

The Telmarine flushed dully remembering all too well the sin's effect on him. Jason's scowl deepened, the Seeker cursing his weakness once more. How could he hope to protect his family if he could not even stand against a little enchantment like that. He had to be strong, stronger than stone, than mountain if he wanted to fix all the wrongs he had done.

"Acedia is immortal," Zaru's voice was hush, the humour from moments ago completely vanished as he remembered the skeleton monster that had stalked him through the streets, "He… he's numb to his injuries and they don't exist."

"That doesn't sound too bad," Elias pointed out, "It's mostly defensive he – "

"He touches you and he feeds off your emotions, drains you dry of everything you feel and can ever feel," the leopard finished grimly.

Elias's eyes widened.

"Oh."

"And the other two?" Jason growled, "Whoever they are?"

"Envy."

Lucy spoke for the first time her voice soft and quiet, the other started not expecting her voice. The Valiant Queen sat with her back ramrod straight, the voices of the alters in her head thankfully quiet for now. Dimly she felt Lucia lost somewhere in those depths, recovering from her humiliating defeat but aside from that there was nothing but blissful, wonderful silence.

"She took Peter's talents and copied them," her voice was that of the queen of the Golden Age, strong and brimming with confidence – everything she was not now, "And pride…"

She shuddered and her voice broken.

"He hurt us!"

Everyone recoiled as Lucy thrashed in her chair, her eyes wide with terror.

"He hurt us and we deserved it!"

"Danaid," Elias breathed instantly recognising who Lucy had become.

"Lu!"

Edmund tried to grab Lucy, tried to stop her from tearing at her own hand but a boot slammed into his gut, Danaid thrashing wildly in his chair.

"I deserved it!" Danaid screeched at the, a howling beast of a person, "I DESERVE IT!"

With a final cry Danaid fell still, eyes closed as everyone frozen where they were, staring at the man Lucy had become. Slowly her eyes fluttered open.

The Valiant Queen looked at them, saw them staring at her and her eyes closed once more.

"Who was it?" she asked.

Everyone looked at Elias, the man who knew the most of the fractured pieces of Lucy's mind.

"Danaid," the scientist said hoarsely.

Lucy's lips twisted into a tiny smile.

"So that's why my scalp hurts," she pulled a strand of hair free from where it was tangled in her fingers.

She carefully ignored their gazes, focusing on straightening her clothes.

"Lucy…" Susan began.

"Don't," Lucy's voice broken, "Please… don't."

Susan stared at her sister, Lucy refusing to meet her eyes. She wanted to scream, wanted to weep but most of all she wanted to throw her arms around Lucy and promise her that everything would turn out fine. But Susan could not bring herself to voice such an empty lie. So she did what Lucy wanted – tried to forget everything she had just seen.

"Pride?" she asked, her voice deliberately light.

"Su!" Peter snarled, blue eyes flashing.

Inara gently touched his arm and the High King glared at her, ready to fire a retort. The half-Naga met his gaze squarely and whatever he saw in them, Peter said nothing, a grimace crossing his face.

Edmund and Caspian said nothing, watching Lucy carefully, worry written all over their features. They glanced at each other, an unspoken message passed between them and they nodded as one, a pact made. They focused their gaze on Elias as the scientist frowned, muttering to himself, shaping his theories, a thousand and one new ideas springing up as old obsolete ones were scrapped aside.

"He's stronger than us. Faster. Whatever we are Pride is going to be better," Lucy said quietly, taking refuge in the practical, "That's his power."

"Do we know their weaknesses?" Zaru demanded.

He wished he knew what the others were thinking, what they were filling. But his senses were betraying him, his nose unable to pick up anything but the stench of his own guilt, his own shame.

Even passing out from exhaustion had not stopped the dreams, the leopard seeing Makat level a city of glass and minerals into nothing but a barren wasteland, locusts and Arov flies infesting every square inch as people fell where they stood.

Blood. More blood. All on him. His fault. Every death, every shattered world his fault. Zaru understood exactly what the shrieking thing Lucy had become was. It was her guilt, the snarling whispering ugly voice of truth inside her head given life. Did he have a Danaid inside of him? Was that what that dark cloud Acedia had talked about was?

The leopard closed his eyes and suddenly felt very, very cold. He wanted to sleep, wanted to curl up into a ball and forget but he knew as soon as he left himself drift off the dreams would come once more.

He forced himself to open his eyes, to listen to what was happening.

"Well… we're boned," Inara said disgustedly, "Seven unstoppable monsters gunning for us. Does anybody else want to run off to Timbuktu?"

"We'll make that the backup plan,' Edmund said dryly, "We still need to defeat them."

"We don't have to," Jason growled, "This is a game isn't it? We protect our crown, they need to protect theirs. Kill their crown and we win."

Everyone blinked, their eyes widening as they realised the truth of the Seeker's worlds.

"Small problem," Caspian said softly, "We have no idea who their crown is."

"Well…"  
Inara spoke for them all.

"I hate square one."

"So what do we do now?" Zaru asked, voicing the question no one wanted to face, "Wait around for them to come back?"

"No," Susan said strongly, "We have to find them and face them on our terms."

"That's great Su…" Peter pointed out, "But how?"

The Gentle Queen looked back at them helplessly.

"JASON SERRA!"

Lucy blinked and they were all on their feet, weapons drawn, ready to fight to the death. Lucia snarled in her head, the General disgusted with her slowness, her inadequacy. Lucy flushed and leapt to her feet, tailing the others as they poured out of the room.

"Jason."

"Who the hell are you?" Peter snapped.

Two men stood in the ruined remains of the parlour, unfazed by the veritable army that marched in to face them. They stood with the air of veterans, men shaped and carved by wars and disasters, hammered until they were stronger than stone. One was a man in his prime with hair like straw and a mouth that seemed to always hold a smile. The other was a gangly youth as intense and solemn as his companion was jovial. They made an odd pair, man and youth but they were not master and squire, no… these were allies, brothers in arms and each as deadly as the other.

"Flax. Coop."

"I thought you were dead," the youth said in a voice as hard and flat as his face.

"I'm surprised you aren't," Jason replied with a ghost of a smile.

The youth snorted but said nothing to that. His ruddy hair was cropped short on his head, the hairline split in two by a puckered scar. More wounds crisscrossed his face, his hands, marking him as the victor and loser a hundred battles.

"Flax what are you doing here?" Jason demanded, knowing better than to ask the boy in front of him.

A lazy gaze fixed onto Jason's face, lips rising in a dreamy smile. With his broad form and broad features, Flax looked like a simpleton, more brawn than brains. But Jason knew the number of men and women who had duped themselves into believing such a lie and knew that not many had lived to regret their mistake.

"There's been a problem."

Flax's voice was light but Jason could pick the line of tension beneath his words.

"What is it?"

There was a time when their names were the most feared in the whole of Lawless – the Seekers of the Greater Plains, the Lord of Knives, the Death-Bringers. Whether they hunted together or hunted alone, few had escaped their blades. But for all the times they had fought together, protected each other they were not truly friends, not family as Jason was with those he stood with now. These were fellow hunters, bound by the thrill of the chase, by the glory of the reward and by, if Jason was being honest, a lust for blood.

"Jason?" Susan asked, an arrow pointed straight at Coop.

"Point that thing away from me woman," the boy Seeker spat, a knife in his hands.

Zaru growled as Caspian tensed. Coop sneered at them, completely unimpressed. Jason's hands shot out, grabbing onto Inara and Peter's arms as they tried to move forwards. The half-Naga whirled, hissing at him as the Seeker stared back, eyes cold.

"It's Argent," Flax's voice rose above the hubbub.

Jason instantly froze and everyone saw it, Edmund narrowing his eyes in speculation.

"Cienaga has been taken," Flax continued, "Argent is missing."

Jason already knew the answer to his next question.

"Taken by who?" he demanded.

Who else? Who else could break the ancient stronghold of the underground oasis? Who else could shatter the Seeker and Cursed army of the water baron of Cienaga? Who could match the head of that army, the man who had trained Jason in the art of the blade and who had helped him reign in the ruach?

"Seven monsters," Coop smiled, "Cienaga was destroyed by seven monsters. And there's a huge bounty on their heads."

. . . . . . .

The caramuli were some of the largest beasts in all of Lawless. Sand-coloured fur hung in dregs around their hulky forms, blending them into the endless dunes, their splayed cloven feet pressing lightly across the tumbling sands. But beneath their fur, they were creatures of scales and forked tongues, slit-like eyes covered by a milky cataract that protected them from the harsh glare of Lawless's three suns. They bounded through the desert on powerful piston and spring legs, bearing their passengers easily on their backs.

Susan nudged her mouth with her knees and with a jabbering cry her caramuli dashed forwards, bringing her even to the man she wanted to speak to.

They had left Old Haven in a hurry, without forethought, without Jason explaining himself. All they had cared about was that the Saligia had struck again, that more lives had been lost. They were hurtling towards another fight and Susan knew they were no more prepared than last time.

"Talk," the queen said bluntly.

Jason looked at her. Susan could already see the guilt spilling across his features, the Seeker pulling away, unable to trust himself around her. The Gentle Queen was caught between the desire to hold him, to promise him that she forgave him, the other part of her wanted to smack him across the head and tell him there was nothing to forgive. But Susan said nothing, remembering all too well that hellish place she had seen in his dreams, the monstrous factory where he had killed himself again and again. Guilt was like a poison in his mind but for now it was held back and Susan was too scared to push him, to crack the walls that protected him.

"About what?"

It was a dance, a play of words, both skirting around what could not be said between them. Susan hated it, she wanted to bring it all out, to drag out every dark dirty secret out of Jason's mouth, out of everyone's mouth. Edmund. Inara. Jason. Lucy. Hell, even Zaru. They were all hurting, hiding their pain, letting it fester and rot. It all had to come out, had to be lanced and allowed to be aired but still Susan said nothing. They had to make the first move, they had to want to heal. It made her want to laugh. The broken girl who had threw herself into silks and cheap dances to forget her Eden was now the sanest of them all. Not for the first time Susan wished she could whisper one word and make everything all right again.

"Coop. Flax. Argent. Who are they?" she asked instead.

Jason forced himself to speak, forced himself not to shy away from the girl who was his daughter in all but blood. Didn't she know how dangerous he was? Didn't she know how useless he was to her now? The ruach was out of his reach. Locked behind walls he had created unknowingly to protect the others. But as much as he hated that power, was terrified of what he had done with it he also needed it, needed it to destroy the monsters who had swept them all aside. But could he do it? Could he break the walls he so desperately needed? Jason wished he knew the answer.

"Argent was our teacher."

Susan was surprised but what did she expect? That Jason had been born out of the womb with daggers in his hands? She remembered the nightmare world she had seen in her visions, the could-have-been place that Tash had sent her into. Though she had never spoken of it, she knew Jason had not always been Jason.

Nathaniel…

She knew that this man had once had a family, a daughter and a wife. What had happened to them? Where had Nathaniel gone? The mystery had always teased her thoughts but Susan had never voiced them. this was the closest she had ever come to finding out about the origin of the man she trusted with her life.

"He took me in when I was just starting off," Jason did not look at her, his eyes drilling into Flax's back, "He trained me. He trained Coop and Flax as well. He welded us into a trio, into the best Seekers this place had ever known."

"He trained you?" Susan was impressed, "Sounds like quite the fighter."

Jason had to smile at that.

"You have no idea."

Inara had whinged and whinged about how hard Jason was on her, how he had literally beaten every drop of knowledge and skill into her body and head. But compared to what he had endured it was almost nothing. Argent had thrown them to the caramuli, to the desert cats, to all the creatures and dangers the deserts had to cover with nothing but skin of water to survive. He had beaten them black, blue and bloody, had pitted against enemies they had no hope of defeating. He had starved them, had driven them to the edge of madness and beyond, all in the name of breaking them unbreakable. Like a blacksmith he had beaten and beaten them until he had created the most terrible and effective weapons imaginable.

And Jason owed his life to the man. Without him, without his brutal lessons Jason would have lost himself to the ruach, would have become another one of the Cursed – mindless shrieking creatures enslaved to the fire that burned inside and to their masters. Even now the Seeker shuddered at the thought of being one of those mewling half-things that did anything for a pat from their masters.

"It's strange…"

Jason finally looked at her, his eyes sharp.

"Strange to imagine you anything but what you are," Susan kept her words light, every phrase spoken carefully measured, "What were you like before?"

The mask fell swiftly, shutters closing over his eyes and Susan knew she had lost him.

"Watch the desert," the Seeker growled, pulling his mount away, "There's always something He fled from the worry in her eyes, the concern she had for him. Susan loved Jason Sierre, cared for him as though he was family. But what was he really? Jason had been a lie, a thing made by the Great Darkness to kill her, to destroy the worlds. He was meant to be a killer, a weapon, he wasn't meant to look into the eyes of a blue-eyed woman and want to lay his life down for her.

What was he? Was he real? Were these thoughts, these feelings all part of the lie, the spell the Great Darkness had woven around him?

It wasn't just the guilt that was killing him, it was also the questions that could not be answered.

"Jason – " Susan called out desperately.

But the Seeker was gone, his caramuli bounding away as Susan grimaced, slumping in her saddle. Her own mount offered her a mournful bleat as Susan let out a bitter laugh.

She was meant to be one to hold them all together but slowly they were drifting away, things unsaid, things left in the dark eating away at them all.

"Susan?"

The queen glanced to her left and Caspian was there.

She smiled at him, glad there was at least one person who did not keep secrets from her.

"Are you okay?"

She looked tired, wearied to her very bones. His hand reached out, clasping hers gently, trying to pour his strength into her. His queen smiled gratefully at him and Caspian found himself thanking the heavens once more he was free of his curses.

"Can you get the others to talk?" Susan asked, her shoulders slumped, "Or read the others' minds?"

Caspian knew exactly what she was talking about. After so long they were together once more but as far apart as they had always been. There was Lucy, poor broken Lucy, screaming and cursing with voices that were not her own, Elias driving himself to exhaustion to try and mend her. Then there was Jason. He had fought alongside the man against the Glutton-beast and knew the Seeker could not use his ruach, a symptom of just how shattered he really was beneath the death-mask he had set over his features. And if that wasn't enough there was Zaru, stumbling through life with a dazed look on his face, his eyes wild and haunted. It hadn't escaped Caspian's notice that the leopard barely ate or slept. Even Inara was struck by dark moods, the half-Naga sometimes stopping in mid-sentence, pain in her eyes. And always Peter was there, watching her carefully, ready to catch her when she fell.

They were being poisoned from within, each nursing their guilt, each trying to protect the others, to spare them, each righteous sacrifice driving another wedge into Aslan's champions. But did any of them have the courage to speak what weighed them down? Did Caspian have the courage to admit to the others just how miserably he had failed his own flesh and blood?

He was a coward, Caspian realised, a bloody snivelling –

A hand smacked into the back of his head.

"OW!"

"Stop it," Susan growled at him, eyes flashing, "Not you too!"

Caspian rubbed his head gingerly.

"Sorry."

Susan smiled at him before her eyes strayed to where Jason had pulled himself level with Flax. She frowned as a great weight left the Seeker's shoulders as he talked with someone he had not betrayed.

Maybe it was better if Jason stayed in Lawless. If all they did was hurt each other, tear each other apart with their mere presence maybe it was –

No.  
Susan sucked in a deep breath and straightened in her saddle.

No man, woman or leopard left behind.

She had made that vow a long time ago and come hell or high water she was going to keep it.

They rode on, Lawless's triptych of suns doing nothing to penetrate the dark cloud that hung over them all.

. . . . . . .

They drowned in a river of blood, their spasms dying to nothing, their mouth and lungs filled to the brim with red and then they floated to the surface, bobbing along on the crimson current.

Makat watched it all with cold passionless eyes.

"There's still more."

He swung his sceptre around and a cloud of locusts descended, feeding on the dead, on the living, on those who wished they were dead.

"There's always more," the Tzaraath said dully.

He turned and looked at his companion. She smiled warmly at him, patting his cheeks encouragingly.

"Of course there is dumpling. But no need to fuss, one world at a time, bit by bit we'll get there eventually," she nodded firmly, strict matron and warm mother all in one.

Her ample frame seemed to dwarf the slave beside her, her shadow swallowing them all.

"Where to now?" Makat asked.

Once upon time he had believed in gods, in higher powers that watched over them, that shaped their lives and led them all eventually to the promised land. But now he knew the truth. There was no good, no protector. There was only power and the courage to do what had to be done.

The Mother smiled and the ruined city around them, the city that Makat had helped topple to the ground, faded until the last thing the slave saw was those pair of even white teeth, gleaming before the darkness took him away.

. . . . . . .

Zaru jolted out of his sleep, blinking wildly into the night.

"No…"

More bodies. More death. His fault… all his…

Why did he even brother trying to sleep anymore?

He laughed and it was a wild crazed sound that bubbled out from his throat. The leopard turned as the fire in the centre of their camp flared and leapt in the frigid night, painting the sand in fits of red and yellow light. He wished the darkness would swallow it all. He hated the desert. Hated the heat and the cold. Hated the sand in his fur, the grit in his paws. Hated that it reminded him of Tzara.

"Do you honestly think you can beat me?"

Zaru's eyes pricked as Coop's cold voice carried through the gloom.

"I know I can," Inara's silver eyes glittered.

The young Seeker gave a loud bray of laughter as stark and jeering as a crow's cry.

"Gaww... is the big strong man intimidated by little old me?" Inara's voice was full of sweet poison.

"Do you know what women Seekers are expected to do?"

Inara narrowed her eyes as the shorn-head boy stretched his long limbs before him, hands clasped lightly on his belly.

"They're expected to stay around the towns, guard the streets, to always move in packs. Nobody expects them to do the really dangerous jobs."

Coop smiles as though that proved a point. Inara rolled her eyes, her form silhouetted starkly against the fire.

"Why because they allhave cooties?"

Zaru knew if he could have smelled her scent, if he could penetrated the fog of guilt and shame that choked the air around him he would have tasted the all too familiar steel of her determination, the coal-fire of her rage.

"I have fought in more battles than I even remember anymore," it was no boast, simple fact tinged with a peculiar mix of pride and fatigue, "I'm not scared of you."

Coop and Inara stared at each other, two implacable shadows in the lone light amongst an endless league of black.

"You will be."

Inara said nothing but her gaze did not shift from the boy's face. Zaru silently unsheathed his claws, ready to pounce if the Seeker tried to fulfil the dark vow he had just made. But before Coop could even think of moving, Jason was there towering over him.

"Leave her."

Zaru shuddered.

Jason did not sound like the man he had fought besides and with so many times before. Even at his coldest, at his most ruthless there had always been something alive, something warm and human inside. But that part, that vital beating part of the Seeker was now as cold and as hard as a lump of ice, his eyes two well openings into the dark.

Zaru wondered if he was just as damaged.

If Inara felt the same as he did, it did not show in her voice.

"Oh come on Cowboy," she at least had not changed, her voice as light as ever, "Me and Boy Wonder are just playing."

"Coop doesn't play. He kills," Jason said flatly.

There was a victorious gleam to the younger Seeker's eyes.

"Who are you?" Inara asked staring at Coop.

Yes.

Zaru looked at Jason, at Coop, wondered about himself.

"Who are you?"

. . . . . . .

Elias wondered if he was even alive. His mind was befuddled, his senses lost in a sea of endless gold. They had rode and rode on days on end and yet seemed to hardly move at all, always the same burning plains, the same endless dunes. Where was this Cienaga? Where was anything but sand?! His legs were locked stiff on either side of the saddle, his fingers clinging onto the reins in a dead man's grip. How long had he been perched on this strange creature's back? How many days had it been? Three? Five? An eternity?

Elias tried to stretch his mind back but his thoughts, always as swift and powerful as a roaring river, was now as parched at his throat. He could think of nothing but a desperate prayer for shade, for water. He ached for cold, for anything but the sun but the cool of night in this place as fleeting as snatches of sleep amongst a feverish dream All Elias knew was that days had been lost beneath the triple eye of Lawless's suns, the sunlight like golden hammer blows upon their head. Salt and water poured from him and it was as though his very body was weeping with despair. Uncaring of his pain his caramuli bound on with its queer tireless gait, bearing him like a heavy sack across its back.

A sound caught Elias's ears and he looked up. It was coming from the east, a cloud of kicked up sand and dust building with every second. The caramuli bleated as with rough tugs of the reigns the ragged party drew to a halt.

"What is that?" Elias's voice was broken, his vocal cords rubbing itself raw as he tried to speak.

He turned and instantly froze as he caught sight of the three Seekers. They sat as like statues in their saddles, their eyes drawn towards the coming billows, every muscle as tense as bowstrings.

The scientist tried to reach for his crossbow but his fingers refused to work, every joint in his body dried to matted bone.

"Danger."

Flax was smiling and from days on journey with him Elias knew the golden-haired man always smiled. Come burning sun or meagre food, the Seeker bore his grin and in his feverish mind Elias somehow knew Flax did not smile because he felt humour but because he felt nothing at all.

"Would you like to be more precise?" Peter snapped.

The High King's face was sunburnt and peeling, his voice as harsh as any old smoker's. Coop snarled and his dagger was in his hands.

"Do we really have to do this now?" Caspian asked tiredly.

The two Seekers had rubbed their nerves raw, Coop a hawk with his hungry eyes and waiting talons, Flax a lunatic, smiling and laughing as every one of them weakened in the sun. Some nights none of them could sleep for fear of what might happen if the two caught them unawares.

"What is it?" Lucy demanded, ignoring their squabble.

Her voice rang with power and everyone froze. Was it Lucy who spoke? Or was it Lucille commanding in her cold, hard voice? Lucia in her madness? Lucinda with her confidence? Or was it the Dawn-Breaker? Snarling, demanding they yield?

They looked to Elias and he shrugged helplessly back, as in the dark as they were.

"Ahh…"

Flax's grin widened as glimpses of red flashed through the roiling sand. Coop cursed loudly, leaping from his caramuli.

"It's them!"

"Who?" Susan demanded as they all dismounted.

A whistle from Flax and the strange beasts bounded away, the caramuli too precious to risk in a fight.

"Jason – "

The Gentle Queen looked at Jason and froze as she saw the white-hot rage in his eyes. The Gentle Queen was stricken, paralysed by the feral demon look in those familiar blue depths. Memories rose, the queen trembling as she remembered that dark night when all that hate, all that rage was directed at her and all those she cared about.

Susan swallowed, forcing herself to speak.

"Jason?"

It came out as a weak whisper.

"Scourges," the Seeker's words were a curse.

"What are they?" Susan was already putting arrow to bow, the silver cold in her hands.

"Child-killers," Jason spat.

With those words the Seeker had wiped everything from his companion's face, their minds. All thoughts of hunger, of heat and of thirst vanished. All laughter, all bickering melted as the warriors they truly were emerged, hard-faced and ready for blood.

"How many?" Caspian demanded.

They unsheathed their blades in fluid motions, moving into place. Lightning crackled on Peter's fingertips as he took his place beside his sister and Elias, the long-range fighters shielded by a wall of bristling blades.

"At least twenty!" Zaru reported.

They held their ground, waiting for their enemies to come to them, their nerves like threads of ice. Pulling his eyes away from the coming enemies, Edmund glanced at the person beside him.

"Lucy?" his blue eyes searched her face.

His sister looked back at him, something dark and unreadable in her eyes.

"She needs to fight," Lucy said hollowly, "Otherwise she'll kill you all."

Edmund blanched as their two companion Seekers finally deigned to join them.

Coop slammed his shoulder into Inara's, stumbling her as he unsheathed his daggers. They were tiny wicked things, made for close combat, to feel the heat of your enemy's blood as you caught their guts in hooks and barbs and tore it steaming from their bellies.

Inara looked at him, eyes silver. Coop smiled at the murder in her eyes, daring her to attack him.

Flax stood amongst them, ignoring them all as he unwrapped a bundle of rags and rough cloth. Eyes twinkling he flourished his hidden treasure – a truncated sword of mottled steel, battered and unimpressive compared to the blades the kings and Inara wielded. But Jason stared at his old companion, amazed.

"When – "

Flax laughed at his shock.

"A year now."

The others looked on but they did not understand. This was Lawless when everything but sand and sun was scarce. Water and food were rationed at best. And steel? A Seekers' blades were his most precious possession, the metal needed to forge them worth a thousand times his life. And swords?

"You're a blademaster."

Flax smiled but there was no satisfaction in that gesture, no warmth – just an empty look for an empty man. But that was hardly surprising to become a master deserving of a sword there had be a lot of blood spilt and one did not achieve such a goal if they were not a little broken on the inside.

"What the –"

Zaru's eyes widened.

"WATCH OUT!"

Light bloomed around the Scourges and they were all blinded, flailing as a wild wind tried to scrap the skin from their bones. They fell and it saved their lives

A line of light slashed the air, a column of flame wreathed white that soared above their heads and crashed into the dunes. The earth detonated, boiling sand spraying the air as they scrambled to their feet, yelling as drops of glass burned their skin.

"What the hell?!" Jason roared, "What is this?!"  
He looked at Coop and Flax but the two Seekers had no answers for him.

"INCOMING!" Zaru screamed.

Another blast flew at them but lightning stabbed out from Peter's fingers, tearing through the attack as High King let out a bellowing wary cry.

"We have to get closer!" Lucy yelled but it was Lucia who truly spoke, the General charging brazenly forwards.

"LUCY!"

Susan fired, a red-clad figure dropping, his allies trampling his dead body into the sand. Cursing the Gentle Queen ran after her sister, letting arrow after arrow fly.

"LUCY! STOP!"

"For the Empress!" Lucia roared.

Did these fools think they could match General Lucia the Magnificent?! She had been the one to lead the Oni to their glorious victory over the Asuryans! Her glaive was stained with the blood of a thousand foes! From her enemies' ashes the glorious Pearl would rise again.

"DIEEEE!" the crazed general screamed.

The Scourge blasted them all with bursts of white light but a wall of green fire exploded, blocking the bombardment as the shockwaves knocked Susan off her feet.

"LUCY!"  
Zaru leapt over his queen's body, roaring as he lunged for Lucia. But the General had already hurled herself straight into the midst of her enemies, screaming her warcries with a broken voice.

The Scourges were figures in cloaks of red, their faces black iron masks with faces twisted into grotesque rhapsody. They made no sound as Lucia lashed out with her sword, cutting through them with brutal ease, each body claimed sparking and fuelling her ecstasy to ever dizzying heights.

"FIGHT ME!" the General screeched, "FIGHT DAMN YOU FIGHT!"

One of the Scourges stabbed at her with a pipe of worked silver, the end burning bright as Lucia whirled, eyes widening as she realised there was no time to dodge.

"ROOWWRR!"

Zaru tore the thing from the Scourge's hand, yelping as it burned his lips and tongue. He spat it out as Lucia stabbed her attacker, the final Scourge, right through the chest. The man in red collapsed as Lucia howled with laughter, brandishing her sword in victory.

Susan lowered her bow, eyes wide.

"Well…"  
Susan looked at the prone red forms, every one of them cut down before they had even landed a blow.

"That was easy."

Lucia laughed, sheathing her sword into the air as she kicked the bodies around her.

"Compared to the Asuryans these are nothing!" the General roared.

Her eyes were alive with bloodlust, Lucy's familiar face twisted and broken, hammered into warrior's frenetic mask. The sweet little girl, the Valiant Queen was gone, her mind and soul poisoned by impossible memories of glorious phantom wars.

"The Pearl shall rise once more!" the General howled to the sky, to her Empress, "With my hands I shall return us to our former glory!"

Susan felt Caspian at her back, the Telmarine watching Lucia carefully, ready to strike if the General turned her madness onto them. The queen's hand shot out, grabbing onto Jason's arm, stopping the Seeker from moving forwards as a glare froze Inara in her tracks. They looked at her, Susan's deadly gaze telling them the price for attacking her sister.

Peter's face was tight, his whole body trembling as Edmund studied his sister carefully, whispered words passing between him and Elias. Flax and Coop said nothing, the blonde Seeker smiling as always, Coop's eyes dancing with delight as he watched the mad girl dance her victory.

Everybody was so focused on Lucia as she continued to howl into the burning air that they missed the first movements.

The second definitely caught their attention.

Silver flashed through the air and Lucia fell, crying out in agony.

The Scourges were rising, their cloaks and masks falling away.

They had fought monsters and nightmares beyond imagination, had seen so much blood and death and misery that they had to harden their hearts and steel their nerves or shatter. But one look at what laid underneath the Scourges' cloaks blasted all sense and reason from their minds.

"Oh my…" Inara's sword fell from her nerveless fingers.

Lying in the sand, blood spilling from her side Lucia faded and Lucy was back, snapping painfully back into her own mind. The Valiant Queen stared at the monsters around her and wanted nothing more than to cry.

The Hunt Beast was wailing in Susan's head, the creature of the woods, of the streams and the lands, of pure undiluted nature unable to take the abominations standing before her.

They had once been human but now there was almost nothing left. Hooks sank into their eyelids, the torn stumps of their lips and strands of wire pulled them back, forcing their faces into frozen demented smiles. Their eyes bulged from their heads, bloodshot swivelling pupils that begged for death. Their chest were flayed open, skin and muscle peeled back with more hooks and cables, their ribs cracked open, their heats beating wildly in the open air. Spikes were driven into their gut, loops of bowel speared and strung amongst them in fleshy ribbons, muck and blood spilling onto the burning sand.

They had been captured, vivisected and then slapped back together with string and metal, blades driven into their limbs, grafted into their bones. And wired right to the bare ribs was an hourglass of rude silver and thick glass. Black sand dribbled from the top to the bottom and drained through glass tubes to the heart, with each pump of the chambers black sand was sent pouring through the monsters' veins. It vomited out from their mouths, wept from their eyes, spilled from the gaping holes in their flesh, their gut. The Scourges were dying, caught between life and death in a horrible shambling limbo.

Zaru stared at them, eyes wide, suddenly and utterly glad that he could not smell anything through his own guilt.

"What the…" Caspian licked his dry lips, "Hell?"

The Scourges screamed, a wild baying cry that begged for death, for an end to their damned existence. Susan and the others reeled, the despair and the pain in those voices roiling over them like a tide of tar. Still weeping blood and sand, still screaming the Scourges pounced.

Metal blades shot out from their wrist, flickering blues flames wreathing the lethal edges.

Inara threw herself to the ground, burning steel narrowly missing her head. She kicked out, knocking the creature back.

"GARGH!"

Edmund staggered back, blood flying from his arm as flames seared his skin. Pain punched through his skull, the Just King reeling. Pictures slammed into his head, a screaming montage of hideous scenes that brought vomit to his throat.

A woman was pinned to a table, begging for her life as a blade flashed down again and again, cutting through skin, through flesh. Men worked hurriedly punching holes through her, stitching her skin back, exposing raw meat to air. She screamed and she screamed as they tore her belly open and –

Edmund tripped and fell to the ground, gasping for breath as his attacker towered over him, green eyes blazing.

Green eyes…

Edmund looked at the Scourge, at the woman he had seen in that sudden nightmarish vision.

"You – "

The she-creature screamed and pounced, Edmund rolling away as her blades stabbed deep into the sand.

"CLANG! CLANG!"

Elias frantically fended off a Scourge's wild slashes, sparks flying as the blades rained down on his metal crossbow. The Scourge continued to scream, bulging eyes rolling around wildly in his eye socket. Even as he fought for his life Elias couldn't help but feel pity. The creature who was trying to kill him was beyond a pitiful wreck, every moment for it must be unending agony. Wires pulled back its eyelids so that it could not even blink, its eyes bloodshot and pus filled, burned by the sun and scoured by the sand. Its bones were broken, the muscles contracted into painful spasms. And as if to prove there was no end to the depravity more hooks, more wires pulled its lips back forcing it to grin and grin even as blood and black sand poured out of every wound, every orifice.

"ARRRRGGGGGH!"

Through the blades and the sparks Elias caught sight of the Scourge's eyes and the scientist was instantly frozen.

"Oh…"

His arm dropped as he stared into those to tortured frantic depths.

Why was he fighting this thing?

The heat, the sound of the screams melted away as Elias frowned. Why was he fighting? He shouldn't be trying to kill this miserable creature… this was something that deserved his pity, his help.

The scientist smiled.

"Please…" he reached out with one hand, his crossbow down, "Let me help you."

"ELIAS!"

Peter speared into him, the Scourge's blades narrowly missing both men as they tumbled to the ground. Face in the sand the High King lashed out, lightning stabbing the Scourge through the chest. The monster screeched, slashing at the attack, pushing through the blast.

"Why won't these bastards die?!" the High King bellowed.

Zaru yelped, stumbling, blood staining his fur as he tried to shake the nightmare pictures from his head.

"Don't look into their eyes!" Elias yelled, shaking his head, trying to clear the fog that had drowned his mind.

But still it lingered – the pity, the overwhelming desire to drop everything and reach out. Jason grunted, staggering back as the cut on his chest burned and burned, the Seeker trying to fight through the barrage of depraved images flashing through his head.

Every cut from the Scourge was a torture in itself, pain roaring through the body, tearing through the mind.

"What are these things?!" Coop bellowed.

The Seeker's jagged knives were almost useless against these creatures, the Scourge's longer blades forcing the boy back at each and every turn. He was cut, he was bleeding and drowning under a sea of memories but yet he still fought.

"They're Cyrus's men!" Jason roared.

He stabbed one of them straight in the face, popping its eye. Black sand poured from the socket and some instinct told Jason to snatch his hand back, to avoid the tarry dirt as though it was poison.

"But they were humans before… not these things!"

He stabbed the blinded Scourge straight in the chest, dagger glancing off the strange hourglass fixed to its ribs. The glass cracked, sand leaking out and the Scourge's scream increased, pounding at his ears.

"They're funny things."

Flax was beside him and he drove his short sword through the thing's heart. Sand gushed out like blood as the Scourge howled in agony. One hand shot out, a silver pipe clutched in its fingers.

"NO!" Inara yelled, charging at them.

A Scourge landed right in front of her, slashing as the half-Naga was forced to dive, narrowly missing being gutted.

White light flared from the tip of the metal tube and Jason and Flax were caught in its blast, disappearing behind a veil of flames and smoke.

Susan howled her rage, her eyes blood red. A Scourge slashed her but the darkness in her screamed with laughter, the burns, the memories poisoning her simply more fuel, more energy, the monster in her feeding off the monstrous visions.

She lashed out with her sceptre and red light lanced off, blasting a Scourge to pieces.

Edmund dragged Lucy to her feet, supporting the wounded girl as he tried to fend their attackers off with one hand. Caspian was instantly beside him, fending off the bladed monsters.

"ARGH!"

The Scourge who had dispatched Jason and Flax whirled, the weapon in her hands burning with light. Across the bloody battlefield another monster did the same, its own metal tool charging up.

"WATCH OUT!" Zaru screamed.

The two Scourges howled, twin streams of light burning across the battlefield. The two beams crashed together, weaving as one as shadow and light blazed across the sand.

One look at the twined attack and Zaru could think of nothing but one simple thought.

"We're dead."

It exploded right in his face hurling him back. The leopard was already out cold before his body fell to the sand, deaf to the screams of his companions.

. . . . . . .

Author's notes – thank you once again for my faithful reviewers (looking at you in particular Phymaglion and Autumnia – thanks guys) and thank you to all the people who's favourite me over the years (YEARS?! Jeez I'm slow). But please review – drop me a line – criticism or praise any feedback will be appreciated!


	89. The thing in the chasm

New chapter! Sorry about the long delay but once again real life continues to beat me down!

Disclaimer: What's mine is mine, what's not is not

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 89: The thing in the chasm **

"I still hate this."

"We all hate this."

Peter ran a hand through his hair, the dark circle under his eyes a reminder of just how little she had slept. Susan sat heavily in her saddle as her brother looked back at the great expanse of desert they had travelled, a tormented look on his sunburnt face.

"We should – "

"We can't," Edmund said flatly.

The Just King had frozen his heart. He didn't like it one bit but this was what the others needed him for. They might question, might hesitate but Edmund had chosen the most strategic choice and he was going to stick to it.

"Did you see those things?" Peter snapped.

"Seeing as how they tried to kill me as much as they tried to kill you I know," Edmund was kind enough to keep the acid from his voice, "Peter… we don't have a choice."

Caspian and Lucy brought up the rear, the Telmarine keeping a careful eye on Lucy. The queen was well aware that he was doing it, was well aware that all her family was doing it but she said nothing, a tired pinched look on her face.

"We left them."

The explosion had knocked them all out. When they had come to they were all gone – their friends, Flax and Coop, the Scourge monsters – all vanished without a trace. It had been impossible to even think of tracking them, the shifting sands having long demolished all trails. They had searched high and low but what could they do? Run for miles into the burning desert chasing ghosts?

At least they could still make it to Cienaga. The caramuli were like bloodhounds, trained by scent. As Flax had explained it each major city in Lawless had concocted a blend of scents and spices that was unique to each place. One sniff of a rough cloth bag containing such perfumes told the caramuli which way they had to go and the strange desert beasts would follow these unseen trails unerringly. They had no choice but to continue onto Cienaga missing over half their party.

"The others can look after themselves," Susan tried to speak with a confidence she did not feel, "And if they can move they would be heading for Cienaga as well."

"How?" Peter demanded, "On foot?"

The rider-less caramuli honked as if agreeing with his words.

"We don't like this anymore than you do," Edmund said flatly, "But what else can we do?"

Peter growled, knowing that there was absolutely nothing that they could do. But yelling made him feel better.

"And you do know Inara would hit you if you thought she couldn't look after herself right?" Edmund asked, brow raised.

Peter sighed.

"It's not like this is the first time we've been separated," Caspian pointed out, "I mean it's happened in Charn, in Inara's world, back in Perserphone…"

"Marcos's world," Susan rattled off, "The land of the Torans and the Ursines, Shift's world, Draken's world…"

"The Orchard," Edmund added helpfully.

Caspian frowned.

"Has there been a world where we haven't been separated and in mortal danger?" the Telmarine wondered aloud.

Susan shrugged.

"Shift's world wasn't all that bad. Just a crazy monkey," she paused, "And Draken – "

She winced glancing at Peter.

"I've recovered from that," her brother said dryly.

"It _was_ only four vampires."

Peter glared at her as Susan smiled impishly back, so grateful to know that despite everything the Great Darkness had not broken them.

One glance at Lucy wiped the smile from her face.

"The important thing is," Edmund begun, noticing the shift in her mood and why, "We've survived."

"No…"

Everyone looked at Caspian and he stared back at them with fire in her eyes.

"We haven't just survived. We've beaten the darkness again and again."

Susan would remember that look on his face forever, would cherish it and clasp it to like a talisman in the darkest of times. Caspian straightened in his saddle like the king he was, shoulder's thrown back, his swarthy face fierce and proud. Defiance, courage, love – it blazed from him, stronger than the three suns above, filled them up and made them strong.

"And we'll do it again."

Silence fell at his words, the kings and queens of old looking at the man who they had entrusted to protect their lands and all four of them knew without a shadow of a doubt they had chosen the right man.

"I wonder why I ever doubted you," Peter frowned.

Susan and Edmund's hands collided as they smacked their brother across the back of the head.

"Ow!"

It startled a laugh out of Lucy.

They all looked at her, surprised as the Valiant Queen stiffened. Danaid jabbered wildly in her head, the madman terrified by all the attention. For a split second the world around Lucy spun, Danaid's voice fighting to leap from her throat in a wild undulating cry. Frantically she swallowed his voice, pushed him down, her fingers spasming as they long to grab at her hair, tear at her skin.

No.

She forced the tremors from her hand and met her family's eyes squarely.

A smile tugged at Susan's lips as she finally saw that familiar steely gaze in her sister's eyes.

Enough was enough.

Lucy looked at her oldest brother and knew she would never be as magnificent, as fearless as him. She looked at Ed and knew she would never be as just, as sharp. She looked at Su and knew she would never be as beautiful, as strong.

How did they do it?

She was the Valiant Queen but she was only brave because she had always known that Aslan was watching over her, protecting her. He was gone now and she was nothing but a little girl with ghosts inside her head.

But the others were gone now, the fighters her family had come to rely so much upon were gone now and there was nothing left but the four of them and Caspian once more.

She had to be strong.

Aslan needed her now and she would not fail him.

"I never doubted him," Lucy forced herself to smile.

She could hear Lucinda in her head, the High Inquisitor congratulating him as the Dawn-Breaker snarled in fury.

Her family blinked and the tension instantly left them, hesitant smiles rising to their faces. Lucy beamed back at them.

If she wasn't strong, if she was still scared then she'll pretend. She play and act and maybe, just maybe, it would all come true.

"Very clever."

The Empress's presence was like fingers of ice drumming on the edges of her mind, each delicate press sending shivers racing down her spine. Her voice was like the breath of winter itself, bitingly cold and oh so very dangerous.

"Very, very clever," Lucille said with all the sly approval of a mother without a soul, "I'm impressed Lucy."

Lucy's smile did not waver as her family rode on through the endless desert plains.

. . . . . .

It was a vast wound that split the land open, red and raw amongst the golden sand. It was a cursed place of shades and ghosts, the mother of a thousand terrifying legends and the taker of even more lives. Wars in the long distant past had been fought for and in this place, the bodies of the vanquished tipped into its once bottomless depths until even the great chasm brimmed with a sea of bleached white bones.

No scholar in Lawless could speak with utmost authority why this was so, why the chasm was so important that thousands had died in claiming and losing it. There was no significance, no holy artefact within, no great hero or monster that claimed it was a birthplace or a grave. Vast libraries had been filled with written debate, with the chronicles of the chasm in the desert and all who studied it can only agree on thing – this place was death.

The walls of the rift were blood red stone and the sheer cliffs wept black sand like infection from a wound.

It had once been a desolate open grave in the middle of the desert but now it was a hive of monsters and tortured screams. Great iron spikes had been driven into the bloody walls, cages hanging from the hooks. They numbered in the thousands, the whole rift thick with iron prisons, those caught within staring out with bleak dead eyes.

The Scourge scuttled here and there like great worker insects, their blades used to climb, the monsters bounding from cage to cage as their prisoners screamed and recoiled from them. They were excavating, dig out the bones at the bottom of the chasm, the lip of the rift piled high with grinning skulls and shattered limbs.

"What do you think they're digging for?" Elias asked, face pressed up against the bars.

Coop growled, the young Seeker's fists raw from slamming them against the crude iron cage walls. The other two prisoners in the tiny prison, Inara and Zaru, ignored him completely.

"You've asked that question a hundred times now Doc," the half-Naga pointed out, "I think we've established we don't have a clue."

Elias frowned, ideas and thoughts churning in his head as he tried to piece it all together. It had not escaped his attention that the black sand that oozed from the walls around them was the exact same as the dark grit that filled the hourglasses inside each and every Scourge. But what did it mean?

"We have to get out of here!" Zaru growled balefully, ears pinned back.

His skin crawled as he looked at the tiny cage he was in. He was a beast, meant to run wild and free, not trapped and confined. He twitched. He felt as if the bars were closing in, sealing him away from light and air, crushing the life out of him.

Zaru shook his head, trying to clear the feeling but his head was stuffed full of wool. His mind, his body, every single part of him felt battered and bruised, begging for sleep. But how could he? Inara and Elias were right here with him, if he slept the dreams would come and who knows what he might mutter, what he might scream about in his sleep. Then they would know, they would know about Tzaraath and Makat and the monster he had created.

The cloud of shame and guilt choking his nose seemed to thicken until he could barely breathe.

"You people are pathetic. You talk when we should be trying to find a way to break out of here!" Coop spat at them.

"Go ahead Boy Wonder break the cage," Inara didn't even look at him as she verbally tore stripes off him, "Show us what a real man could do."

Thunder rolled cross Coop's face and murder entered his eyes. He snarled, teeth bared and whatever meagre humanity the Seeker had vanished without a trace.

"You – "

Coop was ready to lunge around the cage, to grab his enemy's head in his hands and dash her brains across the bars. Inara's eyes flashed silver, the half-Naga ready to fight as Elias blanched, desperately searching for a way to distract the two.

"Wait!" he began.

But a single growl from Zaru and the Seeker's eyes instantly snapped towards the cat.

"I will rip your throat out of your neck," the leopard said flatly, "You may not have your weapons…"

He unsheathed his claws and Coop's eyes narrowed.

"… but mine are right here," Zaru's eyes burned, all the guilt and all the hate inside of him yearning for a target to lash out at.

Coop was like a snake. He retreated, falling back to his seat but his eyes glittered as he watched them, coiled and ready to strike. And when he did the blow would be swift and deadly and his enemies wouldn't even have time to beg. A vicious smile ghosted his lips.

The air crackled with tension, Inara and Zaru glancing at each other, an unspoken message passing between the two as Elias swallowed thickly.

Silence dragged on, Coop's smile widening and becoming sicker and more twisted as all around rose the weeping of the prisoners and the endless screams of the Scourge as they hurried about their unknown."

"This isn't the worst."

"What?" Elias looked at Inara.

The half-Naga shrugged.

"This isn't the worst cage we've been in. And it's certainly not the first."

Coop was trying to tire them out, make them paranoid and crazed and lose sleep until they could not even defend themselves against him. Inara gave the Seeker a deadly sweet smile, letting him know she would not fall to his little mind games. Contrary to what the boy thought Inara knew she could snap his neck without blinking an eyelid.

"I mean there was the one Queenie and I was in in Shift's World," she began.

Some of the colour returned to Elias's face as a wry smile crossed his lips. The world of the mad prophet seemed so long ago, a distant memory from another life lived. But as he focused his thoughts on those memories, it sharpened and resolved in his mind, the scientist's brain as keen and lightning fast as ever.

"The cage with the Amazons…" Inara continued.

Elias frowned, remembering all too well those muggy days in the jungle stuck in a wooden cell with Jason, Peter and a just cursed Caspian. To be a true scientist one had to have an almost unimaginable amount of patience and a godly ability to endure banality but even he had found himself wondering how to dispose of three bodies whilst still locked in a cage with them.

"You and Zaru weren't in that cage," he reminded her as Inara laughed.

"Marcos's world," Zaru shuddered, "Charn."

Elias and Inara blinked at him.

"Ice cage," the leopard explained as his companions winced.

Coop's scowl deepened as his fellow prisoners completely ignored him, caught up in their bizarre reminiscing.

"Didn't Caspian end up in a cage after your disastrous attempt to help him and Susan together?" Zaru smirked.

"Considering the fact that I got them together I think it was a rip roaring success," Inara sniffed.

"He almost got eaten by Nzambis," leopard countered.

"He survived didn't he?" Inara shot back.

Elias shook his head fighting a smile as Inara and Zaru continued to bicker, their cage a lone island of laughter and normalcy in a vast chasm of death and monsters.

. . . . . .

"ARGH!"

The mottled sword punched straight through the Scourge's head but yet it still screamed, eyes rolling around in its socket, lips working convulsively around the hooks sank deep in the vermillion skin.

"Where are they?" Flax asked, his face creased into a coaxing smile.

The Scourge grabbed at the sword sticking out its skull, the creature trying to stumble back on legs that were nothing more than bloody stumps.

"Please tell me," Flax chided.

"ARRRGGGGGH!"

The Scourge's arms had been amputated at the elbow, the severed limbs flung aside, blades protruding. The brutality of it all did not seem to affect Flax one single iota, the Seeker still grinning as though this was simply a pleasant talk between friends.

"This is useless, it can't talk," Jason growled as Flax ignored his old friend, dreamy eyes fixed on the pitiful creature before him.

The smiling Seeker reached out and pulled his sword free inch by painful inch. The creature screamed, thrashing wildly, eyes bulging on either side of the blade as it was dragged from its skull. Black sand leaked like blood, the Scourge's screams driven to a high pitch screech, all sanity and thought blasted from its head.

"Last chance," the golden-haired Seeker said simply.

The Scourge screamed and with a single slash Flax beheaded the monster, blood and black sand gushing out from its severed neck. Its body collapsed into a twitching heap, Flax chuckling under his breath as he wiped his sword clean on its corpse.

"Any ideas?" he asked looking at Jason.

It was a mark of how much Jason had changed when he looked at his old friend and hesitated.

This was not the first time. He had seen Flax splattered from head to toe in blood, his smile a flash of white teeth against crimson. And before the Wood between the Worlds, before Susan and the others, before everything he would have laughed right along with his friend as they claimed another scalp, another victory. But looking at Flax now, looking at the pitiful thing he had just destroyed, Jason felt wrongness down to his very bones.

He had gone soft!

Jason flinched.

It was Argent's voice who spoke. His old teacher had beaten them with all the brutal fineness of a blacksmith's hammer, ironing out the weaknesses, strengthening and tempering them until they were weapons beyond imagination. He would have been livid at Jason's thoughts now, would have beaten it out of him with fist and blades and beaten him more just to drive the lesson home.

But he hadn't gone soft.

Jason looked at Flax and could feel nothing but pity.

This was a man who was not a man. Something, somewhere had snuffed the life out of him, had snatched that spark and left nothing but darkness behind. Nothing could touch him, nothing could truly reach into him and make him alive.

He laughed and smiled but he felt no humour.

He killed and he maimed but he felt no satisfaction, no anger, no disgust – the taking of a life as mundane and grey as combing his hair.

Jason looked at Flax and seemed to see him for the very first time.

He killed and he killed, not to take lives but to feel alive. An endless cure of blood and death and every bit of it utterly useless.

"You're judging me."

Jason froze as Flax's smile widened, there was no anger in his voice, no accusation, just the same mild nothing laughter.

"You are the same," Flax sheathed his sword.

Jason watched him carefully, hands going to his daggers. Flax pretended not to notice as he kicked the Scourge's body aside.

"Argent chose us not because we're the strongest or the fastest or the smartest," Flax's eyes took on a strange gleam, "He chose us because we were the most broken."

The breath fled from Jason's lungs.

"Coop kills because he wants to die. I kill because I want to feel."

He had forgotten this about Flax, had forgotten how utterly cruel he never meant to be.

"You kill because you don't know who you were."

Jason flinched as Flax kept his heavy-lidded eyes on him. He tried to hide it all behind a mask but Flax had seen that flash of terror, that moment when half-formed thoughts coalesced into devastating realisation.

Jason Sierre had been born on a dusty street in Old Haven but it was not a man who had opened his eyes to the burning sun that fateful day. The thing that had awoken, that had walked around with the name of Jason was nothing more than a shadow, a hollow incomplete thing. No wonder he had lurched from bar to bar, from tavern to tavern, searching for oblivion. Lost in drink every glance had been a dirty look, every word an insult and he had lashed out again and again, had drew blood, had fallen innocents and had fled from town to town, a man hell bent on his own destruction.

Argent had first laid eyes on him in such a fight, Jason against seven towering men, a broken bottle his only weapon. He had beaten black and blue and to the edge of unconsciousness. And as he drifted in and out of the darkness the silver-haired Seeker had knelt down beside him and with a smile on his face offered him a hand.

Jason Sierre had been born due to the manipulations of the Great Darkness but Jason the Seeker had been born all thanks to Argent.

Flax was right. Argent had been a brilliant teacher because he was very, very good at finding just the perfect people to break.

But was he broken now?

Flax was still watching him but Jason ignored the man, digging deeper into himself, trying to figure out the answer to that one very important question.

He had betrayed those he loved, had unleashed untold evils onto the worlds, had probably doomed them all in the process. He could barely stand to live with himself, hated everything he was but still he wanted to fight. But –

Jason blinked.

But not because he wanted blood. Not because he wanted to lose himself in fury and fire. But because of them.

Jason opened his eyes and he was reborn again.

Nathaniel had a family, had the love of a wife and a daughter but he hadn't been strong enough to protect them, to fight for them. And because of that he had lost everything.

Jason the Seeker had strength aplenty but he had been a killer, a creature of hate and bloodlust, as cold and ruthless as a tyrant king. But Jason Sierre had been so lonely and so crippled by it that he wasn't even aware of what he was missing.

He was Nathaniel, he was Jason, he was both of them and more.

The Great Darkness had created Jason, had made the Seeker who he was. It had reached out with its dark hands and manipulated and played him from the very moment he opened his eyes on the streets of Old Haven. Everything he had done, everything he was was made for that moment in Inara's worlds when Gavin had whispered the word and he had almost killed his family.

When Jason had awoken again in the Orchard that's all he remembered, that's all he thought. He was nothing but a monster, a pawn who would make the same mistakes again and again and leave his family for dead.

But he wasn't.

He wasn't just what the darkness had made him, not just Jason but also Nathaniel, the gentle accountant who loved a good book and a dinner with his family in their rude little kitchen above all else. He was not just capable of great acts of treachery and hate, he was also capable of these human acts of love and devotion.

Jason looked at Flax and smiled his first real smile in a long, long time.

He was not just a monster or a puppet, not just a Seeker who was a plaything of the darkness. He was a man with a family, one that he was finally strong enough to protect.

Jason felt the walls between him and the ruach crack, a ghost of that awesome power leaking through. But the walls would not tumble yet. He had slain the first ghost that haunted him. But there was still the other, the spectre of the things he had done, the people he had killed under the Great Darkness's sway.

Jason clenched his fists.

The girl was still in his head, her face still haunted his dreams. But at least he knew now he was not just a killer, he was also a man. And a man was capable of redemption.

"Where to now?" Flax asked, genuinely uninterested in the storm that had just blown its way across his old friend's face.

Jason looked at Flax. If the others were alive he knew exactly where they would be going. If the Scourges had kidnapped them… well, the answer would probably lie with the Saligia. It was too much of a coincidence that the arrival of those seven monsters had marked the appearance of those strange bladed monsters.

"We go to Cienaga."

At Cienaga the seven sins waited and that's where Jason would fight again. And it was all for them. For his family.

Smiling he marched through the sand, a man on a mission.

. . . . . .

They climbed over each other to be near her. Their smiles, their eyes and their souls were empty, wiped clean except for one though, one burning desire. They panted and drooled, pulled at their clothing and their hair, driven wild by the fire that burned in their veins. One smile from her and desire rocketed through them, sending to ever ascending heights, pleasure so great that it teetered on the edge of pain.

They screamed with the delight of it all, writhing as their mistress, their goddess, their saviour laughed with amusement.

"I envy them."

"Of course you do sweetie."

Luxuria, the sin of lust, looked at her sister and couldn't help but chuckle. Invidia threw sparks and burst of green flames from hand to hand but her eyes were trained on Luxuria's slaves, hunger in the Saligia's green-tinged face.

Invidia was envy brought to life and she embodied it every way. The girl that was never satisfied with what she had, what she possessed but always thirsting, viciously and cruelly, for more. It was a like a disease, gnawing at her mind, her body, driving her slowly and inexorably insane.

But then again they were all bad.

Luxuria glanced to her left as one of her pets keeled over, so drunk on desire that she had not eaten or slept for three days straight. The sin pursed her lips with displeasure, soon all her little pups would die and she would have to find new toys to play with. And between her and her siblings fresh meat was a little hard to find in Cienaga.

Her eyes flickered to a corner of the immense chamber, her nose scrunched up in distaste as her pets went into rhapsody over her adorable look.

Gula looked up, blood and gore dripping down his face. Even as he kept his eyes trained on Luxuria, he snapped a femur in half sucking out the juicy marrow within.

"You have got to stop eating my pets!" Luxuria snapped.

Gula responded by ripping an eyeball free from its socket and jamming it into his mouth. Broken bodies lay sprawled all around him in a macabre feast, every bloody morsel stripped from the bones and devoured without thought. Already he had eaten a small village worth of men, women and children yet still he fed, the crack of bones and sound of slobber white noise in this chamber of sin and death.

"I envy him."

The sin of lust growled and she rose from her throne-like chair, shaking off the hands that reached out to touch her, to caress and worship her. She walked with all the grace and power of a queen, sweeping past her siblings, her pets desperately keening after her. Ignoring them she stepped into the next chamber.

"There's not enough."

Metal clinked against metal, coins counted and recounted, stacked and restacked as Avaritia sorted through his plunder again and again. He looked up at his sister, desperate hunger in his golden eyes.

"There's not enough!" his teeth gnashed together, fine tremors running through his body, "There's not enough here!"

The sin of greed screamed flinging the coins from him. A split second later he was scrambling through the piles of his treasures, desperate to reclaim those few meagre scraps of gold. Luxuria grimaced as he sent the stacks tumbling, gems showering the ground in a rainbow hail, goblets and bracelets spinning around in ever shrinking circles. With a triumphant cry, Avaritia swooped on those coins he had tossed away, fisting them and hugging them to his chest as if they were childhood treasures.

He looked up and his eyes were blown, the blood drained from his face. A whimper drained from his lips as tears sprung to his eyes. His sister watched as the killer of a thousand men rocked back and forth from where he crouched on the ground, his precious gold coins pressed tenderly to him.

"Are you quite finished?" Luxuria asked archly.

Avaritia scrubbed the tears from his face and finally looked up. His golden eyes widened in horror as he saw his disarrayed treasures. A cry flew from his lips and he hurried to gather and sort them, counting and recounting like a madman.

Avaritia was as sick as all of them.

Luxuria left her brother to his madness. She could feel her sickness now, tugging away at her, her soul, her heart crying for love, for adoration. But the sin of lust firmly forced it away as she stepped into the next room.

The door closed shut behind her and here in this third chamber all was silent. But it was an unnatural quiet, a tomb-like stillness that seemed to drain the vitality from the air.

Ira slept in a tiny cot, the youngest and basest of them all trapped in a drugged dream. They could not allow her to walk around freely. Any minor thing could have triggered her temper and her fury unleashed the girl would drag the palace down on their heads. Not that that would kill them… it was just annoying.

Luxuria's eyes flicked to the other occupant of the ground. Acedia stood, still and silent as a corpse and with his emaciated features it was not a stretch of any imagination.

His victims laid at his feet, living breathing shells of men, women and children, their eyes blank and dead as they stared up at the ceiling. These were once people who laughed, who loved and hated and dreamed but all of that was gone now, cut out and scooped away with sinister precision.

Acedia turned his dead hungry eyes onto her and Luxuria could not help but shudder. He was the black sheep of their family – the sin of apathy, of unfeeling, an absolute antithesis to lust, to envy, to endless gnawing longing. Her and her family stood for desire, Acedia was the darkness that consumed it all.

"Carry on," Luxuria tried not to run away but her steps were quicker than normal as she pushed through this graveyard of a room and into the final and grandest chamber of the water baron's palace.

Her oldest brother turned and he sneered at her. Luxuria ignored it just as he ignored her bared flesh.

"My lord…"

Men always liked it when they were promoted. She smiled and in that grin was condensed centuries of sin and filth, a gesture so artfully salacious that it would even tempt a priest.

But her target was completely immune to her charms.

Luxuria flinched, the realisation like a bloody blow. She could feel lust rising in her veins, her blood crying for someone to look at her with maddened desire in their eyes, to look at her with eyes that told her they would kill anything and anyone just to be graced by her presence.

This man's rejection was like a blade to her heart, it tore her up, made her sick and she had to stop herself from swaying on the spot.

Superbia laughed, mocking and jeering and Luxuria had to stop her tattoos from leaping out and clawing him apart.

"Have you got him?" Cyrus Grey demanded without even looking at her.

The mortal had power but compared to the might that was Superbia it was like a flickering ember to a forest blaze. The sin of pride gritted his teeth, furious that he and his own had to listen to a worm like this. Cyrus should be bending knee to him, should be begging for his life, worshipping him not standing before him as an equal or worse, his superior.

But the oldest of the seven Saligia kept a pleasant smile on his face. His time would come. Let Cyrus think he had the upper hand, that as the Crown of the sins he was safe. Superbia was waiting, thirsting for that moment, for that shocked, not understanding look in the man's eyes as he slowly choked the life from him.

Yes…

He knew, knew to the very last fibre of his being that the day would come and it would be _glorious_.

"Of course," Luxuria snarled.

She gestured and one of her many pets came stumbling out through a second doorway to the chamber.

He was an old man, cheeks and body hollowed by age, face marked by the passing years. Once he had been fierce, proud and brave but now he was nothing but a puppet, pulled by strings of want and need. He stumbled forwards, reaching out for Luxuria, mouthing her name again and again.

"Is this it?" Superbia demanded, completely unimpressed.

This old man too had some semblance of power, some unknown magic residing in his very bones. But whatever it was it was nothing compared to Superbia, he mirrored that strength, that unknown magic and amplified, magnified it until he too held the same but a thousand times stronger.

"Kill him," Cyrus commanded uncaringly.

Superbia snarled but reached out with one hand. Luxuria's pet seemed not to notice, his bleary eyes fixed on his beloved mistress. The power this man had in his body, whatever it was, was nothing like anything Superbia had ever felt before. But he knew one thing – it could not be used as a weapon.

The Saligia's amber eyes flicked to Luxuria and his sister stiffened. She gritted her teeth but said nothing as Superbia laughed.

Tattoos, dark, tribal and grotesque, swam across the skin on his outstretched arm. A laugh from Superbia and the tattoos moved, leaping from his flesh and bursting into blasphemous life.

Luxuria flinched, backing away hurriedly as the monsters stalked forwards. Black dripped from their fangs and claws, staining the ground, their hot foul breath tainting the air. They were bigger and stronger, more monstrous than anything she could have summoned, demonic rage burning in their eyes.

It was not the first time Superbia had done this, stolen what was hers and made it his own, stronger and more magnificent. But it did not make her any less terrified.

"Kill," Superbia whispered.

Her pet stood there, smiling at her as the monsters pounced. Luxuria wanted to scream, wanted to protest against the lost of one of her followers but she wisely kept her tongue.

The monsters were vicious. Even Gula would have been hard-pressed to match these creatures' ferocity, their ravenous hunger. The stranger, her pet, was torn to shreds and devoured in bone crunching bites, blood and brain and marrow splattered all over the floor.

Cyrus laughed, triumphant and exultant as with a gesture from Superbia the creatures vanished.

"So… what was the point of that?" Luxuria asked, licking her suddenly dry lips.

Cyrus cast her a wicked smile.

"It's simple my dear…"

His hollow endearment hurt her. The lack of his obsession, any desire whatsoever stabbed her in the chest like a dagger and left behind a bleeding, gaping wound. She was trembling, wondering if her powers had failed her, wondered what would she do if she couldn't – Luxuria gritted her teeth and forced herself to meet his mocking eyes steely.

"Two seals down…" Cyrus said smugly.

Superbia narrowed his eyes, wishing once more he could crush this man like he so wanted to.

"One to go."

. . . . . .

The chasm rocked, the cages crashing against the blood red cliff as they all cried out, clinging to the metal bars. The Scourges were all screaming, scrambling away from the bottom of the rift as the ground bucked.

Black sand exploded out of the walls, people screaming as they struck by the inky grains.

"What the hell?"

Elias watched, eyes wide as a woman collapsed to the floor of her cage, gagging, black sand choking her mouth and throat. She writhed, trying to scream as more victims fell, struck in the face by the dark dirt gushing out of the stone all around them.

He tore the bottom of his shirt, tying the rag around his nose and mouth.

"Protect yourself!" he yelled, whirling to his companions, "Don't let the sand – "

Cages were shook off their moorings as great cracks ran up the sides of the chasm. The people within screamed, their cries echoing far and wide as they fell to their deaths, steel cages crashing against one and another. Bars were broken and twisted, stabbing deep, bodies twitching where they were impaled.

A roar thundered through the air and the sound seemed to strike them with the force of a hammer, pressing them flat against the wall, the ground, the air suddenly syrup thick.

"What's – " Inara struggled to breathe, "What's – "

"BOOM!"

Sand, bone and blood erupted from the depths of the pit, boiling up and blasting them all. Zaru screamed, his fur and skin rubbed raw as Inara staggered, struck in the head by a flying rock. More cries rang out as the great chasm widened, the earth splitting as golden sand spilled into the rift.

"WATCH OUT!"

Coop whirled, eyes widening as the wall right in front of him exploded outwards. He fell, black sand swallowing his head as Elias bellowed. He grabbed the boy dragging him free but the Seeker was already choking, spluttering as he coughed up dark grit.

"Are you – "

Coop's eyes widened.

"HOLD HIM!" Elias roared.

The Seeker screamed, limbs thrashing, clawing at something only he could see as Elias tried to hold him still. Inara and Zaru stared, injuries forgotten as the boy who had showed them nothing but anger and hate screeched and bellowed, fighting nightmares only he could see.

The chasm was quietening to a tremor, screams dying to whimpers as Elias, Zaru and Inara looked at each other. Twisted cages littered the chasm, the dead tossed amongst the wreckage. The survivors huddled in their cages, trembling, looking out amongst the destruction with haunted eyes.

Coop was weeping brokenly, face twisted as a pained keening cry bubbled from his lips. Spasms rocked his body, each terrible convulsion tearing fresh screams from his throat. Elias looked from cage to cage and others were wracked by the same strange illness, their wails drowning the sounds of the dying.

Their cries made all of Zaru's fur stand on end. It was the same tortured, banshee howl of the Scourge, a scream of one perched eternally on the precipice of death with no relief in sight.

Elias was shaking as Inara said it for all of them.

"What the hell?!"

. . . . . .

Jason and Flax were surrounded.

The two Seekers looked at each other, brows raised then as one they looked at the dark riders all around them.

"Surrender!" one of them snarled, waving his dagger around, "Or we'll kill you!"

"Bandits?" Jason asked ever so dryly.

These men, perched on their caramuli and armed with rough blades and even rougher bows and arrows, were just one of the many roving bands of marauders and vagabonds that roamed the deserts of Lawless. They made their meagre living by preying on the travellers of the golden plains, flocking onto the weak, the old, the unguarded like vultures on a carcass.

"Give us everything you have!" another of the bandits cried.

They tightened the ring around their intended victims, the caramuli stamping through the sand, the blades waving ever closer to the two Seeker's faces.

Flax and Jason looked at each other.

"We need them," Flax pointed out.

Jason smiled as he turned and faced the bandits. The men on their mounts trembled at the unholy look in the two Seekers' eyes. They blanched backing away as the two men unsheathed their weapons.

"Sorry," Jason's smile was like a lethal blade in itself, "We're going to need your rides."

. . . . . .

Every night Susan closed her eyes to sleep she prayed to Aslan, to Viola that her dreams would reveal her friends, would give her a glimpse, however meagre, that her family were alive. But when she did dream, it was of nightmares and lurid snatches of sound and light, an enigma she could not hope to decipher. One night she had sprung her from bed roll, crying out in terror, her head stuffed with flashes of war and fury, Trumpkin's blood-splattered face staring at her hauntingly.

Lucky the others had been too exhausted to even wake up, Susan let to sit amongst her sweat-soaked blankets, staring out into the cold frozen desert.

Narnia was losing, her dreams had been trying to tell her that for a long time. Susan had been powerless to do anything about it before, trapped amongst the worlds, fighting her war as her people waged their own. But if they won the Tournament of the Throne and if Tash could be trusted…

Across all the worlds the Great Darkness, Gavin, was seeking two things. The first, she had no idea where it could be found – the power to destroy worlds with absolute ease, to wipe out entire civilisations and races in a single breath. But she knew all too well of the second. The great monster wanted Aslan, wanted the power to sing entire worlds into existence completely of his making, to twist the strands of time and space and craft into what he envisioned to be the ultimate paradise. He had tried once and failed miserably, both the Great Lion and the Great Darkness almost losing their lives.

The final battle would in Narnia. Susan knew it, felt it in her very bones. The Gentle Queen just prayed that Tash could do what he had promised and send her and her family back home, that she would be there in those final days of this blasted war.

Seven monsters. That's what stood between her and her kingdom. Seven bloody monsters...

"We're here," Edmund said quietly.

The caramuli stumbled to a halt, honking loudly as their riders stared at the destruction before them.

"By the mane…" Caspian whispered.

A halo of ghostly green flames flickered over Peter's head, the High King's face like an iron mask.

"This is…" Lucy lost her voice, the Valiant Queen looking away as flies buzzed thick and heavy all around them.

Far off in the distance, just at the furthest reach of their sight laid the opening to Cienaga just as Jason had described. It rose from the desert, a monolith of dark stone emerging from the middle of nowhere. Gate upon gate should have protected the entrance to this underground oasis but these had been torn from their hinges, the entrance to the city below a gaping hole that led into nothing but darkness.

Cienaga had been turned into a killing field. Bodies, bloated and rotting in the sun, were piled high across the dunes and they said it all. Warriors cut down in the heat of battle, their weapons still clutched in their hands, their mounts broken beside them, churned sand showing their last violent death throes. Men and women caught in the crossfire, their eyes wide, mouths open in screams that would never sound, caught forever in that final moment, all that shock and all that anguish stamped forever onto their faces. Some had tried to run, had tried to flee from the madness but they had been swallowed up whole by it, chewed and spat out as mangled heaps. Worse still were the tiny forms that lay oh so still in the clutches of their mothers and their fathers, not even the most innocent spared from the carnage.

It chilled Susan to realise that she was so used to death and destruction, so anaesthetised that she barely flinched.

"What's the plan?" Edmund said flatly, "Cause I have a feeling our normal charge in and try not to get killed approach will fail spectacularly."

Even at their full strength they had failed to defeat even one of the Saligia. And looking at them all now, sunburnt and exhausted, Susan did not pin much hope for achieving a better result.

"We camp away from Cienaga," Caspian said decisively, "Wait for the others."

"And if they don't come?" Lucy asked quietly.

From the all too sharp look in the other's eyes, it was clear they too were wondering just who had spoken.

Susan let out a sigh.

It was slowly and inexorably driving them all mad, treading around Lucy like a bomb about to blow, always wondering when they would have to fight for their lives against Lucia or the Dawn-Breaker or when they have to fend off the machinations of Empress Lucille. They couldn't trust Lucy to be Lucy and they couldn't trust themselves around her. Lucy was back but there was a rift between them, one born of fear and paranoia and widening until it threatened to swallow them all.

"We'll find a way!" Peter said too loudly.

Susan and Caspian glanced at each other. Her brother was lying to himself, trying to deal and trying to protect Lucy by pretending that everything was absolutely fine. Susan admired his stubbornness if nothing else.

"We better move," with a twitch of the rein Edmund's caramuli began to bound away.

His calm face showed nothing of the storm that boiled inside of him. Ideas raced through his mind in brilliant flares and whorls, dissected and analysed, tossed aside or reworked as the Just King tried to unknot the problem before them.

Elias might the genius amongst them but nobody could hope to match Edmund when it came to the art of war. A veritable library of knowledge, a lifetime of battles and wars as general and knight was crammed into his head, boiling away, throwing up inklings and flashes of intuitions like sparks from a fire. But his greatest strength was the ability to snatch those sparks, to ignite them to flames and use it to illuminate the way. What had to be done had to be done and Edmund was ruthless enough, far-seeing enough to do what others might baulk at.

Asmodeus and the demons, the ghosts of Gomorrah had judged him a monster, of hiding a shard of darkness deep inside his soul, tried to make him believe he was nothing but that. Certainly the witches had preyed on that flaw, had used it to bewitch him and turn him into a creature of greed and destruction.

The Just King shuddered as he once more felt the ghostly weight of dark armour upon his shoulders but Edmund shook the feeling away. He was he who was and if there was darkness inside of him so what? He refused to succumb to it, refused to let it make him into a monster. That darkness, if it could be called that, was a tool, something he used to protect his family, It gave him clarity, gave him the strength to see what had to be done to win and the ruthlessness to do it. And if that made him a monster then so be it.

"What if…"

Caspian's voice rumbled softly beside him.

"I know," Edmund sighed, "We can't afford to wait. If we destroy the Saligia… maybe Tash will actually honour his promise and bring us all to Narnia."

Lucy rode silently beside him, wan and pale and as silent as a ghost.

He wished Lucy could see what he had finally realised.

They both had something dark and destructive inside of them now. Edmund had the Black Knight, had the child who had sold his family to the White Witch, demons that still haunted his dreams and memories. But he had learnt to live with them, had learnt to use them. Lucy was haunted by her own ghosts, six of them clambering inside her head, fighting a silent civil war with control as the ultimate price.

But those phantoms were born out of Lucy's guilt and they fed on it, growing stronger like leeches bating off a wound.

The Dawn-Breaker was who she believed she was now – a destroyer, a killer. The more she doubt who she was, the realer he became.

Lucia was the fighter, the part of Lucy that wanted to lash out and howl her fury to the world. The General wanted nothing more than to fight, to lose her guilt and shame in bloodlust and the heat of battle.

In stark contrast there was Lucille. The Empress was ice, cold and manipulative, the one who wanted to raise her broken kingdom from the ashes just as Lucy wanted to rescue Narnia. But Lucille was pure logic, pure thought, stripped off all the heart and love that made Lucy who she was.

Danaid was a man set on his own destruction, the purest distillation of Lucy's guilt and the most telling. He and Lucy wanted to die but the other parts of her were warring, pulling her back from the brink even as Danaid prayed for it.

High Inquisitor Lucinda was the sanest of them all, the one part of Lucy that wanted to be whole. She was Lucy's longing for normalcy, the only part of her that could see past the darkness and into the light. But as the others grew stronger, Lucinda was fading, the hope for Lucy was fading.

And the final fragment – Ladybug, the little girl, the Lucy that simply wanted to be loved, to be protected by her family from all the big bad things in the world. But Lucy was no longer a little girl and the battle was not one they could win for her. For Lucy to heal Ladybug had to die, had to realise there was no place for her.

And amongst all that mess was the real Lucy, broken and and in agony, trying to mesh all of those six fragments of her together.

Edmund looked at his sister and wished he could just heal her. But she had to see what he saw. That their past did not have to inform their future, that sins did not have to overshadow their who lives, that even if there was something dark and monstrous within, it did mean it hide to hide in the dark, that it could not be dragged out into the light and used for good.

Edmund sighed, pulled from thoughts of strategy and tactic to a problem he was powerless to solve.

. . . . . .

Edmund was watching her. Peter was watching her. They were all watching her.

Lucy had learnt iron control in the last few days and she employed it now, wiping any and all emotions from her face.

"That is good."

She could hear Lucille's voice in her ears, could feel the Empress pressed up against her back, sharing her saddle.

"We can use it," the poisonous woman whispered, "We can use them."

Lucy shuddered, quailing as the Empress placed a loving hand on her arm. She could hear Lucille's voice in her ears, in her mind, each word like the drumming of soft fingers on her mind, gently and repeatedly beating in the same idea again and again.

"We can use them to save the Pearl."

Lucy's temper ignited, erupting like a volcano. Her caramuli squawked as her knees dug into its side, the Valiant Queen closing her eyes, refusing to look at Lucille, refusing to even admit her very existence.

"The Pearl isn't real!" Lucy's voice was low, brimming with fury, "I made it up! I made it all up! You're not real!"

"I'm not real?"

There was no anger, just pure amusement. Lucy froze as Lucille's hands closed around her neck, soft and tender, a hint of steel in those delicate fingers. The Valiant Queen's eyes widened, a gasp flying from her lips as hair brushed against her cheek, the Empress snaring her like a serpent.

"I could kill you right now," the Empress's voice dropped to a lover's husk, "And you say I am not real?"

Lucy could see Caspian and Susan from the corner of her eyes but they didn't seem to notice her plight, the two talking quietly to each other, no doubting planning their next battle.

"I am not the one with voices in my head," Lucille continued, her voice almost hypnotic, "I am the one imaging things."

Lucy gritted her teeth, trying to make herself deaf.

"The Pearl is not real?" the Empress continued, pressing her, "Do you honestly not remember its walls? Its beauty? Do you not remember the Treasured Ones?"

She tried to fight them but they appeared in her mind – flashes of a palace so achingly beautiful, so impossible in its architecture and intricacy that she knew it could only be a dream. But still… it was real. She had lived in that palace, had ruled it. Had been its queen and its guardian, protecting the iron door that sealed the darkness within.

Lucy was shaking.

She had ruled there for years, had aged in that palace. Had gathered Treasured Ones, had guided her people through war and famine. All of it impossible, all of it an illusion but all of it so very, very real.

"We can have it all back," Lucille whispered, "We can have it all – "

"Lucy?"

Lucille cursed and she vanished, her voice and form disappearing. Caspian's worried face swam into view and the Valiant Queen grew cold as she realised one of own her hands was wrapped around her neck. Caspian was careful to say nothing as Lucy pulled her trembling fingers away.

"I'm fine," she croaked.

Lucille's voice laughed in her head, reminding her once again just how much of a lie that was. Lucy shuddered and forced herself to look at Caspian.

She was exhausted, tired of fighting the things inside of her, tired of watching her family flinch every time she raised her hands, freeze every time she opened her mouth. But she couldn't afford to be tried, couldn't afford to let her guard slip. Lucia, Lucille and the Dawn-Breaker were waiting, hiding like vermin in the dark, ready to leap out and attack at any moment.

"Please…"

Ladybug's voice trembled in her ears.

"Help me."

Lucy tasted blood. She had bitten through her own lips.

"Lucy – " Caspian began, face drawn into a frown.

He brought his caramuli closer, trying to help her but Lucy turned away from him.

"Please… don't," she begged.

She had to be strong. They didn't have time to worry about her, didn't have time to wrap her cotton bud and wool. They were in the grips of a battle with the seven deadly sins themselves, they had no time for her tears, her terrors. They could not afford to let anything stand in the way of their victory… not even her.

Susan was doing a really bad job at pretending to be blind and deaf and Peter wasn't even trying. He opened his mouth to say something, Lucy already wincing in anticipation but the High King suddenly froze.

"Peter – "

They all turned as sand began to tumble down from the crest of the dune. Something was shifting beneath the mound, bulging and growing, throwing them all in its shadow.

"What the…"

"DUCK!"

Lightning flew from Peter's fingers as a screeching, howling form exploded out from the sand. Claws and stingers lashed out as the dark armoured thing barrelled down the dune, the kings and queens of Narnia pitched once more into battle.

. . . . . .

She thought of the loneliest mountain tops, thought of those cold pure peaks and she breathed. Her breath was the wind, cleaning frigid air that brought with it clarity and stillness and with each breath out swept away all her fear and fatigue.

She was the mountains, unbending, enduring, rising high above all. She was the wind, the stone, the pine trees clinging to the rocks, she was… she was…

She was anything but stuck in this goddamn cage!

Inara's eyes snapped open and she growled, kicking the bars violently.

"Stop that," Zaru grunted.

Inara opened her mouth to argue but she froze as a whimper forced both of them to turn.

"Please…"

Elias gently mopped the sweat from the boy's head.

"Kill me…"

Coop grabbed his arm, his eyes searching for the scientist's. Livid bruises and sores pockmarked the boy's skin, the wounds weeping pus, blood and more alarmingly, black sand.

"Please…"

His voice was broken, the same words repeated again and again until they all thought they were going to go mad.

"Please…"

A cough seized his chest and he spat out blood and sand all mixed together.

"Where is that coming from?!" Inara demanded, trying to pull herself away from the dying Seeker.

"It seems like his whole body is undergoing cellular degeneration. Every part of him is breaking down. And the sand…" Elias reached out to touch it but a swift growl from Zaru stopped him, "I think that's what's causing it."

Inara and Zaru backed as far away from Coop as the cage would allow. Elias rolled his eyes and tutted under his breath. He turned back to his patient, wincing as another sore broke open pus and sand spilling out.

"I think only Peter can save him now," the scientist admitted quietly.

"I… I thought…"

They all looked down at Coop. The Seeker's eyes flickered open and they hissed seeing the blood that had flooded into the sclera.

"I thought I wanted to die."

Sweat poured from him, the sickness that wracked his body draining him of blood, water, life – everything it could get its hands on. Coop managed a smile, a weak broken curl of the lips but for the first time it seemed to steal into his eyes.

"I thought… I didn't deserve to live."

Zaru cringed. Guilt boiled out of the boy in a cloud of rotting meat, so strong that it even pierced the pall of stench that hung around the leopard. Sin fed on sin, shame bating on shame until it almost choked the breath from Zaru.

His eyes darted towards Inara and Elias. The smell was so strong now. Could they finally smell it? Had they finally realised what he had done?

But as sharp as those they were, they were only humans. They could no more smell his disgrace than ants could comprehend the written language.

Zaru breathed a sigh of relief but a small part of him wished they could see, wished they could understand it all because he didn't think he was brave enough to explain it in words.

"I killed… I killed my sister," Coop laughed, the sound ripping his throat and voice to shreds, "She was crippled and weak and she loved me and… and… and I killed her!"

He bucked, thrashing as Elias tried to hold him down.

"But we were starving!" Coop screamed, staring into their eyes, "There wasn't enough food to go between us all. Sacrifices had to be made!"

They were all transfixed, watching the delirious boy as he screamed, drooling and bleeding from the mouth.

"I went into her room. I woke her. She smiled at her. She loved me. And I laid her back on the bed… I wrapped my hands around her neck and… and…" Coop let out a scream of triumph, "I squeezed! I squeezed the life out of her! I killed her but I lived!"

He was screaming with laughter, mirth bleeding into pain, pain melting into mirth until they were one and the same.

"I killed her but I saved the others. I saved the others who were strong, who could have survived. And I didn't… I didn't feel sorry!"

He grabbed Elias's hand, dragging himself up, his feverish breath sweeping across the scientist's face like a furnace.

"Did she feel this? It was quick but did it seem like this? Agonisingly slow? Feeling the life choked out of you? Was she scared like I was?" Coop was crying, "I hurt her. I thought I was quick. I thought…"

He collapsed, shrinking in on himself, vomiting up black sand but still he forced the words to climb out of his throat.

"I know I deserve to die. I sought for it. Longed for it but…"

He looked at them, the Seeker, the monster scrubbed away, the scared little boy beneath showing them all his fears, his vulnerability, exposed and naked.

"I'm scared. Why am I scared?"

"Why?"

"Why?"

The same words rose from all around them, echoed a thousand times in broken splintered voices. Inara, Zaru and Elias stared at each other, at Coop, at all the other infected captives in their cages. They were all screaming, yelling out their guilt, their sins, every bit of poison in their lives purged in an orgy of frantic throes.

"Please! I forgive you! Please!"

A woman screamed her anguish out of the world as she clung to a man who wept black sand from every wound and every opening in his body.

"Please… don't die. Please," she wept brokenly into his hair, clutching him to her, "Please don't die. Please – "

The man in her arms suddenly pulled away from her, eyes bulging from his head.

"What – "

Premonition struck Zaru and the leopard roared, clawing at his cage frantically.

"LOOK OUT!" he screamed.

The infected man lunged for his wife. She screamed, throwing herself back but there was nowhere to go. They all watched, transfixed as her husband fell on her, fists flying, teeth gnashing and when he finally looked back up he was drenched in his wife's blood. The whole chasm was deathly still, even those infected silent for the first time in two days. They all were watching, breath bated for what would come next.

The man stared down at his wife's mangled form and a frantic crazed laughter bubbled from his lips.

"Did we…" Inara's voice died.

The man hurled himself at the bars of his cage, mashing his face against the steel, teeth shattering in a spray of blood and sand. He screamed again, a wild banshee cry that echoed in the chasm. The other infected were still as corpses, the only sign of life the gentle rising of their chests.

"Watch the birth of a Scourge?" Elias said with hush breath, "I think so."

"So the sand causes…"

They all looked as one at Coop, the boy's eyes staring blankly up at the heavens.

"Oh."

They stared at each other, sweat beading down their faces, their bodies so very cold despite the trio of suns burning in the heavens.

"We need to get out of here."

And the newborn Scourge screamed in his cage.

. . . . . .

The caramuli screamed, trying to run as the behemoth swung its claws. Caspian was thrown from his seat, his caramuli dead before it hit the ground.

"GO!" Peter yelled.

Green fire washed over the thing but its black armour turned the flames away, the screeching monster stabbing at the High King.

"PETER!" Susan roared.

The scorpion screamed and Susan threw herself off her mount. Her caramuli fled, honking frantically as the monster's stinger slammed into the dune, sand and poison flying.

"Luxuria!" Edmund yelled.

"I know…" Susan hissed, arrow to bow.

She let fly, a streak of silver striking the monstrous scorpion but it glanced off without a scratch, Lucy and Edmund frantically trying to avoid being trampled.

"THE EYES!" Caspian yelled.

Tash's sceptre was in her hands before she even knew it. The darkness in her was laughing, cheering her on as Susan glanced at her brother. Peter nodded and with a cry they struck the same blow.

Lightning and red light lanced through the air, blasting the monster in the face. It skittered back, howling in pain, its eyes burning ruined holes. But they had no time to savour their victory, flashes of gold sending them running as gleaming blades slammed into the sand, quivering where they landed.

"Does anybody get the feeling we're being ambushed?" Edmund growled, unsheathing his sword.

Lucy pulled her weapon free, the Valiant Queen wielding a sword of her own. It trembled in her hands as part of her railed at the unfamiliar weapon. Why wasn't she wielding a glaive? Why wasn't she tearing her enemies apart with her bare hands?

Lucia and the Dawn-Breaker's voice whirled in her head, pain and light slicing into her brain as Lucy reeled.

"Shut up! Shut up!"

Edmund whirled, eyes widening as his sister staggered, slashing at enemies only she could see. He ran towards her as the scorpion continued in its blinded rampage, the Just King dodging its flailing stinger and pincers.

"Lu –"

Green light flashed and a tongue of emerald flame boiled the sand, Edmund leaping back to avoid being incinerated. His head whipped towards his brother but Peter was not looking at him, blue eyes drawn to a figure standing on the crest of a dune.

"Invidia!"

The emerald eyed and emerald haired Saligia looked down at him blankly. She raised one delicate hand and lightning stabbed out, the High King's own powers turned against him.

Peter roared and a column of green fire pushed the attack away, High King and the sin of envy instantly locked into deadly combat.

More gold swords flashed, stabbing down at them. The scorpion was killed where it stood, screaming in agony as the blades sliced through its mammoth form.

A shadow passed over Edmund and he twisted, Avaritia leaping through the air. There was no time to think, no time to even breathe as the king's sword came up in a silver arc. The two clashed in a frantic crash of blades, Edmund refusing to give ground as the sin of greed slashed at him again and again. The treacherous sand tried to give way beneath his feet, Edmund dancing to keep his balance as Avaritia howled with laughter, gold teeth burning in the sun.

A swift kick and Edmund was staggering back, Avaritia stabbing a finger at him. The Just King yelped as swords, bejewelled and deadly sharp, flashed into existence, floating around the Saligia like the petals of a razor flower. They whipped through the air, deadly point aimed straight at Edmund and like arrows flung from a bow, they flew straight at the king.

"CLANG! CLANG!"

He deflected one then another, sending swords spinning into the sand, the weapons vanishing as they hit the ground.

"GAH!"

A sword flashed across his arm, Edmund almost dropping his sword as he staggered. A second blade clipped his leg, the Just King falling to his knees as Avaritia howled in triumph.

"Ed!"

The darkness in Susan screamed and she barely had time to duck as something large and pink shot past her head. She rolled to her feet, whirling and the sin of glutton was there, wet eyes staring at her.

"Susan!" Caspian yelled, trying to get to her as Gula sucked his tongue back into his mouth.

"My lord…"

Caspian suddenly staggered, frowning as he turned. Luxuria smiled at him, sweetness pouring from her eyes and her face, her beauty so incandescent it seemed to set the air around her alight. Caspian blinked, wool and smoke flooding through his head. He tried to shake it off, tried to –

"Come my lord…"

The Telmarine king swayed on his feet, staring at the Saligia, mesmerised by her lips, by her long fingers twining through her hair. Her gown fell from her shoulders baring her flesh for all to see.

"I am what you need," Luxuria's laugh was so warm and thick , her eyes drinking the man in, pulling him into webs of desire and burning lust, "I am everything you desire."

She laughed again, beckoning with her hands and as though pulled by invisible strings Caspian began to stumble towards her.

. . . . . .

Lucy watched it all as though from a great distance.

Peter fighting Invidia, her brother swallowed up in a great storm of fire and lightning.

Edmund staggering, bleeding as Avaritia charged at him, sword slicing through the air.

Susan writhing on the ground, coughing up blood as Gula towered over her.

Caspian stumbling towards his doom, Luxuria jeering at him every step of the way.

"Stop – "

She needed to help them. Needed to –

"LET ME!" Lucia screamed, clawing at her face.

Lucy cried out, flinching as the Dawn-Breaker laughed.

"LET THEM DIE!" he yelled at her, "THIS IS THE PRICE OF GOING AGAINST MY MASTER!"

"Stop it!"

She choked, the Dawn-Breaker grabbing her neck. His breath was like the blast of a furnace against her face, his madness fuelling the fire in his eyes.

"You can't stop me little girl," the servant of the Great Darkness hissed, "I will reclaim what is mine."

Lucy's eyes snapped open and she forced herself to look at the man. She was nothing, a mere slip of a girl compared to the awesome warrior that had her in his clutches. His shoulders were broad, his limbs thick with muscles and he was ruthless, cunning and soaked in the blood of his enemies. And what was she? A scared little broken girl.

"Just go to sleep," the Dawn-Breaker hissed.

Her family was screaming, pounded by might and magic, their bodies flying through the air like rag dolls.

The Dawn-Breaker's dark eyes seemed to swallow her whole, plunging her into the shadows at the base of his soul.

"Just go to – "

Wait.

Lucy blinked.

Peter roared as lightning stabbed down at him, the High King drawing the electricity into his hands before hurling it back at Invidia.

The Dawn-Breaker stared at her.

"You're me," Lucy whispered in wonder.

Susan screamed, her eyes blood-red as she lashed out with her sceptre, great arcs of red light blasting Gula into the dunes.

"You're not real."

The Dawn-Breaker frowned.

"You're me. You're not real. I'm not scared of you," the Valiant Queen pulled his fingers away from her, "I'm scared of me."

"NO!" the Dawn-Breaker's face twisted, his words hurled at her like spears, "I'm a servant of my master! I am great! You are nothing! YOU ARE NOTHING!"

He lashed out at her but his blow passed through Lucy as though he was a ghost because that was all he was, a ghost, a demon that haunted the queen.

"No. You listen to me!" Lucy snapped, eyes flashing, "You are nothing! You are a part of me I want to cut out and burn but since I can't do that – "

She picked up her sword.

"LUCINDA!" she roared, "HELP ME!"

Lucy caught a glimpse of Lucinda's face, proud and laughing before the High Inquisitor threw herself at the Dawn-Breaker, both of them crashing to the ground and disappearing. Lucy whirled and General Lucia stared at her, eyes wide.

"You…" Lucy smiled, "Are going to help me."

. . . . . .

"Yes, my lord," Luxuria's voice had dropped to a serpent's hiss, "I am everything you hungered for. I am everything you want, that you're too scared to even admit you want."

It was so easy for her just to lash out and take off his head but that's not what she wanted. She wanted this king, this proud noble man to beg to die, to fall to his knees before her and close his eyes in pleasure as she did anything she wanted.

"I am everything…" she took a step towards Caspain, the Telmarine king staring at her with wide glazed eyes, "I am – "

"A warrior with no honour!"

Luxuria screamed as a wild slash sliced her arm open. The sin of lust staggered, clutching at her as her head snapped out incredulously. Lucy stood before her, lips pulled back in a bared sneer.

"Who the – " Luxuria roared.

"I am General Lucia the Magnificent!" Lucia snarled.

She suddenly shook almost dropping her sword but when she stilled again, the wild feral look had vanished from her eyes. Luxuria blinked as the almost-woman before her smiled, a exultant look of pure triumph stamped across her face.

"And I'm Queen Lucy the Valiant!"

Lucia screamed in her voice, frantically trying to seize back control but Lucinda was pushing her away, cheering Lucy on.

She had done it.

Lucy tried to remember the old battle stances she once knew so well, still beaming despite the danger they were in.

She had finally done it, she had finally wrested some semblance of control over her fractured mind.

Luxuria hissed, Caspian still staring at her stupidly.

"You will pay!" the Saligia screamed.

Blue flames burst from her skin, tattoos roaring into life as Lucy dove away.

"CASPIAN!"

The king shook himself, blinking blearily as Luxuria howled in fury. She whirled, trying to work her spell again but Lucy struck, slashing at her, forcing her back.

"What – " Caspian looked down at him, at two duelling before him, "What – "

Luxuria grabbed Lucy's sword with her bare hands and ripped it from her grasp. She smiled but had no time to savour her victory as the Valiant Queen hurled sand straight into her face.

The sin of lust reeled, blinded and choking as Lucy snatched her sword back up, Lucia's skill and power coursing through her.

"FOR ASLAN!"

She drove the sword straight into the woman's belly, unleashing a devastating scream. With a kick she freed the woman from her blade and stood back, chest heaving.

Caspian stared at her, awed as Luxuria crumpled to the ground.

"Lucy…"

The Valiant Queen turned and a wide smile creased her face.

"Did you forget I could fight?" she asked impishly.

Caspian had to laugh at that. But the moment was cut short as screams filled the air. Without hesitating they whirled and raised their swords.

"FOR ASLAN AND NARNIA!" they yelled as one as they plunged forwards, ready to wreak havoc amongst their enemies.

. . . . . .

Jason pulled his caramuli up short.

"What is it?" Flax asked.

Jason ignored him, shielding his eyes from the sun with one hand as he tried to see what was just at the edges of his vision.

But he knew, he already knew. Like all hardened warriors, he could sense it, could smell it like a hound scents a trail. It called to him, sang its siren song and his blood and bones longed to join in, to lose itself in that insane seductive cry.

"Cienaga is that way," Flax already knew what his old companion had seen.

"It's them," Jason grinned, "And they're fighting already."

Flax adjusted his sword, a placid smile on his face.

"Should we join them?" he asked, "I think it is the polite thing to do."

Jason dug his boots into his mount's side, the caramuli yelping as it leapt forwards, tearing at its reins.

"Somebody has to keep them out of trouble!" Jason yelled over his shoulders.

Flax laughed lightly and followed as on the horizon line, black smoke billowed, flashes of green and white piercing the smog.

. . . . . .

Her hands were raw and bloodied, the bars slick with her blood but still as strong and whole as ever. Inara cursed, wincing as she balled her battered hands once more into fists.

"Stop it!" Elias said severely.

"We need to get out of here," Inara said grimly.

She lashed out, kicking at the cage, grabbing at it. The prison jerked on its hook, Zaru yelping as they crashed against the walls, against other cages but still the steel held, still trapped them inside with a monster waiting to be born.

Coop was mumbling now, frantic words whispered under his breath as a raging fever ate away at him. His whole body was falling apart, fresh sores, fresh gashes opening with every passing minute, blood and sand gushing from his wounds.

"It's tempered steel. Even you can't break this," Elias said flatly.

Inara cursed and kicked again. The whole cage rocked but aside from a really painful foot Inara got nothing for her pains. She grimaced, falling to the bottom of their prison as Elias nodded grimly.

"So now what?" Inara asked.

Zaru looked at Coop. The smell of shame and guilt was growing stronger, putrefying and rotting like meat left in the sun. The black sand was the infection but the poison it birthed, the poison that killed its victims and drove them mad was all too brutally clear to Zaru. The poisonous sins the boy had done, the killing of his sister… that was what was slowly choking the life from him, that was going to be what corrupted his flesh and soul and make him into a Scourge.

Screams rang out, frantic sobbing pleas for help and life as another person was driven beyond the edge of sanity and humanity.

They were trapped, caught like fish in a barrel and it was all too easy shooting. The newborn Scourge screamed and lunged, tearing limbs from their sockets, dashing their brains out on the bars. In a few furious seconds a whole cage crammed with living breathing people were reduced to one monster sitting amongst a whole lot of blood and gore.

Again and again the cycle was continued, the screams of the dying, the doomed as everyday to them now as the sun and the sand.

Those left were sitting in their cages now, dead eyes staring at the infected, prayers mumbled under their breaths.

It was only a matter of time… only a matter…

Fresh screams. More victims. Another Scourge.

Some had tried to kill the infected. But as soon as the life was choked out of them the black sand would take hold, a Scourge bursting into life and ripping the limb from their killers.

Hopeless… it was all hopeless.

"Scourges," Zaru growled, eyes drawn to the bottom of the chasm.

Scourges were clambering up from the depths of the rift but these were not the newborn monsters that stared out hungrily from their cages but the ones that had had been mutilated, hooks and wires sunk deep into their flesh.

Steel rang on rock as they rose from the bone-filled chasm, screaming their pain to the world. Their cries were answered and echoed by their brethren in the cage, by the infected waiting to die and be turned.

The uninfected, the helpless slapped their hands to the ears, trying to block out the terrible sound. But what happened next made them all sick to their very stomach.

"What…"

"CLANG!"

The deformed Scourges tore the cages apart, reaching in for their newborn brood. The unmarked monsters cried out as their elders poured into their prisons, trying to fight back.

"NO!"

Blades exploded from the Scourges' arms and they slashed at the newborn. What had once been living, breathing, loving human beings were torn apart, gore and sand spilling from gaping wounds. The Scourges worked quickly, their bloodied tools pulled from rough cloth sacks, spikes were driven deep into bones, hooks punched through organs as they tore the infected apart. Like mad surgeons they worked, turning flesh into abominations.

They could not tell away, transfixed by the spectacle as all the unmarked Scourges were transformed, twisted and broken.

And the screams…

Elias wished he could drive needles into his eardrums, to make himself death to the terrible cries as the hell all around them swung into fever pitch. Chests were cracked upon, ribs peeled back as hearts and lungs quivered in the burning air. Skulls were drilled into, blood and brain dribbling out as those tortured screamed and writhed, caught between agony and ecstasy.

The infected, those waiting to be born into Scourges, began to fit, their bodies seizing and contracting into bone-breaking shapes.

A fine tremor shook the ravine.

"Please…" Inara was crying, "STOP!"

A rhythm had stolen into the screams and the cries, a chant, a mantra building. The tremor grew to violent shakes, the earth convulsing as the Scourges continued their work.

Glass glinted as hourglasses were thrust into the open chests, glass tubes were threaded into the arteries and the veins, black sand flowing through them like blood.

More screams as iron blades were bolted into place at the wrists, the final terrible form of the Scourges taking shape.

"What…"

Zaru roared as the sea of bones beneath suddenly erupted upwards in a geyser of bleached white. The screams of the Scourges, the cries of the living were drowned out as the desert howled, blasting them all with sand.

Something began to rise from the bottom of the chasm, something gargantuan and blacker than the darkest night.

It rose, ancient and unknowable, made of obsidian.

"What is that?"

"It's…." Inara whispered, eyes wide.

"It's an egg," Zaru gasped.

They all stared, the Scourges falling to their knees whimpering as the earth stilled. An immense black egg had been born from the earth, its span bigger than anything they could have imagined. It sat in the chasm like the pearl in the centre of a shell, nested in the bones of thousands. Light and heat seemed to be drawn to it, swallowed by its engraved depths until the whole chasm seemed to the gripped in coldest of winters.

A strange chattering sound rose from the Scourges as they looked upon the dark egg.

"What… what are they doing?" Zaru was almost afraid to speak.

"I think…"  
The blood drained from Elias's face as the Scourges continued their wild sound, eyes bulging from their heads.

"I think they're laughing."

Premonition struck Inara, a thought came to her, an idea as certain as the fact that the sun would rise in the morning.

"We're going to die. "

She looked at her companions, terrified.

"We're going to die here."

Zaru and Elias looked back and laughter of the Scourges was like a death knell.

. . . . . .

Avaritia screamed in fury.

Through a red haze of pain Edmund gaped as Caspian and Lucy drove the sin of greed back, the two slashing wildly as the Saligia fended them off with his twin gold blades. A brutal kick sent Lucy spinning to the ground as Caspian roared, parrying Avaritia's blow, striking back with his own.

Edmund pulled himself to his feet, his injured leg threatening to give way. Gritting his teeth the Just King raised his sword and waited.

Caspian and Avaritia locked blades, roaring at each other. The Telmarine king was pushed back, feet scrambling in the sand as he tried to find purchase. The Saligia bared his gold teeth and laughed, savouring the frantic look on his enemy's face.

"This is the price of fighting us mortal," Avaritia jeered, spitting right into Caspian's reddening face, "You will be crushed like – "

"HEY!"

Avaritia whirled, just in time to see Edmund's blade flying for his face.

"ARGGGH!"  
The Saligia reeled, clutching at his eyes as his vanquisher tumbled to the ground.

"ED!"

Caspian pulled him up, supporting him as Edmund managed a smile.

"Thanks," he rasped.

"The pleasures all mine," Caspian grinned back.

Lucy was already on her feet, staring at Avaritia as the sin of greed glared at them, a livid gash slashed across his face.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" he screamed, one eye ruined, "I'LL KILL YOU!"

Lucy and Caspian raised their swords and the Saligia shrieked, turning and fleeing, stumbling half-blinded through the dunes.

"SU!"

Every movement sent pain roaring through him but Edmund turned anyway.

Susan roared as she rammed her sceptre straight into Gula's gut. Red light flared and the sin of gluttony was hurled back, smashing hard into a dune. The Gentle Queen looked up and Edmund froze seeing the demonic red light shimmering in his sister's eyes. She was injured, one arm hanging bloodied and useless by her side but a feral grin had suffused her face, pure delight dancing in her eyes.

"Susan?" Caspian asked gently.

Lucy was silent, her face pale as she stared at her sister. Susan stared at them with her blood-red eyes, the rubies on her sceptre throbbing with light. Edmund tightened his grip on his sword, ready to fight if it came to it but slowly, right before them, the red bled away from Susan's eyes leaving behind nothing but blue.

"Avaritia? Luxuria?"

Avaritia had long bled, Luxuria's bleeding form stretched across the sand. Susan smiled.

"So that leaves only…"

Bolts of lightning clashed with each other, arcs of electricity flying through the air as Invidia and Peter continued their deadly duel.

"STAND BACK!" the High King roared, risking a glance towards them, "I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN – "

He froze as Invidia staggered back, her green eyes drawn towards her own chest.

"What – " Peter blinked.

The sin of envy gaped at the dagger hilt sticking out from her ribs. Susan whirled but she knew who she was going to see there, a smirk on his face and –

"Jason!" she breathed.

The Seeker looked at her and Susan felt tears come to her eyes as she saw the man she had come to love had returned. The broken shadow of Jason they had rescued from the Orchard was gone, the warrior with the not-so-well hidden bleeding heart standing before her.

There was so many things she wanted to say, so many questions but Susan held her tongue knowing that such intrusion of privacy would be met only with a stone wall and silence.

"Do you want to finish her off already you idiot?" Jason growled, glaring at Peter.

Susan laughed as the High King glared at the Seeker.

Jason was back. Did it really matter how?

Her smile fell as she noticed Flax was standing beside him, the other Seeker smiling as always but there was something about the blankness in his eyes that set her nerves on edge.

Peter huffed and raised his hand, green fire bleeding but his eyes suddenly widened in horror.

"LU!" he screamed.

They all turned and Susan could only see a blur of movement and sand.

She caught glimpses of dark hair, dark eyes set in a thin austere face. But the hands, the hands were something she would dream of for many nights.

Lucy screamed as they grabbed her arm, dragging her away from her family. Caspian threw Edmund to the ground and tried to rush to her aid but there was a burst of light and the king fell like a stone.

"LU!"

In a howl and rush of wind Lucy was gone, the man who had ensnared her vanishing with her. Susan whipped around and the four Saligia they had fell had vanished, leaving only blood and disturbed sand.

"Who? What – " Susan looked at her family, at Flax, "Where – "

"That was Cyrus Grey," Flax noted blithely, "I think he's working with those monsters."

"JASON?!"

The Seeker looked at her grimly.

"If Cyrus has her…"

He looked towards Cienaga and his one remaining dagger was in his hands.

"We better mount an attack now."

. . . . . .

Disclaimer: Again sorry about the long delay – like I said real life has dominated me lately! Thank you for all you readers who still read this story despite the long gaps and thank you for all the reviews! Please review! I've noticed the number has been dropping over the last few chapters – any review is a good review – criticism, support… I crave it all!


	90. His darkest hour

Apologies once again – real life has again hijacked my life and flailed me alive. But here we go – the next chapter is this sprawling epic saga (at least that's what I keep telling myself!)

Disclaimer: what's mine is mine, what's not is not

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 90: His darkest hour **

Cienaga was dead. What had once been a thriving city, the home to hundreds of Lawless's people was now a grave beneath the earth. Bodies littered the streets, houses tumbled into ruins. The lifeblood of Cienaga, the vast underground water vein that had made it so very precious in this desert world, was now poisoned with corpses and ash.

In a single day a whole city had wiped out, every man, woman and child dead or enslaved by the seven monsters that had descended onto its streets.

The huge cavern that housed Cienaga was silent, bereft of the everyday noise of its residents, of laughter, of even a single whisper. The grave had become a tomb and the quiet was absolute until one voice, furious and booming, shattered it all.

"WHERE IS SHE?!'

Lightning and green fire bloomed. It swept down the street, burning everything in its path, burning wreckage flung high in the air as the destroyer stormed through the chaos.

"WHERE IS SHE?!"

A bellow and a column of green fire exploded, a starburst of flames blasted the street apart, smoke and ash pluming to the roof of the cavern.

"The water baron's palace is in the centre of Cienaga," Flax offered.

He spoke blithely as though he was not just feets away from a man who called lightning and flames down to the smite the city around him.

Edmund nodded.

"They'll be there," he growled.

Superbia would want to make his stronghold in a place of glory and riches. And if that's where the leader of the Saligia was… Lucy would be there too. The Just King tightened the grip on his sword, vowing he would do whatever it took to save his sister.

"Peter!" Susan snarled, "Stop it!"

The High King sent another row of buildings flying, his rage pushing his powers to new and deadly heights.

"You do realise you're wasting a lot of your powers in this tantrum right?"

Jason's voice was like acid and Peter whirled on him, sparks flying from his body. The Seeker narrowed his eyes, completely unimpressed as the High King flushed. Peter closed his eyes, visibly calming himself as the corona of light and lightning burning around him faded. When he opened his eyes again, they still burned with rage but the power that had exploded out of them in such devastating blasts were now mere embers.

"Come on," he said tightly, "We don't have time to waste."

He turned, running down the street as after exchanging wry looks, the others followed.

"Do we have a plan?" Caspian demanded.

"Our usual one," Susan growled, her eyes blood red.

The darkness in her was crackling with laughter, savouring her rage, the battle to come and Aslan help her, the Gentle Queen was letting it run free. Now was not the time to be squeamish, now was the time to plunder every single useful gift and skill inside of her and use it annihilate her enemies.

Lucy's life was on the line. Hesitation from any of them might get them killed.

"Plan charge in, kill things and don't get killed?" Caspian asked dryly.

"What are you scared?" Jason barked.

The Telmarine glared at him but his ire swiftly faded as he looked at his friend in frank confusion.

"What happened to you?" he demanded.

Jason glanced at him and knew exactly what Caspian was asking about. He wanted to know how he had finally seen the light, how he had finally gotten over his useless tears and hand-wringing and woken to the fact that he had a family to protect and weeping about the past would stop him from doing exactly that.

"I got better."

How could he explain it? How could he explain what he had finally realised. He was not just the killer the Great Darkness had made, not just some dark evil creature born of death and loss. He was also Nathaniel and at his core that was he who was – a father, a man who loved his family above all else. The only difference now was that he was strong enough and ruthless enough to protect the ones he loved.

What he had done at the machinations of the Great Darkness would haunt him for the rest of his life but would he let that stop him from shielding his family? Let his dreams be nightmares but he would devote his waking moments to fighting, he would not let what the darkness had done cost his family their lives.

Jason looked at Caspian and whatever the king saw there made him smile.

"Good to have you back," the king smirked.

"Focus on the fight," Jason said gruffly.

Caspian shook his head as they continued to run through the ruins of Cienaga. The Saligia had left no survivors. Bodies, stretched out, prone, twisted and broken into terrible shapes littered the streets, buzzing with flies and thick with maggots. The earth was black with blood, the air choked with the smell of rot. On and on they ran through the city of death and everything they saw drove them one step closer to the edge of sanity.

The darkness in Susan thrived on it all, laughing at every body, giggling at every sign of torture and mayhem. It grew – a bloated terrible thing in her mind and though the Hunt-Beast roared and snarled, the darkness was quivering with joy, feasting on the misery and depravity all around her. But Susan let it spread, let it taint her mind and soul. She would need every drip and dram of that terrible power if she wanted to win Lucy back.

"THERE!" Peter roared.

A palace was coming up before them, growing with every step. The gates that had protected this house of pale stone was toppled but unlike every other building in Cienaga this stood tall and proud, untouched by soot or blood.

"PETER!"

White light punched through the darkness and they were all hurled off their feet, an invisible wall slamming into them.

Edmund staggered to his feet, every muscle in his body aching as he laid eyes on their attacker.

This was a warrior who would not falter. A man who had committed so many enemies and companions to death that it walked as an old friend by his side. He was whipcord thin, battle-scarred and possessing the two most piercing hawk-like eyes Edmund had ever seen.

One glance and Edmund knew this was a man as deadly as the Saligia.

Their attacker held loops of chain in his hands, the steel linking him to two cowering figures that crouched beside him like hounds. Where he was marked by battle, these two were marked by torture and brutality, a look of frozen horror stamped onto their faces.

"Attack!" the man barked.

The two chained figures screamed and raised their hands. White fire howled through the air but Susan was already moving, letting fly with a counterattack. Red light burst from her sceptre and slashed through the white, the thrice-blessed queen screaming her rage.

"It's Argent," Flax said softly.

Jason glared at his old teacher, instantly noting the blank glazed look in the man's usually sharp eyes.

"He's been taken," the Seeker growled, dagger in hands.

"What?" Caspian's head snapped towards them.

"I will destroy you in the name of my mistress!" Argent roared, pulling at the chains of the Cursed.

Flax snorted.

"Definitely bewitched," he said, unsheathing his short sword.

If the hay-haired man felt anything at facing his old master, it did not show on his round face. It showed just how damaged Flax really was because even Jason felt a thrill of fear at facing a man they had never managed to best before.

"Go!" he roared at the others, "We'll handle him."

Edmund frowned, not liking the fact they were splitting up, making themselves easier targets for the monsters inside the palace.

"But – "

Jason snarled at him.

"GO!"

The Cursed shrieked and blasted them with streaks of ruach but Flax and Jason were already moving, drawing their fire.

"GO!"

Peter whirled, lightning flying from his fingers. It struck the immense doors of the water baron's stronghold and wood and stone detonated.

"COME ON!"

Without hesitating the High King charged through the smoke and burning debris as Susan and Caspian followed. Edmund threw one last desperate look at Jason and Flax before he too disappeared into the palace.

Jason smiled.

At least he didn't have to worry about them anymore.

The grin fell as he looked at Argent, at the man who had taught him how to fight, the man who knew how to destroy him better than even the Great Darkness itself.

"It's a good day to die isn't it?" Flax observed lightly.

"Yes."  
Jason gave Argent a savage grin and the elder Seeker spat at him.

"Yes it is."

With a roar he charged, ready to destroy his past to safeguard his future.

. . . . . . . .

Where the black egg cast its shadow death and insanity followed. In the space of hours more and more infected had succumbed. The screams of those locked in the cages with the newborn Scourges rang and echoed in the chasm, a dark portend to those who still lived.

"Stop Inara…" Elias said wearily.

The half-Naga ignored him, running her hands over the bars of their cage, trying to find a weakness in the steel.

"My pocket…"

Zaru glanced at Coop as the boy continued to shake and shudder, caught in the fevers of the black sand. He was trying to speak, forcing the words through a throat rubbed raw by screams.

"My pocket…"

Elias frowned, gingerly inching forwards as Coop's eyes fluttered. One touch of his skin and the scientist winced feeling just how hot it was. But he dug through the boy's pockets, carefully to avoid the sores that wept pus and sand. Finally his fingers closed on a soft small pouch.

"What is it?" he asked, pulling it out.

He tipped its contents into his hands and frowned. It looked to be dried grass, bland and innocuous. But even as he held it a strong scent filled the air, a smell that seemed to clog his nose and senses and made him blink fiercely.

"What is this?" Elias asked, trying to shake the fog from his head.

"Dre… dreamweed…" Coop rasped.

"You want us to get high?" Inara demanded incredulously.

Despite the agony he was in Coop managed to send her a withering glare.

"Pain… for pain…"

Elias hesitated. This dreamweed whatever it was, was a clearly a strong opiate, a drug designed to numb he senses. Coop was already hovering on the brink of death, would it be safe to give to him? Or would it shut his body down completely?

He dithered as Coop screamed, his back arching off the floor until it seemed his spine would snap. He collapsed back, shuddering, weeping as his head tossed from side to side.

"Do it," Zaru said flatly.

He couldn't bare the smell of Coop's guilt anymore. It poured from him like smog from a smokestack, choking the air until every breath he took was almost solid with it. Zaru had not slept for five days now and the leopard was wondering how long he could cling to his sanity.

"You can't possibly make him any worse."

Elias grimaced but took a few strands of the dreamweed and gently it placed them into Coop's mouth. They all watched with bated breath as the boy chewed the herb with obvious pain.

He swallowed and almost instantly the tension bled out of his body. His eyes fluttered shut and his breathing evened out into that of deep sleep. For a few seconds they all watched, waiting but when his chest began to rise and fall smoothly it finally dawned on them that at long last Coop had found some semblance of peace.

"Did it work?" Inara breathed.

Zaru nodded. The stench of shame had abated just a fraction, the mad whorls of pain and torment that had flashed so garishly through it all almost vanishing completely. But still Zaru could smell the black sand as it ate its way through the boy. The end was coming, there was no denying that but the dreamweed had brought them precious time.

"What now?" Elias asked weary to the bone.

His eyes were drawn as always to the black egg that had risen from the depths of the chasm. Had it grown?

Elias could feel cold sweat bead on his face as he stared at it. This thing, this black obsidian monstrosity had been born from the Scourges, had risen from the screams of the newborn being mutilated, the unmarked Scourges taking the final step in their ghastly metamorphosis. But the egg itself was a catalyst, accelerating the death of the infected, giving rise to more and more monsters. It fed itself in this terrible cycle, birthing death and feeding from it.

The egg was a vacuous black hole, gobbling up everything that was right with the world and leaving nothing but despair. Insanity and depravity bled from its dark surface like a radioactive taint, penetrating the whole chasm and warping everything it touched.

How long before they too were infected? How long before they joined the army of Scourges?

Elias looked at Inara but the half-Naga's eyes were drawn to the roof of their cage. She looked back at him and Zaru and a smile grew on her face. Both her companions stiffened, knowing all too well that dangerous glint in her eyes.

"Well," Inara announced with a smirk, "I have a plan."

. . . . . . . .

The High King and the Gentle Queen of Narnia blasted their way through the palace of Cienaga. Caspian and Edmund carefully kept their mouths shut and out of the way as in bursts of lightning and power lavish halls and chambers, the work of hundreds over years, were reduced to smoking rubble.

"Peter! Su!" Edmund barked, "Stop – "

He froze as through the smoke and flames he caught sight of a ghastly figure. His blade instantly came up as Acedia, as thin and ravaged as a cancer patient, lunged at them.

Lightning blasted through his shoulder, tearing a hole straight through him but the sin of apathy merely blinked and the terrible would disappeared.

"It's Acedia. He's immortal and can recover from any injury!" Edmund roared, remembering what Zaru had told them about this Saligia.

"GO!"  
Caspian charged, slashing the sin and sending it stumbling back.

"I'll hold him off!" the king bellowed, "GO!"

"Don't let him touch you!" Edmund warned.

He grabbed Peter by the collar dragging him away as Susan looked at her king, red eyes softening to blue. The darkness snarled in her head, furious at being caged as Caspian and Susan looked at each other.

A swift nod and Susan was gone, running after her brothers. Caspian allowed himself one soft smile before he whirled ready to face his enemy. Acedia looked at him blankly, not a flicker of feeling on his emaciated face and Caspian shuddered. Dark whispers seemed to suffuse the air, screaming voices of all those that this sin had consumed.

"Well, this is – "

Acedia lunged forwards and Caspian ducked. One touch of the Saligia's fingers and Caspian had to stop a scream.

He could feel it, could feel the sin's dreadful powers biting at him, felt it slice deep into his soul and try to carve out all that he felt.

"NO!"

He had been without emotions once, had felt empty darkness steal into his soul after Siobhan had cursed him.

"NO!"

Never again! Never again!

With a roar Caspian charged and slammed his sword straight through the sin even as Acedia's hands closed around his throat.

. . . . . . . .

"Peter? Ed?"

Susan looked down the hall and neither of her brothers was in sight. She cursed, grasping her sceptre tightly as she inched forwards, senses on high alert.

The Hunt-Beast roared a warning and Susan whirled but there was nothing she could as something black and inky snatched her arm. She was sent hurtling through the air, smashing through a door and hitting the ground as a pair of pale legs came into line of sight. Gasping for breath the Gentle Queen rolled to her feet, sceptre flying out. A small white hand grabbed the bejewelled end, wrenching it from her fingers and tossing it aside as Susan heard the door slam shut behind her.

Refusing to show fear Susan straightened as Luxuria smiled impishly back at her, not a sign of blood or injury on her softly glowing skin.

"Welcome my queen," she cooed, "Welcome to my chambers."

The room was stripped bare of any furnishing or comfort, the blank stone walls plastered in strange florid glyphs and even as Susan looked on, the black markings seemed to shift, seemed to grow and die before her eyes.

She blinked, a strange heaviness falling over her.

"What?"

Her words were slurred, every movement pushing through syrup as she looked at Luxuria. The Saligia's eyes glittered like gems as she moved forwards, swimming through the suddenly mastic air.

"Have you ever wondered?" she began conversationally.

Susan tried to grab her daggers, tried to attack but her eyes widened as she suddenly realised she was frozen. The symbols on the walls began to dance, rhythmically, hypnotically as Luxuria leaned in closer, the sin's face dominating her world.

"Have you ever wondered what your precious king did after you left?" the sin smiled as Susan stared at her, her predicament forgotten.

"Do you want me to show you?"

Susan wanted to scream, wanted to fight off whatever enchantment the Saligia had placed on her and attack but a part, a tiny treacherous part of her couldn't help but wonder, had always wondered.

"Do you?"

No.

The darkness in her head screamed, raging like a hound trapped in its cage as it longed to reach out, longed to claw at the Saligia's face until skin and flesh gave away to bare bone.

Kill her! Kill her! Kill!

"Because I can show you if you want to," Luxuria's eyes were twin pits of utter black, calling her to fall into them forever, "Do you want me to?"

No.

But that was not what spilt from her lips.

"Yes."

A laugh trilled from Luxuria's lips and before Susan could even think to scream, she was falling, out of space and time and into mist.

. . . . . . . .

She opened her eyes and couldn't help but smile. All was as it was meant to be, she was back in her own flesh and the demons that haunted her were for once blissfully silent. She tried to move but she was bound, stuck fast not by rope or cloth but by bands of air. Narrowing her eyes she pressed against her invisible bonds but there was no hope of her moving.

Any other would have started to panic, to sweat but she held her nerve with supreme ease, her eyes darting to her surroundings.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

Thankfully the demons in her head were silent. She could feel the weakest one, the one they called Lucy, struggling to break free but ruthlessly she pushed the voice back down into the darkness.

This was no time for weaklings, no time for tears. If she was to triumph she would have to trap this man and make him dance to her tune. She fought the smile that threatened to rise to her face. Fortunately for her that game was one she had played so many times before and had yet to lose.

"I am Cyrus Grey."

He was swathed in gold and slick fur, a scarecrow dressed in a lord's robes. His face was lined, collapsing into wrinkles before its time, his limbs thin and tremulous. Time had ravaged his form, eating away at all he was until there was nothing but the thinnest ghost left. But what little remained was a sight to behold. Never before had she seen such fanaticism, such fire pouring from his dark eyes. This scarecrow held an inferno inside of him, a magnificent storm of chaos and change that brought hell to whatever stood in his way.

"You work for the Saligia?"

Lucinda was whispering in her head, her High Inquisitor feeding her all she needed to know. She resisted the urge to push the woman away, to punish her for her treachery but for now she needed her.

"The Saligia work for me," Cyrus said flatly.

Interesting.

She carefully collapsed into her bonds, careful to press her curves against the ropes, to draw his attention to them. Others might squirm at this, might blush but in war everything had to be used as a weapon including herself.

"How could a man such as yourself command such powerful forces?" she let admiration tinge her voice, let it grow husky, "Surely you must a man of power."

Cyrus flushed and she let herself smile openly, letting her eyes dance.

"They were gifted to me."

"A gift from a disciple?" she asked, "Or from a lover?"

Cyrus blinked as Lucinda urgently told her about this tournament between this man and the fool who thought she controlled her. Lucy was working with the destroyers of her kingdom, pitched in a battle against Cyrus and his foul brood. Death of either him or her would result in victory for the other.

She froze for half a breath, sweat tracking thick and hot down her spine as she realised she was completely at his mercy. One word from him, one knife thrust and her kingdom would die with her.

But she was not helpless, not powerless. A smile from her and she would have this man dancing on her fingertips, a frown from her and he would stab himself in the heart to appease her wishes. She would not die. Not here. Not now.

"They were offered to me so I could do what was needed," Cyrus blinked, surprised at his own tongue as she smiled secretively at him, "They are bound to my life."

He was already stumbling into her traps. Her voice was low and intimate, a tone that begged for the truth to be told, that promised no secrets would spill from her lips.

Cyrus was a fanatic, a lone believer in a world of naysayers. She could read him as easily as studying scripts in a book. That made him lonely. And although his dreams and his visions kept him sane, a part of him, almost unbeknownst to himself, longed for companions, for someone to understand and share. She would be that person, would work under his skin and bend his will to hers until they were one and the same.

"And what is it you need to do?" she asked, her voice trembling as though afraid of what earth-shattering truth he would tell her.

A long silence stretched and she fought the urge to fidget, to wonder if he had seen through her.

"I want to save this world."

She gasped, her eyes widening.

"That is what I want to Cyrus," her voice caressed his name and he stiffened, "I want to save my world as well."

He stared at her, their eyes connecting, their souls finding a kinship.  
"I'm sorry," he mumbled, "I'm sorry I took you…"

It was always shocking. The most ardent of fanatics, the most crazed of killers, ones who walked with death and sowed discord wherever they went, one would imagine they were soulless, their sins so great that surely their hearts were no more than withered meat in their chest. But break the carapace and beneath their blood were always warm, unbearably hot. They killed and they killed but give them one friend, one kin and all that crazed tangle of emotions swiftly turned to passion, obsession.

She would be his muse, his goddess and he would worship her.

"I forgive you."

She was his prisoner, he had nothing to fear from her and that is why she was winning.

"I cannot let you be harmed. If you die… I would lose the Saligia."

She fought the urge to laugh. Of course, if this body died then Cyrus would have won this tournament and the Saligia would be free. But if he needed them then he needed her alive for now.

Triumph poured through her veins, stealing her breath away but she kept her face pale, her lips trembling.

"They want to be free of you," she guessed, "They would kill me if given half the chance."

"I know."

She straightened in her chair, looked at him squarely and she could hear Lucy screaming at her, begging her not to do what she planned. Lucinda was silent because the High Inquisitor knew, she knew this was what had to be done.

"Bind me to you," she said it softly, firmly, ardently, "Bind my life to yours. If I perish you perish and this tournament will result in a loss for all. The Saligia would not dare to strike me down if it means they too will perish."

Cyrus stared at her, astonished, amazed and she smiled, pleading with her eyes, with her words.

"Please… I want to live."

She was appealing to his reason, not to his heart now. But if she allowed him to think too much, he would question, wonder why she had said the things she had said, did the thing she had done. Let him think she was a coward interested only in her own skin.

No. NO!

Lucy's was fighting her, trying to invade her mind, her soul but she was stronger, the girl's will like feather-blows against an iron shield.

Cyrus stared at her, eyes unreadable and she could do nothing but wait.

Suddenly he reached out with one hand, light burning from his fingers and Empress Lucille the Gentle knew she had won.

. . . . . . . .

"I pledge allegiance to the throne of Narnia!"

Susan started, looking around frantically. Around her was a place she had been in only once and never wished to return again. The Telmarine council chambers were like the mind of the rulers who had dwelt within – cold and harsh, devoid of warmth and light.

"What?" Susan looked at the square of bleak stones, at the cold basalt chairs that ringed its edges and felt the air rush from her lungs, "WHAT?!"

"I pledge allegiance to the throne of Narnia!"

The Telmarines were as they always were – proud, arrogant even in defeat. They were dressed in the dark leather and furs that seemed to be their mainstay, colour and softness alien to the men who had once ruled Narnia with iron fists.

She looked around frantically and saw Trumpkin and Glenstorm and Trufflehunter and all the other Narnians she had lived and fought with in the battle of the How and war of Narnia.  
She was home.

"What..."

Tears were spilling down her face as Susan looked around frantically for Luxuria, for the Saligia to land the killing blow. But none came and voices were speaking drawing her attention back to the impossible world around her.

"The throne of Narnia hears your pledge and we accept."

Susan's eyes widened as she saw who sat on the throne, dressed in the royal reds and golds that was the true colour of Alsan's Narnia. He was a proud and magnificent figure, heavy crown resting on a head that was held high, unbending to all that rested on him.

"Caspian..."

A part of her wanted to run to him, to smooth the fine lines of tension on his face. But the king that sat on the throne was not the king she loved. This king, this Caspian was a boy, his face unweathered, still innocent and guileless. Where was the roughness that spoke of battles waged? Where were the deep lines that spoke of laughter and sorrow and everything in between?

In Narnia Susan had thought Caspian a man already but now seeing him before her, Susan realised he was still a boy, still green and untried.

Had she looked so young back then? Had she looked that unburdened and unsure? Susan felt old but strangely content, knowing all that she had faced and sacrificed.

"What is this?" Susan snarled, looking around, "LUXURIA!"

Nobody seemed to notice her standing in the centre of the chamber, the queen all but the meanest of ghosts.

Susan growled under her breath and suddenly realising that the Hunt-Beast and the darkness in her head was silent, the Gentle Queen truly alone for the first time in a long while. And the silence, the quiet terrified her.

"Stop this!" Susan growled, purple light blazing from her left eye as she tried to break the illusion, tried to shear through delusion and dreams and back to reality.

She staggered back, a cry from her lips as pain knifed into her brain again and again, her vision blurring. Her knees buckled, her whole body threatening to give out as a dark voiceless roar shook the dream to its very core. Slowly the pressure and pain faded leaving the queen pale and gasping for breath.

"I pledge allegiance to the throne of Narnia!"

The kneeling lord was young and handsome, face hawkish and proud, eyes bright with intelligence and laughter.

"The throne of Narnia hears your pledge and we accept," Caspian said with stiff formality but a smile ghosted his lips.

The lord straightened and instantly both men smiled openly at each other, their affection clear to see as the Telmarine court watched with predatory eyes, a slight twitch of the lips or the tremble of a finger more telling than the openest of faces..

"Please join your peers Lord Ruy di Vivar," the new king of Narnia commanded, a lightness in his voice.

Beside him Trumpkin grunted, watching the Telmarines with a dark look on his face. It was clear the dwarf did not trust a single human in this room, Reepicheep openly sneering at the cowards before him. Flanked by Glenstorm and his son, both of whom had faces of utter stone, Caspian was an impressive figure, all at once possessing the proud bearing of a king, the calculating slyness of a Telmarine and the wild nobility of a Narnian.

Lord Ruy bowed deep and left, the ladies of the court following him with an admiring eye and simpering smiles. The next supplicant to the throne was one that made all the Narnians stiffen, dark hate storming across their faces.

"King Caspian..."

The man was a rat and a weasel, his movements twitching and frenetic, his eyes dark and beady, a small simpering smile pasted onto his cracked gnawed-at lips.

"May I present my daughter?" the lord said oily before Caspian could even open his mouth, "The Lady Shirona."

"Your majesty..."

Whispers rustled through the crowd like wind amongst trees as a small figure stepped hesitantly forwards, her flaming face staring resolutely at the ground. Susan stared at the Telmarine woman, stared at the hair that fell in a dark wave to slim hips, at the startlingly blue eyes that slowly looked up, the girl flushing deeply as she saw Caspian and instantly looked away.

"... I am delighted to meet you," her voice was a nervous whisper but it was louder in the silence than any cry or roar.  
And she bowed, her whole body shaking. Her father elbowed her hard and she flinched, straightening and looking at her new king. Caspian smiled encouragingly to her and the timid lady blushed all the more, her hands clenching convulsively.

Slowly a small smile curled her lips and beauty and sweetness shone from her face.

Caspian stared at her, jaws agape. Trumpkin kicked him and Caspian instantly sat up straighter, shoulders squaring, a slight smile on his lips.

"The pleasures all mine..."

The Telmarine court watched, eyes flashing as the weasel lord grinned triumphantly.

"Lady Shirona."

. . . . . . . .

"So this is her."

Caspian turned away from the wall, the pain and longing in his face melting into a welcoming smile. He stepped forwards, clapping the man on the shoulder, his eyes dancing.

"Ruy, it has been too long."

"Your uncle did not approve of me and my terrible influence," Lord Ruy di Vivar returned with a rakish smile, "And banished me to my home."

"And how many maidens did you snare with your terrible influence at home?" Caspian asked wryly.

"Only the willing ones," Ruy smirked, "So..."

He looked up at the wall, at the four portraits that hung there, the paint untouched by age, every stroke still as clear and crisp as the day they were lacquered onto the canvas.

"The four great kings and queens of Narnia. The rulers of the Golden Age," Ruy shook his head, "You were always taken with those stories but I never imagined..."

High King Peter the Magnificent stared down at them, stern and foreboding, a wild fire in those brilliant blue eyes but there was softness around his mouth, lines that only came from smiling and laughing. King Edmund the Just stood with a sword in one hand and a book in the other, caught as always between warrior and sage. Queen Lucy the Valiant was a picture of innocence, bright and vivid, a light that drew the eyes to her.

But the most exquisite painting all was of a woman, her hands clasped delicately before her, her hair falling in a cascade of black over one shoulder. Her eyes shone with a laughing light, her smile knowing and mysterious, it was clear to see the artist had spent hours on every stroke, every hue. Every line seemed to hold a thousand stories – tales of glorious battles won, of laughter and loving, of sorrow and loss. This was a woman who was a queen but also a warrior, a sister, a lover, a wife.

This was Queen Susan the Gentle... the beloved.

"This is her," Ruy's voice was hushed.

The look on Caspian's face as he looked up at the painting forbade any jokes or any ill-thought comment. It was the look of someone lost in a storm-churned sea and seeing land, it was the look of someone who had glimpsed a momentary brilliance, a flare of incandescent light that seemed to set the world in a beautiful blaze. But that light was gone and those who had glimpsed it was left to wander in the darkness for all his remaining years, taunted by the memory.

"The artist almost wept when he finished this," Caspian's lips were pulled into a humourless smile, "I had to get it right... I was afraid... so afraid I would forget what she looked like."

"Caspian..." Ruy didn't know what to say.

What could you say to someone who had lost so much? What could words could possibly make it better.

"But it's all done now... she'll be here. In some way she'll be with me," Caspian wrenched his eyes away from the painting, "Come. We have much to discuss."  
And he marched away leaving Ruy to stare at Caspian's painting. With a sigh the lord turned and left leaving behind a single soul to stare at her own image.

"Caspian," Susan felt the tears spill down her face, "Wha –"

But the castle walls bled into grey and she was pulled far, far away into another place.

. . . . . . . .

The Cursed screamed and ruach exploded out of them, white fire burning the air, the earth. Argent stood, tall and wild in the eye of the storm, bellowing his amusement as Jason and Flax ran for their lives. The tongues of flames twisted into spears, stabbing at them as the two Seekers dove, rolling behind a stone wall.

White washed over the flimsy shield, the stone shuddering in their mortar.

"Have you got a plan?" Jason looked at Flax.

The blademaster shrugged.

"Argent taught us everything we knew. He knows what we plan to do before even we do," the dreamy-eyed man pointed out.

Jason cursed as the wall behind them turned white hot pushed amongst to the point of breaking. Argent's voice soared above the roar of the flames, harsh and jeering like a crow's. The elder Seeker was bewitched but whatever spell the Saligia had laid on him did not blunt his mind, his bloodlust. He wanted to see his students burn, wanted to end their lives on his blades and he screamed it at them, daring them to come out and face their master.

"We need to kill those Cursed," Flax said simply.

Jason grunted as the wall behind them shuddered, dust raining down on them.

"Do what you have to," he said roughly.

"Of course," Flax smiled and Jason's skin crawled at the empty bleak look in his companion's eyes.

"COME OUT!" Argent screamed at them, "I DIDN'T TRAIN YOU TO BE COWARDS! COME OUT AND FACE ME!"

A jerk of the chains and the Cursed howled, pouring more of themselves into their attacks, a burst of white fire smashing through the wall at last. But Jason and Flax were already moving, charging across the blasted earth towards their enemies.

Argent howled with laughter, madness boiling in his voice as the Cursed threw bolt after bolt of power at them. Dirt flew at Jason's face, searing heat trying valiantly to strip the skin from his body as he charged through the barrage.

The ruach in him was raging, trying to break through the cracks in the wall between them. It was so easy to reach out, to grab it and turn it on his enemies. One thought and the Cursed would be burned from existence but he dare not, he couldn't trusted with such power, couldn't be certain he wouldn't hurt those he loved with it again.

"Please…"

The little girl's face flickered in his mind, staring up at him in terror, her words whispering in his mind.

"Please…"

White fire streaked past his head and Jason was rudely forced from his thoughts. He snarled at himself, furious that his idiocy had almost gotten himself killed.

Argent laughed, eyes gleaming.

"Why are you not using your powers?" his smile became a savage leer, "Afraid of them like you always were?"

Jason gritted his teeth, knowing better than to lose his temper. But still the words burrowed under his skin, his ire rising.

"You always were nothing but a scared little boy!" Argent howled with laughter, "Terrified of what could have made you great!"

The Cursed beat their fists bloody against the ground, screeching at him as power burst from their shrunken forms, each trying to blast him to ashes.

"You were the easiest to break!" his old teacher roared, "You were the – "

Jason threw himself forwards, white fire sweeping over his head and the Seeker saw his opening. His arm shot out, without thought, without hesitation and his dagger sang through the air.

Silver slammed into one of the Cursed, burying itself deep in his chest and the body fell backwards, ruach still streaming from his fingers. Argent was caught by the errant flare, the elder Seeker sent flying backwards.

The other Cursed shrieked, its chain lying free on the ground. Like a hound without its master, she hesitated not knowing what to do, not –

Flax slashed her throat into two and the Cursed fell back in a spray of red. The Seeker turned as Jason rose from the ground, his face unreadable.

"You've gotten faster," Flax noted approvingly.

Jason grunted, walking to the Cursed he had just killed. He stared down at the man's shrunken face and couldn't help but feel sick. He wrenched his dagger free from the Cursed's chest. This pitiful figure could have easily been him.

All who had the ruach in them in this world was hunted down like animals, shackled and broken until they were nothing but walking, breathing weapons. Nathaniel had been lucky to escape, lucky that the power in him was nothing but embers until that night his family was murdered. Jason had been lucky that Argent had found him before other Seekers had. It was his old teacher that had helped him hone his power, taught him control. Most Cursed, if left untrained, were doomed to burn their homes, their villages and families to cinders. The history of Lawless was rife with legends of unchained Cursed, the men and women who had unknowingly or willingly slaughtered everything in their path.

"I'm sorry," Jason said gruffly to the fallen Cursed, "But I had to."

What Flax felt about his apology was kept to himself. The blademaster turned, eyes scanning their surroundings. He frowned.

"Wait. Where's Arg – "

"TWHIP!"

A crossbow bolt slammed into his chest and he staggered back, blood bubbling from his lips. Jason froze, eyes wide as the man turned, ghost-white and staring at Jason.

"Run… ru – "

"Idiot."

Flax's face shattered, the Seeker dropping as Argent towered over him, bloodied crossbow in hand. Jason cursed, daggers raised as his old master wrenched Flax's sword from the man's still hands. He flicked the blood from the burnished blade, dark eyes studying his once pupil.

"Hello Jason. I thought you were dead," Argent's eyes danced as he casually kicked Flax's body aside.

Jason snarled watching Argent carefully.

"Now…"

Argent raised his sword.

"I think we ought to fight to the death!"

He charged, sword singing through the air as Jason rushed to meet him, the two Seekers clashing in a thunderous crash of blades and roars.

. . . . . . . .

The ground rose, a massive wave of dirt and rock tearing through the chamber as the little girl in the centre of the room screamed, her eyes blood red.

Peter punched the stone tiles before him and a sheer wall of green flames erupted into life. Barely thinking, acting on pure instinct and fuelled by his own rage the High King hurled the fire at the Saligia. The emerald blaze twisted itself into something like net and lace, swallowing the tsunami of earth and burning it to ashes before hurling itself at Ira.

The sin of rage screamed again and the little girl was changing, mutating into a beast of black scales and spines and the fire washed over her as harmlessly as water.

Lightning flew at Peter and Edmund, the High King deflecting the blow without a second glance.

"Go Ed!" he roared, eyes burning in his head.

Edmund gaped at his brother as Invidia and Ira readied their next attacks.

"What?! Peter it's two against one!"

"You think you can handle them?!" Peter roared at him.

He wasn't being proud, wasn't trying to prove he was better than anyone else. Edmund was a greater swordsman than he was, a better tactician but against twin figures that commanded the elements themselves to strike all of his brother's great skills were useless. What was the use of breathtaking swords play when one couldn't even get close enough to strike?

Edmund stared helplessly at Peter.

Once a upon time he would've accused his brother of being high-handed, arrogant but now he knew better. The swollen-headed bigot Peter had been prone to being was long gone, beaten out of him by all that he experienced in this never-ending war. And he was right.

Edmund cursed and looked to the lone door in the chamber knowing that Lucy was somewhere on the other side.

"GO!" Peter bellowed.

Ira screamed, the girl now a beast and the air in the room became a wild wind. Invidia pointed and a tongue of flames streaked from her hands. Storm and fire combined, exploding in Peter's face and the High King was staggering back, blinded and in searing agony.

He pushed through pain, through nausea, singing his eyes and skin back.

"GO ED! GO!" Peter thundered.

Lightning stabbed upwards, blasting the ceiling apart and rubble fell in a deafening avalanche burying the two Saligia. Edmund charged forwards without a thought, trusting Peter to keep the rubble off him as the Just King dove through the falling ruins.

Peter destroyed the door with a well-aimed blast of fire and breathed a sigh of relief as Edmund raced through the arch leaving him alone with the two buried beasts.

The High King was shaking with exhaustion, his mind battered and bruised but he forced his fatigue away, calling lightning and fire into his hands.

"For Lucy," he whispered, a vow and a promise all in two words.

The rubble exploded away, Ira and Invidia staring at him, the sin of rage screaming, the sin of envy silent as always.

"BRING IT ON!" Peter roared at them even as he swayed on his feet, "DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?!"

The rubble came to life, possessed by Ira's wrath and flew at him like bullets. Invidia called lightning down on his head and the High King fought back, viciously and ruthlessly blasting the two Saligia with every drip and dram of power he had.

. . . . . . . .

She was standing in a courtyard, the stone ground striped with sunlight and shadows. It was a place she had been before, in the darkness of the night, a nightmarish tableau of screams and fallen bodies and in the glorious sun, victorious, celebrating.

"Your majesty!"

Susan whirled around as Shirona rushed at her, a frightened look on her face. Susan flinched as the lady ran straight through her as though she was nothing but a mirage.

She tried to break this dream again, tried to free herself from Luxuria's spell but nausea and pain swept through her in an inexorable wave and she was on her knees, dry retching, trying to stop her skull from pounding itself apart.

"Damn it!"

Was she already dead? Had Luxuria already killed her whilst her mind was trapped in this place? Were the others alive? Was Lucy alive?

Susan closed her eyes and she viciously cursed her own weakness. The sound of voices finally made her look up and she found herself looking at the returning army, a weary Caspian at their head, a laughing Ruy by his side.

Caspian was still limping and from the smirk on Trumpkin's face, the dwarf was well aware of the fact.

"You're hurt!" Shirona gasped, rushing to the king's side.

Glenstorm's face darkened as Caspian flushed. Other ladies of the court appeared, servants behind them, all rushing to see their husbands and sons. The clacking of hoofs on stone announced the appearance of the centaurs and fauns, the other Narnians close behind them.

"My liege..."

Shirona touched Caspian's bandaged arm and the king grunted in pain.

"It's nothing," the king gritted out, "Just a scratch."  
"Just a scratch?!" Ruy laughed, "He near lost his life! That traitorous Cortez almost took his throat out!"

"RUY!" Caspian snapped as Shirona blanched.

Trumpkin was watching them with narrowed eyes, his face unreadable as Susan felt ice slither into her veins.

"The bandage is filthy," Shirona muttered, eyeing the dirt and blood streaked cloth.  
Before Caspian could stop her, the Telmarine lady had unbound the bandage, hissing at the raw wound underneath.

"I'm a trained healer," she said quietly.

She reached into her dress and pulled out a leather pouch. Deftly herbs were pulled from the tiny sack, laid across the wounded flesh and bound with a fresh bandage as Caspian watched her slender fingers work.

"Come," Shirona ordered in the firm voice of a healer, "You need to have this seen to."

"I'm fine!" Caspian protested, flushing under his tan, "My people need – "  
"Your people does not want a king with a rotting arm," Shirona said severely, "Come!"

Ruy chuckled as Caspian looked at him helplessly.

"Don't look at me," the Telmarine lord said off-handedly, "I know better than to displease a lady."

Shoulders slumping Caspian let himself be left off as Susan followed them, her movements clumsy.

"I'm glad you're back my liege," Shirona said quietly as they entered into the dimness of the hallway, "This castle seems empty without you."

She flushed, looking at her feet shyly as Caspian stared at her head, a small smile tickling his lips.

"I'm glad to be back also," he said earnestly.

The king swallowed, nervous as Shirona walked on in silence.

"There's a feast tonight... to celebrate the victory... would you..." Caspian coughed nervously, sweat rolling down his face," Would you accompany me?"

And Susan stumbled, staring after the king and the lady. Shirona looked at him blushing and stammering just as badly as her king.

"Y... ye... of course," she whispered as joy suffused Caspian's face.

"Shirona..." Susan tasted the name, tears blinding her eyes, "Shirona..."

Had she been so easily forgotten? Whilst she had suffered and languished had Caspian managed to move on so easily? All of the suffering he had told her about, all of the pain... was it just a lie?

"Shirona..." she tasted the name.

It was the name of the Telmarine lady. The name of Caspian's love.

And Susan screamed.

. . . . . . . .

"I have been waiting for you."

Edmund said nothing, closing the space between them.

"Do you know who I am?"

"Of course I do," the Just King said flatly.

"Good."

The Saligia turned and in his hands he held a sword, a magnificent blade that was as much art as weapon. He twirled it, once, twice then in a complex golden dance, his movements fluid and strong, his eyes unwavering on his opponent.

Edmund felt the breath flee from his lungs.

He could tell, could read from the man's stance, the move of his hands that this was a swordsman with no rival. Faster, stronger and more lethal than Avaritia, greater than any mortal could ever imagine being.

Superbia smiled, eyes burning.

"Behind me stands the room where your sister is," the sin of pride told him, "Fight me if you wish to save her."

Edmund froze. To charge was to throw himself into a suicide fight. But to run away meant leaving his sister in the hands of these monsters.

Superbia read it all on his face and his smile widened, becoming a leer, daring him to change, to throw his dice into the bloody fight and let it fall as it willed. The Just King closed his eyes and raised his sword.

"Yes," Superbia did not move, "Come at me."

Edmund charged, feinting but the Saligia read his move, blocking his real slash and driving him back with a flurry of cuts and jabs. The Just King furiously defended himself, death coming at him in razor gleams, his foot dancing wildly as he tried to manoeuvre himself into a better position.

Superbia howled with laughter, his gleaming eyes everywhere, his sword seemingly in a million places at once as Edmund realised he was being toyed with.

With a growl he surged forwards, smacking the Saligia's sword aside, lunging forwards to land the killing blow. Any other opponent would have fallen, any other monster would have been gaping at the blade in their chest but Superbia caught his sword with his bare hand, howling with laughter as Edmund froze.

"No!" he gasped.

Searing pain rocked his word as Edmund reeled, his chest cut deep.

"Fool!"

A foot slammed into his gut, Edmund doing all he can not to collapse in a heap.

"Worm!"

A cold hand closed around his throat and the Just King was thrashing in Superbia's grip. Edmund only had enough time to register a smirk before he was hurled back, slamming into the far wall, his head cracking off the stone. He slid into a boneless head, blinded by pain, by light stabbing into his head.

"Pathetic."

Edmund vomited, bile and blood pushing itself out of his body.

Superbia laughed, walking with measured paces towards him as Edmund tried to remember how to breathe.

"You are their best swordsman are you not?" Superbia mocked as he raised his sword above his head, gleaming point aiming straight at Edmund.

The Just King could only look at him blearily.

"Do not feel bad," the sin told him smugly, "I AM THE BEST!"

He stabbed down, Edmund screaming as the sin's blade cleaved his side open.

. . . . . . . .

Argent smiled, pure pleasure in his eyes as he lashed out. Jason fell, his leg giving way as the sword cut his thigh open. The Seeker ground his teeth together, refusing to cry out, refusing to give the bastard satisfaction.

"That was laughably easy," Argent taunted.

Jason's daggers laid in the dirt metres from them, the elder Seeker easily disarming his pupil in the first few moments of the fight. Argent stabbed forwards, Jason writhing with gritted teeth as blood spurted from the cut in his belly.

"Come on! Stand up!"

Again and again he cut Jason, shallow, dragging cuts designed to bleed, to cause pain without death. Blood pooled on the sand as Jason thrashed, churning the grit to red mud.

"COME ON!" Argent roared, his face completely deranged, "I taught you better than this! STAND!"

He stabbed Jason's in the gut, burying the tip of his blade into his flesh and twisted, the younger Seeker bucking, kicking out as agony made him blind and dumb.

"USELESS!"

Argent stomped on Jason's hand, grinding it into the sand.

"I thought you would be the one…"

Jason's head was wrenched back, Argent pulling him up in the hair. Barely clinging onto consciousness Jason desperately reached for the ruach but he hit the wall between them, the fire just hovering out of his reach. He clawed at it, trying to summon embers, anything that would save him.

"Pathetic."

Argent slammed Jason's face into the ground, shattering his nose. The Seeker choked on blood and sand as Argent wrenched him back up.

"Just like when I first found you. Unable to use that power inside of you."

Through his pain Jason wondered how Argent knew, how his old teacher had known he was still struggling for the ruach. He bucked, trying to throw Argent off but the silver-haired man easily held him, laughing at his pitiful attempt.

Jason had faced witches, monsters that towered miles over his head but none of them, not crazed gods, not stampeding armies, had terrified him as much as the single man that held his life now. This was a man who hard torn his soul apart, had peaked at every flaw and weakness in him and taught him had to beat them all. Everything Jason had learnt about fighting and death had sprung from this man's lips and hands.

How could he fight against someone who knew so much about him? How could he defeat someone whose skill he had copied and learnt from?

"You were such a weakling then," Argent sneered right into Jason's ears, "I mean you even let a coward like Whittaker walk all over you."

Whittaker.

Jason bared his teeth as he always did at the memory of the man who had stolen his family from him. Behind its wall the ruach flared but still he could not reach it, could use it to –

The Seeker froze.

"No…"

The word rose from his throat, a cry from his very soul.

"Yes," Argent was laughing, knowing what Jason was realising, "YES!"

When Argent had met Jason, he had no memory of his life as Nathaniel, no memory of that dark knight when he would returned him to find his daughter dead. Jason had never known Whittaker, had not remembered until his torture at the hands of Marcos and Malik Industries.

How could Argent have known about Whittaker? How did man know that Nathaniel had once been felled by a second blow from Whittaker?

"How?"

But Jason knew the answer.

"I found you Nathaniel," Argent spat, "I have been searching for someone like you for a long, long time. A Cursed who was not Cursed, someone with a spark I could craft into the perfect weapon. But you were weak. A mere child clinging to his family. You would never be the killer I'd imagine… not if they lived."

"You… you…"  
Jason was weeping, memories tearing through his head, anguish welling from scars that had not quite finished healing.

"Yes!" Argent cackled, his eyes like coals as he slammed Jason into the dirt again.

"You set Whittaker on them!" Jason screamed at him.

"No…"  
Argent leaned in, his breath blasting Jason's face.

"I helped him murder your family."

"YOU BASTARD!"

Jason rammed his head into Argent's, uncaring of the agony that shot through him. Argent staggered back, howling with laughter as his student rose to his feet.

"YES!" Argent roared, "That's more like it! KILL ME JASON! KILL ME!"

"YOU BASTARD!"

Jason charged, every cut, every injury forgotten as rage boiled in him. He slammed into Argent, knocking the man down, his sword flying from the air.

"YOU BASTARD! YOU BASTARD!"

His fists rained down, blow after bloody blow, Yolanda and Delilah's faces flashing in his mind. He remembered that night, remembered cradling their cold still forms, remembered that match into the desert, remembered butchering Whittaker and his men. Those memories flickered, bleeding into his memory of Argent, his time training under him. All part of this madman's plan, all part of the Great Darkness's schemes.

His life was a lie! Someone else's games! Someone else's plans!

"YOU BASTARD!"

Argent was still cackling, still laughing even as Jason broken his bones, battered his flesh.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" the words flew from his mouth, barely understandable, "I'LL KILL YOU!"

"NOT TODAY!"

Silver flashed and Jason roared, reeling back, a knife sticking out from his ribs. Argent exploded forwards, ramming the blade in deeper, twisting and yanking it out.

"NOT TODAY!"

He slashed Jason across the face and went for his throat and the Seeker grabbed his hand, grabbed the knife, ignoring the bite of steel into his flesh. Blinded, bleeding, dying Jason wrenched the knife free and lashed out wildly.

He felt blood hit his face, heard Argent's choked cry even as he fell.

Argent had to die. Argent had to die. Argent had to –

Darkness swamped him, Jason fighting it every step of the way. He hit the ground but yet still he tried to rise, tried to…

His eyes fluttered open.

"Argent…"

How long had he been out? Moments? Days? An eternity?

He pulled himself up, his lifeblood spilling out of him from a dozen cuts. But one look was enough to tell him what he needed.

Argent was nowhere to be seen.

"You bastard…" Jason tried to rise, "You – "

He fell, Yolanda and Delilah's faces greeting him in the black tide that swept him away.

. . . . . . . .

Susan watched them dance and laugh after starlight and moonlight, Shirona's face open and marvelling, Caspian's captivated and adoring. The queen sat by herself in one corner of the ballroom, legs hugged to her chest as she watched the story unfold before her, her mind reeling.

The Telmarine court hovered on the edges of the dance floor like vultures, waiting, dissecting everything with their eyes as the Narnias laughed and danced, buoyed by their kings obvious joy.

Caspian twirled Shirona around once more, laughing at her obvious delight before stepping away from her. The court watched as he gallantly kissed her hand before leading her off the dance floor. Tenderly he pushed the hair away from her face before whispering softly into her ear.

Shirona flushed and her laughter soared above the music, filling the hall.

"Your majesty!"

Caspian turned and frowned as a Telmarine, pompous and festooned with frill and laced marched towards him, a thunderous look on his pudgy face.

"Your majesty I must press my case about the dwarves on my land!" the portly man snarled.

The red and black dwarves in the ballroom stiffened, one black dwarf instantly crossing the floor to his king as Caspian sighed.

"Can this not wait for tomorrow?" Susan could hear the strain in Caspian's voice as he tried to keep a civil tongue but she could read his anger, read it from the colour of his skin, the darkening of his eyes, "Tonight is a night for celebrating not for – "

The lord flushed crimson.

"No this cannot wait! Those blasted dwarves are bleeding me dry!"

The music cut off with a screech as all eyes turned onto the fight. The Narnians watched, wary as the black dwarf had who approached the lord and the king bared his teeth, his hand going to his sword.

"Hold Narag," Caspian said calmly.

He eyed the lord with extreme displeasure, cool and collected before his people.

"If you think it cannot wait then by all means I will grant you your audience."

The lord's eyes blazed triumph.

"But if you think you can pull this stunt twice I will have you thrown in the stocks lord or not," Caspian snarled, "Now – "

The lord paled at the flat dangerous look his king sent him.

"Shall we?"

And Caspian swept out of the ballroom, the lord trailing nervously behind him, aware of all the hostile eyes burning into his back. Shirona watched them go, biting her lip, shying from the calculating looks that Telmarine court shot her. She looked lost, slowly edging to the walls, trying to press herself against the tapestry and stone but like it or not she was the centre of the whole ballroom's attention.

"Steady."

Shirona jumped as Trumpkin held up a goblet of wine.

"Wine?" the red dwarf asked gruffly.

Shirona stared down at him. Trumpkin jabbed the goblet at her impatiently and she took it, still surprised.

"Trumpkin," she managed a quick curtsey.

"Do you know what they say about you?" the dwarf said roughly but not unkindly.

The colour drained from Shirona's face.

"No," the Telmarine took a deep breath and seemed to steel herself, "What do they say my lord?"

"They say Caspian does not love you but a ghost."

"What ghost?"

But Susan could knew Shirona already, had always known what the dwarf was talking about.

"Queen Susan. Our king truly loved her in the short time they had," Trumpkin looked out at the dance floor as the musicians struck up a song once more, enticing the dignitaries of Narnia to dance.

Shirona held her tongue, a marble mask falling over her features.

"But she's gone now and never coming back."

"Are you saying our king does not care for me?" Shirona whispered.

"Oh I'm not saying he doesn't. But you know your father brought you to this court precisely because you look like our lost queen."

Shirona's shoulders fell.

"I know," she whispered.

Trumpkin peered up at her, pity in his eyes.

"I'm just warning you girlie," he said roughly, "Caspian might truly love you. But it is just as likely he's chasing a dream."

Shirona flinched, her breath coming out in short sharp gasps as colour crept up her neck. Her fists convulsed as she fought to steady herself, to not lose control.

"Why are you telling me this?" Shiorna demanded.

'Because you're just a young girl and nobody deserves to be used in love," Trumpkin said simply.

Shirona stared at him, surprised that such a wild beast as all Narnians were supposed to be was capable of such kindness, such compassion. She swallowed.

"He loves me," she whispered, "I can tell."

"Perhaps but I think he loves Susan more."

And before Susan could even react to that statement the grand ballroom dissolved into smoke and mist.

. . . . . . . .

"Do you love me?"

Caspian turned to her, stunned.

"What?" his voice came out as a whisper.

"Do you love me?"

"Do you really need to ask?"

Shirona managed a tiny watery smile.

"Do you love her more?"

And Caspian froze as Shirona stared at him, pale.

"Who?" his voice was a dry croak.

She smiled bitterly.

"You know who."

Susan watched the tableau, a mere ghost in the past. But she willed Caspian to speak the words that will save her heart from being broken, that will –

"I love you."

And her heart died in her chest.

Shirona stared up at her king, her lover.

"Prove it."

Caspian stared at her for a the longest time before he whirled on the balls of his feet, marching out of the chamber as Shirona stared after him, half-exhilarated, half frightened out of her mind by the dark dangerous look in his eyes.

She ran after him, slippered feet slapping against the stone as her dress flapped at her ankles. The king took the stairs in quick broad strides and instantly stepped into a marbled room.

It was a shrine, an altar to four paintings on the four walls. Susan stared at her own painted face and saw once more the dedication and time that had gone into each stroke. Everything about the portrait, every line, every hue was an ode to the dedication and passion that suffused the drawing.

Caspian stared at the four old kings and queens of the golden age. Rhindon was in the chamber, sheathed and perched on a pedestal of stone. Before Lucy's painting were her dagger and the diamond vial that had saved so many lives, both displayed on an exquisitely carved block of marble and quartz. Edmund's dais was piled high with precious books and guarded by two crossed blades.

But all three paled in comparison to Susan's dais. Flowers blossomed, trailing down the marble plinth, moonlight blue petals glowing with its own strange soft light set amidst the flickering candle flames. Her bow and arrows were there, nestled amongst the blooms and her horn was housed in its own case of crystal glass, the instrument that had started the Narnian revolution.

Almost out of reflex Caspian reached out and plucked a few flowers away, revealing the horn more clearly. He looked up at Susan's smiling mysterious eyes and the blood drained from his face.

"You do love her."

Shirona was at the door but the lady did not enter, did not want to disturb her lord's sanctuary. There was something in the air that forbade her presence, something intimate and tender.

"I don't," Caspian said hollowly.

Susan watched them, unable to speak, her breaking heart in her throat.

"You do," Shirona said softly, sadly.

Caspian's face contorted into an angry, hateful mask and he roared, whirling, his cry thunderous in the tiny chamber.

"NO!" he reached out and snatched a candle from its holder, "I DON'T!"  
And with a quick furious movement he hurled the flame straight at Susan's portrait.

"NOO!"

Susan didn't know where the cry came from, from her or Shirona or Caspian but the scream echoed in her ears thunderously loud as flame touched canvas.

Caspian stood, paralysed, the flames reflected in his dark eyes as Susan's face ignited, flames early devouring the oil-paint. Shirona hand one hand pressed against her mouth, staring at the painting in disbelief as it burned.

The canvas curled, falling apart to cinders as Caspian stared and stared, fire devouring the lovely painting, eating all the hours that had gone into it, destroying it until they were nothing left but ashes.

Susan stared at Caspian, at this savage with dark angry eyes and felt she was looking at a stranger. Did he love her? Did he truly love her? Despair and doubt filled her and she hated herself for her weakness.

"How could you..." Susan was shaking but from anger or sorrow she didn't know, "Caspian..."

But the horrible tableau played on ruthlessly, uncaring of her suffering.

"I. Love. You," Caspian said powerfully and he turned.

Susan watched, sick to her stomach as he swept Shirona's body into his arms and crushed her against her chest.

"I love you too," Shirona wept before their lips met in a tender kiss.

Susan instantly swept away from the little shrine and she saw laughter and peace and love as images flickered and flashed before her and through her.

She saw walks through gardens and orchards, Caspian and Shirona wandering through winding lanes and vales, lost in their own world as they conversed and laughed, their faces and hearts open and free.

She was witness to grand balls where Caspian and Shirona danced before their people, their laughter soaring above the strains of music and conversation and touching the high-vaulted ceilings of Cair Paravel.

She was there as Shirona waited anxiously at the gates for Caspian's return, her eyes lightning up as she saw her king and lover return to her weary and battered but alive.

She stood and watched as Caspian clung to her for strength in the dark nights when nightmares bled into his sleep and the faces of those he had failed haunted him.

She was mesmerised by the tender hands that bathed Caspian's wounds, hands that pushed sweat-soaked hair away from his face, hands that was clasped in his and clung to his arm.

She saw love, pure and undiluted and she wept for herself, for Caspian, for Shirona... she just wept. She was fractured, pulled apart in too many directions to know what to do, what to feel. She felt betrayed, she felt furious, she felt anguished, she felt unwanted. But one question burned in her head.

What happened?

Susan did not delude herself. If Shirona had been waiting for Caspian in Narnia, the king would've been faithful, would've refused to court her. So what had happened?

The smoke around her settled and solidified as Susan looked around, confused, bracing herself for whatever nightmare was to come next. But all she saw was darkness.

"We shouldn't be doing this."

"And you shouldn't let him treat you the way he does," a gentle voice replied.

There was a whisper of cloth and a surprised gasp that was swiftly cut off.

"No..."

But the voice sounded weak, wavering.

"Please... you deserve better."

The world around her resolved and Susan gaped at the scene before her.

"NO!"

She whirled and Caspian was there, pale and weak, his eyes and face feverish.

"NO!"

Shirona gasped and tore herself out of Ruy's embrace but it was too late, her swollen lips and mussed hair condemning her.

"Caspian," she recoiled from the naked hate in Caspian's face, "Please..."  
"HOW COULD YOU?!" Caspian roared, glaring at both of them, his whole body shaking, "I trusted you!"

"You don't deserve her," Ruy spat back, dark eyes flashing, "You don't – "

"NO!" Shirona screamed.

Susan reeled back as Caspian charged straight through her ghostly form. She whipped around, screaming his name as there was a flash of steel and Ruy fell, grabbing at his chest.

"RUY! NO!" Shirona screamed.

"CASPIAN!" Susan yelled as the king rose and with a roar charged straight at Shirona as she let out a high-pitched cry of utter terror.

. . . . . . . .

Talons raked across his arm, pain tearing through him and it took everything he had not to faint there and then. He blinded Ira with fire, blasted her back with lightning and barely had time to turn and counter Invidia's attack with one of his own.

The two Saligia were driving him back, overwhelming him and Peter knew this was not fight he had a hope of winning. But was he going to give up?

"FOR NARNIA!"

Lightning exploded out of him, stabbing Invidia straight through the chest but even as her smoking form fell he knew better than to think that the sin of envy was finished.

"DIE!"

Peter whirled just in time for a spear of earth and wind to ram into his chest, knocking him off his feet and propelling him through the air. His ribs screamed in agony, his lungs flailing for air as he was slammed into the wall.

Ira howled, the little girl now nothing more than a cackling hyena of scales and spines. She stabbed her own claws into her arm, bellowing in rage and the stone behind Peter seemed to turn to mud. Ribbons of liquid stone rose, shackling Peter to the wall before solidifying once more.

The High King was bound, too winded to fight, too exhausted to even raise his head.

"I envy you," Invidia was rising, humming under her breath as her wounds knitted back together, "I envy your pain."

Her finger stabbed out and Peter screamed. Invisible whips flailed at him, ghostly barb wire bit into his limbs, burning needles stabbing itself into his eyes. Invidia had copied his Gifts, was now turning the powers he had gained from the crones of Charn on him. She struck him with curse after curse, dark spells designed to create the most terrible pain imaginable. Peter vomited, he wept as it seemed his whole body was crushed then remade then crushed again, everything turned inside out and burned with acid.

Invidia turned her power onto her own sister and Ira howled, red eyes bulging from her head. The little girl turned monster turned her fury, her hate on Peter and the High King screamed, his torture magnifying, becoming tenfold.

"I envy your tears," Invidia whispered stepping closer to him, hitting him against with another curse that sent blood flying from his lips.

Peter tried to summon his Gifts, tried to fight back but pain sent his mind reeling, everything an insane black storm of agony.

The last time…

"ARGHHH!"

Another curse bit into his gut, his whole body twisting and spasming, muscle and bone screaming.

The last time he had been so helpless it had been in Charn. He had been caught in Aita's spell, frozen in her enchantment as she had reached into him and turned his Gift into a curse. He had stood there in the middle of a battlefield screaming as his talent reached out, snatching every hint of magic and power around him, pulling it all into his fragile body until it had threatened to burn to cinders.

Peter screamed again as Ira and Invidia struck, unseen knives slicing his chest, bludgeons cracking his ribs.

It came to him then in a dizzying rush, all the magic he had gained in that moment.

Jadis's dominion over ice and snow.

The crones' curses and dark arts.

The King Phoenix's fire.

Peter's eyes fluttered open.

"Wha – "

He felt it, felt it rise, unfurl in his chest, a great golden fire so great, so all consuming that he felt smoke and steam rise from his skin, felt molten heat spill through his veins.

The King Phoenix had been dying, impaled on ice and as Aita had struck, his Gift, the vampiric talent to leech power from others, had drawn the great bird's power into him. He saw it now, saw it oh so clearly.

Peter's lip rose in a bitter smile.

How could it help him now?

His mind was sinking, his life slipping into black.

He was tired… so…

A barrage of stone pummelled him but Peter was too numb to feel anything. He felt the great golden fire inside of him fall away, felt everything fall away.

He was dying.

"Lucy…"

Invidia struck again, Peter's back arching from the wall as his nerves shrieked.

"I'm sorry…"

The High King of Narnia slumped, falling against his bonds, eyes closed as Ira roared, furious that she had been deprived of her toy.

"NO!" she bellowed, stomping the ground, raking the walls with her talons, "NO! I DID NOT GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO DIE! NOOO!"

The ground rose around her, heaving and bucking, turning white hot as Ira screeched her fury to the world.

"I envy you," Invidia told Peter's prone form, "I envy your peace."

The emerald-haired sin turned, began to walk away from her fallen foe.

Gold light pulsed through the air.

Ira looked up, eyes wide.

Invidia turned.

Peter looked at them, his eyes completely gold.

"Die."

The King Phoenix's power roared out of him in a lance of pure gold. The sin of envy had no time to scream, no time to do anything but stand, rooted to the ground as pure fire tore through her.

"INVIDIA!" Ira bellowed.

Her sister was incinerated, burnt to ashes and the ashes burnt to nothing. Ira howled leaping forwards as the gold light turned on her. The sin of rage screamed and earth rose around her in a shield, a bower. The phoenix's fire blasted the barrier apart, flinging the sin against the far wall.

Ira fell, her monstrous form melting away until it was a tiny little girl that laid slumped amongst the wreckage, smoke rising from her skin.

The phoenix fire was dying, flickering in and out like a guttering candle as Peter managed a smile.

A starburst of soot on the ground was all that remained of Invidia.

"Thank you…"

He felt the King Phoenix's power fade away, fleeing from his body as darkness swam before him.

"Thank you."

High King Peter the Magnificent closed his eyes and knew no more.

. . . . . . . .

A smile curled Ruy's cracked and bleeding lips.

"Finally come to finish me off?" he rasped.

They had only given enough food for him to live, enough water to just cling onto life but aside from that they had ignored him, condemned to live with rats and regrets. The once-proud lord lay slumped in a corner of his cell, all strength and hope leeched by the darkness and dampness and long crushed.

"Make it quick," Ruy said sardonically.

Torch-fire flickered, Ruy's eyes watering even at that meagre light. He looked up, his cheeks hollows of shadows that showed just how thin he had become.

"You look terrible," Trumpkin observed.

Behind him Trufflehunter snuffed the air and gagged at the sour scent of unwashed skin and cloth.

"Well, have you seen my humble abode?" Ruy asked with a bitter smile, waving one hand across his tiny cell.

Trumpkin said nothing, the dwarf standing there with a carefully bland look on his face as Trufflehunter slid forwards, something small and glittering in his paws. Ruy blinked in surprise as the door to his cell suddenly swung open..

"What –"

"Shirona is waiting for you at the lesser gates," Trumpkin said shortly.

He shuddered as uneasy in the Telmarine castle dungeons as ever. Even though he was a dwarf well used to the underground, this place was nothing like the tunnels he had lived and grown up in. Trapped in this labyrinth of paved stone he longed by smell of loamy earth and the sense of life that all soil seemed to hold. This place was a cold impersonal hell.

"We have men ready to take you to Narnia's borders," Trufflehunter said swiftly, "You must go now."

"What? Why?" Ruy demanded.

He was a Telmarine, well used to a Telmar's brand of justice – bloody and cold. Being locked up, being starved Ruy had not expected any less but this... this was alien to him.

"Why? He is your king..."

"We made Caspian king because we believed he would be a good one," Trufflehunter said flatly, "We did not make him king so he would lash out in jealousy like a child."

"Well Trufflehunter is trying to say is... so what?" Trumpkin muttered dragging the boy up.

Susan watched them, followed them as the two Narnians helped the Telmarine lord up the stairs of the dungeon, up to the starlight where Ruy wept, seeing the sky for the first time in weeks.

"Thank you," he whispered as they neared the lesser gates of the castle, "Thank you."

Ruy looked back at what was once his home and regret stabbed him. But as the lesser gates opened and they slipped out of the castle, he saw Shirona and all of that vanished.

He would never regret her. Never.

"Don't you care I betrayed your king?" Ruy asked, still disbelieving.

Shirona rushed towards them, weeping. She had not gone unpunished, the lords and ladies of the now vanished Telmar had tried to curry favour with their new king. First had come the mocking whispers, the gleeful looks and razors words. But when that had not been enough to drive Shirona to her death, coin had been paid, ruffians and assassins trying their luck to bring down the woman their king hated.

The castle had shaken to its foundations when Caspian had found out. The same lords and ladies had been put into stocks, their paid killers found and whipped. The decree had gone out, none was to touch Shirona but none was to talk to her, to even acknowledge she existed. Shiroan had gone from the most talked about, the most gossiped and sneered woman to a mere ghost, a shade that all pretended not to see, not to hear. It was merciful compared to a swift death but crueller still for this was a slow lingering demise, a steady push to the edge of sanity.

"No," Trumpkin said strongly, "Not if he is wrong."

"Ruy..."

Ruy held his arms open and Shirona threw herself into them, raining kisses on the filthy, face, weeping. And as broken and in as much pain as he was, Ruy felt strong.

"Go..."

Horses appeared from the darkness, their eyes glowing with intelligence.

"Hurry!" Trumpkin snapped bodily pulling the two lovers apart.

The Narnian horses bore their passengers with dignified silence, Shirona and Ruy looking back at Caspian's subjects, torn.

"Thank you," Shirona wept, "Thank you."

Trumpkin grunted as Trufflehunter nodded gravely. The horses wheeled around, manes flying and they were off, hoofs clacking off hard stone, their dark forms swiftly swallowed up by the night.

"Did we do the right thing?" Trufflehunter asked.

Trumpkin shrugged.

"Were you willing to let that boy die?" he shot back.

The two Narnians turned, their shoulders slumped, their burdens heavy.

"We betrayed our king," Trufflehunter clacked his teeth nervously, "We..."

"Yes you did."

Even Trumpkin flinched as Caspian stepped out from around the corner, his face thunderous. Telmarine guards instantly streamed out from behind him, circling the two. Trufflehunter let out a squeak of surprise and fear, pressing up next to Trumpkin.

"Clap them in irons," Caspian spat, his face white with anger, "NOW!"

The Telmarines rushed forwards as Trumpkin swore, unsheathing his sword but he held it useless in his hands, not willing to fight against the man he had helped to the throne.

"DAMN YOU CASPIAN!" the dwarf roared, "LET THEM GO!"  
"THEY BETRAYED ME!" Caspian screamed at him, "AND NOW YOU!"

Trufflehunter screeched as the guards grabbed him, dragging him up by the scruff of his neck.

"Tell me Trumpkin," Caspian spat, "How can I trust any of you? I trusted Ruy and he betrayed me. I trusted you and Trufflehunter and you betrayed me. Telmarines... Narnians... you're all the same..."  
He gestured and Trumpkin was caught.

"You're all vermin," poison and ice tainted Caspian's voice.

And he whirled, cloak flying behind him as Trumpkin screamed his name again and again, raging.

"You were meant to show us the way forward!" Trumpkin roared, kicking at his captors, "You were meant to be a good king!"

Caspian froze for the slightest pause but walked on, leaving without a single look at his loyal subjects.

"And this is the man you love?"

Susan whirled and Luxuria was there, smiling at her, the world all around them utterly static.

"Why are you showing me all this?" Susan growled.

"Because you need to see the truth Susan," Luxuria's voice caressed her name, said it in a lover's whisper, "You think he loves you? You think he cares for you?"

Susan stood frozen as Luxuria stalked towards her, the frozen tableau all around fading to black.

"You're nothing but a replacement. Nothing but second best. He doesn't love you. Not like he loves her!"

Susan recoiled as he screamed in her face. She struggled to come back with a retort to fight back but her mind was reeling, dazed from all she had seen.

"You want to see how much he missed you?! How much he wanted you?!"

Luxuria grabbed her face between burning fingers and Susan screamed as images punched themselves into her head.

She saw silk and satin and sin, Caspian on a bed naked as women laughed, draping themselves on top of their king.

She saw hungry kisses and painful hands, she saw flesh on flesh, screams into the night and through it all Caspian's face – ravenous, laughing, ravaging woman after woman without a care.

"No."

"He doesn't love you! You think he suffered from your loss like you did? You pined for him, you spent nights awake because of him and all that time he found himself another woman!" Luxuria bellowed, "He found his true love!"

Again and again the same scene came, bed sheets tangled around bare legs, shadows pressing against shadows in the dim, filthy kisses and touches and looks. Ladies welcoming him with opened legs, their arms held out as clothes slid from their body.

She heard Caspian's voice cry out in pleasure and she screamed.

"Even when he lost his kingdom, he still couldn't help himself," Luxuria chortled, "He wants nothing of you but your flesh, to have you in his bed! He's only with you because he can't have Shirona! Because the others forced him to be with you!"

Was it true? Was he with her because of duty? Because of fear?

"No..."

"He ravaged half his court. He bedded all the young pretty ladies!" Luxuria shrieked, her eyes bulging from her head as her nails dug into Susan's flesh, "You're just one in a long, long queue my dear! A notch on his bedpost! You think you're special?!"

Susan screamed as all of Luxuria's tattoos burst into life, rising from her skin as screaming, howling beasts.

"You are nothing to him! Just another one of his conquests! Just another pretty face for his lust to feed on!"

Susan was weeping as everything she had known and believed about Caspian crumbled to dust. He was not a good king, not a good man, not someone she could possibly love.

He was vile. Treacherous, weak... pathetic.

She hated him. In that moment she wanted to tear his eyes out, ripping his throat out for lying to her, for pretending to be good and great when he was nothing of the sort.

Luxuria laughed as she saw the hate spasm across her face.

"See? He deserves to be pay! Deserves to be punished for feeding you to his lust!"

Susan looked at Luxuria, the sin grinning back at her. The Gentle Queen cocked her head to the side.

"Luxuria?"

The sin of lust froze at the hard note in Susan's voice.

"How stupid do you think I am?"

She punched the Saligia straight in the face, the woman falling back as Susan's eyes turned blood red.

The darkness in her howled with laughter, the Hunt-Beast roaring its rage, furious that this demon had tried to turn her against her mate.

"Do you honestly think that your little memory trick would work? That you could turn me against Caspian?"

Caspian loved her.

She knew it, felt it in every fibre of her being, felt it when he looked at her, smiled at her, when he held her in his arms.

They had been through hell and back and to hell again. They had suffered through so much just to be back together again and nobody in this world or any other world could ever convince her that Caspian, king of Narnia, did not love her!

Shirona's face flashed in her mind but Susan shoved it away. Whatever that story was she would hear it from Caspian himself, not from Luxuria, not from this witch!

Luxuria screamed as Susan punched her in the throat, the sin of lust staggering back.

"You picked the wrong person to try your tricks on," Susan spat.

Her left eye grew hot, purple roiling in those blue depths. Nausea and pain hit her but Susan stood strong, rode through like a ship through a storm.

"This ends…"

Light poured from her eyes, washing over Luxuria and she screamed as though it burned.

"NOW!"

There was a sound like something breaking, something tearing and Susan was back in the chamber in Cienaga. The tattoos on the wall were melting away, sinking into the stone as Luxuria stared at her, horrified.

"BE GONE!"

Purple light blazed and the sin shrieked, her image vanishing like mist burning away in the sun.

Susan was left to stand alone, looking around at the blank stone walls all around her. Without a sound she picked up her fallen sceptre and marched out of the room, Caspian's memories tumbling through her head.

. . . . . . . .

"STOP!"  
Superbia froze, his sword just inches from Edmund's body. The Just King blinked, trying to shake the confusion from his head as the sin of pride turned.

"Who the hell are you?!" the Saligia thundered.

"I am Empress Lucille the Gentle, ruler of the Pearl."

"No…"

Edmund tried to pull himself up, blood pouring from the wound in his side as Lucille swept forwards. Superbia snarled, moving to grab her but a command from Cyrus stopped him in his tracks.

"You are Edmund," Lucille said flatly, looking down at him.

The cold clinical look that the Empress possessed was so alien on Lucy's freckled face. Never had he seen his sister's eyes look so soulless, so calculating.

"I may have need of you and your allies soon."

She dismissed him then, banished him from her mind as effectively as rubbing chalk from a blackboard. She turned and surveyed Superbia, drew herself up until impossibly the sin of pride seemed small compared to her.

"We are leaving. Cyrus has told me there is much to be done."

Her words were commands from the god's themselves, she didn't expect them to be commanded, she knew they would be commanded.

"Who the hell are you?!"

"Lu – "

Edmund choked on his own blood as pain ripped through him, bringing sweet blissful numbness and he knew he was bleeding out. But still he forced himself to watch as Superbia lunged at Lucille.

The Empress laughed as the sin's blade rested against her throat.

"You wish to kill me?' she demanded haughtily.

Her blue-green eyes flickered towards Cyrus who watched them with a wolf's hungry baleful gaze.

"Your precious crown and I are bound. You kill me, he falls as well and you seal your own doom," the Empress tasted each other, relished them, "So sin of pride, strike me down and cast yourself down into the darkness."

Superbia stared at her, searching her face for a lie, for anything to give him leverage, a way out but Lucille's smiling face said it all.

"Cyrus?" Superbia snarled.

"Listen to her," the mage too savoured the sin's humiliation, delight dancing on his face.

"We leave this place. Now," Lucille looked at Cyrus, "There is much to be done."

Cyrus laughed as Superbia cursed, violently and viciously, the sin of pride unleashing his anger in bursts of roars, of fists and feet lashing out. Lucille watched it all, unimpressed as Superbia turned his hot golden eyes onto her.

"I will kill you."

Lucille offered him a small mysterious smile.

"If you wish."

She held out one hand and beckoned the sin towards her.

"But for now let's leave this cursed place."

That was the last thing Edmund remembered hearing, his last image the sight of his sister standing with the monsters, all of them completely at her command. But then the numbness coursing through his body faded and pain roared back in a red wave that pushed him into the dark deep.

. . . . . . . .

"He's dead."

Elias looked up, grim faced. He moved his shaking hands away from Coop's neck looking at his companions. They stared back at him, knowing what had to be done.

"He's going to rise soon and try to kill us," Inara said gently.

"I know but…" Elias laughed bitterly, "You don't even have a plan! You – "

Zaru froze and Elias and Inara looked at Coop's cold broken form. His fingers were twitching, black sand pouring from his wounds.

"We're running out of time!" the leopard snarled.

"DO IT!" Inara snapped.

"Wait – "

Half-Naga and leopard threw themselves against one side of the cage, the whole thing shuddering as Elias tried to balance himself.

"NO!"

Coop's eyes opened.

"HURRY!"

The pair threw themselves at the bars again.

"ARRRRGGGH!"

Coop was thrashing, screaming, an inhuman bestial cry rising from his lips as he pull himself up, rising as a Scourge.

"ONE MORE TIME!"

Elias hurled himself forwards as well, dodging Coop's outstretched hands as their combined weight finally achieved their goal.

The cage lurched, knocked free of the iron spike that had dangled them from the wall. For a brief second they seemed to be frozen in the moment, staring each other, eyes wide then the next they were falling.

The cage plummeted crashing into other cells, into the wall as they fell down, down, down into the bottom of the chasm.

. . . . . . . .

Author's notes: And again I cannot stop apologising for the huge delays between chapters. But then again I have real life to contend with and this chapter alone was close to 30 pages and almost 16,000 words of solid writing!

Thank you once again for all my reviewers – please keep them coming in! Words of encourage and words of criticism are all welcomed. And on that note – I was hoping one of my reviewers would get back to me because I am genuinely interested in the response. The review in question states that this story is becoming too inappropriate and really dark.

The dark part I can completely understand because I have taken a children's story and really amped up the violence and depressing parts but I would like to think I intersperse it with moments of humour, friendship and love as you can see in this chapter. The part that strikes me is the inappropriate part – in what way do you mean inappropriate?

I am well aware that this story is dark in places. This is a war, there will be a price to pay for victory. But although this is based on a children's story, this is a fantasy story I am trying to explore as realistic as I can make it how real and believable characters react to terrible things and what happens when they're forced to do terrible things. This is the essence of the story I am writing and I would love some discussion/debate about this.


	91. Mountain of graves

And since I missed it before – I hope everyone had a merry Christmas and an excellent start to the New Year. My pledge for this year – TO FINISH THIS FIC ONCE AND FOR ALL. And it's actually doable as we are now agonisingly close to enter the last arc of this fic. YEAH!

Disclaimer – what's mine is mine, what's not is not

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 91: Mountain of graves**

They fell.

Screaming, grabbing for any purchase they plummeted down into the depths of the chasm, their cage crashing against the walls, against other steel cells. Their whole world had bled into a dizzying spiral of air and rock, faces and screams, all tumbling, rolling together.

They tried to brace themselves for the end, tried to be prepared for the inevitable but it was beyond imagination.

The cage smashed into side of the black egg, steel shearing apart with a deafening screech. It bounced, smacking into the wall before tumbling into the sea of bones below. They were hurled against the bars, tossed back against the other side and thrown again as the cage finally hit the bottom.

The whole chasm was quiet, all the prisoners, all the Scourges staring at the mangled steel bars lying at the bottom of the rift.

Skull knocked against skull, bone cracking underneath as movement stirred amongst the wreckage.

Coop staggered out from the ruins, eyes bulging from his head, the Seeker now completely consumed by the black sand. It poured out him, from his mouth and his eyes, from every wound on his body. He screeched, clawing at his face, ripping the skin from his flesh.

"ARRRGGGGH!"

He screeched, a twisted length of steel bursting out of his chest as he fell forwards. Inara kicked his flailing form away as she whirled.

Elias and Zaru crawled out from the cage, both of them as battered and bruised as she was.

"GO!" she roared.

The Scourges in the chasms screamed, leaping, scuttling towards them, blades unsheathing from their arms.

Limping, hurting the trio floundered through the bones, trying to reach the side of the chasm. They could feel the dark egg behind them, could feel the burning cold that radiated from its surface, the whispers and ghostly hands that pulled at them.

"GO! GO! GO!"

Zaru bounded easily up the rift wall, his claws finding purchase as easily as a mountain goat's hoofs. His muscles screamed in pain, cramping as for the first time in days he could finally move freely.

Inara and Elias climbed clumsily up behind him, the scientist gasping for breath, Inara faring little better.

"HURRY UP!" Zaru roared at them as the first wave of Scourges descended.

The leopard lunged in flash of golden fur, lashing out with his claws. He dislodged the Scourges he could reach, pitching the screaming monsters down into the rift.

Inara leapt off the wall, her hands shooting out and snagging onto the floor of a cage before flipping herself up onto its roof. The newborn Scourge within screamed, clawing at her as Inara turned, helping Elias up.

"DUCK!"

A Scourge lunged, blades slashing and Inara and Elias hit the roof of the cage, the monster sailing over their heads. It landed right on the edge and whirled. But Inara was already there, kicking it off the cage before it could even move.

"GO! GO! GO!" she roared, eyes silver.

They scrambled up to the next cage, the people trapped within screaming, begging for their help but the Scourges kept coming.

Zaru slashed out, ripping the throat out of one of the monsters but the gaping wound didn't even slow it down, the Scourge still lunging at him. A wild slice cut Zaru's flank and the leopard screamed, a toxic tide of visions and sounds flooding through him.

He saw this Scourge as man, saw his last terrifying moments as black sand coursed through him, eating him from inside out. He saw his conversion to a fully formed Scourge, his torture at the hands of his brethren, blades and brands slicing and burning his flesh again and again.

The leopard pushed through the memories, fought against them as the Scourge tried to skewer him on its blades.

Zaru reeled, still battered by the pictures in his head as hand shot out, grabbing onto the Scourge's arm. A shove and the monster was knocked off the ledge, Elias's worried face swimming into Zaru's line of vision.

"Don't let them touch you," the leopard rasped, blinking the final horrible visions away.

"KITTY! DOC! COME ON!" Inara yelled already climbing to the next outcrop.

Zaru bounded up, guarding the half-Naga as she helped Elias up. All three of them were exhausted, all three of them having eaten or drunken anything for days but adrenaline was pumping thick and fast through their veins. Ignoring their shrieking muscles, the violent pounding in their heads they forged on, scrambling up the inner walls of the chasm, leaping from cage to cage.

"So don't let them touch you, don't make eye contact," despite the danger they were in Inara still managed a wry smile, "Well isn't this a spot of fun?!"

A Scourge landed right between them, Inara and Zaru lashing out, sending it flying off the cage roof.

"Save your breath!" Zaru gasped.

More Scourges lunged at them, sheer dumb luck their only saving grace as they clawed their way up the wall, fighting monsters every step of the way.

A blade ripped through Inara's shoulder and she was screaming as the Scourge's poisoned touch sent nightmares tearing through her mind. She flailed, Elias desperately grabbing onto her, trying to keep her from falling as the Scourge lunged again. A scratch on the arm and Elias was writhing, agony eating his whole limb. Zaru snarled, fighting off the monster as his two companions struggled to shake off the memories.

"MOVE DAMN YOU! MOVE!" Zaru screamed at them.

Inara grabbed a Scourge by the face, smashing its skull against the rock, pushing the twitching body away before she leapt to the next ledge.

The monsters were coming in thick and fast, all three hard pressed to push back the flood.

"Think the others are having as much fun?!" Zaru barked.

Elias shoved a Scourge off from the cliff, watching it as it fell screaming down to the bottom.

"I seriously doubt it," the scientist panted.

Inara roared, barrelling in a trio of monsters, punching and kicking, overwhelming the Scourges before they had to the time to react. One slashed at her but she grabbed it arms, reversing its blow and stabbing another one of the Scourges in the chest. A brutal kick and she shattered another one's knee, a second kick sending it spinning out over the rift.

"INARA!"

A Scourge slashed her back and Inara screamed, the monster's cursed touch ripping through her. Stunned she felt back against the cliff face, staring unseeingly as the Scourge lunged at her.

Silver flashed and the Scourge's head was suddenly flying off down into the chasm as blood and black sand exploded from its neck.

Inara gaped as the headless Scourge crumpled, revealing her rescuer.

Coop stared at her, pus and sand falling from his eyes like tears. The bar she had thrust through his chest still protruded from his flesh, the spout from which a fountain of blood flowed. The once-Seeker screeched and leapt at her, hands curled like claws, feral rage boiling in his eyes.

"WATCH OUT!"

Shafts of light fell from above, several of the Scourges wielding the strange silver flute-pipes they had used against them in their first fight with the monsters of the desert. Everything the light touched burned, stone and steel and flesh melting together.

"We're trapped," Zaru growled.

From below the Scourges they had toppled from the rock face were climbing up, broken and bleeding, screaming their pain but still moving. From above fresh Scourges descended, others raining burning light down on them.

Inara ducked, Coop slashing at her with a twisted length of steel, sparks flying as he raked the stone walls. He stabbed forwards, Inara desperately trying to fight him off. A wild slash and Inara's scalp was cut open, the half-Naga screaming in pain. Blood poured down her face, blinding her as Coop lunged. She spun around, steel edge just missing her but Coop lashed out, grabbing her by the arm and hurling her against the wall.

"INARA!" Zaru tried to leap down to help her but a burst of light forced him back, the ledge he was on obliterated as the leopard lunged for the next outcrop.

Coop rammed against her, Inara tumbling from the wall. She fell, yelling all the way as her hands shot and snagged onto the edge of the cage. Blinded, gasping for breath she managed to climb her way to the stop.

Coop slammed onto the roof in front of her, the half-Naga staring at him, trembling.

"ELIAS!"

White light detonated, hurling Elias from the wall. The scientist shouted, snatching out desperately and somehow managed to grab onto a length of rusty chain. Here so deep down into the rift the cages had been lowered by a complex system of chains and pulleys, dangled on those lengths of steel like a macabre chandelier. The Scourges were descending, climbing on those chains like spiders eager for a feast.

The scientist was stuck, too high up to drop down to safety, too exhausted to climb. He clung there desperately, muscles burning, legs kicking out as their enemies approach from all sides.

Zaru's eyes flicked from Elias to the chain, he followed it up and up and up, almost to the lip of the chasm. The leopard's keen sight managed to pick the one chain he was interested amongst the tangle above, jumping from pulley to pulley until he realised the same great length of wrought iron was all that kept two cages held aloft, the weight of one counterbalancing the other.

His eyes widened.

"ELIAS! DON'T LET GO!" he roared.

The scientist was still flailing, well aware that an unpleasant end was only a lost grip away.

"I DON'T PLAN TO!"

"INARA!" Zaru roared down at the girl.

Coop landed a brutal blow to her face, spinning her to the roof of the cage. The half-Naga lashed out, leg sweeping him and landing a blow in his gut before she staggered to her feet. Her face was a mask of blood, silver eyes flashing as she looked up.

"WHAT?!" she barked.

"GET TO THAT CAGE!" Zaru jabbed at it with his nose, "GO!"

He was off, leaping from foothold to foothold, fighting off Scourges every step of the way.

On her cage Inara whirled as Coop rose again.

"Okay I didn't even like you when you were human!" Inara roared, "Now I really want to kill you!"

"Please…"

Inara froze as Coop stared at her, a glimmer of… something in his eyes.

"Please…"

His jaws worked, the word rasped out slowly and painfully. Coop stared at her, tears pouring down his ruined face.

"… kill me."

Inara stared at him and even as she watched that brief glimpse of humanity vanished, swamped by a tidal wave of hate and rage. Coop screamed and charged at her again but Inara was faster, side-stepping. The Scourge staggered, Inara ploughing a foot into his back and sending him diving off the cage roof.

The half-Naga moved swiftly, leaping from cage to rocky ledge to cage.

Zaru leapt one last time and landed delicately on the roof of his target, whirling as Inara landed right behind him.

"ELIAS! LET GO!" Zaru yelled.

"What?!"

"INARA CATCH HIM!"

"WHAT?!"

There was no time to think, Elias letting go of the chain as Inara yelped, her arms shooting out. The scientist plummeted, smacking into her, knocking them both to the ground as they landed in a heap, wheezing for breath.

"Grab onto the chain!" the leopard barked at them, "Grab it!"

Zaru didn't even give them time to respond as his head snapped up glaring at the Scourges with the silver pipe weapons.

"HEY!" the leopard roared, "WHY DON'T YOU TRY AND HIT US YOU MORONS?!"

"Morons?" Inara managed to gasp out incredulously.

The Scourges howled instantly turning their pipes onto the trio on the cage, blazing lines of white gushing out, narrowly missing all three of them.

"HOLD ON!"

It happened all in a single breath, light burned through the base of the chain like a blade through tallow. The cage gave way beneath their foot, Inara and Elias grabbing onto the suddenly flailing chain. The half-Naga's hand shot out, snagging onto Zaru's tail as the leopard yelped.

The chain jerked, flying up as the cage on its either end dropped with dizzying speed, throwing the trio up through the air. They whipped past other cages, past the Scourges that screamed and lunged at them.

On they flew, the chain ripping through the pulleys, pulling them out from the shadow of the black egg and up into the light.

"LET GO!"

Elias and Inara both loosed their grip as the chain whipped through the last wheel, rattling through before it fell into the rift. Both of them slammed down onto a ledge, Zaru pulling his mangled tail from Inara's grip.

"OW!" he slapped at the half-Naga with one paw.

"Hey! It was your plan!" Inara shot back.

Elias was already climbing, the lip of the rift just metres away. Freeing themselves from each other, Inara and Zaru hurried after him, the Scourges shrieking as they tried to catch their fleeing prey.

The trio pulled themselves out of the chasm but as they staggered onto the shifting sands there was nowhere to run but out to the endless expanse of burning gold.

"What now?" Elias rasped, black and grey clawing at his vision as the scientist swayed on his feet.

"We run?" Inara too was shaking, the girl warrior bleeding from a dozen wounds.

They stumbled forwards, the three suns of Lawless beating at their heads and they knew they would not get away. Even now the Scourges were clawing out of the rift, screaming as they took up the hunt.

"We have to fight," Zaru said flatly.

"I know."

"We can't win," Inara whispered.

Elias smiled at her, fighting the urge to weep.

"I know."

They turned, raising limbs that seemed as heavy as lead, ready to fight to the very bitter end. The Scourges were coming, swarming towards them, an army of screaming howling half-dead things with spikes and blades sticking out of their flesh. With one last look at each other they braced themselves, knowing they were just seconds away from being ripped apart limb to limb.

"Well…" Inara tried to smile, "It was an honour boys."

She looked at the Scourges and all she could see was Peter's face. An ache struck her chest as she wondered if the High King was even alive.

Elias looked at the Scourges and could hear wolves howling in his head.

Running Death.

Dying in battle.

He looked at the monsters coming to butcher him and couldn't help but smile back at Inara. At least he'll die with honour.

Zaru could think of nothing but Susan and Makat, love and guilt twisting together into something so bittersweet that it made him want to weep.

"Yes… yes it was – "

The desert roared, the sky booming as a line of light slashed the air between them and the monsters. They watched, stunned as the line widened, growing jagged until a crack of pure light hung in the air.

It widened before their eyes, touching the sand, stretching up to the heavens as shadows appeared within the light.

"What is this?"

"Lucy?"

The little girl's eyes turned to Elias and the scientist froze instantly recognising the cold clinical look in those blue-green depths.

"Lucille."

The Gentle Empress of the Pearl looked deep into the scientist's eyes and Elias felt a chill tremble down his spine. He could see the thoughts flickering through her head, the woman inside the girl calculating where her advantages lay, how she would use those around her.

Zaru and Inara cursed as more figures appeared from the crack in the air, a thin man with burning eyes appeared beside Lucille, the Saligia emerging behind him. Elias gaped at the sight trying to work out why the girl was with those who wanted to kill her.

"Who are you?!" the strange man beside Lucille barked.

The portal snapped shut behind them revealing the Scourges once more. Inara blanched as she realised they were all on their knees, whimpering as they bowed to those that had appeared from the crack in the world. Like an undulating wave, they rose and fell, prostrating themselves, begging for mercy as their cries overlapped and wove together into a symphony of pain and anguish.

"They are your enemies," Lucille said flatly.

Zaru growled, falling into a crouch. His sharp eyes did not miss the fact that many of the Saligia were injured. Ira's limp form was held in Gula's arms. Luxuria and Avaritia were leaning heavily on each other, bloodied bandages wrapped thick around their limbs and chests, red welts striping lust's face. Acedia stood as always apart from his brethren, his sunken face like a grotesque jack-o-lantern's, pinpoints of ravenous hunger burning in his black eyes. Zaru froze as that hungry gaze turned on him, the sin of apathy drooling as one long bony hand reached out as though to snatch him from metres away.

"Why are you listening to her?!" Superbia snarled, the sin of pride a tower of spite and rage, "She is our enemy!"

Fire and wind twisted in his palms, the leader of the Saligia howling as he thrust his hands at Lucille, ready to immolate her where she stood.

"Stop."

The sin of pride froze as Empress met his furious eyes squarely.

"Destroy me and you destroy yourself. I am bound to Cyrus," she stepped closer to the sin, the wavering flames just inches from her face, "Go on… seal your doom."

Superbia screamed and whirled, the Scourges burning as he raked them with fire. The remaining Saligia watched it all numbly, their usual malice wiped clean from their face as Lucille growled impatiently.

Inara and Zaru stared at the little girl, trying to work out what was happening. Why was she standing with their enemies? And more importantly why were they listening to her?

"Is she…" Inara began.

"The enemy?" Zaru growled.

He bared his teeth, well aware that Acedia was watching him, black tongue sticking out as the Saligia licked his cracked and bleeding lips.

"Who are they?" Cyrus demanded.

She touched his arm. Luxuria narrowed her eyes but held her tongue knowing exactly what the girl Empress was doing. Warmth suffused Cyrus's form as Lucille's skin touched his. Loneliness had marked his life from birth to now, everything he had done dedicated to his cause to the detriment of all else. He walked this world alone, on lofty paths others could only dream of but as much as he revered his exalted heights, he feared and dreaded it, feeling cold down to his very core. But this girl was the first to hear him, to understand him and to stand by him. She and him were one and the same, kin spirits who would stand together until the end of time.

"They are with the people who attacked you in Cienaga."

Premonition struck Elias, the blood draining from the scientist's face as he listened to Lucille weave her web around her companion.

"They managed to kill Invidia," she said flatly, "They have the power to kill the Saligia…"

Luxuria wept brokenly, clinging to her brother as Avaritia bared his golden teeth. Gula and Acedia said nothing, their faces as blank as ever. Superbia howled in rage, immolating more Scourges as he took out his rage on the hapless monsters.

Lucille looked at her Elias and he could read it all in her eyes. He was the enemy here. He was the one who had tried to cure Lucy, tried to banish the fragment of her mind that was Lucille. And the Empress was anything but forgiving.

"Strike them down Cyrus," she implored, "Please…strike them down before they kill your dreams. Strike them down before we leave this chasm and go to the Keeping Place to break the final seal and let the black egg fulfil your grandest wish."

Cyrus stared, niggling doubts worming in his mind. But one imploring look from the Empress and the mage raised his hands, shadow and light dancing across his fingertips. Elias's eyes widened.

"NOO!"

Inara and Zaru charged, ready to throw their lives away in one last desperate gamble. Cyrus laughed and pointed straight at them.

"ZARU! INARA!"

Black and white streaked across the desert and Inara and Zaru fell into two lifeless heaps. Elias waited, waited for them to climb to their feet, to turn around and laugh at how gullible he was. But the two did not stir.

Elias was on his knees before he even knew he had fallen. He should have been crying, should have been screaming but he was just… numb. He saw it all with cold clarity, saw Lucille's cold smile, saw the wind ruffle Zaru's fur, saw the blood beading from Inara's wounds.

He was still alive. They were not.

Their hearts had stopped, their lungs leaking the last breath they took. Elias knew their eyes would be clouded now, the blood clotting in their veins. He knew death, had studied it scientifically and clinically, had seen it firsthand so many times but never… never had he felt it so personally, like it was ripping his every organ apart.

Warmth bled from his eyes.

"This is the price for opposing me…"

A shadow fell over Elias and he looked up. Cyrus was like the angel of death, a glorious halo suffusing his crown. He reached out with one hand and it was the fingers of a judge, stabbing out in condemnation.

One touch and Elias was screaming. Oblivion came swiftly, darkness consuming his head as the sounds of wolves howled mournfully in his head welcoming their brother to the end of running death.

. . . . .

They rode together in deafening silence. Jason led the way, the Seeker's face closed and shuttered, something so dark and raw in his eyes that the others all carefully avoided him.

Peter had been tied onto his saddle, the High King pushed beyond the brink of exhaustion. He had barely covered from his fight with Invidia and Ira when he had been called upon to heal them all. He sat swaying in his seat, all his energy simply devoted to hanging on.

Beside him Edmund's face was a controlled mask. He had failed to save his sister – utterly and spectacularly. But worst of all he knew Lucy was not Lucy. It had been Empress Lucille that had stood toe to toe with Superbia and commanded the monster around like he was a hapless servant. And the few snatches he had heard from her binding herself to Cyrus…

Lucy was in terrible danger. Not just from Cyrus or the Saligia but from an enemy within.

Edmund cursed as his caramuli bounded forwards, all of the beasts of burden pushed to their limit by their riders.

Caspian and Susan brought up the rear. The Telmarine kept sliding glances over to his queen, Susan avoiding his eyes. He had managed to drive Acedia back in Cienaga after a furious battle and had instantly run off deeper into the ruins of the palace searching for his family. The first person he had encountered had been Susan, the Gentle Queen looking at him with haunted, old eyes. She had refused to say what had happened to her only that Luxuria had tried to trick her.

Caspian studied Susan trying to work out what was wrong. It was beyond just worry for Lucy and others, there was something raw and pained in her face, something that spoke of old scars that had been opened afresh.

"Susan?"

"Not now," the Gentle Queen said dully.

She kept her eyes resolutely ahead. They had to focus on the job at hand, trying to hunt down Cyrus and her sister, not worry about the sins of the past.

Her skin crawled as she remembered the visions Luxuria had fed her. Had she known Caspian could be so cruel as to imprison a friend? Had she known he was capable of such rage?

Susan closed her eyes. The fact that Caspian had loved another did not pain her that much. For hadn't she too tried to find solace in meaningless dalliance? Tried to forget him in the arms of others?

But she had never gone so far, had never so willingly tortured and almost murder someone she thought of as a friend.

She looked at Caspian, at his worried face and wondered what other dark secrets he held.

The darkness in her head howled at the irony of the words and Susan thought she was doing to be sick.

"What is this chasm?" Edmund said finally breaking the deep silence hanging over them.

"When I was hunting that worm Cyrus he was interested in it," Jason spat out each word like red hot bullets, "It is said to be cursed place."

That was all they had. One slender lead that might take them to their enemies. But in their quest to find Cyrus and Lucy they were leaving Elias, Zaru and Inara to their fate. They had no idea where the Scourges had taken the trio, no idea if they were even alive. But they had to go after Cyrus, had to end this tournament of the throne before more innocent people fell in the crossfire. But knowing that did nothing to stop the acid burn of guilt inside their chests. However they justified it, they were abandoning their friends.

"What's in the chasm?" Edmund asked.

"A lot of bones," Jason grunted back, "And not much else."

That killed the meagre conversation they were having, all five of them once more riding in silence, the caramuli climbing and sliding down dune after dune. Fortunately the chasm was only less than a day's hard ride from Cienaga but if Jason had not been there to lead them they would all have been hopelessly lost. Susan could not tell how the Seeker was navigating across the desert because all she could see in every direction was just endless undulating dunes. But somehow the man struck out across the burning plains with the unerring direction of a hound on a scent.

They rode for hours, the suns above wringing every drop of precious water from their bodies. Heat rose from the sands in shimmering veils, haunting spectres that tried to lure them deep into the desert with sweet promises. But they pressed on, the sun bleaching all thoughts and feelings from their heads and hearts until they seemed nothing more than lumps of flesh and bone clinging onto their mount, too numbed by heat and exhaustion to even think.

"We're almost there!" Jason called over his shoulders.

It was almost impossible to pretend around them. Almost impossible to stop himself from weeping and screaming as everything in him wanted to.

Argent had planned his wife and daughter's deaths, had arranged it all just so the master Seeker could get his hands on him and the ruach, to mould him into the killer he was now.

Remembering his life as Nathaniel had almost broken him but to know that all of it was not just the result of mistakes and circumstance but a cold and calculated plot…

Jason's grip on his reins tightened and the Seeker vowed, vowed to his wife and daughter wherever they were now that Argent would pay. He would send that bastard to hell and march into the pits of doom itself to drag him back out and butcher him again.

The ruach behind its cracked wall, shrieked, wailing to be free but Jason shoved the feeling away.

Not now.

The ruach raged but Jason had learnt iron control at the hands of the Hermit of the Southern March but it was a lesson he had almost paid in blood for.

Not yet…

With the fire borne of fury and pain burning in his soul Jason knew he could break that wall as easily at breathing. And he also knew that the ruach bottled as it was would explode out of him in a wave of pure destruction. It might kill him but it certainly would kill anyone who happened to be near at the same time.

Argent's harsh taunting words rang in his ears and Jason knew that the old Seeker's day of reckoning was coming and more importantly he would be the one to rain all that retribution upon his head.

Ice slid around his anger and Jason held it there, ready to unleash the storm inside when and where he wanted to.

They crested the dune and it was suddenly there – the chasm, the great rift in the desert, a place of ghouls and goblins and soaked in more blood than even Cienaga. It was not the first time he had visited this place, many criminals seemed to be drawn here like vultures to a carcass, more than once he himself had claimed a life or a bounty here. But what he saw now made him freeze.

"What is that?" Edmund asked quietly, pulling up beside the man.

The Just King felt cold as he stared down at the black thing that sat nestled within the chasm. Wrongness seemed to radiate from the thin like the rays from a dark sun. The air seemed colder closer to the chasm, the sand less golden as if the black from the round egg was seeping into the world all around it.

"I don't know," Jason gritted out.

His sharp eyes did not miss the cages dangling along the wall of the rift. What madness had this cursed place attracted now?

"On foot," Susan commanded as she slipped off her caramuli, "We fight better that way."

Even as she spoke, her silver bow was in one hand, an arrow in the other, the metal of both cold to touch despite the burning heat.

The darkness in her was already waiting for more blood to be shed.

Peter slid drunkenly from his seat, smudges of black under his eyes as Caspian and Edmund dismounted and unsheathed their swords.

With one last look at each other the five made their way down the dune to the chasm in the desert. The black egg swelled out of the lip of the chasm, a great dark half-circle that swallowed part of the sky and in its shadows laid three small still figures.

Susan felt her bow fall from her fingers as though seeing it from a great distance. She was suddenly out of her body, watching herself with detached interest as her limbs trembled, tears fighting their way out of her eyes.

She was a ghost. She was hollow. She wasn't here. This wasn't happening.

A stillness fell over them, a precious moment of reprieve as they all stood paralysed, staring at those three familiar forms. As long as no one moved, as long as no one breathed then the moment would hold, realisation would be held at bay, the world would still be all right for one more precious second.

"NO!"

Peter broke the silence and it hit them all, bringing them to their knees, making them sick to their stomach. The High King dashed forwards, floundering through the sand until he was on his knees beside a body with long dark hair and mischievous eyes that were now closed forever.

"NO! NO! NO!"

Lightning exploded out of him, burning the sand as he cradled Inara to his chest, tears pouring out of him.

"No…"

It was a groan, a whimper, a curse, a sob. He brushed Inara's hair from her face and rocked her back and forth, begging her to open her eyes, to smile and laugh at him for being so stupid to believe her act.

But she lay still and cold in his arms, his pleas falling on deaf ears.

Susan vomited noisily and messily, trying to push out all her guilt, all her tears in one violent go. She was in pain, choking on bile, on her tears, on her knees and not knowing if she had the strength to stand up ever again.

Jason's face was unreadable. He said nothing, did nothing, simply stared and stared and stared at three more members of his family he had failed to protect.

Edmund gently turned Elias's body onto his back. He stared down at the scientist, at the man who even after everything he had done still did not believe he was a hero. Edmund did know how he died but at least his face was peaceful, the man now gone into utter serenity, tracks of salt on his face showing the last tears he had shed in this mortal world.

"Thank you," Edmund whispered.

Out of all of them Elias had understood him the best, had tried to bridge the rift that had first existed between them. Elias had been a kindred spirit, a man of the sharpest mind, of the highest honour and one who knew the long dark path to redemption. Edmund had helped put him together after what Marcos had did to him and in doing so the Just King had started to heal himself.

"I – " Edmund's voice broke, "I want you to know… you did well."

And he was cry like the boy he really was, sobbing brokenly over his friend, all walls and barriers stripped away.

Caspian was gone. The man, the friend, the one with a heart was locked behind an iron wall. He could not deal, could not even begin to comprehend what he was seeing and so he fled. And Caspian the soldier, the Telmarine was standing in his place. They were exposed here and close to enemy territory, at least one of them had to be on watch and so he left the others to their mourning, patrolling with sword unsheathed, burying himself in duty.

Susan slowly crawled to her feet and she had never felt so tired, so old before in her life.

Peter was still now, his face buried in Inara's hair, the High King completely silent.

The Gentle Queen staggered forwards, brushing past Jason, her eyes trained on the limp gold furred form stretched out across the sand.

"Zaru…"

The leopard had been her closest companion, her confidant and her main supporter. The others might have doubted her, might have even been afraid of her but Zaru had always been unwavering. He had protected her over and over again, putting his life on the line to shelter her from the slightest harm. To others he might have been a braggart, a glutton and as obtuse as they came but in her eyes, in her heart he was the bravest, most glorious thing that had ever lived.

"Oh Zaru…"

She wept, cursing the Scourges, cursing this place of robbing her of what had been her light in so many dark hours. She reached out with one trembling hand, wishing that all this would just melt away, that she would wake up now to the rough snore of the leopard that had always slept by her side.

One touch of his soft fur and she knew she would have to accept that this was real, that he was really gone.

She wanted to run, wanted to be sick again but Zaru had been brave and she had to be brave now too.

"Zaru…"

Her fingertips touched his fur and a charge instantly coursed through her.

"What?"

"SUSAN!"  
Caspian was running towards her but the Gentle Queen was paralysed, the sceptre strapped to her back burning and freezing alternately.

"SUSAN!"

The Narnia King grabbed her and gaped as she looked at him with burning blood-red eyes.

"Idiots…"

It was not her voice that roiled out from her throat but a harsher, darker voice, a voice of a thing of inconceivable age and cunning.

"I was hoping it would not come to this."

Edmund, Caspian, Jason and even Peter looked at her, stunned. They had only heard that voice one, in a place of storm and shadows, snatched from the real world and dropped into an endless dark place at the beginning of this tournament. It was a voice that slid chips of ice into their spines, a voice that spoke to the primitive cavemen in them all and made them want to run for their lives.

"Tash," Caspian whispered, horrified as Susan laughed.

"You will be thrice-blessed," Tash-in-Susan recited, "Three gifts you will receive…"

Her left eye flashed purple.

"The Sight."

Her right eye became wild gold and orche, something ancient and feral staring out at the world.

"The Hunt."

Both became blood red once more.

"And Death…"

Tash smirked at Caspian, at them all, relishing their shocked looks, the evidence of their ignorance.

"This is my gift to you all. The sight-goddess Viola came to me, she had a vision of what would happen in this place," the death-god hissed, "And so when I had you in the dead place I touched these three…"

Caspian blinked, remembering seeing Inara, Elias and Zaru scream as the damned-god had touched them with his taloned hands.

"I placed a protection on them. When the sin's crown would strike them down my spell would absorb that attack and turn it into nothing. At the same time these three would enter a deep sleep as though dead until touched by myself."

"What – " Peter felt hope flare, "Are you – "

"Yes you idiot king. This is my second of my three gifts, look upon my glory, my power to reawaken of what was once thought to be dead!"

Susan screamed as red light leapt from the sceptre to her. It exploded out of her chest, crimson washing over them all.

The light faded and in the silence that followed, Susan's eyes turned to their normal blue. The darkness in head was howling, screaming for its father to come back and take it away. Susan shuddered feeling as though a film of oil covered her skin, seeping into her and poisoning her from within.

But then something made her heart stop.

The quiet was broken as three sets of lungs worked noisily and violently to suck in precious, life-giving air.

They were all frozen, watching as a miracle unfolded before their eyes. They had stopped breathing, hardly daring to believe as three pairs of eyes fluttered open.

"Ooww…"

It was an ungraceful sound, caught between a grunt and a moan but to Peter it was the most beautiful noise he had ever heard.

Edmund flat on his back as Elias rose, the Just King staring up at the three suns of Lawless, eyes wide in his pale face.

Zaru's tail twitched and he stared quizzically into Susan's bloodless face.

"Uhhh… are you okay?"

He squawked as his queen threw her arms around him, hugging him tight, the leopard yelping as the air was squashed out of him.

Inara was fighting off her own assailant, Peter grabbing a hold of every part of her he could touch, burying his face in her hair.

"What – "

His lips met her.

"Are – "

Her lips met his.  
" – you doing?!" she demanded incredulously.

Peter's blue eyes met hers and she was frozen by the intensity in those solemn depths.

"Don't ever leave me," he whispered.

He crushed their lips together in a bruising kiss, clinging to her, breathing her in. He pulled back, resting his forehead against hers.

"Don't ever leave me," he whispered tenderly.

Inara wanted to laugh, wanted to break the intensity of the moment but she did not have it in her. She simply touched his cheek, breathing in his scent and smiled.

"Never," she vowed."

Peter pulled away and with one last chaste kiss carefully pulled her up with him, his cursed arms shrieking in agony.

"What happened?" Elias wheezed.

He thought he had died, had felt Cyrus's powers rip through him. Was this a dream? Was this heaven?

"Tash," Edmund rasped, looking at the scientist.

He reached out and touched the man's arms, flinching as he felt his warm skin. He was alive. Elias and the others were alive!

"How?"

"Do you remember him touching you?" Edmund asked gently.

Elias frowned, remembering when they had first met the cursed god, when they had all been screaming as the creature's mere presence almost tore them apart. His arm ached remembering where Tash had touched his arm, where he had branded his flesh.

"Yes…?"

"He put a spell on you. A protection… and then he put you to sleep to trick Cyrus and the Saligia."  
"You idiot!"

Susan pulled away from Zaru to glare at him. Shock melted to relief but her nerves were too jangled to relax, her emotions pulled in a thousand directions. It finally settled on anger.

"You almost died!"

And they would have if Viola hadn't helped them, if Tash had been convinced of the need to. The darkness in her head chortled, taunting her with how weak she was compared to the father of all darkness. The Hunt-Beast snarled and the dark thing's cackles faded as Susan was pulled back to the leopard in her arms.

Zaru was blinking at her, trying to remember the last few moments he could remember. Cyrus and the Saligia, the Scourges and…

"Lucy was with them!" he said urgently, the words tumbling out of him, "She's working with them or they're working with her!"

"We know," Susan said grimly, finally loosening her arms from around him, satisfied that the leopard was fine, "But what happened to you?"

"Where's Coop?" Jason demanded.

There was no time to celebrate their miracle, no time to dwell on what could have been. They were all soldiers and like good soldiers they simply saw what was in front of them and continued to march on.

"He's been turned into a Scourge," Elias said gently.

In halting, hesitating words he explained everything that had happened, their capture, the black sand poisoning all that it touched, the rise of the black egg and finally their desperate escape that had ended with their almost-death at Lucille's command.

When he was finished everyone was staring at him.

"She tried to kill you?" Peter asked desperately.

"With a smile on her face," Inara said grimly.

The High King winced and it finally registered on his face what they all now knew – Lucy was the enemy.

"The Scourges are gone," Caspian reported jogging back from the lip of the chasm.

He was shaken by all the bloodied cages he had seen, not a single living soul living inside the damned rift. Even as he was putting more distance between him and the black egg he could feel it menace trying to reach him, trying to call him back to the chasm and add his bones to the sea below.

"Where are they?!" Jason cursed.

Flax was dead. Coop had been corrupted. The two he could count on to help him put Argent into the ground were now gone. He felt a pang of remorse for them but they had all known that the life of a Seeker was rarely one that ended with old age and a quiet death.

"I know where they're going."

Elias might have been terrified for his life but there were some skills such as observing and recording everything they happened around him that was so ingrained that it was almost a reflex now.

"Lucille mentions something about a breaking a seal and something called the Keeping Place?"

He looked at Jason and the Seeker gave one sharp nod.

"I know where it is," he stared walking back up at the sand dune again.

"What is it?" Susan called out of him, "Jason!"

The Seeker did not turn back but he did stop halfway up the golden hill.

"The Keeping Place..." his voice was a harsh, "Is where Lawless keeps their dead."

. . . . .

The sins were forced to bow down all around him, their faces seething with hate but Cyrus ignored them all as he completed the final part of his spell. The Saligia shuddered as they felt his magic fall over them, sinking through the skin and flesh and into their very bones.

"You are now bound to each other," Cyrus's eyes were pitch black and without white, "What one sees, all see. What one knows, all know. And where one is, all can be as well."

The power twisted around their hearts and suddenly all six remaining Saligia could feel a new awareness inside their heads, a knot and tangle of thoughts and emotions that were not their own.

Luxuria shuddered as voices began to tremble through her thoughts, dark whispers that spoke of nothing but endless hunger. It gnawed at her stomach, at her bones and she knew it was Acedia, the sin of apathy, a sinkhole of which everything fell into and nothing escaped. But the voices spoke of two things above all – a longing for the drug known as dreamweed and a thirst to devour the dead cat that was once the companion of their enemies.

"Go," Cyrus snapped, "Destroy this place and bring me the seal!"

The six Saligia vanished in a rush of sound and wind and Cyrus was left alone in the tomb except for his closest companion.

"So this is the Keeping Place…"

They stepped out of the mausoleum and onto a dark street. Where the chasm was the deepest place in all of Lawless, the Keeping Place was the highest, a grab mammoth monolith rising above all.

Where Lawless was the most cursed, the most damned place, the Keeping Place was the most sacred. Ancient masons had carved the mountain into a hive of streets and buildings, one level on top of another, stack upon stack like a great ants' nest. A great sloping road of stone lead to the cavernous entrance, the bodies of the rich and the famous laid in houses of stone, the rest lay on stone shelves carved into the walls. And everywhere salt limned the walls, gleaming where light struck its faceted faces like great chunks of granite or crystal. The same salt crunched under foot as they walked, sucking whatever precious moisture there was in the air, preserving the dead that laid within the Keeping Place.

"Are you the final seal is here?" the Empress asked.

The whole place was thick with Scourges, the monsters ransacking tomb after tomb, searching for the one their master wanted.

"Yes. The final bearer did not have any children and by all accounts the seal is still etched into his body," Cyrus laughed, "Once it is broken the egg will crack and salvation will come!"

Lucille said nothing, merely watching as the Scourges broke down another tomb door, streaming inside and leaving behind a trail of blood and black sand.

"We should join the search," she said finally, "The quicker we find this seal…"

Cyrus casually blasted another of the crypts apart, dead bodies flying everywhere as Lucille watched.

"You won't win," the words crawled out of her own mouth, it came with great effort, slow and drawn out but still it came.

Lucille shuddered as she felt Lucy inside her head, a living thriving force that threatened to drown her back into the darkness.

"No," Lucille said in her mind, out loud, "This place will be the grave of my enemies."

Ruthless she quashed the girl, stuffed her back into the corner of her mind. Lucy fought her every step of the way and when she was finally gone Lucille was left to stand alone in the street, gasping for breath.

"Please…"

She looked up at the heavens and did something she had never done before.

She prayed.

Empress Lucille the Gentle prayed to Lucy's god, to Aslan, something she had never met, had never seen before but still she prayed.

"Please… help me."

. . . . .

She called to him and he instantly turned, pulling himself away from the low voices of Peter, Elias and Edmund as they planned their assault on the Keeping Place. She rode at the rear of their group, one glance from her and Zaru easily bounded from his place on her saddle, joining Inara's on hers. The half-Naga cursed, his extra weight sending the caramuli stumbling. Despite all their best efforts to train her, Inara was still a passably good rider at best, liable to getting pitched off at any given second. More than once she had sat in the mud or the sand, spitting out dirt from her mouth as Jason and Zaru laughed their heads off.

Even now Caspian could help but give her a little smirk before he joined Susan, her blue eyes holding a dark look within their depths.

"What is wrong?" he asked bluntly.

They had all suffered in Cienaga, some more than others. He had almost been stripped of his emotions again by Acedia, Peter almost dying at the hands of Invidia and Ira and Edmund defeated decisively by Superbia. Jason had lost Flax and still refused to talk about what he had endured at the hands of his old teacher.

And Susan?

She was opening her mouth, ready to tell him and Caspian suddenly had a feeling he did not want to know.

"I know about Shirona."

Every part of Caspian froze as Susan ploughed on ruthlessly.

"Luxuria… she showed me. About Shirona, about Ruy… about what they did to you and what you did to them."

No. No. No. No. No.

Caspian suddenly felt dirty, felt so incredibly small before his queen that he wanted to run and throw himself into the chasm itself. The time after the war had not been easy on anyone, it had been a chaos of skirmishes and more bloodshed, he was still mourning the loss of his aunt and cousin, the loss of Susan and the others.

Prunaprismia's face flashed in his mind, memories of Glozelle and the Orchard flittering before him as the familiar burning wave of guilt and failure threatened to crush him. But now their faces were not alone, intertwined with Shirona and Ruy's, at the two he had loved at one time beyond all else and the faces of those who had stabbed him through the back and into his very heart.

But what he had done to them… it was beyond forgiveness.

"I…" Susan stopped.

She was going to curse him, push him away, run as far as she could from him. And he deserved it but Caspian was a selfish man, he could not let her go, could not bear the thought of her condemnation.

"Susan…" it was a plea, "Please…"

"Lucy had written these stories about our times in Narnia. She had spent hours on them. And they were beautiful illustrated as well… she kept them locked up in a box under her bed and they were her prized possessions," Susan said gently, not quite meeting Caspian's eyes, "One night I sneaked in her room, stole them and burned them all in the fireplace. And when she found out I laughed in her face.""

She looked at Caspian and the king sucked in a breath as he saw the pain in her eyes.

"I told Peter's classmates all about Narnia, I told them how he believed in such stupid fairytales. Almost overnight they lost all respect for him. They teased him endlessly and viciously and I fanned the flames with a song in my heart," Susan continued, dredging each word up, "And Ed… I told father how I was worried about, how I thought Edmund suffered from delusions. I turned my father against him and I knew it would hurt him so much because Ed worships our father."

A sad small smile turned her lips.

"And I spent all my nights dancing in halls with strange men. I let them kissed me and I kissed them even though it made my skin crawl. I stole men away from my friends and laughed in their faces when they confronted me. I danced all of them on strings in front me, granted favours and broke hearts whenever it struck my fancy. I played with them, I played with my friends and I played with my family."

Susan touched Caspian's arms.

"We do terrible things when we are hurting," she said simply.

Caspian suddenly realised he was crying. Susan smiled at him, her face very pale and he had to laugh.

"But you didn't lock anyone up in the dungeons… you didn't almost kill someone."

"I systematically tortured my siblings in a way that would utterly destroy them," Susan said flatly.

They looked at each other, all the dark things they had done laid bare for the first time. They saw each other, scars and all and they both smiled softly.

"So where does that leave us?" Caspian asked.

"Luxuria showed me those memories to break us apart. But she failed," Susan laughed, "Because there's nothing in all the worlds that could stop me from loving you!"

Caspian grabbed her face and their lips touched, pouring everything they had into that one kiss. They ignored Peter's disgusted yelp, Inara's cheering and Zaru's long sigh. Because in this moment they had once again bonded themselves to each other, through light or darkness, through day or night they were one, held together by a love that had been so sorely tested and yet still stood.

Whatever mistakes they had made, whatever they had done to others in each other they would always find forgiveness, always find nothing but utter acceptance.

"So – "

Inara's voice cut between them as they pulled apart, looking deep into each other's eyes, understanding for the first time the age and the weariness in them.

"When's the wedding?" Inara smirked.

Susan felt herself flush as Peter proceeded to choke on his own saliva.

"I mean you're pretty much there anyway," Inara continued, bulldozing through his choked protests, "Although a white dress at this point is sort of redundant…"

"STOP!" this time Edmund joined in with his brother's shouts.

Jason rolled his eyes but said nothing as Elias shook his head in exasperation. Zaru merely watched, his eyes set solely on Caspian.

"Inara – " Susan began indignantly.

"She's right you know."

That blew all thoughts from her mind as she gaped at the king on his caramuli beside her.

"What – "

She stared, completely stunned as Caspian slid from his saddle, landing easily on his long legs.

"Wait!" even Inara looked worried, "I was kidding!"

Caspian ignored them all as he took Susan's hand in his and helped her from her seat. They stood, the queen looking up at her king, her eyes wide, suddenly trying to remember how to breathe. His hands were warm as he took hers and placed it over his heart.

"This belongs to you. It will always belong to you."

Inara turned and slapped her hand over Peter's mouth stopping him as Edmund suddenly had to blink tears from his eyes.

Zaru and Jason glanced at each other and both were instantly plotting between them how to threaten Caspian to an inch of his life. Elias caught their look and resolved to keep them in check as best as he could.

Susan could feel his heart thrumming under her fingers, faster now as he took a deep breath as though readying for a plunge.

"You've seen the best of me. You've seen the worst of me and still love me. I have seen the same of you and my feelings has never changed. I've been separated from you, I've been cursed to close my heart to you but still we always come back to the way we are meant to be… together… forever…"

A smile, small and nervous trembled across his lips.

"I don't know what's going to happen in this fight, I don't know what's going to happen when we return Narnia. I might die – "  
Susan tried to cut him off, tried to correct him but Caspian ignored her, speaking from his very soul, trying to put words to something that was so golden and glorious.

"But I do know one thing. You are mine," his voice and eyes were fierce, so brave and strong that it made Susan want to cry, "And I am yours if you'll have me. So Susan Pevensie…"

Everyone watched it all with jaws agape, so silent they could hear the sand trickling down the dunes around them.

Susan waited, waited for the words that would change her life forever.

"… will you marry me?"

The smile became stronger, his eyes soft as he waited, her hand still on his heart, the king giving it to her wholly to do what she will.

She spoke but it was so soft that Caspian thought he had imagined it.

"Yes."

She looked at him and she was crying, laughing, trying to keep herself together and failing miserably.

"Yes. Yes. Yes. YES!"

She threw herself at him and he caught her, laughing as he twirled them around, raining kisses down on her face. She matched him kiss for kiss, giggling as they bumped heads painfully.

Caspian finally dropped her but she stayed in his arms, beaming up at him, kissing the tears from his face.

"Can I just remind you this is the most unromantic place imaginable to propose?" she teased.

"And I'm also lacking a ring," he reminded her, laughing with delight.

"And I don't care one whit," Susan kissed him again.

She yelped as a shrieking form slammed into her. Laughing she tried to fend off Inara as her friend threw her arms around her, lifting her bodily up into the air.

"You owe me! You owe me!" the half-Naga chanted, "Ha! I got them together and now I got them engaged!"

"You didn't do anything!" Zaru shot at her.

He joined them, rubbing himself against his queen's legs, silently telling her she had his support. Susan instantly dropped to her knees, kissing his dear gruff face as the leopard purred.

It was impossible to imagine that hours before she had to imagine life without him or Inara or Elias, so miraculous that so soon after mourning for her friends she was celebrating her engagement with them.

She was engaged.

The thought struck her and made her let out a nervous giggle.

Her eyes flicked to Caspian and she shivered at the molten heat in his eyes. King Caspian and Queen Susan had just promised their hand to each other, had shown the whole world they were determined to be together forever.

Zaru licked her face and she spluttered, pushing him away.

Caspian felt them at his back and he turned with a sigh.

Peter glowered at him, sparks leaping from his skin, Jason just behind the High King, the glint in his eyes enough to even make Caspian shudder. Edmund was there as well, a small smile on his face but a calculating look in his eyes. Behind them Elias threw up his hands in defeat and went to congratulate Susan.

"One mistake I die?" Caspian guessed.

"I will rain holy hell down on your head!" Peter vowed.

Jason said nothing, merely allowing his smile to turn cold as Edmund's eyes drilled into Caspian's.

"Agreed," Caspian said mildly as Peter snorted.

The High King stuck out his hand as the Telmarine blinked.

"Wha – "

"Welcome to the family," Peter said flatly, glaring at him.

Caspian laughed and took his hand and Peter surprised them all by pulling the man into a rough hug.

They were about to go to war, about to throw themselves into the jaws of battle once more but for now standing in the middle of the desert Aslan's champions celebrated this brief moment of joy. For now they laughed, they cheered and they lived.

. . . . .

The Scourges screeched and groaned as they went about their business, tearing the crypts of the Keeping Place apart. Bones and bodies fell at their feet and they scrabbled amongst the remains, searching for the one thing their master valued above all else.

Like locusts they swarmed from tomb to tomb, a wave of mindless destruction, controlled by something beyond them. Another stone door was broken and they rushed inside, throwing themselves at the graves and tombs with howling ferocity.

"Hey!"

They turned, staring at the slight girl standing in the doorway. In one hand she held a flaming torch, in the other she held a dark brown flask, a wad of white cloth sticking out from the lip.

"This is for the chasm."

Before they could react she lit the cloth with her torch and hurled the bottle at them. She was already running, fleeing as the glass shattered against the floor, spraying them with all with burning goo.

Despite the flames the liquid clung like honey, the Scourges screaming as their rags and flesh burned. They were instantly turned into walking, screaming pyres, stumbling into each other, igniting those that had been unaffected.

Many tried to flee from the crypt but fell, blinded and choking on smoke. The fire raged and raged, the undead monsters finally perishing trapped inside a tomb that had just become a furnace.

. . . . .

Silver flew from the shadows striking the scourges. The heavy arrowheads punched through their limbs, their torsos, sticking out from their flesh as the monsters screamed.

"NOW!"

Lightning leapt from another corner of the chamber, drawn to the metal shafts. The Scourges were struck, paralysed where they stood as thousands volts of pure electricity tore through them. They detonated, the air and liquid inside them heated to such a degree that it all become steam in one explosive second, tearing their bodies apart.

Smoke and the stench of burning flesh smothered the chamber. Their attackers lingered for one last second, checking for any survivors before melting back into the shadows of the Keeping Place.

. . . . .

It came from above the Scourges looked up puzzled as the rumble continued, growing louder, shaking the ground and walls. They froze, wide eyes unblinking as the shadows above seemed to move.

It struck them with the thunderous force of a tsunami, rock and soil falling down in a crushing deluge that buried them all. They were obliterated, mashed to bloody paste by boulders the size of houses. Those that were alive were trapped, screaming as they tried to pull their mangled limbs from the wreckage.

A thunderous crash from somewhere deeper within the caverns told of another deadly avalanche being set off. The roared echoed through the whole of the Keeping Place, the screams of the dying lingering long after the final noise.

. . . . .

With one final stout kick the aging wall crumbled and Jason stepped into the vault. Salt caught the light from his torch and hurled it back at him in dazzling rainbows, the mineral coating the walls like thick sheets of ice.

The silence here was deafening, reverential as Jason paced the long row of stone coffins. Finally he stopped and he knew this was it.

With trembling hands he reached out and touched casket, it was smaller than all the others and all the more tragic for it, the final resting place of one who did not even have the chance to live.  
"Delilah…"

He ignored the smell of smoke and fire, the sound of thunder booming, the crash of falling stone. He let the others wage the war for now because Jason needed this, he needed to be here. The Seeker let his control slip, let his mask fall. He wept quietly, his tears turning the dust on her grave to grey mud.

He wept for the past, for the girl that would wait impatiently by the door for his for those golden memories of bedtime stories and bath time wars.

He wept for the present, bereft of her light. He felt her absence like a mortal wound, a limb that had been shorn off.

He wept for the future, for the things she would never do, joys and grieves she would never experience. He wept for the woman she would never become, for the children she would never have.

Argent had stolen her from him, had taken away a million possibilities that were now extinguished forever.

Jason's eyes fell onto the next grave and the tears came again. He let himself lose control, let himself cry until he felt sick.

"Yolanda…"

Sweet, painful memories flooded through him, taking him far, far away to a place that was so innocent, that seemed to a be golden time that he was now exiled from forever, never to return.

He remembered their first stuttering introduction, him red-faced and mumbling something that made her frown then laugh, she already captivating him in those first few mortifying seconds.

He remembered their courtship, evenings in the dance halls, him fumbling through steps as she cheered and kissed his blushes away.

Their wedding, their marriage, Delilah's birth… it swept through him, memories bursting open revealing their ambrosia, their poison as everything, strength, joy, pain and regret all bleeding from him.

"I knew you'd be here."

"I knew you'd find me."  
It was all gone now. He had cried, he had remembered and though it had been painful, excruciating, it was all out now. Instead of feeling hollow, feeling worse he felt better as though he had just lanced the poison from an infected wound.

Jason turned and Argent was there, the older Seeker smiling in delight. In his right hand he held Flax's sword, his trophy of war from his victory in Cienaga.

The ruach roared, throwing itself at the wall that trapped it, its power leaking through the cracks but Jason held it back for just a little while longer.

"Not here," Jason said flatly, "Not with them."  
Argent's dark eyes slid to Yolanda and Delilah's graves and the man nodded.

"Fair enough. I know just the place."

The older Seeker turned and walked out of the crypt without a single glance behind him. Jason watched him go before he turned back to his family.

"Goodbye."

He would never see them again, never wanted to. They were gone, hopefully to a much better place and this was simply where their bones lied.

"I hope you're proud of me," he said, touching their graves one last time, trying to commit this moment to memory, "And I'm sorry."

He smiled at them one last time.

"I love you."

Then Jason turned and walked away, leaving his family forever.

. . . . .

They had sealed the cave with triggered landslides and then doused the trapped Scourges within with oil before setting them all ablaze.

It had been brutal, swift and very, very effective.

Despite his climbing rage, Cyrus had to admire them for that.

"They have killed many, many enemies," Lucille said calmly.

"FIND THEM!" Cyrus roared, his voice carried by magic to his servants, "KILL THEM!"

He whirled on his Empress, sparks flying from his completely black eyes.

"We have to find that seal!" he growled.

"The Saligia will slow them down. If we're lucky some of them might actually die," the Empress said.

Cyrus snarled and stomped away from the cave, power leaping from him and shattering the stone all around. Lucille followed him, the Empress's face betraying absolutely nothing.

. . . . .

"Have you seen them yet?"

Inara looked at her, her face covered with soot.

"No," she lowered her burning torch, her silver eyes reflecting the flames, "Anything?"  
Peter nodded grimly as Susan sighed, blue eyes looking back down the way they had came.

"The others?"

"Shaggy and Doc just caused another rock fall. Kitty was trying to lead Freckles to Lucy but…" she frowned remembering the shuttered look the leopard had given her when Edmund recounted his failure to scent the queen, "No luck."

"Jason?"

Inara shrugged again.

"I think we've cleared up most of the Scourges. I haven't run into any for the last few minutes," Inara reported.

"Good, any clue what this seal thing Cyrus is after?" Susan asked.

"No – "

Inara froze, Peter and Susan whirling as a soft song seemed to fill the air.

Luxuria glared at Susan, pure hate in her eyes but what had once been an indescribably beautiful, perfect face was now a waxen mask of angry scars.

"What the – "

"You did this to me!" Luxuria howled, stabbing a finger at Susan.

Susan merely smiled coldly at her.

"That's what you get for trying to turn me against my betrothed."

The words struck Luxuria like a blow and the sin of lust drew herself up, her powers filling the air. Lust boiled in their veins, their knees trying to give way as the air thickened and grew hot all around them. Peter was swaying on his feet, the sin of lust's enchantment trying to shackle the High King. Susan cursed, sceptre in her hand, ready to fight the Saligia once more.

A dark smile crossed Luxuria's lips.

"TO ME!" she roared, eyes flashing.

"What!?"

There was a flash of light and suddenly the sin of lust did not stand alone. Avaritia and Ira were by her side, summoned from thin air, the sin of greed wielding his golden blades, the little girl glaring at them with pure red eyes.

"KILL THEM!"

Inara hurled the torch at the trio of monsters, blinding them with embers as she unsheathed her sword.

Susan struck, red light flying from her weapon but Luxuria deflected it with a wave of blue flames, her tattoos bursting to life. Butterflies with obsidian wings flew at their faces, razor edges cutting their skin as Ira howled in fury.

The ground rose, bucking beneath their feet, throwing them off balance as Avaritia charged. Susan parried his first blow, her arm going numb as their blades clashed, the Saligia with the golden eyes laughing at her as he pressed her back. She blocked desperately, every one of her attacks turned away as Avaritia howled with laughter

"You think you can match me?!" the Saligia roared.

If nothing else Jason had taught her one valuable lesson in their brutal training sessions – in battle do whatever the hell you need to win, rules and honour meant nothing if you were bleeding to death at your enemy's feet.

Susan spat at him, her saliva striking his eye and blinding him as she ducked his next slice, ramming her sceptre into his gut and blasting him back with a burst of power. A snake with gleaming fangs and copper scales was suddenly in front of her, lunging forwards, the Gentle Queen crying out in horror.

Inara rammed into Susan, sending her flying as the snake sank its fangs into her thigh. The half-Naga roared but managed to move, swiftly beheading the snake, the serpent dissolving into black ink.

Ira and Luxuria struck, the sin of wrath screaming as air and earth answered her call leaping forwards in a lance. Her sister added blue flames, the combined elements flying at them as Susan and Inara dove out of the way.

Peter, stricken by Luxuria's charms, could only blink owlishly as the attack slammed into him.

"PETER!"

The High King flew back, his body ramming hard into the wall and sliding boneless to the ground as Susan cursed.

"GO!" Inara roared.  
"TO ME!"

Another flash of light and Superbia was there, smiling as a sword appeared in his hands. They had no option but to run, Inara snatching Peter's limp body and hurling him over her shoulders.

"COVER!" she bellowed.

Susan dug into her pockets and pulled out a square glass flask. With the darkness screaming in her head she hurled it straight at the four Saligia as Luxuria let fly with another tongue of sapphire flames. Flask and fire met and the fluid exploded right in the sins' faces.

Through the smoke Susan and Inara ran, queen and half-Naga fleeing for their lives.

. . . . .

"Anything yet?"

Zaru shuddered as Edmund studied his companion. The leopard frantically tried to wipe his face clean, tried to buy himself a few precious seconds to settle his voice.

"No scent," he said gruffly.

He was lying through his teeth. He should have been able to pick up Lucy's scent by now, should have easily led Edmund to his sister but he could not smell a single thing except for the shame and guilt that cloaked his entire form.

Vainly he tried again, sucking in a deep breath but all he smelt was rot and ashes, sand and blood, the smell of those last terrible moments in Tzaraa when Makat had called the horsemen and burned his world to the ground.

Zaru suddenly felt tired to the bone. What use was he now? If he couldn't help Susan and Edmund save their sister, what use was he? He was sick of smelling nothing but guilt, sick of being seeing what his stupidity had caused in his dreams. He had not slept, had barely eaten and did not want to. He didn't deserve rest, deserve peace not when his creation walked the worlds helping the Great Darkness bring destruction to so many innocent places.

But what could he do?

He didn't know how to track Makat down, didn't know if he could defeat someone that had become some twisted by power and hate.

When he breathed in again it wasn't just guilt he smelt but the stench of his failure, the muggy scent of his exhaustion.

"What's wrong?" Edmund demanded.

Zaru froze.

"Nothing! I'm just – "

"You haven't slept in days. You're not yourself since the Orchard. What happened to you? Where were you?"  
Edmund hated emotions, they were messy, finicky things and he barely knew how to deal with his own let alone others. That was not to say he was not good at reading them. Edmund excelled as divining the thoughts of others, good at gently pushing them to do what he wanted but that was the manipulative skills plied on those who were not friends or family. Faced with the inner workings of those he actually cared about and Edmund was frozen stiff by fear.

The Just King had built a wall around him so that would had happened with Jadis would not happen again but that wall also kept those close to him out but he could no more dispense with it then he could cut out his own heart. So often he felt like the observer, a scientist peering down a looking glass at the specimens that was life.

He could make others laugh, could comfort them, wipe away their tears but a small part of him could not help but wonder how that was any different from manipulating a would-be ally or enemy to like him or fear him.

Maybe normal people didn't feel that way, maybe only people who was a little monstrous on the inside found emotions so very confusing and daunting.

Edmund winced but focused his attention back to Zaru, determined to get to the bottom of the leopard's bizarre behaviour.

"It's nothing – "

"What am I feeling?" Edmund said bluntly.

Zaru blinked at him.

"What?!"

"What am I feeling? You can smell my emotions as easily as other people can see my eyes are blue… so tell me," his chin jutted out in a stubborn challenge, "What am I feeling?"

Zaru breathed and once again a toxic wave of dark hate flooded through him.

"You're worried," Zaru said, pointing out the obvious, "You're scared but trying to hide it. You're angry and – "

"Right now I'm thinking about my first time to the zoo with my family. I was feeling happy, sad because I haven't seen my parents in who knows how long," Edmund said, cutting through his babbling words.

Zaru froze, watching the Just King, the royal studying him.

"Zaru," his voice was soft, "What's wrong?"

He tried to stop it, tried to keep it bottled up for just that moment longer but one more smell of burning guilt and horror and something in him cracked. It came tumbling out of him, a poisoned slew of horrible words that condemned him, that laid bare all his sins and the blood he had helped shed.

Being Lawless had been a living torture, the sands of this desert reminding him all too vividly of the sands of Tzaara. His waking moments had held no peace, his dreams even worse and the leopard felt like he was going insane.

He told it all to Edmund, one word leading to the next, all of it pouring out of him like a dam that could hold no longer.

On and on it went, the memories replaying itself before his eyes, branding him again. He held only one thing back, held the fact that he was now the Keeper of the Deplorable Word, that that was the reason why the Great Darkness had targeted him. He held onto it because he knew that such things had to be kept from others no matter what. But everything else it came out, the mistakes he had made, how blind he was to what Makat was becoming. And when he was done, when the tears had been wept, when it was all out Zaru wanted to just close his eyes and sleep but he dare not because the visions would come.

Edmund said nothing during his tale and he said nothing afterwards, Zaru looking at the ground, too ashamed to even meet his eyes.

The king suddenly laughed.

Zaru's head snapped up, the leopard glaring at him.

"Sorry!" Edmund spluttered, "Sorry!"

"Well, I'm glad this – " Zaru growled, a spike driven right into his heart.

"No."

Edmund's face became deadly serious.

"I'm laughing because the Great Darkness knows us all too well. He isn't trying to kill us with monsters, he's trying to kill us from within."

The leopard blinked.

"What?"

"He knows that nothing could destroy a man… or a cat quicker than guilt, self-loathing. Why try to kill a man when he could do it to himself? Gavin has tried to use that weapon many times against us," Edmund said gently, "He tried to do it with me…"

He could feel ghostly armour settle on his shoulders, could hear Aita's melodic voice in his head. But he also remembered the trial in Gomorrah, the realisation he had made there.

"He tried to do it with Elias…"

The scientist had been forced to kill an innocent woman and had tried to fight to the death as penance. But like him, Elias now knew that redemption was not something that could be achieved with a bloody death in battle, it was more than that. There was no judge, no arbiter to say that you were finished, that your fight to reclaim your soul was done. It had to come from within, it had to be you that could look in the mirror decide that you could finally bare to look at yourself.

"He's trying it with Jason and he's trying with you."

Zaru said nothing, merely watching him.

"So here's the part where you make a choice. Do you let the Great Darkness win? Do you let him destroy you and stop you from doing your part in this war?" Edmund said simply, "Because he could hit you with vision after vision, he could torment you ever day but are you going to let Gavin win?"

Edmund sighed.

"And what Makat did… those are his choices. He was the one who chose to succumb. He was the one who chose to destroy Tzara and all those worlds. You may have made some mistakes but does not take away his responsibilities. We are responsible only for ourselves and no on else," Edmund swallowed past the lump in his throat, "I betrayed my family to Jadis. Peter and Susan might have treated me like a child, might have made me want to lash out but what I did was what I chose to do. They are no more to blame for my mistakes than the wardrobe for bringing me to Narnia in the first place."

Please.

He looked at Zaru, his thoughts speaking aloud inside his head.

Please don't break, please don't lose yourself. Susan needs you more than she needs any of us. Please don't fall into the darkness yourself because we all need you to laugh, need you to remember how to.

Please.

Zaru said nothing for a long, long time. Finally he opened his mouth, his face betraying nothing.

"I – "

His gaze slipped past Edmund's shoulders and the leopard roared.

"WATCH OUT!"

Edmund's head snapped out and he gaped as a long thin figure scuttled across the ceiling of the cavern like a great white insect. Even as he watched the thing dropped, Zaru and Edmund diving out of the way.

Acedia landed on his feet, the sin of apathy staring hungrily at both of them. He could taste their guilt and their hurts, staining the air with their delicious scents.

He was hungry… so very hungry!

"RUN!"

The Saligia lunged at Zaru first, the leopard deftly dodging his claw-like fingers, slipping between his grasp and running for Edmund.

A dagger struck Acedia right in the throat, Edmund already holding a second in his hand as the Saligia staggered. Dark eyes met Edmund's as the corpse-like sin pulled the blade from his throat, the gaping wound already disappearing. Unfazed the king hurled the second dagger, hitting the thing right in the heart. Acedia reeled as Zaru tore at Edmund's leg.

"You can't beat him!" the leopard growled, "Not with swords!"

Acedia lunged at them, Edmund and Zaru falling back, careful to avoid the sin's deadly touch.

If the thing laid even one finger on them, it would drain everything that made them human, take away their thoughts and feelings, leaving them as nothing but empty husks of meat.

The Saligia leapt, clinging to the walls like a spider. He moved with impossible speed, leaping, climbing, Edmund and Zaru frantically trying to keep track.

"WATCH OUT!"  
Edmund slashed out wildly, cutting Acedia's arm but the wound vanished as soon as it had appeared. Cold hands closed around Edmund's wrist and the Just King was screaming. He felt as though he was falling, drowning in black. Numbness swept through him, trying to paralyse him from head to toe as Edmund tried to move, tried to fight. Pain and paralysis, fire and ice, it punched him again and again.

Why was he fighting?

Why was he trying?

It was easy… so easy…

Darkness swelled trying to take him and –

Zaru slammed into him, knocking the king free from the Saligia's grip as Acedia howled at him.

Edmund was ghostly pale, his freckles stark against his blood-drained face as the Just King almost collapsed his knees.

"Get up! Get up!" Zaru roared at him.

The king staggered to his feet as Acedia threw himself forwards. Without thinking Zaru lunged, clawing at the Saligia's face. He tore the skin from his cheeks, ripped his eyes apart but still Acedia lunged. Zaru tried to manoeuvre out of the way, tried to move but the sin's hands closed around his tail.

"NO!"

One slash and the sin's arm was open to the tendon but Acedia clung on, laughing with delight.

Acedia opened his mouth and it rushed into him, all that he felt from this cat. He drank in its guilt, its self-loathing, its anger, draining it all into his bottomless stomach, salivating at its rich fermented taste.

Zaru's eyes rolled to the back of his head, a deadly lethargy stealing over him as he tried to claw at the sin again. But his paw fell halfway, his limbs dead and heavy. Why was he trying to fight? What was the point? Why did he bother to even struggle?

His eyes fluttered shut, every part of him just wanting to go sleep, to sink down into the delicious darkness and feel nothing at all.

"Nooo…"

Acedia fed, cackling as he siphoned off all that hate and blame, each and every morsel like ambrosia as it slid down his throat.

Zaru's nose twitched as darkness rushed to claim him.

He smelt his own sweat, the muck thick with fear. He smelt the decay of the bodies in the Keeping Place. He smelt the strange aseptic scent of Acedia, as bland as most living things were rich. He smelt Edmund's terror, his helplessness and he caught a hint of something that was a tangled mess of scents, a bizarre potpourri of different smells and odours all twisted together. He smelt terror, smelt shame, cold purpose, rage and dark power, all of them wound dementedly around each other.

It could only be one thing.

"Lucy…"

He knew where the wayward queen was.

"GARGH!"

Acedia dropped him, the Saligia staggering as Edmund kicked him again. Zaru was free of the sin but the world was grey all around him, a terrible cold gripping every single part of him. He barely felt Edmund grab him by the scruff of the neck, barely felt the king drag him bodily down the winding corridor.

All Zaru could think of was one single thought – it was gone. The choking blanket of shame and guilt was gone, disappeared down the gullet of Acedia. He could smell again, could pick up all the thousand different scents and odours that told him more than sight or sound could.

He was whole again.

Zaru blinked.

And if his shame could disappear just like that, could be ripped away so easily… then why was he letting it cripple him.

But Zaru had no time to chase down that train of thought as Acedia exploded out from the shadows.

"TO ME!" he roared.

"What – "

Light flared at their back. Startle, they both turned. What they saw made their blood freeze.

Gula stared at them, big wet eyes gleaming in the dim light, his fat tongue sticking obscenely out of his mouth.

Superbia sneered, gleaming sword in hand.

"Hello swordsman. I am hoping that you have improved this time."

They were bound to each other, him and all his siblings thanks to that maggot Cyrus. It was a crafty spell Superbia would give him that.

Images, disjointed vivid flashes, fell through his head like snowflakes in a blizzard, visions of what his siblings were seeing. Their emotions ran through his head like the tributaries of a great stream, tangling through his own until he could barely tell them apart. But the most terrifying weapon they had acquired was the power to call each other, to summon any of their siblings to where they were by simply pulling at that mess of feelings and awareness.

Superbia laughed, enjoying the terror on his enemies' faces.

There was nowhere for them to run now!

Edmund and Zaru glanced at each other, both still weak from Acedia's touch and both made the same swift decision.

"RUN!"

. . . . .

She was nothing like a little girl anymore. She was a howling, roaring savage beast of fur and scales and spikes, bat-like wings scraping the walls, her talons sparking every time they raked stone. She screamed and the earth answered her cry, rising, hurling itself at her enemies.

She bellowed again and her rage infected everything around her, even the dead in the crypts.

Caspian's eyes widened in horror as bodies, scattered by Ira's rampage, began to rise. They groaned, teeth gnashing the air as a dark unnatural life flooded through their rotting bodies. As one their heads all swung towards Caspian and Elias, rage twisting their decaying faces.

"DUCK!" Elias roared.

He set his rough bomb on fire, igniting the cloth that was stuffed into a bottle of flammable fluid. He hurled it, blasting the first wave of undead apart as more living corpses rushed towards them.

Ira screeched, throwing herself forwards as Caspian tried to fend off his attackers, slicing through rotting flesh with his blade, gagging at the stench. A horned tail smacked into his chest, sending him flying as Ira howled in victory.

"CASPIAN!"

Elias dove, managing to break through the ring of corpses around him, setting one ablaze with his torch before kicking the burning body into its brethren. Rags, preserved and dried by embalming fluid and salt, ignited like tinder, the flames rapidly swallowing the undead.

Ira lunged at the scientist, swiping at him, sending him flying against the wall. Elias crunched against the salt-limed stone, hitting the floor in a dazed heap.

Caspian's blade glanced off Ira's scaled hide, the Saligia whirling, hissing at him. She rammed him with her head, the horns sprouting from her flesh cutting his skin.

He fell backwards, the corpses grabbing him, screaming as they tried to rent him limb from limb. Ira wailed, ripping the air with her claws, trying to slice him to ribbons but a burning torch exploded into her face, the Saligia burned and blinded.

"ROOOOOWWRRR!"

Elias swung the torch again, searing her neck and she was gagging, struggling to breathe.

"HURRY!" Caspian roared, his boot knocking the skull clean off one corpse.

The scientist's fingers were scrabbling through his clothes, trying to find the one thing that could stop Ira.

Where was it?! Where was –

His hands closed around a soft leather pouch and he pulled it with a yell of triumph.

"ELIAS!"

Ira sent the torch flying from his hands as she rammed bodily into him. Elias hit the ground, the sin of wrath pinning him down, fangs just a whisker from his face as she screeched right at him.

Without thinking, without hesitating Elias shoved his whole arm into the Saliga's gaping maws. Her blood-red eyes widened, her throat convulsing as she choked on his hand. Elias let go, dropping the whole mouth deep into her gullet.

She reared back, staggering, glaring at him as Elias looked at her, a satisfied smile on his blood and sweat-soaked face.

"What – "

Her eyes widened as she felt the fire burning inside of her flicker, fading as something completely alien spilled into her veins.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" she shrieked.

"Dreamweed."

He had seen what the drug had done to Coop when he was infected with the black sand, it had given him peace, had dulled his emotions. Ira was a monster that lived off her rage, gained power from it. Take that away, blunt it and what did you have?

Ira screamed as fog poisoned her mind, the uncontrollable urge to laugh, to sing, to sleep stealing through her. Her rage, her fury, it was fading, it was dying.

"What did you do?"

But it was not a monster who spoke but a little girl staring up at Elias with a dreamy smile on her face.

Elias looked down at her sadly.

"I helped you."

The corpses she had infected collapsed, their life fading like her powers. Ira wanted to dance, wanted to jump up and down for the pure delight of it but an ember of wrath was still struggling to ignite and she knew what to do.

"TO ME!"

. . . . .

They stopped on a bridge of stone that arched over a vast chasm. Argent stood right in the centre, beckoning to him, a dark smile on his face.

"I think this is a fitting place," he said.

There was darkness all around and below, a sheer drop from which there was no escape. Jason said nothing as he stepped onto the ridge, the ruach silent as it knew what would come.

"And there's one other thing," Argent's eyes gleamed.

He beckoned with one hand and from the shadows stepped a monster.

"Please…"  
Jason had heard what the others had told him but seeing it still felt like a blow to the gut.

Coop stared at him, pus and black sand pouring from his eyes, from his body. The boy was still unmutilated, still not a full born Scourge but he had been damaged in the battle inside the chasm. Bones had been broken, jagged spikes of white sticking from his flesh, from a rip in his gut a fat loop of pink bowel bulged.

"Please…"  
Tears joined the muck pouring from his eyes.

"Kill me."

Jason smiled sadly at the boy as Argent laughed, delighting in the misery Coop had caused.

"I will," he promised, "… I will."

This is for you.

Jason reached deep inside of him.

Yolanda… Delilah…

He was crying again.

Flax…

His resolve hardened.

Coop…

Fury flared and he used it, used his hate towards his older teacher like a hammer. He roared and with one swift blow he broke the wall between him and the ruach. There was a moment of quiet, a moment of contemplation and the power exploded out of him.

The stone bridge was obliterated, Argent and Coop was lost in the destruction as white fire tore his body apart.

. . . . .

Author's note: And now we enter the last chapter for the Laweless arc. I hope you've enjoyed it. Please continue to review – reviews are my drug!


	92. The fulfilling of the promise

And I'm back! In less than one month! Woot! And we are now so close to the return to Narnia!

Disclaimer: What's mine is mine, what's not is not

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 92: The fulfilling of the promise**

Her words came out slurred, her eyes unfocused as giggles bubbled from her lips.

"To me!" she laughed, clapping her tiny hands together in delight, "To me!"

Red tried to flare in her eyes but it died, the little girl scrunching her face up, trying to get mad, trying to do anything but dissolve into helpless laughter.

She swayed on her feet, big yawns stretching her tiny mouth.

"To me…"

She stumbled against the wall.

"To me…"

Elias and Caspian glanced at each other confused.

"What is she doing?" the king demanded.

"She could just be delirious. I did drug her with a whole pouch of dreamweed," Elias pointed out.

Ira's head slumped as she melted to the floor. Elias and Caspian watched her, half-expecting the Saligia to suddenly burst into life, to sprout horns and claws again. But a long moment passed and the little girl was still motionless on the ground, her eyes wide in her pair head, a dreamy looking possessing each iris.

"Is she – "

Caspian froze as he felt cold steel press against his back.

"What did you do to her?"

Caspian twisted his head and looked into Superbia's gleaming yellow eyes. Elias charged but a swift kick from the sin of pride sent him flying back.

"Ira… what did you do to her?"

Death was only one sword thrust away but still Caspian smiled.

"We drugged her."

Out of the corner of his eyes he could see the tall pale form of Acedia, the sin of apathy staring intently at Ira's still form.

"You did what?!" Superbia barked.

He whirled Caspian around, slamming the king against the wall. The Telmarine stared at him calmly as the sin of pride placed his blade right across his throat.

"I will kill you slowly," Superbia snarled, "I will rip your – "

The oldest of the Saligia froze, his head swinging towards Acedia.

"Acedia…"

He could feel his brother's excitement, his ecstasy as he looked at Ira.

"What – "

Superbia's eyes widened as Acedia lunged.

"NO!"

"Dreamweed!" the sin of antipathy screamed dementedly, "Dreamweed!"

He could taste it again, that wonderful intoxicating drug. He could sense the way it pumped through his sister's veins, opening her mind and soul to everything. She was a fountain of ecstasy, of wonder and bewilderment. She was seeing more, feeling more than any mortal, any immortal could ever experience. And he wanted it… he needed it.

"DREAMWEED!"

He grabbed his sister by her head, long fingers clamped on either side of her face. Ira merely laughed, giggling as Acedia looked deep into her eyes, his own unending wells of black.

"NO!"

Superbia shoved Caspian away, rushing to stop his brother but Acedia was already feeding, his powers reaching deep into Ira and ripping every single bit of her out. The false ecstasy of the dreamweed, the dizzying exalted heights she was dancing off poured down his throat, the Saligia drinking it all in.

Superbia slashed at his brother and though he tore a terrible wound in his side, the sin of apathy felt nothing, eyes rolled to the back of his head, still feasting on his own brethren.

"STOP!" Superbia roared, "STO –"

Caspian speared into him, king and Saligia flying away from Acedia as he fed and fed and fed, gorging himself on the feast of emotions. He devoured every drop of joy, every drop of wonder until everything the dreamweed had manufactured was gone. But then he reached another layer, explosive fiery rage pouring from his sister and into him.

Acedia laughed, fire and lava pouring down his throat and into his stomach. It settled there, cooling and vanishing, his hunger as bottomless as ever. Ira twitched in his grip, her face draining itself of all blood like her soul was drained of all feeling, her eyes losing their dreamy gaze and becoming simply blank.

Superbia and Caspian wrestled, the king trying to pin him down but the sin easily pushed him off, hurling the king away with monstrous force. The Saligia rolled to his feet, lunging at Acedia but it was already too late.

The sin of apathy dropped his sister, Ira hitting the ground, her eyes and face blank, locked that way forevermore.

"NO!"

"More…"

Acedia was crying, trying to clinging onto those precious feelings even as they faded.

"More…"

More dreamweed. More victims. Anything to fill the emptiness in his heart.

"You – " Superbia's anger exploded like a bomb.

He backhanded his brother, sending him crashing to the ground but Ira was gone. He couldn't feel anything from her anymore, the tangle of red-hot fury that was the part of her inside his head was gone, replaced with absolute numbness.

Acedia crawled to his feet, his face already unmarked but the gaping wound in his side, the one Superbia had struck as the sin had fed from Ira remained, blood dripping down the monster's hip and leg. The sin stared at his older brother, everything he had taken from Ira already melting into nothing.

"You – " Superbia bit his tongue.

Two of them had fallen and yet all of their enemies were still alive. How was that possible?! How as that –

"KILL THEM!" Superbia roared, his voice flying all his siblings through their link, "KILL THEM ALL!"

He whirled ready to crush the two before him but Caspian and Elias had already fled. Superbia screamed, charging after them, his rage blasting the tombs and crypts all around into smithereens.

. . . . . .

Gold blades flew at them, Inara shoving Susan away as she whirled, deflecting them all with her sword, Peter still thrown over one of her shoulders.

"TAKE HIM!" Inara roared.

She heaved the High King at Susan, the Gentle Queen barely catching him, dragging him behind a crypt wall.

Avaritia leapt through the darkness, swords raining down on Inara's as the half-Naga growled, trying to fend him off. He kicked her, Inara staggering back barely blocking his next slash.

"You can't beat me little girl!" the sin of greed howled.

His swords, bejewelled things with lethal edges, flashed through the air.

"CLANG! CLANG!"

Inara was acting on pure adrenaline and instinct, her own sword shuddering and shaking in her hand like a living thing as she met the Saligia's attacks again and again.

He kicked her, Inara blocking with her knee, slamming her sword against Avaritia's two and throwing him back. The gold-eyed monster snarled and daggers flew at her, Inara swiftly deflecting the first wave.

He sliced forwards, Inara twisting, blocking his slash, whirling around again and blocking his next blow. He whipped both swords around at neck height, Inara falling to her knees, back arched as the sailed over her.

She swept his legs out from under him, trying to plant a foot on his throat as he rolled away. A second roar and Inara was hit with a second flurry of golden daggers, the blades appearing from nowhere and flying at her like arrows. They cut her everywhere, Inara yelling out as Avaritia lunged.

His first slice cut her arm open, his second blocked. Inara tried to rise, her enemy raining down blows on her.

"GARGH!"

She slammed a fist into his gut, the sin reeling back as Inara exploded forwards, ramming into him, throwing her off-balance before spinning around and kicking him viciously in the side of the head.

Metal flashed in the torchlight and Inara was fighting off invisible swordsmen, their blades darting and slicing at her.

"THAT'S – "

She threw herself to the ground to avoid being beheaded.

" – CHEATING!"

She leapt, kicking out, her boot finding a crosshilt and sending the sword flying backwards straight at its master. It cracked Avaritia right between the eyes, stunning him, the swords in the air melting to nothing.

Inara landed, gasping for breath, bleeding in a dozen places as Avaritia straightened, not a single mark on him.

"Tired?" he asked, gold teeth bared in a vicious grin.

Inara forced her shrieking muscles to move, raising her blade.

"Barely started!" she snapped.

They clashed again in a burst of sound and fury, Inara throwing everything she had at the sin. She let herself become water, become air, flowing around his strikes, turning his force back against him. At others times she was fire, leaping, darting, trying to consume him with raw power. Through the different forms of sword-fighting she flowed, trying to throw Avaritia off-balance, trying to make him guess her next move.

But no matter what she did, he seemed to read her exactly right, always ready to parry her blows, always forcing her to avoid his strikes.

Inara could hear Susan's yells but it was no use, they were locked so close together in such furious combat that any interference could result in her death.

She twisted their swords together, trying to disarm him with a trick Edmund had taught her but his other blade came swinging around, Inara forced to leap back to avoid before cut in two.

He was laughing at her, sneering, enjoying their little game as he lunged at her, knowing she could block, toying with her.

Inara howled with fury, counter-attacking, lunging only for Avaritia to back-hand her. "INARA!"

Susan took a step forwards and froze as a huge tawny form exploded out from the shadows.

"Careful dear…"

A tiger stood between her and Luxuria, the massive cat staring at her balefully, its mouth bristling with grotesquely over-sized teeth. Its eyes were like pools of fire, one paw easily the size of a shield. The behemoth of the jungle eyed her hungrily, trying to decide which morsel it would devour first.

"… no interference," Luxuria hissed.

A snake unravelled itself from the tattoos on her arm, an ink-black hound that seemed to move like liquid through the air joining Luxuria's monsters.

The Hunt-Beast growled inside her head and Susan felt her lips rise in a cold smile.

"You honestly haven't learnt your lesson?" the Gentle Queen barked.

Her right eye burned with heat, gold swimming through the crystal blues. She could see the Hunt-Beast inside her mind's eyes, the stag that was not a stag but the wild king of the woods, of the forests, undisputed and glorious.

The tiger, the snake and the hound froze, tongues flicking out, noses twitching as they smelt power rising from her skin, smelt savage hunger and wild strength.

"They are mine!"

The Hunt-Beast roared with her words and the three beasts before her quailed, instantly recognising her dominance. Shock flashed across Luxuria's face as her beasts dropped to the ground, the tiger and the hound on its belly, the snake coiling itself back up.

Susan glared at the sin that had tried to tear her and Caspian apart, light blazing from her right eye.

"Anything else up your sleeve?" she smirked.

Luxuria snarled and the three beasts dissolved into ink, flowing back to her naked skin. She threw her arms forwards and thorny vines exploded from her flesh, blood-red roses blooming thick amongst the green.

The tangle of thorns threw itself at Susan's face like a living thing, the Gentle Queen diving out of the way.

"I will tear you limb to limb then I will steal your king away!" Luxuria howled.

More rose-thorns grew from her body, darting through the air like green snakes. They dove into the hard stone earth, exploding out behind the queen, cutting off her escape.

Susan merely rolled her eyes, her sceptre already in her hands. Red light blazed, the queen cutting through the thorns and spikes, Luxuria screaming.

Black burst from her skin, streams of inky shadow flying out and smashing into Susan. She ripped through the bower of rose thorns, skin and clothing ripping. Before she could even get her breath back, the stream of black reached out and grabbed her ankle, hurling her through the air.

Susan smacked into the ground, stunned and winded as Luxuria laughed, her melodious voice echoing far and wide inside the Keeping Place. Behind the sin Susan could see Inara hit the wall, Avaritia lunging at her.

"Now…"

Blue flames boiled in the palm of Luxuria's hands.

"Where were we?"

She felt stone shattered beneath her as she hit the wall. Inara fell to the ground but had no time to even groan before she had to roll out of the way, Avaritia's blades sparking off the ground.

Inara staggered to her feet, weakly slashing out, Avaritia easily dancing out of the way. They clashed away, Avaritia pushing her back, Inara stumbling. She recovered, sword raised, ready to meet his next attack but nothing came.

Inara blinked.

"What – "

Her silver eyes flicked to Avaritia's face and she frowned realising the Saligia was not even looking at her. Warily she followed his gaze, ready to defend herself if it was all just a ploy.

Shelves had been cut into the walls, open-aired vaults each with a stone coffin, one stacked on top of another like bricks. She had broken several of them when Avaritia had hurled her against them, old stone cracking and crumbling beneath her weight.

Gold had spilt out of one of the coffins, the body inside obviously the remains of someone rich and powerful. Like blood leaking from a wound, coins had dribbled out of the cracks, pooling on the ground in a shimmering pool.

Avaritia's eyes were trained onto the gold, hunger burning in his eyes.

"Well… well…"

Inara charged, Avaritia blocking. He shoved her back but made no move to attack her, rooted to the spot as he continued to stare at the gold.

"Mine…" the words crawled out of his throat, desperate and yammering, "MINE!"

He whirled on her, eyes blazing.

"MINE!"

He dove, throwing himself onto the coins desperately grabbing at them as Inara lunged.

With a scream she kicked him away from the coins, the sin of greed screaming in desperation.

"Mine, mine, mine don't you have an Achilles heel the size of the Titanic?" Inara sneered.

She grabbed a handful of the coins as Avaritia screamed at her.

"THEY'RE MINE!" he bellowed like a child being denied his toy, "THEY'RE MINE!"

Inara yelped as he charged. His blades lunged for her throat, her heart, the sin done with playing, now trying to slice her open and string her guts all over the floor.

The half-Naga felt steel cut across her throat, a shallow slice but enough to draw blood. A second slash ripped her shirt open, her belly scored from rib to hip.

"TAKE IT!" Inara roared, "TAKE THEM!"

She hurled the coins over his shoulder and Avaritia's head instantly snapped to watch them fall, the sin of greed drawn towards his treasure. His blades dropped and in that moment of distraction, that moment of inaction Inara struck.

She roared, throwing all her strength into one final attack.

Her blade flew in a silver arch and bit deep, deep into flesh and into bone, blood spurting everywhere.

Avaritia screamed, his eyes already dimming as she ripped her sword free and hacked down again. It took three Herculean blows and Avaritia's body collapsed twitching to the ground. His head rolled away before resting amongst the gold coins that had been his undoing.

Inara allowed herself one smile, one moment to stare down at her fallen foe before she whirled.

"Queenie!"

She charged, ready to fight their next enemy as somewhere deep in the Keeping Place she could hear the other Saligia screaming in anguish.

Jets of blue flames flew at her, Susan dodging frantically. She spun, countering one blast with a burst of red light, ducking as another tried to melt her face.

Luxuria tried to grab her with ribbons of black, tried to hold her down but the Gentle Queen danced through the darkness. Jason and Zaru had trained her well, the two putting her through brutal training regimes where they had done all they could to hit her and she had to do all she could to avoid harm.

"STAND STILL!" Luxuria screamed at her.

Susan screamed as thorny vines exploded out from the ground, wrapping itself around her leg. She tried to pull free but the green tightened its grip trying to tear her limb apart. Her head snapped up as the sin of lust howled with mirth, one hand raised, blue flames ready to reduce her to ashes.

The Saligia's glee shot through the link with her brethrens, her triumph making itself known to all of them. Through her connection with Superbia, she could feel her older brother's approval, his pride in her. It made her victory that much sweeter to know that even he acknowledged the greatness of this moment.

But then through the very same link came a burst of terror and pain, shooting through her like an electric shock.

"Avaritia!" she breathed.

The connection to him went dead and it hit her like an avalanche. Her arm fell, her eyes going wide as she swayed. The anguish of his last moments, his despair tore through her like wildfire and it was all she could do to stop herself from screaming.

Susan swiftly and ruthlessly struck.

Without knowing why her enemy was frozen, without caring she hurled her sceptre across the space between them. It shot through the air like a spear, razor edge gleaming and Luxuria was still caught in her brother's death when the sceptre punched right through her chest.

Her head snapped back, her eyes wide as the darkness in Susan burst into shrieking laughter.

FINISH HER!

FINISH HER!

Her bow was in her hands before she even knew it, the string pulled back with a gleaming arrow in place.

Susan waited, watching, not even breathing as Luxuria stared down in astonishment as the dark and twisted weapon sticking out from her flesh.

The Gentle Queen's arrow punched straight through her skull and skewered itself into her brain.

Luxuria dropped, the thorns gripping Susan dissolving, the fire and darkness all around vanishing.

Limping forwards the queen towered over her fallen foe and just to make sure she shot her full of silver arrows.

"Queenie?"

Susan turned and Inara flinched as her friend looked at her with pure red eyes. Behind them laid Avaritia's headless body, before them Luxuria's bloodied, pin-cushioned form. Inara grimaced as Susan wrenched her sceptre free with a sickening squelch.

"Let's go," the queen said in a guttural, barely human voice.

They collected Peter's unconscious form before disappearing deeper into the labyrinth of the Keeping Place, the tide of the battle now very firmly in their favour.

. . . . . .

Zaru had to stop himself form laughing hysterically as the scent he was tracking grew stronger and stronger.

"Almost there!" he yelled over his shoulders.

Who could have imagined it would have been Acedia, one of the monsters they were fighting, who would help rid the shame that had blanketed him. By devouring the guilt, the self-loathing the Saligia had finally managed to remove the rotting smell that had blocked Zaru's nose, the leopard once again blessed with his almost supernatural gift.

But it wasn't just the fog that had lifted, Zaru felt lighter in the heart and his soul. Edmund's words buoyed him, Acedia's actions fuelling him. The monster had stripped the physical reminders of his sins so very easily so why should he let it cripple him internally.

Makat was unleashed on the worlds and his day of reckoning will come. Zaru just had to make sure he was strong and whole, ready to bring the boy back to the light or make him pay. Destroying himself before that would just mean his sins would go unfixed.

Footsteps rang loud in Zaru's ears and he knew he had found them.

"Don't attack! Don't attack!" he barked as he whipped around the corner.

"Zaru!"

Elias and Caspian lowered their weapons as the leopard grinned at them, Edmund running up right behind him.

"I know where Lucy is!"

Zaru knew he was grinning and sounding like a lunatic but he couldn't help it, rejoicing at the return of his senses, marvelling at how bright and wonderful the world smelt. Everything that was hidden to the others, all the million of brilliant, dark things his nose told him was back and Zaru was begging to realise just how crippled he had been.

"Ira's dead," Caspian reported.

"And I know how to stop Acedia," Elias added quickly.

Edmund and Zaru glanced at each other and grimaced. They had only managed to barely fight off Acedia and these two had managed to fall one Saligia already?

"How?" Edmund demanded.

Zaru led the way again, half-listening to the three following him.

"I dosed Ira with the dreamweed like we planned and it worked, the drug robbing her of her ability to feel anger. Then Acedia appeared and fed off her. Superbia was there as well and he cut Acedia's side trying to stop him. When Acedia finished feeding, Superbia struck him again but that wound obviously disappeared… the cut in his side didn't," Elias smiled, "Acedia is only immortal when he isn't feeding. He's vulnerable when he is… when he can feel emotions."

"So we just have to trick him into feeding and then strike him," Caspian summed up neatly.

"What about the other Saligia? Gula? Luxuria? Avaritia?" Edmund asked.

Elias shrugged helplessly as Edmund grimaced.

They continued down the winding path, here and there broken crypts showing where the Scourges, the Saligia and Cyrus had searched for this mysterious third seal. What it was, what it had to do with the black egg none of them had a clue

Zaru suddenly blinked, freezing as a strange sound flittered into his ears.

It was rhythmic, a flurry of steady sound growing louder by the second.

"Zaru?" Elias asked.

"What…" Zaru blinked, "Wings?'

"CAWWWW!"

The leopard's eyes widened.  
"DOWN!"  
The cavern was suddenly filled with dark screeching forms, talons and beaks tearing at them as they yelled, trying to stop the things from gouging out their eyes, peck the tongue from their mouths.

The ravens and the crows, all eaters of the dead, screeched as one before they arrowed up to the roof cavern, swarming together in a flurry of wings. Their feathery forms seemed to melt together, coalescing until they had become a squat pale form crouched on a rocky ledge high above their heads.

Gula stared down at them, blank, huge wide lids pressed together.

"Careful," Caspian growled, "He's str – "

The monster's fat tongue shot out with the speed of a bullet, the pink bulbous thing revealing its had a mouth of its own. Needle-like fangs snapped open and shut as they dived out of the way.

Gula leapt, hitting the ground as Edmund and Caspian charged. They both stabbed deep, swords sinking into its bulging gut the Saligia barely noticed. He slammed his fat hands into both men, sending them flying as Zaru roared, flying at the thing's neck.

His claws cleaved through fat but hit nothing vital, the leopard sailing past. A brutal kick sent his body smashing into the wall as Gula flung its tongue at Elias.

The scientist barely managed to leap out of the way, the monstrous appendage gnashing its teeth at him.

"WATCH OUT!"

Gula sucked its tongue back it its gaping maw and pursed its lips. He fired globs of saliva at them, the spit hitting the walls and burning through stone like acid. Elias barely managed to dodge the deadly barrage, almost falling flat on his face before diving behind a cairn, the carved stone saving his life.

"Any ideas?!" he yelled.

Caspian and Edmund climbed to their feet, Zaru trying to shake off the pounding pain in his head. Gula merely blinked at them all, swords sticking out from his gut, bloody gashes striping his neck. Without warning he lunged again, trying to snatch Edmund and Caspian in huge splayed hands.

The Saligia wobbled with roll upon roll of fat but he was impossibly quick, grabbing onto Edmund's arm before the king could move. One vicious twist and Edmund was on his knees, screaming, trying to stop from the monster from ripping his limb off.

"ED!"  
Caspian threw himself at Gula, the Saligia instantly swatting him aside as Zaru roared, leaping and clawing at the Saligia's back. Elias charged, flaming torch still in hand as he rammed the thing at the sin of gluttony. Skin blackened and fat sizzled as Gula burned, Edmund managing to wrench his arm away as the monster's tongue shot out, slamming into Elias and throwing him back.

Gula's clothes burned, wreathing him in fire as Edmund grabbed one of the swordhilts still protruding from the thing's belly and threw all his strength behind it, ramming the blade deep into the monster.

The Just King staggered back, arms singed, covered in soot as Gula roared in pain.

"HE'S GOING TO – "

Gula shuddered and his body tore itself apart, his whole form dissolving in a screaming murder of crows and ravens.

Their eyes gleamed red as the birds threw themselves at their enemies, Edmund and the others instantly swallowed up by the massive flock. They were blinded, lost in black as talons and beaks found their flesh again and again.

Zaru roared, clawing at his tormentors, crushing them in his jaws, broken feathered forms falling all around him but still they came.

Edmund and Caspian fell, trying to tear the birds off them, the insane things clinging onto their clothing with their wicked talons. Elias had managed to retrieve his torch, waving the flames frantically, the rancid smell of burnt feathers and flesh making him gag.

Through the flurry of feathers, of screeching beaks and hungry eyes Zaru caught a glimpse of something much bigger. He howled as a raven tore his ear, batting the thing away with his paws. The leopard's hung swung back, trying to find what he had just caught a snatch off through the madness.

Where was it? Where was it? Where was –

There!

It was a bird. Not a crow or a raven like its brethren but something bigger, a grotesque eater of the dead with a pink bald head and a ruff of white feathers around its long neck. It soared high above the crows and ravens, as silent as the others of its flock were thunderously loud, a dark wraith amongst the killers.

Zaru fell into a crouch, his eyes trained on that lone bird, not even flinching as the crows and ravens raked at his face. The tip of his left ear was torn off, blood pouring down his face but still Zaru did nothing, waiting, watching.

"ROOOWWWRRR!"  
He exploded forwards, ripping through the birds all around him, flinging their bodies aside. Zaru leapt, bouncing off a cairn, hitting a stony ledge, hind legs shooting out like springs. He threw himself through the air, bursting through the throng of shrieking scavengers and the strange lone bird was right before him.

Its bald head whirled, eyes wide but Zaru already had it by the throat. It tried to scream, long beak clacking uselessly, huge wings buffeting the cat. With foul blood pouring down his throat, Zaru wrenched and he felt bone crack.

The death-bird instantly went still in his jaws as all the crows and all the ravens let out one piercing horrified scream.

The limp form in Zaru's jaws exploded into ash, the leopard choking as he fell through the air. He tumbled through dissolving, melting forms, each and every bird that had made up Gula collapsing into bitter ash.

His companions looked up, battered and bloodied, staring in wonder as Zaru hit the ground. Soot fell like rain from the cavern roof, staining their skin, their hair as Zaru pulled slowly pulled himself up.

"So…" he beamed as the others stared at him, "How awesome am I – "

His words turned into a blood-curdling scream as white hands shot out from the shadows, bony fingers closing around his face. Numbness swept through him, ice flowing through his veins, his limbs going dead as Acedia shrieked with laughter.

"He's feeding!" Elias roared as Zaru twitched in the Saligia's grip, "NOW! NOW!"

Edmund and Caspian snatched their swords from the ground rushing at the sin as he continued to feast on Zaru's feelings, on his heart. The wound Superbia had slashed into his side still bled, the sin of antipathy focused purely on his feast.

He didn't even look up as the two kings beared down at him, their swords flashing through the air.

Zaru collapsed to the ground, the monster's hands still clinging to his face as Acedia collapsed, Edmund's sword driven right through his heart, Caspian slamming his home right through Acedia's mouth, hilt jutting out from his lips, blade exploding out the back of his head.

"Zaru?" Edmund was instantly by the leopard's side, "Zaru?!"

The leopard looked at him, blinking blearily.

"Owww…" he moaned, trying to shake off the Saligia's cursed touch, "You know what'll make me feel better?"  
Edmund raised a brow.

"Food?" he smirked.

Zaru nodded gingerly before closing his eyes and groaning again.

"He's fine," Edmund announced with obvious relief.

Gula and Acedia… two more sins had fallen. That left only Avaritia, Luxuria and Superbia.

Elias flipped the names of their enemies and their powers through his mind like a book, trying to sort out their next plan, waiting for inspiration to strike.

But something else struck first.

"NO!"

Caspian was almost cleaved in half by the first blow, overpowered and stabbed through the shoulder by the second. The king collapsed, blood pouring out of him as Edmund and Elias whirled.

Superbia screamed at them, pure madness in his voice as he charged.

Edmund pulled his sword free from Acedia's body and in one smooth movement blocked Superbia's blade. But three thunderous strikes and the Just King suddenly found himself completely weaponless, diving out of the way as Superbia lunged at him.  
Howling the sin of pride raised his sword, towering over Zaru's twitching form.

"NOOO!"

Elias slammed into him, the scientist tackling the monster bare-handed, knocking him off balance.

"CRACK!"

Elias went down, eyes rolling to the back of his head as Superbia punched him again, kicking him down and stomping on his chest. Edmund rushed at him, Caspian's sword in his hand but again Superbia was more than his match, easily fending his slashes and cutting the king deep in the thigh.

Edmund stumbled, falling as Superbia kicked him straight in the face, snapping his body back. The king crashed to the ground, stunned as his conqueror smiled coldly, ready to finish him off once and for all.

Red light flared and Superbia was sent flying.

"Susan!"

Susan and Inara stood at the mouth of the cavern, Peter supported between them. In his sister's free hand, the sceptre of Tash burned with power, Susan blasting Superbia back with another burst of crimson light.

"By the way just in case you didn't know," Susan spat, "Luxuria and Avaritia are dead."

Superbia screamed at her, catching her next attack and hurling it away, a crypt promptly exploding as the red light touched its salt-limed surface.

The last remaining Saligia screamed at them, cursed their very existence as he raised his sword, the other hand burning with red light.

Inara cursed violently, lowering Peter to the ground as she unsheathed her sword.

Superbia barked with laughter, ready to crush them all. Susan and Inara charged but the sin of pride blasted the earth at their feet, red light flaring, both queen and half-Naga hitting the wall and sliding to a dazed heap on the ground.

"There is nobody that can defeat me!" Superbia screamed at them, "Nobody that can hope to match me! I am stronger than you! I am faster than you! I am greater than you can possibly imagine!"

He flung out his hand and Inara screamed as red energy tore through her. Superbia struck her again and again, not enough to kill, just enough to send her to the edge of unconsciousness then drag her back kicking and screaming.

"STOP!" Susan screamed, "STOP IT!"

She was hit next, the queen flailing around wildly as her nerves burned red hot. Caspian tried to rise but he swayed on his feet, blood still pouring from the ghastly wound in his shoulder, the king wilting as his vision swam.

Superbia laughed, pouring more and more of his power into Susan, laughing as her screams rose.

"No."

Superbia ceased his attack, his head snapping towards Edmund.

"No," the Just King's nose was shattered, blood pouring down his face but his blue eyes did not wave, "You are not the strongest. You are not the greatest."

"WHAT?! HOW DARE – "

"Cyrus controls you. How can you claim to be the best, the strongest when you are at the beck and call of a mere mortal?" Edmund demanded.

The red power in Superbia's hand flickered.

"You're nothing!" Edmund hurled at him, "You're not even strong enough to rid yourself of Cyrus, not even strong enough to be in control of yourself!"

The sin of pride gaped at Edmund, seemingly shrinking in on himself as the king's voice became harsher, more accusatory, biting to the quick.

"You weren't strong enough to stop us from butchering your family…"

A memory caught Edmund's attention.

"And you were sealed away weren't you?" he demanded, "Defeated and locked away. And you profess to be undefeatable? You dare profess to be greater than anything that has ever lived?"

"No…" Superbia was shaking his head, the sword in his hand winking in and out of existence, the red energy he had claimed from Susan completely gone, "No!"

"YOU ARE NOTHING!" Edmund roared at him, face red, "YOU ARE WEAK!"

"NOOOO!"

Something in Superbia broke. In one second what had been a towering man with all the power in the world was now a shrieking broken thing.

"You're a liar!" Superbia screamed at Edmund, "I am strong! I am strong!"

His conviction weakened with every word, his roars becoming the whimpers of a child.

"I am strong… stronger than you… stronger than…"

"Your power lies in belief, in honestly and truly believing you are better than everyone… a better swordsman… a better magician but you… you can be defeated just like everyone else…"  
Edmund walked towards the final and oldest of the Saligia as he crumpled to the ground, beating at the stone, weeping.

"You are just like us. No worse… and no better."

"No…"

Saligia looked up at him, eyes wide, pleading.

"No… I am great… I am…" his voice broke, the once great and mighty Saligia weeping.

"No," Edmund said softly, firmly, "You're not."

The Just King took the flickering sword from his hand, the thing as insubstantial as air in his grasp and slit the sin's throat.

Superbia's eyes widened, blood bubbling from his lips, the horrible gash in his throat and he fell backwards, twitching once, twice, three times and the finally he was still.

Edmund closed his eyes.

It was done.

All seven Saligia dead, their crown now unprotected.

He opened his eyes again and looked at his family as Susan and Inara crawled trembling to their feet, Zaru shaking off Acedia's touch, Elias gaping at him. Caspian and Peter lay where they had fallen, both utterly still.

"Wait…"  
Edmund frowned.

"Where's Jason?"

. . . . . .

His eyes fluttered open.

He was alive because he was in way too much pain to be dead.

"Ugh…"

The moan rose from his lips before he could stop himself, a quick curse following as he realised just how pathetic he had sounded.

Jason pulled himself up, well aware that one arm was bloodied and dangling useless from his shoulders, another leg all but raw meat below the knee.

Forcing pain and nausea back Jason looked all around him. The ruach had destroyed the stone bridge they had been standing on, plummeting down deep into the abyss. He was now lying amongst rubble and broken stone, the ground all around him cracked and smoking, painted with starbursts of soot and ash. His power had broken solid rock, deep rifts and fissures splitting the ground.

He could feel the ruach once again coursing through his veins, a white hot river of fire that could oh so easily burn this entire cave to slag.

Jason grimaced as he tried to move, sharp pains in his chest telling him many of his ribs were broken. His one working hand was slick with blood and when he tried to move it, it felt like needles were stabbing deep into each and every bone.

One eye was swollen shut, the other seeing wisps of black around the edges of his vision. And he spat, blood and teeth came away from his mouth.

But Jason forced his pain away, there would be time to collapse later for now he had to make sure he had finished the job properly.

But there was no sign of Argent, no sign of Coop, everywhere he looked just the ruins of the bridge and fallen in crypts.

Jason dragged himself through the wreckage, gritting his teeth as his shattered leg seemed to find every sharp rock. The Seeker left behind a wide slick trail of his own blood, the dark mist hovering in his vision growing thicker by the second.

Where were they? Had he burned them completely from existence? Where –

Cold steel bit into his back and Jason froze.

"Very good Nathaniel," Argent hissed.

Jason turned himself over, ignoring the sword pointing straight at his face. His older teacher was just as broken at he was, his face a mess of blood and bruises, dark eyes leering out. He stood favouring one leg, terrible burns marking almost every square inch of his skin but still he managed to stand.

"You almost killed us all," the older Seeker sneered.

"I'm not finished yet."

He tried to summon the ruach, tried to burn the man in front of him but nausea struck him, tossing him into a dizzying ocean of black and colours. He heaved, trying not to vomit as Argent laughed at his pain.

"I'm so disappointed Nathaniel," Argent's blade traced itself across Jason's throat.

"Why did you do it?" Jason's throat pressed itself against the sword as he talked.

Argent froze.

"What?"

"Why did you train us?" Jason demanded.

"I chose you because – " Argent snarled.

"You chose us because we were all broken. Coop murdered his own sister. Flax had his soul burned out of him when his father murdered his mother and siblings right before him and then killed himself, bathing the boy in his blood," Jason said flatly, "You chose us all because we didn't care if we lived or died. But why did you gather us? Why did you train us?"

Argent stared down at him, his sword hand shaking.

"Why?" Jason growled, "Why did my wife and daughter die?"

"Because you were meant to kill me. One of you had to be strong enough."  
Argent blinked, shocked at what had just spilt from his mouth. Jason said nothing, staring at him, waiting.

"I am a warrior!" Argent snarled, "I am the greatest warrior that ever lived. I am the man that legends speak of, the man whose exploits are known far and wide."

Argent howled with laughter.

"I will live on through words and stories long after I'm dead."

Still Jason said nothing.

"But do you know how the stories will end?" Argent demanded, spitting at him, "They will end with how I lived the last of my days in Cienaga, an old man drained of strength and power, whimpering in his bed, unable to control even his own bladder as death claimed him."

Argent kicked him then, Jason falling, his eyes fluttering shut.

"I am a legend! And my story will end like that?! It should end in blood and glory! The Great Argent cut down in battle by the students he had trained, betrayed by those he loved! That will burn my life into the minds of all forevermore!" Argent screamed at him, "You three were meant to be strong enough to kill me! You three were meant to make me immortal!"

"That's it?"

Jason forced his eyes open.

"That's it?" he rasped, "That's why?"

"You cannot hope to understand!" Argent roared, "I am trying to achieve godhood! I am trying to make myself the symbol in whose name great warriors and barons would rise, the cautionary tale that will drive the decisions of generals and Seekers for time eternal! I will be forever!"

"ROOOOOWRRRR!"

Argent screamed as a hand exploded out of gut, fingers curled like claws as blood and gore fell in a crimson torrent. The older Seeker twisted his head and stared right into Coop's snarling, bestial face.

"Yes!" Argent laughed even as blood poured from his mouth, "YES!"

He managed to slam his sword home right through his own chest, exploding out of his back and into Coop, pinning the two together.

"Finally…" Argent began to laugh, his eyes blazing with victory, "FINALLY!"

They stumbled, tripping over a block of stone and suddenly they were pitched into one of the rifts in the ground. Argent howled with laughter, Coop howling with pure animalistic rage as they fell.

The ground rumbled, shaking as the two fell as though accepting the tribute that had just fallen into its grasp.

The great legend of Argent was finished, lost into the darkness, killed at last by one of his own.

Argent would live forever. But his tale would not finish with him dying in the hands of the ones he had loved and trusted but in the fall of Cienaga, a great hero defending his home until his very last breath.

Jason cursed the man with everything he had.

He laid there, the blood pooling around him cooling. His eyes closed, the urge to sleep swamping him.

His world became a mere slit, that tiny gap closing, sealing itself shut as Jason slept in a womb of black.

"Hey!"

His eyes snapped open and Inara stood over head, one brow raised.

"What are you doing?" she demanded with a smirk, "Sleeping on the job?"

. . . . . .

The wall of the crypt cracked and shattered, falling to broken stone as Cyrus laughed with triumph

"It's here!" he yelled, "It's here!"

He could feel it, could feel the same power he had felt in the presence of the other two seals. Lawless's salvation was close at hand, his whole life's work finally almost completed.

He flung his hand out and a single stone coffin flew from the vault in the wall, slamming to earth. Another gesture and the heavy lid flew away, shattering as it hit the far wall.

"It is here," he breathed.

Cyrus could hardly breathe as he looked into the stone box. A thin form laid there, a body emaciated by time, tiny and shrunken, insignificant in almost every single way but for the thick black markings etched into his skin.

This was the last seal, the last of the line of warriors that had sealed the beast away. This was the last thing that stood between Lawless and a new golden age.

"It is here," Cyrus said one last time, fire dancing on his fingertips.

Behind him Empress Lucille said nothing, simply watching the mage.

Cyrus reached down into the coffin ready to burn the last seal and save Lawless forever.

"TWHIP!"

He screamed, an arrow burying itself in his shoulder. He reeled, whirling and roaring as he saw those that stood at the door of this most sacred crypt.

"Get away from there!" Susan spat.

They were all there, the kings and queen of Narnia, Aslan's champions. They stood tall, whole once more, sang together by the High King's powers.

"Lucy," Edmund said strongly, his eyes on hissister, "You have to fight her. You can let the Empress – "  
"There is no Lucy," Lucille cut him off brutally, "There is only me."

Edmund flinched as the Empress gave him a cold smile, reminding him that she was untouchable.

"If you kill Cyrus you will kill me also," she said enjoying the pained looks on their faces, "So… what is your plan here?'

"SHUT UP!" Peter roared at her, "Lucy – "

The Empress grabbed Cyrus by the arm, blue-green eyes looking at him imploringly.

"Kill them!" she pleaded, "Please! Before they can hurt us!"

A string of words, low and guttural rose from Cyrus's lips as magic burned around him.

"The Saligia are dead," Caspian said flatly, "Surrender and this will all be – "

The dark mage pointed at them and darkness devoured the crypt.

They yelled as crows and ravens appeared from thin air, shrieking as they hurled themselves forwards. The ground beneath their foot shook, rising like waves, the other corpses in the crypt waking into unnatural life.

"KILL THEM!" Cyrus roared.

Lightning and green flames surged from him, wild beasts leaping at those who wished to chain Lawless to its miserable existence.

"I HAVE ALL THE POWERS OF THE SALIGIA!" the mage screamed at his enemies.

They tried to fight back, red and white light flaring, lightning and fire struggling against the overwhelming darkness.

"I WILL NOT BE STOPPED!"

A forest of thorns sprung from the ground, grabbing them, trying to slice them to ribbons as they screamed.

Inara was struck in the face by a screeching raven and she was blinded, falling back, a tiger leaping at her. She was pinned to the ground, trying to save her throat from being ripped out.

Peter flailed under a sheet of blue flames, the High King desperately trying to throw the attack off him. A bolt of lightning struck him, blue fire swallowing him whole.

Caspian, Edmund and Susan were lost in the thorns, wild limbs the only sign they were still alive. Black butterflies descended, cutting at anything that wasn't lost in the vines.

Elias and Zaru were being hunted, wolves and hounds bounding forwards, harrying them together until they were trapped in a ring of wild beasts.

Jason roared and threw his hand forwards, a bar of white flames slicing through the shadows surrounding Cyrus but the great mage dissolved the ruach before it could even touch him.

A split second later the Seeker was on the ground, the stone beneath him turning to mud trying to suck him down into the dirt as undead reached for him, broken teeth searching for his flesh.

Cyrus laughed, bending the world all around him, re-shaping it, making it into a hell and a nightmare as he punished those who had wished to stop him.

A flash of auburn-hair and freckled skin caught his eye and he turned.

Empress Lucille looked at him, an unreadable look on her face.

"Thank you," she said.

She stabbed him through the heart with a knife she held in her hands.

His magic died in a single breath, Aslan's champions suddenly finding themselves standing on even solid ground, the monsters and forces of nature that had assaulted them completely vanished.

"What – "

"I wish to rebuild the Pearl but to do that the Great Darkness must be stopped lest my world falls into the shadows as well," Lucille told him simply.

Cyrus's eyes bulged, the mage reaching for her, trying to grab her but Lucille easily fended him off.

"But we are bound together! You have killed yourself!" the mage gave a strangled cry.

"Yes, I am dying," a spasm of pain crossed the Empress's face, "But I am not alone in this body. I will consigned myself to death so that the others… so that Lucy may live."

The dark mage had no idea what she talking about, no idea who she really was but he was already falling, his hands managed to grab a handful of her rough dress.

"You…"

Lucille gently disengaged his fingers and let him fall, the crown of the sins dying in a heap at her feet.

The Empress looked up and looked at the faces that stared back at her in astonishment.

"It is done," she said gently.

Pain scythed through her and she cried out, tumbling, falling away, melting into nothing as her body fell to the ground.

"LUCY!"

Susan ran to her sister, shaking hands searching for a pulse. It was there, strong and regular, her sister's life thrumming beneath her fingers.

"What…" she looked at Elias, stunned, "What…"

"Lucille sacrificed herself..." Elias tried to work out what had just happened, "She died but… she is nothing but a ghost. The Empress is dead but Lucy is still alive."

Susan looked down at her sister's still form, still trying to absorb the magnitude of what had just happened.

"We won," Zaru said, eyes wide with shock, "We won the Tournament of the Throne."

Cyrus, the crown was dead, the Saligia had also fallen. It took them all a few seconds to understand what they had just done.

"We can go home!" Caspian cried, victory flaring, "We can go home to Narnia!"

"We will find a way to cure Lucy," Peter closed his eyes, relief flooding through him, "We –"

A storm roared, the earth, the air, the very fabric of reality itself shaking as the Keeping Place melted into the darkness, taking with it Cyrus's body and the seal that would never be broken.

They were plucked away from Lawless and put once again into the nothing place where Tash had first drawn them.

"It is done!" the great death-god roared, suddenly before them in all his terrible glory.

The darkness all around shook with his vicious joy as on the far side of the black void Strife merely nodded. Tash screamed again and the humans before him clapped their hands to their ears, frantically trying to block his terrible cries.

"It is done," the horseman said simply.

He was a half-man with the arms of a blacksmith and legs that ended into the fleshy bulbs of an amputee. Strength and weakness married together, a look of long-suffering in his clear grey eyes. His face was folded into lines of fatigue, blackness smudging the skin beneath his eyes.

"In the name of the Great Darkness who wished to challenge Tash the death-god in the Tournament of the Throne I admit defeat," Strife intoned.

Tash shrieked with laughter and the horseman in his wheeled chair was gone.

"I HAVE WON!" the vulture-thing bellowed, the darkness echoing with his cries, "I HAVE WON!"

"TASH!"

Susan refused to flinch as the god turned his eyes on her, one eye showing the hell flames and brimstones, the other a window into a dark place where souls screamed their silent screams, tortured and mauled by dark things that made Susan shudder.

"We have come for what was promised to us!" the thrice-blessed queen demanded, "We want to go home and we want a cure for Lucy!"

Tash chuckled, bemused by her daring.

"You question my sincerity mortal?"

"You are the father of lies," Susan snapped back, "Give us what was promised!"

Tash's beaked mouth twisted into an amused smirk but he reached out with his long arms, talons raking the air. The dark claws seemed to catch something in the darkness and with a small grunt Tash rent the air in two.

"What…" Peter blinked.

Two cracks hovered in the air beside Tash, one on his left, the other his right. They blazed with light, a wild wind sweeping in and out of them, one bringing the sweetness of dew and growing things, the other the hum of electricity and the clang of steel.

Zaru twitched as he instantly recognised the scent from the tear on the right.

"Narnia…" he breathed in awe.

"Narnia is through this door," Tash looked to the crack, huge eyes glittering with dark amusement.

"Why are there two of them?" Caspian demanded.

Tash glared at him, murder in his eyes but the Telmarine stood unafraid.

"Through the other is a world where you will find the things needed to cure Aslan's pet," the death-god's made gaze fell onto Lucy's unconscious form.

"Wait…" Edmund looked between the two cracks, "Why two? What – "

Tash laughed, the screeching, booming sound making their hair stand on end.

"Not all of you are needed to retrieve the cure," he hissed, "I am offering you the chance to return home and continue the war there whilst the others do what is needed."

"WHAT?!" Susan spat, "You want us to – "

"When the cure is found I will return everyone back to Narnia," the death-god smiled cruelly, "Cross my heart!"

They stared at him, Tash looking back at them amused by the confusion, the outrage on their faces.

"You better hurry. I can only keep these rifts open for so long."

"Caspian."

The king stiffened as Susan, Peter and Edmund looked at him. The old kings and queen of the Golden Age all wore the same look on their faces, all three knowing what had to done and unwilling to let anything stand in their way.

"You have to go back," Edmund said, "You have to lead the war against the darkness."  
"I know," Caspian's face was dark, "But Susan…"

The Gentle Queen looked at her betrothed, looked at her brothers.

"I will lead the search for the cure," she said simply, "Caspian take Lucy with you…"

"I'll go with Lucy," Peter said suddenly.

Susan blinked at him, the High King looked at her, complete trust in his blue eyes. A small smile crossed her lips, a nod passing between the two. How times had changed. There was once a time when Peter wouldn't have trusted her to look after herself let alone lead an expedition into the unknown.

But they had changed, both of them. They were both generals and battle-scarred warrior, equal and knew that no matter what they could trust each other with their lives.

"Ed…"

"I'll go with them," her brother said gently, "They'll need me."

Edmund knew once they returned they would be plunged into a war that had gone for who knows how long. He would be needed, not as a knight or a swordsman but as a strategist as an architect of battle and ambush. Caspian and Peter might be better at leading, at inspiring strength and trust in their men but when it came to the cold dissection of enemy forces, at looking at the chaos of war and seeing order… there was no one that was his equal.

Susan felt like weeping but they would be reunited soon… in Narnia.

Her eyes were drawn to that crack in the world that would lead back to her home and her heart sang. She longed to throw herself into that light right now, to return to the place she thought she had been exiled from forever but she held herself back.

Now was not that time. Not where there was one more thing left to do.

"We'll go with Queenie," Inara said, at her side as always, "Now sugar bunny… look after yourself."

Peter glared at her but it was half-hearted attempt, a sad smile pulling at his lips.

"Stop calling me that," he said.

Zaru gagged as the High King pulled Inara into his arms, a whispered promise on his lips. They kissed, clinging to each other, passion and desperation in their embrace as everyone pretended not to notice.

Caspian looked at Jason, at Zaru and Elias.

"We've done a better job of looking after her than you have," the Seeker said flatly.

"Hey! I don't need anybody to look after me!" Susan protested.

"Are you quite done?" Tash demanded, "I may be immortal but I don't have all the time in the world for this sickening display!"

Caspian and Susan looked at each other.

"Look after yourself," Susan said gently, "Give me love to Lucy when she awakes…"

"I will," Caspian took her in his arms, smiling down at his betrothed, "Be careful. Don't be afraid to use the others as cannon fodder."

"HEY!"

Susan laughed.

"I'll see you soon."

They kissed. It was a glorious heart-branding moment, seared forever into Susan's memories. But all too soon they had to pull apart, Caspian to return to Narnia, Susan once more to travel into a world of unknown dangers and mysteries. But this was not goodbye, she would be with him soon again and together they would drive the darkness from their kingdom.

She hugged Edmund, kissed Lucy's brow and it was time.

"Try not to die!" Zaru advised helpfully, "Remember you all owe me at least a fiefdom for everything I've done."

Elias stepped on the cat's tail, the leopard yowling in pain.

"You're too arrogant. Be on your guard," Jason jabbed his finger at Peter.

Caspian smiled at the Seeker's eyes locked onto him.

"Don't be honourable," the man growled, "Kill them before they can kill you."

He finally looked at Edmund as the Just King waited for his piece of sage advice.

"Keep up your sword work," Jason grunted, "Don't want Inara coming back and beating you."

"She won't," Edmund promised as Inara squawked.

One last long look at each other and Caspian turned, marching towards the door that would lead him home as Peter and Edmund followed, the Just King holding Lucy in his arms.

The three kings did not look back as they stepped into the light and vanished from sight.

Susan let out the breath she was holding, fighting the insane urge to laugh, to dance knowing that they had returned to Narnia, the kings had returned to lead their people into battle.

But this was not a time to celebrate, not a time to do anything but to focus on their next battle.

She looked at Zaru, the leopard standing by her as always, ready to do whatever his queen needed. She looked at Inara, the half-Naga winking at her, the worry for Peter she had held in her eyes fading as that familiar reckless courage flooded back. She looked at Elias, the scientist offering her a small smile, the learned sage she had learnt so much from, humbled by his wisdom and his kindness. She looked at Jason and felt awed by everything he was, at how many scars his heart held and yet he still managed to love.

These were her people, her family. Champions and heroes every single one of them, they looked to her for leadership but yet in truth it was her that looked to them for strength and guidance.

With all four of them at her back she turned to Tash.

"What is this cure?" she demanded.

"I have an agent who will meet you there and he will tell you everything," Tash growled, "You will have exactly one day in this world to retrieve the cure and then my powers will return you whether you wish it or not back to Narnia."

One day.

Susan smiled despite the almost impossible challenge they had been set.

One day to find the cure to save her sister. One single day until she could go home again. Purpose filled her.

"Alright," the Gentle Queen looked at her soldiers, at her family, "Let's find that cure!"

She leapt forwards with a wild war cry, throwing herself into that mysterious rift in the air, the others by her side, at her back as they fell into light and out through the other side into a whole new world.

. . . . . .

They turned as the steel doors slid open. He marched down the long steel walkway, his footsteps thunderous in the tight confines.

"Tash has spoken to me."

Once upon a time King Tirian had had a kind face, eyes that were bright despite his age and a mouth that was more prone to smiles than frowns. But that was before this bloody war had stripped them all of the ability to feel, to think of anything but the falling of their enemies. Now scars mangled one side of his face, the other sagging with age and suffering.

This was a man who had seen his kingdom burnt under his watch, had seen his people slaughtered by four demons who rode on monsters. All that had crushed his heart to a lump of black coal and it showed in his eyes, dead except for when the bloodlust claimed him.

"What does the vulture say?"

Hel's voice was as cold as the world she had come from. Her slim form was swallowed up by the mist-grey hooded cloak she had taken to wearing, her monstrous appearance more than once having put them in mortal danger in other worlds. At her feet her brother rested, the wolf Fernir watching Tirian carefully, his fur as always a shifting ambiguity of black, blue and grey.

"They are coming," Tirian's voice was as hard as his face, "The champions of Aslan."

"We do not need them," Hel snapped, her voice echoing, shouting back at Tirian in a thousand harpy cries, "The Great Darkness will fall by our hands!"

The king stared her down. She had once been a goddess, a deity feared and worshipped across her lands, a dark thing that even the bravest warriors only dare whisper of. But the seat of her power had been crushed, her world, her family burned by flames then drowned in a dark ocean. She was only a little more than a mortal now, a former glory now well on its way waning into nothing. If not for Tirian she would have long perished at the hands of her own enemies and both knew it.

Hel gritted her teeth, fury leaping into her eyes as she bit her tongue, her blood ice cold in her mouth. Fernir growled, longing to tear out the king's throat but he too knew what Tirian was worth.

"Let us not fight. Salvation has been sent to us."

She had been betrayed by the king she loved and served, betrayed by men who purported to be pillars of faith and justice, tied to the stake and burned even as she begged the One she held dear above all else to save her.

The flames that had robbed her of her life had also taken her soul, she fought in this war simply because of what Tash had promised her – that she would one day find the One who had left her to die in such terrible agony and cut him in two.

The others did not know all this, they simply knew her as Joan, as a girl in a knight's armour and wielding a knight's sword. An angel in steel, an old woman's eyes in a girl's winsome face.

"Silence child," Hel ordered, "I did not command that you could speak!"

"You are but a woman," the last of their group snapped, black eyes flashing, "Though you hold yourself above us you are the one who has almost cost our lives many times."

The goddess of the underworld whirled on him, eyes burning red within the shadows of her hood.

Sun Wu did not flinch, the general meeting her furious gaze, ignoring Fernir's angry barks. Sharp as the blade he wielded, his mind was nothing like anything Tirian had ever encountered. If not for this general's genius and instincts on the battlefield they would have never claimed the victories they had. Against armies, against monsters and mad gods the five of them had prevailed and almost always it was by this man's instrumentation that they had struck so many decisive blows against the Great Darkness.

Tirian ignored them all. They were not friends and barely even allies at that. As long as they continued to fight the darkness in all the worlds he couldn't give a damn what they felt about each other.

"Where are they to arrive?" Sun Wu asked, his sheathed sword already in his capable hands.

Tirian looked at Fernir, knowing the wolf would be able to sense where Tash would tear a rift into this world. Sure enough the monstrous god was already raising his muzzle into the air, breathing deep. The air stank of always of death and misery and destruction but through it all now, burning like a thread of flame was another scent – rotting meat and crackling power all coiled together. It came in a wind that reeked of ash and bones and the wolf knew the champions had arrived.

"They are here," Fernir's voice was as cold and bitter as the deepest winter's night, his gleaming teeth flashing as he talked, "In the wastelands."

They all stared at him, their faces too frozen by all the horrors they had all seen and perpetrated to show any real emotion but the wolf could smell their horror.

"To battle once more," Joan rose from her chair, her chain mail flowing like silver water down her front.

Tirian cursed, Hel letting out a bark of laughter as she rejoiced at the thought of more death. Sun Wu unsheathed his sword in one fluid move, the general's face serene, already knowing what plan of action had to be taken.

They moved swiftly and efficiently, disappearing from their underground sanctuary and onto the hell above, Tash's cursed chosen ready to plunge into battle once more.

. . . . . .

"What is the hell is that Doc?"

"I…"

Red bathed the desolate plain, Zaru growling in his throat as he smelled smoke and death, the all too familiar signs of absolute destruction.

"… have no idea," Elias whispered.

It swallowed the sun, the moon and the all the stars, a bloody reflection of the earth they walked on.

"So that's new?" Susan pointed out unnecessarily.

She too was staring up, eyes wide with shock.

It was another world, a planet of red suspended in the heavens above, spread out all above them Even though Elias knew it had to still be thousands of miles away it seemed so close that he would just reach out and touch it and even with his own eyes he could see mountains and rifts etched into the strange world's surface, a world above a world, twins of steel and red ever so close but never touching.

"What is this?!" Elias gasped, "This is impossible! This close the worlds should have been drawn together by their gravitational fields, they should have collided not…"

He stumbled, biting his tongue, knowing the answer to all his questions.

"The Great Darkness," he whispered it as a curse.

What had Gavin done to this world?

The scientist looked around wildly, looking at the plains but now he saw what he had first taken to be cairns of stones and natural rifts and cracks were the leavings of a vast, all-consuming war. Explosions had wracked the earth, cracking stone as though it was an eggshell and spraying the destruction in all directions in massive bursts of ash and soot. Towers had been levelled to the ground, stubborn steel girders twisted and mangled as they had tried to hold their place, glass melted and fused into the earth, glowing like rubies beneath the blood-red light of the world above.

They all stood there, staring at the impossibility above but finally Susan shook herself, setting her face into a grim mask.

"We have to move."

Time was running out. They only had a single day in this world to claim the cure and go home. And looking at the destruction all around them, the queen did not even know where to start.

"Where to?" Inara asked, her silver eyes sweeping the destruction all around them, "There's nothing to – "

Zaru's eyes widened, mouth opening to shout a warning but the others were so used to him, so attuned to his reactions that they were instantly ready for a fight.

They bounded out of the shadows, pale-glowing forms that were made all the ghostly by the red world above.

"DUCK!" the leopard screamed.

The monsters were a marriage of shadow and light, their torso and limbs as slender and as graceful as a dancer's, suffused with a moon's eldritch shine. But their faces were little more than masks of bone, two dark holes for eyes and one gaping one for a mouth. Tentacles mass around its head and spilt over their shadows in a writhing, living mass and it was these tendrils that stabbed forwards right at them.

They hurled themselves to the side, the black ribbons slicing through the ground like knives. Inara rolled to her feet, her blade flashing through the air as she deftly deflected a second barrage, the tentacles glancing off her blade in a shower of sparks. She lunged forwards, dancing through the tendrils flying at her, stabbing out with a cry.

"CLANG!"

Her blade glanced off the monster's skin as though it was made of tempered steel, the half-Naga gaping. The creature screeched snatching at her as a rough hand grabbed her collar, jerking her back to safety.

"Can't you do anything right?" Jason barked in her ears.

Inara responded by grabbing his arm and hurling him straight at the creatures, the Seeker cursing, ruach blazing out of him. Their attackers were hurled away, tossed through the air as Jason whipped around, murder in his eyes.

"A fighter must be ready for anything," Inara quoted back at him, smirking.

Susan gave into the urge to hit her, stomping hard on her foot as her friend yelped.

Jason smirked right back as Inara hopped around frantically on one foot. Susan shot the Seeker a warning glare.

The creatures were already recovering, charging again as their deadly tentacles lashed the air. Susan blocked one with the shaft of her sceptre, barely avoiding another as a third sliced into her arm. She yelped, stumbling back but still able to pull a dagger from its sheath and hurling it straight at her enemies.

"CLANG!"

Like Inara's blade the dagger bounced off without a mark. The monsters roared at them, advancing, trying to close them into a ring.

Elias hurled a glass flask at them, splattering some of the beasts with thick black goo. The crossbow and fire orbs that had served him so well in so many worlds had been lost in Lawless but it had only taken the scientist a few hours to manufacture makeshift replacements. A part of him had been perturbed at how much of an explosive expert he had become but mostly he had been relieved that he could arm himself once more, ready to do his part in this war.

A burst of the ruach and the fluid ignited, bathing the creatures in flames. But they barely seemed to notice, tentacles flying out, now not only deadly sharp but bathed in fire.

"You suck!" Zaru roared as he dodged, embers threatening to ignite his fur.

Jason and Susan glanced at each other and as one they struck out, white fire and red light blazing. They blasted a hole in the ring of the monsters around them, scrambling through the gap, ducking and running blindly.

"ROOOWWRR!"

Jason blasted the monsters again and again with fistfuls of fire, the creatures reeling but recovering quicker and quicker, learning to withstand the blasts until it simply washed over them like smoke.

Susan found to her horror her own attacks were quickly becoming useless, the monsters now simply charging through the red light without even pausing.

"So blades are out, fire is out and your two attacks are out," Zaru summed up swiftly, "Uhh… just how utterly stuffed are we?"

"Very!" Inara yelped as she dodged another razor tentacle.

The monsters bellowed, tendrils flailing, every attack they threw at them brushed off as though it was nothing. Jason blasted the ground with ruach, trying to slow down the beasts but they moved impossibly swift and agile, leaping and dodging, swallowing the distance between them in ravenous gulps.

"WATCH OUT!"

The creatures leapt through the air, slamming to earth before them. Black tentacles menaced the air, the monsters completely cutting off their exit.

"JASON!"

Black bands shot out, grabbing the Seeker. Jason flailed, trying to fight them off but the monster threw him high up into the air and slammed him back down to earth with brutal force.

Inara lunged but black tentacles slashed out almost taking her head off. The half-Naga stumbled, more tendrils bursting forth. They grabbed her, bounding her from head to toe, mummifying her alive.

"INARA!"

Susan hit the ground, one tentacle wrapped around her ankle, bitter cold bitting to the bone. She kicked frantically, trying to throw it off.

"ELIAS!" Zaru roared.

Tentacles grabbed the man's head, Elias's screams muffled as he tried to tear them off him. The leopard looked around frantically. Inara was lost completely amongst the tendrils, Susan trying to escape as more and more bound her legs. Jason was slammed to earth again, the Seeker barely conscious.

"NO!" the leopard screamed.

He could feel the Deplorable Word in his head, the dark secret that he could not forget, eating away at his mind and sanity like a cancer. One whisper and this whole world and everything in it would be destroyed. Would it save his family? Could he do it?

Zaru looked again, screaming as Susan's face was lost, the queen completely covered by the creatures' black arms.

He had to do it! He had to –

Zaru opened his mouth ready to doom this whole world and himself and –

"GAARRRGH!"

One of the creatures was sent flying through the air, sailing metres away as the leopard blinked.

"Snakeheads!"

The girl was dressed in the chain-mail and tunic of a common footsoldier but no soldier would have been so frail-looking, a mere child with wisps of white-blonde hair peaking out from beneath the rim of her helm.

She stayed back as the hooded figure that had attacked the first beast, fell onto the second, the creature screaming as rent tore it apart with bare hands, dark blood splattering the red earth. Another fell, the stranger's fist exploding out of its back. It crumpled to the ground twitching before a stomp pasted its skull across the dirt.

Zaru blinked as a wolf threw itself at another monster, the deadly tentacles not even causing the beast to twitch. Its jaws snapped together and tore, the monster keening wildly as it fell. The wolf buried its snout into the monster's gut, snapping and tearing, entrails poured bloodily all over the ground.

The hooded figure whirled and with one final cry a fist was driven straight through the last snakehead's face, bony mask shattering, gore gushing out in a dark deluge.

"Pathetic," the voice that came from the hooded stranger was that of a woman's, cold and imperious, a sneer permanently held in her voice and carriage, "These are the saviours? They can't even handle a few snakeheads!"

The dead monster's tentacles fell away, Elias on his knees gasping for breath, Jason and Susan rising wearily to their feet. Inara's eyes were only fluttering open, the half-Naga covered in dozens of angry looking cuts.

"Who are you?" Zaru gaped at the woman and the wolf, smelling raw undiluted power pouring from their every pore.

The woman looked at him and the leopard's eyes widened in horror as his sharp eyes pierced the shadows of her hood. She gave him a contemptuous look and turned back to her own companions.

"Tash has not lied to us yet," a battle-scarred man told her flatly.

He held himself with the standing of a royal, his back as straight as though he had an iron rod for a spine. It showed in the sharp hawk's gaze in his eyes, the lines that spoke of suffering and harsh lessons learned.

"I am King – " here a bitter twist quirked his lips, "Tirian. You were sent here by Tash."

Susan looked at him and he looked at her, king and queen nodding ever so slightly as they recognised an equal in each other.

Zaru did not miss the last of their rescuers, a sallow-looking man with a dark beard tumbling down his front, his eyes like looking glasses as he examined each and every one of them, a thousand thoughts yammering to be heard beneath those dark gazes.

"Who are you?" Susan asked, "Why do you know Tash?"

"We are Tash's champions. He chose us to fight the Great Darkness," Tirian said in his blank flat voice.

Susan blinked.

"You are here to find the cure," the king continued.

"Where is it?" Susan demanded urgency in her voice.

Tirian offered her a smile but it was a grin bereft of anything even remotely approaching warmth. But before he could speak Fernir growled, the sound rumbling in the back of his throat.

"The Machina," the wolf's voice was a cold and biting as the deep heart of winter, "They're coming."

Zaru sniffed the air and froze as he sensed a frisson of power. The air was thick with the smell of pure burning light – the scent of the lightning. Crackles pricked his skin and Zaru shuddered.

"Come," Tirian said as if Fernir had not said word, "We better leave."

The air above roared and as one their heads snapped up. Inara gaped as a triangle of red sky suddenly vanished, their own faces, bloated and distorted, staring back down at them.

"Wha – "

She flinched as light blazed, a wild wind trying to press them down into the dirt. The three-edged pane of immense mirror revealed itself for what it was, lines of light splitting its silvered surface, the fissures crackling with electricity.

"What is that?" Zaru gasped.

"That –" Sun Wu smiled with his eyes even as the rest of his face remained an absolute mask, "Is the Centurion."

. . . . . .

The Centurion was all that was left, a secret ark in a place where all other ships had been blasted from the skies, all hands onboard lost in an evanescent hell of fire and molten plasma.

The great ship moved through the skies like a shark in the deepest sea, always on the hunt, always unseen until the moment came for its deadly strike. Its mirrored surfaces twisted the light around it, bending the very photons around it and making it all but invisible. Other machines absorbed and deflected heat and sound, befuddling any attempts to pin down this last great fugitive.

Tirian marched along the bridge of the ship, his eyes sweeping across the hive of blinking screens and coloured lights, men and women saluting him smartly as he passed them with acknowledging nods. Hel and her companion had disappeared as soon as they stopped foot aboard the Centurion but Joan and Sun Wu accompanied their king, silent vanguards that herded Susan and the others deeper into the ship.

"Where is the cure?" Susan did not even try to hide the anger in her voice, letting the darkness and the Hunt-Beast colour her words and turning them into furious snarls.

Tirian didn't even bother to look at her, turning and walking with measured steps down a flight of stairs.

"All in good time."

They came to set of glass doors and with a wave from Tirian they slid open. The king stepped inside, Joan and Sun Wu again shepherding the others in as well.

"Lowest deck," Tirian called out.

The floor seemed to drop beneath them and they were sent hurtling down into the deepest bowels of the ship, borne along by a glass-walled elevator that showed level upon level of people and machine. Some floors were dedicated living quarters, mothers running after screaming children, others sitting quietly going about the mundane chores of daily life. Others were armouries, others libraries and many held things only half-glimpsed as they sank like a stone into the belly of the Centurion. Finally the elevator came to a gentle stop, the floor beneath them solid once more as the doors slid open.

"FREEZE!"

Zaru squawked as steel barrels bristled through the opened doors, cold eyes staring at them down through laser sights. Tirian did not even blink.

"At ease," he commanded in a clipped voice.

"Sire."

The guns fell away, the soldiers stepping back as Tirian marched straight past them, his men forming an honour guard along his path.

"This way," the king said perfunctorily.

They crossed a vast empty cargo hold, guards watching them carefully from glass-walled towers set into the steel walls. Here in this empty place there was no hiding, no escape, any misstep earning a blast of gunfire from soldiers who had been trained to shoot first, execute and never question what they had done. They hardly dared to breathe as they transverse the hold, finally coming to a sheer wall broken only by an immense circular blast door. A press of Tirian's hand against the thing and it hissed, gears and wheels grinding heavily as the barrier rolled away. Light flooded the dim hold and suddenly they were staring into a neon menagerie.

"What the – "

Snakeheads roared in their cages, hurling themselves at walls of crackling light. They screamed as they were thrown back, convulsing in agony. Other abominations paced similar cages, their howls and screams driven like iron spikes into all who stood within eartshot. One creature looked and moved like liquid shadow on spider-like limbs. Its head was stark yellow, jaws long and pointed almost to a needle-fine tip. It screamed and green exploded from its maws, splattering its cage and burning like acid.

There were things with human faces twisted with pain or ecstasy or a manic mix of both. Some cages held creations that seemed made of nothing but light, others containing monstrosities that were a slur against nature itself. But regardless of their bastardised appearance they all screamed with the same piercing anguished cries, thrashing mindlessly in their prisons, madness boiling in the eyes of those that had such organs.

"What are they?!" Elias yelped.

"They are the Children. They are the Sporeling."

The voice, high and clear, came from the cell at the very centre of this crazed hellish zoo.

She rose from her crossed-legged position on the floor, her calm eyes piercing the purplish haze of her prison walls. There was something unnatural about the way she moved, every movement just a little too precise and a little too fluid to be completely human.

She stepped into the light and they all recoiled at the sight of her.

Her dark hair was cut in one severe line across her face and the nape of her neck revealing a face that was slashed in two. Like the snakeheads it was a meeting of the angelic and the monstrous, one side unblemished alabaster and deep blue eye, the other a nightmare. The skin boiled and writhed pulling at her lip into a twisted grin. Things like worms burrowed through her flesh, twitching frantically where they were exposed until the whole right side of her face was a seething mass of ghastly green.

She smiled and showed teeth and fangs. One arm was slim, ending in long delicate fingers as the other was infected by the vicious parasites living inside her, tipped with long curled claws that were a venomous green.

This creature, this hybrid of girl and monster, laughed at their stunned expressions.

"Do you not recognise me Doctor Elias Denton?" she asked.

She moved closer as the Sporelings in the cages screamed.

"Who are you?!" Elias barked, "How do you – "

"Elias?"

The blood drained from the scientist's face and he turned, recognising the voice.

"ELIAS!"

He had no time to react as a warm form slammed into him. Elias spluttered and would have fallen if not for Jason. Strong arms wrapped themselves around his neck, squeezing viciously.

"Air!" he managed to choke out, "AIR!"

Despite everything Inara had to laugh as his attacker pulled herself away. Elias blinked, dazed as woman with a wild tangle of red hair laughed, a brittle edge to her voice.

"Anorah?" he gaped.

"Tirian told us you were alive!" the words tumbled out of her as always in a frantic river, "I didn't believe – did you really help blow up an ice castle? What have you seen – I can't believe – you – "

"Anorah," Elias said plaintively, a smile curling his lips, "Breathe."

The woman sucked in a deep breath, steadying herself with a wry smile.

"Sorry," she said, her brown eyes warm as they looked about the countenance of her old friend.

But as soon as it had appeared the spark of joy vanished, crushed by pain and suffering, the woman's face collapsing into deep lines of barely healed grief. Elias's blood ran cold as he suddenly realised what her presence meant.

"You know each other?"

He heard Inara's voice as thought it was from very far away.

Anorah looked at her, one razor glance already peeling away all that the girl was and finding what made her tick. Where Elias had pursued the branches of physics and chemistry with some dabbling of everything else in between Anorah had looked inwards, preferring the mysteries of the body and the mind. Her works had been a revelation in their fields and there was nobody else in all of Metech who knew more about the workings of the human body, the enigma that was the human mind. She had dissected the most voracious of diseases, analysed them and churned out cure after cure, entire medical districts dedicated in her honour.

"Anorah Kaplan."

Given her reputation and her fame most expected her to be serious, to be a severe woman with grey hair and fierce frowns but Anorah always been a bright light in the cold clinical halls of the Academy, a delirious storm of laughter and mischief that had clashed so very violently with his own silences and restrains in those early days of their learning. But there was only a faint echo of that in the tired woman standing before him.

"Elias and I are old friends."

Anorah looked at him and grimaced seeing the question in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said.

Susan's world had engulfed by an army of ghosts and invaded by the darkness.

Inara's world had been torn apart by a war between Paxton and the demons.

Jason's world had been the battlefield between them and the Saligia, its citizens caught in the crossfire.

And his world?  
"What happened here?" the questions shot out of him like a machine gun, "What about the others?"

They had graduated from the Academy together, the greatest most brilliant group of minds Metech had ever hoped to produce. They had blazed their way through their branches of science helping each other, competing against and driving each other until all were at the pinnacle of their respective fields.

"Rolf is dead," Anorah said bitterly, "He… he doomed us all."

"What?!

The others looked at each other, their eyes widening as they too realised that this place was all that was left of Elias's home.

"Rolf –"

A pang struck his chest but though they had grown up and learned together, they were nothing more than classmates turned colleagues, fond of each other but nothing like the fierce love he felt for Susan, Inara, Jason and Zaru. But still it hurt, pained him to imagine the serious little man he had known for almost half his life was dead.

"Doomed?" Elias forced the words out of his mouth.

Rolf had turned his mind and gaze to the stars above, had dream of what it would be like to dance amongst the planets and constellations, to delve in the heart of a black hole and explore the creation of all. How could that diminutive dreamer hurt a fly?

"Remember his search for life amongst the stars?" Anorah said, her eyes dark.

Elias nodded slowly.

"He spent years beaming messages into space hoping someone would hear him," Elias remembered.

"Well somebody heard and they came," hate suffused Anorah's face, "And they executed him first."

"Extraterrestrials?" the fantastic world spilt from Elias's mouth, the scientist gaping at his friend, "They… they…"

"Aliens?" Inara repeated incredulously, "This is the work of aliens?!"

Anorah looked at her and suddenly all laughter was wiped from her face, something old and broken peering out from her eyes.

"It was to begin with. Somehow they had the technology to move their planet through the vacuum space. They appeared overhead in one night and the invasion begun. Millions perished in the first attack. We tried to strike but – "

Anorah smiled bitterly.

"Our weapons were useless. We had to think up of new ways, new methods of destruction…"

"They used us."

They looked at the girl in the cage, at the monster who leered back at them.

"Who are you?!" Elias roared, Zaru cringing as once again he caught a whiff of cold and fur.

"Don't you recognise me? I have changed doctor."

Elias looked at her, really looked at her and his jaws gape.

"Seven…"

The girl who was not a girl smiled.

"Five always thought you were alive someone. She refused to believe you were dead."

"Elias?"

Tirian, Joan and Sun Wu were simply silent watchers in this unfolding scene. It was Susan who had spoken, the queen trying to figure out what was happening, trying to work out how it all connected with the cure.

"One of our friends Gansen was a pioneer in the field of robotics," Anorah explained to them all, "One of his first successes was the creation of a series of androids… robots that looked and could mimic humans to an astonishing degree. These robots were also built to be the perfect laboratory assistance, each finely tuned to perform experiments. He gave the first prototypes to us… his closest friends."

"My assistant – " Elias had always hated that word, hated how inadequately it described the girl who had once been the closest he had to family, "Was Five."

"This unit here is Seven. She was mine," Anorah's eyes blazed at she looked upon her former companion, "Gansen kept two units for himself."

"Where is Gansen?" Elias didn't want to ask the question because his friend's fate was twined through the words Anorah had used.

Anorah was silent for the longest time, torment clawing at the edges of her hard won mask.

"Gansen was the first to develop successful weaponry against the invaders," the doctor said finally, "He created a robotic army… the Machina."

"The first few battles were legendary," Seven cut in, sick relish in her voice, "The invaders were butchered."

Anorah flinched but she pressed on, her eyes staring at the floor and through, into memories she had tried some hard to forget.

"But it soon came to a stalemate. The invaders adapted, developed things that could break the machine. Skirmish after skirmish, battle after battle and for every longer it dragged on Metech burned," Anorah had her eyes closed, refusing to look at any of them, "So I came up with a second solution…"

Elias looked at the monsters in their cages and knew. He tried to keep the judgement from his voice, the horror but still it was there, leaping from his hands and slamming into Anorah as she flinched.

"You created these things."

"My former mistress broke the cardinal rule of robotics. She installed organic parts into me, made me part steel, part flesh," Seven laughed as her mistress clenched her eyes shut as though it would be enough to block out her voice, the memories that came with them, "But she went one step further. She programmed me to splice as many genetic information as possible into those parts causing them to mutate rapidly, to generate thousands of different cells and proteins then you could possibly conceive."

"I…" Anorah forced herself to speak, "You had to understand… the war… we weren't winning. I had Seven insert those cells into living subjects. I wanted to genetically engineer an army."

Elias stared at Anorah, knowing the taboos she had broken, the depths of amorality she had plumbed. The manipulation of living sentinel things for battle,

"And she succeeded. The Sporelings were born from my flesh. I am their mother," Seven shrieked with laughter as the parasites in her skin writhed, "Between the Sporelings and the Machina the invaders stood no chance. We wiped out every single one of those miserable lizards!"

"But they didn't stop there."

Seven turned her hot furious eyes onto her former mistress, rage and hate spilling like an oil slick across her nightmarish features.

"You created us!" she spat, "You made us and then once you had what you wanted you tried to destroy us all!"

The other Sporelings screamed, echoing her fury, protesting their betrayal as Susan and Jason glanced at each other, both clutching their weapons tightly.

"What happened?" Elias wanted to live in ignorance a little longer, wanted to run as far away as possible but he had to know, had to satisfy his damned hunger for knowledge.

What had happened to his world? What had happened to the people he had learned and worked with?

He remembered the world outside this ship, the blasted land painted red by the alien world above, a land where nothing grew and everything that had once stood tall and proud levelled to the ground.

But what had he expected? That his world would be left untouched by the great storm that had scoured so many others?

Elias felt old, older than he had ever been, so old that he wanted nothing more than to lay down and never wake up.

"They rebelled. The Machina and the Sporelings rebelled. They ravaged what was left, tried to kill every last one of us. Then they turned on each other as well, machine and monster trying to decide who would be the next step in Metech's evolution," Anorah looked like she was going to be sick, forced to dredge the darkest parts of her out and spill it all in front of her friend and strangers, "And we've been in hiding ever since."

"But it's all going to come to an end. This war between Machina and humans and Sporelings are about to end," Seven laughed.

They looked at her, uncomprehending.

"It was Five. Out of the sentinel machines in this world she alone didn't defect to the Machina. She said that her master had taught service to mankind was the greatest and hardest task ever bestowed on any creature."

Despite everything Elias felt a great sense of warmth unfurl in his chest.  
"She disappeared, carrying out her own researches, trying to think of a way to destroy Machina and Sporelings, to end this bloody war."

"She succeeded."

Finally Tirian spoke, stepping forwards, his eyes like chips of flint.

"We received a transmission from Five. She had broadcasted it all to listen. She had developed something… a weapon, a machine… we're not sure but she had crafted what she had called the final solution."

"We received the broadcast. The Sporelings and the Machinas in their own separate camps," Seven chuckled, the sound dark and poisonous in the depths of her throat, "Five gave us one last chance. A chance to forget this war, to forget the human's treachery. She would stay her hand if we agree to peace."

"We managed to track her signal," Sun Wu took over the story, his voice dry, a learned man discussing known facts, "All of us – Machina, Sporelings and humans – are now converging on her location."

"We will seize the final solution!" Seven shrieked with laughter, "We will seize it and use it to destroy our enemies! Machinas will crumble! Humans will be dust! And we will take this shattered world and rebuild it to the grander paradise!"

Tirian looked at her and his gaze along was enough to make her stop.

"So what?" Susan demanded, Elias flinching at her words, "What has this got to do with us? Where is the cure?"

"Five."

The Gentle Queen looked at Joan, the girl-knight looked back at her, her gaze and face as impersonal as a dime-store greeting card.

"Five is the cure."

Susan's eyes widened as Elias sucked in a surprised breath. Seven howled with laughter, somehow instinctively understanding what they were talking about.

"Oh this is rich. This is – "

"Silence!" Tirian roared at her, "One word from me and you would be dead! You are my prisoner and you will hold your tongue!"

Seven smiled at him, the worms in her flesh suddenly still for the first time.

"Oh really?"

"BOOM!"

It came to them, shaking the walls, a muffled explosion that tipped whole of the Centurion. They stumbled and fell, clutching for purchase as most explosions rang out, punching the air hard as sirens and lights screamed into life.

"WHAT IS THAT?!" Susan yelped.

"That – "

Seven pressed her clawed hand to the crackling confines of her prison.

" – would be my rescue party."

She slashed the wall and it vanished into nothing the mother of the Sporelings stepping out of her cage as in one simultaneous move, all the other cages holding the monsters back winked out of existence.

. . . . . .

**Author's notes: **And woot – Metech is the final arc before the grand return to Narnia! I hope you enjoyed the Lawless arc before it was one giant brawl between our favourite heroes and the seven deadly sins.

Thank you once again for those who've replied but I've noticed that recently whilst the number of readers (according to FFnet) has not changed, the number of reviews has dipped. Please, please, please if you read review – it doesn't have to be long, it doesn't have to be positive, anything is better than nothing but whatever you say can help me become a better writer.


	93. Final solution

And after one month – another chapter! I hope you enjoy this one.

Disclaimer – what's mine is mine, what isn't isn't.

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 93: Final solution **

Sirens blared, flashing lights splashing the walls with garish red as the Centurion rocked again. The great ship suddenly listed, hurling everything that was unbolted into the walls. The engines that kept the Centurion afloat gave a primal scream and suddenly the ship's innards were plunged into completely darkness.

Seven's voice scythed through the dark.

"My children…"

Snakeheads, drounds and dozens of other sporelings that did not even have names all quietened at her voice. Their creator, their mother, turned her glowing eyes onto the humans that were scrambling frantically to their feet.

"Kill."

The things screamed and lunged forwards in a rush of claws and gnashing teeth. The ship's engines suddenly roared to life, auxiliary power humming through the circuitry. The sporelings leapt at them through the blood red, creatures terrifying enough without the crimson glow of the emergency lights.

"GET DOWN!"

Gunfire blazed, the soldiers ruthlessly mowing down the first row of sporelings. A snakehead was shredded by the hail of bullets, its tentacles flailing, cutting its own brethren as Susan and the others hurled themselves to the ground.

A dround, a shadowy hound-like thing with a spider's legs and a head yellow and long, spat at the soldiers. A woman screamed, the flesh melting from her face as she was struck by the sporeling's acidic saliva.

"MOVE!"

White fire blasted the creatures back, sending them skidding and tumbling away but the wave of ruach did little more than to buy them time.

"Your weapons will not work against them."

Despite the terrible danger they were in Joan's voice was placid. She unsheathed the sword from across her back and a blue light hummed across its lethal edge.

A sporeling with arms that dragged the floor screeched, hurling its limbs forwards. claws, longer and sharper than any blade, stabbed forwards as Joan charged with a fierce cry.

The monster screamed, red blood spraying the air as the girl-knight loped off one limb with swift practiced chops. The sporeling staggered and Joan lunged, her blue-lit blade exploding out the back of its head.

Inara cursed as her own blade bounced off a sporeling's side, the creature swiping at her. The half-Naga threw herself backs into a tumble, rolling to her feet and ducking as the creature slashed at her again.

"HERE!"

Anorah hurled a dagger, suffused with blue like Joan's sword at the girl. Inara deftly blocked her opponent's claws with her sword, landing a kick and lunging, snatching the knife from the air.

"They cut at a cellular level!" the researcher yelled, "They are effective against – "

Anorah screamed, barely missing having her head ripped off as Seven laughed. Dark tendrils exploded from the girl's arm, stabbing at her former mistress as the infected machine's eyes glittered with mirth.

"BANG! BANG! BANG!"

Bullets raked her side and the mother of the sporelings screamed, more from anger than pain. She whirled, her clawed hand flicking forwards. Something shot through the air and the soldier who had attacked her fell, clutching at a narrow quill sticking out of his throat.

Seven whirled back around but Anorah was already gone, fleeing for her life. The machine cursed.

"KILL THEM!" she barked at her dreaded children, "KILL THE TRAITORS!"

With a quick whispered apology Susan tore the gun from a fallen man's hands, knowing her own weapons were useless. The darkness in her head howled triumphantly as the queen turned, squeezing the trigger.

A dround's head exploded, Susan eternally grateful that Caspian had insisted on shooting practices.

"Stay behind me!" she yelled as Zaru hissed, his claws and teeth completely ineffective against the coming monsters.

Jason and Inara had armed themselves with Anorah's knives, the two working in unison, hobbling their foe before slicing the limbs and heads from their bodies. A snakehead lashed out, black limbs grabbing Inara and hurling her away as Jason cursed, blinding the sporeling with a blast of ruach.

Seven laughed as the sporelings drove them back. The tiny confines of the chamber were playing to their advantage, their enemies packed so close together they could not properly use their guns, did not have the space to dodge all the barrage of flying tentacles and spines that tore limbs and organs from bodies.

"Kill every last one of them!" she howled.

She raised her arm and the squirming parasites nested there pounced, grabbing their prey and sinking into their flesh, thrusting their vile forms into their eyes, their nose and throat, choking and suffocating them.

Tirian stood tall amidst all the carnage, laughing his head off as he blasted his enemies apart with a gun in each hand. He was yelling at them, taunting them, daring them to come closer, his face so twisted it was barely human.

"I AM THE KING OF A DEAD WORLD!" he shrieked at the sporelings, "I AM THE LAST OF MY PEOPLE!"

Monsters fell, others screaming as they grabbed at limbs that were suddenly flying through the air.

"I DO NOT FEAR DEATH!" Tirian hurled at his enemies, "THERE IS NOTHING LEFT FOR ME BUT DEATH!"

"ANORAH!"

Elias grabbed his old friend as she turned to look at him, her eyes wide.

"There's no escape!" she shrieked as a dround fell, a soldier blasting holes into its side, "We're all going to die! We're all – "

The Centurion pitched again, Anorah screaming as a dulled explosion hammered the air.

"We're not going to die!" Elias barked at her, dragging her away, behind the line of soldiers trying to push the sporelings back, "We're still fighting aren't we?"

He was suddenly furious at her, enraged by her timidness, her weak spine. Before he could stop himself he snapped at her with a teeth-filled snarl, Anorah squeaking at the feral light brewing in his eyes.

Elias whirled, bullets flying from his gun and pumping through sporeling flesh.

As quickly as it had come, the white-hot rage fled. Elias almost reeled from the sudden change, shame filled him as he heard Anorah's muffled sobs but he did not turn around. She had made herself a soldier the moment she had violated Seven, tried to meld the living and the non-living as one. Anorah had entangled herself hopelessly into this war and to back out now, to beg that she did not wish to fight…

Metech was at war and in war there were no such thing as non-combatants. There were simply those who fought with guns and swords and those who fought in other ways.

Elias took aim and his bullet blasted through a snakehead's face, the scientist careful to avoid any lamentations about the type of man he had become.

"But… I can't fight…" Anorah whispered to herself, "I'm not like you."

A dround leapt at her and the research screamed. But Sun Wu was suddenly by her side, the general a lone figure of calm and serenity in a room that was swiftly degenerating into a bloody slaughterhouse.

He raised his gun, the barrel long, the sides plated in gold. He squeezed the trigger, his aim impossibly precise and the dround fell, a smoking hole in its chest.

"You better arm yourself," Sun Wu said to Anorah calmly, "The fight is going to get worse."

Inara tore herself free from a sporeling's grasp, the half-Naga drenched in her own blood. Screaming she buried her knife into the creature's neck, feeling the weapon shake as it sliced through armoured skin.

"Duck," a breathy voice whispered in her ear.

Inara arched her back, Joan's sword sweeping over her and slicing through a sporeling that was a writhing mass of glowing strands. The thing howled, dark blood spraying both women.

"RETREAT!" Sun Wu's voice boomed through the madness, "RETREAT!"

Tirian cursed, suddenly finding himself beside Susan as both royals unloaded their guns into the sporelings, dodging as one hurled a flaming glob of black ichor. Step by step, they withdrew, guns blazing as they gave their people time to move.

"Impressive," Tirian said, glancing at her.

Susan's shoulder was numb from where she had rested the butt of the rifle, the gun punching into her protesting muscles with every bullet it spat. She tossed the king a savage look.

The darkness and the Hunt-Beast were roaring in a savage cadence, their twined fury boiling through her veins, gold and red swirling in her eyes.

"So this Five is the cure?" she demanded.

"That's what Tash told me," the king said coldly.

Susan snarled and flipped her weapon around, smashing it into a dround's face and gunning the sporeling down as it crashed to the floor.

"You will help me get her."

This was all for Lucy. She did not have time to embroil herself in other people's war, she was here for one reason and one reason only. To save her sister. To find the cure that would patch her back together.

But what about Elias?

The question came to her, plaintive and accusing. This was his world, this was his battle and shouldn't she be helping? Should she want to fight his battles?

But the queen had long ago lost that gentleness than had been her moniker. This was war and she had to do what she had to do. This was just one battle, the real fight laid in Narnia, in breaking the darkness there. And they would need her sister, need all of Aslan's champions to be strong.

Tirian merely nodded, raking the sporelings with another burst of bullets.

"SUSAN!" Zaru screamed.

Both royals whirled as the circular blast door began to move. Cursing they ran, diving through the closing slit, hitting the ground as the immense door slammed into place.

"Are you okay?" the leopard demanded frantically as Susan heaved herself onto her feet.

She touched her guardian's head, letting him know she was fine as she turned to Elias. The scientist stared back at her, his eyes haunted.

"The cure," the queen said gently, hating her selfishness.

"I know."

Understanding shone in Elias's eyes, the scientist knowing exactly what she meant, what she had to do. Susan felt humbled by his grace, sickened by her decision but she nodded briskly.

"We need to move to the upper levels," Sun Wu said as the emergency lights flickered, "The sporelings are probably trying to break through the hull."

Tirian was already off, Joan at his side. The remaining soldiers instantly rallied behind their king as Anorah lingered staring at the blast door that sealed her former assistant in.

"Leave her," Sun Wu touched the woman's arm gently, "There's nothing we can do."

Stricken Anorah allowed the general to pull her away. Elias followed, his face drawn as his mind churned away wildly, trying to think of a way to save his world.

"Let's go," Susan ordered softly.

Jason merely grunted, marching away as Inara flashed the queen a quick grin. Susan frowned at that but said nothing, already walking, Zaru following her.

"Do you ever stop and think?"

"What?" Susan glanced at her friend.

"We're a world that was just invaded by aliens. And now we're off to fight against terminators and mutants to retrieve a robot that will cure your multiple personality sister."

Susan blinked as Inara waggled her brows at her.

"Our lives are nuts!" the half-Naga shook her head, "And you know what makes it even crazier?"

"Do I really want to know?" Susan asked wearily as they rushed to catch up to Tirian and his men.

Inara gave her a savage smile.

"I can't wait to get stuck into those bastards!"

. . . . . .

The sporelings screamed, hurling themselves as the thick steel door with no avail. They lashed out again and again, breaking teeth and claw against the barricade but they did not even dent the thing.

"Stand back."

They instantly melted away from the door as Seven raised her left arm, the one that was all pale skin, no hint of infection touching the immaculate skin.

Anorah had corrupted her, had melded flesh and steel together, crammed neurons into her hardware brain. Seven hated it, hated who she was, hated the primal screams and instincts boiling through her head, clashing so violently with the stream of programs and digits that was the base of her.

Who was she? What was she? Was she human? Was she a monster?

Seven screamed, cursing her mistress for making her who she was, cursing her for giving her this damned tormented life. And as a scream began to break, began to shatter in a screech her outstretched arm shuddered.

She was machine first and foremost, built for research and science and modified later for combat.

Lines divided her arm and with a grunt her limb disintegrated, pulled apart by internal gears and shafts, unfolding and unfurling, shifting and transforming into something else altogether.

She screamed again and light blazed.

She rocked back, her arm flying up with the recoil as a bolt of immense light and unimaginable energy slammed into the blast door and punched a molten hole straight through the inches thick steel.

The sporelings howled in victory, pouring through the smoking hole. The cannon her arm had become began to morph again, folding itself back into a simulacrum of a normal limb as Seven straightened.

Stop. Stop. Stop.

Her programming begged her to cease her war, to remember what she was built for.

Kill. Kill. Kill.

The flesh part of her, the sporeling part urged to succumb to the basest of instincts, to give into the drive to spread her genetic material far and wide and live forever through her offspring.

Seven pushed herself through the hole, weeping tears from one eye and thick oil from the other.

. . . . . .

The black orbs shot unerringly through the air, avoiding the gunfire that tried to shoot them down. They flitted amongst the blazing tracers, skimming across the Centurion's now exposed hull and with a vicious screech unfurled revealing wings of dizzying psychotic colours, eyes swivelling madly amongst the swirl.

"Boomers," Sun Wu whispered, staring out through the window.

It was easy to see why those tiny things were given their names.

The boomers crashed into the Centurion's hull and detonated, violent bursts of coloured light wrenching the world apart. The ship shuddered as wave upon wave of the tiny sporelings battered it from all sides, the air thick with them.

Engineers were racing frantically to and fro along the deck and all around the ship, trying to carry out patchwork repairs as the Centruion continued to lose altitude.

"There's a ground force of sporelings amassing!" a soldier reported, saluting Tirian smartly.

The king growled, brushing past him.

"That bitch must have led them straight to us."

"I did hypothesize once that Seven had developed a kind of telepathic link with her offspring but… that's not possible," Anorah whimpered.

Elias gave her friend a sad look, wishing she could have seen what he had seen on his journey. There was little, he now knew, that could be called impossible.

Inara and Jason were looking at him again and Elias couldn't keep the grimace from his face. He knew they were expecting him to fall to his knees, to weep and scream for the destruction of his world.

Pressure built behind his eyes but Elias refused to let them fall.

So much had been lost in Metech. Not just the billions of innocent lives but all the marks his world had left upon this land, centuries of learning and triumph forever wiped from existence. A lump sat in his chest but his sorrow was detached, displaced by purpose.

Mourning could come later, would come later in his private moments but for now they were caught in battle and though Elias did not wield a sword as easily as his companions, he was every inch the warrior they were.

_Running Death…_

A memory of grey fur and white teeth flashed through Elias's mind and a growl seemed to struggle in his throat.

Grief would come. But now was the time for vengeance.

"We have been hobbled," Sun Wu informed them, "Our engines are badly damaged and the Centurion is all but crippled."

As if to agree with his words the deck shuddered beneath their feet, sparks flying down from the ceiling above.

"What is your plan mortal?"

Hel met them at the top of the stairs, the hooded woman seemingly unperturbed by the explosion rocking the ship all around them. Her voice was bored, her hand idly combing through her lupine companion's fur.

Zaru froze as he always did around the pair, the leopard alone able to understand that these two were not what they seemed. To his senses they were two founts of unending power, the wellspring from which an endless stream of fire and hate spewed. It splashed over those who stood near the pair, tainting them all, twisting their minds and feelings in such subtle ways that he was sure the others did not even notice.

Fernir looked at him and their eyes locked. The leopard shuddered as the wolf offered him a warning growl.

Tirian ignored the cloaked woman, turning as soldiers and workers poured in from all levels of the ship, depositing their reports in a flurried stream of panicked words.

"Third level breached – "

" – on fire."

"Shields are not – "

" – cannot – "

"Boomers are – "

Tirian looked at his closest advisor and Sun Wu bowed his head.

"The Centurion is already lost," the general said quietly.

His words, soft as they were, were like a stone dropped into a still pond. It rippled out and over them, realisation spreading, enveloping them in stunned silence.

Men and women stared at the general, at their king, waiting, praying for salvation.

Tirian sighed and it came from the depths of his soul, dark and heavy and suddenly they all knew.

"The Centurion is lost."

The words were bitter in his mouth.

Another world lost, another failure heaped onto his buckling shoulders. How much more could he take? How much more blood could his soul hold?

Tirian had to force the scream away from his lips. His knees trembled, everything in him wanting to just fall to the ground and break out into furious cries.

Rainna had burned on his watch. He had been too late to lead his knights into battle, too late to do anything but flee for his life as four monsters slaughtered every last one of his subjects. For a thousand years the House of Rex had ruled and watched over Rainna, his ancestors the unmovable pillars on which wave after wave of enemies had dashed against in vain. Through countless wars, through great famines and through the most calculated of treachery, the bloodline of his house had flowed strong and unerring, bearing the people of Rainna to great and brighter times. The strength, the courage of his family had no diluted with time as so many others had but had grown, had matured.

His father had told his all this, beaming in pride as his one and only son proved to a great swordsman even as a youth, an unmatchable rider and a cunning strategist. His father had died with a smile on his face believing that Rainna was safe in his hands.

Tirian just prayed that his father did not know what a failure his son had become.

But as that all too familiar crushing wave of guilt fell over him, Tirian clung to what had saved him from insanity so many times before.

Hate.

Vengeance.

Rage.

His hands balled into fists and the king straightened, looking at Sun Wu, at the survivors of Metech.

"This is what's going to happen."

He kept his voice calm even as the Centurion rocked, blasted again by the shrieking kamikaze boomers.

"We have to help Five. We have to protect her whilst she completes her work and destroy the sporelings and the Machina."

He looked at Susan, at the queen who stared back at her with a blood red gaze.

"Sun Wu take Joan and Hel and lead the lion's champions to where Five is," the king ordered, still looking squarely at the queen with demon eyes.

He recognised himself in that tiny slip of a girl. Could see that like him she had suffered, she had known the depths of despair and madness and had often clung to the savagery of her emotions to live. But unlike him he could still see a softness in her, a brightness that made his bleak existence all the more stark.

The two royals looked at each other.

He had entrusting his people to her, knowing she could do what he could not. She had kept her family alive, had protected her soldiers whilst he had let his fall.

Tirian smiled and Susan gave him a solemn nod.

"I will stay here and help," Tirian ordered, "Queen Susan is now in charge of the invasion force."

"Her?!" Hel spat furiously, "Why the hell should I – "

"You are a fallen god."

The woman hissed, whirling, glaring at Zaru as the leopard stared back at her fearlessly, more than willing to die for his queen.

"I know what you are."

He could smell it. It had taken him awhile to place that scent but he had met it before, in the world of Echidna and her monstrous child, in Tzaraa, in Paxton's prisoners as he ordered the chained gods to destroy the desert kingdom.

"You are a shadow of a god and Susan is the vessel of three," the leopard continued ruthlessly, "She could destroy you where you stand."

White fire boiled in Jason's eyes, the Seeker more than ready to blast the woman if she made a single wrong move. Hel cursed them both but said nothing more, glowering from the depths of her hood as Sun Wu merely nodded.

"Come," he beckoned, "We have to get to the escape pods."

"Go with them Anorah," Tirian ordered.

The flaming-haired woman stiffened, staring at him in horror.

"Seven will be there. You know how to stop her."

The researcher closed her eyes in defeat, nodding.

Joan looked at the man she had followed across the worlds, at the man she had fought beside and for.

"I wished I could promise you that someone would be watching over you and this ship," the girl-knight said, as ephemeral as ever in the cold light of the deck, "But there is no such person. But for what it is worth I believe in you."

Tirian had to laugh at that.

"Go!" he ordered, "Hurry!"

As if to emphasise this words the Centurion was rocked by another set of explosions, the sirens reaching fever pitch.

"GO!"

Susan closed her eyes but nodded.

"Thank you."

And the queen was off, running after Sun Wu as her family followed her but Elias lingered, looking at Tirian, at the people scrambling around the deck of the Centurion.

This was all that was left of his world, this was the ark that held the hope of Metech. He wished he could stay and fight, wished he could protect this last fragile stand but his battle was not here.

Tirian looked at him and understood, knew exactly what the man was thinking.

"I will do my best," he vowed.

And that was all he could say.

"You have my thanks."

There was a snarl like a wolf's in his head and Elias turned, charging after his family, knowing that at the very least the very last of Metech was led by a man who would die for them all.

. . . . . .

They were connected, had been built that way.

For so long she had shut that link behind walls of streaming numbers, trying to dull that connection but always she had monitored it, made sure she had still hidden.

They were coming. Seven and Zero, both leading their own armies to try and stop her.

"Why?"

She stared out into the darkness of her sanctuary, the gloom pierced effortlessly by her sensors.

"Service to humanity is the greatest burden. It is not an easy path and not always a rewarding one. But great doings are never easy," she quoted softly, "Please… don't make me do this."

They ignored her words.

She turned her head looking at the thing behind her, looking at the final solution.

She was about to wipe out millions of lives. Not humans but machines that could think and feel, creatures that were sentient, a massacre to prevent a massacre.

But there was no choice. She could not go against her basic programming, could not go against what her gentle master had taught her.

"You leave me no choice."

Five closed her eyes and she knew, could feel that they were coming.

. . . . . .

Sun Wu led the way, his dark robes flapping at his feet as he marched down the long cold corridor.

"Where are we going?" Susan demanded.

The ship pitched again, the smell of smoke thick in the air as the winged monsters outside continued their frenzied assault, hurling their lives away as they tried to blast a hole through the Centurion's reinforced hull.

"Armoury," Sun Wu said with his usual maddening calm, "If we are going to charge straight into the middle of a war we're going to need a lot of weapons."

"I can crush my enemies with my bare hands!" Hel boasted loudly.

Everyone ignored her.

"And what are we expecting to face?" Elias asked.

"The sporelings you have seen," Sun Wu turned a corner, somehow keeping his balance as the floor shuddered violently, "The Machina are ruthless. They are built to have no fear, no idea of what surrender actually means. They are like relentless ant soldiers."

"Cut off a limb and they still come towards you."

Joan's voice rarely rose above a whisper, congruent with her waifish figure. She barely seemed to touch the world, her tiny form and tiny voice melting away if one did not pay true attention. There was something about her that was insubstantial, displaced, more an impression than a real living breathing figure.

Inara's eyes lingered on her, watching the diminutive knight, wonder and awe clear on her face.

"Yes. With the Machina you need to aim for their head or heart. That is where their machine minds live," Sun Wu took up the thread of Joan's words as the girl seemed to drift back into the nothing place she lived in, "Both sporelings and Machina are invulnerable to normal weapons. Only the guns and blades Anorah has crafted can touch them."

The general reached out, pressing his hand against a seemingly blank wall and it instantly melted away revealing an immense room.

Susan's eyes widened.

"Hurry. Grab as much as you can carry," Sun Wu urged.

Shelf upon shelf, rack upon rack, the armoury was an unending cache. Blades, from the smallest throwing knives to fully forged swords, blazed beneath the fluorescent lights the lustre ghosting their edges overlapping and resonating into an azure aurora. Guns numbered in the thousands, all stark black as if in warning of what they could do.

"Hel."

The goddess stomped forwards, hefting immense black cases onto her back as the others scrambled in after her, snatching the weapons they were most comfortable with.

Inara instantly gravitated towards the blue-edged swords, sheathing one across her back, carrying the other naked in her hands. She paused and added handguns into her arsenal, handling the things with obvious distaste. Jason merely picked two daggers and refused to look at anything else.

Anorah flinched as she picked up a gun in trembling hands, her eyes wide in her pale face.

"Fight."

She looked at her old friend as Elias looked back at her sadly.

It was hard to see her like this, to see a woman who had lived so much for laughter and friendship trying to do something so against her nature.

"There's no other way," the scientist pressed on ruthlessly, "Fight or you will die."

Anorah whimpered, opening her mouth to speak, to deny the truth but the world around them suddenly roared.

White slammed into their eyes, blinding them as thunderous forces hurled them back, mashing them into the walls. They hit the ground, stunned as Hel pulled herself to her feet, shaking off her pain like a hound drying its fur.

"What was that?!" Susan bellowed, the world spinning wildly around her.

Nausea gripped her stomach but she forced the vomit down, rising on unsteady feet.

"The sporelings. They are in the hallway," Joan reported, not a trace of alarm in her voice.

They could hear the screams, smell the smoke. They looked at each other, their enemies were coming, pouring down the hall.

"Sun Wu?"

Susan slammed the clip into her rifle.

"Lead the way," the queen commanded.

Fernir howled, a savage bloodthirsty war cry and Hel laughed with her brother. Inara glanced at Elias and the scientist's face was grim.

She had seen her world burn and even though she had no great ties to it beyond her own damned family the sight had still driven a knife into her heart. She had fought like a demon to save her unwanted home, had thrown herself headfirst into battle without a care for herself. Elias had left people he knew and loved here, had people he had grown up with and respected and cared for. How heavy were those names on his soul now? What would he do to save the last remnants of Metech?

Elias glanced at her and Inara was suddenly very, very afraid.

"I will go first," Joan announced abruptly.

And the knight dived through the door, utterly fearless.

The screams from outside instantly boomed, the cries shaking the walls as Sun Wu cursed, dashing after the girl.

They charged as one, pushing through the narrow doorway, stumbling outside into the hall and into a battlefield.

"GAARRRGGGH!"

A human-faced thing gave a woman's cry as Inara rammed her blade home. She spun, kicking out, knocking a dround away as its teeth snapped at her foot.

"DUCK!"

Wrenching her sword free, the half-Naga spun to the ground, Susan letting fly with a barrage of blazing bullets.

It tore through the sporelings, Sun Wu and Elias adding their own guns into the fray as Hel charged through the storm of gunfire, the bullets glancing off her skin.

She slammed one sporeling against the wall, the thing practically exploding in her grasp. The goddess laughed with glee as she tossed its corpse into a snakehead, sending it sprawling to the ground. Shrieking like a madwoman, Hel leapt, planting both feet onto the fallen sporeling and crushing it beneath her weight. Dark blood sprayed out of the thing as drenched in gore, the goddess pounced onto a new foe.

Joan seemed to slip into every opening and space offered to her, snatching every opportunity to out-manoeuvre her enemies. Her blade flashed through the air, chopping the monsters as Fenir howled, ripping the throat out of a spider-like thing.

"BOOMERS!" Sun Wu bellowed.

The winged sporelings charged, determined to wipe out every last one of their enemies as Jason punched the air with his fist. White fire exploded, hurling the sporelings aside. They slammed into the walls, their mad chaotic bodies flashing with rainbow colours.

Elias's eyes widened.

"GRAB ONTO SOMETHING!"

The boomers detonated, blowing a hole into the wall, the sky suddenly visible through the smoking ruins. The pressure in the hallway suddenly shifted, the hole sucking everything that was not held down out into a freefall drop.

The sporelings screamed as they pulled through, flailing wildly as they plummeted to their deaths.

"Explosive decompression!" Elias roared over the howl of the wind, "We need to seal up the hole or – "

Clinging tight onto a pipe, Jason slammed his hand into the wall. A sheet of white fire shot out from his palm, slapping itself over the hole. The din instantly died, all of them shakily letting go of their life-saving purchases.

The hallway was cleansed of all sporelings, every last one of the monsters sucked out into sky.

Sun Wu didn't even waste a single thought of what had happened, his mind was already leaping forwards, on what they had to do next.

"This way!"

Jason stood where he was, face drawn as he held the ruach over the hole. The others slipped past him, following the general.

Susan was the last, touching his shoulder and the Seeker dropped the ruach, queen and warrior racing away as the hole in the wall screamed after them, ravenous for more victims.

. . . . . .

"HOLD!" Tirian roared, "HOLD YOUR PLACE!"

To their credit his soldiers did not move even one inch from their stations, raining bullets down onto the veritable army trying to swarm up to the bridge.

The boomers had done their jobs, first disabling the ship and then blasting their way in, letting in other hardier monsters to finish the job.

Technicians yelled out reports from their computers, detailing the widespread chaos engulfing the whole of the Centurion.

Tirian cursed, knowing he could not afford any more men onto the other levels, knowing he was dooming entire sections of the ship and all the people within to the ruthless sporelings. But he had to hold the bridge if there was any hope to pull any survivors through his mess.

He spared one look behind him, just hoping that Sun Wu and Susan had already left the ship, on their way to find Five and rid this damn world of its two cursed enemies.

The technicians were working quickly, trying to divert power to the engines that could work, trying to bring the Centurion down to earth before they were blasted out of the sky.

It was a risk, bringing them down crippled as they were was basically an invitation for either sporelings or Machina to invade en masse but Tirian had a gut feeling that all were already marching towards where Five was, that it gave him a slim chance of survival.

"Bring her down!" he snapped, trying to force the world to his will.

A hollow spine slammed into the wall next to him, burning poisons pumping through the quill and eating through the wall as Tirian whipped back around, his shots falling the drounds trying to scale the walls.

"SIR!"

Tirian looked down at the banks of consoles below, one of the technicians was on her feet.

"The Seraphim has been launched. Our cameras confirm it was Sun Wu!"

A ragged cheer rose from the last survivors of Metech, once soft sheep-like people, bloated by the convenience of technology and the slow poison of peace but now hardened by brutal times into consummate soldiers.

Tirian allowed himself one small smile before it dropped, the king turning to face the army swarming up to devour him and these people he had now made into his own.

"HOLD THE DECK!" he roared, "WHATEVER HAPPENS WE NEED TO HOLD THIS DECK!"

The soldiers of Metech echoed his cry, every last soul on the deck of the Centurion ready to lay their lives on the line and fight to the death.

"FOR METECH!" Tirian bellowed.

"FOR METECH!"

Bullets raked the sporelings, tearing through the endless swarm as the final warriors of Metech made their last stand.

. . . . . .

Susan slammed the clip into place. Despite all the skills Caspian had drummed into her, the weapon was still unfamiliar in her hands, the sceptre burning across her back as though jealous of the newest addition to her arsenal.

The Seraphim shot through Metech's blood-red sky, the stealth-class aircraft cloaked and shielded by the same technology that had protected the Centurion for so long. It was made not for aerial combat but for infiltration, to slip through the chaos of war and land its troops into the heart of the battlefield.

Elias and Anorah sat in the cockpit, the flaming haired woman forcing the craft to its maximum speed, the engines roaring and shaking the Seraphim from nose to tail. In the body of the ship the soldiers sat on benches bolted to the war, the two sides facing each other.

Sun Wu's face was serene, the general betraying none of his thoughts and feelings but everyone knew that in his mad genius mind a thousand battle plans were being unfurled and analysed.

Susan sat across from him, the queen pondering her own tactics. How best to use Jason's ruthlessness? Zaru's speed and senses? Inara's mad courage and Elias's razor mind? The coming battle was like a chessboard in her thoughts the queen moving the pieces she knew, trying to adjust for the pieces she did not.

The Seraphim suddenly shuddered but Susan did not let it distract her. This war, this fight was for Lucy and she could not afford to let her focus slip, to let this one chance to save her sister melt away between her fingers.

Susan's eyes flashed.

This was a war she had to win. No matter the cost, no matter how. She could not lose!

Beside her Inara played idly with one of Anorah's daggers but her eyes were fixed on the knight sitting across from her. The half-Naga was not worried about the coming fight,

how could anything possibly be worse than what had come before? She had conquered her demons in the darkest chamber, had been strong and peerless and then stripped of that power, humbled and helpless in the face of monsters and witches. But still she had stood against the dark tide, tall and unbroken, fighting until she was made strong once more.

And just when she thought she was unshakeable Inara had been forced back into her own world, had faced her family, her blood and flesh kin that had made her life hell. But for the first time she saw them as they really were, not cartoon monsters but as human beings, caught by the same treachery and dangers of their feelings and failings as she was.

Inara had come to know her family, had come so close to feeling something for them before the darkness had struck again.

Chelsea was dead.

The man Paxton had wanted to become was gone, her father corrupted into a puppet.

And Dorothy, her mother?

Inara wondered if she was even alive.

But if the Great Darkness thought that all that would have destroyed her then he was sadly mistaken.

Sporelings. Machina.

Inara was not concerned one whit about them because they were nothing compared to what she had faced already, her thoughts focused on the girl sitting opposite on her.

"Joan right?"  
The girl knight looked up at her, her eyes blank mirrors which reflected everything they saw but also shields that let nothing in or out. Inara was struck once more about how insubstantial the girl seemed, how even as she sat there, breathing and warm, there was something phantasmic about her, an absence despite her physical presence.

"You're Joan."

"You mentioned her name before worm," Hel sneered.

"Yes. I am."

It took a long while for Inara to form her next words.

"Joan of Arc," it wasn't a question.

"Yes."

Inara stared at her, at this figure of legend standing impossibly before her. Joan said nothing, bearing her gaze without a flick of emotion on her wane exhausted face. Susan was gaping at the girl, all thoughts of the coming fight blown out of her head.

"What… how?!" Inara spluttered.

"I was betrayed by everyone and everything I loved," the knight said with a sadness that was dredged from the deepest part of her soul.

"Betrayed?"

"There was a father I loved and a man I loved as well. I did everything for them," a thread of anger heated her words but her face showed nothing but bitter exhaustion, "I just wanted them to love me as I loved them."

Once the words started they could not be stopped, all the pain, all the anguish that now defined the girl's existence tumbling out of her.

"I was captured by our enemies. By the enemies I had made in their names and they left me to die. They did not lift a single finger to help me when I was tied to the stake and burned alive."

She should have been crying, should have been screaming but the girl that could feel, that had anything at all in her heart but one sad mission had died that day, lost in smoke and the stench of burning flesh.

"The death-god rescued me and he made me a promise," Joan looked at Inara, "I will fight for him and in return for my services he will ensure that I will see my father again."

A small smile curled her lips.

"And I will strike him down."

"Such a sad story!"

Hel's voice was like a crow's shriek, sharp and jarring in the silence following Joan's words. They looked at her, the goddess glaring at them from the depths of her hood, her eyes glittering.

"If you were truly strong you would seek this father out yourself!" Hel hurled at her apparent ally, "Do not depend on anyone dear friend for they will surely disappoint you."

She turned her hot angry eyes on everyone else on the plane, contempt dripping from her every word.

"I cannot believe I am shackled with such weaklings as yourself. You require blades and guns to do your fighting! My bare hands are enough to snuff the life out of my enemies!"

"No soldier is an army," Sun Wu said softly, "We are stronger for banding together."

Jason grunted and Hel turned on him.

"What? A brave man like yourself needing to depend on little girls to do his fighting?" her eyes raked Susan and Inara, "Vahalla is too good for you maggot!"

Inara spat at her as Susan paid not one whit of attention, the queen merely factoring in the woman's demented rage into her plans.

"I'm alive only because of them," the Seeker said flatly, "As you are alive only because of your companions."

Hel flushed and her rage punched the air hard, Zaru reeling from the burning smell of it.

"I did not need – "

She caught Sun Wu's amused look and cursed, stomping the floor with her foot like a petulant child.

"I did not need your help!" she hissed.

"Where's your daddy?" Inara struck like a viper, "Where's your other brother? The big snake guy?"

The blood drained from Hel's face and Fenrir instantly snarled at the girl. Zaru growled right back at him, ready to fight despite knowing the beast that was not quite a wolf could tear his throat out without even trying.

"Couldn't save them hey?" Inara gave the goddess a twisted smile, "Join the club."

Hel slammed her fists down onto the bench and dented the hardened steel. She half rose from her seat, possessed by the monstrous rage that the only the most vulnerable, the most desperate could feel.

Here was a woman who had refused to believe in anything but the absoluteness of her own powers, could not even conceive there were limitations. An unbendable belief had struck against brutal reality and the goddess was left on a knife's edge, a gentle push away from a fall that would utterly destroy her.

"I WILL – "

"Stop this," Sun Wu ordered.

Hel turned her burning eyes onto him but the general weathered her rage unflinchingly.

"We are about to enter into battle."

Sun Wu calmly set his eyes forwards, staring right into Susan's face.

"If our minds are not still then we will have already lost."

"I fight so I can bathe in the blood of my enemies!" Hel roared, "My mind is pure!"

She stared at them all, spitting mad, her anger billowing out of her and choking the air from the craft.

"Why do you fight?" she demanded of all of them, "Why do you risk your lives?"

"I fight so I may cut my father down," Joan repeated in her fragile tremulous voice.

"I fight to learn. To refine my craft," Sun Wu said with a small smile.

The general looked across the ship at Susan, at Jason and Inara and Zaru. Susan looked back at him, at Tash's champions.

"Because if we don't innocent people die," Susan ignored Hel's derisive snort, "And for family."  
"Yeah," Inara grinned, "What she said."

. . . . . .

A smile curled Elias's lips.

Silence fell over the passengers in the Seraph as the scientist switched his attention back to the screens and consoles before him, his fingers moving swiftly over the controls before him, guiding the ship to where they needed to go.

Anorah sat in the chair beside him, the researcher doing her part in the piloting in utter silence.

"Why do you fight?"  
Elias looked at his old friend, the woman refusing to look at him, her eyes trained purely on the screens before her.

"What?"

She spoke but it was so quiet that she had to clear her throat, had to force it out again.

"Why?"

Anorah was trembling, her fingers spasming over the keys.

"Why do you fight?"

Her mask broke, pieces tumbling away as she trembled, each shake sending more fragments flying. She seemed to draw in on herself, pulling away from a world that was too painful, trying to make herself so small and insignificant that nothing would ever touch her again.

"We were scientists Elias. We were meant to save the world… to help people, to shed the light onto the darkness and show them there was nothing there but wonders," Anorah sounded as though she could barely breathe, "But then Rolf showed us there was things we have to fear. The scalies came and they…"

Her voice broke, shattering like her nerves.

"Did you know they found human flesh a delicacy? They hunted us down like animals," she was rocking back and forth in her seat, "Rolf wanted to find another race out amongst the stars so we could learn from each other, we could work together to bring all races into the light."

She stared down at her hands, staring at bloodstains only she could see.

"Do you remember the days in the Academy? Do you remember how we promised each other that we would never make things that will harm others, that we will never craft weapons or monsters or…"

"Yes. I remember."

But those ideals had shattered in the first very world he had visited. Elias had learnt in Shift's world that he could not be a pacifist, that he could not stand idly by and hold himself to impossible fantasies when people were slaughtered and abused before him.

He had used the skills he had learnt to blow his enemies up, to rain fire and hell down on them and he could not regret it.

Did that make him a hypocrite? Did that make him weak?

Pacifists thought warriors were barbarians, sword-wielding brutes that did not understand that nothing could be gained from death. Warriors thought pacifists were fools, limp-wristed milkmaids who tried to use words against people who care not one whit about what they said.

Who was right? Who was wrong?

The answer probably lied something in between. A world of warriors was doomed to destruction but a world of pacifists was just a target ripe for the picking. The two ideas were like sun and rain, intrinsic opposites but vital to the survival of the world.

Elias was pulled from his thoughts as Anorah spoke again.

"I've done things I never thought I would. I made the sporelings! I made the monsters that are butchering innocent people! And I did it because I was told it was the way forward, that betraying myself would save Metech," Anorah looked at Elias, her eyes wild, "I need to know Elias. Was I right? Was I right to join this war? Should I have clung to what the Academy taught us? To do no harm? No evil? Do you have a reason to fight that overrides that?"

Elias looked at her sadly as she looked to him, looked to some echo of her past, a time where she was ignorant and happy.

"Elias?" she begged, "Please – "

"I fight because I found a reason to. All of our research, all of the wonderful grand things we discovered… it means nothing. We helped people and that's a gift I feel blessed but we were never a part of them. We never saw their joy, their happiness," Elias turned ever so slightly to looking at Inara and Zaru, at Susan and Jason.

He smiled despite everything.

"I fight because I know what it means to be really part of something. I know how much it hurts when you see someone you love cry, how you would tear down armies just to protect them from that hurt," his words sounded hollow to him, feeble things trying to encapsulate the earthquake that had torn through his heart and rearranged so world so completely, "I fight for them. To stand by their side because I couldn't live with myself if I wasn't there."

"Sounds nice," Anorah said quietly.

For a long moment they said nothing, old friends that had so little in common now.

"Are you ask me all this because you really want to know or because you've been trying to turn this ship around?" Elias asked gently.

Anorah flinched as Elias reset the co-ordinates, putting them back to the path to war. Tears spilt messily down her face the woman not even trying to hide anymore.

"I can't fight Elias. I don't know how, I don't know why."

"Do you care for Seven?"

Five and Seven were both little more than machines programmed to be as human-like as possible, circuits and chips somehow giving birth to facsimile of thoughts and feelings and personalities. Elias and Anorah and their friends had been the creative storm that had electrified their world but he knew that at heart they were unimaginable lonely, nothing in their lives but their work and academic pursuits. Elias had seen Five as his friend, the closest thing he had to a family. He was not surprised in the others had treated their mechanical assistants in the same way.

"Yes."

The truth was so pitiful that it made Elias want to weep, not only for her but for him as well. To outsiders they were the envy of Metech but in truth they had been hermits in their own lives.

"Then there's your reason. You want to save her just like I want to save Five."

Anorah stared at him, trembling, tears fighting to be free. But she nodded, very, very slowly she nodded.

"For Seven."

Another soldier had just been born into this war raging across the worlds. Elias gave his old friend a single bracing smile, warrior to warrior, before turning back to the controls. His hands flew over the screens, deftly guiding them all to the final fight for Metech.

. . . . . .

They had been born in this place, conceived, made, programmed and brought to life.

Five walked the catacombs that had once been her first home, smiling at memories that were as golden and distant as the sun. She had made her first stumbling steps onto this very walkway, tripping out of her pod and almost falling face first if not for Three's steady grip, the man laughing as she giggled with embarrassed joy.

Her smile faded.

The innocent times were over. The war was almost over. And what would be left?

She could only hope that somewhere in Metech some last pocket of humanity remained, the seed from which the once great civilisation would spring again.

They were coming for her, her last two remaining siblings, each the commander in two very different armies.

"Please… don't."

Seven ignored her.

Zero ignored her.

All their thoughts, all their drive were directed towards her, to coming here with their armies and claim her for their own.

It would end where it had all begun, in this laboratory hidden in the vast stretches of the deadlands. This place was meant to have the citadel of a new age, the birthing place of machines that would have changed the world.

Five's lips twisted into a parody of a smile as she remembered her creator's first words to her. Gansen had been a great man, had envisioned humans and machines working together, learning from each other as they stood the first steps into a new golden age. He had been right though, they had changed the world.

"If only you could see us now," Five said softly.

Zero and Seven had destroyed it. And Five was going to the phoenix fire that would reduce everything to ashes, to the elementary particles from which everything would rise again.

Blue light washed over her face as Five walked towards the thing she had dedicated one year of her life to, to the thing that would be her final life's work.

"The Final Solution will be activated," Five told her siblings through their bond, feeling their rage, their disgust, "Do not make me do it."

'_WE ARE COMING. YOU CANNOT STOP US.'_

Five closed her eyes, shoulders slumping as she cut off the connection one final time. She was alone now, alone in her empty home, alone in her dark quest.

She reached out with one hand and wires snaked from her skin, they darted through the air, stabbing into the thing before her.

It lit up, blazing with light as Five's eyes flew open.

It had begun.

Metech's salvation had begun.

. . . . . .

The sporelings screamed as a column of blue light suddenly blasted out from the centre of the desert, stabbing up into red heavens and boiling the clouds to mist.

The Machina turned their red unblinking eyes to the same light as they continued with ceaseless march, grinding the earth beneath their steel feet.

Machines and monsters, all were converging on the light. The land was dark with their twisted shapes or shining with their metal forms, silver and black swarming across the red-stained earth.

"We're coming for you," Seven said to the air, to her sister, "And there's nothing you can do about it."

Her mount screeched, its spined wings beating the air, the draconian thing the head of a vast army of boomers, light-wurms and other sporelings of their skies. Below them snakeheads and drounds led the way, spiked and spined things loping behind them.

"Zero."

'_YES.'_

Seven's lips twisted into a cruel smile as she heard her brother's voice.

"To the victor goes the spoils."

She could feel her children tear about the Centurion, feel them following her last commands and bringing the great ship down.

Victory and next step in Metech's logical and glorious evolution were close at hand. One more battle, one more triumph and it would all be over. And she could finally rest.

Stop. Stop. Stop.

Kill. Kill. Kill.

Seven twitched and she cursed savagely, shaking herself as her programming rose once more like a ghost, haunting her every waking moment.

'_YOU ARE WEAK. I AM STRONG. YOU CANNOT WIN.'_

Her brother's voice pounded into her head, each word punched into her skull like a typebar striking its ribbon. Seven reeled but gathered herself, snarling at the air.

"You are nothing!" she screamed at him, "You are lifeless, dead! I will bring life back to Metech! What can you offer this world?!"

The answer came swiftly, beamed to her with the cold detachment of a pathologist's report.

'_WE ARE ETERNAL. WE WILL NOT DIE. WE WILL REBUILD AND GROW WHEN YOU ARE ALL DUST.'_

"You will grow stagnant and rust. We will expand, we will grow and learn and evolve!" Seven spat, her sporelings echoing her venom, "We are what Metech needs!"

'_YOU ARE WRONG. YOU ARE ALREADY DEAD.'_

"What – "  
"BOOM!"

An almighty explosion tore through the sporelings' first ranks, blasting them to burning fragments as the great army screamed as one. Gunfire roared out, raking through the swarm as Seven's mount wheeled, screeching in alarm.

The mother of all screamed, her arm swinging up, transforming from limb to weapon as she aimed and fired all in one liquid move.

She blasted a Machina war-fighter from the air, sending it spiralling down into the earth in a rush of fire. She switched targets and felling two more as her sporelings trampled each other in their crazed confusion.

"ATTACK!" she screamed with her voice and her mind, grabbing at the links between them, "ATTACK!"

War-fighters and death-wings clogged the air, their guns spitting out blazing trails of bullets as boomers swarmed, throwing themselves forwards in kamikaze attacks. On the ground tanks rolled into battle, shuddering as their gun turrets tore holes through the sporeling ranks. The Machina foot-soldiers marched forwards, their fingers tirelessly moving as they pumped round after round of bullets into their sworn enemies.

The final war had begun.

"KILL!" Seven bellowed.

Her mount lashed out with its spiked tail, scything through a death-wing, the ship disintegrating as it fell.

"KILL!"

A snakehead fell, its face a mess of bloody holes as a dround leapt over its twitching form, vomiting acid on the Machina that had killed its brethren.

A beam of ionised energy tore through the dark cloud of boomers choking the Machina fleet, vaporising every sporeling it touched. The light almost caught Seven and her draconian ride, the mother firing back, her blasts stopped by a shield of shimmering oil-slick light.

"I know you're in there brother!" she roared.

'_SURRENDER. THAT IS YOUR ONLY OPTION.'_

"NEVER!"

Her sporeling charged, tearing straight through the death-wing's shields as Seven raised her arm, cackling wildly as she fired upon her brother.

. . . . . .

"I'll stay here and give you cover."

They all looked at her hesitatingly but Elias merely nodded. Anorah said nothing, grim faced but ready to do what was needed to end this war. There was no question in her mind anymore, no doubts.

She had thought herself a pacifist, a woman above violence and war but she had seen too many of friends die, had seen her world born and some of that madness had crept into her without her even knowing. Pacifism was a feverish dream, a shining ideal that she could not match.

Was she lesser for fighting or was she only now finding her nerve?

Anorah did not know and she did not care. All she knew was that in the air around them, on the ground below her creations were swarming, a cancer that was devouring what little of her home that was left. They had to die and she had to have a hand in their destruction.

"We can't get any closer without drawing attention."

They flew at the edges of the war, boomers and Machina warships clashing, explosions rocking the heavens. Below sporelings and machines slaughtered each other, the fallen already piled high.

"What's the plan?" Jason growled.

"We charge in with the Seraphim. Get as far as possible then drop down onto the battle. Anorah will provide cover fire," Sun Wu said decisively, "We'll have to fight our way through to Five."

The general looked at Susan.

"By my calculations you and your people have only one more hour left in this world. We have to succeed by then."

"Alright…" Susan hefted her gun, making sure her knives were in place, "What are we waiting for then?"

Anorah nodded and turned in her chair back to the controls. Elias stood, cast his friend one last look before joining his family.

"Into battle once more," Joan said softy.

Hel laughed with delight.

"Yes," Sun Wu looked out through the windows and into the chaos of war, "Anorah…"

The flaming haired woman rested her hands on the controls, waiting, shaking, praying.

"Charge."

. . . . . .

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"

The Seraphim dropped its cloak, the silver ship flashing into sight as it fired its cannons, burning its way through the battle.

Boomers hurled themselves at the craft, rocking it with spectacular aurora-charged explosions but the Seraphim's hardened armour held under the attack, buckling and staying intact. The Machina fired back, the ship barrelling its way through the barrage with a single-minded purpose.

It dived, blasting the armies on the ground, wiping away a clearing amidst the fighting as its underbelly split in two. Dark forms fell from the opening, hitting the ground and instantly coming up firing.

"GO! GO! GO!" Susan barked.

The Seraphim peeled away, firing, clearing a path as they charged forwards, the column of light still so very far away.

Jason slammed his fists into the ground, white fire boiling out, sweeping across the battlefield. Machinas were sent flying, sporelings hurled back as they ran.

Hel laughed, lashing out, crushing her enemies with her bare fists as Fernir tore them apart with his ice-cold teeth.

A Machina, a humanoid of glass and steel, raised its gun firing away as Inara lunged. Her sword hummed as it sliced through its metal form, the thing crumpling as she twisted, slicing through a snakehead's tentacles.

Susan fired, her rifle jerking in her hands as Machinas rushed at her, pistons pumping, their single red eye fixed on her. She poured bullets through their heads, ducking as one leapt at her, the machine sailing over her head. The queen spun, firing once, hitting the Machina before it hit the ground, coming up and putting a bullet into a sporeling bristling with poison-tipped spines.

"INCOMING!"

Inara ran for her life as Machina tanks steamrolled over everything in their paths, armoured monstrosities bristling with cannons, every barrel now aiming straight for them. Light burned in those guns but Elias was already reaching into his bag, hurling a silver thing at them.

"BOOM!"

Twisted scraps of molten metal whistled through the air as Jason protected them behind a wall of ruach, the Seeker ploughing his shield forwards, clearing a narrow path.

Joan was a blood-splattered angel, the tiny slip of a girl bringing death to everything her blade touched.

"I cannot die."

A Machina's hand went flying, fingers twitching wildly as Joan whirled, spearing a sporeling through its throat.

"I must meet my father."

It was her mantra, her war cry, her reason for existing. She could not die, could not be snuffed out until that glorious moment, that time when she would at last see her father and slit his throat for what he had done.

She parried, slicing, her sword a sheet of blue-edged silver as it sliced a Machina footsoldier in two.

Violence sparked memories and sight of fire ignited them to nightmares.

Joan leapt, a dround passing under feet.

_The rope was rough against her wrists, rubbing her skin raw._

She landed, the same dround screaming at her, tongue flicking out but before it could drench her with the acid from its gut she stabbed her sword through the roof of its mouth and out of its head.

_The crowd jeered, asking why her beloved father wasn't here to help her._

She grabbed a Machina, swinging it in front of her, a snakehead's tentacles punching into the machine.

_She asked the same question, begging him to hear her words, begging him to save her. She had done everything he had wanted to, had followed his words faithfully… surely this was not her reward?_

The snakehead reeled as she hurled the impaled Machina at it, the two falling in a tangled sprawl. Before either could recover Joan was there, her sword flashing down.

_Then the smoke came. It made her sick, made her vomit all down her front and as she choked on bile, on soot and ash she could hear the crackling of the flames._

Joan screamed, lashing out again and again, uncaring of what she struck, who she slain, lost and trapped in a nightmare she had lived once and a thousand times again every night.

"Where were you?!" she screamed amidst the battle, "WHERE WERE YOU?!"

_Pain. Everything had dissolved in pain. She could feel her skin cracking and curling, letting the fire pour into her body. She had smelt her own hair burn, her own flesh smoulder and cook. She had screamed then. Had screamed and screamed and screamed until her lungs were charcoal in her chest, until her bowels had burst from the heat and muck ran down her legs. _

"But you didn't listen!" Joan bellowed, insane with fury, with grief, "YOU LEFT ME!"

Her hands lashed out and Inara yelped as the girl-knight grabbed her. The half-Naga tried to break the girl's grip but Joan was impossibly strong, possessed by something that made even the sporelings seem docile.

"I CANNOT DIE!" the insane knight screeched, "NOT UNTIL I HAVE MY REVENGE!"

That was her one purpose. She fought not for these people, not for Metech, not for Tash but for the chance to meet her father and exact her revenge. She had to live until then no matter the cost, had to keep on fighting no matter whose body she had to lay down to form her path.

Machina soldiers fired at her, Joan charging, using Inara as a shield.

"NO! STOP!" the half-Naga screamed at her, "JOAN – "

"BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!"

Bullets tore through the air, Inara screaming as one round clipped her arm, Joan still shoving her forwards.

"HELP!" Inara yelled desperately, "HELP – "  
"ROWWWRR!"

Joan staggered away as Zaru clawed at her, breaking her grip on Inara. The leopard instantly changed tack, spearing into the half-Naga, knocking them to the ground as the Machinas fired again.

"ZARU! INARA!"

Susan swept her rifle through the air, a spray of bullets punching through the mechanised soldiers. They fell as Inara staggered to her feet.

"That crazy woman tried to kill me!" she yelped.

She whirled ready to punch Joan in the face but the girl-knight was gone, lost somewhere in the madness all around them.

"SUN WU!" Susan roared.

The general glanced at her, his hands shooting out and hurling a dagger straight into the eye of a snakehead.

"Keep your people in check!"

Sun Wu's lips quirked.

"They are not my people. We fight for our own reasons," the man said simply, "I cannot promise anything."

"What – "

Susan whirled, firing. A bullet punched straight through a Machina's lone red eye, the thing crumpling lifeless to the ground. She turned to Sun Wu, eyes pure blood red.

"You wanted us to fight. We are here to fight," Sun Wu pointed out, "And you might want to pay more attention to what the Machinas are doing."

"SUSAN!"

Sporelings shrieked as they were hurled away. Silver spheres tore through their lines, the great globes rolling with frenetic speed as Jason and Elias tried to fight them off. Gunfire glanced off these new machines hardened forms, the things spinning, turning back.

"GARGH!"

Hel lashed out, smashing her fist through one of the balls. The Machina unfurled, red eye glaring at the goddess, vicious segmented limbs slashing at her. Her cloak was shredded, revealing the woman for the first time.

She was a dichotomy, a schism. One side a beautiful long-limbed woman with flowing black hair and a proud haughty face that fitted her regal bearing, the other a walking corpse, bloated and blackened, flesh melting into bone and bone into dust.

The goddess laughed, thrusting her fingers through the Machina's lone eye and ripped it out, wires and sparks gushing from the wound.

One of the spheres slammed into her, sending her flying. She fell into the grasps of a sporeling that was a walking mess of limbs and tentacles, instantly swallowed up in its grasp. But Hel was unstoppable. She exploded out of the sporeling, ripping it apart like a babe sundering the womb from which it came, grabbing dying thing and throwing it bodily through the air. It struck a Machina war-fighter, the monster sucked into its engines and the whole craft exploded, tumbling from the sky. Through the flames she walked as the spherical Machinas charged again. With a single blow she sent it flying up into the air.

"It is tiring fighting with people who does not care whether you live or die," the general said with his maddening unwaveringness.

He grabbed Susan and side-stepped away as the Machina slammed to earth, dismantling on impact. Just to be sure he put a bullet into the thing's still glowing red eye, the thing letting out a high-pitched screech before it went still forever.

From above Anorah fired, the Serphaim's guns felling war-fighters, fending off death-wings as boomers tried in vain to blow the ship out of the sky. Jason reached out with his hands, white fire gushing out of him, sweeping the flying sporelings up and cocooning them in a net of pure ruach. The Seeker grunted as he slammed his fists into the ground, the ruach falling, catapulting the trapped boomers down into the armies below.

"BOOM!"

Elias added his explosions into the madness, everything before them consumed by flames.

Wolves howled in his head, urging him on, crying out in triumph as he brought destruction to those who had harmed his home, his people.

Smoke mushroomed up, swallowing up the Machina fleet, the Seraphim firing into the smog, seizing the precious advantage.

Something in the smoke exploded, flames clawing through the dark.

"WATCH OUT!"

A death-wing, an immense airship almost the size of the centurion, suddenly came barrelling out of the smoke, flames pouring from its front. It was on crash course with the ground, everything its advancing shadow running for the lives. The great ship hit the earth, ploughing through the dirt, smashing through a row of Machina tanks and flinging them by the wayside.

"RUN! RUN!"

Jason dragged Elias behind him as the two tried to outrun the death-wing, its flaming bow cutting through the earth like a knife. The Seeker whirled, ruach flying, slamming into the ship, the veins bulging from his neck as he tried to push the mammoth thing back.

"JASON! DON'T BE AN IDIOT YOU CAN'T – "

"Of course the maggot can't," Hel sneered, the goddess and her lupine brother suddenly appearing beside them, "He does not have the – GARGH!"

Jason's hand shot out, an invisible force throwing both immortals away. He whipped back, the death-wing's momentum overpowering his efforts, the Seeker gasping desperately for breath as he tried to pour more of himself into the attack and –

Red light flared and Susan was at his back, sceptre burning in her hands. Red and white careened into the death-wing, doing in combination what Jason could not do alone. The great craft groaned to a halt, a mountain of smoking burning dirt piled before its nose.

Queen and Seeker looked at each other, Susan offering him an impish smile.

"Took you long enough," Jason grunted back as Susan snorted under her breath.

"HOW DARE YOU?!"

Hel raised her fist ready to lash out at them but froze as she felt a sharp point poke at her back. She turned her head, beauty and rotting flesh, staring at the fool who dared to annoy her.

Inara stared back at her, eyes silver.

"Look we can try killing each other later but right now we're in the middle of a war," the half-Naga said flatly.

"You are but worms – " Hel begun furiously.

"Blah blah blah we suck," Zaru growled, "We get it. I'm pretty sure you can snap our spines if you wanted to but seriously? It's five against one."

Susan was pointing her sceptre straight at the god, Jason ready to engulf her in wave of white flames. Elias too had his weapons pointed at her, the scientist's eyes as steady as his hands.

"You can try killing me but I'm pretty sure one of my friends will nail you first," Inara smirked.

Hel glared at her, at them all, her fists clenched.

"Enough of this," Sun Wu said briskly marching towards them.

Above Anorah was still firing into the thick pall of smoke, weaving wildly as the Machina fleet retaliated with a blind barrage of artillery shells.

"There's something in the ship that could help us," Fenrir announced suddenly.

The wolf-god looked at Elias, feeling an echo in that man that called to him. Unlike Hel Fenrir was driven not by rage but by cold hard purpose. He had agreed to fight for Tash so that he may meet the ones that had killed his father and his brother, lashing out wildly like a great spoilt child was just inviting death before he got that chance.

"Go," Susan ordered, "Hurry."

Inara, Zaru and Elias instantly dashed for the burning wreck of the death-wing, Fenrir loping after them. The queen and her Seeker, Sun Wu and the goddess stayed where they were, the immortal glaring at them all with naked hate in their eyes.

"You are weak. You are cowards, too scared to face me by yourselves," she hissed.

"It's not cowardice. You face one of us you face all of us," Susan said harshly, furious that this fool of a woman was wasting the precious minutes she had left in this world, "And that's why you and the Great Darkness can never win."

Hel flinched as Susan turned, marching away, not sparing a single glance behind her. She was not here to fight with Tash's champions, she was here to claim Five, to save her sister.

Jason looked at Hel with something very akin to pity on his face.

"What?!" the goddess barked at him, his look as caustic to her as acid.

The Seeker rolled his eyes and walked away as Sun Wu stared after the man curiously.

"You will do well to learn from him."

Hel spat at the general's feet, sweeping away as Sun Wu sighed. He turned, firing three shots, each taking down a Machina that had tried to sneak up on them.

Throwing one last glance at the Seraphim, the ship still holding its own, Sun Wu walked swiftly towards the downed death-wing, pondering what he had just seen from Aslan's champions.

. . . . . .

Anorah banked hard to the left, squeezing the trigger, the Seprahim shuddering as it unleashed a barrage of tracers, burning a hole into the war-fighter's hull.

Boomers dove at her but the ship's inbuilt electromagnetic field pulsed scrambling the sporeling's magnetoception. The creatures screeched, blinded and disorientation, colliding each other, tumbling to the ground.

The Seraphim and the Centurion had been built by her and Gansen, the unwilling grandmother of all sporelings and the grandfather of the Machina. Both ships had been specifically built to counter their enemies, electromagnetic fields to scramble Machina tracking devices and the boomers, acid-resistant armour, onboard electronics that constantly beamed out viruses designed to hobble the Machina and everything Gansen had known about the Machina, the way they thought and fought had also been programmed into the Seraphim's autopilot.

So far all those measures had kept her alive and fighting. Anorah noted that fact from a detached distance, reality as alien to her as the red world hovering above.

She pushed buttons, adjusted controls, raining death down onto her enemies.

A part of her was screaming, dying at the fact that she was breaking all her own cardinal rules. All the other parts were focused on finishing the job.

"Aim."

The screen lit up, flashing green as the trigger hairs locked onto a Machina death-wing.

"Fire."

The ship exploded as she pulled the trigger.

"Aim."

Her voice was dead.

"Fire."

Her soul was dead.

"Aim."

Anorah squeezed the trigger again, her blank eyes reflecting the blaze as a war-fighter dissolved into flames.

. . . . . .

White fire swept through the cargo bay, silver things thrown helplessly through the air. They slammed into the wall, pinned by ghostly forces as their enemies fired, executing them with ruthless efficiency.

Inara spun, kicking a Machina to the ground before loping its head off. Its red-eye blinked out as it rolled away, its body twitching its final throes.

"This way," Fenrir growled, the grey wolf bounding to the other side of the bay.

Hel slammed her fist through the panel on the wall and the great blast doors slid open.

There was a flurry of movement and the Machinas on the other side had them dead in their sights.

"Well…" Inara twitched as she surveyed the army of mechanised soldiers, "… Eep?"

"INARA!"

The half-Naga leapt, flipping backwards through the air as white fire lashed out, grabbing her, throwing her back.

The Machinas fired, bullets punching the air as Jason lashed out again, steel crates pulled from their moorings, spinning in front of them. Burning hot metal slammed into the makeshift shields, the Machinas advancing, red-eyes focused on their prey.

"DIE!"

Hel ploughed through the barrage of ammunition, metal skidding off her skin like rain as she grabbed the nearest machine. The goddess heaved the thrashing thing above her head, howling with laughter as she twisted, snapping the steel soldier in two.

The Machina turned on her, their bullets completely useless as she swung the shattered remains like a flail, throwing twitching forms light and right. Her laughter thundered through the bay, soaring above the roar of the guns, taunting her enemies and allies.

See?

The unspoken boast was clear from the look in her eyes, her face.

See how great I am? See how little you are? You cower whilst I destroy my enemies!

Hel laughed and laughed, stomping down and crushing a Machina's head into a shattered mess of gears and bolts.

"HEL!" Fenrir suddenly barked, "WATCH OUT!'

The wolf's sister whipped around, light flashing over her.

"BOOM!"  
She flew through the air, smashing into the wall of steel crafts, metal and flesh crumpling. The goddess slid boneless to the ground as a dead silence filled the hangar.

The cannon whirred, wisps of light dragging across its surface, creeping into the barrel as the Machian soldiers worked quickly, their fingers dancing across the controls.

"WATCH OUT!"

"BOOM!"

A blast of pure light sliced through the crates as they all dived to the side. It struck the blast doors, the thickened steel turning cherry-red, smoking and sizzling before the ion cannon punched a neat perfect circle straight through. The machine fell silence, smoking as the Machina started the cycle again, the great weapon heating upon once more.

"STOP THEM!"

Silver balls exploded out from behind the Machina technicians, the round battle units unfurling, unleashing a barrage of steel darts.

"GET THE CANNON!" Inara roared, leaping over the smoking ruins of the crates, "GO!"

Another flurry of darts flew at her but the half-Naga deftly deflected the pieces of shrapnel, lashing out and sending a chunk of debris at the round Machina. It struck the machine right in its red eye, the thing reeling back with a high-pitched cry. It swiftly rolled back into place, looking up just in time to see Inara leaping through the air.

The sword shook violently in her hands as she hacked the thing in two, her eyes completely silver. On the other side of the hangar Sun Wu deftly shattered another Machina's eye with a single bullet.

"HURRY!" Susan bellowed, spraying the technicians with her rifle, sparks flying as several of the machines fell.

Elias jammed one of his explosives into Zaru's mouth, the leopard giving a muffled cry.

"Don't stuff this up!" Jason roared as Zaru glared at him.

The Seeker punched the ground, ruach exploding up into fiery columns, flinging the mangle crates up into the air.

Zaru was already off, leaping, bounding off the momentary platforms, soaring above the mayhem boiling through the hangar.

With a strangled yell, he leapt one last time, soaring above the technicians and the cannon, his jaws loosening, dropping the silver thing in his mouth.

"GET DOWN!" Elias bellowed.

"BOOM!"

An explosion rang out but it was not the cannon that was the source of this deafening roar. Machina flew through the air, striking the walls and breaking into a thousand pieces as the charging weapon detonated. They were all thrown back, air and ground, left and right all mashing together in one dizzying blur as their ears echoed the boom over and over.

Zaru was the first to crawl to his feet, blinking the triple vision out of his eyes.

The cannon was a melted smoking wreck, the technicians all destroyed by the blast. Fenrir growled at him in approval even as he nudged Hel's prone form with his muzzle.

"Through there," the wolf-god snarled, "There's something through there."

A glance told him that Susan and the others were getting out, dazed but unharmed. The leopard twitched his ears in thanks before turning and padding through the second doorway.

His eyes widened.

"What is it?" Susan asked wearily, limping towards him.

She crunched through the wreckage, forced forwards by her goal, her one reason. Zaru turned back to look at her, smiling.

"So… who's driving?"

. . . . . .

A twitch of her finger and the draisine swerved, poisoned spines slamming into the earth. They shot past the sporeling, a spray of bullets tearing the thing apart as Inara laughed.

"You are enjoying this way too much," Zaru muttered.

"Kitty, a lifetime of playing pointless video games is going into this moment," Inara manipulated the craft with supreme ease, the controls so precise it seemed to respond more to her thoughts than hands, "Let me enjoy it!"

The draisine had been stored in the hangar of the downed death-wing, a red plated thing with massive teethed wheels on either end that chewed the earth as it tore through the battlefield. Guns were mounted on either side, the draisine built to be a swift manoeuvrable weapon of war.

Sun Wu and Elias manned these guns, the general the only companion they had left. Joan had been lost somewhere in the chaos of the battle, Fenrir watching his unconscious sister in the ruins of the death-wing.

"Almost there Queenie!" Inara yelled over her shoulder.

Susan's eyes flashed, sceptre in one hand, rifle in the other. She stared out the window, trained on the column of light pulsing up to the heavens, the view all around them drenched in blue.

The battle was spreading, gaining closer to the light and to Five, Machina and sporelings fighting each other to a bloody stalemate, the fallen now as many as the still fighting.

Drounds vomited acid over their enemies, snakeheads slicing through the rest with their whipping black arms. Machina soldiers rattled their guns, blasting bloody holes in their sworn foes as their spherical counterparts shredded them with metal darts.

Above boomers and war-fighters dived and swooped, the sporelings hurling themselves forwards in kamikaze attacks, the fleet lightning up the sky with brilliant gunfire. The fallen tumbled from the heavens in trails of fire, the twisted carcasses crushing everything they fell upon.

Madness was in the air, death walked through the earth and they were right in the centre of it.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" Zaru yelped.

It hovered over the chaos, its shadow swallowing them all. If the battle below was to be seen as a nightmare of silvers and blacks and stained with the red of the alien world above, this thing was a marble sculpture, an unblemished masterpiece looking upon the bedlam with the utmost of disdains.

It had wings that did not flap, feathers that were as hard as steel but still it flew. It glided into the midst of battle and all who fought looked up, drawn by its luminance.

It was a reminder, a rude awakening that death was not always ugly and twisted. To some, to the dying and to the tormented, death could be as beautiful and wondrous as a babe's first hesitant breath.

The angel landed amongst them and a cathedral's hush fell upon the battle. It looked upon them in wonder, in a question and raised its hand, light falling from its magnificent form.

And one with swift swipe of its great hand it crushed its foes.

Sporelings screamed as they were obliterated, mashed into the earth in smears of dark blood. They tried to fight the falling hand, their claws and acids doing nothing against the heavy armour. Boomers dived, flying at the machine's face. A halo of psychotic colours burned in a crown around the great Machina's head but despite it all the colossus continued unfazed, pointing one with long finger as light burned at the tip.

It slashed the air and a line of light raked through the sporelings' ranks, wavering there in a ghostly band. The light condensed, intensifying, the sporelings stark against the white. It suddenly detonated, a sheer wall of white fire punching into the sky. Burning bodies were flung in every imaginable direction, the Machina footsoldiers marching forwards, gunning down the survivors.

The sporelings screamed, instantly breaking rank. They trampled over each other, broken bodies laying twitching in the aftermath as the draisine fought against the sea of fleeing forms.

The winged Machina blasted the sporelings even as they ran, geysers of fire immolating everything they touched.

"WHOA!"

The draisine swerved, threatening to flip over as Inara frantically turned, narrowly avoiding one of the blasts. A dround was crushed beneath the craft, bisected by its toothed wheels as with a round of gunfire, they broke through the sporeling lines.

Machina soldiers fired on them, sparks flying as bullets deflected off the draisine's armour. Alarms instantly blared into life, Inara yelping as she tried to steer around their enemies.

"LEFT!" Susan roared.

Zaru jagged his claws into Inara's calves, the girl roaring in pain.

"RIGHT!" the leopard screamed, "RIGHT!"

"JUST CHARGE THROUGH THEM!" Jason snarled.

The draisine slammed into a Machina, its mangled form skidding off the windshield and tumbling along the roof.

Elias and Sun Wu ignored the screaming in the cabin, their fingers working rapidly as they pounded the mechanised soldiers with twin gunfire.

"SLOW DOWN!"

Inara twitched.

"GO FASTER!"

"LEFT!'

"NO! RIGHT!"

"RUN IT OVER!"

"DON'T YOU DARE! DON'T YOU – "

"SHUT UP!"

Inara slammed her fists down onto the arm of her chair, denting the steel. Susan, Jason and Zaru's mouths instantly snapped shut, staring at her wide-eyed.

"One more word out of any of you and so god help me I will stop this vehicle and you can walk!" Inara spat at them, eyes completely silver.

The draisine rocked as bullets slammed into its side, the machine standing idle as Inara's death glare intensified.

"We'll be good!" Zaru promised frantically.

"He started it," Jason muttered under his breath oh so quietly as the leopard hissed at him.

Susan smacked the Seeker across the back of the head, lightly stepping on Zaru's tail as both of them yelped. She grinned meekly at the half-Naga at the controls as Inara snorted before swivelling back, sending the draisine flying through the Machina once more.

At his own controls Sun Wu chuckled.

Elias glanced at him, pausing between one shot and the next.

"I thought the best soldiers were those who were disciplined. Those trained to show absolutely no emotions. Those who could be clear-headed and cold even amidst the heat of the fight," Sun Wu said simply.

Elias's lips twisted into an echo of a smile.

"Clearly you have a different way of doing things."

"We haven't forgotten who we are," Elias fired again, Machinas crumpling into ruined steel as bullets shot through them, "Because if we do that…"

Zaru and Jason continued to bicker, Susan throwing up her hands in disgust.

"… what's the point of winning?"

The angelic Machina pointed straight at them, light focusing at its fingertip, Inara's eyes widening as she realised what it meant to do.

"HOLD ON!" she screamed.

Light cut through the air and Inara spun the draisine around wildly. One wheel struck a mangled pile of fallen Machinas and with a sickening lurch the whole craft flipped, its occupants smacking into the ceiling, the floor and the walls as the line of fire passed beneath.

"BOOM!"

Machina soldiers burned as the draisine slammed into the earth, somehow flipping back onto its wheels as inside everybody stared at Inara. She grinned back at them impishly, safely strapped into her chair, the others sporting lurid blossoming bruises.

"How's that for skill?" she tried.

"I think it's called dumb luck," Susan shot back furiously.

Inara cringed apologetically and gunned the engines, the draisine tearing forwards as the great Machina pointed at them again. Inara's eyes widened, frozen, unsure of what to do but Elias suddenly let out an anguished cry.

"ANORAH!"

The Seraphim fired its cannons, blasting through death-wings and war-fighters, the last human piloted ship in all of Metech charging straight for the winged giant.

Elias knew what his friend was doing and he was helpless to stop her.

"No! DAMN IT! NO!"  
The great Machina pointed straight at the ship, the draisine charging past its feet.

"ANORAH!"

Elias twisted in his chair, tracking the ship as it flew straight at the white machine, blasting it again and again with every last bit of ammunition it had on board.

The light on the Machina's fingertip flared.

Elias was weeping, already in mourning.

"ANORAH!"

Light scythed through the Serpahim, the cockpit obliterated by the blast. But it was too close, the burning remains of the ship smashing into the winged Machina, knocking it to the ground.

The draisine raced out from beneath the colossus's shadow, jolting as the great machine slammed to earth. One last round of bullets and the wheeled craft burst through the Machina.

The column of light was right before them. This close they could see it was rising from a building half-sunken into the ground, the earth around it smoked, the earth above blown away to reveal the once hidden bunker.

Silence reigned inside the draisine as they all looked at Elias, the scientist staring at the smoking debris that was all that drained of the Seraphim.

He had told his friend to fight. He was the one to lead her into this battle and whilst he sat here, heart beating, lungs still filled with air, her remains laid scattered and smoking across the battlefield.

"Doc?" Inara asked gently.

Elias rose from his chair, his face so rigid it was seconds away from shattering.

"Let's finish this."

He hefted his gun, the thing once so ugly and unfamiliar in his hands, now he clung to it like a buoy in a storm-churned sea.

"For Anorah."

The scientist slammed the exit button and the door whooshed open. He marched out, firing as a Machina that tried to charge at him. The machine fell, sparks flying from its ruined face as Elias kicked its body aside. He turned back to look at his family and Sun Wu.

"You coming?"

. . . . . .

The last of her drounds died as its neck was snapped, the body dumped unceremoniously to the side. Rage froze into cold hard purpose and the mother of all sporelings looked up at her sworn enemy.

"You're going to beg for your life," she vowed.

She had marked every one of her fallen children into her heart, the thing in her chest so laden in wounds it could barely beat anymore. The fall of the Machina would not be enough to take those scar away and nor did she wanted it to. Her children had died so that their brothers and sisters could live on, she was not going to let their sacrifice be in vain. Victory here and now would be the greatest remembrance, the sweetest and most perfect absolution.

Through the thick walls they could still hear the sounds of battle, muffled and distant, a constant in the shadowy bowels of the bunker.

"IT ENDS TODAY."

The words punched the air in a staccato beat, like the tromping boots of a military march. They emerged from the shadows, red-eyes burning, followed by sleek silver forms.

"Ahh… of course."

She had made herself flesh, had longed to breathe and feel her pulse beat beneath her skin. Steel was inorganic, inert, it could not evolve, could not adapt and become greater than what it was. That was her belief, her creed but Zero believed otherwise.

To him, to the first of the Machina, flesh was treacherous, unreliable. All living things had to die but machines did not. He hated the human form, found it disgusting with its constant needs and demands, its endless procession of dying cells and withering parts.

Zero had shed the form given to him by Gansen, had become something as far from human as possible.

The Machina soldiers all spoke with the same voice, the same thought.

"WE WILL DESTROY YOU."  
Zero had no physical form, had no structure, no substance. He had been reduced, refined, a being with a thousand arms, a thousand eyes, everywhere and nowhere all at once.

He was a program, a virus, the consciousness that streamed through the Machina, every glittering metal form just one cell in its vast unimaginable body.

"You keep saying that…"

Seven raised her hand, her limb breaking up into a thousand pieces, shifting and rearranging until it became a weapon. She fired, rocking back as a burst of ionised energy blasted the Machina apart.

"But I don't believe you."

She stiffened as footsteps rang out, hard and metallic. Red eyes moved through the shadows as Seven closed her eyes.

"Tell me Zero. How many of them are you?"

"MORE THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE."

As one the soldiers raised their guns, pinpoints of red painting Seven's form.

"YOU CANNOT DEFEAT US ALL."

"Oh?" Seven asked politely, "I believe all I have to do is find Five."

The answer came swiftly, blaring from the Machina before her, from the shadows of the warren-like halls where the other machines stalked.

"I HAVE ALREADY LOCATED HER."

"Zero?"

Seven raised her right arm, the one that had been successfully converted into pure sporeling flesh, dark squirming things burrowing beneath her skin.

"Thank you for your help."

She flicked her fingers and hollow spines shot out, slamming into the Machina before her. They fried as acid was pumped into their systems, seizing and convulsing as they fell to the ground.

"THERE ARE MORE OF US."

"I know…"

She marched over to the Machina's still twitching forms and spread her infected hand over them.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING."

Zero's voice was so static, so dead and emotionless that even his questions fell flat, more a statement than a query.

"Watch."

Seven smiled as the things living in her flesh rose from her skin, their heads twisting and twining around curiously. A thought from her and they fell from her limb, raining onto the Machina. They moved with surprising swiftness, seeking out every crack and opening in the machine's armour and burrowing deep into their circuitry, multiplying and spread as dark bile boiled out of the steel forms.

"STOP."

Her children were speaking to her, in a tongue the Machina could not understand, their words unfurling in her mind. The wurms invaded into the very heart of each Machina, violating their very core and infecting the link that connected Zero to his soldiers.

For a brief moment Seven was part of that network, a cancer that bated on those electric connections, knowing what they knew, seeing what they saw.

The Machina soldiers at her feet suddenly bucked, an unworldly screech tearing through the air as they promptly disintegrated, unable to take strain of the wurms coursing through their bodies. But it had been enough.

She knew where Five was.

"Wait for me … I'm coming!"

She whirled, her cannon-like arm swinging around. A single blast and she was leaping through the debris, victory so very close at last.

. . . . . .

"DOWN!"

Inara twisted, spinning to the ground as Susan swept her gun across, bullets tearing through the Machina. Still on the floor the half-Naga threw her sword through the air, the blade spinning low, slicing through the Machina's legs. The soldiers fell, Sun Wu putting a bullet into each other.

"ZARU! WATCH HIM!" Susan yelled desperately.

Elias ignored her, charging forwards as Zaru bounded after him, yelling his friend's name. But the scientist was deaf to it all, drawn only on his crazed mission.

Guilt, the leopard knew, was a powerful poison. Makat and Tzaraath still haunted his dreams and stalked his thoughts, rising unbidden at the most unexpected of times, as painful and soul-wrenching as that moment when he could do nothing but watch as Makat had destroyed his own world.

Thankfully the visions had vanished, the leopard actually able to close his eyes and sleep without being tortured. He had hardly believed it had happened the first time he dozed off by mistake but when Acedia, the sin of apathy, had devoured part of his guilt, it had not only unblocked his senses but saved his night from the curse it had been trapped in.

But still the memories haunted him, a taint he could not remove.

Elias had sent his friend off to her death, had sat there helplessly and watched it happen. The scientist was one walking raw wound and he did the only thing he could do to forget the pain.

Elias fought.

"BOOM!"

Hot metal sprayed the air as the scientist hurled his bombs into the endless sea of marching steel forms, Jason slammed a wall of ruach before them, deflating the shrapnel but still the scientist pushed on.

"ELIAS!" the Seeker roared furiously, "STOP!"

"He is rabid," Sun Wu said placidly.

Steel darts flew at them as Jason snarled, punching out, ruach brushing the barrage aside.

Susan and Inara charged, the half-Naga snatching her sword from the ground, leaping, slicing off a Machina's head as the queen fired, bullets whipping past Inara's ear, drilling into the Machinas' faces.

They fought side by side, fluid and certain, instinctively knowing where the other would be, trusting they would protect each other. A hand grabbed at Susan and Inara chopped it off, a Machina raised its gun aiming straight at the girl but the queen fired first, bullets ripping into the thing's chest

Inch by laborious inch they advanced, fighting their enemies off at every step.

Elias dropped one of his explosives to the ground, kicking it down the hall, the innocuous looking thing sliding unnoticed amongst the Machina.

"BOOM!"

Molten slag sprayed the walls and ceiling as the scientist fired into the flames.

There was only one thought in his mind now.

Get to Five.

The rifle shuddered in his hands as though revolted by its murderous acts.

Finish this war. Sporelings… Machina… they all had to die.

Zaru's eyes suddenly widened.

"ELIAS!"

A Machina suddenly swung down from the roof, hanging from the girders above like a bat. The leopard lunged trying to knock the man out of the way, screaming frantically as the upside down soldier pointed his gun straight at Elias's head.

"NOOOOO!'

"BANG!"

The bullet struck Elias's forehead and went straight through fragmenting as it slammed into the wall.

Susan felt everything in her screamed in pure agony.

"ELIAS!"

The scientist stood rooted to the spot, eyes wide as Machina stared intently at its victim. But Elias did not fall.

He blinked once, twice and then again just to make sure.

"Wha…" Zaru stared at his friend, eyes wide.

The skin on Elias's forehead, the place where the bullet had struck, was whole and unblemished, utterly untouched.

The Machina fired again but Zaru was there this time, knocking the scientist out of the way.

A bullet rammed into the mechanised soldier's throat and it fell from the ceiling in a mangled heap. Silence filled the hall, every last one of the Machina for now lying in ruins on the floor.

"What the hell happened?!" Susan demanded, grabbing Elias and making sure he was actually alive, "Are you okay?"

He stared back at her, wide-eyed, ashen-faced. He should be dead. There was no way the bullet could have missed, he had felt the heat of the slug sear his skin, had expected it to ram straight through his skull and brain but here he was, standing and breathing, completely unharmed.

"I… I… I don't know!"

"Uhhh… guys?"

They all turned to Inara. The half-Naga slowly raised up her hand, trembling.

"What – "

Inara's arm seemed to flicker and for a brief moment it became a phantasm, ghostly and ephemeral, before melting back to normal warm living flesh.

"Doc?" an edge of panic entered Inara's voice, "Doc?!"

"Your time in this world is almost up," Sun Wu said suddenly.

They all stared at the general, the last of Tash's chosen looking back at them with calm dark eyes.

"WHAT?!" Susan's eyes flashed red.

"There have been times when the death-god has felt a tactical retreat was in order. This is his work."

Susan's eyes widened as she realised just how little time she had left to save her sister. A shudder went through her body and she too flickered, for one dizzying moment she was lighter than air itself, as transparent as glass.

"Your flesh will continue to melt away. You will lose substance until you are nothing but ghosts and then you will be gone," Sun Wu continued, "If you wish to find this cure you will need to get to Five before that happens."

Susan blinked.

"Ghosts…"

She whirled and slammed her fist into the wall. It flickered on impact, her hand slipping through the steel.

"Wait!" Zaru yelped, "SUSAN DON'T – "

But the queen pushed against the wall, focusing, remembering the strange sensation when she had momentarily flickered. She held onto that feeling, forcing her arm to be nothing but air and before their very eyes the Gentle Queen's arm melted into the steel and disappeared from sight. She smiled and pulled her arm out, her body twitching as air became substance once more.

"Where is Five?" she demanded.

"She'll be in the centre of this place. This was Gansen's first laboratory," Elias said swiftly, "THIS WAY!"

"WAIT!" Zaru roared, "YOU CAN'T BE – "

Susan and Elias leapt through the wall, passing through the thick steel as Inara whooped and charged in right after them.

"Stop your whinging!" Jason growled as he followed.

Zaru tossed one desperate look at Sun Wu.

"Go," the general ordered, "Before you disappear altogether."

The leopard closed his eyes and leapt blindly, a sickening lurch roiling through his stomach as he vanished into the steel

. . . . . .

They were here.

She didn't even bother to turn around, fixed on what she was doing, what had to be done. It gave her no great joy but it was ready, the final solution, the salvation of Metech… it was finally about to begin.

"STOP."

They were ranged behind her, speaking the words, thinking the same hollow thoughts. She wanted to weep at the perversion Zero had become, the bastardisation of all they were meant to be.

"It is too late," she said, 'This must be done."

"IT IS ALREADY TOO LATE. THEY ARE DEAD."

Five closed her eyes, despair falling on her like a crush of dark rocks. She was sick to her very core of this world, of all that she had seen and endured. But after today, after she was done here there would be nothing left, nothing left to do but to close her eyes and sleep forever.

"I know."

The solution hummed in anticipation, waiting for it was built to do, waiting to wipe out two completely different species.

"I WILL STOP YOU."

"You can try."

The Machina soldiers lunged forwards, hands outstretched as Five closed her eyes.

A single thought and the room burst into frantic live, cables and wires shooting out from the walls, grabbing onto the machines and holding them back. They thrashed wildly trying to break free, red eyes glaring at her as more wires snaked out. The steel bands twisted around the soldier's limbs, hanging them spread-eagled in the air.

The struggle had last only seconds but still Five was trembling where she stood, wires connecting her to the final solution, to Metech's ultimate weapon.

"Please stop," Five said gently.

The Machina responded by shuddering, their faces breaking apart, shifting and reforming. Gun barrels erupted from their mouths, spinning, bullets blazing forth.

Blue light flashed in a wall before Five, shielding her as gunfire hammered into the screen. Gears grounded together, the Machina changing again, their hands becoming buzzing spinning saws as they cut themselves loose from their bonds. They slammed down into the ground, cracking the concrete, their heads snapping up and letting fly with another round of bullets.

The shield held, just barely as Five gritted her teeth, knowing she had to wait, had to just hold on for a little moment longer.

"BOOM!"

A Machina flew back, melting as it struck the wall. The soldiers turned and stared at the figure framed in the doorway.

"Found you!" Seven roared.

She fired again, another Machina sent flying, falling apart as it smashed back to earth. The machines spat bullets out at her, the mother of sporeling moving swiftly, firing at she ran.

Five cried out in horror as Seven lashed out, her poisonous claws scything through the shield protecting her, the mother finally laying hands on the most precious of prices.

"Hello Five!" she laughed.

It was here. The moment had finally come but to her horror Five suddenly realised she could not move.

"Wha…"

Black worms leapt from Seven's arm and onto her face, a choked scream leaping from Five's mouth as the dark things burrowed into her skin.

"No! NO!"

"LET GO OF HER!"

Seven's head snapped out, eyes widening as Susan leapt through the wall, materialising out of the thick steel like a ghost. The Machina grabbed at the queen but she passed through them without stopping, lunging straight at Seven and Five.

The cure was here! She was going to save Lucy! She was going to –

Susan passed straight through the two of them, staggering to a halt as a surprised yelp left her lips.

Jason lashed out, ruach flying from his fingers but the white fire passed through everything it touched, a mirage without form.

"I sense a slight problem here…" Inara tried to stab a Machina but her sword passed through the machine without even touching the thing.

Seven was howling with mirth, the parasites in her flesh infecting Five, crawling into her and poisoning every part of the girl. She was trying to fight back, grabbing at the clawed hands around her throat, eyes bulging from her head.

"FIVE!" Elias roared.

He fired at Seven but the bullets were as insubstantial as the air itself.

"Elias…?"

He was alive. Her sensors told him that, he was standing there right there before her. A smile curved her lips as her eyes fluttered close, her voice a broken rasp.

"Help me…" she begged, "Help me…"

Elias grabbed at Seven, his hands uselessly phasing through her as the mother howled with laughter. The Machina tried to fire at them but the mother was quicker, destroying them all with blasts from her cannon arm.

"STOP!"

Aslan's champions were helplessly to stop her as she twisted Five around, placing the barrel right at her cheek.

"Now…"

Seven looked at what Five had created. It did not look like a machine at all but a great tessellate of blue glass, the insides a roiling storm of crackling power and lightning. Even before their eyes it shifted and morphed, stabbing out in needle-like spires, unfolding into the points of a star and shifting back into a prism of infinite faces. From its depths rose the column of light that punched up through the bunker and into the heavens above.

"Use it! Kill the Machina!"

Five screamed as the parasites burrowed into her head, trying to seize control of all her circuitry.

"KILL THEM!"

"FIVE!" Elias yelled desperately as Susan let out an anguished cry of her own.

Black bile poured from Five's mouth and eyes, the girl who was not a girl convulsing wildly as she felt Seven's presence flood her mind.

"KILL THEM!"

They all dived at Seven but they ghosted through her, the mother of all sporelings howling in victory.

The final solution shuddered, erupting into a crown of jagged spikes, Five's eyes flashing black.

"KILL THEM!"

Seven laughed, her mouth gaping wide and suddenly a sword exploded out from her maws. The mother's eyes bulged, throat working frantically as she choked on the blade. Five fell to the ground, vomiting up black bile and worms as the mother stood rooted to the spot.

"What…"  
Susan stared beyond Seven and gasped as Joan rammed the blade in further, more steel erupting out of the mother's mouth.

"Don't kill her!" Five rasped, "I need her alive!"

She looked at Elias, look at her master.

"Elias…"

The scientist knew what she wanted to say.

"Do it!" he roared, "FINISH THIS!"

Still sprawled on the ground Five reached out with one hand, wires rising from her skin and plugging into the final solution. She turned, her other hand coming up, cables leaping from her and plunging into Seven, into the shattered Machina twitching on the floor.

Sun Wu watched on, fascinated as Five screamed.

'_WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!'_

Seven and Zero's voices were in her head, trying to push her out as Five invaded their circuitry, their master programs. She felt the link that tied them to the sporelings, to the Machina and she poisoned that vital connection.

This was why she had waited for them. This was why she had let them find her. She had needed the mother of sporelings and the king of Machina to help her destroy their children.

The column of light rising from the machine exploded, great waves of light and power rippling out, washing over all of Metech. The Machina – footsoldiers, death-wings and war-fighters – fried, exploding in great gouts of sparks and twisted metal as their foes choked on their last breaths. Drounds vomited out blood and gore, shrivelling and fading as snakeheads collapsed into bloody seizing messes.

Five screamed, knowing she was butchering two entire species, two entire civilisations but her master had given her the word and she could not refuse him, could not refuse her own desires.

Amidst the storm of light Susan felt something tug at her, invisible hooks sinking into her ghostly flesh and threatening to pull her away.

"SOMEBODY!" she screamed, blinded and desperate, "GRAB HER!"

Aslan's champions cried out as they were pulled from the bunker, away from the final solution as Metech's enemies burned and died.

The final solution gave one groaning cry and exploded, blasting the bunker into a great molten crater as a huge column of power, light and fire clawed up at the red earth hovering above Metech. It struck the alien world with unimaginable power, pushing it away, sending it spinning out into the deadness of space as the red light that had suffused Metech faded, blue once more reigning triumphant over the heavens.

The final solution had been enacted.

Metech was saved.

. . . . . .

Sun Wu opened his eyes.

"I saved you worm," Hel spat, the goddess as magnificent in her contempt as ever.

"I take it that Five's solution worked?" the general asked pulling himself up.

They were on the broken remnants of the battlefield, the Metech smoking and burning all around them, the sporelings' corpses bloated and rotting in the radiant sun.

"Yes," Fenrir growled, "They are all dead."

"We have won here," Joan said quietly, "And I am one step closer to my heart's desire."

Sun Wu ignored his companions, surveying the destruction, satisfied that another campaign had been fought to a successful conclusion. He glanced to his right and blinked in surprise as he saw a familiar form lying still across the ground, heavily bandaged but still recognisable.

"She made it. That's unexpected."  
Anorah Kaplan's face was swathed in bands of soot-streaked cloth but there was no mistaking the wild mass of red hair, the soldier's chest rising and falling as she claimed her well-earned rest.

"She's not the only one who made it," Fenrir rumbled.

Sun Wu looked at him but the wolf-god was looking to the heavens. Blinking the general followed his gaze and laughed as a great silver form pushed through the blue skies towards them.

"He is aboard?"  
"Yes…"

The Centurion limped through the heavens, smoking but still afloat, the ark that would the seed from which Metech would spring again.

"Good."

Sun Wu watched as the Centurion began to descend.

"Let's retrieve our king…"

He began to pick his way through the battlefield, the others following him.

"… and we will leave again to where the darkness needs to be destroyed."

Hel laughed at the thought of more destruction as Joan said nothing, dreaming of the day would she would at last kill her father.

. . . . . .

The last thing he remembered was the final solution exploding.

The next thing he knew he was falling from the air, screaming before his plummet was arrested by a very hard, very big wooden tabletop.

"GARGH!"

Pain tore through him, his form solid once more as Zaru groaned, too pained to even pick himself up straight away. But the sound of voices raised in alarm made him open his eyes.

Crossbow bolts stared back at him, blades gleaming in the light as they tickled his flesh.

Zaru promptly closed his eyes again.

"Zaru?"

His ears twitched at the familiar voice.

"Zaru!"

The leopard's eyes snapped open and a hand was pushing the weapons away, grabbing his face, blue eyes staring intently into his own.

"Edmund!" Zaru cried out in disbelief, "I'm back?! This is Narnia?! I'm not stuck in some crazy twisted world aga – "

"This is Narnia," Edmund could hardly breathe, "You're back! You're – "

The Just King stopped, ignoring the people around him as shocked whispers flittered through the air.

"Zaru?"  
The leopard shoved back the urge to laugh in maniacal relief as the king's eyes darkened.

"Who's that?"

Zaru froze, his eyes sliding to his left. Five laid sprawled on the table beside him, the girl not moving at all.

"She's –"

"And more importantly…" Edmund didn't want to ask, didn't want to know but he had to, "Where are the others?"

Zaru's eyes bulged and he looked around again, Five lying at his side, the only form lying by his side. His eyes darted up, glaring at the ceiling.

"Oh _come on_!"

. . . . . .

Author's note: And they're back! Please review – every bit of review helps me develop myself as a writer. And thank you for all my regular reviewers – every word you write its weight a hundred times more than its weight in gold.


	94. The coming of change

And… I'm back! Sorry about the delay but trying to judge a full time job and writing is not easy. Anyway, enough excuses – enjoy! And please, please review!

Disclaimer: What's mine is mine, what's not is not

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 94: The coming of change **

It never failed to surprise Edmund that even in the grips of the greatest and darkest war Narnia had ever known there were still far too many meetings and councils to attend.

These were the events that legends never spoke of. The great battles, the titanic struggles, the raids and the sorties were rare and fleeting things, interspersed between tedious talks and negotiations for the most mundane but vital things of all – how best to feed and clothe the troops and the civilians, where to find more weapons, exactly how many ears of corn were left in the silos, how many shoes needed to be forged for the new warhorses and so and so and so on until fighting itself almost became a merciful reprieve.

But as he walked through the double doors and to his seat at the great round table the Just King had no way of knowing that this meeting would be beginning of everything.

"You're late," Trumpkin rumbled.

Beside him Trufflehunter was muttering under his breath, the badger frantically compiling his reams and reams of meticulous handwritten notes.

Edmund suppressed a shudder.

How he wished he was at the Western front with Caspian and his brother. But at least one royal had to be in command at their main stronghold and Edmund knew he had to be that one person. Caspian was leading the campaign in the west, the sight of their king fighting in the frontline with his soldiers a great and glorious symbol for all his people to rally around and Peter was the best bodyguard the king of Narnia could have.

Still…

"I was hoping this meeting would have started and finished without me," Edmund said dryly as he took his seat.

Trumpkin snorted, the dwarf's once flaming red hair now holding more than just a few strands of grey and white. It was a physical reminder of how much he had endured, how much all of Narnia had endured.

Caspian, Peter, Lucy and Edmund had returned six months ago, appearing in a flashing of light and a thunderous bang right in the centre of the castle courtyard. The people and beasts of Narnia had gaped at them, almost dropping their weapons as their kings and queen looked back at them, just as dazed and disorientated as they were.

It had taken half a second for the shock to fade and then a rapturous roar had shaken the castle down to its very foundations. It was easy to believe in that moment of elation, of jubilation that the war was drawing to a close, that the light would triumph but harsh reality had set in quickly.

They had all expected Susan and the others to return almost straight away but days had melted into weeks, weeks into months and hope, whether Edmund wanted to admit it or not, was fading for the so-called lost queen of Narnia.

Where was she?

That question haunted his every waking moment, haunted Caspian and Peter and all their subjects.

Where was Susan?

Lord Thorne cleared his throat, the venerable veteran instantly commanding the attention of the room as he commanded the respect of his men. His dark eyes flickered to Edmund and the edges of his mouth crinkled ever so slightly, the closest the man would ever come to smiling in public.

The two of them got along famously ever since their legendary duel on the second day of Edmund's return to Narnia, the Just King narrowly beating the master swordsman. Now their regular spars were a weekly spectacle, the score completely even since Edmund's disarming twenty minutes into the previous match.

"The scouts have returned from the How. The Great Darkness's troops are still in great numbers there. Retaking the How is impossible," Thorne's words were as blunt as ever, the man hating speculations and rumours, preferring pure undiluted factors.

His news was greeted with grimaces, Aslan's How one of the very first places that had fallen into the Great Darkness. It was a symbolic victory, possessing no strategic value but by taking something that was so pivotal, so intrinsic to Narnia's belief and history Gavin had started the war with a crushing blow.

"Cair Paravel?" Trumpkin growled.

Thorne gave the dwarf a grim look.

"No change."

Trufflehunter winced as Trumpkin merely nodded, not a flicker of emotion on his ruddy face. Glenstorm said nothing, the centaurian warrior as stoic and forbidding as ever.

"What news from the skies?" Edmund asked not wasting a second more on things they could not change.

Sharpbeak was the lord of the gryphons, the spies and messengers for the far flung forces of the united Narnian army. As always he made an impressive sight intelligent eyes seemingly piercing whatever they fell upon, his feathers bronze and gold-flecked giving way to rough fur halfway along his tawny flank. His weapons were proudly on display, curved beak and ripping talons a severe reminder of the price one would pay if they did not heed the gryphon's towering pride.

"The forces are gathering in the west as expected but his majesty's armies are on the move against them," Sharpbeak's eyes flashed as he talked, revealing the gold light that lurked in those depths, "We cannot penetrate the north. A strange wind brews in the skies over there."

"Our scouts have not returned from there either," Thorne reported, "The north by all accounts is a mystery."

Edmund closed his eyes, feeling a headache coming on. Sprawled on the table before them was an immense map of Narnia and its neighbouring kingdoms, a mass of red and black markers clustered all over the ink and paper kingdom, denoting the positions of their allies and enemies. It was a mind-boggling task trying to juggle everything, trying to connect one fragment of information with the next, sewing it all up into a coherent picture that one could strategise upon but this was why he was here.

Through their scouts – humans, mice and gryphons – a vast network of watchers and whisperers had been erected over all of Narnia. Edmund's personal chambers were overflowing with all the reports and scraps of papers that poured in through this great kingdom wide chain.

He was the Just King, the brilliant mind of the Golden Age, the strategist that had played impossible odds and always triumphed. Caspian, Peter, all of Narnia depended on him to see his way through the murk and the mazes and deliver the vitals pearls of information that would prove to the darkness's undoing. His every waking moments, his dreams were dedicated to that mission, the king not even wanting to entertain the thought of the price of failure.

"Oren?"  
It had caused a stir amongst the former Telmarines when Edmund had invited a female into the esteemed ranks of the grand council. But Oren was no ordinary woman. She had a prodigious head for numbers and obscure facts, a swift and cutting mind that made all her opponents look like befuddled fools. A windowed noblewoman, her husband perishing before he could give her children, Oren spent little time in lamenting what could have been and all her efforts into the care of her kingdom.

She was their armourer, their accountant, the keeper of their foods stores and the overseer of their infirmary supplies. Oren was also the secret commander of an intricate network of spy women – maids and free women and bordello workers all pouring their news and eavesdropping into her ears. Edmund trusted her to be the finger on the pulse of life inside the castle walls and any treachery from the noble families, Oren deftly marking those who were dangerous and those that must be watched.

"The dryads have managed to bring another orchard into harvest," Oren said as briskly as ever, "So our foodstores are holding. The dwarves managed to sneak another clutch of metal ores into our walls and the blacksmiths are at work creating the weapons you wanted my lord."

"My people had spotted another contingent coming from the mountains," Sharpbeak added, "They should be here in three risings of the sun."

Trufflehunter took the minutes of their meeting, the badger's paws dark with ink. These notes would be later studied meticulously by Edmund, the king poring over these words to ensure that nothing was missed.

Swiftly Oren continued the rest of her report, detailing the number of refugees that had just arrived, the plans in place to feed them and house them. She was not a woman given to hyperbole so when she said in her usual blunt manner that they were running out of ways to deal with the constant influx of people fleeing from their war-torn homes, the situation was very grim indeed.

Edmund sighed as Trumpkin grumbled beside him, the red dwarf responsible for the governing of the people within the castle's walls.

"Glenstorm?" Edmund asked cutting Oren off, desperate to stop the flow of grim news.

The centaur looked at him and Edmund couldn't help but feel that the great warrior was always trying to measure him up, judge who and what he was. The Just King shuddered at the one thing in the world he hated above all else but ignored it, presenting Glenstorm with an unbreakable mask.

"The news is not much better from the centaurs," Glenstorm began, "They – "

"BANG!"

They all whipped around as the double doors burst open, a clatter of voices and footsteps spilling in.

"What on in the name –" Trumpkin began furiously.

"They are coming."

Lucy stood in the doorway, mice and dwarfs pulling frantically at her but it was not his sister that stood before them. The Valiant Queen's voice came out in a lisping whisper, as frantic as the petrified look on her face.

"They are coming!" Ladybug whispered as if speaking some dark secret that she could barely bring herself to say, "They are coming!"

Trufflehunter gaped openly at the queen, Thorne rising from his chair. Sharpbeak screeched in alarm as Oren leaned forwards in her chair, watching carefully.

"Who?" Edmund asked trying to touch his sister, Ladybug flinching away, "Who's coming?"  
She looked at him, eyes wide in her wan face, a smile ghosting over her lips. It quickly faded replaced by a sharp scream that poured ice through his veins.

"The change-bringers! The cleansing storm! They have conquered so many worlds, destroyer and saviour all tied into one!" Ladybug pulled at her hair, shades of Danaid bleeding through, "They… they…"

Her eyes rolled into back of her head and her voice came out, harsh and jagged, freezing everyone in the room.

"Their coming will herald the end. The final battle is at hand!" she cried out, "The walls are falling, the death-god's bargain is complete. They are coming!"

"Who?" Trumpkin snarled, fear making him angry, "Who?!"

Ladybug looked at him sightlessly, mouth agape.

"The Lost Queen!" she hurled at him, "The Thrice-Blessed! She leads her army across the darkness and into the land of her true birth! The Truth lives in one eye and the Beast in the other and Death stalks her shadows! She leads her people!"

They all stared at her, her words driving ice into their spine and into their blood. They stood rooted to the spot as Edmund realised what his sister was trying to say.  
"Susan!"

Ladybug shrieked, a cry caught between laughter and terror.

"She comes! She comes with the keeper of the Word. She comes with the snake-eyed warrior. She comes with the wolf who walks on two legs. She comes with the wielder of the white flame. They are here! The end is here! Change and chaos, strife and discord! They are coming!"

Ladybug fell to her knees, screaming now in full-throated horror.

"THEY ARE HERE!"

She fell into a dead faint, Edmund rushing to catch her but the roar of a sudden wind made him whip back towards the table. Light exploded in the room and they instantly unsheathed their weapons, even Trufflehunter baring his teeth.

"GARGH!"

A dark form slammed down onto the table, sending the red and black markers flying off the great map as Glenstorm reared, his forehooves slamming onto the table, broad sword in his hands.

Trumpkin cursed, leaping onto the polished top ready to stab the intruder as Oren kept her crossbow trained on the stirring stranger that had appeared from thin air.

A second figure had appeared, a fragile blonde figure lying beside the golden form that was now opening his eyes.

"Zaru?" Edmund felt the breath flee from his lungs.

The leopard's ears twitched, his sister's greatest guardian looking at him, eyes wide in his furry face.

"Zaru?!"

He pushed Sharpbeak aside, also crawling onto the table as he grabbed the leopard's face in his hands. Zaru's eyes fixed on him, the pupils constricting, recognition flowing into the blue-grey depths.

"Edmund!"

Zaru looked around frantically, instantly recognising Trumpkin and Trufflehunter and Glenstorm.

"I'm back?!" his voice came out in a rushed cry, "This is Narnia?! I'm not stuck in some crazy twisted world aga – "

"This is Narnia," Edmund felt as though he was in a dream, "You're back! You're – "

He forced his rambling to a stop, his eyes going to the stranger that was still unconscious on the table.

"Zaru?"  
The leopard looked at him, a wild grin on his face.

"Who's that?"

He could see the leopard hesitate, see him gulp.

"She's –"

A sick feeling punched Edmund's gut as he realised only Zaru and this unknown girl was in the chamber.

"And more importantly…" Edmund didn't want to ask, didn't want to know but he had to, "Where are the others?"

Zaru gaped at him. He looked around once, twice and a third time just to make sure and then he let fly with a curse that made even Trumpkin stop. Finally the leopard glared up at the ceiling.

"Oh _come on_!"

"Zaru?" Edmund demanded.

"They were with me!" Zaru protested, "We were standing next to each other. Five was there… and Seven and the Machina and the…"

"What!?"

The leopard visibly paused, choking back the river of words spilling out of him. Zaru took a deep calming breath and froze.

It suddenly hit him.

He was home… after so long he was finally home!

Zaru sniffed the air again and he was suddenly grinning like a man, fighting the insane urge to pounce on Edmund, on everyone around him.

Scent and memories bled into each other, Zaru drunk on the ambrosia that was Narnia. A shiver of pleasure rolled down his spine as he breathed in loam and forests and crystal lakes, the seductive perfume of the dryads, the coal and steel tang of the dwarves, the wild and savage fire of the centaurs.

Home.

It seeped into his body and settled into his very bones, something he didn't even know was missing in his heart healing, becoming whole once more.

"Who's that?"

Edmund's voice snapped him back to reality. He followed the king's blue-eyed gaze to the girl lying beside him.

"That's Five."

Trumpkin and Trufflehunter were openly staring at him, the badger stunned that the Just King would talk to him with so much familiarity, so much trust.

It was expected because there was a time when even he had to admit he was nothing but a troublemaker with a large mouth and even larger stomach but it still made his hackles raised. Zaru had changed, as battle-scarred and battle-hardened as Edmund or Caspian or Peter, a proud fierce warrior who commanded the three kings' respect for all he had done across the worlds. Anybody who tried to treat him like the cub he was before he had left would get a very rude awakening.

"She's…"

Zaru's nose twitched, the leopard knowing the girl who was not what she seemed. She did not smell of warmth and blood but of cold hard steel and the ozone crackle of electricity. Zaru's eyes slid past Edmund and fell onto Lucy as servants helped the broken queen to her feet.

"She's the cure."

Hope flared in Edmund's eyes and Zaru grinned back at him.

It was a good way to start his campaign in Narnia, a victory for them, a blow against the darkness.

Zaru just prayed that it would not be their last.

. . . . . . .

She was home.

She could feel it, knew it as an all encompassing irrefutable truth. She was home, back to a place she thought she had been banished from forever, to a paradise whose gates she could never darken again. But the exile had ended, the dark days were over and she was home again. Susan laughed but it was a desperate hysterical sound, the queen stifling it as soon as it had emerged. Tears threatened to fall, frantic choking giggles threatening to bubble out of her lips but there were more pressing matters to attend to than her own scattered wild emotions.

Firstly on her list – why were people attacking this little village?

"HELP! HELP!"

The village was little more than an ill sprawl of ramshackle buildings, made of walls so thin and worm-eaten it offered all the warmth and protection of a sheaf of paper. Here and there in weed-choked gardens stunted trees tried in vain to reach for the heavens, their branches as knobbly as rheumatic fingers, their trunks contorted by the pain.

"HELP!"

Susan glanced down at the gun in her hands and frowned. What had once been a dark slick thing of convenient destruction was now on the verge of snapping in two. Rust bit through the steel, flaking even as she held it gingerly in hands. She dropped the weapon and it dissolved into dust at her feet, swept away by the winds that brought with it the smell of death.

The Hunt-Beast snarled a warning in her head and Susan turned, her bow in her hands before she even knew it, the silver thing both a weapon and a comfort.

"Hello little girl…"

The man's eyes flashed yellow and he stalked towards her, lips pulled back to reveal broken jagged teeth.

Susan stared at him, the queen not moving a single inch.

"Look. I just got back and I really don't want to mar the beauty of this moment with having to kill something," the queen told him wearily, "So if you and your men leave this village I won't have to – "

The man swiped at her with long twisted nails but Susan blocked his arm with her bow, lashing out with her foot and driving the air from his gut. He fell back, coughing and spluttering as Susan calmly pulled an arrow from her quiver, aiming it straight at the man's heart.

"NOOOOOO!"

A thin form slammed into her, knocking her off balance as the queen yelped trying to pull her attacker off.

"You can't hurt him!"

"GET OFF ME!"

Her eyes flashed red and she managed to get an arm between them, Susan shoving the man off her. He hit the ground, a ragged scarecrow of a man with a pinched face and wide terrified eyes.

"Please…" he was weeping, trembling as he laid at her feet, "If you hurt him the rest of them will come… just let them take what they want. Please."

"Yes little girl…"

Susan turned her head and the yellow-eyed man was rising from the ground, sneering at her.

"I am just one in a vast army. Fall me and my pack will tear every man, woman and child in this miserable place apart," he hissed, "Resistance will only lead to your destruction."

The teeth. The claws. The yellow-eyed eyes.

Of course.

Susan sighed.

"I'm assuming you're a werewolf."

The Hunt-Beast roared in her head, driven to fury by the unholy marriage of man and beast standing before her. It was a thing of pure malice and destruction, a demon that killed not for food or for defence but simply to satisfy the savage black lust in its heart. Its presence, its existence was like a bur driven into her flesh, the wild thing inside of her baying for its death.

"I am of Wulfric's clan!" the werewolf howled as its eyes turned the colour of the moon, "We are the lords of the north! Bow before me and I might yet let you live!"

"This is my kingdom and these are my people," Susan informed the monster in a voice that could freeze a volcano, "And you?"

Metal flashed through the air and the werewolf fell, eyes wide, a silver arrow drilled straight through its heart.

"You're already dead," Susan said flatly.

"NO!"

The villager scrambled to his feet, staring at her with open horror on his face.

"What – what are you doing?!" he yelped, "Do you know what you've done?! Are you crazy?!"

The darkness in her sneered at the man's cowardice, sickened by his pathetic cowering ways. The Hunt-Beast screamed, chasing it away as the wild animal in her head raged. It could sense more werewolves, their presence like a physical pain in her head, Artemis's child demanding their destruction.

"I am Queen Susan, one of the four rulers of the Golden Age," Susan said in a voice that brooked no protest, "As I said to that thing…"  
She gestured as the cooling corpse sprawled on the dirt before her.

"You are my people and I refuse to let anything harm you."

The man stared at her, mouth agape.

Susan flashed him a small sympathetic smile. The man stared at her transfixed, something within her stirring,

"Gather your people. Hide. I will deal with the werewolves."  
Giving him no time to protest Susan whirled and marched towards the direction of the screams, the Hunt-Beast's excitement growing, both presences in her head relishing the thought of dead werewolves.

She stepped out into the village's main square and a woman ran past, tripping on her skirts as a man in ragged patchwork fur lunged at her.

"TWHIP!"

The arrow slammed into his neck, the man flipping to the ground. The woman stopped, staring at Susan as the queen marched into the square.

"Run."

The man she had rescued first grabbed the woman, dragging her into the streets as a deadly silence fell over the village. Somewhere off in the distance crows jeered in anticipation, eager for blood to fall. Werewolves glared at her, hunger in their moonlit eyes as they dropped their victims, bleeding twitching forms falling to the ground. Growls rumbled in their throats as the lupines stalked towards the mere slip of a girl that had dared to hurt their own.

"Who are you?"

Tribal ink marked this man's face, stark black slashes cutting across his cheeks and down his neck. There was something wild and savage about him as though even when he walked on two he was not quite human, it showed in his cold unwavering eyes, in the cruel red slash of a mouth hidden amidst his beard. One of the other wolves, young and eager, tried to bound forwards but a glare from this man and the pup keened, falling back.

"I am Susan," the queen said coolly, her eyes burning purple and gold, red fleck swimming amongst the two pools of different colours.

"And I am Fallow," the werewolf snarled.

The words were a contract, a vow. Susan nodded, another arrow already notched into place.

Only one of them would leave this village alive, Fallow wanting vengeance for his fallen men, Susan fighting for justice for her people. They understood that in each other, understood that neither was going to let the other get away.

"There are eight against one."

Once upon a time Susan would have been trembling, praying that Peter or Edmund or Caspian would come save her. But that time was long past, that girl having long been tempered by a war that had swallowed up years of her life and what had been forged in that crucible was a stranger to fear.

"TWHIP!"

A werewolf fell, a silver shaft burst out from his eye as the rest of the pack screamed their fury. Fallow merely narrowed his eyes as Susan calmly put another arrow to string.

These beasts had hurt her people. There would be no mercy. Only death.

"Seven," she corrected simply.

The pack stared at her, naked hate in their eyes, all of them sniffing the air tasting the warm blood pumping through her body and wanting to be the first to spill it.

"So be it," Fallow said in a voice as cold as his eyes, "Kill her."

The wolves charged as one, Susan firing into their midst. Her arrow was snatched from midair, snapped in two and tossed aside as baying and howling the lupines leapt.

Her sceptre was in her hands before she even knew it, the thrice-blessed queen swinging the dark shaft around, red light blazing from the rubies as they blazed from her eyes.

The werewolves were sent flying, hurled back as tendrils of red power crackled over their skin. She spun the sceptre in her hands, sheathing it in the leather case bound across her back, another arrow lunging forwards in one swift fluid motion.

It struck a wolf in the legs, sending him crashing to the ground as the Hunt-Beast roared. She ducked, Fallow's claws missing her head. She spun, parrying his blows. He landed a brutal kick, pain exploding through her body as she flew across the square.

"Oof!"

"ROWR!"

Susan crashed hard into the dirt, dazed but still having enough wits to roll as Fallow slammed down to earth, narrowly missing her head. The werewolf was insane with rage, eyes blown, jaws agape and dripping hot drool.

"CHANGE!" he roared at his men.

He pulled something from his neck, metal snapping as Susan caught a glimpse of pale carved pendant. With a second cry Fallow drove the tiny sliver of white stone into his flesh and his body instantly convulsed.

His skin and flesh rippled, fur exploding out of his body as his skull crunched and grinded, mouth pushing forwards into a teeth-filled muzzle. He screamed, back arching as nails became claws, ears exploding out of the top of his skull.

In broad daylight with not even a sliver of the moon to grace the heavens the werewolves were changing.

Fallow fell onto all fours and looked at her, a thing caught between man and wolf, possessing the vicious jaws of the hunters of the tundra but the arms and hands of a man, thick with rippling muscles.

The wolves raised their heads to the bitter cold sky and howled.

"Oh this can't be good…"

The lupines stalked forwards, their mocking laughter coming out in short vicious growls. They knew the hunt was over, knew they were only seconds away from tasting fresh meat. Fallow led the pack forwards, a great hulking brute with silvered fur and white teeth.

Susan drew back, one arrow nocked, the only thing stopping them from charging at her en masse. But she only had one shot ready, one arrow standing between her and a pack of fully transformed wolves.

The Hunt-Beast growled in her head and Susan froze.

The wolf that was Fallow froze, sensing a shift in their enemy, her doubt and uncertainty melting away.

Susan wondered if Viola and Artemis had seen this very moment, had known by giving her a bow and arrows of silver, by putting the beast in her head they had made the perfect weapon against these things.

For a brief second Susan thought heard ghostly laughter in her head and Susan smiled.

"KILL HER!" Fallow bellowed, his voice raw and guttural.

Light blazed from Susan's right eye as a savage cry tore itself from her lips. The Hunt-Beast echoed the cry in her head, the wild stag-like thing rearing up, its claws slashing the air.

The charging wolves stumbled, buffeted by an unseen storm. They whined, ears pinned back, eyes wide as something savage and powerful billowed out from the woman before them. They lived in a world where the strong ruled without question, lived by the laws that dictated the weak submitted. And standing before them, staring down all down was a beast, a wild primeval thing that had hunted and killed and ruled when they were but pups.

The Hunt-Beast roared, its voice echoing within her and through her, spilling out into the real world. Two of the wolves fled, keening wildly, their tails tucked between their legs. The others quailed, fighting the urge to drop to their bellies, to plead for their lives before an alpha leader that could rent them oh so easily from limb to bloody limb.

"NO!" Fallow screamed at his pack mates, "Don't let her – "

Susan's arrow slammed into his eye and Fallow dropped, his wolves screaming in open horror. The sight of the alpha male falling broke the hold the Hunt-Beast had on them, base instincts overwhelming fear.

The four remaining wolves lunged but Susan was already moving.

She weaved, a lupine barrelling past her. Her dagger flew from her hands in a flashing streak, tearing into a wolf's chest, the beast giving out a cry of alarm before staggering back.

A third lycanthrope snatched at her, trying to crush her in its grasp but Susan ducked, her second dagger flashing out, hamstringing the beast. She sprung free away from the thrashing howling thing as her hands reached behind her back.

The final wolf was the one she had shot in the leg earlier, the thing limping towards her, foul saliva flying everywhere as it howled at her. Claws bit into Susan's arm, the queen swallowing a scream as her hand flashed out.

"ARGH!"

Blood sprayed hot on her face as she stabbed the silver arrow deep into wolf's throat, the life snuffed from the beast's eyes. It fell backwards, fur and teeth melting away, a boy on the cusp of manhood falling to the dirt as Susan rose.

Utterly ruthless the blood-splattered queen executed the other injured wolf with arrow into the base of its skull, the darkness in her head laughing with delight as the lupine's corpse transformed back into a dark-haired man.

"ROOOOOOWR!"

The last two wolves gave chase, Susan running as the beasts pursued her with great bounding strides. She scrambled over a hay cart, hitting the ground running as the lupines barrelled straight through the flimsy wooden thing, tearing it apart. One of the wolves snatched out with its clawed hands, grabbing a chunk of falling wood and let fly.

The spar tore into Susan's shoulder, spinning her to the ground as the Gentle Queen cried out. The werewolves leapt, their forms blacking out the sky as Susan dived out of the way, blood pouring down her arm.

"Not going to die. Not going to die," she chanted in a frantic mantra, "Came way too long just to be killed by a pack of mangy dogs!"

The wolves probably heard her words, the beasts howling as they snapped at her. Susan crashed through the doors of a two storey house on the edge of the village square, tripping over threadbare rugs as the wolves tore through the walls.

The hut's meagre furniture was turned to matchsticks as the wolves smashed through them, their eyes, their rage focused only on the pale form rushing for the back door.

"Can't die. Can't die. Zaru would kill me!"

Susan burst through the backdoor and whirled, the werewolves roaring, pushing other each aside to get at her. Susan tossed her bow aside, unsheathing her sceptre, the rubies at its end burning red like her eyes.

Red light lanced forwards striking the wolves knocking them as the queen redirected her blasts.

"BOOM! BOOM!"

Crackling power tore through the struts and pillars of the house, splinters and stones flying as Susan laughed, echoing the darkness and the Hunt-Beast's mirth. The wolves stirred, rising drunkenly to their teeth as Susan fired one last blood-red blast.

Their heads snapped up, eyes wide as the whole building groaned in absolute agony. The ceiling buckled and gave way right onto the two screaming wolves, the straw-thatched roof and the whole second storey coming down in a crushing deluge, completely obliterating the pair.

Susan lowered her arms away from her face, eyes wide as she stared at the ruin before her. A short spurt of nervous giggles broke the image of the ice-cold warrior as relief flooded through her, making her weak-kneed.

"I can't believe that worked!"

Susan knelt picking up her bow, her sceptre back in its sheath. She straightened, still smiling, still breathing fast and the Hunt-Beast roared inside her head. Susan only had time to whip around before a furred fist slammed into her face, sending her flying into the wreckage.

She slammed down onto the pile, the air driven from her lungs as Fallow roared at her, blood pouring from the silver wolf's ruined eye, the other alive with hate.

"GARRRGGGH!"

The werewolf lunged at her, teeth bared and Susan was too dazed to even scream.

"TWHIP! TWHIP! TWHIP!"

Fallow stumbled, screaming in agony and thwarted fury as Susan blinked.

"FINISH HIM!" a strangely familiar voice cried, "HURRY!"

The injured wolf rose on shaking legs, arrow shafts driven deep into his flesh, the monster turned, face twisted into a demented mask.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" he bellowed, blood flying from his mouth, "I'LL – "

Silver flashed through the air and a spear was driven through his mouth, shattering teeth and exploding out of the back of his head. Fallow fell, eyes rolling into his skull as his vanquisher towered over him, chest heaving.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, staring at the strange woman amongst the wreckage.

"I just got punched by a werewolf," Susan said wryly, "What do you think?"

The man was startled into laughter as Susan pulled herself up, wincing as her body reminded her that she had leapt from one battle to the other without rest. The darkness hissed in her head furious that she had to be rescued as the queen looked at her rescue for the first time.

She froze, eyes widening as the man stared back at her.

"Who are you?" he demanded, "You look like my wife!"

"Actually…"

She knew who this man was. Had seen him in a dream, in a fevered illusion crafted by Luxuria, the sin of lust.

This was the man who was once Caspian's closest friend.

This was the man who had betrayed Caspian and who Caspian had betrayed.

"… I think your wife looks like me."

Lord Ruy di Vivar gaped at her as Susan, despite being covered in dirt and blood and aching from a dozen different cuts and bruises, dropped into a perfect curtsey, each inch the perfect courtesan.

"Lord Ruy di Vivar on behalf of King Caspian the Restorer I must ask for the most humblest of forgiveness."

"Who are you?" Ruy whispered.

Armed men appeared from the village ruins, all of them staring at her.

"I am Queen Susan the Gentle," she stood tall, commanding their attention with her iron control, her grace, "And you're going to help me destroy the werewolves."

. . . . . . .

He stood unseen and unheard in a palace of unimaginable beauty. Everything was marble or gold or precious stones and silks, piles upon piles of riches jabbering for his attention, so dazzling that it threatened to topple his senses. But there was something harsh and mocking about it all, overweening and proud. It was as if the very palace walls were asking him to compare himself, his worth to all that he could see and knowing he would come up miserably short.

The slabs of snow-white marble, the gold that caught the light, they seemed to hold eyes that watched him, judged him and found him wanting.

Elias shuddered as servants scurried here and there, working in complete silence, trying to catch every mote of dust, anything less than absolute perfection abhorrent. He flinched as young girl ran straight at him but they did not clash. They passed through each other, flesh melting through flesh the scientist left gasping as the servant hurried off to wherever she needed to be.

"Where am I?!" Elias shouted.

But nobody turned to look at him, his words falling into some dead unknown place. The scientist looked around frantically, trying to get his bearing, trying to see an unfamiliar face.

Where were the others?

Why was he still a ghost?

He passed through wall after wall, fleeing, his shouts unheard, his hands as insubstantial as air. Panic built into fear, fear festered into terror

"WHAT IS THIS PLACE?!"

He melted through a series of barred iron doors, his world suddenly swallowed by a cloud of sulphurous yellow smoke.

"What…"

"NO! NO! NO! NO!"

Through the smog Elias heard a yelp of pain and the voice rose to a piercing shriek.

"YOU IDIOTS! YOU FOOLS!"

More cries of pain as Elias caught the all too familiar sound of fists raining down onto the bare flesh, sobbing voices begging their attacker to stop.

"YOU HAVE RUINED IT!"

The voice, though rough as a man's, broke and rasped, stripping itself to reveal a child's selfish heart.

"FOOLS! FOOLS! FOOLS!"

Elias floundered through the smoke, fighting through something that was as insubstantial as himself and finally he could make out faces amidst the yellow.

"THE TIRSOC WILL HAVE YOUR HEAD!"

"PLEASE!"

A slippered foot slithered past the slave's flailing arms, cracking his ribs as the boy wailed, writhing on the ground, debasing himself before his master. His attacker showed not even a shadow of mercy, his little eyes narrowed so much it was almost lost amongst the pillowy folds of his face.

"Please forgive me!" the boy wailed.

The piggish man snatched the boy up with fingers choked in rings and snorting slapped the boy with casual cruelty. The slave's head snapped back, the voice, the fight fleeing as he was dumped unceremoniously at his master's feet.

"I am the Grand Alchemist!" the man screeched in his little boy's voice, "I am the Tirsoc's, may he be blessed forever, greatest weapon and pride! I will lead our people across the desert and crush the heathens in the land of the lion and my throne will be made of gold and bones!"

The slave was silent, his sobs smothered against the flagstone floor.

"Failing me is failing the all-loving Tirsoc! Failing me is failing the all-mighty All-Seer!" the Alchemist bellowed, frothing wildly at the mouth, "One word and I can have your whole family's head served to me on a golden platter!"

Only slaves tried desperately to press themselves against the walls, trying to melt, as Elias could, through them and away. But they were trapped, forced to say nothing, to take refuge in cowardice as the Grand Alchemist stomped one last time on the weeping boy. He whirled in a tinkle of gold trinkets, his sash trying valiantly to push back his girth and failing miserably. He was a man with no neck, bargained away with no doubt along with his courage and humanity, a plump little dumpling of a man well aware of his awkwardness, his a thousand and one flaws and all the more savage for it.

The Alchemist stared at his hands, seemingly notice the blood on them for the first time and instantly let out an alarming wail.

"Clean it!" he shrieked, "CLEAN IT! CLEAN IT!"

Slaves tripped over themselves to get to him, clutching his bloodied hands and wiping it clean with silk handkerchiefs, the fat little man's eyes rolling to back of his head as he screamed and screamed.

Finally his fingers were clean of his guilt and the Grand Alchemist took a deep shuddering breath, quietening his squalls as more slaves dashed forwards opening little lacquered boxes that held spiced sweets. He gulped them down by the handfuls, swallowing an entire family's wages in several choking mouthfuls before the slaves had to clean his sugary fingers.

When all the fussing was over the Alchemist was still.

"Get rid of it,' he said about the boy on the ground, "The beloved Tirsoc, may his name be sung in the heavens for all eternity, expects us to have more results."

He ambled forwards, a roly-poly homunculi of oils and silks and little baubles, laughable and pitiful until one realised that this was a man whose insanity and fancies had filled entire tombs.

How he had burrowed his way into the heart of this palace was a thing long forgotten but it did not matter how because there he was, a nasty worm inside a rotting apple, coiling tight around the core and impossible to move.

"My instruments!" he yelled.

The Grand Alchemist had no need for his hands except for the purposes of his two greatest pleasures – eating and causing pain. All else was done by those he commanded, some say the most cursed of all of the Tirsoc's might empire.

"The subjects! The subjects!"

Elias longed to have form, longed to be able to strangle this man as the slaves dragged forwards cages holding the most exotic creatures found in all the empire. Desert cats yowled, staring balefully out from their cages as great poisonous lizards flicked up pure black tongues. The Alchemist giggled, enjoying the spectacle yet to come.

"Begin!" he ordered, "Bring the potion! BEGIN!"

He was chuckling, jowls wobbling as slaves, white-faced and terrified, approached the cage animals glass flasks held tight in their trembling hands.

Elias watched, intently, lost to all else as the slaves unstoppered the flasks. They looked at each other, scared, praying as they tipped something dark and thick over the creatures in the cage.

The beasts responded instantly, shrieking, howling, throwing themselves in bone-breaking death throes against their cages as the slaves leapt back, praying aloud, unable to help themselves. The Alchemist laughed at the beasts' pain, at his slaves' terror as Elias stood frozen, the unknown spectator in this grim event.

"ROOWWWR!"

Blood and pus poured from one of the cat's nose and mouth, the thing slamming itself against its cage, fur falling away as sores broke its skin. The lizards were already dead, eyes wide and pearly, blood gushing from between its scales.

A slave screamed as a cage was torn apart, the wild cat within howling as it leapt forwards, insanity in its eyes. Cries rang out as a slave was killed, throat ripped out as the cat tore his body to shreds, yowling and screaming, vomiting up curdled blood and bile.

The thing suddenly choked on its breath, eyes rolling to the back of its head and it slumped, blood and brain boiling out its ears.

"The potion is too strong," the Alchemist said merely, ignoring the insanity he had just crafted, "And you – "

He jabbed one stubby finger at the slave who had screamed. She stared back at him, stricken, knowing what was to come.

"Five lashes. I cannot abide a woman's voice."

The woman tried not to weep, tried to silence her sobs as the Alchemist turned away, muttering about a spot on his sash. With hate in his heart Elias went to follow him, taking one step forwards and suddenly finding himself in a different place.

"Welcome."

"What – "

He was staring up at a throne made of bones and twisted bodies groaning under the weight they bore. He stood in a hall of moving shadows and endless ambiguity, the cries of the damned echoing from the high-vaulted ceiling lost in the darkness above. A bitter cold stole into his formless body and Elias simply wanted to run.

But he stood where he was, knowing instinctively without even turning that behind him laid nothing but more darkness, escape a madman's delusion.

"What do you want?"

Tash the Death-God, the Taker of the Damned, laughed, his beak clacking together, claws biting into the arm of his throne. One eyed burned with hell-fire, the other the window into hallways where traitors and cowards paid for all eternity.

"You owe me wise man," Tash hissed.

"For what?" Elias's voice snapped out, jagged with anger.

Sweat beaded on his face. Elias knew he was too brittle, too shaken by what he had seen in the Alchemist's chamber to have the proper wits to face Tash. The god laughed, reading his thoughts and delighting in them.

"I saved Metech."

Elias snorted, knowing he should be so very afraid but also knowing showing fear here would be an invitation for his destruction.

"My world is dead. The Centurion fell, Anorah dead," his words were flat, blunt, the wounds in his heart bleeding afresh, "You saved nothing."

Amusement glittered in Tash's eyes as the god leant forwards, his beak inches from Elias's face. He wanted o study in minute detail the effects of his next words, wanted to see, to taste and smell what Elias would feel.

"The Centurion survived. I rescued Anorah. Your world is rebuilding itself."  
Elias stared at the god, eyes wide, hardly daring to breath. Tash smiled and the scientist read the mockery in his vulture-like face, taunting him to belief, daring him to deny.

"You owe me."

The words were a judgement, a death sentence. Sweat beaded on Elias's skin.

"What do you want?" he said, licking his suddenly dry lips.

"The place I drew you from is the city of Tashbaan, the jewel of Calormen built on delta of the River Calormen. It was built by the first Tirsoc centuries again and my temple resides here. They flourish under my grace for they worship my magnificence but…"

Tash's eyes blazed and Elias found himself stepping back from the pure hate brewing in those burning pools.

"The Great Darkness has drawn them from their true path and my stupid children have believed in his lies. They have locked me out of my home, have spurned my grace. I can no longer see what is happening in my own walls!"

He grabbed Elias then, the scientist crying out in pain as the god's claws closed around his arm.

"You will my eye within my kingdom. What you see I will see. What you hear I will know," Tash snarled, "My children will pay for their insolence!"

His anger shook the hall around them, petrified screams ringing out as Elias tried to pull himself free of the god. But Tash kept his burning, icy grip, his eyes boring into Elias, dissecting flesh and bone to bear everything that lay beneath.

"What do I get in return?" Elias tried to summon up his nerve, tried to keep his voice from shaking but he failed miserably.

How could one not tremble having the full weight of a god of death and misery and darkness bear down them? How could one not look into the eyes of a father ready and willing to butcher his own children and not feel sick?

Tash laughed, delighted by his victim's trembling attempts to hide his terror, delighted that Aslan's chosen was not as spineless as he had cone thought.

"I will return you to where you need to be," Tash hissed and his words held all the weight of the world in them, "Allow me to see if saving my children is worth my while or if I should simply let them burn in the hell of their own making."

"I will not help you doom these people," Elias snarled, sickened by all that Tash represented, "I will do nothing to help you kill them."

"Such high morals from a man who is steeped in more than just a little blood," the god hissed back.

Elias knew exactly what the god meant.

His soul was already stained with enough blood, his once grand and alabaster morals and ideals long fallen into ruin. His bombs had torn a bloody gash across the worlds and Elias did not delude himself to think only the wicked had fallen to his weapons but what else could he have done?

The path of life was not meant to be a pleasant garden stroll but a treacherous crossing rife with pitfalls and hazards, all that was dark and wrong just waiting in the wings to snatch you away should you stray. To live, to learn was to work that narrow winding path, stumbling through the darkness with the hounds at your feet, to reach for the light and never quite grasp it.

"If you think to use guilt against me please stop wasting both our time," Elias said icily.

In a world that was fundamentally senseless, where children died and murderers walked and worked amongst the innocent, some ideals simply could not exist. To have held back, to have not created his weapons and bombs Elias would have been condemning more people to their deaths.

He had chosen the path he believed to be less evil but was it the right choice?

Elias had lived. Elias had killed. Elias had hopefully saved lives.

Did the good outweigh the bad? Or did vice crush virtue?

He could know, would never know. That torment, that mystery was the bitterness of life that made the sweetness that much more beautiful.

To wring your hands and hide away weeping over what could have been, what might have been was useless. Elias had learnt that brutal lesson too many times. The darkness would always come but how you faced it and how you faced the consequences of your choice was what counted. And Elias chose to be hurt by his choices, chose to feel tormented by them because if he did not how was he any different from that Alchemist who cared not one whit for all the misery he caused?

"You have grown wise man," Tash sneered.

And Elias suddenly saw it and he cursed.

"You bastard!"

The death-god merely blinked, unfazed by his fury.

"You allowed me to wander that palace, to see the Grand Alchemist and know I would not be able to ignore you, to stand idly by and let people like that rule in this place. I will help you. I will find out what the darkness had done to this place but not for me, not to return to my family."

Elias straightened and his eyes for a brief moment were strangely pale and savage.

"I will find out what darkness is here and crush it. Because I want to save those slaves' lives."

"The road to hell…" Tash taunted.

"Return me to the palace," Elias commanded, "But on one condition."  
Tash cocked his head to the side.

"You will give me the chance to defeat the darkness here."

For a long time silence reigned, the death-god on his throne of bones, staring at him.

"Deal."

. . . . . . .

Jason opened his eyes only to stare down the shaft of a spear.

"Who are you?" his would-be attacker demanded, the polearm trembling violently in his hands.

The Seeker merely grunted and pulled himself up, waves lapping lazily at his feet.

"Where am I?" he asked instead.

"I'm the one with the weapon!" the man squawked, waving it around frantically, "You answer me – "

A wave of his hands and the spear was sent flying from the man's hands.

"I repeat again…"

The man stared at him, wide-eyed, terrified. Jason snorted, grabbing the man's shoulders and forcing him to seat down onto the sand before he fell.

"Where am I?" the Seeker asked again, arms crossed.

"The Lone Islands," the stranger stammered.

Jason looked out across the roiling blue waters and growled under his breath.

Where the hell were the others? Why was it every time he didn't keep a careful eye on them they would disappear, no doubt already in dire straits?

The Seeker shook his head his disgust and focused against on the man who had tried to hold him hostage.

"Do you work for them?"

"Them?" Jason grunted.

The man stared at him, the Seeker staring back, waiting for his answer. The stranger took a deep breath as though preparing for a dive and when he opened his eyes again, fear shone in those tried grey depths.

"Are you going to kill me?" he asked.

"If I wanted to kill you your body would already be feeding the fishes," Jason said flatly ignoring the other man's flinching.

Those harsh words strangely seemed to steady the man's nerves.

"Who are you?" the man asked, eyes wide.

Jason looked at the scarecrow before him, a man drawn and pinched from too many days without food or proper rest but still a man, the Seeker could tell, used to the comforts of an unremarkable life and unremarkable routines.

"Who are you?"Jason growled, bringing to bear the full effect of his coldest stare.

"Who wants to know?"

Despite the thread of defiance in his voice the man was trembling. Jason answered the question by unsheathing his daggers. The stranger's eyes widened.

"My… my name is Mul," he stammered, eyes fixed on the two gleaming blades in Jason's hands.

"And why did you attack me?" Jason snarled.

"Please…" the man was shaking so hard Jason was half expecting him to fall into a dead faint, "Please… I… I have to…"

Jason stepped forwards, towering over the man. If Susan was here she would've smacked him for what he was doing but the Seeker wanted answers and fast. He had no idea where he was, where the others was and he did not have the time or patience to gently extract the answers he wanted from this man.

"What?!" Jason thundered.

The man fell to his knees.

"I HAVE TO SAVE MY SON!"

Seagulls laughed as Jason stared down at the weeping man before him.

"Please…"

"Oh for crying out," the Seeker glared up at the perfect blue sky ahead, "Get up."

Mul slowly looked up, tears pouring down his face, the poor man trembling so much that his whole body seemed to be caught in convulsions.

"Get. Up."

Mul continued to stare at him until Jason sighed and sheathed his daggers, thrusting out one hand. Still shellshocked the man allowed Jason to drag him up, the seagulls now laughing at the unpleasant grey sheen to his face.

"What happened to your son?" Jason tossed over his shoulder.

They were too exposed on the beach, the great expanse of blue-green sea offering no protection. A grey smudge lingered along the horizon line, a glimpse of another land far beyond the waves. The beach itself was a wide band of gold, fringed by foaming white on one edge and melting into green on the other. It was towards these woods that Jason was moving, Mul stumbling frantically behind him.

"Who are you?" the father demanded, tripping over sand and his own feet "Who are – "

"TWHIP! TWHIP! TWHIP!"

Black-fletched arrows drove themselves into the sand as Jason's head snapped back towards the sea. A small rowing boat had beached itself on the shoreline, dark-clad figures spilling out onto the sands as their crossbows bent and sprang, more arrows flying towards them.

"Get behind me."

Mul stared at Jason.

"What?! Are you crazy! They're the raiders! They're – "

Jason shoved Mul to the ground. The arrows lunged, eager to bury themselves into his flesh and and send his lifeblood spilling but a single thought and an unseen force swept the fletches from the air, broken shafts falling to the beach.

"Don't!" Mul screamed at him, "You can't – DON'T!"

But Jason was already charging straight at the raiders. They cried out in strange screeching voices, unsheathing swords and knives as Jason raised his hand.

White fire bloomed as Mul gaped, the ruach sweeping across the beach and smashing into the huddle. The flames detonated flinging dark forms everywhere as Jason lunged, his dagger slicing deep into the first of the raiders. He booted the screeching thing out of his way, ducking as sword wiped through the air.

"GARGH!"

Jason stabbed up, his blade punching through the cloaked thing's jaws and stabbing deep into its brain. It instantly became a dead weight, falling on Jason and trying to drag him down. The Seeker heaved the corpse away, flinging it into its companions, more raiders falling to the ground.

"TWHIP! TWHIP!"

Jason was faster, arrows drilling into the sand as a line of ruach tore through the lone archer. Even before the body had fallen Jason was already moving

One of the raiders screeched as Jason ruthlessly stabbed his daggers deep into its chest, ripping and slashing, tearing its chest open. Blood drenched the Seeker's arm as he whirled, hurling his dagger at another enemy. The blade flew point over handle again and again before slamming into the thing's face.

More arrows flew at him but they froze in mid-air quivering as Jason glared at his attackers, white fire boiling in his eyes. They screeched as the fletches were hurled straight back at them, barb first. Bodies tumbled to the sand, bleeding and twitching as Jason immolated another raider on the spot, the black form bursting into a towering pyre of white flames.

"Impossible…" Mul breathed.

Jason speared into another of the raiders, both man and hooded thing crashing into the water. The raider bucked wildly trying to throw his attacker off as Jason grabbed the back of its head and plunged its face into the water. Bubbles frothed frantically as the thing tried to break free.

"ARGH!"

Jason wrenched the raider's head out of the waves and with a single swipe of his blade slashed its throat in two. The thing gave a choked scream, blood exploding out of its ruined throat as the Seeker dropped its head back into the shallows, blood billowing in the water, the tide dragging the raider's lifeblood away.

Like a demon from an unimaginable hell Jason rose, drenched and covered in sand and blood the final raider backing away in terror. It screamed as Jason lunged and grabbed its face between his hands. The dark-hooded creature thrashed, battering at the Seeker.

Jason poured pure white flames straight into the thing's skull. It burned, flames roaring out from beneath its hood as Jason grimly clung onto the dying thing.

"By the mane…"

Mul pulled himself to his feet, staring at his saviour in terror and awe as a burning husk hit the blood-soaked sand.

Jason turned and looked at the man, one brow raised.

"You were frightened of these things?"

Mul could only gape at him as Jason turned and surveyed the havoc he had wreaked, burning bleeding bodies strewn across a once pristine beach. A muffled sob caught his attention and the Seeker turned to the boat the raiders had driven onto the shore.

Frowning Jason took a step towards the boat, seeing the thick blanket that covered most of the seafaring vessel, squirming forms bulging beneath the woven cloth.

Holding his dagger up above his head, ready to strike the Seeker pulled the blanket away.

Terrified eyes stared up at him, screams struggling against rough gags as Jason cursed, hurriedly throwing his blade away.

He whirled, blasting one of the raider's bodies apart, gouging a hole in the sand.

The prisoners on the boat screamed, trembling as Mul rushed forwards.

"Is my son there?!" he demanded, "Is my son – "  
One look and the man's shoulders slumped.

"Hey!" Jason growled, "Help me get them free!"

He reached over and the prisoners screamed, fighting to get away from him. Mul yelped and pulled Jason away, cringing as his fingers met blood-soaked cloth.

"Stand back! You're scaring them!"

Mul didn't add that this man, this murderous stranger he had found on the shores of the Lone Island was terrifying him as well. But the man showed all those thoughts out of his head as he crouched down, brining himself to the captives' level, offering them a small smile.

"Look," he spread out his hands, "No weapons. You're safe."

They stared back at him, eyes hollow, their fragile minds already having seen too much.

"You're safe," Mul repeated slowly reaching out, "You're safe."

He pulled one of their gags away and smiled again.

"And what's your name?"

She stared at him, too terrified to even cry.

"Riana."

Her voice was a whisper, worn away by lack of water and screams that she had been beaten for. Mul gently undid her bonds.

"That's a beautiful name," he told her, "Where's home Riana?"

Jason stood back, watching as Mul gently coaxed the girl away from the tiny boat she had been trapped on. Ruach boiled in his veins, feeding on the fury and disgust that coursed through him, fire feeding fire, all roaring in the grasps of his iron control.

There were a dozen children in all, boys and girls, from gangly youths to mere babes barely tottering on their feet. They clung to each other, flinching at Mul, at him, at the a world that should have seemed sweet and beautiful but which they now knew was full of darkness and poisons. All bore signs of abuse, bruises and lash marks and limbs wrapped in filthy bandages and make-shift splints.

The ruach screamed and Jason had to turn away, forcing his eyes to look at something that would not corrode his control. Ignoring him Mul swiftly freed the rest of the children, all of them shying away from him, whimpering despite his kind smiles and gentle hands. They refused to even look at Jason, trying to shrink into themselves and disappear in plain sight.

"Mul."

The man turned to look at him, at the demon lord with white fire eyes and couldn't help but tremble.

"The raiders. What are they doing?"

Mul hear the ice and fire in Jason's voice and sweat beaded on his face.

"They came when the darkness came, when our king was plucked from this land. They came from the shadows in the mountains and came to our cities and villages."

The man's face was haunted, shattered by his own memories.

"What are they after?"

Mul smiled bitterly at him, both of them well aware of the fact that Jason already knew the answer.

"Children. They stole our children."

The children screamed as light blazed around the Seeker and it was their cries of sheer terror that forced Jason to hold onto his rage, to stop himself from razing the entire beach and everything he saw.

"Why?" Jason snarled.

The air around him shimmered and twisted as though the Seeker gave off an incredible heat. Mul gasped as he felt the very air push down on him, the sand vibrating beneath his feet, the sea boiling as it washed to shore. The children were frozen, paralysed by the strange unseen force that wrenched at the world all around them.

Even as Jason blazed with light darkness seemed to fall everywhere else, stark shadows streaking across the beach and sea. A bitter chill stole into the air as Jason looked up Mul and Mul looked into the eyes of death itself.

"They are training them. They take children…"

Tears spilled down his face, his chest caught in iron bands as he remembered the screams.

They had come in the brightest hour of the day, mocking their naivety, overwhelming their meagre guards and cackling as the first bodies fell.

He could remember the strangest details of that day – his shirt had a lost a button that very morning, his son had had goat's milk and bread for breakfast, his neighbour had been gathering hay for the thatching of his house. They were stupid mundane things to remember but that had been his life once. Once upon a time tracking and hunting was all he had concerned himself about, even the stories of the great darkness that had fallen onto the land far away news concerning far away people.

But the war had come to his hearth and home, had toppled his walls and his life.

The smell of smoke had reached them first but before he even had time to rise from his lunchtime table the screams had come.

Dark horses plunging through panicking crowds, men and women cut down where they stood. Firebrands flying through the air, setting everything they touched ablaze. And the worst of it all, the wild and frantic screams for help, small forms plucked from their parents' arms, thrown onto the back of demon horses and snatched away, child after child lost amidst the fire and mayhem.

Mul had fought. Had fought with a strength and courage born of pure desperation. His son had clung to his legs, screaming and screaming as Mul tried to push the raiders back. But a single club blow had fell him and as he laid in the dirt, his skull threatening to shatter into a thousand jagged pieces his son had been taken.

He knew that when death finally came for him that would be the last thing he would remember. Despair was not a strong enough to even begin to untangle the thing that had stabbed his heart, guilt was not bitter enough to name the thing that poisoned his mind and dreams. Every moment, waking and sleeping, Mul could see Eldrick's face, could hear his cries as the raiders bore him away. That memory was all he had left, his sole companion, a mistress that strangely comforted him even as it stole the life from his body.

Mul had searched, had followed the faintest trails, the wildest rumours but it had been likely chasing a phantom in the dark of night. But finally he had come to his place, to the islands lost to the darkness.

Eldrick was here. Mul knew it in his very bones. His son was here and so was death, both waiting for him. He just prayed he would free his son before he was murdered.

"Why?" Jason snarled.

Mul knew the rumours and knew they were more than that, knew it was the truth.

"They are training them."

"For what?"

"What else? The darkness has fallen on Narnia. All that was once was the lion's is now in the clutches of demons and witches," Mul looked at the children in the boat, knew from the dead looks in their eyes, the blood that clung to their nails, that it had already begun, "They are training them for war."

The children did not move. They were broken, their young minds smashing into something they had no words for, against memories and feelings they had no names for. They struggled with what they had done, what they were made to do because they could not understand, could not even begin to comprehend.

Mul had gathered the scraps, knew the stories.

These children were murderers. There would have been more of them but the raiders were sly, always gave them just enough food to feed most of them, drove them to the brink of starvation until they fought amongst themselves, the stronger overwhelming the weak all in the name of survival.

Mul knew of the games they made the children play, knew of the things they had been forced to do. He was lucky. Eldrick had not been forced to kill his own father as many had already been made to do.

Break a child. Smash him into a thousand pieces and from the ruins craft a monster that knew nothing but death and survival.

The children screamed and Jason and Mul whirled. The raiders were rising, bleeding and broken, blades sticking out of their chests, disembowelled and beheaded they rose with the grinding of gears and clanking of chains.

But Jason's rage had finally found its target.

It rushed from him in a wave of pure iridescent flames. It scoured the beach, sand melting to glass, water boiling to steam as the raiders were struck by the light. They did not ignite, did not burn simply and completely erased by the sheer power that exploded out of the Seeker.

The children could only stare as their tormentors, the all-powerful gods in their minds were utterly blasted out of existence.

Mul said nothing, could only feel a deep and grim satisfaction.

When Jason turned his eyes were dark blue once more. But his anger smouldered, cold purpose now encasing the inferno that raged inside of him.

"We are leaving this beach."

His voice brooked no arguments and Mul found himself already moving to obey.

"And after we find somewhere safe for these children you will show me where the raiders are."

"What are you going to do?"

Jason's look told him not to ask any stupid questions.

"You're going to kill them all."

There was no doubt in Mul's mind that this man before him, this god was more than capable of such an unimaginable act.

"Of course."

"And the children?"

Jason looked to the heavens and the light seemed to flee from the sky, the clouds painting themselves across the sun.

"I'm going to rescue every last one of them."

Before Mul could say another word Jason knelt and picked up his fallen dagger, sheathing the blade before walking away, crushing the glass-studded sand beneath his feet.

. . . . . . .

"So this is Narnia huh?"

Her companions did not say a single word.

"Got to say. Not impressed."

They looked at her and shied away, terrified of what she would bring upon her own head.

"So… you do you know Peter? High King? Cute but has a bit of a swollen head?"  
Still no answer.

"So I guess we're prisoners or slaves huh? All oppressed and everything? Say… wasn't your king meant to stop this kind of thing?"

Some of them looked at her, broken fragile expressions on their faces.

"Ugh. Shaggy. I'm going to kick you repeatedly when I see you again."

Barely an hour in this world and she was already clapped in chains, simply one prisoner in a long line of shuffling cringing forms. Their captors were leading them across a salt scrub plain, their destination a dark building that sat squat and dark across the horizon line. Despite the midday sun above despair choked the warmth and light around them, her fellow prisoners so broken they could not even bare to look upon their captors.

Inara held her tongue, careful to keep her shoulders slumped, her head bent. The rough chains rubbed her wrists and ankles but Inara was no stranger to pain. Her eyes, hidden behind the fringe of her hair was darting to and fro, storing everything she saw.

Her captors were all dark-hooded figures that seemed to flow through their movements, whispers and shadows trailing in their wake. Wherever they went a frisson of energy seemed to hum through the air, a charge that drew the hair on her body up.

The Naga was hissing in her head, the power and knowledge of the monks contemplative. Inara was breathing slowly and calmly, drawing in the world and all her awareness of it with each breath and expelling her frustration, her fears and concerns for her friends and family with each breath out.

Here was her battle, here was her fight. She had been sent to this place, with these people for a reason as so much of her journey already seemed to be dictated by forces beyond her.

A woman stumbled and the dark captors were upon her, wrenching her up with painful hands, the woman crying out as the whole line of prisoners lurched to a stop. They grabbed at her hair, her arms, pulling her out, uncaring of her tears, her terror. Whips cracked out and the great line began to move once more, ambling towards the dark building that waited for them.

The monotony of their journey drove a rhythm into Inara's mind, the lifting and lowering of her feet, the beating of her heart, the steady drawing and letting go of her breath. It was a cadence as a intoxicating as the mediation prayers that the monks had taught her. As her body moved and breathed and lived Inara's mind sank deep within itself, all pain and weariness a far off concern.

Narnia was still caught in the grips of war. That much was clear. Gavin and his armies had conquered vast stretches of land and now made it their own.

Rage seethed but it did not break the stillness inside of her.

Her goal was simple. Break free of her captors, free these people and lead them back, back to Caspian and Peter and Edmund, back to whatever semblance of safety existed in this war-torn world.

Not how was she going to do it with the best chance of success, panache and flair and looking damn good whilst doing it?

A cry rose from somewhere at the head of the long and drove Inara from the silence in her mind and back to the real world.

They were there.

Dark gates rose above them, dwarfing every single last one of the prisoners.

It was a colosseum. There was no other way to describe it, a dark stone ring that stretched for leagues on end, arch upon arch rising above them, the walls studded with crude torches that spat out flames and soot.

Their captors let out a cry and the guards on the walls instantly echoed the call.

The ground beneath them rumbled, the prisoners flinching as the gates slowly swung open.

A rancid waft of rotting flesh and sickness swept out to greet them.

"We are going to die," a man chained behind her mumbled, "We are going to die. We are all going to die."

Though none reacted visibly to his words all knew he spoke the truth. A chill seemed to sweep through the long row of prisoners, the bleak look in their eyes darkening.

"Bring them to the main yard!" one of the guards roared from above.

Their captors hidden in their cloaks of mist and liquid shadows drew them forwards, tugging at their chains as weeping silently the prisoners stepped forwards, out of the light and into the darkness of the arena.

"Please…" a woman begged, fear reducing her voice to a mere whimper "Please… by the mane… no."

She choked on her tears as the gates slammed shut behind them, heavy bars falling into place. Each banging sound was a resolute nail slammed into their collective coffins, stakes driven straight into their hearts. But even as her fellow captives began to weep, unable to fathom what had befallen them Inara was studying her surroundings.

Blood stained the flagstones underneath, the stench vomit and bile thick and putrid as the shadows. Meagre torches tried their best to remind them there was light and life somewhere in this place but the shadows they made seemed to be wall-bound ghosts, snatching at them with black hands and dark intent.

Things glittered in the gloom and it took Inara a long second before she realised they were eyes, staring out at the newcomers to their hell. The fire in the torches lurched and suddenly Inara could see the pale faces, not a single one without festering wounds or bruises. They watched her with bleak serenity in their eyes. They were not scared of what was to come, not even despairing of their reality. Every last soul in this place had been hollowed out, numbed by what they had seen, destroyed by what they had to endure. They survived by learning not to live.

The new arrivals stood rooted to the spot staring at the inhabitants of the arena, the inhabitants staring back at them, their eyes merely reflecting what they saw.

"This way!"

A man, barechested and with a thick metal hoop driven through his nose emerged from the shadows. Their captors had melted away without notice, the dark-hooded things already gone from sight as men, brutes and oafs with not a thought in their heads that was not placed by others, began to drag the prisoners away.

Down long winding corridors and stone-hewn steps they were led, cell upon cell of deadened slaves staring out at them, silent sentinels that watched their disappearance deep into bowels of the arena.

Inara was careful to affect the same slumped shoulders as the others, the bowed back that spoke of grief and despair crushing her spirit completely. Inside she was already planning the violent downfall of her captors.

"In here!' the headguard snarled.

A booted foot kicked the doors open and the captives were dragged through the tall archway. From shadows they were plunged into light, from a hell of black stone and endless cells they were now surrounded by decadence and luxury.

"Welcome."

He stood before them in robes thick with silk and gold threads, a tall willowy figure of milky skin and pampered hands. It was almost impossible to imagine that such a weak looking man, a man clearly unknowing of the hardships of battle or even the life of a workman was responsible for so much misery and suffering.

He smiled at them and it was a sly lift of the lips, his eyes narrowing into kohl-lined slits, a look of pure pleasure crossing his angular face.

"Welcome to the arena, to my humble abode."

Men worked frantically in the vast chambers, weighing up ingots and coins, scribbling down numbers into books as others carried heavy jangling sacks away. The room itself was an ode to the man's vast riches, everything gold or marble or teak, priceless sculptures and porcelain works homed in alcoves along the wall.

It was like finding a pearl amidst sewerage muck, an impossible beauty that drew the eye and mesmerised them all.

"You are now my property," the man said as his cronies sniggered, "Forget your past life because you will never return to them."

His words were casually put, simply stating facts but the men and women in chains before him were frozen, not wanting to believe but already accepting something they had already known as soon as they had stepped through the gates outside.

"You will be sorted," the lord of the arena continued, "Some of you will be sold as mere house or mine slaves to Calormene and other esteemed customers. Others will be trained to musicians or artisans or pleasure slaves."

His eyes lighted on a golden-haired girl in the midst and she trembled, tears spilling down her face. The lord smiled savouring her terror as though it was the finest of fermented wines.

"Don't cry my dear," he cooed, "You will have more pleasant quarters upstairs and be kept with our more distinguished prisoners. You will be able to mingle with royalty!'

The oafs laughed as the lord continued, turning away from the petrified girl.

"Some of you will be granted the greatest honour and will be given the opportunity to fight in the arena. Champions and legends have been born in this ring and you will know fame and adoration beyond imaging!" the lord cried out, his voice ringing in the chamber.

His pale eyes locked onto the men now, laughter bubbling from his lips as he noted the woodsman, the miners and the labourers amongst them. He could already see them locked in desperate combat, slaughtering each other with abandon as the crowds cheered and rained coins down on them.

Ghastly visions unfurled in his head, torrid plans of pitting man against minotaurs, women against hags. Others would be have disgusted by the debauchery of all that he imagined but the lord delighted in it, schemed of ways to profit from it.

"Sort them!" he ordered, snapping his fingers at his servants.

The prisoners were unlocked from chains one by one, led off into separate rooms as those that waited stood paralysed, trembling as their imaginations churned forth more and more twisted possibilities, the lord's cronies snarling at them, laughing as they flinched and whimpered.

Finally it was her turn.

"Those three!"

The women beside her screamed, begging frantically as their shackles were pulled away. Inara yelped as one of the oafs grabbed her by the hair, dragging her bodily across the polished floor and throwing her into one of small the antechambers running off from the main room. The other two were shoved in after her and before they had time to even react servants fell on them, tearing away at their clothes, baring their flesh to the harsh light of the room.

The two women screamed, tried to hide themselves with their hands as Inara merely stood, the reign over her anger threatening to snap, silver flicking through her eyes.

"This one…"

A man with thin rimmed glasses pointed at one of the women, a maid made thick by childbirth and a lifetime of hard work.

"Servant."

One of the man's assistants jotted something down onto a parchment and with a quick gesture guards dragged the wailing woman away.

"This one."

The man with the glasses studied the second woman as though she was simple livestock. He reached out, fondling her flesh as the woman wept openly. He pulled at her hair, looked in her mouth before nodding in satisfaction.

"Take her upstairs. She will be trained."

The woman was led away and finally it was Inara's turn.

What should she do?

If she presented herself as a fighter they would send her into the arena and more importantly give her a weapon. The Naga in her thrilled at the thought of a fight, to able to lash out with all her anger and break limbs and skulls. But Inara was too used to the snake's bloodlust, easily shunting it aside to focus on her current dilemma. If she played along in the role of a possible plaything, she would be sent to the quarters where at least one person of royal line was imprisoned. Could that royal possibly be Petey or Shaggy or even Freckles or Lucy?

The man was studying her intently. She had to make her choice soon.

"Too many scars," the man muttered, "Winsome enough but the scars…"

Inara shifted her stance, arching her back as a teasing smile curled her lips. She allowed silver to bleed into her eyes and the man blinked.

"But the eyes. Exotic. I know many who would pay for that…"

Inara shifted her stance, teasingly demure, the disgust she felt not showing in her eyes.

"If you send me upstairs…" Inara made sure her voice was husky, brimming with mischief and dark pleasure, "I will make it worth your while."

The man stared at her transfixed as Inara cringed inside. But she kept up her act, giggling, casually flipping her hair over her shoulder, showing off its length.

"Upstairs!" the man all but spluttered.

Inara was wrenched out of the room, smiling now in triumph. She was led down a hall and up a flight of spiralling stairs, the half-Naga plotting away frantically. But chief in her mind was that a single question – who was this royal?

Lacquered doors were thrown open and Inara was thrust into a chamber of silks and perfumed smoke. The doors were slammed shut behind her and Inara was instantly left alone to face a sea of blank perfectly made-up faces.

"Hi."

There were women and men, all pretty beautiful things with perfect forms and perfect faces but all with the same dead blank eyes.

Unnerved, Inara drew a robe from a silken bed before her and tied it around herself hurriedly.

"I hear there's a royal around here."

A few still naked figures wept in the corners of the room, no doubt freshly selected from the prisoners Inara had been chained with. A shudder ran through her as Inara remembered the bespectacled man's lustful gaze but she had no time for being squeamish. She had to find this royal.

"Hello? Royal?" Inara called.

The slaves before her only stared, too frightened to even speak. Inara growled under her breath and pushed through them, calling out.

"Hey! Royal! Come on I don't have all day here. Show yourself you stupid – "

"Who are you?"

She blinked as a boy caught between adolescence and manhood appeared before her. He was broad-shouldered and bore the stance of one who had been trained to fight but was still yet unscarred, a blade forged but untested. His eyes, striking in its darkness, were steady as he studied her.

"You the royal?"

Disappointment punched her but Inara had learnt long ago not to be put too much faith in chance and luck. She merely factored this new development into her burgeoning plans.

"Who are you?" the royal demanded hiding his nerves behind anger.

"Inara Nixon."

The slaves watched them, trying to listen but staying far away enough so that if someone walked into the room they could pretend not to be part of it.

"Why are you looking for me?" the royal said tiredly.

"I'm guessing you're not a king since you look barely old enough to shave."

He was older than her but Inara was wiser in warfare and treachery, something she knew this royaling had already realised.

"I am Prince Coram," the tall youth said studying her intently, curiosity overriding caution, "My father rules Archenland."

Inara frowned the name striking a chord within her.

"Archeland… the one right next to Narnia?"

The boy gave her an unimpressed look as Inara sucked in a deep breath wondering how best to question him without the prince realising it. She had to know where they were, where the kings and queens she knew where. Was Gavin winning here? What was this place?

But before she could say a single world a startled gasp before her turn.

"Inara?"

The half-Naga's eyes widened in astonishment and her jaws dropped.

"Gaspar?"

. . . . . . .

Author's notes:

And… end of chapter! Thank you to all my loyal readers and reviewers – especially those that endlessly review. Please, please, please if you read drop me a review – criticism or praise everything helps me grow as writer.


	95. The northern front

And new chapter. Sorry about the long delay. Please enjoy and please review!

Disclaimer: What's mine is mine, what's not is not

**Across the Worlds**

**Chapter 95: The northern front **

They had breached the wall in seconds.

"KILL!" the monsters chanted, "KILL THEM ALL! KILL THEM ALL!"

Men and women screamed, fleeing for their lives as wave after howling wave of twisted monsters leapt from the top of palisade, their eyes red with bloodlust. The guards had already thrown down their arms and abandoned the wall, had been the first to run when they had spotted the army of werewolves cresting the hills around the village.

The sun blazed ahead but the monsters had stabbed their flesh with flecks of moon-white stone, dark magic unchaining the wild wolves that lived in their hearts. The invading force numbered in the hundreds, the land around the village thick with their dark furred forms and yet still more were coming from the frigid tundra further north. The full force of Wulfric's army had been brought to bear, a falling anvil brought to crack an egg.

They howled with thunderous laughter, made bold by their crushing numbers, by the sight of the snivelling humans running for their lives. They leapt from the wall and landed on all fours, dashing forwards, no strategy, no thoughts in their head except a savage hunger for blood and domination.

"KILL! KILL! KILL!"

The chant ran as unabated as their numbers, broken only by their throaty howls. The tiny streets of the village hemmed them in, bottlenecking them into tributaries, splitting their force again and again.

That should have been the first sign.

Bells toiled in warning, so loud the very air seemed to shake and reverberate. Gongs and cymbals clashed in deafening clangs that were like drums and thunder to the wolves' ears. They were drowning in noise, their chant and howls consumed by the cacophony but driven by their bloodlust, the monsters did not notice one whit.

The air was choked with thick black smoke, the stench of burning refuse a miasma that poisoned every gasp of air. Blood was mixed amongst the smoke, cows and pigs slaughtered in the open air to create that scent. Every breath was a contradiction, a gagging and a tugging at their hunger. The wolves could not even scent the humans' fear, could not smell anything but smouldering rubbish and the rich copper of fresh blood. They howled their hunger, threw themselves in it until all was lost to reason.

Every part had been deliberately planned.

The bells and gongs to deafen their ears, the smoke and blood to snuff out their scent and make them think of nothing but ripping into soft flesh. They ran as mindless beasts, not noting the tumble of stones and the torn down house here and there, funnelling and channelling their great army into smaller and smaller streams.

"RUN! RUN!"

Again and again terrified voices rang out but the werewolves never noticed that it was not the runners who screamed. The voices rose from seemingly abandoned houses all around them, lost amongst the peals of the bells.

Deafened, choking on smoke and blood the werewolves ran towards their own doom. They jeered at their fleeing prey, snapping their jaws in anticipation.

"KILL! KILL! KILL!"

Screams roared out as the ground beneath them gave way. They tumbled, pitched into dug-out pits, their powerful forms flailing wildly as they tried to save themselves from the stakes stabbing out from the ground beneath.

Their battle cries became screams of pain as wooden spikes tore through their flesh. The first rank of wolves fell as one, those behind desperately trying to pull up short but unable to stop as those behinds continued their charge.

The pits became open graves, wolves impaled on the stakes, dying but not yet dead as blood turned the dirt to red mud.

And then it came, a single voice carrying high above the bells, the screams of the werewolves.

"FIRE!"

Silver flashed through the air, the wolves screaming as the air was suddenly thick with flying shafts.

"GARGH!"

"ROWR!"

The arrows struck their targets, every touch burning fur and flesh, the werewolves falling beneath a flurry of flying silver.

* * *

_Five days prior_

The silver arrow shot through the air and embedded itself dead on target, completing the tight circle of fletches set neatly on the border of the red bullseye metres away.

She notched another arrow into place, pulling back in one swift motion, aiming and firing without a thought and watched as her final arrow slammed straight into the target, quivering in the very centre of the ring of arrows.

Susan lowered her bow with a small satisfied smile.

She pretended not to notice the watchers that ghosted her every movement, forms half hidden in the buildings around the training ground. She crossed the packed earth reaching the wooden target and began to tug her arrows free. Even though her quiver, blessed by Artemis herself, would never run out, there was still no need to let good arrows go to waste. She slipped them back in her quiver and stretched, letting the tension flow from her muscles.

The village was a quiet place amongst the hillocks and wilderness of the north, set just at the outer fringes of an expansive forest. A wall had risen around this once sleepy little backwater place, a great stone wall patrolled night and day by Ruy's men, protectors for the people within and a prisoner for those they wished to keep behind the walls.

Susan walked briskly out of the training grounds, her every present guards and wardens tracking her every move, the queen refusing to let her ire show on her face.

More eyes watched her as she stepped onto the main street of the village, the Gentle Queen a thing of curiosity, awe and fear. They knew of her from the Narnian tales of old, knew of her from the gossip and rumours that flittered out of Cair Paravel, knew her from Ruy's own bitter tale. Certainly she was proving to a headache to the lord of this village. And already talk was rife amongst his men and the people of this village. Was she an honoured guest or a prisoner? A pawn or a puppet-master?

Susan said nothing, knowing silence itself could be a weapon. She simply let others think what they willed as she readied her own plans.

Lord Ruy had offered her an escort back to Narnia on the evening of their first meeting but Susan had refused. Here on the edge of the northern wildlands where werewolves roamed and preyed on her people, this was where she had been sent. She was needed here to protect these people, to use her gifts, her blessings and her curses to end the threat here before she could even think of moving on.

"Your majesty."  
"Tomas," Susan said evenly as the man before her jerked in an awkward bow.

He straightened, meeting her eyes as most dared not do. But there was a question in his eyes, a pondering look on his face. Would showing her too much kindness evoke Ruy's wrath? Or would the lord be furious at any lack of proper propriety towards her?

Susan resisted the urge to grimace as Tomas cleared his throat. The feeling was mutual, she was in unfamiliar territory. These people she had found herself with did not trust her and she did not trust them entirely. Their leader had every right to hate Caspian and she would be perfect leverage to use against him. She had to keep that in mind despite knowing that Ruy was considered by and large a fair and honest man. But Ruy and Caspian had been rivals in love and passion was one of the great corruptor of all.

But so far she had not been harmed, left mostly to her own devices except for her ever-present spies and guards. They had clothed her and fed her, gave her a small house and even a maid to attend to her needs. For one week she had done little but train and keep her eyes and ears peeled for any news, hoping to catch snatches of any of Caspian her family's doings. But news had been sparse so far north and Susan had to content herself with half-remembered dreams.

But this week of relative peace was at an end. She had recovered fully from that frantic battle against the sporelings and the Machina, recovered from the shock of being in Narnia once more. Her thoughts flickered, chasing down the now familiar worries about her friends and family but she let those fears slip away.

This was where she was meant to be and all parts of her knew that. The queen in her raged at thought of her people under attack, furious they had been left unprotected by their rulers. The Hunt-Beast howled as it scented the taint of werewolves in the air, the wild thing desperate to strike out and hunt, to drive the abominations to the ground and tear out their throats. The darkness in her merely laughed, savouring the thought of battle and blood. Whatever their reasons all parts of Susan wanted to same thing – to destroy the werewolves.

" – Lord Ruy wishes to see you."

Susan was startled from her thoughts but did not let her face show it as she nodded at Tomas's words. The man, a hardened soldier who had faced down werewolves, minotaurs and worse without batting an eyelid, flinched as gold and red swam through the queen's eyes.

He had survived countless battles because he had learnt long ago to listen to his instincts, to know when to stand and fight, when to retreat and hide. And right now every single one of his nerves, his senses was telling him to flee.

Tomas shuddered but said nothing as he led this strange frightening woman to the village centre. Along the way men and women watched her go with shadows in their eyes, talking beasts calling out their greetings as Susan acknowledged their cries with smiles and nods.

Tomas watched her carefully, for all her stately manners and beguiling smiles, this Susan walked with the bearing of a general, self-assured and acutely aware of everything around her. She looked up at him and her smile widened ever so slightly, the queen knowing exactly what he was doing. Tomas flushed but again held his tongue as they reached the doors of the largest house in all of the village.

Tomas knew the tales of the Golden Age as well as any Narnia. Queen Susan the Gentle had never really figured into the stories of glory and battle, most songs simply praising her beauty, her sweetness and of course, her famed gentleness. Scholars had viewed her as the mother of the four kings and queens, the courtesan and siren, a beacon that had drawn suitors and admirers from leagues afar.

He wondered what those very same scholars would say now looking at this steel-spined warrior, her face a picture of absolute control as she prepared to step into the home of someone who had every right to despise her.

Susan noticed his watching and smiled impishly at him as if knowing full well the walking mass of contradiction she was. Tomas couldn't help but offer back a small grin of his own.

The doors swung open and the queen was back, Susan sweeping through the archway and into the hall, every inch the implacable royal.

* * *

_Present day_

A huge plume of black smoke geysered up into the air, fire and sparks boiling through the haze. The minotaurs grunted, hefting their heavy axes as Tomas pulled the spyglass from his face.

"The trap has been sprung."

The ragtag group he had assembled instantly stood to attention. Tomas turned, his face grim.

Whilst other nobles had wasted their boyhood days with carefree mischief and oh-so important lessons on scripts and mathematics and how to curry favour from more powerful families, Tomas had been raised with a sword in his hands. He was of one of lesser nobles, one of the families banished in the early days of the Telmarine empire to the northern wilderness, unimportant and forgotten. They were, as a whole, a joke, an object to mirth and mockery to powerful families in Narnian heartland. But Tomas had been raised not to rage against his peers but to pity them. It was the northern nobles who looked down upon their peers, soft-bellied and feeble-minded, cloaked in silk and arrogance, forgetting that nobility was not about privilege and fancy titles but responsibility and duty to the people who called them lord and lady.

Whilst the most powerful of families might have their vicious games of gossip-mongering and back-stabbing, it was the northern lords who truly fought. The north of Narnia had never been properly conquered, the wild hills and fens the dark homes from which werewolves and hags and other beasts and monstrosities sprung forth. Some merely wanted to be left alone whilst others freely preyed on the humans who called the north their home.

Tomas had seen more death, more blood than any man should have a right knowing. His father had been slain by a wraith when he was thirteen, the House of Ruiz suddenly and brutally dumped onto his shoulders. And he had few allies to rely on, Tomas being an outcast amongst outcasts. And all because his mother had been an Archenlander and the young lord had taken after her fair skin and fair hair, nothing like the olives and darks that were the colours of his fellow nobles. Such pettiness should have saddened Tomas but it was a thing he had lived his whole life railing against. So whilst many had expected or even hoped the young lord to break, Tomas had done everything to prove them wrong. He had always been the one to lead the hunt, the one to face the beast first. But this battle was beyond imagination. Tomas looked down at the seething sea of werewolves and felt the keen edge of fear smote him. But like a true soldier, he master that fear as one would raft through a treacherous river, riding throught its currents and pulls but refusing to be overwhelmed by it.

"Now?" one of the minotaurs grunted.

Tomas eyed the smoke coming from the village and nodded.

"Now."

They had chosen this lone village as their stronghold because of its positions. It laid in a ring of mountains, accessible through one broad ravine that led out onto the wide open plains. One entrance and one same exit, a choking point that would force the enemies to come at them from only one direction.

The minotaurs bellowed, swinging their heavy axes, their blades cracking in their hands as they slammed against the pile of stones assembled onto the ridge. Across the ravine, on the other side, another team was at work, chopping at the constructed stone piles as though trying to fall a tree.

Pebbles and stones tumbled first, flinging themselves over the lip and down into the gully. These few stones were lost amongst the rush of maddened werewolves, unnoticed by the beasts.

The minotaurs swung as one and the tipping point started with single dislodged stone. It fell, rolling down the cliff, spinning into open air, the first in a crushing wave of boulders and earth.

"BOOM!"

It sounded like an explosion, a storm and the end of the world. The werewolves looked up, their world suddenly thrown in shadows. Their blood-red eyes widened as they realised the deluge about to fall onto their heads. They had no time to scream, no time to run before their world was crushed.

Bones snapped like twigs, flesh and vitals bursting like over-ripe fruit as the two avalanches from either side met, stone and dirt clashing like great waves. Furred forms flew through the air, broken already and breaking more as they fell again and were lost in the churn of stones. The wolves were grinded and smashed, obliterated until all that remained was pulp and blood.

The dust began to settle and Tomas found himself looking down at a great spill of earth and boulders, the lone ravine that cut through the mountain clogged and littered with bodies and the dying.

But still the plains before the village swarmed with ravenous wolves, the slaughter of their packmates driving them to ever ascending heights of demented bloodlust. They did not mourn, was not capable of sorrow, not when their was prey to be driven to the ground and butchered. With their retreat sealed, the wolves poured into the village in their hundreds, a sight that drew all the saliva from Tomas's mouth.

He resisted the urge to put the spyglass to his eyes, to somehow spot Ruy and Susan amongst the madness and see if they were even alive. Tomas swallowed down needles and looked at his men.

"To the river."

Already werewolves were clambering up the cliff face, their claws gouging into the stone. They sniffed the air, trying to track those that had triggered the avalanches but by the time the first wolf crested the top of the ridge Tomas and his troops were long gone.

* * *

_Five days prior_

"I will not leave."

Ruy cursed violently, running a hand through his ragged hair. He heaved himself from his chair unable to keep still anymore.

"I don't want you – "

"Contrary to popular belief I am not a wilting flower," his love said to him, her voice as dry as the desert itself.

She made the perfect picture of a subservient maiden, her hands deftly pushing a pin through a piece of embroidery, a delicate unfurling flower taking shape across the cloth. But he was not fooled. Whilst others screamed and raged in their anger she would become more softly-spoken, more well-mannered, attempting not to bully or overpower but to attack with logic, disarm with kindness.

He glared at her and she merely smiled sedately back. Ruy threw up his hands in disgust and braced himself for the storm to come.

It didn't take long.

"Her majesty Queen Susan and Sir Tomas," their manservant announced with a prim little bow.

And she was there.

Lady Shirona carefully put her needlework away, her face somehow managing to not betray her apprehension despite the sick feeling in her gut.

Memories came to her like leaves scattered through a storm, flicking before her mind's eyes before disappearing into the dark rush that she tried so hard to forget.

It was because of this woman that her father had brought her to Caspian. It was because of this woman she had suffered at her father's hands, forced to imitate a thing of legend, to lose herself and become someone else altogether. It was because of this woman she had been caught between Caspian and Ruy. It was because of this woman both she and Ruy had been imprisoned before being exiled from the land they loved.

Shirona wanted so badly to hate her, to spit in her face and storm away but she knew it was not this woman's fault, not any one of their faults alone.

She had pretended herself to be in love with Caspian to escape her father, used his feelings for this woman to her own ruthless advantage. She had cared for him but she had never really loved him, needed him more for the security it gave her, the escape. And regardless of what Caspian had done in return, it had been her and Ruy that had struck the first treacherous blow.

Shirona closed her eyes.

Ruy, Caspian and her. What a tangled web they had woven between them, ties of thorns and barbs that had almost torn all three of them to shreds. They had all been selfish, all been foolish and the consequences had almost crushed them all. She was simply glad that Caspian was safe, that he was the king he was meant to be once more. She was also eternally grateful that out here on the fringes of their homeland that she and Ruy had managed to carve out a life for themselves.

Shirona met Susan's eyes and rose from her chair, offering the correct bow for a lesser lady to a sovereign royal. Ruy gave a start but did the same as Susan merely nodded, accepting their greetings and the silent message it entailed.

"Lord Ruy. Lady Shirona. Please, I am a guest in your house there is no need for such deference."

Tomas stood uncomfortably behind her, unsure of what to do. Ruy shifted ever so slightly, the man himself probably unaware that he had placed himself between his wife and the queen as though ready to defend her. The tension was palpable, the air suddenly stale and hot as Susan shoved aside her own nerves and uncertainties and focused on what needed to be done.

"You managed it?" she asked.

Her tone was that of a high commander's and Ruy, despite his misgivings, found himself standing a little taller, shoulders thrown back, ready to report to his general as though he was a mere footsoldier. He realised what he was doing and started as Tomas blinked in surprise.

Susan and Shirona both did not react, the two dark-haired women eerie mirrors of each other.

"Yes. But he will not speak. We have tried with others before."

All of them were cowards, taking refuge in duty rather than facing the dark past that connected them all. Susan wanted to say it was because there was more pressing matters at hand but the deepest part of her would not accept that lie.

"I will make him talk."

The Hunt-Beast was howling in her head, thrashing around wildly as it scented the abomination living in this very house. She had to kill it! Had to sink her teeth into its throat and rip it out! Blood! She needed to see its lifeblood cooling on the ground!

Susan was battered by the beast's rage, felt it as an unseen storm roaring through her mind. But her face showed nothing, the queen having had seven days to learn to brace herself against the onslaught.

"Your majesty, I think it's best if you reconsider," Shirona began.

Susan looked at her and couldn't help but flinch ever so slightly. Her mind was filled with visions Luxuria had shown her, pictures of this woman in Caspian's arms, her king showering kisses down on her face. She remembered those vows of devotion, the fire in his eyes as Caspian claimed this woman as his own.

The darkness was a whisper in her head, its words like smoke, penetrating every last one of her thoughts trying to poison her from within.

Kill her.

Kill the woman who took your love.

Kill her before she does it again.

Susan gritted her teeth as the beast raged and the darkness cooed its poison.

No!

Both of the forces in her head froze.

Ruy blinked as he thought he saw a glimpse of purple in the queen's left eye but Susan ignored him.

'_You listen to me.'_

She would not be influenced by the things that were meant to serve her. They thought they could control her, they thought they could manipulate her? The Hunt-Beast and the darkling, they were her tools, her weapons and she controlled them!

Susan imagined them before her, a glorious wild thing of talons and antlers, the other a billowing mass of pure black.

'_You were given to me. Your masters chose me to be your vessel because they knew I was strong enough to handle both of you.'_

The Hunt-Beast reared in her mind's eyes, screaming as the darkness crackled with red power. Susan stood before them, unafraid, a tower of unbreakable strength. She imagined herself in the confines of her mind, in that unending darkness, dressed in the most impressive of her gowns from the Golden Age, her hands planted firmly on her hips.

'_You will obey me! If you do not…'_

The Hunt-Beast flinched as it felt her will bear down on it, invisible bands shackling its limb, a collar around its throat. The darkness screamed as light pierced its depths.

'_Do not force my hand.'_

To her astonishment the Hunt-Beast lowered its head in obvious submission, recognising the dominant female as the darkness's voice faded away. But she quickly recovered, sending them a last fierce scowl before letting the mental image of herself fade away.

"Your majesty?" Shirona asked, concern in her blue eyes.

Susan hid a small smile as she lifted her chin, meeting Ruy's eyes squarely, letting him see that she would not be dissuaded from her goal.

"I want to see the prisoner."

* * *

_Present day_

The string pulled back smoothly, the bow bending gracefully in her hand. All before her madness raged, a hundred feral beasts all baying for her blood but she took no notice of any of it. All she focused on was the feel of the arrow between her fingers, the winds that could sweep her shot aside and her target.

The Hunt-Beast snarled, approving of her choice. It was a dominant male a towering mammoth of a beast that flailed around him with hooked claws, driving his pack forwards. He reared back, howling to the sky as Susan fired.

The darkness in her head roared with laughter, already certain the arrow would strike true. Susan heard its mirth and allowed herself a cold smile.

A split second later the arrow tore through the wolf's throat, skewering windpipe, gullet and arteries in one explosive gout.

The werewolf fell backwards and those around him, his pack, staggered as though they had been given one almighty blow. They stared at each other in bewilderment, a lone island of shuffling uncertainty in a vast river of furious roiling forms.

A roar rang out and as Susan watched on another lycanthrope, this one battle-scarred and missing an eye, speared into one of the hesitating wolves. The victim fell, throat torn out before he could even react and just like that the leaderless pack had been claimed. The wolves shook themselves, blinking away their confusion as red stole into their eyes once more. Their new leader roared and they followed with slobber flying from their jowls, plunging once more into the great horde that threatened to devour the village whole.

Susan swept her eyes across the terrible tableau and spotted something that made her smile in triumph.

Stragglers hung at the fringes of the great army, wolves that stared blankly around them with puzzled looks in their eyes. These were the abandoned, werewolves torn out of their packs, lost in the rush and spat out along the edges, frightened and alone amongst a great stampede.

Wulfric had built an army but he had infected too many, too quickly. Werewolves only fully came into their power and nightmarish strength with time, as newborns they were hesitant and afraid, only willing to attack when amongst their own and led by their elders. Wulfric only had a handful of dominant males capable of welding the younger wolves into a murderous coherent pack. An army of hundreds that depended on dozens. Susan and Ruy had found a weakness and they were ruthlessly exploiting it.

The Hunt-Beast directed her towards another dominant, the wild thing bound within her sensing the creature, noting its strength and power from scent and sight alone.

Three arrows drilled into the wolf's chest, puncturing his heart and spinning his body to the ground.

"It's working!" one of the archers beside her gasped, hardly daring to believe.

"Yes."

Susan's eyes swept the battlefield again, the number of confused and packless wolves were slowly and almost imperceptibly increasing.

"FOR NARNIA!"

Her archers echoed her cry but whatever sliver of triumph Susan felt was swiftly erased as screams rang out.

Her head snapped to the right and across the street archers tumbled from their perch, their vantage point overwhelmed by wolves. They were torn apart where they stood or flung to the ground and trampled beneath clawed feet. Arteries ruptures in torrents of blood, bellies ripping open in spills of bowel and gore. The werewolves were beyond savage, not just ripping their enemies apart but delighting in the feel of blood on their faces and hands.

"PULL BACK!"

Ruy's voice thundered above the howls of the wolves and the tramping of their feet.

"PULL BACK!"

"Your majesty!"

The Hunt-Beast screamed the same warning in her head as Susan whirled. A shaggy head appeared over the edge of the balcony, its eyes full of fire and hate. It roared as it saw her, claws gouging deep into wood as it hauled itself up onto the landing.

"GO!" Susan screamed at her team of archers, "GO!"

"But – "

Susan whirled, her eyes blood red.

"GO!"

The wolf lunged, its massive jaws wide open, yellowed teeth framing a craw of inflamed red. It was terrifying sight and she was meant to stand there, poleaxed, paralysed with terror as the thing snatched her up and gobble her whole.

But Susan had seen so much that this sight barely marked her.

Her arrow pinned the wolf's fat tongue to the roof of its mouth as the point exploded out of its skull, bits of brain skewered onto its barbs.

The wolf gave one choked whimper and stumbled over its suddenly lifeless feet, tripping and sliding, skidding to a halt right at Susan's feet.

More wolves appeared as the queen whirled and ran.

"DUCK!"

She threw herself forwards as silver arrows punched through the air. Strong hands grabbed her, dragging her away as more fletches covered their retreat.

"How many did you get?"

Ruy bore bloody scratches on his arm but a sword was still clutched in his hands.

"Four. My archers got another eight," Susan reported between gasps for air, "You?"

They leapt from rooftop to rooftop, the wolves in hot pursuit, the teams of archers splitting and dividing as more and more monsters poured out onto the gables and shingles.

"We hit the biggest and nastiest ones. Got thirteen," Ruy shot her a toothy smile as Susan grumbled about losing, "But we're not sure if they're pack leaders."

"Wulfric's wolves aren't exactly subtle," Susan whirled, arrow to string and in flight in the blink of an eye.

A werewolf tumbled off the eaves with a yelp, scrabbling at the arrow in its eye. Ruy stared at her as Susan returned an impish smile.

"Now we're even."

It seemed Jason and Inara had corrupted her more than she thought. Susan spared her friends a single moment of concern before she was wrenched back to the battle at hand.

"HELP ME! HELP ME!"

The wolf bit down and blood exploded out from the man's neck, his limbs convulsing wildly.

"WILL!" Ruy screamed.

Will's twitching form hit the roof shingles as the werewolf looked up, blood dripping down its jaws. It smiled at them, pure glee in its eyes as it kicked Will's body off the roof.

"Pack leader?" Ruy barked.

The Hunt-Beast growled as gold flashed in Susan's right eye.

"Pack leader," she confirmed.

The dominant wolf threw itself up into the air, a silhouette against the sun as Susan and Ruy raised their weapons.

"WATCH OUT!"

The towering beast slammed down onto the thatching, lashing out and knocking Susan's arrow straight from the air. It barrelled into them before she could reload, the queen frantically trying to avoid the thing's claws and teeth. A blow cuffed her head and Susan staggered, spots of black and light exploding in her vision.

"YOUR MAJESTY!"

The wolf yelped as Ruy's blade found its side, bloodlust and rage boiling in its eyes as it backed away, bleeding freely.

"NOW!"

Blinking away her double vision, Susan snatched her sceptre from the sheath across her back. Red light blazed, the werewolf changing, running straight into the crackling blast. It howled in agony, its body wracked with tendrils of power as Ruy swung his sword around in one gleaming arc.

He beheaded the beast in a blow that sent shockwaves rushing up his arm. They could both hear the cries of shock, some of the pursuing wolves pulling up short, looking around them in wild confusion.

"GO! GO!"

Ruy shook the pins and needles from his arm, grabbing Susan as she tried to get her feet to move. Her ears rung from the werewolf's lucky blow, blood gushing from one nose. Ruy grabbed her arm and they were running again, everywhere they looked more wolves clambering up onto the rooftops.

"Are we close?" Susan managed to choke out, nausea and pain roiling through her.

"Almost!"

A wolf leapt into their path, slashing at them wildly. Ruy shoved Susan away, dancing between the claws before seeing an opening. The werewolf choked on steel, Ruy's sword punching through its gaping mouth. But it still managed to move, lunging forwards, sinking more of the blade into its flesh.

Ruy's eyes widened, the werewolf's eyes filled with dark insane rage as it grabbed for the Telmarine lord.

"TWHIP!"

The werewolf screamed around the sword in its mouth as silver slammed into its heart. It fell crumpled, Ruy jumping back as its body hit the roof with a resounding crash. He turned as Susan smiled weakly at him, her bow trembling in her hands.

"Hurry," she gasped.

Ruy pulled his sword free and they were running once more, the roofs now swarming with monsters, the streets below choked with their furred forms. Every leap from gable to gable was now crossing a river of snapping jaws and snatching hands.

Susan tried to make herself deaf to the screams of those caught, thankful that at least the wolves were swift in their brutality.

One last leap, claws raking at her legs and Susan was where she needed to be. Ruy slammed down onto the shingles beside her and was instantly up on his feet.

"NOW!" he roared, "NOW!"

His sword slashed out, slicing at ropes stretched across the roof.

"HURRY!" Susan yelled, still shaky on her feet.

She swept her sceptre around, an arc of red light striking wolves down as they tried to swarm the rooftop.

Ruy stabbed down severing one last rope.

"RUN!" he roared, "GO!"

Susan slammed her sceptre down onto the wooden shingles, red lancing out in all directions and knocking the wolves away. They ran before the beasts could recover, grinning wildly as the house beneath them shook.

"It's working!'

The ropes were there to hold up the front wall of the seemingly innocent looking house. But this was a false place, one of several decoys constructed throughout the village. It was not a home but simply a holding place with a wall designed to collapse without supports.

The werewolves on ground screamed as the front wall gave way, planks of wood simply collapsing as barrels spilled out in a rolling crush. The first rows were mangled by the heavy casks, pummelled and smashed as the false house disgorged its load.

Archers and soldiers had gotten to the other false houses, mountains of barrels avalanching, crashing into wolves and buildings. The casks broke, thick oil spilling out, werewolves drowning in it, slipping and sliding in the muck.

Susan made the last leap and hands grabbed her, pulling her to the safety. Those left alive in the village were also converging on this single place, Ruy's home and their last stronghold.

"Is that everybody?!" Ruy demanded as soon as his foot hit the rooftop.

Only half of their hidden force remained, the others lost to the wolves. Ruy closed his eyes and cursed but hold on his rage and sorrow, using it for fuel in a battle that had only really just begun.

Some of his men nodded as others worked to open a heavy metal door set onto the stone-shingled roof. The hatchway swung open and they immediately began to climb into the house, archers keeping the wolves off the roof.

"GO!"

Susan tumbled down into the darkness, landing awkwardly, leaving Ruy at the lone occupant on the roof. He stood, tall and unafraid as wolves bounded towards him, their rage pushing them beyond the brink of sane thought.

Ruy reached out with his hand and one of his men passed him a flaming torch through the hatch. The Telmarine lord looked to the mountains ringing his ravaged village and prayed that Tomas was already in place.

"This is for my people."

With a cry he sent the torch flying, the flame spinning through the air, an arc of red and yellow that drew every eye. It sailed over the edge of the roof and plummeted down, hitting the packed dirt below and rolling.

It came to a stop, its flames touching a slick of oil coursing down the street.

The wolves should have turned tail and run but driven by bloodlust, by rage they stayed. The pack leaders seemed to realise before their lesser mates did but there were too few of them now, a handful trying to control a vast army of wild, bestial things.

They could only scream as the oil ignited and the werewolves burned.

* * *

_Five days prior_

He had spent so much time as a wolf that even human his eyes were wild and savage, glowing and red in the shadows of the cellar. He lunged forwards, thrown by his chairs but still he laughed, growling, yellow teeth gnashing together.

"Fresh meat," he cooed.

Tomas stiffened as Susan stepped into the wane light, the Hunt-Beast roaring behind her iron mask.

The man before her had been beaten, bruises and cuts still fresh on his skin. But this wild thing before her exuded nothing but the deepest confidence, a growl rattling in its throat.

"You look delicious," the werewolf thrust his hips at her perversely, "You would make a pretty mate!"

Susan said nothing as Ruy cursed.

"I will have you branded with silver if you do not hold your tongue!" the lord spat.

His men waited in the shadows, only the glint of their swords showing. But despite the lord's threat and his chains the werewolf laughed.

"You think you can cow me?!" he snarled, "I am the beast that haunts your dreams! I will take your young and your women and you will bow before me and beg for your lives!"

The soldiers in the shadows growled, a warning glance from Tomas forcing them back. Still Susan said nothing, merely studying the lycanthrope. The wolf finally looked at her, eyes narrowing, his nostrils flaring as he tasted her scent.

"What do you want worm?!" he snarled.

Susan allowed a smile to curl her lips.

"You are a pup to allow yourself to be caught so easily."

The werewolf screamed at her, flailing at its chains as Ruy and Tomas cursed, ready to snatch Susan away but the queen had placed herself beyond the prisoner's reach. She watched him rage dispassionately, the beast wailing and foaming like a rabid dog.

Finally he quietened, glaring at her with pure loathing in his strange burning eyes.

"Where is Wulfric? How many of you are there? What is his plan?" Susan asked mildly.

The werewolf laughed, body convulsing with mirth.

"You have guts little bird!" he hurled at her, "I would love to rip them from your body and see what they look like."

"Silence!" Tomas spat at the wolf, the man's substantial sense of honour unwilling to let such words slide.

The wolf laughed, jeering at them all, daring them to punish him as Susan let out a small sigh.

"Unoriginal threats aside let's get to the issue at hand. You will tell me what I want to know. One way involves me potentially destroying your mind, the other involves a civil conversation," the queen could hear the darkness cackling, its presence growing as it anticipated what was to come, "Your choice."

The werewolf choked on his laughter as Tomas growled, ready to strike the man down.

"Your majesty…" Ruy began warningly.

Susan glanced at him and Ruy was struck once more by how much Shirona and this woman looked alike. But where his beloved's strength laid in her kindness, her willingness to forgive and forget this woman was like hell unleashed. He too knew all too well of the tales of Queen Susan the Gentle. But where were the stories that told of this woman's iron will? Where were the legends of her that prepared him for this vengeful goddess before him?

His mother, may her soul rest in peace, was the first to tell him of the Narnians. Like all Telmarine stories, the Narnians were always painted as wild things, dangerous fey beasts that lured good boys and girls into their haunted woods and tore them from limb to limb. Ruy remembered the first dark night those words had passed from her lips and he could still dimly recall his terror, frightened of the trees that had lurked outside his castle home.

He thought he had outgrown their childish fear but looking at Susan now, looking at a queen of old with gold fire blazing from one eye Ruy wondered if those monstrous Narnians were really just stories.

"Break me."

The werewolf was on his haunches, his dirt-streaked face alive with mirth and dark laughter.

"Go on little bird. Break me!"

"Lord Ruy. Sir Tomas."

Tomas could not help but clutch at the pommel of his sword as he saw the savage light in Susan's eyes.

"I do apologise. I have been keeping certain details of myself from you."

She turned back to the wolf and the laughter disappeared from his face.

"What?" his nostrils flared, a tremor running through his body, "What are you?!"

The Hunt-Beast roared, rampaging through her head as Susan towered over the wolf. The man was stricken as he felt something ancient and savage declare itself before him, something stronger and wilder and more ruthless than he could possibly imagine. He cowered, yipping and whimpering as Susan reached out with one hand.

Ruy gaped as the werewolf flinched from her fingertips. Sweat beaded on his face, the Telmarine struggling against his own nerves, holding hard just to keep his place.

"Submit," Susan said softly.

The Hunt-Beast growled with her words, pouring itself through her right eye. The werewolf took the full brunt of it all, the Hunt-Beast unrelenting as it bore into the lycanthrope's mind, shattering its will. The great antlered hunter of the wild was a primordial thing, servant to no man or beast, a king which chased all other creatures, everything living and breathing food or underling. And Susan commanded that wild force, felt it fill her and she used it, branded the werewolf with the scent and mark of the Hunt-Beast. The lycanthrope screamed and Ruy felt ice slide down his spine.

Tomas's face was drained of blood, the man swaying on his feet. The soldiers in the shadows quailed, their drawn swords catching the light as the blades trembled in their hands.

Susan ignored them all, the centre of a storm of power and will. Ruy's legs spasmed, his heart a thunderous drum in his ears, everything in him wanting to run and run as far as he possibly could. But whatever he felt, it was a mere zephyr to the hurricane that assaulted the werewolf before him.

Gone was the smirk, the superiority, the man whimpering like a newborn babe, clawing at the floor in sheer desperation.

"Where is Wulfric?"

Susan's voice lashed out like a whip and the werewolf screamed. He was flat on his belly now, throat bared, showing his submission.

"Please… please…" he begged with the words of a man, with the wordless keening of a wild animal.

"Where is he?!"

Ruy felt the words strike him deep, pulling at every part of his will. He didn't know the answer but yet still he wanted to scream out, wanted to do anything to stop the unbearable force threatening to topple his mind.

"WHERE IS HE?!"

The werewolf gave one last keen and Susan let out a cry of her own, her voice rough and full-throated, her eye blazing with power. Ruy and Tomas staggered back, the air rushing from their lungs.

"I'LL TELL YOU!"

"Good."

Red flickered in her eyes and the werewolf cowered before her, frantic cries bubbling unconsciously from his lips. Ruy and Tomas stared at each other, drenched in sweat and utterly unnerved. Susan's voice was low and rough, a growl hidden amongst her words.

"Start talking."

* * *

_Present day_

The river was a vast swollen trench of boiling water, fed by glacial melt from the high mountains and gathering strength as it tumbled down from sheer cliff faces. As with all things it started small, rivulets bleeding into streams, streams pouring into one another, growing and gathering until it was a single wide expanse of treacherous impossible to cross water.

"Lady Shirona."

She turned, feeling almost naked in her shirt and breeches. She hated that she felt this way, hated that she was such a proper little lady that without her dresses and corsages she felt vulnerable and exposed.

No.

Shirona raised her chin and turned to the man who approached her. She was their lady and it was high time she acted the part properly.

"Yes?"

Ruy and Susan had stayed in the village to enact their fire trap; Tomas had led his own men up into the mountains to trigger the rock fall. She was left all alone and they had charged her with the most vital task of all – take care of the women and the children and the elderly, to lead them and keep them from harm.

Shirona fought the urge to vomit.

When she had first heard their plan she had almost collapsed from shock. Shirona had never been expected to lead, merely expected to support Ruy, to be his pillar in the shadows. After a few seconds of stunned silence she had wanted to scream, to tell them she couldn't possibly do what they asked of but the three had looked at her and seeing the trust in those eyes, Shirona had forced herself to merely nod. Now she wished she hadn't.

"Tomas and his men are coming," the soldier reported, pulling her from her thoughts.

There was edge to his voice.

"And?" Shirona asked, marvelling at the fact her voice was level.

"They're being pursued."

Shirona closed her eyes, fighting back panic. She fought to remember the plans they had made between them, fought to stop herself from trembling.

She couldn't do this. She couldn't do it. She couldn't do it. She couldn't –

Susan –

The panicked yammering in her head stopped.

Susan had placed herself right in the frontline; some of the archers who had stayed were also women. They risked their lives, dared everything to protect those they loved, to fight even when there was only a sliver of hope.

Ruy was their lord but she was their lady, the burdens of leadership fell on her shoulders as much as it her husband's. Ruy, Tomas and Susan believed she was strong enough to do this. Would she make them liars? Would she hide whilst others fought in her place?

For a split second she could hear her father's voice, could hear his jeers but she shoved it away. She was stronger than the perfect painted doll her father had tried to create. She had suffered and had somehow managed to always crawl back to her feet. But always she had simply endured, waited for others to do the rescuing. Such stupidity would get her and her family and people killed now.

It was time to grow up.

Shirona opened her eyes again. Her face was drained of blood but her eyes showed nothing but determination.

"Gather the women and children and take them to the rafts just in case," she ordered, "Get the men and go to the bridge now!"

The soldier nodded and trotted up swiftly as Shirona turned, looking at the things leaning against the rocks beside her. Reaching out with careful fingers, she picked up the bow and the quiver of silver arrows. It had been a miracle to see Susan pull out arrow after arrow from her own and seeing that no matter how many she took the arrows never ceased. The queen had given enough to arm every soldier and archer and at the last moment had gifted Shirona a set of fletches of her own.

Shirona stared at the weapon in her hands. She was a fair shot, having been trained by Ruy himself but that was with stationary targets that lacked claws and fangs. Her heart seemed to tremor in her chest and Shirona had to fight another mounting wave of panic.

Gritting her teeth she slung the quiver over her back and ran.

She ran past the huddles of women and children, the elders leading them to rafts staked on the muddy banks of the river.

If the fight turned sour, if the wolves were to triumph their instructions were to launch the rafts, to escape by any means possible.

'_You're nothing!' _her father's voice shrieked in her head, _'You are worth less than dirt!'_

Shirona shuddered, his voice going through her like fire and needles but for the first time in her life every single part of her refuted his words, not just pretending she didn't care but knowing, in every fibre of her being that he was a liar and a rat.

He had hated her for not being the son he so desperately wanted and thought he needed. Hated her for not being beautiful or graceful enough to charm other families. The only time he had ever looked at her with anything but loathing was the calculating gazes he sent her way when he realised she looked very much like the famed Gentle Queen that had bewitched Caspian's heart.

He had poisoned her life, had sunk his claws and hooks so deep into her that Shirona was sure she would live the rest of her days as a marionette. But sickness had claimed him right after she and Caspian met and the day he had died it had been like a weight had vanished from her chest. But still shadows lingered, her dreams full of his face, her waking moments filled with his words. She had clung to Caspian, had tried to fool herself into loving him because that had been her father's last commands and no matter how much she thought she was her own person a little part of her was still the girl that simply wanted her father to look at her with love.

Not anymore. She would define who she was, she would determine what made her good and strong and useful.

And it started now. It would start with this battle.

"TOMAS!"

She could see him now, the northern lord limping and stumbling across the plains, one hand clapped to a wound in his side, blood leaking between his fingers. He led his people, all of them marked, some of them nowhere to be seen.

Shirona felt a pang as she realised what had happened to the missing. Her eyes went beyond her friend and she stumbled over her own feet.

"Tomas…"

He was running from a pack of wolves, great beasts with eyes like fire and fangs that gleamed. They tore the earth with clawed hands and feet as they ran, baying and howling in a blood-chilling call as they snapped at those that slowed. Tomas's soldiers fired arrows from quivers that were running empty, doing little but to bring down the odd wolf when dozens swarmed across the plain in bloodthirsty pursuit.

"GUARD THE BRIDGE!" she yelled, her voice booming out, "COVER THEM!"

A lone rope bridge transversed the great river, the only connection from one bank to the other for leagues on either side. It had been put there only days before, made with the help of Talking Beasts, beavers and otters crossing the waters where no human could hope to survive.

It was a passage and also a trap.

Archers were already loading their bows, waiting for their enemies to come within range.

"Fallor!"

The village blacksmith looked at her, a heavy axe clutched in his hands.

"Do not sever the ropes until I give the other," she tried to project a confidence she did not feel, "Do you hear me?"

Fallor gave a jerky nod as Shirona turned to the soldiers. She felt like a fool, a fraud playing at general but her role here was simple, give the words and these hardened fighters would do the rest.

"Try not to hit our own," she managed to smile.

A few chuckled but any laughter on the battlefield was a welcomed thing. Footsoldiers guarded the bridge as the archers lined up along the shore. Shirona took her amongst them, trying to breathe evenly, to remember everything Ruy had taught her about archery.

"FIRE!" Tomas's roar carried over the water, the first of his men making it to the bridge, "FIRE!"

Half the archers followed his command, their bowstrings snapping forwards launching silver up into the air. They fell in a dazzling arc, punching into the werewolves as the second half released their load.

They reloaded and fired again and again, one half than another, a never-ending rain peppering the beasts.

Shirona wasn't sure if any of her shots had even hit the wolves but she put arrow to string, pulled back and released mechanically, repeating until her arms and shoulders screamed in protest. Every arrow in flight was a strike against the wolves, against her father and all his words. But it was also for her, for her people, for Ruy and Tomas.

The first man made it across the bridge, gasping for breath as his comrades pulled him to safety. The rope bridge sagged as one of the minotaurs struggled across it, the wolves gaining ground even as the arrows fell amongst their rank.

Tomas made it to the bridge but he instead of stepping on he whirled, sword in hand, determined to be the last to safety even as the wolves bore down on him.

"TOMAS!"

The last of his men set foot on the bridge and the lord was right behind him, throwing looks over his shoulders as the archers punished the wolves for every step they took. But sheer numbers were winning, the beasts advancing despite their losses.

"HURRY!"

Tomas was running now, the wolves spilling onto the bridge after him, their claws biting into the wooden planks. Arrows pincushioned the first wolf, its packmates heaving its body over the rope supports as they continued their frenzied chase.

"ARGH!"

Shirona cried out as a spears lanced through the air, the wolves on the bridge close enough now to launch their own weapons. An archer to her left fell, a wooden shaft sticking out of her chest. The soldiers hurried forwards, shields raised trying to protect the bowmen.

"CUT IT! CUT IT NOW!" Tomas roared as he tripped and stumbled onto land.

"NO!" Shirona startled herself with her own shout, "NOT YET!"

Tomas stared at her as Shirona looked at Fallor, the blacksmith looked torn but Shirona refused to back down.

"Don't cut it," she said fiercely even as spears continued to fly at them, "Not yet!"

The wolves were almost halfway across the bridge, lances and chunks of rock battering the soldiers on the bank. They fought back with arrows and spears of their own, the werewolves slowly inching their way forwards.

"What are you doing?!" Tomas demanded, swaying on his feet.

Shirona ignored him as the wolves made it three-quarters of the way across, the narrow way choked with their monstrous forms. She could see the hunger in their eyes, knew as soon as they touched land they would swarm her force with deadly ferocity. But still she waited.

More werewolves poured onto the bridge, the planks sagging beneath their weight. The frontrunners were only steps away from making it to their side.

"NOW!" Shirona screamed, "NOW!"

She fired her arrows, killing the first wolf on the bridge as Fallor swung his heavy axe. It sliced through the first rope and the whole bridge keeled to one side.

"CUT IT!" Shirona yelled, her soldiers shielding the blacksmith as the wolves threw their spears and rocks at him, "CUT IT NOW!"

A second swing and the second rope were sheared. The bridge unravelled, wood and rope flying, spilling into the roaring river as the wolves suddenly realised their plight. They screamed in terror as they were pitched into the frothing water, dunked under and carried away as they wasted all their terrifying strength on an enemy they could not strike at.

Shirona had waited until the bridge was loaded, had waited until this blow struck down as many of the beasts as possible. Already the wolves in the water were almost gone from sight, carried off to their watery deaths by waters that would never be tamed.

She laughed, triumph in her heart, on her face as Tomas looked stupidly at her, his face carrying an alarming grey sheen. He smiled weakly at her.

"Good job. Ruy would have been proud."

Soldiers caught him as he sagged, blood spilling freely down his tunic. Shirona cursed and rushed to his side.

"I did not do much," Shirona pointed out.

Tomas flinched as bandages were pressed to his bleeding side.

"You kept your head," he rasped, "It is not nothing."

Shirona looked over her shoulders and smiled as she saw the werewolves milling around the other shore, some staring at the destroyed bridge in shock, others glaring at them with hate in their eyes. Spears splashed down into the river, even the werewolves' great strength unable to throw anything that reached her people.

Her heart was thundering in her chest, her shirt was soaked with sweat and she could not stop trembling but Shirona also couldn't stop the smile rising from her face.

"Help the wounded," she ordered in a voice that brooked no argument, "We are moving away from here."

Her soldiers hurried to follow her command, makeshift stretchers at the ready as bandages and healing herbs appeared from prepared kits.

"Shirona…" Tomas gasped.

She turned and her eyes instantly caught what Tomas had seen. A single flaming arrow arched up into the sky, flames and silver sailing through the blue as Shirona's breath caught.

"They are out of the village through the secret tunnel," she prayed Ruy was still alive.

"And heading to Wulfric's stronghold," Tomas grimaced, wishing he was with them.

His vision swam as Shirona looked at him, her face pale.

"Do you honestly think they can – "

"I don't know," Tomas said.

He had always felt the need to shelter her from the truth, to spin any news or reports into a softer more palatable tale. But the woman before him was now a blooded soldier and he did not doubt her strength.

"But they are going to die trying."

Shirona grimaced, fear gripping her but she shook it off, turning to the things she could control.

"Take him," she ordered the minotaurs, "We go to the meeting point now."

The werewolves howled and roared, taunting their enemies to face them, mocking their cowardice as Shirona led her people away. One last flurry of arrows turned their yells into screams of pain before they left the shore and the battle behind.

* * *

_Four days before_

"You must hate me."

Susan looked up, a whetstone in one hand, a dagger in the other. Lady Shirona stood on the doorway, the woman pale and hesitant but her chin set firm in a determined jut. The queen set aside her blade, knowing that this moment had already been a long time in coming.

"Do you know… about us? Did he tell you?"

"I know," Susan said gently, not wanting to explain exactly how she knew.

Shirona took a deep breath, fear flickering in her eyes but to her credit she managed to master herself. Susan silently approved, knowing she could not respect someone who was afraid of her.

"I – " the lady began.

She blinked as Susan thrust one hand out expectantly. Shirona looked at it and back to Susan's face, bewildered.

"What – "

"In some cultures this is called shaking hands," Susan said simply, "It's a symbol that we're allies."

Shirona blinked at her. She had expected fury and venom, expected the queen to rage at her and demanded she be whipped. She had expected tears for the Gentle Queen to weep and wail, cursing her for stealing away her love.

"But…"

"Caspian used you to forget me," Susan said bluntly, "You used him to get away from your father. Ruy got caught in the middle and the whole thing went to hell. No one alone can be blamed."

Shirona continued to stare at her as Susan met her eyes squarely. Compassion and understanding was written clear across the queen's face, no judgement in her eyes only a gentle acceptance.

"We're in a war Shirona. And we're going to need every soldier we can get to win. We need to be united under one banner, one leader if we hope to stand a chance. I've seen what the Great Darkness has at its disposal. Seen what he is capable of," Susan said simply, "Your husband is a good man and a good soldier and he leads a strong force. Caspian's going to need him."

Fear tore through Shirona, the blood draining from her face as she thought of seeing the man she had once deluded herself into loving. She remembered the days after her betrayal had been uncovered, exiled from memory and attention if not from the castle or the land itself. Noblemen, beasts and servants had been commanded to be blind and deaf to her. She had been a ghost in the castle, invisible, unheard. The Telmarine nobles had tried to serve her head on a platter to appease Caspian and though the king had protected her from that, he had condemned her to a different death.

Shirona knew she had been days from throwing herself from the tallest tower before Trumpkin and Trufflehunter had saved her and Ruy, and Caspian's soul.

She knew the king was not an evil man. She had hurt him, had almost destroyed him and in his grief, his hurt Caspian had turned to the tools that had been taught to him from birth. No, Caspian would not hurt her again, would be too full of guilt and remorse to do anything but want to protect her. That she knew. But still… she was frightened.

"We're all going to be need to be strong in the coming days Shirona," Susan said gently, "I don't hate you. And Caspian doesn't either. He hates what he did and he hates himself for it still to his very day. He is scared of you just as you are scared of him."

Shirona looked at the queen, at this woman who already had the grizzled veterans amongst Ruy's men talking and speculating wildly like washing women whiling away the hours at work. She remembered the tales the survivors of the village had told, of the mere woman who had stood against a pack of werewolves and brought them down.

This woman was strong. This woman was brave. And that only left one question – was she?

"Tell me something," Shirona said, her voice coming out in a hushed whisper.

Susan merely cocked her head to the side.

"Can we win?"

The question made her flinch. It was a question she had long ago given up on asking, a question she did not even want to consider because the possible answers terrified her.

She had seen what Gavin was capable of. Had seen Persephone burn as the Great Darkness fed on all that death and destruction, she had seen London plunged into war again, ghostly planes unleashing the hell that haunted her childhood and her dreams still. She had seen the horsemen ride, had fought against the Saligia, the sporelings and the Machina.

It made her blood run cold to think of all that power, all that obsessive destruction brought to bear on her kingdom, her world. Narnia was the lynch-pin, Aslan was the one thing Gavin desired above all else and he would stop at nothing.

Could they win? Could they hold up against a thing that commanded witches and gods and beasts unimaginable and untold?

She remembered back to Persephone when Inara inanely chattered about zombies for days on end but her words struck a chord with her. That's what she felt like sometimes, a dead mindless thing stumbling onwards, driven by instinct and bloodlust, numbed by all she had seen and done.

She fought and she killed and she didn't even know if it would be enough.

Susan opened her mouth, ready to lie, ready to comfort Shirona but one look from the woman and Susan felt the words freeze in her mouth.

"Maybe. Maybe not," Susan said simply.

She wished she could go back to the days when all tales ended with golden glorious happiness for all. The days when all she had to do was wait for Aslan to come charging in and rescue them all.

But those days were long gone, there would no last minute reprieve, no one single act that would save them from the darkness.

And they could do was fight, to fight even when everything was dark and there was no hope and somehow claw their way back into light.

"But if I'm going to lose," Susan growled, "I'm going to be taking a lot of bastards down with me."

Ruy had tried to soothe her with well-meaning lies, tried to make her believe that all would be right but Shirona was no fool. Susan trusted her enough to tell her the truth, trusted her enough not to fall apart and with that realisation a mad courage filled her. Shirona stood taller, nodding, wanting to prove herself, to show the queen her trust was not misplaced.

Everyone in this village expected them to be at each other's throats, expected them to tear each other's hair out. How would they react if they stumbled upon this moment? Two so-called rivals looking at each other with understanding in their eyes, knowing what was past belong to the past because the present and the future hung by a gossamer thread.

"What do you want us to do?" Shirona asked.

Susan sighed.

Ruy had amassed a small army of soldiers up here in the northern wilderness. Truth be told she was glad she was not their leader. She was not a general, able to command rank upon rank of men, how to best use the cavalry, the archers and the footsoldiers in one cohesive unit.

She was more suited to a captain, to commanding a small squad of fighters, to know her soldiers down to the every strength and weakness and how best to exploit both.

She was up against a vast pack of werewolves, savage abominations that had procured the ability to become the beast in broad daylight. She knew their stronghold was in a network of caves to the east of here. She knew their numbers were swelling everyday, men bitten and changed, women captured and bred with.

If Elias was with her, she would simply charge straight into their midst and bring the caves down on their heads with a few well-aimed fire orbs.

If it was Jason, same plan but with ruach.

If it was Inara… Susan would have to gag and bound her first since she could only imagine what her friend's reaction would be finding out about Shirona and Caspian. And she would have to do the same to Zaru… and Jason… and…

Susan blinked, realising how her friends would react to finding out about Shirona, Ruy and Caspian.

She smirked. Caspian was a big boy, he would live but she would have to have firm words with the others to make sure no lasting damage was done to his person. And who was she to deny her friends some innocent fun? And after they were through with him, somebody needed to make sure he was fine, somebody needed to make sure they didn't leave any lasting bruises or cuts or…

"Your majesty?"

Shirona's words shook Susan from her thoughts. She barely managed to hide her blush before looking at Shirona once more.

Werewolves.

Right.

"I'm not sure yet. Your husband probably has some ideas," Susan said carefully.

Her mind was whirling, plucking plans from thin air, working and reworking them, trying to calculate the risks of each.

Shirona suddenly thrust her hand straight out, Susan blinking at the pale hand hovering before her.

"Wha – "

"We're allies aren't we?" Shirona asked.

This was a woman who had trusted her enough with the truth, strong enough to admit she didn't know what she was doing. This was a woman she could respect, a woman she could follow and count on.

"Yes."

Susan took Shirona's hand in hers and with that two women, who by all accounts should be bitter rivals, were united as one.

* * *

_Present day_

The werewolf clawed at his collar, whimpering and whining but a single stare from his captor and he instantly fell silent, cowering away. A jerk on his chain and he stumbled forwards once more, eyes mindless with terror, no thoughts in his head except for the command he had been given.

"We're getting close."

"The alarming amount of bones on the ground would suggest so," Ruy said dryly.

Susan smiled at that, a quick flash of white teeth stark against her soot-streaked skin. But her eyes fell on the skulls and bones littering the rocky ground and whatever mirth she felt swiftly fled.

These killing grounds should have been brimming with wolves but most had descended down into the lowlands, drawn into the invasion on an apparently defenceless little village. Most had been killed by arrows or fire or stone and the few that were left were running amok, packless beasts mindlessly attacking each other.

It had a grand victory for Ruy and his men but the battle was not yet over.

In the dimming light Susan looked up, at the cliff faces ahead, at the caves that gaped like empty maws in the stone.

Wulfric was somewhere in there, the werewolf king surely aware of the enemies that were encroaching on his land.

"Are you sure – "

"We better be because there are werewolves already cutting off our exit," Susan said grimly.

Ruy cursed lightly beneath his breath but quickly mastered himself. A nod from him and the meagre troops they led instantly set fire to their pitch and resin torches. Blades were drawn and silver arrows were drawn into place. The time for stealth was over, if the wolves charged now it would be open combat.

Susan felt down her own panic. If it came to a fight they would lose, here the wolves had the advantage of numbers, of darkness and of the land – barren and utterly devoid of defences or strongholds. Her plan suddenly seemed foolish, a child's wild dreaming instead of something concrete and achievable. But like she said – it was too late to back out now.

"He is there."

She had utterly broken the werewolf that was their guide. The Hunt-Beast had showed no mercy in stamping its dominance over this mere pup. The wild thing in Susan's head had not simply wanted obedience, it had completely subsumed the thing, its mind and its will had long fled and all that remained was a puppet of skin and muscle that did everything Susan commanded without question.

The darkness laughed again as Susan's skin crawled. She hated the chain in her hands, hated the pathetic thing connected to her. She felt as though she had been dunked in filth and tar and longed to scrub herself clean but this was wartime and sometimes high morals was a luxury she could not afford.

The werewolf had been an enemy but he had also been a tool. She had done what she had needed to make him useable. And that was that.

So how exactly did that make her different from Gavin? They were both trying to save their homes, both trying to protect their people. She might find his methods abhorrent but were her methods shining examples of virtue and light? What was to stop anyone from pointing at her and calling her a monster?

Susan shoved those uncomfortable questions away and drew her mind back to what had to be done now.

Find Wulfric and defeat him. There was no time for thoughts on anything else.

A shriek tore through the deathly still air.

"He's coming!" their prisoner clawed at his iron collar, his eyes rolling to the back of his head, "He's coming!"

Bloodied froth bubbled from his lips, the wolf jerking wildly at his chains. His mind crumbled, keening cries gurgling out of his throat as two impossible forces pulled at him. The Hunt-Beast roared in Susan's mind, the wild ancient predator pulling at the pup, forcing it to yield. But something was resisting, shoving the beast back as Artemis's familiar roared in fury.

Susan blinked.

She was suddenly aware of another force, something cold and cruel and brimming with vicious intelligence. It fought the Hunt-Beast, sinking its own hooks into the mind of the wolf in chains, pulling at it with brutal force. Something in the wolf's mind called to this new thing, longing for it as a babe crying for its mother.

Wulfric.

Ice bit into Susan's bones as she felt the storm that battered the wolf's senses, a blizzard that tried to blind and consume, to utterly burn the will and thoughts of the creature until all that was left was a mindless drone.

The Hunt-Beast struck again, gold fire tearing through the wolf's mind sweeping Wulfric away. The werewolf king struck right back, agony stabbing into the bone above Susan's right eye.

"STOP! STOP!"

The chained werewolf was writhing on the ground, screaming his lungs out as blood and bile vomited out of his mouth. He gave one last choked cry, his body as taut as a bowstring and the inevitable happened.

His mind snapped, shattering into a thousand fragments that took his soul with him. Susan was wrenched painfully back into her own mind, stumbling into Ruy's arms as a single howl punched the air.

The wolves in the shadows echoed the cry, red eyes suddenly blazing in the gloom as the soldiers pulled themselves into a tight pale-faced ring, torches and weapons at the ready. Susan winced as Ruy helped her back onto her feet. She looked at him and his pinched face said it all – their lives were no utterly in her hands. Susan suddenly felt sick and it wasn't just from the pain throbbing in her head.

"Impressive."

Wulfric stepped out of the shadows into the light of the torches and even Susan could not help the gasp that rose from her lips.

He towered over all of them, a monstrous snow-white form armed with obsidian claws that ended in vicious hooks. His fur was mangled by puckered scars, wounds that spoke of enemies slain and victories won.

The greenest of werewolves could only hold a full lupine form, indistinguishable from normal wolves except for their side and red gleamed eyes. The older members of the pack could merge and blend their human and wolf aspects together, changing into snouted monsters that walked on two. But what Wulfric was, what he could achieve – it showed the complete mastery he had over his own curse.

His face was that of a human's, unchanged except for a mouth that brimmed with teeth and eyes that were completely black. But it was still a human's face, the only thing in the world capable of showing such arrogance and hate, mounted on a body that rippled with muscle and bristled with fur, a chimera-thing of wolf and man.

Wulfric smiled, drinking in their fear, tasting it and thirsting for more.

"So you are the one who managed to do so much damage to my pack."

His forces had been slaughtered in the failed invasion but if it made any impact on him, the werewolf king did not show it. Susan watched him carefully, her bow in her hands, an arrow to string, the queen ready to swing up and fire if given the opening. But there was tenseness to Wulfric's movement, a readiness that told Susan no matter how fast she was the king would be swifter.

"I should thank you. You've helped cull the weak from my army," Wulfric said, dark amusement in his eyes, "I really should be – "

"I don't know about you," Susan spat, cutting him off, "But I've had a long day slaughtering most of your little pack. Can we just get to the part where I cut your head off?"

Wulfric snarled at her, his wolves echoing his anger. Fur sprouted across Wulfric's face, his teeth and jaws jutting out, the king slowly and deliberately changing before her, showing her his iron control.

"I WILL RIP THE HEART FROM YOUR CHEST!" the now wolf-headed king roared.

The wolves exploded out of the shadows, silver arrows flashing through the dark as the soldiers let out thunderous warcries, rushing to meeting their enemies.

Ruy looked at Susan and she looked back at him. There was nothing else to say.

Wulfric charged straight at her, a white roaring blur with snapping jaws.

"FOR NARNIA AND ASLAN!"

Her bowstring snapped forwards, an arrow drilling into Wulfric's shoulder but the beast did not stop, a howl unfurling from his throat as he lunged forwards.

Susan swung her bow around like a quarterstaff, a lucky blow catching Wulfric on the cheek, silver burning into his flesh like acid. He roared in pain, swiping at her, the queen barely missing having her heard torn from her shoulders.

Wulfric came at her again but Ruy was there, shield strapped to one arm, pained gasps beaten out of him as he weathered the king's blows. The snow-furred werewolf roared, ramming into the lord, driving him to the ground with pure brute strength.

"RUY!"

A jet of crackling red light blasted into Wulfric knocking him back as Susan lowered her smoking sceptre.

She could hear the screams and roars of the battle behind her but she did not dare turn her head, having to trust that the soldiers were holding their own. She only had eyes on the werewolf king as he straightened himself, a vicious grin twisting his muzzle.

Ruy rolled to his feet with a groan, his shield now mangled scraps of twisted metal. He tossed the thing aside, his sword gleaming in his hands as Susan held her sceptre up once more.

Wulfric's tail twitched and it was only warning they got as he charged again. Red light flared but the werewolf barrelled straight through it, his fur standing on end. He leapt straight over Ruy, blood-red eyes fixed only on Susan.

A flying dagger slashed his nose but still Wulfric did not stop, roaring as he came straight at the queen.

She moved without thought, dropping the sceptre, bow coming up, arrow aimed and put into flight in the blink of an eye.

Silver flashed, Wulfric screaming as the arrow's head punched into paw. He stumbled and screamed as Ruy raked his sword across his back. As Wulfric's head snapped up, the king howling his pain to the dark heavens, Susan ran.

This plan was insane as Ruy and Tomas had told her many times, she knew if Caspian and Peter had even an inkling of what her scheme was they would have clapped her in chains. But killing Wulfric was not enough, it would simply leave hundreds of ravenous werewolves left to stalk and kill all over the northern mountains.

This was the only way to kill the king and to ensure that his wolves were brought under control.

Wulfric's head swung towards her, eyes widening as he realised she was already in arm's reach. The queen lashed out, punching her fist straight into his gaping pain, raking her arm against his teeth. The incisors sliced into her skin and Susan staggered back, screaming.

She could feel whatever poison lycanthropy was coursing through her veins, could feel an alien savage thing bloom in her head. She looked up at the moonless night sky and screamed, falling to her knees as Wulfric stared at her in open bewilderment.

"Are you insane?!" he barked.

She looked at him, sweat pouring down her face and smiled.

"What? Afraid I'll make a better wolf than you?"

And she could feel it, was suddenly part of the bonds and ties that connected all the werewolves together. This was the most vital thing she had learnt from her prisoner, had learnt that all the wolves were bound together in mind and will, a vast invisible network tying them all to the dominant males and through them to Wulfric, their father and lord.

A wolf howled in her head, Susan seeing a dark foul thing of hunger and red eyes forming in her mind. But before the cursed wolf could seize control, it was under attack. The Hunt-Beast barrelled into the new threat, driving it to the ground, golden antlers stabbing into its flesh as talons and teeth did their terrible work.

Susan smiled.

No, she would not become a werewolf, not when the Hunt-Beast lived in her. She could already feel the lycanthrope in her body cowering, shrivelling and fading, completely subjugated by the wild stag that called her mind and soul its territory. But the Hunt-Beast let the wolf live, let Susan reach into the wounded thing and through it into the unseen ties that linked her to Wulfric.

The king's eyes widened as he felt her presence in his head.

"Let's see who's the alpha male around here, Wulfric!" Susan crowed.

Pain exploded in her head Wulfric thrusting his will at her, trying to dominate her with all of his terrifying strength. The wolf rallied in her head, buoyed by his leader's call. It tried to rise, tried to infect Susan's body utterly but the Hunt-Beast swiftly overpowered it, ramming one taloned hoof into its head and pinning it down again.

Susan bore Wulfric's assault, endured the black storm but unable to make any ground of her own.

"I WILL BREAK YOU!" Wulfric screamed at her, "YOU ARE MINE!"

She threw herself at his mind, tried to overwhelm him but he pushed her aside as a hand would swat a fly. Susan was once again on the defence, flailing through an oil tide of hate and a sickening desire for pain.

The Hunt-Beast could not help her, had to keep the werewolf that was now in her from breaking out and surrendering itself and her to Wulfric. Susan quailed at Wulfric's assault, his strength hitting her like thunderous blows.

Resist.

But why?

Shut up! Resist!

But wouldn't it be so easy? So easy just to close her eyes and let him take the away the pain… close her eyes and free herself from doubt and fear, let him take the reins and let her rest…

So easy…

A voice that sounded like Jason's suddenly boomed loud and painfully clear in her head.

WHAT ARE YOU AN IDIOT?!

Susan cursed and shook herself, shaking the lethargy that had threatened to swarm her. She forced a pained smile onto her face as Wulfric grinned back at her, sure of his victory.

"I want you to meet someone," Susan growled.

Ruy was guarding her, stabbing a wolf that tried to attack her. He kicked its twitching body away, his head snapping back and watching her with open worry written all over his face.

"No tricks can stop me!" Wulfric hurled at her, another wave of his strength slamming into her.

"It's not a trick. It's a gift for someone who makes you seem like an adorable little puppy," Susan laughed at his furious roar, "Wulfric… I want you to meet the darkling."

Wulfric reeled as the darkness in Susan shrieked. It took all the rage, all the hate that the werewolf was trying to drown her in and drank it all, gorging itself on it. Susan could barely comprehend what the darkness was doing but it seemed to grab at the tie the lycanthrope curse had made between her and Wulfric and sent itself flying at the king, using the link as a guide.

The snow-white wolf roared screamed as darkling tore into his head, drawn to his rage like a swarm of ravenous locusts. He flailed back, slashing at things only he could see as the werewolf in Susan whimpered, keening loudly, its strength melting away.

Susan's mind felt choked with lead, the mere thought of having to stay awake almost too much to bear. But one more push was needed.

Susan's left eye filled with heat and the red in it fled, purple shimmering its place.

The Sight was the ability to see, to perceive the truth, to peer into the future and the past and see tales spread out before her like the pages in the book. Linked as they were, Susan had wondered if she could make Wulfric see, wondered if she could force her gift into him. It was time to find out.

Wulfric gained his strength from savagery, from pain and hate. Tash's darkness was feeding on that, weakening him. It was time for her to strike, to show the king what made her strong.

Wulfric screamed, pure panic in his cry as Susan poured her memories into his head.

His mind grappled with things that he could not comprehend, could see the courage of Susan's family and friends, could see they pain they had suffered and battled through together.

He saw Zaru's undying loyalty, experienced Elias's fatherly wisdom, endured Jason's tough love, listened to Inara's laugh and jokes. He burned in Caspian's love, could see Peter and Edmund looking back at him in concern and with pride, could feel Lucy's trust.

Wulfric's mind met with things he had never dream existed, his strength failing as the darkness leeched it away and as Susan poured more of herself into him, his mind quailed.

The werewolves attacking the soldiers, stood paralysed, easy targets now as they felt Wulfric's hold fading, could feel their new pack leader seizing control.

Susan thought of Aslan, thought of that dark night at the stone table, pushed her fear, her sickening realisation for what the Great Lion was willing to lose just to save one boy and she took all that and she shoved into Wulfric's head.

The king screamed, sanity gone and Susan reached into the quiver at her back.

"Sorry Wulfric."

She stabbed him in the throat with a single arrow, yanking the shaft out and slamming it into him again. Dark blood spurted all over her but Susan did not stop, her teeth-marked arm throbbing in agony.

"Guess you're not man enough to the dominant male around here."

Wulfric's lifeless form slumped to the ground as the werewolf in Susan let out a mournful cry. The darkness flowed back into her mind, sweeping the broken animal up and dragging into the shadows as the Hunt-Beast let out a cry of victory.

Susan slowly turned, drenched in blood, the werewolves staring back at her. She now held the ties that bound them in her hands, they were hers to dominate, to control.

"Scatter!" she cried with her voice and her mind, "RUN!"

With terrified yelps the lycanthropes whirled, tails tucked between their legs as they fled, away to the highest mountains, far from any humans or other beasts. The soldiers stared after them, hardly daring to believe they had won as Susan slumped.

Ruy caught her before she wilted to the ground.

"You did it," he said, eyes wide as he stared at her.

"Yeah… I guess I did," Susan tried a smug smile but it failed completely.

"So what other glorious plans do you have my queen?" Ruy asked dryly.

"Next thing?"

Susan's eyes fluttered, her mind sinking into blissful consciousness.

"We need to go the mainlands and join Caspian."

With that said she stopped fighting and simply allowed herself to sink into an exhausted sleep.

* * *

_Two days before_

"The preparations are done," Tomas reported, "And according to the scouts the wolves should be here by two days at the earliest."

Susan smiled nervously at him and Ruy, all three well aware that for all their planning and scheming, the slightest most improbable thing could oh so easily tip them all into doom.

"I still don't like what you have planned," Ruy began again for possibly the thousandth time.

"I hate it as well," Susan said dryly, "But if you have a better suggestion I'm all ears."  
Ruy grimaced as Tomas barely hid a smirk. It was the northern lord who spoke next, a slight smile on his face.

"There's a tradition up here in the north for comrades who are about to enter into battle," Tomas announced.

"Tradition?" Susan frowned.

Ruy groaned as Tomas's grin merely widened.

"Tradition?" Susan repeated.

Tomas threw one huge arm around her shoulders bearing her away as the queen tried to protest. Such familiarity would have seemed impossible just days ago but they knew each other well now, had needed to know each other so all their strengths and weaknesses could be accounted for in their plans. Add Susan had liked what she had seen in both men – both stout-hearted honest people who placed their soldiers and charges well before themselves. And they made her laugh. The occasional joke and light-hearted moments had been their only reprieve in the intensive planning sessions they had spent sleepless nights locked in.

It always surprised her that even in the darkest times, even in the grips of war it was still possible for things like friendship and camaraderie to grow. And Susan could only hope that her friendship with Ruy and Shirona would help heal the rift and the assuage some of the pain that laid between them and Caspian.

"Yes. It's called getting blindingly drunk before we have to fight."

Susan laughed as Ruy cringed.

"Feel free to smack him across the head. I often do," he said shaking his head.

Tomas glared at him as Susan smiled warmly at him.

"Well I am not one to argue with tradition. But does Shirona know about this?"

Ruy and Tomas looked at each other and simply walked on. Susan hurried to catch up, smirking at their backs.

"Wait. I need to retrieve something from my rooms first. I will meet you at the tavern later."

Tomas turned his head and quirked his lips at her.

"We will meet you there your majesty," a light teasing note in his voice.

"Are you sure?" Susan demanded with one raised brow, "Why do I have the feeling you're going to be completely incoherent and disorientated before I get there?"

"No," Ruy shook his head, "We'll wait for you."

"Promise?"

Tomas and Ruy looked for all the world like two mischievous little boys than the lords and soldiers they were. But these were the moments that Susan had learned to cherish, the moments in the sun, the moments of laughter and light.

"Your majesty. We will obey your commands. Always."

There was an edge to Tomas's voice, a grim look in Ruy's eyes as he nodded. Susan felt as though a solemn vow had just been made but she merely nodded, acknowledged it but refused to let it take away this moment of simple joy.

"Good. Now go get mildly tipsy!"

She shooed them away but did not move herself as she watched the two men walk away, arm in arm. A sad smile curled her lips as she watched them go.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

They knew she was not just asking about this battle, about this one fight against the werewolves.

The Hunt-Beast rumbled in her head as the darkness merely laughed.

'_We are.'_

Susan swallowed thickly.

'_Are you?'_

She did not answer, did not want to answer. She simply turned and walked back to her own house, readying herself for her first skirmish against the darkness in Narnia.

* * *

Author's notes: Sorry too tired to come up with an extensive author's notes. Thank you for everyone who reviewed they were much, much appreciated. As always please review!


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